From the Editors When I was young, I always looked forward to Christmas. Nothing could dampen my spirit. I sang holiday tunes in my house obnoxiously, danced around happily, stuffed my face with holiday crackers from Costco (I guess I still do that). I was so consumed by joy, childish or not, that no matter what happened, I was just happy for no logical reason. And then high school happened. And instead of focusing on the joy of this season, I find myself staying past midnight cramming in homework, procrastinating the homework I dread, being silent and pessimistic, just wanting the holiday break to come so I can at last sleep, and sleep for a thousand years or two. I’ve really lost a sense of what this season means, the realization that Jesus, both man and God, was sent to earth, giving up all his heavenly treasures to descend as a lowly son of a carpenter, in a meagerly supplied barn. There’s something about it in Philippians I believe, about the importance of realizing how Christ diminished himself in humility and became a servant to his friends. But in full honesty, I’ve caught myself in gloom, thinking ahead to more college apps, feeling discouraged, thinking about applying to Financial Aid and how I have no inspiration to write college essays. I’ve forgotten so much about the significance of Christmas, blanking looking at the 25th and hoping there aren’t any dinners to go to so I can work on more college things before I leave for Grace. But something surprising happened, as I grew older. My Christmas became a season of giving. Perhaps it’s my innate liking of shopping and spending on other people, or the challenge of finding the perfect gift, or something, but I do love giving gifts. I feel that the best gifts are the ones that are personal and heartfelt. But then comes another complication—I become so obsessed with purchasing the right gifts I forget to stop and consider the gift God has placed right in front of my nose, his gift of Jesus and thus, life. It seems almost that I can’t win sometimes, that when I do find joy, it is in self satisfaction and pursuit, rather than in enjoying God’s presence and just being with Him. I’m like Martha, who just wants to do things but not listen like Mary. This Christmas season, I am challenging myself, and I challenge you too, that to take the time to stop, to pause, and to reopen God’s gift of Jesus. Let’s strive to keep the Christmas spirit of thankfulness and joy alive in me year-round.
- Kelly Yu 2
From the Editors Recently my friend expressed deep concern and worry personally for the people who don’t know or refuse to know God as our Savior. In other words, she felt that she was personally held accountable for the people around her that weren’t saved, that it would be her fault if the people that she could have reached out to didn’t go to heaven. She’s obviously not alone in her thoughts; I ask myself the same question: (in her words) “what if you and I could’ve prevented someone from not making it to heaven?” It seems true, doesn’t it? I mean, without our lights as a candle and guide for the lost and the struggling, being a Christian wouldn’t mean the same and the way that God saved people would be different. Obviously, that’s not going to happen because reaching out to others is fundamental in our work and our belief, but the point is that God doesn’t need us. That’s the thing. God is so much bigger than you and I and he doesn’t need us to accomplish anything because He is omniscient in essence. Yes, he can use us as his medium to carry out what he wants to do and to help people, which he does. But God’s plan is foolproof; what has been determined will be His way in the end, and our trying or not trying will not stop his plan; it is actually part of his plan. God knows what each individual needs and what buttons to press in order for them to be arrested by His love. For some, it is people like us, for some it is the church, the community, the Word itself, the challenges we face in living, and for some, it is simply time. God can use whatever he wants because he knows how to capture each person’s attention according to their characters, so that means he can even use “bad experiences” like partying stages, bad habits, even different religions and self-explorations for the ultimate good and glory of Himself. God is God. He is always sovereign, always in charge, no matter what we do. That doesn’t mean that we should stop trying, because we should always provide the “fire for the altar” so that God can use you if He wills it to be so. What we can do as the stars for the darkness in the world is to offer our best up to God and leave the rest to Him. What is meant to be will be. So do live your best, do love your heart out, but take comfort in knowing that He is God, He is faithful, He is sovereign.
- Melody Zhang
From the Editors The Christmas story is simple if you view it like this: God sent Jesus into the world so that we could have hope. “’The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’— which means, ‘God with us.’” —Matthew 1:23 When you think of Christmas, what do you think of? Do you picture Jesus being born, finally shining a light into a world of darkness, the reason you and I are alive right now? God’s love is unfathomable that way. He gave the best gift we could ever receive in the form of salvation through faith in Christ. But do we really treasure that? I was talking with a friend the other day, and the parable of the vineyard came up. If you don’t know it, go read Matthew 20:1-16! But in a nutshell, it’s about these workers who begin their work in a vineyard at the beginning of the day, and the employer, so to speak, hires more workers as the day goes on, but at the end of the day, they all receive the exact same paycheck. God says that anyone who believes in Him will receive the gift of eternal life. So what about the ones who have believed in God practically from birth, versus the ones who accept Him on their deathbeds? Is that “fair”? Being a follower of Christ is not easy. It is a spiritual battle, every single day, it is death to our desires, it is persecution, it is suffering. So why do the people who have sinned their entire lives but accept Christ as they lay dying also receive this ultimate gift? Wouldn’t it be easier that way, if we could all do that? But then what would be the point? What would be the point of our lives, right now, when we already know of God’s love, already have felt this light we have in Christ? Because it is through suffering that we find peace, joy, and hope. Read these verses: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” —Matthew 7:21-23 This is our calling. To wake from our slumber, and to start moving. We can sit with the Lord, reading His word and doing our devotions. We can pray all we want, and go to church all we want. The difference is whether or not we are going to actively walk with Him.
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It is said that faith without deeds is dead, and deeds done without faith is equally useless. Being a Christian is a lifestyle. Worship is a lifestyle. It’s not something we do every so often, a hobby we pick up and put away. This is our entire life. I cannot stress that enough; but only you can choose to care, about this ministry, about your life and the people you love. Only you can choose to get up on your feet and take God’s hand on this walk. Only you can choose to surrender your entire heart to Him. The question is, will you? Don’t you think it would be selfish to keep this gift to ourselves? God has put a light, stoked a fire in our hearts. Don’t contain it inside of you—let your life reflect the hope you have in Jesus. Look around you; see all the broken people that don’t have the one gift that truly matters, but you could give them through an overflow of God’s own love. Brothers and sisters, nothing is ever going to be easy. For every step we take towards God, Satan is maliciously tugging on our backs, doing everything he can to make us fall. And sometimes we will fall, and there will be days we want to give up, days we are paralyzed by fear and helplessness. But let me tell you, God is going to pick you up and carry you when you cannot stand; is it not enough to know with confidence that Jesus will always be by your side? This journey of faith will be far more worth it than you could ever imagine. So why do you and I have to endure this pain right now? Because we have also been blessed with God’s hope. When all is said and done, and we stand before Christ on judgment day, how much more lovely will the words, “well done, my good and faithful servant,” sound in our ears? God has saved each one of us (and in the process, enduring far greater pain than any of us will ever experience); we are beyond blessed to have been saved at such a young age. What is a little earthly suffering going to compare to eternal life? We are living for His glory. Give this hope, this love, this redemption you have to your friends and family this Christmas. At the very least, remember what God has done for you this year. Thank God for all the blessings He’s given us. When you wake up on Christmas morning, take a couple minutes to reflect on how God is mighty to save. How He is faithful and His love is never failing. Think about your own life. Does your life reflect the joy and hope of knowing Jesus? Can others see that in you, or do you hide away from the light? It’s a choice to love. It’s a choice to live a life for God’s glory. What would you do? Don’t waste another minute. Share this gift you have received, given so freely to such an undeserving people. Give yourself to the world as a messenger of light, a child of God, and ultimately, a messenger of hope.
- Sharon Shen
A Lifetime of Christ Alum article! (and former Vine editor!!) Oasis! I've missed you guys. College has been changing my life, and I could go on about it for forever. For a couple of months in Boston, I went to several churches before finding the fellowship I'm in now. It's been quite a crazy journey but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that God is faithful and constant through it all. But right now I want to talk about your life in this season. I recently heard a series of sermons about the advent that's made me consider Christmas so differently. What are you doing this Christmas? Are you doing Christmas with your family or with friends? How do we "do Christmas"? Doing Christmas is about seeing Jesus. The three wise men traveled for months and months to find Jesus, following a star. God uses his creation, in every day, in every way, to give us a star to follow. When they got there, they were overjoyed. There was a baby in a manger, and they were overjoyed. Whenever we get a glimpse of Jesus, we should be overjoyed. Through so many nights in my life, I've found it so hard to find joy. But God is reaching out to me. And I am just finding that truth out for myself. God is reaching out to you. He doesn't have to, but He chooses to. When they saw Jesus, they fell down and worshipped Him. And then they gave Jesus the best that they had, not just the gifts they had but the way they bowed down to Him. I've thought about leading a life of service in Christ, but I've always thought, maybe I'll set up my career first. Maybe I'll have a family first. Maybe I'll have my retirement plan settled and my house bought and my kids' college tuitions saved. And then someone asked me this —is Jesus worth the best years of your life? These, these are the best years of our lives. It's why I've found myself in Boston; there's a reason, a time for everything. Christmas is one day, the season is just a part of a year, but living for Christ is a lifetime, starting now, starting today. We can't give any gifts to God that He doesn't already have — except ourselves and our own lives. Bring your finest self and your worst self and all of yourself to Jesus in 2013, and He will meet you. God is good. Merry Christmas!
- Alice Liang
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How I found out Santa wasn’t real I believed in Santa until I was ten years old. That's like, fourth grade... And I only stopped believing because I directly asked my mom and she told me. I've been close to finding the truth on several occasions. Once, one of my gifts had a "made in Boston" stamp on its bottom. I asked my mom why a sticker would be there, and my mom goes, "OOOH, DON'T YOU KNOW? THERE'S A BOSTON IN NORTH POLE!" and stupid me goes "oh but of course! that makes sense..." ANYWAY, when I found out that he didn't exist, I thought it was the biggest conspiracy ever; you couldn't blame me: my teachers were in on it, all the parents were in on it, even my fellow classmates believed in it. Even when my classmates started to not believe, I held firm to my faith. One day, Stephen Lee (David Legacy Lee's older brother) told me that Santa didn't exist. I got really mad. I got so mad that I ran across the room and knocked him off the chair and onto the floor. And I was choking him with my hands, saying that Santa existed. Did I mention that I did this in his house? And that his MOM WAS IN THE ROOM?? Yeah.... LOL That's my Santa story.
- Charles Ko
As A Family I love you all. Thank you for these past two-and-a-half years so far, and thank you for being a second home to me. Especially thank you because I get to talk to Asian people! The Asian population at Athens is tiny, for real. I ask that you hear me out on this. There are many people who might feel this way, and I think I can safely say that I’m speaking for those people when I ask: What are you doing here? This is not to say, of course, that I don’t want you to be here. In fact, just the opposite. Oasis has grown so much just in the time that I’ve been here, and God has brought a lot of people to this ministry—more than anyone has expected, I’m sure. And all of you are welcome. If no one has told you that yet, then let me say it now: welcome to Oasis! But also, with new people comes different beliefs. And so I think Oasis is falling apart, a little? New people bring new expectations, and this ministry can’t always fulfill all of them. So we settle for less. And then the only thing you know is what “less” is like. So that sets your standard for Oasis, and it’s a vicious cycle because you don’t know passion and therefore no one else that comes knows passion, either. What is passion? Passion is a desire for God. Passion is a desire for worship because life is given so that we can glorify the Lord. Passion is a desire to see your brothers and sisters in Christ grow in their relationships with Him, and to encourage them as they seek God. This is passion. This is also something that we don’t have. I ask, brothers and sisters, that you consider something. Why do you come to Oasis? Everyone will have different answers. There’s not necessarily one right answer, but there is definitely a wrong one. So I urge you to consider your heart. Does it desire God? Does it desire to praise and glorify Him, and to encourage others to do so as well?
Passion is a desire to see your brothers and sisters in Christ grow in their relationships with Him.
Because we expect the leaders, seniors, worship team, to do everything, and to bring Oasis back to its feet. In fact, all the leaders have this expectation for themselves, and it is a heavy burden to carry.
They cannot do this alone. You have to help. This isn’t just another Saturday hangout. Yes, I’m sure you may have heard this before—people bring it up all the time. But maybe, just maybe, it is continually brought up because no one has fixed it. We’re not perfect. The leaders are as human as the rest of Oasis, and we’re going to make mistakes. And one of these mistakes might just be that we’re trying too hard to do this on our own. 8
We can’t. There just aren’t enough of us. But if we come together as a congregation, as a family of Christ-followers, we can help each other out. There is more to this ministry. This isn’t all that we can do, not all that we are capable of. And I’m sure this isn’t all that God has planned for us. Because we were meant for more. And because love sometimes means fixing the bad things. I don’t want to come across as an angry hypocrite or whatever you might think after reading this. I’ve written angry things about Oasis—this is not one of them. Because anger has not solved anything, ever. People who were angry about Oasis? They’ve all left. And they haven’t come back. Anger has never fixed a single problem. This is more than anger. This is me, pleading with you, to just lay down any other reason to come to Oasis, and to just come and worship God. To be filled with Him every Saturday night and to not fall away the next morning. He has loved us more than we deserve. Nothing we can do will ever amount to the sacrifice He made. So we come to Him, empty, on our knees, and we thank Him. Oasis is a home. To those who are broken, and to those who need more of Him. We aren’t going to be perfect. We will never be perfect. But we strive for that perfection that comes from knowing God is with us. Soli deo gloria; glory to God alone. Love, Esther
- Esther Yan
Treading Water One story I find particularly inspiring in the Bible is the one of Peter walking on the water. Faith has been a constant struggle in my life, and to read about Peter taking that step of faith astounds me. I know if I was in his place I would not have taken that risk. My fear and doubt would have held me back in the boat, where the space is cramped but the fish are plenty and life is for myself. In this boat, I would be able to pursue all my ideas and dreams, all that seems important, just like fish were important to the fishermen. But then they chose to look beyond the fish and fix their eyes upon the Creator and Giver of the fish. When I look past my ideal path in life, all I see is a haze of my own ambitions and willfulness, see myself so ignorant and obstinate, thinking I can have it all my way. I’m treading along the shores, one foot in the sand, one in the water, unable to decide if I want to take the plunge, let the cold seep into my clothes. I dally and stall, making sand castles of my own selfishness, while staring into the blue, wondering what it would be like to just go, and jump. I see the tide come in, God reaching out to me, and I retreat. He knocks down my sandcastles, leaving me devastated, wanting me to return. But sometimes, I guess I’ve just wanted to be so self-sufficient, to pick myself back up rather than grabbing a hand. And I return to the shore, picking up shells, my trophies of useless and petty worth, making necklaces and collecting them and sorting them, convincing myself that they matter when I know the next tide will take them away. But yet I find it such a relief to deceive myself. These shells, these trophies of my accomplishments, countless things I’ve taken glory for, rather than reflecting back to God, I cover myself in these shells, this sand, hiding. I sometimes look at the sea and shudder, imagine the cold trickling down my neck, my breath knocked away, my reality twisted, my fantasy twisted. And maybe if I entered the water I could at last see that it was no beach I waited on, but a thorny, rocky and desolate wilderness. If only I waded a bit in the water. If only I let God recreate my perspective. God tells me I have to drown to my desires and wants, that I have to just stop trying to float on my own, That He’ll be my lifejacket, his Word the straps that bind me and secure me, So that I will finally stop treading water and wasting time and energy to do it all by myself. But the sand is so warm, the way it feels on my feet, My shovels and buckets waiting for me, to build another sandcastle. And so I build another one, all the time knowing how ephemeral it is, How it’ll last no longer than an hour, so temporary, so weak, so pathetic And I decorate it with my shells and tell myself it’s worth doing this, When the sea behind me roars in response. Sometimes I wish someone would just toss me into this sea, Force me the right way, while I scream and kick and maybe whimper But this is free will if there ever could be such a thing And I tempt fate, with one foot planted in the ocean and one foot on the beach, Looking from side to side, oscillating, indecisive, absolutely lost, Cursing the tide and the sand and the shells I’m along the shore, walking, Pacing back and forth to no avail Watching my sandcastles fall down one by one Watching the water swallow up the shells And then turn toward the sun at the far end of the wide expanse of water I feel I’m running out of time .
-Anonymous
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This Special Christmas
This special Christmas I hope to bring a little more joy, a little more peace, a “He chose to save imperfection little more faith, a little more hope, a whisper in the wind, umbrella in the perfectly, bought at this rain, medicine for pain, a little bit of good, a little bit of smile, a little bit of wholly holy price, salvation wonder, at this little child, who on this Christmas day, chose to live and stay, In this broken world, to guard on this cross” and watch us, heal and mend us, when we chose to hate Him anyway, a tiny small embrace, little bit of tears, little bit of fear, to bring God called Christ near, a little bit of hate, a little bit of sorrow, a little bit of shards, no more come tomorrow, the day when love was born, in a lowly manger, a world that looked confused, as if God was this holy stranger, brought down to earth that night, shining this light so bright, but we turn away in desperation, and we scoff with exasperation, oh who needs this God, when we have ourselves, slaves to our sins, addictions and dreams, chains that won’t break, no matter what we do, until we give them up, and scream let’s Crucify you, as if we’re more than gods, as if we stood a chance, before the God above, we’re merely specks of dust, and let me ask you this, would you look beneath your feet, scrape the ground, kiss the dirt, and say I love you? Well, God did, to you and me, He chose to save imperfection perfectly, bought at this wholly holy price, salvation on this cross, but He never boasted out, never told the world, to follow Him because, He was the loudest or the boldest, but no He came, to save the weak and the hurting, to be humble before men, even when He was God, and we were nothing, nothing but nothing, and there bleeding to death, on that twisted freezing tree, we spat at His face and said “You can’t save me,” when right at that moment, all sin that came from me, was poured into His soul, and then I became free, but why do I still live, as if He didn’t die for me, as if this cross where my Savior won, if nothing but imagery? How, oh God, do I turn again, and face you with all of me, instead of cowering behind these masks of deceit, running and running away, never really finding home, a place to belong, drifting in this ocean of nothingness, lost in this big world, yet found again in Christ alone. This special Christmas I want to remember, just what Christ did for me, when I was still a sinner.
-Peter Sun
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12: 1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” My life has never been fuller of everything that the Lord can offer me. In a sense, I am a cup that is filled to the brim and continuously emptied, and then continuously filled. I find myself falling in love with Jesus in a different way every single day, and I just can’t get enough of it. In November, my church, Livingstones, headed down to Chicago for a Chinese conference called MTC (Midwest Thanksgiving Conference). I wouldn’t say that it changed my life—God was already placing a multitude of blessings upon me—but I certainly came back different. But there, those three days were so incredibly different. I had never encountered Jesus in such an intimate way before, I spoke in tongues, I fell prostrate in His presence, and I was a witness to a dozen miracles. I saw broken bones being healed, I was given prophecies, and I felt the hand of an angel upon my back. There, God gave me such a feeling of peace, of satisfaction, of contentment that I wasn’t hungry anymore—literally and figuratively, and that’s saying a lot for someone who can eat like me. And God didn’t stop there; He gave me a vision. In this vision, I saw a thousand foot wide chasm that was connected by a string of rope. And there I was, cowering in a corner by a rock, stubbornly and cowardly refusing to be led by God across. Finally, God took me in his arms, placed my feet on the rope, and held my arms up at my side. Literally forcing me to walk, He led me across, and I crossed it. However shaky my legs were at the beginning, each step strengthened me and gave me courage. I crossed that chasm in His arms, and on the other side, was only a beauty that God could create. I couldn’t stand; all I could do was lie on my face, basking in His glory. Coming home, I was determined to change everything. God gave me a dream showing me that my job was in the way of getting to know Him more, so I cut down from working two days a week, to just working once a week for three hours. God told me that He wanted more time, so I quit piano. God told me that I was wasting time focused on other people’s lives, so I quit social networking. God told me that He just wanted to spend time with me, so now I worship every day. I find myself in a position where I am asking God for more and more. And now I am the one asking God for simply more than just my day to dedicate to him, but my life. I bet we’ve all known what it’s like to fall for someone before, I know I have. How you can’t stop thinking about that person, how you fall asleep at night sometimes, your last thought on that specific someone. 12
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” —Hebrews 12:1
That’s how it is with me and God. I can’t stop thinking about God as I walk through the halls of school, every single hour when I’m at home alone, and in my dreams. And when I worship now, the fire inside of me to praise my God, is so undeniable, I have to stop myself from breaking down every single time. Encountering the Holy Spirit, talking to God, drinking in as much of His word as possible, it’s too wonderful to even imagine, and yet I’m living it. I finally understand what it is to lead a life of worship, and go deeper into His presence. God is not a mystical genie who sits on a cloud and strikes fear into people’s hearts. God is not a presence that is foreign, and He is not someone who we talk about every single time we go into church or whisper that prayer at dinnertime. God is someone who is so in love with us that sent His one and only son to die for us. God is someone who is just simply begging for an hour or two of our time every day, God wants a relationship and not a relationship where we have to be all “mature” or “spiritual”. God. Just. Wants. Us. However much we don’t deserve it, God just wants everything of us, even the clean and the dirty. He doesn’t care; all of our sins were washed away when He gave us the chance to be born again. All He cares about now is us encountering Him, and loving Him with everything we have. I want to worship Him with every day, all days, to the end of my days.
- Amy Lin
Time with God
Right now, we live in an amazing time period: we are able to hear music with a flick of a finger, we are able to travel 6658.2 miles in under 14 hours (distance from Detroit to Beijing), and finally, we are able to transmit mass waves of energy in the form of communication in a couple of seconds, all of which could not be imaginable a mere century ago. As our society continues to advance, the importance of knowledge becomes increasingly relevant. Who would be able to survive in a world where the importance is placed on, not living and satisfying the basic necessities, but rather attending an elite college, receiving a respectable amount of pay, and “striving for the best,” something that has been engrained in our lives ever since we were small? But, if we actually take time in our fast-pacing lives to think about this concept, for whom is this intended for? What use does our constantly accelerating progress in technology actually accomplish? How does this actually improve our lives? True enough, better technology grants increased comfort in work, which grants increased productivity, which grants a longer life span, which grants an increase in the retirement age, which grants better technology, and so on. This ultimately proves the answer to whom this cycle is provided for: newer, faster, and more appealing technological devices. Essentially, Asimov’s IROBOT did come true in the sense that robots—in this case older devices— build other robots—in this case newer devices—discarding the tools—humans—as gruesome as it seems. After rambling for this long, you may be asking how this relates to the Bible or why is this kid is talking about this stuff? Well, don’t ask me, I don’t know what you’re thinking. But, I do know why I’m talking about this: the issue of intertwining religion and daily life. Psalm 78 says “…what we have heard and known, / what our fathers have told us. / We will not hide them from their children; / we will tell the next generation… [the Lord’s] power, and the wonders he has/ done.” Well, what does this mean? If you don’t know, read it again and if you still don’t know after reading it again, read it again once more, and if you still don’t know after reading it twice, just give up and go study English (hopefully everyone will understand that’s a joke since the act of persevering something to the end is absolutely terrific and something to get used to…unless it’s bad). Anyway, I’ll still explain it: the Psalm says that we should spread our accumulating knowledge of God to our descendants in order to spread His words as well as to cultivate, dare I say it, a perfect human. The psalm (Random fact of the day: Psalm 78 is the second longest psalm) basically summarizes what has happened throughout parts of the Bible and gives examples of how humans have betrayed God. From verse ten to twenty-two, the Bible speaks of how the Ephraimites took advantage of the omnipotent God: these men disobeyed, disregarded, and even challenged Him. At Oasis, even though we accept the Lord and attempt to follow his ways (or at least I hope everyone does), I will almost bet some form of food that everyone here has ignored him—not doing any type of devotionals because of too much homework per se—or tested Him at least once in their lives. 14
Now, after getting both concepts straight, they, surprisingly, correlate nicely. The generic phrase, “time is money” is true, and quite serious, as opposed to the usually lax tone when the sentence is used. What is also interesting is that the word “money” can also be interchanged with any other type of word: “time is number of buttons pressed from playing LoL,” “time is Facebook,” “time is amount of bacteria that has resulted from reproduction of a parent cell through binary fission,” and most importantly, “time is God’s relationship.” As our time decreases from worrying about our future, the connection between God and us diminishes, usually placed on the back-burner with school, relationships, or other matters placed as our primary worry. As we grow older, we would typically scoff at our so called “busy lives,” a cliché of sorts as an excuse to deviate from God and other important matters.
“…what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us, we will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation… [the Lord’s] power, and the wonders he has done.” —Psalm 78 200 years ago, the Bible was used to teach English (so if you don’t understand Psalm 78, I suggest you read the Bible more) exactly 50 years ago, religion was banned from public schools, and now, confidence in religion is at an all time low. If this trend continues, who knows what will happen. What may have caused this? The answer may be in the proliferating competition of being the “best”. People are only given a standard amount of time—you cannot change it. If studying is more important that God, so be it, it’s what you think: it can’t be helped. But what if both matters can be balanced equally? Well, I don’t know all the answers nor do I expect most people to know what’s best, but try a few different things: reading the Bible before bed? After studying? Try what you like, who knows what you might stumble upon, maybe you’ll discover something that will change the way that you think forever. Oh yeah, congrats to all the seniors who are going to become college people next year. Have an excellent and merry Christmas and have a happy new year of 2013. THE MAYANS WERE WRONG (as expected).
-Arnold Zhou
I am Third Oasis, I love you too much to not tell you this. Why is "thinking" such a rejected thing today? Why does one have to stay within boundaries and not be allowed think abstractly? I find comfort in the hunger, thirst, wisdom, and knowledge that the Lord has given me. What happened to finding motives and meaning to things? Why do you do, what you do? Nowadays, it's just a textbook answer that fills the blank time and questions asked. Have some faith in what you believe, for I'd rather call myself a non-believer than to lie to myself and say "I believe". No one bothers to think of another possibility of living life. We are all so comfortable to our own perspectives, our morals, and our beliefs, but what you say you believe in is not necessarily what you believe. It has gotten to the point where we have lied to ourselves and gotten away with it, and this is why I love to think and be accepting to new perspectives. Through certain other perspectives, you can be wrong, but knowing something is wrong is somewhere to start, forcing you to reevaluate why you do what you do. I desire to bear fruit to serve for the Lord, but there are other things in which my sinfulness desires. For God is number one and others, number two and then lastly yourself. It's all about us being third in our universe. We can bash on society and say how much harm it has done to us, how corrupt it has made us, but simply complaining doesn't change anything. Many things blind us from seeing; however, many of these are put up by ourselves without even knowing. It's about you being able to let God be in control and I know you hear this again and again, but have you ever wondered why? It is because we don't get it. They say to put God first but what does that mean to you? Too often these days we see people driven by their emotions, success, and relationships; none of these times do we take control of what we think because we are too busy being "emotional". You can be depressed, but that is a choice made by you. You and I always find justification for actions; twisting perspective to find a "good enough" reason so others can't say that you are wrong, for no one wants to be the "bad guy" or the one who is "wrong". Instead I say find comfort in your flaws, for if you know something is wrong, only then can you do something about it. For the Will of God doesn't come easily, and he does not simply hand the work finished, but His promise ensures that he will struggle and labor with us... and that is enough. Even the Israelites had to fight for the promise land and walk through the desert. He is faithful to finish what he has started, so have some faith in your God even if you fail to defeat sin; be picked up by the Lord and continue walking and pressing for Him. No one is to blame for your troubles and failures but if even the Lord doesn't condemn you, who is there to be afraid of? For even your faith is given to you and may you be ever asking and repenting to the Lord. Many believe in themselves and have dug their own wells and forsaken God. But you already know all that has been said and is to come. No matter how much you “try” to change your heart, you can’t. But, Christ gave you the gift of free will, so you can change your decisions. Choose to let Him take over and you will find a life of True everlasting Joy. May He bless you and keep you: and to Him be forever given the glory forever and ever, amen.
“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; The more knowledge the more grief” —Ecclesiastes 1:18
—Felix Chiang 16
Shekinah Glory He raised his hands and screamed, “God, where are You?” He paced back and forth, frustrated with himself and the world. He got on his knees only to find discomfort and pain. He started to break down. He got back on his feet and started to shake with fury. Fueled solely by rage and anger, he tore his notebook into little pieces. “Lies, Lies, all terrible Lies,” he muttered. Oftentimes, he wondered what he was doing in this world and how long he must put up with it. He walked back and forth some more. And some more. And some more until he came across a dusty rugged book with letters smeared HOLY BIBLE. He picked it up and a paper fell out of it. It wrote, “Jesus loves me and will give his life for me to be with my daddy.” The date written on it—1/15/2001. He started to break down. Twelve years. So much has happened in these twelve years and his twelve-year-old self knew how to love without questioning. He curled into a ball wondering—was he truly loved? Yes. The answer was yes. He got back on his knees and found comfort and reassurance flowing within him. Yes. Jesus loves me. He stood up and raised his hands to let out a faint sigh, “God, You are love.” Then he closed his eyes. We wait for you, Since you gave your life in a beautiful exchange. We wait for you, For you are our cornerstone, where weak are made strong through your blood. We wait for you, Surrendering all. To walk in the room So please Jesus cover us with an angelic symphony. Here we are, With our brothers and sisters, Standing in your presence, Remembering all the good things You have done. Shekinah Glory come down Let it rain and fall afresh on my living soul Release the fullness of your Spirit And forever reign Shekinah Glory come. After all, you are holy.
—Anonymous
Features
Editorial from the Highly Esteemed Editorial Board: How to Write a Hit Vine Article 1. Read a whoooole Vine because it is important to know how the Vine works and why people are cool if they write for it duh. oasisvine.tumblr.com 2. 3.
Go onto www.facebook.com/oasisvine to find the deadline for the upcoming Vine issue! Have a wild experience or create an epiphany for yourself so you can have something interesting to write about
4.
Eat some food because usually that stimulates the mind.
5.
Open up Microsoft Word 2010 a couple of days before the deadline.
6.
Eat something to reward yourself for coming so far. Note: It is okay to fall asleep or get distracted at this point because as a wise Vine writer you have started so early! Good work!
7.
Wake up and write about the stuff.
8.
Revel in the joy of sharing and all of the holiday seasons.
9.
Send to all of the Vine editors two days before the deadline okie now. All of them. good
10.
Pat yourself gently on the back and then fall asleep with passion and a clear conscience.
11.
And then the editors saw that all that they had collected was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the Vine. And it was good.
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Features
Christmas Surveys I listen to Xmas music after... 2% 7%
7%
Halloween Thanksgiving
20%
Christmas
How did you find out Santa wasn’t real?
Never 64%
ALL THE TIME
My ideal Xmas is... 5% 2% snowy
6%
“WELL…I snuck downstairs thinking Santa was there. But NOOOO. It was my mom. Childhood dreams crushed.”
warm 19%
cold
68%
rainy
“He is real..?”
idk
“No presents from Santa.” “I made a present for Santa, then my dad told me that Santa isn't real when he didn't take it to the "north pole". Then he told me the Easter bunny isn't real and Peter Pan isn’t real.”
“Parents told me immediately after understanding life.”
“From a textbook.”
“I stopped getting both Presents and Coal after age 6.”
“I am Santa.”
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Editors’ Picks Pokémon December: Who is who? Peter Hao
Peter Ko
Peter Sun
Kenneth Wang
Lily Wang
Phillip An
Teddy Du
Kelly Yu
David Lee
Love your editors,
January Announcements January 1— Make New Year’s Resolutions
Give me articles!!!
January 2—Write for the Vine
Butterfly | melody.c.zhang@gmail.com
January 5—No Oasis
I Butter | kelly_yu_2013@yahoo.com
January 13—Sharon’s Mommy’s birthday
I just fly | xdancer.shen@gmail.com
January 16— Cathy Yan’s birthday January All—Write for the Vine! Okay.
Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!!