Theme

Theme Development

Water in the desert.

Food in the belly of the starving.

Nourishment for the depleted.

Word for the wondering.

Linkage for the disconnected.

Context for those in disarray.

Harmony in the midst of noise.

Satisfaction for the hopeless.

Rest for those one bus stop beyond weary.

Fuel for tanks that are near empty.

Grace, mercy, and favor for the least, lost and lonely.

You know the stories. You can see them with your imagination. You can feel the dust, sense the water, and experience the wind. The WORD of God is filled with Oasis moments. Old Testament and New are loaded with stories where the thirsty find a drink, the weary rest, and the hopeless a home.

The stories ECHO in our ears and resonate with our hearts.

John 4, Jesus meets a woman at Jacob’s well, an oasis moment.
Psalm 20, The Lord answers our plea when we are in trouble, which is most of the time.
Psalm 23, dripping with Oasis
Exodus 33, the story of God’s people told to journey into a land flowing with milk and honey.
Matthew 11, we are invited to come, lay down our burdens, and in exchange we get rest.
Isaiah 55, we lean into a reality where God’s word goes out and will not return empty.
Genesis 1, God rests.
Ezra, after a long journey he and his tribe rest for three days.
Jesus comes to a city and rests in several homes.

It is important, no VITAL, that the people of God find an OASIS.

Oasis is a place of rest, and when we rest we are fed and nourished in body and spirit.

All too frequently those who accomplish the herculean task of Youth and Family Ministry find little time to rest, and as the song goes, are found to be “runnin’ on empty.”

So E11 will be an OASIS.

A place for you to come, lay down your weariness, rest and be restored.

A place where you can listen, share, explore, and learn different ways to do ministry.

A place to ‘come to’ and a place to ‘go from’ …where God’s people soak up ideas about how to help others meet the face of Christ.

Of course we all know this can’t happen in 4 days, but we can take a shot at reframing how we live and how we breathe.

Welcome to God’s OASIS, a place of rest.