GuyMelton.com: What Were You Thinking?

Security and Prosperity.............

My letter this week is a little different. Not because it doesn't focus on prayer as I do each week but the verse focuses on something we don't often think about. Having just landed after a 10-day tour of Israel and the Holy Land, this verse was used while we were there several times and it has been on my mind.

Psalms 122:6 - "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May those who love you be secure.'"

I wonder how many of us think about this verse? The Psalmist not only asked for the readers of his writing to Pray for Jerusalem but that those that do will be "Secure". Other versions say "Prosper". There is a lot that could be dissected here which I will forego but it is clear that God will bless those who love Israel and Pray for her. Jerusalem was given to God's people thousands of years ago and it is where His Holy Temple was destroyed twice. The Jewish people know that it must be built back before their Messiah they await comes.

Unfortunately with the political conditions as they are today, the Muslims control the Mount where the temple must be rebuilt. It is in Jerusalem & in the heart of Israel but the Jews do not control it. This is the most fought over small hill top in the entire world. The wailing wall (Western wall) sits right below and along with the ruins of the early temples. It's a sacred site.

I would love to really get into all this but this is not the time and I don't have the space to do it. But what we do need to do as Christians is to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the nation of Israel. Pray for the Jewish People. I take very serious the promise that those who pray for and support Israel will prosper. 

It is scary in these days to think that most of the world is turning its back on Israel and even in America we see vacillating opinions on how much our country should support Israel. I say Pray for Israel and support it in every way. I believe America will be judged by how we treat Israel. Please pray with me for Jerusalem and the Peace of this great land and City of God. It is a sacred place. Please pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.

Adapted from the Prayer Partner Prayer letter week of May 9th.

 

Pastor's Weekly Email for April 26, 2012.... Porn and Pancakes

 

Dear Extended Oasis Family;  "Porn and Pancakes", Ok so the title is a little weird and yes we have had all kinds of questions on this and even some criticism about using the word Porn! Really! What word would you use? The important thing is not the wording or the opinion of whether Porn and Pancakes go together but the important thing is that ALL our Men of this church not only need to understand the damage it is doing to our Families but how can we help others. My fear has been all along that when we announced this that Men would be afraid to come because they would think they are branded that "oh, he must have a problem with it". Actually we ALL have a problem with "Porn" (not pancakes although I only like mine with blueberry syrup, so I better have some Saturday Morning.) We don't have to be addicted or even be involved in it to have a problem. Our children could get caught up in it without us even knowing it. Other family members and friends might be struggling. We need to know how to help them. We need to help stem the flow of this. I can tell you stories where the addiction was so great it has taken lives and broken families and men have lost their jobs over it.  Did you know that the largest consumer of Pornography online is done by 12-17 year olds?! Yes, we all need to deal with this. If you are a Man and you aren't planning to come to this Breakfast from 9-11 a.m. this Saturday then I am going to challenge you by saying it's time to "Man Up". What are you afraid of? I mean if you aren't coming is it because you do have something to hide? That is the case many times when someone avoids straight talk on an issue. GUYS GO ONLINE NOW AND BUY THAT TICKET. THE COST IS TO COVER OUR SPEAKER AND THE FOOD. BEST INVESTMENT YOU MIGHT EVER MAKE. Ok, Ladies, I'm addressing you now. You aren't invited this Saturday but you can help. If your Man in your life is not coming it's time for you to sit down and ask him why? I think it's a good chance he is struggling and he needs to come even more! If he gives you some excuse, even if its a great one, call his bluff. It's probably a smoke screen. I have decided in this series Man Up that I'm calling men out. If men don't like it, then tough. They need to Man Up. Last week and this week are calls for Christian Men to stand Up and Man Up.Ladies go online now and Buy a Ticket for him and give it to him and tell him you're doing his chores and the lawn this Saturday and you will do whatever he wants this Saturday if he will go. This is BIG! I PROMISED YOU 3 MORE THINGS, THEY ARE BIG TOO! DON'T MISS THEM: * Ladies Night Out - The ladies are having a movie night in our auditorium this coming Friday night. Childcare is available. Cost is $5. * Helping Handbags for Haiti! We've got lots of donated designer purses that we will presale at the movie night Friday night and then the big sale will be Saturday morning, April 28 at 9 a.m. I think this is one of the best ideas I've heard in a long time. Ladies can take all that money someone invested, get a great handbag at a cheap price and ALL the proceeds will go toward our Haiti Orphanage we are partnering with and will be buying their beds and furniture next month for our trip to Haiti that many of us are taking. The kids are sleeping on the floor right now and eating with no table or chairs. Let's buy those purses Ladies. BTW, this idea came from a 5 year old of one of our Oasis families. I'll share that story another time.. * Chick Fil-A Leadercast is Friday, May 4 from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cost is $75. Sign up online! This is a great way to invite your work associates who really want to take their leadership or business to the next level. This is a great opportunity Oasis has to host this for men and women in our business community. I hope you will get your tickets this week after each service at the info booth in the lobby or online. Have a great weekend and I'll see you guys at Porn and Pancakes. Ladies we will see you and the family at one of our 4 services this weekend, for Man Up Part 3. It's going to be a great weekend. Guy

 

Pastor's Weekly Email for April 26, 2012.... Porn and Pancakes

 

Dear Extended Oasis Family,   First time in my life that my staff has censored my Pastor's email but they wanted to make sure your email was not sent to spam. Now here's the real message! "Porn and Pancakes", Ok so the title is a little weird and yes we have had all kinds of questions on this and even some criticism about using the word Porn! Really! What word would you use? The important thing is not the wording or the opinion of whether Porn and Pancakes go together but the important thing is that ALL our Men of this church not only need to understand the damage it is doing to our Families but how can we help others. My fear has been all along that when we announced this that Men would be afraid to come because they would think they are branded that "oh, he must have a problem with it". Actually we ALL have a problem with "Porn" (not pancakes although I only like mine with blueberry syrup, so I better have some Saturday Morning.) We don't have to be addicted or even be involved in it to have a problem. Our children could get caught up in it without us even knowing it. Other family members and friends might be struggling. We need to know how to help them. We need to help stem the flow of this. I can tell you stories where the addiction was so great it has taken lives and broken families and men have lost their jobs over it.  Did you know that the largest consumer of Pornography online is done by 12-17 year olds?! Yes, we all need to deal with this. If you are a Man and you aren't planning to come to this Breakfast from 9-11 a.m. this Saturday then I am going to challenge you by saying it's time to "Man Up". What are you afraid of? I mean if you aren't coming is it because you do have something to hide? That is the case many times when someone avoids straight talk on an issue. GUYS GO ONLINE NOW AND BUY THAT TICKET. THE COST IS TO COVER OUR SPEAKER AND THE FOOD. BEST INVESTMENT YOU MIGHT EVER MAKE. Ok, Ladies, I'm addressing you now. You aren't invited this Saturday but you can help. If your Man in your life is not coming it's time for you to sit down and ask him why? I think it's a good chance he is struggling and he needs to come even more! If he gives you some excuse, even if its a great one, call his bluff. It's probably a smoke screen. I have decided in this series Man Up that I'm calling men out. If men don't like it, then tough. They need to Man Up. Last week and this week are calls for Christian Men to stand Up and Man Up.Ladies go online now and Buy a Ticket for him and give it to him and tell him you're doing his chores and the lawn this Saturday and you will do whatever he wants this Saturday if he will go. This is BIG! I PROMISED YOU 3 MORE THINGS, THEY ARE BIG TOO! DON'T MISS THEM: * Ladies Night Out - The ladies are having a movie night in our auditorium this coming Friday night. Childcare is available. Cost is $5. * Helping Handbags for Haiti! We've got lots of donated designer purses that we will presale at the movie night Friday night and then the big sale will be Saturday morning, April 28 at 9 a.m. I think this is one of the best ideas I've heard in a long time. Ladies can take all that money someone invested, get a great handbag at a cheap price and ALL the proceeds will go toward our Haiti Orphanage we are partnering with and will be buying their beds and furniture next month for our trip to Haiti that many of us are taking. The kids are sleeping on the floor right now and eating with no table or chairs. Let's buy those purses Ladies. BTW, this idea came from a 5 year old of one of our Oasis families. I'll share that story another time.. * Chick Fil-A Leadercast is Friday, May 4 from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cost is $75. Sign up online! This is a great way to invite your work associates who really want to take their leadership or business to the next level. This is a great opportunity Oasis has to host this for men and women in our business community. I hope you will get your tickets this week after each service at the info booth in the lobby or online. Have a great weekend and I'll see you guys at Porn and Pancakes. Ladies we will see you and the family at one of our 4 services this weekend, for Man Up Part 3. It's going to be a great weekend. Guy

 

Pastor's Weekly Email Newsletter for April 22, 2012

Dear Oasis Extended Family, I am going to get right to the facts and detail of what is important to share with you this week. There is so much going on! None of my normal chit chat today! I'm sure you are glad! This weekend I will bring the second part of our "Man Up" series. The title of my message is "Breaking the Cycle of Bondage" This is aimed at the males but will be appropriate for all the family since it deals with addictions and how to break them and deal with them in the lives of your loved ones. I will be sharing for the first time ever via video from various locations MY STORY and how destructive addiction has been in our own family. It's going to be a very emotional weekend for me. Please make sure you or those you love get to one of our four services Saturday night at 6 p.m., Sunday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and Noon. (If you have family or friends who might need this message and hear my story who are out of town you might recommend they join our International Internet Campus LIVE with us during our 10:30 a.m. and noon service.  Now for all the IMPORTANT THINGS COMING UP: (PLEASE CHECK EACH ONE OUT! THEY ARE REALLY GOING TO BE BIG) This Sunday our SURGE ministry is hosting "Smiles for Haiti" once again!Come and get a family portrait made for just $10 by our extremely talented Beca Companioni. All proceeds go to help our teens go to Haiti this summer! LADIES! Need a girl's night? Come to our movie night on Friday, April 27 at 7 p.m. Cost is $5 and you can register online. Childcare is available. Also, remember that we are accepting donations of designer handbags & purses to sell on for our "Helping Handbags" sale on Saturday, April 28 at 9 a.m. If you come to the movie, you can take advantage of the pre-sale! All money will go to our Haiti mission partnerships. Bring a bag to donate or come prepared on Saturday morning to buy one!  MEN! We are having a Porn and Pancakes event on Saturday, April 28 from 9 - 11 a.m. It will be a morning filled with straight talk about porn and the issues surrounding porn. Cost is $10. Register online (Ages 12 and up). This year Oasis is one of the hosts for the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on Friday, May 4 from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Anyone is invited - some great speakers will be sharing including Tim Tebow, John Maxwell, Urban Meyer, Andy Stanley and more! Cost is $75 (includes lunch only) and you can register online. Check out this videoabout the Leadercast! Are you a medical professional with a heart for missions? Even if you aren’t a medical professional, you can join us for a medical mission trip to Haiti May 25 - 28. The cost is $550/person. Tonia and I will be there as well serving at an orphanage - come join us! For more info contact Amina Dubuisson at adubuisson@netzero.net / 305-389-9485 or Rose Toussaint at 305-322-9647. Donations of medications, snacks, kids clothes, money and toiletries are being accepted.   Have a great week, God bless you. See you this weekend! Guy Melton, Pastor P.S. Don't forget to give your tithes and His offerings ONLINE now - it's easy, fast and secure!

 

Man Up Warrior......... Weekly Pastor's Email

Dear Extended Oasis Family;   Easter! Another one has come and gone and how quickly each year seems to go these days. Each Easter is very special, but this year Easter at Oasis Church seemed to take on a much deeper and profound meaning. It will be one of the Easters in the years to come that stands out to me. Let me share some of my thoughts on Easter. I think you will be pretty excited too!    This year our church made 2,500 phone calls to those on our attendance roll. We sent hundreds of post cards and gave out hundreds of Easter Invites. I am assuming hundreds of us Prayed over this past week.  (Check out this excerpt from a note I received this week from Luann Willix and this is just one of the same type of notes and thoughts like this shared with me this week. "I just wanted to let you know that I think the Easter phone blitz was a huge success.  As I was running around Saturday,  I had several people tell me they were there because of the phone call. Then again Sunday almost everyone that came to the welcome center said they were there because of the phone call. I also wanted to tell you what a great idea the beach baptism was. It was a great end to a wonderful weekend I was so excited because one of our community service workers accepted Christ and was baptized. God is Good! ")   Now for those of you who made phone calls, now you know it was worth it. Did you catch her mentioning one of our community service workers becoming a Christian and being baptized? This is a ministry my son started many years ago and it’s amazing how God has used it. For those of you who tithe and give at Oasis, now you see first hand where God is using your gifts. There is no doubt all of these things, and many more, contributed to such a great Easter. Not only did we have 1,000 of our people attend the 3 nights prior to Easter in order to make room for those visiting on Easter Morning, but all 3 Easter Morning services were full. Not just full, but the last two saw not only our Community Café and Auditorium full…but the Lobby filled with chairs and people who did not find a seat inside. (Thanks for moving to another service last week for those who did. You allowed us to seat everyone Sunday.) I could go on and on about this past Easter but I must say the thing that really put the cherry on top of the day was our Beach Baptism and Concert. We baptized more on Easter Sunday this year than we did the entire year last year. We have a lot to thank God about. BTW, many of you did not attend Sunday morning for Easter but we had more than 20 people come to Christ in our last two services. To see them coming down the aisle, many in tears, was a sight that I can’t get out of my mind. I want to thank all of you who prayed and continue to pray for Oasis Church. I also want to thank God for all of those who served in so many ways and continue to GIVE. It was just an amazing weekend.   This weekend begins a new Series, "Man Up”.  This men’s series is the first one we have done in years but it will be memorable. We aren't going to be bashing you guys. Don’t worry. But we are going to challenge us all to be the Warriors, the Leaders that God has created us to be. Women don’t worry there is going to be plenty in this series you will enjoy and be able to use. You will better be able to love your man when you see how God has created him to be unique and fulfill the role he is made for.  Don’t miss this week.    There is just TOO MUCH going on to be able to share it all here, but let me just list these items and you can check them out in the bulletin this weekend or go online and read more.    *Smiles for Haiti:  Sunday morning, April 22 from 9 am – 1:30 pm in the lobby we will be taking family portraits to help raise money for our SURGE mission trip to Haiti.  They are asking a suggested donation of $10 for the portraits.   BTW, Tonia and I will be going on this trip with our teens and medical team. If you want to join us, then mark your connection card "Haiti Mission Trip". We will contact you.   *“Helping Handbags” Mission for Haiti:  The Oasis Women’s Ministry is hosting a “Handbag” sale on Friday, April 27 (7pm-10pm at the Movie Night) and Saturday, April 28 (9am - Noon).  These are gently used designer handbags at affordable prices.  All proceeds go toward our missionary efforts in Haiti.     * Women’s Ministry presents:  “Movie Night with Girlfriends” April 27, Friday 7 pm – 10 pm Tickets are $5 and can be purchased either on-line or at the Information Center at all services.  Childcare is available upon registration.   *Porn and Pancakes Saturday, April 28th, 9 – 11 am, Cost $10.  Tickets are available on-line or at the Information Center.  This will be a morning filled with straight talk about porn and the issues surrounding porn.    *Chick-fil-a Leadercast is a day of inspiration, learning, connection and more.  Oasis Church will be hosting this one-day leadership event.  Friday, May 4th, 8am-4:30pm, the cost is $75 and you can register on-line atwww.visitoasis.org.    Can’t wait to see you guys this weekend, I love Oasis Church and "U" are Oasis!  I love you.   Guy Melton Senior/Founding Pastor   P.S. Thanks to all of you who tithe and give the Lord your offerings each week. Last week was one of the largest offerings in the past year. We continue to meet our new lean , mean ministry budget. If you haven’t given yet this week you can do it now ONLINE! P.S.S.  For those of you who missed Easter Sunday Service, you can go on-line and catch the last sermon series of“Worst Week”.

 

Easter Email Update........

Dear Guy, What do you do in your darkest hour? I know in the last month we have been discussing our "Worst Week". There is no doubt most of us have had some really bad weeks, months, even years. It’s the time when it’s so Dark that you wonder if you will ever see the sun again. It might be bright and blue skies outside, but inside our minds and hearts it’s just plain Dark.  With a capital "D". I don’t mean to start us out today on such a dark side, but the fact of the matter is that in these days we are leading to the greatest "Light " ever to show forth. The SON who lights our darkness and gives hope to our future, who had the darkest of dark weeks. None of us have ever experienced anything like it. It was actually what allowed Him to give us Light when our "Worst Week" comes. It’s dark right now. It’s going to be dark for a few more days. (Continued HERE) (I shared this Easter post yesterday with our Prayer Partners. I hope you will read it.) LOOK UP  IN  THE SKIES OVER WEST PINES THE NEXT 3 DAYS AND YOU JUST MIGHT SEE SOMETHING ABOUT OASIS! If you do, snap a picture and post it on Twitter or FB and Tag me and you will win a FREE STARBUCKS CARD. Best time is between about 2-5 pm.  EASTER BEGINS TONIGHT!  It's Maunday Thursday. Service begins at 7 p.m. I hope if you are a regular at Oasis you will make tonight, Good Friday or Easter Eve your service to attend. We need as many seats, parking spaces and KidsWorld space as possible for the many guests on Easter morning. All services are identical this week with a few twists such as the Lord's Supper on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and a Saturday night Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddies. All the 411 is right here on the Bunny Video. Watch this short video and it will tell you all you need to know for Easter. Can't wait to see you this Easter Week. Have a great Easter. Can't wait to meet your guest you have invited. Guy Sr. Pastor Oasis Church P.S. Don't forget if you have never been Baptized you can do so this Easter at our Beach Baptism at 6 p.m. Info is in the bulletin this weekend. Don't miss this great opportunity. We will have a Concert by our Oasis Band and Worship Teams following Baptism at the Hollywood Boardwalk Bandshell at 7 p.m. There are Parking Garages at A1A and Hollywood Blvd., Johnson Street and Garfield Street. Arrive early in order to get a parking spot. You can give online right now if you have not yet done so this week.

 

Your "Jet Blue Moment"

Dear Extended Oasis Family, Watching the "Melt Down" of the Jet Blue pilot was disturbing and yet sad in many ways. I could do a whole email on this but I won't. I just want to ask you, have you ever had a "Jet Blue Moment"? Ok, so you have never brought down an airplane like the pilot did, you've never got caught in a proported lewd act on a busy street corner like the KONY 2012 Producer did two weeks ago. But many of us at some point have felt stress like it was more than we could handle, maybe felt depressed, burned out and totally drained and overwhelmed with life. (If you haven't watched the incredible KONY 2012 Video you should take some time and do it. It's about 30 minutes). WELCOME TO REALITY!!! AND IT'S NOT GETTING ANY BETTER WITH GAS PRICES NOW OVER $4 A GALLON HEADED TO $5, MAYBE $6, AND EVEN HIGHER. FORECLOSURES STILL EMPIDEMIC IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND DAILY JOBS BEING LOST OR THREATENED OR CUT BACKS ON PAY. The list goes on and on!!!! I'm not trying to depress you here, no I am saying, it's not new and there are actually ways to cope with this and even thrive. If you are relying on our Politicians, good luck. You have no hope! In our series "Worst Week" we are looking at how to cope and even overcome in the midst of, during and through your "worst week". If you missed the last two weeks where we looked at Paul and David, you really need to pick up a DVD at our Kona Cafe this weekend, or go online and watch the messages. We all need this and it's a great Biblically Based study with lessons for you and I. This weekend, I will be sharing the 5 Truths we learn through Elijah's nervous breakdown, burn out, flame out, or whatever it was. This is one of the most powerful stories in all the Bible and We can learn from Elijah how to handle our worst week. If you want to read the entire passage we will be looking at this weekend, I encourage you to pull up a chair and take 10 minutes to read 1 Kings 18-19. Now EASTER is almost here! Instead of listing ALL the incredible things we are doing and you need to know about I'll just share this short VIDEO I did that will give you all the 411 on EASTER. PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE watch it right now! And then ACT!  God bless you and I cannot wait to see you this weekend and to share the 5 Truths we can learn from"Elijah's Worst Week" - his Jet Blue Moment! Guy P.S. If you haven't worshiped in your giving back to God this week you can do it right now, ONLINE! Don't forget we have a Giving Kiosk now available in our Community Cafe next to Kona where you can give Safe, Secure and Fast on Weekends.

 

Before you go .............

Have you ever left someone only to realize you did not pray with them and wished you had? I know we all can look back with regrets many times throughout life. I did this just last week. After meeting with someone, I left in a hurry and then remembered I didn't pray with them, and they could have really used a prayer of blessing at the time. I regretted I missed an opportunity to pray with a friend. Just as the ol' saying goes, "Don't leave those we love without saying we love them." I think the story of Paul leaving his Ephesian church leaders gives a great example of "Pray before you Go". 

In Acts 20 Paul was saying good bye to the Ephesian Elders and felt they would never meet again. He was headed to Jerusalem and had a feeling his ministry would end before coming back to Ephesus. He gave them some parting thoughts and challenge and then at the very end of the chapter in vs. 36 it said "he knelt down and prayed with them".

I think this is a form of prayer that can be so powerful. When he prayed over the leaders it says they wept knowing they would not see him again. The fact of the matter is that none of us know if we will see those we love again when we say good bye, whether they be family or family of God.

Wouldn't it be great to know before "we go" so those we care about have our blessing as their last memory of us? This is not really something we think about much and I am not sure I have ever noticed that verse before until this morning while I was having my devotions in this chapter of Acts.

I think the real reminder here is to never take for granted the need to pray at anytime or any place. What a gift we can give our family and friends as our last act of love. Praying with them before we "Go away". Whether for a day at work or at the end of a visit or even a long trip.

(Taken from my weekly prayer partner newsletter) 

 

Somedays I'm the Pigeon , Somedays I'm the Statue.......

Today I am working on a message on Elijah the prophet for our upcoming series next month "Worst Week". In preparing the message this old saying came to my mind, "Some days you're the statue and some days your the pigeon". I think that pretty much explains life. There are days when nothing seems to go wrong and you feel like you are King of the Mountain like Elijah was in I Kings 18 where he called fire from heaven, defeated 450 false prophets of Baal and brought rain down after a three year draught. Now that is impressive. This guy's the pigeon! Man, he just drops it on everyone. Now let's bring the statue. This guy's THE MAN! (Actually there is a statue standing today to Elijah on Mt. Carmel in the place where this took place. We always visit there when we take our Holy Land trips. Funny how this phrase applies to this.)

 

But then we realize the statue actually gets the work over by the pigeons! Yep, he gets dumped on. I know we can all relate - more to the statue that the pigeons are dropping on. That's normal. Why?

 

Because in life we have good times, mountain top experiences and we have the valley lows. Elijah went from the mountain top to the valley in a matter of hours. InChapter 19 he hears that Jezebel is going to come after him and he runs for his life. He goes into depression and blames God. He actually prays to God to kill him, let him die, invs. 3-5.

 

Now God had just answered his prayer in chapter 18:36-37 and done one of the greatest answers of prayers in all the bible but how soon things changed.

We learn from Elijah that God answers prayer. We also learned from Elijah that there will be bad days even when God has answered our prayers. But keep praying. Don't tuck your tail beneath your legs and run. Just keep on keeping on. Keep on praying. God's rescue is not far away. God hasn't moved. We are the ones that have run away.

 

Soooooooooo today whether you are the pigeon or the statue, keep praying. Keep trusting and run to HIM not away from Him. Amen.

(Adapted from my Oasis Prayer Partners Weekly Email)

Free T's & the Elephant in the Room

Lots of info to share this week so I am posting my weekly email to our local Oasis Family for all those who follow Oasis as Friends or part of our Church family extended. Hope you have a great weekend. If you are local please join us. If you are out of town just a reminder we have two live "International Internet Services" each Sunday at 1-:30 and Noon (EST) .

Guy

Dear Extended Oasis Family   P.S. First today. WE WILL NOT BE GOING BACK TO ISRAEL IN 2013. READ THE DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL. Now for the rest of my letter to you.   Hope you're having a great Thursday. I can't wait to see you this weekend at one of our 4 live services or one of our internet campus services if you are traveling or sick. This is going to be a great week. I am anticipating some BIG things happening. Pray that God will do something really BIG at Oasis this weekend. I think He is going to. Pray that He rocks some lives of our attenders and changes some of them dramatically. Pray He changes each of us matter of fact. We want Him to, right?    This weekend we are actually going to be giving away 5 Free Oasis T-Shirts in each service. There is a catch though. Five lucky Oasis'ers will get a FREE, yes, Free Tee in all 4 services. But the Catch is you have to be early. Just prior to each service we will be giving them away to those already in their seats. So see ya early this weekend. You really DON'T want to miss a single minute of this Service.     We wil conclude our "2012 - The Event" sermon series this weekend with a final look at Revelation and the End Times. Hey guess what? We WIN!!! Well sort of. Find out who the losers and who the winners are this week as we conclude this way too short Series on the end times. Bring a friend. They really, really need to hear this one. (If you missed any of these messages you really need to go here now and watch the video podcast.)     What in the world do Haiti, Isaiah 58 and Quilting have to do with anything? How are they connected? Seems strange to hear about a Quilting exhibit at Oasis Church. Just doesn't seem to fit does it? Well, maybe it does. For years some of our women who enjoy Quilting or wanted to learn have Quilted on Tuesday. It's not just a gossip session that some might suspect. No, it's an actual Missions group. They have given away scores of handmade Quilts to families as a ministry not only here in the USA but in other countries. Three Years ago they held an auction of their Quilts and raised about $4,000 to put a well in a village in Africa. How cool is that?    Here is how it works. Our women spend up to 150 hours hand making a beautiful Quilt. You come this weekend, look them over, make a Bid and the highest bidder for each Quilt gets a beautiful Quilt and all the Money goes to our Haiti Missions. Specifically it will be used with our group who is going in March to Haiti to work with viillages that are poor and totally forgotten by most. So come this weekend ready to do Missions. Donate for not a Quilt but to save a child's life and to give a child a chance at education or literally feed a starving person in Haiti. This past week one of our partners told me they are literally having a famine in two villages where they have a church. We are going there in March.   I have been reading and meditating this week on Isaiah 58. In verses 6-9 it actually tells us that God made a promise to His people. He said if you take care of the poor and feed the hungry I will answer your prayers. This is a conditional promise God made to His people. Some of us wonder why our prayers dont get answered. Maybe it is because we have neglected to give to those in need. To love those that others have forgotten. Through Oasis you are able to do this every week. Our minsitry continues to expand our reach to the poor and needy not only here but around the world and specifically closer to home in Haiti. I hope you are being a part of the incredible work that God is doing through Oasis and our ministry. If you have not yet given this week, you can do it now right here and now. Don't miss out on God's blessings and on your obedience to give back to God what is His already. I have some cool stories coming soon about giving. Can't wait to share them.   This weekend is the deadline for bringing your Hope Tote Bags back to help Broward Outreach Center minister to the homeless right in Downtown Hollywood. Bring them to the lobby. Remember the Purple Bags?  Good way to live out Isaiah 58! WE WILL NOT BE GOING BACK TO ISRAEL IN 2013. SO IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS TRIP OF A LIFETIME YOU NEED TO GET REGISTERED ASAP. We will be going back this year. Time is short. Get registered today. The dates are April 30 - May 9th. You can go here and see the brochure and copy it out and send it in. If you have questions about the trip you can also call our tour company whose phone is listed in the brochure. All the info you ever wanted about the trip is right here.   Guy   P.S. 2- The first two weeks in March we will be talking about the "Elephant in the Room".  Next week I will bring a message on Mormonism and how it stacks up with Christianity and is it true Christianity? This has been in the news a lot lately with two presidential candidates this year being Mormon and other known radio and TV personalities Mormons. So what's the truth?  The second week of March we wil look at the religion of Islam and see what Muslims truly believe and how it stacks up to Christianity! This is bound to be interesting, informational and maybe even controversial but it's the "Elephant in the Room" and everyone is afraid to talk about it. Well no more. We are talking about it in March. Be here.