OASIS
TWENTY-FIFTEEN
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my come r . o t h h c e a e L o v : m a n d “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their
VINE
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
SENIOR ISSUE
SO WHAT CAN I SAY? I suppose I’ve learned a lot through the years. I put myself out there just enough to get hurt and just enough to have time to reflect. I’m going to take some stuff out from what I’ve written before and leave it on this page. Some of you probably have read this before. 1) Struggles are all essentially the same but how intensely we feel it depends on the individual’s personality and circumstance. In everything we do, I’m certain that we all find common ground somewhere. So be open. There will be people who won’t understand you but also those that can give more than just comfort, sad faces, and those “I’m sorry”’s that do almost nothing for you. 2) You’re going to be heartbroken. It’ll hurt, but all you can do is feel everything. Don’t try to numb yourself by meaningless and even harmful things. Overwhelm yourself enough to depend solely God. 3) Sometimes you’ll think you love God more than you actually do. I’ve been caught up liking someone and I didn’t realize how much I neglected God until He cut off that relationship. God will do things to separate things that became so dear to guide you. 4) Give things time. Not everything will resolve itself as soon as you’d like. It took me years to get over a single best friend and months to get over a rejection. They all still affect me today and help me to be more suscep-
tible to others. 5) There will be times where you remember the past and everything you felt in that moment will come back to hurt you, surprise you, or even make you happy. Don’t try to forget it. Compare it with the present. Look for the changes, look for what went wrong, and don’t let it happen again. 6) Chances are you’ve experienced more good moments than bad. It’s just easier to remember the sad moments. Sit alone to think, listen to music, and just enjoy God’s presence. 7) Remember that everyone struggles. Don’t try to beat others by saying your sufferings are worse than theirs. Never try to diminish other’s suffering by saying it could be worse. I’m sure it could be but just share your experience to help them, not to top them. 8) You expect your family to be the epitome of love. When they fail to meet your expectations you might think that they’ve failed you. You think that you’re suffering more than you are. You’ll try to find it in other relationships and not even succeed at finding it there. So take a step back and think about what you’re missing and what you have. Hurt. Then remember there are people who can lift you from this sorrow and depend on God to hold you in happiness. 9) For my buds who are similar to me: I often have crippling pains that can range from harming myself to physical pains, to break2
downs, or panic attacks... I find myself confused because I can’t always pinpoint a cause. I think that’s okay though. You don’t have to find a reason. Sometimes you just feel your brain is simply wired that. All I can say is to try your very best to calm down because you might be
gasping for air. It’ll feel like forever or it’ll never end but I can guarantee you that it always has. Time is short-even when it feels long-it’s short. So enjoy yourselves. I’ll see you later, Oasis, and thanks! Message me up and I’m always ready to talk!
— Bethany Chung
DEAR READER,
Here are just some words of encouragement for those who need it.
“JUST DO IT!”
“Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” BOOM! More encouragement! On a more serious note If you need someone to talk to Oasis is filled with them It is not healthy to keep everything bottled up So yeah, don’t be afraid to ask for help or support I just pray that Oasis can continue to be a place where people come and quench their thirst. A place where people can meet and just fellowship. May God just bless this ministry and everything that happens in it.
This is for my sisters and my brothers struggling When you feel like hope is lost and the darkness is closing in Don’t hesitate to look to your Father above He is always there and He really cares Just trust in Him And know that there is someone out there praying for you. BOOM! Encouragement right there! And it’s OK to fall down You just have to remember to pick yourself up When you feel like you can’t do it Think Nike or Shia
— Jack Hsu 3
UNTITLED In high school, we all have so many things on our plates demanding our attention. Many of these are quite important, like academics and relationships with friends, family members, or significant others. I feel like most of us find it very hard to balance everything. The biggest thing on our minds is pleasing our parents or college admissions officers with good grades and a boatload of extracurricular activities, but as teenagers, we want to excel socially on top of everything else that is expected of us. We want people to like us; we want people to be friends with us. Many people find it hard to please everyone in their lives, but they try so hard to anyway. And in the end, people leave God at the end of the priority list (maybe not the end, but definitely not at the top). Recently, I came across a verse in Galatians that really made me think:
ple, I would not be a servant of Christ. —Galatians 1:10 Basically, what I’m trying to say is stop trying to please everyone!! Perfection is humanly impossible. It’s okay to let your grades slip, it’s okay to mess up in a relationship, and it’s okay to make mistakes. I’m not saying you should purposely hurt someone, but putting your happiness over someone else’s is not necessarily a selfish thing. In the end, you should be focused on God’s happiness. Galatians 1:10 reminds us of what our purpose in life is: serving and winning the approval of the Lord. Do good grades make God happy? Does God judge you based on how many friends you have? The answers of these questions should be quite obvious. If you’re reading this article, I want you to think about who you’re trying to please the most in your life. is it God or is it someone else? What can you do to make God happy today?
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please peo-
— Lily Lu 4
REACH OUT
I was never any good at being consistent. Mostly my commitment to what I did fluctuated with how well I was doing in them. So when I played a few good games of soccer, I’d be really into it, practicing by myself every day and whatnot. Then, when my soccer momentum died off, I would move my attentions to cello or something. Essentially I lived where the hype was in my life. But as I grew up, finally entering high school after a gruelingly awkward few years of middle school, this style of living left me with few solid investments as a person. In the span of three years, I had dropped two instruments, my serious math interest, competitive swimming, my old soccer team, and most of my earlier friends. In a way, high school was a fresh start, but in more of a negative way. As one might infer from all the proceeding events, the transition into high school sucked for me. I mostly kept to myself, in the self-conscious, soul-searching, shy kind of way that some people do. I didn’t even have many people to talk to at the youth group I used to go to, so it was a rather unfortunate time. On the other hand I think this quiet, depressing time set the “things are getting better bar” pretty low for me. Around tenth grade I reached a pretty low point, and I really have to thank the environment
the Oasis community welcomed me into for making it more bearable. In the middle of tenth grade I was brought to Oasis for the first time by my fellow orchestra members (I think). I met quite a few people, even some of the older people that went to Troy High. I’m glad I did come because these people became my makeshift mentors, allowing me to hang out with them and learning from what they said and did. And not only was I returning to a semblance of a social life, I also started coming regularly to Oasis. Other than the mountains of torrented games I regularly played through, Oasis became one of the few weekly activities I consistently attended. The next few years were quite a blur. My relationship with God strengthened and weakened, people graduated, I made new friends, and I mainly just went through a lot of ups and downs. While it’s sad I can’t really organize this time in my head, I can confidently say Oasis played a big part. So while I don’t have some epic tale of me riding on my steed of faith following my dramatic rebirth at Oasis, I do strongly encourage you current high school students to take a look at how Oasis has impacted you so far. And after doing that, reach out to the people who you’d think could get something more out of this fantastic community.
— Benny Zhao 5
REMEMBER WHEN Remember when we came to Oasis for the first time? Surprised by the size of the fellowship as well as the length of the worship sets. Remember thinking that Brent is a giraffe? He’s so tall. Remember when we were at the first Oasis Outreach? Scavenger hunt and piratethemed. Remember Avalanche 2011? Skiing, Contact, Attaboy, and the speaker who revealed God’s power with his life story. Remember the small large group Fabulously Monkeys and Ko? They were always in the basement room with the heater. They even made t-shirts! Remember our first Oasis talent show and dessert auction? The sushi sold for over $100. Remember listening to the Thailand missions team and Senior Sendoff for the first time? Puppet shows and tears. Remember going to Acts 29? Removing graffiti, picking up trash, planting gardens. Remember the Ignite retreat? Ben was a human torch, David removed soap with his abs, worship was in a small room, Contact every night. Remember when I joined leadership? Refresh was a handful but I survived. Remember when the leaders made a video on top of Brian’s roof? Remember the Neon Light themed Outreach? Highlighters on everyone’s face.
Remember when the seniors took us under their wings and really showed me what God’s love really is? Bible studies and worship sessions. Remember the joint 30 Hour Famine with OCC? We made a Harlem Shake video. Remember the LIFE conference? The poems, Lecrae, Francis Chan, Pulse and walking around with a ukulele. Remember the Wonder retreat? We finally got to use the larger rooms Spring Arbor had to offer. Remember all the Grace conferences? Oasis was basically 25% of the group. Also Mike Avery taught us how to dance. Remember #Cowsquad? Hashtag Cowsquad. Remember when Brian took a bold step and went to Hillsong College? Thanks for my senior pics, Brian! R ememb er G R A CE 2013? We went to IHOP and McDonalds for almost every meal. Also when the pastor prayed for the sound speakers to stop squeaking and it actually stopped? Remember the joint Chinese church retreat? You could say it was Epic. Sunshine Mail and “how did this phone come to be?” Remember the Chicago STM? Jackie had a philosophy: no food left behind. Remember every time we played games, we played Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines? It’s not really a game, more like suicides. Remember the second joint 30 Hour 6
Famine? #BeatAma #ILost Remember GRACE 2014? Wu Tang Clan ain’t nothing to flip with. Remember when Brent no longer seemed so big anymore? But always incredibly friendly. Remember when the dreaded worship became something we all looked forward to? MORE SETS MORE SONGS Remember the Soul Detox retreat? Oasis
Postal Service! WHO DREW THE MICHIGAN ON MY BAG. GRRRR Remember our time at Oasis? It honestly flew by so fast. Memories we will never forget and friends that will last a lifetime. Remember the purpose for fellowship? Continue to pursue God even when we are in a brand new situation known as... college. Remember Teddy Du? Coolest guy in the world.
TEDDY’S LAST HAIKU TEDDY IS GRADUATING
OHIO STATE BOUND To the lil younguns: Cherish every moment here Your time here flies by
— Teddy Du 7
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT
MATTHEW 22:36-40
I love you guys. Thanks for all the laughs, talks, and rants (for those in my small group). I have a lot of hours logged at church and they were all well worth it. I have done much, stumbled around, and learned many lessons in these last four years. Here’s something God taught me: Know your God and love him. This is something that Francis Chan shared in one of his sermons. I think it is this one: ‘Francis Chan Passion 2015 Houston Session 2’ by Pilgrim TV (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IKibAvwIX54). Powerful stuff. High recommendation, but let me go on. In the Old Testament, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. This was done on the top of Mount Sinai. Moses came to the God’s presence and spoke with Him. Like, Moses entered all the light and glory (actually there was a “thick darkness,” but you know, that was to cover the light inside). They spoke, a simple man and the creator of the universe (I would motion my arms in a big circle about now). Exodus 19:24 reads “…but the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.” Yeah, that would be pretty terrifying if God broke out against you in all his wrath… The Israelites were stuck at the bottom standing in fear, but Moses got to meet with God! We all have some people we’d like to meet. Now think about that person you want to meet versus God.
No competition. I would pick the creator of the heavens and earth every time. Here in the blood of Christ, we can now talk to God. WE can meet HIM the CREATOR. I can tell you straight up he listens, answers, and gives (1 John 5:13). Here is James 4:5: “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” Read it again. Another translation, The Message, reads “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” God is a jealous lover. And what is he a lover of? That’s right. You! The context of the verse (you should definitely go check it out) is James talking about the sinful desires within us, even calling us “adulterers” in following our desires. Did you know when we live unrighteous lives it is like adultery in God’s eyes? Living unholy is like cheating on our spouse. But this is really cool because God loves us so much. He is jealous for us when we follow our own ways and desires. When we seek things other than Him and his kingdom, we are in a really bad place. When we are seeking the kingdom first, man, He is indeed pleased with us. I think it’s really cool how much God loves us. Here, it is shown how hurt he is when we don’t love him first. I had a crush before (and for a long time :P) and it hurts a lot when you know the other person does not share the same feelings. Same goes for God. He is hurt by our unrighteousness. He wants your 8
love and your life. This is all fine and dandy, but how? Go climb that mountain and meet Him — He is so good. Read the Bible, even the hard parts. Read some Old Testament and realize how much we should actually fear God. Read some New Testament and come before his feet in repentance. The times where I am on my knees before the Lord in prayer and with my Bible are the best. Truth will convict and challenge you. When you read that Bible, you’re going to have to believe it (which is already hard) and do it. Don’t be the man who looks at the mirror and forgets what he looks like (James 1:22-25). Read it AND do it. Also, remember to pray. Like Moses, you can talk to God. Go then, but in constant repentance and thanksgiving because He is amazing. Remember this: A.C.T.S — Acclamation (Praise), Confession (Asking For Forgiveness), Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Asking Him Things). But let me tell you, this is all impossible. How do you believe, have faith, and do all this? You can’t — but that’s the grace of it! Jesus left so the Counselor could come. The Holy Spirit lives in all his disciples. The Spirit leads you and empowers you to do these things. You might not “feel” the Holy Spirit, but
that’s okay since the “righteous live by faith” and not feeling (Romans 1:17). Believe in the work Jesus did and the Holy Spirit will be given to you. Get to know him then. Go climb that holy and amazing mountain. Here’s the last verse I want to leave with you. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” — Matthew 22:36-38 This changed my relationship with God. Guys, there’s so much I could share, but I am nothing and God is everything. He’ll do the work in your life when you give it over to him. Thank you for being my brothers and sisters in Christ and for those who are struggling with their faith. Go up that mountain. P.S. Please contact me whenever! Phone Number: (248) 918-1726 E-mail: kennethcwang@hotmail.com But contact God! Phone Number: Prayer E-mail: The Bible
— Kenneth Wang 9
THEN AND NOW I grew up your standard church boy, however, not your standard Asian church boy. For the majority of the first 13 years of my life, I attended an American church. Every Sunday morning, I would wake up and mindlessly walk in and then out of the church, not really feeling like the devout Christian I should be. As I grew older, I did not truly feel like I could call this church my home. Often, I would skip the youth service because I was always alone and never really got to know anybody, or I would plead to my parents to attend the adult service with them (most of the time I would just fall asleep because I thought the adult service was really boring). One day, however, I was invited to Oasis (by Newton I think?) in the November of my freshman year, and from then on, I started developing relationships with God and other peers that would last a lifetime. In my old church, there really wasn’t anything similar to small groups, so the aspect of it surprised me when I arrived at Oasis. For the first 3 years of my high school church experience, bonding with the small group made the church even more homely. When we hung out, worshiped, or had a laugh together, I knew that I
could trust these people. Whatever happens in small group stays in small group. During my senior year, I took the biggest risk I’ve ever made and quite frankly, obtained the largest results because of it. Sometime in September, Newton asked me if I would consider joining the worship team as a male vocalist. At the time, the only singers were female and the extra range from a male voice would help make the music sound more whole. At first, I was intimidated and just the thought of being on stage in front of my peers seemed frightening. Who am I, a disgraceful sinner, to lead the church in worship anyway? Eventually, God led me to join and soon I would embark on a journey that would change my life. Now as a graduated senior, I can confidently say that participating in Oasis’s leadership has molded me into a better disciple of Christ. I strongly encourage anyone who has the slightest urge, but is in doubt of joining leadership, to take a risk and apply. Whether you join worship team or become a small group leader, you will grow and I guarantee that it will be worth it.
— Jeremy Lua 10
FROM THE EDITORS
PARTING ADVICE
Looking back on these past four years, there’s one big thing I wish I had realized earlier: a student-led ministry like Oasis requires the involvement of every single generation in order to thrive. As an underclassman, I tended to view the church in terms of what it offered me — a group of friends, some older role models, weekly social contact. After all, what else could I do? Lowly freshmen like me couldn’t possibly influence anything. So the weeks came and went, and the number of my friends who still attended gradually dwindled. But I did nothing, failed to reach out, failed to extend any kind of gesture. I figured, at the time, that it was their choice to make, or that the leaders would surely chase after them. Now here we stand, the graduating class of 2015, our ranks greatly thinned by the pressures of school and the lack of brotherly accountability. All the shadows of people — our friends — who once attended Oasis, who could’ve stood alongside us now, had we only taken the time to show our love and check up on them when they stopped coming. And others, who we’d maybe thought about inviting to church, but never got around to it, forever pushing it off, adducing a
faith that wasn’t strong enough. I just assumed the upperclassmen would take care of things. This was the year I realized that leaders can’t do everything. So much depends on the underclassmen; they’re truly the life of this group. As a senior, there’s only so much you can do: inviting classmates to church doesn’t work as well when they’re among the oldest there; it’s hard to reach out to younger kids when you don’t know them; small group discussions can only go as deep as the group allows them to. Yet at the same time, everyone looks up to you, expecting perhaps more than is possible. We’re old, yeah, and we have a little more life experience, but we are by no means omnipotent—no, we can’t pick out the few Christians from that mob of Asian freshmen that we’ve never met, and no, we don’t always know exactly what to say to assuage someone’s doubts. I guess this is a kind of plea to you guys: no matter how old you are, please don’t underestimate your importance to Oasis. Every structure needs a foundation, and in this case, every year the foundation cycles anew—each generation has to give and take in equal measure for things to work properly.
— Newton Ni
2014-2015 MVP (Magnificent Vine Perpetuator) 11
FROM THE EDITORS
BEAUTIFUL I get really frustrated with myself some-
myself alongside others, I’ve simply been wast-
times, falling easily into the swarm of negative
ing my life and chasing after these wordly defi-
thoughts that drown my head and leave me
nitions of what it means to be good. God has
breathless for some sort
made us as competitive and
of sanity. It’s hard to “stay
zealous beings, striving to be the
strong” or “stay positive”
best in every humanely possible
when you’re under a lot
way. However, you could be the
of
held
best by every human and quanti-
against specific expecta-
tative measure, but still fall short
tions. People tell me they
of feeling 100% satisfied. In my
look up to me, but they
opinion, I don’t think that’s a
don’t know how inade-
bad thing. It’s just more reason
quate I feel a lot of times.
to push forward, work harder,
It’s this constant mindset
and improve myself to be better
of wanting to be better,
than the person I was yesterday.
to be good enough. What
It’s no use comparing myself to
is good enough? I once
other people. Sure you can ac-
complained to a friend of
knowledge their achievements
mine that I felt like I was
and be sincerely happy for them;
pressure
and
“never good enough.” He simply replied, “There
but as tempting as it is, it’s not worth the mel-
is no such thing as good enough!” The world’s
ancholy or depreciation of your own self-
standards and people’s expectations are con-
esteem. Other people’s success do not equate
stantly adjusting and changing. By juxtaposing
to your failure.
— Krystal Qin 12
FROM THE EDITORS
ENDURE
You are running, but you can’t see anything. You know there are walls surrounding you because when you stretch out your hands, your fingertips brush against them. But running has never been a problem — you have always been good at running away from things — until your breath begins to catch, and your chest continues to tighten. You have to stop for a moment, but when you finally recover, you have no idea where you are.
the hurt, but it ended up pulling me in. I ignored God; I turned away. I struggled with the concept of my faith, so deeply lost in the mask of fake Christianity I had started to put up.
Life is a constant cycle of growth and learning, but it’s also littered with pitfalls and setbacks. This past year was a combination of both, and it was really hard, especially towards the second semester. I swallowed a lot of anger, disappointment, and frustration; I bottled it up and let it ferment inside me, this little seed of bitterness spreading its roots through my mind. I was angry at being left to do most of what was needed to be done, to be always picking up after others or taking initiative or carrying the load. I was disappointed in myself, for not being able to do enough and do what I wanted. I was frustrated with how I felt like nobody else cared. I felt cheated. But instead of pulling out those toxic weeds, I tried to avoid confrontation with both myself and others. I tried to squash down
Despite my infidelity, God continued to pursue me wholeheartedly, even after I repeatedly pushed him away. I recently stumbled upon this verse: “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” — Psalm 34:5. It’s a reminder to me to stop running away, to stop blinding myself, to stop letting these poisonous thoughts drag me down. To endure.
A voice materializes behind you. It asks why you are looking down, why your eyes are closed. Startled, you finally realize why everything has been so dark. You wonder why you blinded yourself in the beginning.
Slowly, you turn your face up. You open your eyes. You see the walls recede into nothingness, and you hear the same voice calling out to you. Let go. Sustain. Live.
— Michelle Shen 13
FROM THE EDITORS
RETURN
This summer, I, along with 15 others, went to Thailand for a missions trip. It was an amazing, impactful experience for me. Yet God did not dedicate His work in me for just the time during missions, but instead continued to work after I arrived back home. I think returning home was way more difficult than leaving. Going to Thailand, I expected discomfort and unfamiliarity, but because I was surrounded by such a supportive group, I was continually reminded of the security I have in Christ. It made transitioning easier. Coming home, I expected a kind of "reverse culture shock," but I don't think I was really prepared. Without the daylong service, my days seemed to lack purpose. I basically slept through my first week back because I was so exhausted, physically and mentally. Then I began to see the inconsistencies in the way I acted here versus in Thailand. How come it was so easy to love the kids there but so hard to have patience with my own brother? How come I was able to share in front of a group of people I didn't know in Thai-
land but afraid to approach a single stranger here in America? I felt powerless. That was when I remembered that I cannot rely on my own strength. Thinking back to Pastor Bai from the Hmong village in Thailand, I remember how she was a living testimony of how God provides. Through every trial in her life, including her current struggle with breast cancer, God carried her. Everyday, we saw joy and love in her as she served in every way possible -- from taking care of kids that hung around the church to making food for our team, Bai's entire life was service. Yet, she did everything with such a willing heart. Spending five days with her really revealed the faithfulness of God, who does provide all that is needed. Now that I am so far away from Thailand, it's so easy to forget everything, to fall back into routine, to repeat the same old, meaningless patterns. But the memories I have are reminders of those moments when God felt the most real. I can only hope that these lessons will stick with me.
— Crystal Sun 14
[SURVEYS] COLLEGE Michigan State University
MOST IMPORTANT THING LEARNED THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL Life is interesting
THINGS TO AVOID & MISTAKES TO LEARN FROM I mean everyone has mistakes so I don't think it's so much classifying things as "to avoid" or "mistakes that I've learned from,” but instead it's more learn from the mistakes that you will definitely make. I don't think there is anything that is a huge mistake that you should automatically avoid.
— Parker Decraene
OTHER SENIORS — Clay Huang
— Felix Chiang 15
[SPOTLIGHT] BAPTISM
WHAT MOVED YOU TO GET BAPTIZED? My parents were the ones that actually moved me to be baptized. My mom in particular consistently asked me questions regarding my hesitation towards this subject. However, it’s not because of their pushing that made me become baptized; rather, their persistence made me reflect on why I was so hesitant when I knew I was ready for baptism. It was during this reflection that I built a stronger relationship with God through prayer and devotion.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHILE GETTING BAPTIZED (ANY FUNNY OR WEIRD THOUGHTS)? Usually when I have to say a speech or something of that sort, I get super nervous. My hand would be shaky and I would have trouble pronouncing words. But before and during the baptism, I wasn’t as nervous as usual.
ONE CONFESSION? For the longest time, I always thought that the most intimidating part of baptism was the testimony.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? Don’t be hesitant on making big decisions. If you know you are ready, just go for it!
YOUR TESTIMONY IN 100 WORDS OR LESS. GO! My parents were good Christians. They always brought me to church every Sunday morning. The siblings I grew up with were also very inspiring; they contributed much to the church. As a result, I had a pure Christian environment growing up. I even went to a Christian Public School for a few years be-
— Peter Ko
fore transferring to the Troy Public School system. I knew Christ at such a young age. Hesitation was
just a big part of me not becoming baptized at an earlier age. But building a stronger bond with Christ led me to overcome my hesitation and become baptized.
16
[SPOTLIGHT] WHAT MOVED YOU TO GET BAPTIZED? At first, I thought the reason why I got baptized was because it was a spur-of-the-moment type thing, where I felt moved and thought that I was ready. But now, I think the real reason why was because I wanted to keep getting to know the God that I was so devoted to my whole life.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHILE GETTING BAPTIZED (ANY FUNNY OR WEIRD THOUGHTS)? The one thought that was going through my mind while I was getting baptized was, “Am I a little too tall for this tub? I feel like I’m going to hit my head at the back of the tub. Am I going to get water up my nose?”
ONE CONFESSION? I haven’t been going to church all that often, and I really should be. I’m honestly drifting away and I need to come back.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? The most important thing I learned from this experience is that there is absolutely no reason why I should be afraid or shy in front of everyone. They’re all like a family and really supportive, so I should be bolder and just what I’ve been hesitant to do.
YOUR TESTIMONY IN 100 WORDS OR LESS. GO! I was baptized because I felt I was ready to continue on this path with Christ that I’ve started on. I was baptized because I want to show my gratitude to God for always being here with me and guid-
— Jessica Liu
ing me even when I wasn’t conscious about it. I also wanted to testify to those around me that I have committed everything that I have to Him and want to follow Him in obedience.
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[SPOTLIGHT] LEADERSHIP TEAM
1. WHAT’S YOUR POSITION? || 2. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO APPLY FOR LEADERSHIP? || 3. HOW HAS BEING ON THE LEADERSHIP TEAM IMPACTED YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? || 4. ANY WEIRD, FUNNY, OR MEMORABLE MOMENTS? || 5. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE? || 6. ANY ADVICE FOR OASIS? 1. Refreshie leader 2. I liked kiddies 3. The amount of guidance and attention I received was really beneficial on focusing my life towards God. 4. Filming on Brian's roof for a leadership video 5. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11a 6. Make connections with others! These people will become very good friends
— TEDDY DU
1. I am a small group leader for Refresh. 2. I just wanted to do God’s work and serve other people. Plus, Teddy asked me to join. 3. Being on the leadership team has definitely made me more conscious of how I live my life. And it just feels nice knowing that I am spreading His love. 4. All the leadership meetings and retreats. 5. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” — Romans 1:16 6. Come to Oasis.
— JACK HSU
1. Small group leader (Oasis) and worship leader (drums). 2. Abstain. 3. It's interesting to always see the various ways that others struggle and how others walk the same path. The constant encouragement and reminders from others to seek out and dissect what we do not know is something that I value. We leaders by ourselves are not skilled or all knowing in anyway. We are just one of you, obligated to ask for the empowerment by God; for if we didn't, we'd fall. 4. Sure 5. “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” — 1 John 4:11 6. Know what you're doing. Carefully and diligently study. Know that God will forever look after you no matter where. 18
— FELIX CHIANG
[SPOTLIGHT] 1. Small group leader (Oasis) and worship leader (vocals)! 2. I like singing! Plus I wanted to reach out to the people in Oasis and get to know everyone more! 3. It's different being in the "spotlight." Sometimes you feel obligated or expected to do something that shows you're "godly" or very spiritual, but honestly, once you push past that point, you learn that even leaders are humans and have their flaws. It's more the reason to improve yourself and draw closer to God. 4. Jeremy's imitation of me haha. stop pls. 5. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” — Romans 5:3-5 6. Invest in it as much as you can! You don't always get this kind of opportunity once you graduate high school and move onto college, etc!
— KRYSTAL QIN
1. Refresh small group leader 2. I don’t know, I just kind of felt like I was needed. 3. While my relationship has not grown a lot, I have learned to be more aware of what I need to do in order to further my relationship with God 4. Every moment 5. “I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” —Psalm 13:6 6. Get to know people, make friends
— DANIEL YAN
1. Small group leader (Oasis) and worship leader (guitar) 2. Oasis is my family :) 3. Leadership is a blessing. Being able to lead in church as a high school student is different, but an amazing experience. Being on leadership is also a huge challenge. From awkward small group times to worship team struggles, God has stretched me a lot, but I don’t have any regrets about joining the team. It’s an amazing opportunity to serve you guys. 4. Breaking a string during Saturate is always exciting. 5. “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” — 1 Corinthians 9:19 [ESV] 6. Find out what loving God means. I am still working on it too :)
— KENNETH WANG 1. Small group leader (Refresh) 2. My Oasis small group leader, just seeing how they guided and helped me, motivated me to also help others. 3. It has definitely held me more accountable, because you have a bigger role as a leader. It helps me strive to be more Christ-like. 4. Refresh kids are cray, they jump all over you and mess up your hair ;( 5. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." — James 1:2-4 6. Build relationships and love others, just as God loved us. 19
— MICHAEL LI
[SPOTLIGHT] 1. Small group leader (for Refresh) and worship team (vocals) 2. I originally didn't want to be in leadership. I was intimidated by all the upperclassmen who were leaders before I was. I talked to Brent before this year started (maybe during the summer) and he said I should join leadership. So I sent in an application and I did it! 3. Being on the team reminds me more often how important God is. It's not just a routine to go to church. At least, it shouldn't be. Being on the leadership team has reminded me that I need to stay connected and really put my whole heart into my love for God. 4. One time (I think this was earlier in the year), my small group turned off all the lights of one the classrooms, and we "smashed the onion." 5. "They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." — Isaiah 40:31b 6. Always remember to listen. It's always a good balance to listen and to talk, but what I've learned is that sometimes when I start talking, I don't stop. Ever. Try to remind yourself that other people may have just as much to say as you do, but they just need someone to listen. Being the listener helps someone relieve all that tension they have. Sometimes it can even save their life if you listen.
— HANNAH WONG
1. Refresh small group leader 2. I like little people and it seemed like it would be a great experience 3. It has taught me to try to lead by example, and therefore furthering my relationship with God. 4. Every moment is memorable!! But if I had to choose one, it would be the summer retreat last year. A few of us trekked to the lake at 6 am on the last morning to watch the sunrise, and to our disappointment, the clouds covered the sun. It was still a memorable moment and I will never forget how walking up that hill on 0 hours of sleep felt… and you can't forget the way the mud would fling onto your legs every time you walked with your flip flops. 5. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." — John 16:33 6. Try to reach out and make friends! Oasis is a great place to grow stronger in faith with the people that you love :)
— JOANNE DU
1. Small group leader (Oasis), A/V team 2. I wanted to give back to the community that helped me so much. 3. Leadership has definitely been a source of accountability, a constant reminder of my relationship with God. Being responsible for others' experiences has pushed me to think more deeply about what faith really entails. 4. We finished a horror movie, started going to the basement to sleep; someone turned off the lights and we all sprinted back up the stairs HAHA. 5. "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." — Ecclesiastes 1:9 6. Small groups really depend on everyone's participation. Take some risks — we're all friendly here. You might be surprised at what difference a little vulnerability makes.
— NEWTON NI
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[SPOTLIGHT] 1. Worship leader (vocals) 2. Newton invited me to join because there was a lack of male singers. I had time senior year and I wanted to try new things — also it would help with my relationship with God. 3. Leadership made me realize that I needed to get my game together because others would look at me as an example. Overall, I’d say this year I’ve developed the most in my relationship with God and worship team is a big factor in that. 4. Mocking Krystal during practice 5. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” — Matthew 7:1-5 6. Maybe hold an outreach or some events that others can come to
— JEREMY LUA
1. Worship leader (bass) 2. Going into freshman year, worship team needed someone to play bass so I said sure. I didn’t put too much thought into it. 3. Last year, I feel like I would have stopped going to Oasis altogether if it weren’t for the obligation to lead with worship team. Some days it felt like a routine, and I’d drag myself to Oasis, but I’m sure I heard things in sermons that I needed to hear. Even though environments with a lot of people, like church or youth group, have never been very comfortable for me, God has taught me that there are still things to be learned with other people. It’s important to spend time alone for my own faith, but growing in God with others is also important. 4. When I went to my first leadership meeting, I accidentally went to the wrong location and stepped in like an hour late when everyone was praying. We were supposed to pray for the person to our left. I sat down slightly outside the circle and everyone’s heads were down, so I assumed that the person to my right would pray for the person to my left. They actually started praying for me when I didn’t expect it, and for some reason I knew I’d remember that. I have trouble feeling welcome anywhere, so I feel like it was really God’s work. Also I got to pet a really nice dog at a combined picnic with the English ministry last summer, that was magical. 5. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33 6. Be open with each other and grow with each other with all the messes there’s bound to be. If conversation feels stagnant, don’t be afraid to speak out or bring up something you feel is important. Don’t be afraid to bring your questions to the table.
— JENNY BOUDON
1. Worship leader (keyboard) 2. Being able to connect with other people who are into God 3. I feel like I'm more willing to go to church now, instead of it being an obligation 4-6. Uh I don't have any...yes I know I'm lame don't kill me Michelle [Editor’s Note: Lucy!!! >:(]
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— LUCY LI
[SPOTLIGHT] 1. Refresh small group leader, A/V 2. I like to help and organize things, so what better way than to sign up for leadership? Also, Oasis is really cool 3. Being on the leadership team has really made me think about my relationship with God. It has made me realize that I have to humble myself to serve others and keep God the center of my life, instead of just another obligation to be fulfilled. 4. So this one time, I lent my Athens XC sweatpants to Joanne. Before Oasis started, she told me to ask Teddy why he was wearing my sweatpants. I was super confused… so I walked up to Teddy and asked him really aggressively why he was wearing them. At that point, he started to take them off and he gave this casual, offhand comment: "Wow, I feel slower already" and his little posse was like "OOOOOOOOH BURN" tl;dr: Teddy Du is a really big jerk. jk only sometimes 5. "I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." — Isaiah 46:4b 6. Don't be afraid to get involved! With your small group, with events, with your friends — as a church, we're meant to be a community, and not just the youth group you attend once a week. It's also super fun to hang out with other people :)
— MICHELLE SHEN
1. Oasis small group leader and worship leader (acoustic guitar + vocals) 2. To simply put it, I find joy in serving. Even though sometimes it can be stressful, I enjoy working with others to grow God’s Kingdom. 3. Leadership really helped me ground myself in God every day, even if it was something small like a short prayer of thanks during school. Being consistent and motivated with devos is hard, but I think the little things help me not to stray from Him. 4. I had this written on a sticky note but then I lost it so… but anyway, I guess the small group date with Teddy’s was fun. Oh, and getting bubble tea with Hannah after worship practice! 5. “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” — Psalm 55:22 6. Be loud. Maybe not like me loud, but just speak out. Also, don’t be afraid of what people think of you! I know this is like really cliché and whatnot, but all in all just don’t care about what people have to say about you. Another thing that helped me overcome while in leadership was my self consciousness. So what if you made a mistake? Tomorrow will come, and no one will remember. So what if that picture Michelle took of you didn’t turn out as nice as you thought it would? My tennis captain once said, “Team pictures will be April 29th, so pull out your mascara, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick, and throw them all away because you all look bomb.”
— SHANON SHEN
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— Crystal Sun & Claire He
[EDITOR’S PICKS]
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From the Editors,
EDITORS FOR 2015-2016:
Michelle, Krystal, & Crytal
CONTACT US!!
SEARCH FOR ‘THE VINE’ OASISVINE.TUMBLR.COM OASISVINE@GMAIL.COM