My notes from September 2, 2012-Holly Wagner-Oasis LA
I love Holly. I love to hear her speak the Word of God. You can get a podcast of OasisLA sermons www.oasisla.org

Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 139:13-17
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!

Ecclesiastes
Everything Is Meaningless
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

Proverbs 9:6
Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.

http://www.philipwagner.com/blog/ Not sure where to begin to reading the Bible? Follow Philip Wagner’s Reading Plan.

Destiny is lived out one decision, one step at a time. Lots of other decisions follow. (follow christ, become a mother, become an elementary teacher, move to Los Angeles, become a high school special education teacher, plant my family at Oasis LA Church, study Autism, continue teaching) Destiny is not a one time occurance. Reading his word shines light on my path. Skill is different than destiny. Give your skills to God and what you are to do will be worked out. Purpose will be revealed.

My personality, quirks and all is what God planned for me. Train, inspire, equip a new generation.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

People are like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece is shaped differently. The puzzle would not fit together if all pieces were the same. Frustrating when one piece is missing. No matter how beautiful, if one piece is missing, your focus is on the missing piece. We are all pieces of God’s grand puzzle. I do not need what others have. I need what I have in order to be the piece of the puzzle to fit into God’s puzzle. Small pieces perish into the bigger picture. He is using all of us to build his kingdom.

Becoming Offended
People become easily offended and then advocate and it effects the whole body. When great things happen do not be jealous, celebrate. I do not have what you have and I never will.

There are dangers in understanding purpose. Destiny is discovered one step at a time. 8 months ago

Being a better Christian for me, was as simple as making a few changes in my life.
Doing better every day. :D 13 months ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Everyone, please watch this video. It’s only 30 minutes of your time. You can make a difference and help raise awareness of what this man does: of how horrible he treats children. What he does is sick and terrible; no child should live like this. Please help raise awareness of Joseph Kony, so we can put a stop to what he does. 14 months ago

So many people lose sight of what really matters in Christianity: being kind to you neighbor, being kind to your enemies, and being kind to those who are different.

I’ve observed, that instead of following this rule, many Christians focus on whether their religion is right or not, or if its the one “true” religion. In fact, we focus so much on whether we are right or wrong that we forget what being a Christian really means.

We focus so much on converting others that we almost completely forget to be kind and respectful. Sometimes we do this so that we shun a certain race, religion, or sexual orientation. We call it “evil” and “sinful”, and that those people with different views are all wrong.

Why do you think so many people have bad views or opinions of us?

Lots of people lose sight of being a true, honest Christian. Show your love of God by being kind and respectful to those of other opinions. Christianity isn’t about hate: it’s about love. 16 months ago

Have you ever wondered why Christmas colors are red, white, and green? Have you ever wondered why we decorate trees with orbs? Have you ever wondered why we eat a log shaped cake or drink wassail? And why is one of the lyrics to Deck the Halls “Sing the ancient Yuletide carol”? All these things are because Christmas is actually pagan.

More than 2000 years ago, and well before the birth of Jesus Christ, a winter holiday was celebrated in many different cultures honoring the birth of something else; the Sun and pagan God. The Egyptians welcomed their sun god Ra, the Romans called it Saturnalia, and the Celts called it Yule and all of these holidays were celebrated between mid and late December. It was celebrated at this time because it is the point when the Sun, which is the representation of most pagan Gods, is born/reborn and begins to grow, marking the new year (hence the term “Baby New Year”).

The tradition of decorating a pine/evergreen tree started with the Romans and Celts. The tree represented the Goddess who is alive and forever with us through out the year despite the harsh weather; this also explains the color green for the holiday. The red and gold orbs represent the Sun/Son that bursts forth from Mother Goddess; and explains the color red, white is for snow. Finally, the beloved star is the pagan pentacle representing the five elements, the planet Earth, and the Goddess, as well as the pagan faith.

The activities we enjoy in winter also stem from the activities celebrated during the pagan holidays. Wassail was created and drunk by pagans, as well as caroling. The log cake comes from the tradition of the Yule log which is a large log or a chunk off of that year’s Maypole which is wished upon and meant to burn all night to bring hope and warmth and to encourage the new year to come. Ringing bells were also popular; hence the term “ringing in the New Year”.

So why do Christians celebrate this holiday? Back when churches were struggling to gain a following and power, they found that most pagans would not convert because they did not want to give up their traditions and feasts. So the church adapted, well more stole, the holiday and made it their own honoring the birth of Jesus as the pagans had done for their Gods. In fact, astronomers and historians have almost concrete evidence that Jesus was most likely born in August, not December; and no where in the bible does it say to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 nor does it say to celebrate it this way. And why on December 25? Because that is the day when one begins to notice the days growing longer.

Dont stop celebrating Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ, but acknowledge the fact that you are adhering to the traditions and customs of Pagans past and present. Also acknowledge that this season isn’t just about the birth of Jesus Christ, but other Gods and other traditions. Have a HAPPY HOLIDAY. 17 months ago

I enjoyed watching church online from my bed this afternoon at the 2PM service. Got to love technology.
www.oasisla.org

Saturday Outreach was incredible. I always love going and doing whatever the project is. Very cool. Love the leaders!! 22 months ago

Today has been a fabulous day. Jonathan, Hallie and I went to the 2PM service at Oasis. We heard Pastor Philip preach. We are studying the book of Mark this month. I love to hear him speak. I listened to the sermon online at 11 and attended the 2pm, so I kind of double dipped.

Tonight, Hallie was baptized at the 6PM service. I am so proud of her. She is such a good girl and has a love for Jesus. Jonathan is such a great young man. He sits with me at church and holds my hand sometimes. They are an amazing duo. I love them so much.

I’m writing in 2 Christian Personal Reflection journals, where you read a passage and respond. One is Beth Moore, 90 Days With The Beloved Disciple John and the other is Grace For The Moment Journal by Max Lucado. I love journaling about how Jesus has worked in my life. If I get depressed or feeling yucky, rereading my entries motivates me to think differently. Get out of the apartment and have a life besides work and kids. Tonight the reading for John is

Mark 1:29-34
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Heals Many

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 23 months ago