{FROM THE EDITORS} NEW YEAR, NEW ME
opportunities for new beginnings, new things. And my goal for this year is to bring about a lifestyle that is worth living. I want to live for Christ in a life that is pleasing to Him. So these lifetime resolutions I shared with my friends during Saturate were working toward that. I’m hoping that my eyes will be opened up to the wonders of God’s Word and everything in store for me, and even though it shouldn’t mean so much, 2014 has really brought me a feeling of rejuvenation that I need to prolong. I think it’s pretty sad that I’m so desensitized to what I’ve grown up with that I no longer realize how good God is to me. But one of my lifetime resolutions was this—to rethink and relook at the gospel, and to truly understand what it stands for and appreciate the grace I’ve been given. Well, happy 2014, Oasis! Hopefully you’ve had some thoughts about the new year, and hopefully you made your own lifetime resolutions (hahaha).
Something that really struck me at this past GRACE conference was when one of the speakers told us a story about a man of Islamic faith. The man was introduced to the way of worship and praise in the Christian church, and as he stood near the back, tears were streaming down his face. Later, the speaker found out that the Islamic man was weeping because Christians were able to openly worship their God without any negative repercussions or restrictions. The speaker also told us about another person who commented, “The gospel is too good to be true.” Which brings me to question myself—when was the last time I ever thought the gospel was too good to be true? The sad truth is, I have never given the gospel a second thought. Both stories have wedged themselves into my heart, and last week during Saturate, worship team called for same-gender-same-grade groups, so as I sat with the three other freshman girls, we talked about resolutions. More specifically, lifetime solutions. It’s a new year, and 2014 brings a lot of
— Michelle Shen 2
{FROM THE EDITORS} HE IS ABOVE
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. 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 isn’t 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; 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 3
REMAIN
I am weary, God, but I can prevail. – Proverbs 30:1 If I had to find a verse that summed up my entire lifestyle, this would be it. God, I’m tired, but it’s okay, I can handle it. I can do it on my own. I don’t need help. I can already see God’s response: Esther, you’re crazy. And I am. I know that this is crazy, but how many times have I said that to myself already? Even today, trying to organize my time to finish the things I want to get done, to do the things I want to do. Everything is about me. I was reminded this year about how much everything is not about me. Thankfully, God is gracious and constantly pushes me in the direction of humility. Learning to become dependent is hard, especially in a culture where we’re taught to want independence; but there is something beautiful about being dependent on a Father who can always provide in ways that we can’t provide ourselves. Going into GRACE as a high school small group leader was actually terrifying. I didn’t really talk to many people about it, but I was scared of my own incompetency. Equally terrifying was the thought that my small group wouldn’t get anything out of the time we had together. I did a lot of praying—a lot of “God please do something so that I know this wasn’t a foolish decision” kind of praying. I had felt called in the past, but actually
taking the step of faith—even though it wouldn’t cost me my life or anything—was still nervewracking. But God is still faithful even when I am not—and He really provided for me. I guess I can’t say for sure if any of my small group members actually liked me as a leader, but for myself, I got to experience the joy that results from faith. I felt an overwhelming peace the entire time (even when the girls sat silently and stared at the table while I was trying to ask questions), and we were able to share with each other and pray for one another. At the same time, I discovered the power of prayer. If even my weak, self-conscious prayers for my small-groupleading abilities led to God working through each of the girls in powerful ways (whether or not in small group times), how much more would praying do for other aspects of my life—and the lives of others? This is a crazy idea: instead of depending on yourself, pray. Pray, because God provides for those who ask. Pray, because God does what you ask—and more. He knows what is perfect for you. Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. – Proverbs 30:5 Remain in His love. He always provides.
— Esther Yan 4
UNENDING GRACE FROM THE BELOVED The five days of the GRACE conference were the hardest I have ever wanted to work during and they were the craziest five days I’ve had this past year. It was really touching to see the desperation people had at the end of the day, trying to give all they had to God. He transforms hearts, He really does. Everything at GRACE was just a blessing to me. I fell down on my knees so many times because I was just awestruck by the unbelievable grace and love my Jesus had for me. It’s one of those things you take for granted until you actually dissect what it means to know the Gospel. It really is too good to be true. Pastor Dave and all the other speakers spoke nails into my heart. It felt at times that my heart was actually being chiseled away at. It was a humbling experience and I really wanted my hardened heart to be softened by the presence of my savior. God truly is Love. I don’t think I actually wept any tears of sorrow that week; it was all tears of joy. I was enveloped in God’s goodness toward me and everything that happened inspired something
beautiful. God told me to notice the little things in life because they are just as beautiful—the sun setting on an ocean, the dew on the morning’s grass, or the reunion of loved ones. I really need to praise God for people doing simple things, like opening the door, praying for me, or just engaging in small talk on the elevator. Everything gave me such joy that if I tried to express it, I couldn’t; I’d be at a loss for words. My God, my God, why are you so good to me? Looking back, GRACE wasn’t just another conference; it was a congregation of His children. The people there were the definition grace; it was shocking to me the love people had for God finally expressed. No more hiding, no more running. God, thank you for the urgency you have spoken into my heart. There are people who don’t know how loving you are, how secure you are, how vast your ocean of grace is for us. I need to find them. God, send me. "God is one who is to be experienced, not a teaching to be imparted." – George Eldon Ladd
— Jason Qin 5
ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE because we are so fundamentally flawed and wicked, and God cannot love evil, He sent Jesus to die for us in order so that we could be reconciled to God. God loves you and me as much as he loved Jesus from the beginning. Sit on that one for a minute. I never thought I could be loved by God as much as He loves Jesus. I mean, Jesus is perfect. And all of a sudden as I’m hearing these words, I’m overwhelmed with the conflicting emotions of shame and hope. With all of my sins that I’ve tried to justify or play down exposed, I was drowning in guilt but simultaneously being offered a life jacket of grace that I did not understand how to put on. Recently I’ve been wrestling with the concept of grace. I simply cannot comprehend why Jesus would die for me anymore. I’ve realized that the selfsufficiency I’ve tried to maintain, and carefully constructed image that I portray, makes no sense when I am called to reveal God through my life, not to reveal who I am while using God’s resources. The struggle is so real. And I can’t even say this lightly, because every day I do have to struggle against my sinful nature to depend on God’s grace in order to live a life of righteousness. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12 Stand firm, then, and rejoice in your sufferings, sharing in the greater joy of Jesus and the eternal hope we have in Him.
Hi! Praise the Lord for finishing yet another semester of school (and for some of you, it’s your last!). I love this time of year because it’s when I get to reorient myself without the immediate stress of school. Somewhere along the way of every year I inevitably stray away from Jesus, and it’s always a bumpy ride swerving off course and towing myself back on the road to a life of righteousness. GRACE this past December definitely caught me off guard. I had gone into the conference feeling very prepared, having been in the Word and consistently praying for God’s presence within small group and for my own heart to remain in tune with the Spirit all month. So I did not expect the blow of the first sermon, which was about the world formula versus the Gospel formula. Having grown up hearing the Gospel essentially all my life, I think I formed an unconscious thought process along the lines of, “oh yeah, of course Jesus died for me. Why wouldn’t he? God loves me.” But Pastor Dave made it pretty clear that God doesn’t love me so much as He loves Jesus. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So the world formula says: 1. I am fundamentally flawed 2. I do not deserve to be loved 3. Therefore I will never be loved But the Gospel formula says this: 1. I am fundamentally flawed 2. I do not deserve to be loved 3. Because of God’s great love, Christ came and died for our sins then rose again so that we could have life in Him, despite the fact that #1 and #2 are still true And here’s the kicker: God loves us, yes. But
— Sharon Shen 6
GRACE TEST I didn’t want to go to GRACE 2013. The sermons that were preached in the past conferences sounded too childish for me; I wanted something that could shake my world. Looking back, that was the most foolish thought I’ve ever had. Of course, God broke that hideous pride by sending me to GRACE. Pastor David Choi and Pastor Robin Koshy preached about the meaning of the gospel there, and I couldn’t believe how much of it I didn’t understand. Now I see why I thought the way I did. How could I be moved if I wasn’t even moved by the gospel? The one thing that struck me the most was when Pastor Koshy showed us a picture of five rows of men in the Philippines on their knees, their backs bright red from being whipped. He said that those men were being punished for their sins and that their belief called for nothing but shame, beatings, and humility upon them. They didn’t have a god who had already suffered through those things to the point of death, just so that people like them didn’t have to go through it.
Often times, I let my sins torture me. I feel messed up, incompetent, and demonic insofar that I even start blaming and hurting others. “Why can’t you be a better accountability partner and try harder?” “I failed my commitment again. There was no point of even praying in the first place.” “Why would you think like that? Are you even Christian?” “I’m useless. If God hates me, I understand.” I’ve said all those things to myself and other people. I don’t know if you can tell, but that frustration and bitterness built up in me so many times that I lost sight of the meaning of salvation and redemption. The beautiful thing that Pastor Koshy said was that when we start to hurt ourselves because of sin, it’s like when Jesus said “It is finished,” but we say, “No it’s not. I’ll finish it.” I say beautiful because we can see how foolish we are to take on the burdens of our own sins. It’s not only unnecessary, but disgraceful towards what Christ did for us. His death illustrates God’s unexplainable love for us and ultimately how He loves us more than we could ever love ourselves.
— Jessica Liang 7
JEREMY’S REFRESHLINGS What led you to decide to become a small group leader? Haha actually, Brent asked me if I'd be one. I have no regrets though. Small groups are fun! =D What is your approach or method on leading each week? Letting God direct the discussion through questions, experiences, or random topics What is your objective for the end of the year? For people to not feel shy and for others to loosen up more within the group How does being a small group leader impact you? Leading a small group helps me to see God through different perspectives, as well as seeing how God is working in each of our lives differently Tell us your favorite thing about your small group! Being able to joke and mess with each other, but at the same time being able to get serious even if it means within a five minute time period What distinct characteristics does your small group have that sets it apart from others? They think a lot for middle schoolers (haha at least more than I did). They always come every week with questions about God that I never would have thought of at that age. What topics do you enjoy discussing the most? School life, friends, and love
— Jeremy Chao
THOUGHTS ABOUT SMALL GROUP
So, I kind of don’t like to write, which is why I haven’t written for the Vine before. But anyway, just to keep Michelle & Melody (the awesome yet annoying editors) from nagging me more, I'll write this time. [Editor’s Note: Thanks Daniel!] I’m a small group leader. Now the reason I became a small group leader
was not something oh-so-spiritual; instead it was because I wanted to try something new and learn new skills. Jack and I co-lead our small group at Refresh every week. It’s rather hectic as middle schoolers are always so full of energy (enough that we can’t control them). Generally, we try to ask questions as to what they learned, or even specific
— Daniel Yan
parts of the sermon that interested them. My favorite part is when they can actually answer these questions in detail, which shows us that they were actually listening. To be honest, I don’t have a huge goal for this small group, but instead just a small one: I want to see my small group learn restraint, so that we can have an even more meaningful discussion after the sermon.
8
THOUGHTS ABOUT SMALL GROUP
Before my journey to becoming a small group leader, I was just another person who went to Oasis and Refresh on a weekly basis. I had never considered of ever becoming a small group leader. I thought that for one to be a small group leader, you had to know the Bible very well and to be able to lead discussions. One day after Refresh was over, Teddy came up to me and asked me if I wanted to become a small group leader. I was hesitant at first so I told him that I would think about it. A few weeks later Brent came up to me and asked if I wanted to join the leadership team… Since this was Brent asking me, how could I say no? Before the small group leaders and the worship team started leading, we all had to go to Brent’s place for some short classes on leadership. I learned that God can use anybody to do His work, and that small group leaders are still learning and growing with their small groups as they lead. The first day that I led my small group, I was shocked and overwhelmed by the fact that middle school boys could talk and distract each other like no other. For the first few weeks, it was so hard to keep them on topic and get a good discussion going. But now I have found a way to keep them on their butts and listen to what I have to say. Yes, that solution is bribing them with candy. This may seem like a very unchristian like method but it works and both my small group and I are still learning. So that is one thing you guys can pray about! By the end of the year, I hope to see change and growth in both my small group and myself. I want my
— Jack Hsu
small group time to be a time when we can just share and be open with each other. I would also like to see how God works in people, the transformation of someone who has encountered God. And hopefully my small group will become more mature and be able to stay focused (without candy).
GOALS
What is your goal for yourself as a leader and your small group by the end of the year? To pass on the little amount of wisdom God has given me and to have them learn from the mistakes I’ve made in my life.
— Felix Chiang 9
I LEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL (I LEAD REFRESH BOYS) MY SMALL GROUP IS NUMBER ONE
BECAUSE TEDDY LEADS Leading Refresh has been an interesting ride. Initially, I thought leading middle schoolers would be fun and easy. Then I thought more, and I realized that middle school boys don’t listen to people (unless you’re a pretty girl but that’s still a maybe). I was pretty good with little kids (no pedo) and so I assumed they would listen to me. What I learned is that the majority of the middle schoolers seldom want to talk about God. It was the same for me when I was in junior high; it just wasn’t a topic that appealed to that age group. On Sundays, some want to talk about Minecraft and how many stacks of diamonds they have, while others have an obsession with rubix cubes and card tricks. No matter how hard I try to stay on topic, they always manage to change it. I realize the only unifying thing in my small group is that they like to steal my shoes and poke me; there isn’t much to talk about together, except our Chinese heritage (which we kind of talk about). And after a year and a half of leading, I still struggle to keep them God-focused. It has definitely gotten better from the start, and by the end of this year, I hope we can stay God-centered the entire small group duration while still having fun. I want them to wake up every Sunday and be excited to spend time
with God and have fellowship with their friends. I have made some close friends in my small group, but not as many as I would like. I want to be friends with every single person in my group. Not like the “Hi what’s up?” “Not much.” kind of friends, but the ones where you don’t do that… Also, a bonus for leading is that you become part of the leadership team and I’ve become friends with people I normally wouldn’t talk to. Yay friends! So yeah, that’s a little about my journey leading Refresh. I want to end with a short story. Sometime in February 2013, Refresh had a superhero event and everyone was supposed to dress up as a superhero. We were discussing it in small groups and no one could think of a good costume, so I said, “DRESS UP AS ME! ‘CAUSE I’M THE BEST LEADER AND YOU ALL LOOK UP TO ME!” Then half my small group was like “No. We look down to you. Because you’re shorter than us. Hehe” But hey! I’m taller than half my small
— Teddy Du 10
group!
THOUGHTS ABOUT SMALL GROUP
What led you to decide to become a small group leader? I guess I wanted to give back to Oasis. After years of going to church and not really participating in anything, I decided I wanted to invest my time in Oasis, especially since my previous two years of small group had been great. I kind of wanted the next generation of Oasis guys to experience what I got to experience. What is your approach or method on leading every week? I don’t really have a set approach every week. We usually start off by sharing about our weeks, and then we talk about the sermon for a while. Some weeks I’ll have a topic in mind, like getting people who went to GRACE to speak about their experiences. Other weeks it’s just “JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL.” What is your objective by the end of the year? My objective is to (hopefully) get #CowSquad to a point where we’re all comfortable enough with each other to share our faith. One hour a week might not change much, but if we grow spiritually even a little bit by the end of the year, I think it will have been worth it. Along with that, I’d like small group to be a meaningful time for everyone—not just socializing or listening to me drone on, but actually having good discussion. How does being a small group leader impact you? I think being a small group leader really makes me examine my own behavior. There’s a lot of expectations and pressure that come with being a leader. On the bright side, it keeps me accountable; however, I always have to remind myself not to “act Christian” just because other people are watching. My faith
should be expressed in everything I do, not only at Oasis. Tell us your favorite thing about your small group! My favorite thing about my small group would have to be how they love to sing. We have some beautiful tenors that are pretty much world-class professionals, especially when it comes to songs from Frozen. What they may lack (just a bit) in tone quality, they make up in enthusiasm! What distinct characteristic does your small group possess that sets them apart from the others? I don’t know much about the other small groups, but I’m pretty happy on how well #CowSquad focuses. It took a few weeks, and they still get distracted occasionally, but for the most part they’re really respectful when someone’s talking. What topics do you enjoy discussing most? I enjoy discussing whatever topic gets my small group members to speak up. Regrettably, this topic generally happens to be League LOL. [Editor’s Note: Take the pun or leave it. Indifferent.] What is the most interesting thing you’ve done with your small group this year? The most interesting I’ve done with my small group this year would have to be going to watch Frozen over winter break. We stopped by at Walmart beforehand to buy gifts for parents/siblings, and ate dinner at Subway. The guy behind the counter surreptitiously asked me if we were all relatives over for Christmas or something (HAHAHA). Frozen was definitely worth the effort of organizing a hangout.
— Newton Ni 11
THOUGHTS ABOUT SMALL GROUP
Leading a small group—fun stuff. Before becoming a small group leader, I wasn’t sure what was to expect, but I was excited and a little scared. I wing it a lot of weeks. Something I’ve realized, especially at Refresh, is that things usually don’t go as planned. My preparation is useless without God. I pray beforehand for our small group time and I bring something to talk about, but the rest is in God’s hands. I hope for a good conversation, but some of our time is not as fruitful as I would like. I’ve had to learn to give control to God. At the end of the year, I want to be able to look back and see the work God has done in the small group. I’m glad that my small group is becoming more open and vulnerable. I was really surprised at how well we got along at our first small group hangout, and there’s a lot of things we have yet to learn about each other and I’m excited for that. The last half year has been a challenge, but fulfilling. Getting the pastor appreciation “skit” together was… interesting (and fun). The Saturate last week was good for us too. There’s a lot of progress in our future, but that’s the fun of it right?
— Kenneth Wang
HIS LOVE OVERFLOWS
Although I do not believe myself to be as adequate of a leader as others, I do have confidence in the Lord and His powerful ability to change others through serving Him. I think one of the biggest hopes I have for my small group is their spiritual maturity and relationship with God. It is only through Him that we are able to live a promising life filled with the love and hope bestowed from the Father. Growing up in the church, I often felt like I was being fed the word of God like it was some sort of academic lesson I was required to know as a Christian. This ultimately resulted in my lack of a true understanding of who God was and how much I needed Him in my destitute life. He is more than the Bible stories we were told as toddlers in Sunday school. He is even greater than the miracles that I marveled at as a young child. He is our Lord; the Almighty Savior. The Father who, despite our total inferiority and complete unworthiness, loved us so dearly that He willingly offered His only son as a compensation for our egregious iniquities. As young as my small group is, and even though words could never offset the magnitude of the Lord’s glory and gracious mercy, I earnestly hope and pray that God will shed light in both their lives and my life and open up our hearts to welcome the transforming love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
— Krystal Qin 12
FAITH These past two years have probably proved to be the toughest for me spiritually; ironically so, it was in these two years that I led small group. Honestly though, it was in these two years that I grew the most spiritually, to the point where I can truly say that I believe that my God can do anything and is my true advocate. At the time when I signed up to become a small group leader, I was in the best place in my relationship with God, and I felt confident that I would be able to lead a group of girls. Come junior year, I found myself falling into complacency, which only worsened with the overwhelming nature of school and all the fun standardized tests. Looking back, I think the complacency came from a place of contentment, in which everything was going relatively well for me. It wasn’t until a few hiccups in junior year that I realized how foolish I was to think that I didn’t need God. I was so absorbed in my own life, focused on this microscopic portion of my life that I had failed to see the bigger picture. This reinvigorated my hunger to know God and to build a relationship with Him, one that was built on a true understanding of Him and what He stands for. This is what I want and hopefully will be able to instill in my small group: a foundation for a real relationship with God, so that one day they will be unafraid to be faced with questions that challenge the fundamentals of our beliefs. In my senior year I have been challenged and questioned so many times about my faith and the rea-
sons I believe in this God. I never realized how unprepared and how lacking in knowledge I was about Christianity itself until these questions were thrown at me. My biggest regret is probably that I was unable to answer those questions in a way that did justice to God, and I have made it my personal goal not only to prepare myself for these questions, but also to prepare my small group. So when I first discovered the book I’m Glad You Asked, it was like God was there just edging me on to follow through. Essentially the book discusses the most difficult questions about Christianity, such as “why do the innocent suffer if there is a God who is supposedly real and good?” and “will God judge those who have never heard the good news?” Not only does this book specifically prepare us for evangelism, but it strengthens our own understanding of this God we supposedly believe in. This is the book I’ve been going through with my small group, and each week we discuss one of the questions. I think sometimes we get so used to the idea of going to church and just following a schedule that we forget to question why we believe in God. It isn’t until others ask that we realize how surface level our faith might actually be (speaking from personal experience here). Perhaps it isn’t so bad to question our faith. That’s what Oasis is for, and that’s what small groups are for. Take advantage of small groups and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. In God,
— Amy Chern 13
SG WITH ST
I conducted my own interview. #Multiple Personality Disorder How do you experience your small group? Laughter, prayer, and food. I love just talking with the girls, at Oasis or at Chipotle/ Piada (HAHA.) We also tried to do a prayer walk at Oakland Mall. It was an eye-opening experience—hoping we can do it again. We also have a Facebook group going. I think it’s a good idea for every small group to have their own page! Helps with communication and sharing ♥ What’s it like co-leading? It feels totally natural as a senior and leading with my best friend is wonderful, too. What a wonderful place that God’s brought me to. Favorite memory? Bethany’s “Praise God” peace sign. Please ask her or any of my small group members to demonstrate
(haha). Or the first time we prayed “Hebrew style”— where everyone just prayed aloud at once. It seemed to mark the beginning of our time together. What something you hope to accomplish by the end of this semester? I’d like for everyone to share her testimony with at least two other girls in the group, memorize some verses, and just enjoy and grow in God’s love together. And many food outings, of course— fellowship is wonderful! How could someone pray for your small group? Open hearts for vulnerability, kindness to encourage each other, and wisdom for me and Hannah to be impactful. **Quick word about GRACE: My favorite quote from any of the sermons is “When man works, man works, but when man prays, God works.” What a refreshing statement to a fact that I already “knew”.
— Sarah Tsung
THOUGHTS ABOUT SMALL GROUP
What do 7th and 8th grade girls talk about? It’s not really about what was talked about the minute before. With a short reply of “read the Bible and pray”, they go off and complain about the amount of homework they receive everyday. I’m also to blame for not keeping them an track. Here’s a question. How well do you know your small group? Just because we aren’t talking about what was supposed to be discussed doesn’t necessarily
mean we aren’t growing. The presence of each other does our spiritual lives great things. Sure, given lessons let us keep our spiritual journeys on track, but our interactions and learning of each other gives us great leaps. We learn best among our friends. I do feel guilty for not slowly pushing them on their way, but the outcome would be so much greater. So pray for me. My goal is to get to know each girl more personally and to ultimately help them in their walk with God.
— Shanon Shen 14
GRACE 2013: REFLECTION This year’s GRACE conference was outstanding. We had great speakers and great small groups. Before going to GRACE 2013, I didn’t expect much to happen; but when I went there, I was really surprised with what God had in store for me. When listening to all of Pastor Dave’s sermons, I felt this longing and need for God to be in my life, to do something through me. He talked about the world’s formula: how we know something is fundamentally wrong with us, that we don’t deserve to receive love, and therefore we can’t receive love. But then he presented us with the gospel formula—it was the same as the world formula, except for the last part. In the gospel formula, Christ lived, died, and resurrected for us; through Jesus we are worthy to be loved. This greatly impacted how I thought and I realized just how much God loves us. During the night of prayer and worship, Pastor Dave told us to pray for a variety of people—middle school, high school, college, everybody. When I saw everyone just praying and crying out to God, I felt touched by the Holy Spirit. I started to pray for people, asking God to help them, and repenting for our sins. This experience was something I experienced for the first time and it was amazing. Even after the conference, every time I worship God, I feel the need to lift my hands and worship the all-powerful Lord. GRACE 2013 has helped my relationship with God grow and flourish, and I will treasure the great opportunities I have to be with God and really want to continue to follow him and learn more about his abounding grace and love.
— Anonymous 15
Love your editors,
Dear Oasis— Sorry for the strange spacing & really bad arrangement.
Mel & Mich
JANUARY 31: Chinese new year (CELEBRATE YOUR HERITAGE DAY) February 2: pastor birthdays! don’t forget to say hbd to Brent & Michelle’s dad! February 7: SAY HBD TO CHRISTINE February 11: SAY HBD TO MEL February 14: spread the love February 15-17: winter retreat!! February 22: THE NEXT ISSUE OF VINE!! 16