Pastor B My Life, Oakwood, Parent Cue, Students, Summer

The Shepherd and Overseer of your Soul

Sheep are mentioned over 500 times in the Bible.  One reason is that they play a part in relating the imagery of the Shepherd and his Flock to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The followers of the Good Shepherd are… well… SHEEP.  With this in mind, many thoughts about sheep have come about.  First off, sheep are thought to be really stupid.  Stories I have heard involve sheep mindlessly following the other in front of them, no matter what is going on, so if a Shepherd put a staff out for one sheep to jump over and then took it away for the next sheep, the rest of the sheep would “follow the leader” and jump in the same spot.  Secondly, we hear out of Luke 15 that 100 sheep could be doing fine and then one of them might go astray, so the Good Shepherd has to run after that one that decided somehow to just wander off, even though the routine is the mindless following.

So does that make us STUPID SHEEP, and is Jesus greatly placing prominence on Himself and belittling humankind?

Being less and less agriculturally inclined in society today, and not in the business of raising sheep, I discovered what many people may already know.  Sheep actually have some distinct attributes that put them at a higher IQ than one can imagine.

  1.  They are right below Pigs in IQ and can be considered the same level as cattle.  MOOOOO!!!
  2.  Sheep can actually recognize facial features and remember them for years.  Take that iPhone number kazillion and one!
  3.  Sheep can pick up on different emotional states pretty easily.  (In a BAAAAAD mood???)
  4.  Sheep can also express their emotional state by the various sounds they make.
  5.  Sheep can self-medicate themselves and graze on needed nutrients depending on their current physical status
  6.  Sheep also can distinguish between voices and know when their name is called.

Wow!  Maybe sheep are smarter than we think! With all these amazing facts (and believe me there are more from sheep enthusiasts), maybe Jesus is wanting us to feel more than “stupid.”

John 10 paints a picture of a Good Shepherd that knows His sheep.  He calls them by name.  He protects them.  He gives them abundant life. He oversees every aspect of their lives.  In fact, He oversees the deepest part of our inward being.  The keeper of the our mind, will, and emotions.  The place that we tend to keep hidden behind the outside, natural part of ourselves.  Our Souls!

Maybe Jesus is revealing His true heart to us and the heart of the Father for mankind.  All we need to do is respond to the call when we hear our name.  He willingly lays down His life for US, the SHEEP!  Do you know His voice?

or better put… DO YOU KNOW THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF YOUR SOUL?

Peter was asked to do something by Jesus.  “FEED MY SHEEP” Those words must have echoed in his mind for the rest of his life.  After denying Jesus on the road to the cross, he finds a place of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Then he is given a noble task.  To follow Jesus and point others to the Shepherd of the Sheep.

Maybe those thoughts settled in his mind in a way that gave him the wisdom to encourage his flock with these words:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:24‭-‬25 ESV

The comfort we can find in Peter’s words lands on the word RETURN.  The truth is all of us have strayed away from the heart of the Father.   We have something within us that decides to wander away, even when we do a good job of following most of the time.  Peter understood the word “RETURN,” and brings comfort in this truth.  YOU CAN RETURN TO THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF YOUR SOUL.  Just as Peter did.  We all have the ability to RETURN.

Where are you today?  Wandering?  Following?  Listening to the Voice of the Good Shepherd? 

YOU CAN SIMPLY RETURN

Pastor B Culture, Fall, Oakwood, Parent Cue, Students

Fusion Thx – Bless the Lord Devo

 

 

 Bless the Lord Devo Download

 

 BLESS THE LORD

 Read It – Psalm 103 The Message

A David Psalm

   1-2

   O my soul, bless God.

From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!

   O my soul, bless God,

don’t forget a single blessing!

3-5

He forgives your sins—every one.

He heals your diseases—every one.

He redeems you from hell—saves your life!

He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.

He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

 

  

 

LOOK

Number the 6 Blessings in the Psalm.

Draw a picture of yourself – beside the picture of YOURSELF, label how each Blessing would look on you.

 

  

 

 

 

LEARN

What do these 6 Blessings mean to you?

 

What do we learn about God?  

 

What do we learn about our relationship with God?

 

  

 

 

 

LIFE

How about you?  Think about what these 6 Blessings mean to you

 

Thank God for Forgiving YOUR sins, EVERY ONE.

Ask God to heal your diseases, EVERY ONE.

Thank God for redeeming and saving your life from hell.

Ask God to help you walk in His Love and Mercy.

Thank God for wrapping you up in His Goodness and Eternal Beauty.

Ask God to renew you in His Presence.

 

  

PRAY –  Think about what you just wrote down in each section.

 Ask God’s Spirit to help you live out His TRUTH in your life.

Pastor B Fall, Oakwood, Parent Cue, Students

Fusion Wednesday Rescue Series – YOUR RESCUE STORY

 

Hey Parents!  Has your kid shared their RESCUE STORY with you???

We encouraged our students to read the steps in preparing their story and share it with family, friends, and eventually someone that might need to hear it in their circle of influence.                       Here is our RESCUE STORY GUIDE from Sept 19. 

YourRescueStoryPrintOut

Here is our Wednesday Schedule:
Sept 26) Sacrifice: Why did Jesus have to die? This lesson dives into the idea that Christ’s sacrifice is
necessary to bridge the gap between humanity and God. Bible Passage: John 3:1–21                                                                                                                                                                                 Oct 3) Adoption: How do I fit into God’s family? This lesson will underscore the fact that followers of Christ are adopted by God. When we accept Jesus as Lord, our sins are washed away. But we’re also accepted into the family of God. Bible Passages: John 1:1–18 and Ephesians 2:1–10

Oct 10) BELIEVE WEEKEND LAUNCH PARTY – The Middle School and High School will be combined in the Student Pavilion for some FUN FOOD and a SPECIAL FLASH SALE to Kick Off our BELIEVE WEEKEND sign ups!!!!

Oct 17) Salvation: How does being saved make a difference in my life today? Being saved and following Christ means that we have a mission to fulfill here on earth. In this lesson students be challenged to make the mission of Christ a part of their life on a daily basis. Bible Passage: John 9

Q What is Fusion?  Fusion offers a loving and accepting environment geared for Middle School Students Grades 6-8.  We have events, weekly meetings, and exist to Intentionally Engage Middle School Students by leading them to the heart of the Father.
Q What happens on Fusion Wednesdays?  5:30 is hang out and Pizza, 6:00pm Bible Study Begins in the STUDENT PAVILION.  We begin with Worship, move to Talk Time, then Students move to break out rooms for real life discussion. 7:30pm is dismissal time

What can my Middle Schooler do for dinner?   Two Options :
1. Join us in the Student Pavilion for Papa John’s Pizza at 5:30pm.
2. Eat as a family at the Oakwood Wednesday Night Dinner for a nice hot meal.
Can my Middle Schooler play on the playground?  Parents, please let your Middle Schooler know that the playground is for CHILDREN and that they will be asked to leave the playground.

Pastor B Culture, Students

Joshua Luke Smith – From Interlinc Blog

”No White Rappers For Me” But Joshua Luke Smith Changed Everything

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Ken McCoy

By Mary Wilson Peed • marybakerwilson@gmail.com • Fort Valley, GA

I have only one rule as a writer for interlinc-online.com—NO white rappers. I mean no disrespect. I gave birth to a son who loves rap music of every ilk. Seriously, he taught his daughter to beat box before she could speak. Rap is just not my genre of choice.

Enter Joshua Luke Smith. I broke my own rule. To be honest, I had no clue who he was until I googled him. And, as providence would have it, I came upon his Ted x Talk, The World Within: Healing Matters of the Heart. I listened. I was moved. I fell in love with his heart. Joshua speaks out and works against the modern day slavery of human trafficking. Slavery and objectification that exists because there is a demand for it. He makes the accurately haunting connection between the driving hunger in a man’s heart to the table that is laid on the back of slaves, admitting to the appetite in his own belly and the need to starve that appetite.

Having three sons, I immediately resonated with this truth and the courage to speak into the chaos so personally.

My middle son, Jonathan Joshua, works for Garmin – he is a lead engineer. His work is global. He has partners and true friends in Russia and Thailand. He is grieved by a world that paints entire people groups with derision, hate, and suspicion. Joshua Luke Smith, although British born, was raised in impoverished northern Pakistan, he understands ethnicity, bias, and diversity. He’s lived it. He speaks not to people groups or prejudice, but to the human condition and changing the world by changing the world in our own hearts.

The heart of the matter is truly a matter of the heart, and Joshua Luke Smith nails it in lyric after lyric.

What’s on my playlist next to “Grace Got You: Mercy Me,” “Water and Dust: Cory Asbury,” and “Known: Tauren Wells?” Joshua Luke Smith’s “All My Friends,” and “Headlights.” Regardless of how you feel about the genre, Joshua Luke Smith is an important voice for this generation. His music is as profound as his Ted X Talk, resonating with his millennial culture as well as the unsettling times we find ourselves in.

Pastor B Fall, Oakwood, Parent Cue, Students

Fusion Wednesday Rescue Series Parent Guide

September 5 Begins our Regular Fusion Wednesday Format:

Q What is Fusion?  Fusion offers a loving and accepting environment geared for Middle School Students Grades 6-8.  We have events, weekly meetings, and exist to Intentionally Engage Middle School Students by leading them to the heart of the Father.
Q What happens on Fusion Wednesdays?  5:30 is hang out and Pizza, 6:00pm Bible Study Begins in the STUDENT PAVILION.  We begin with Worship, move to Talk Time, then Students move to break out rooms for real life discussion. 7:30pm is dismissal time

 

What can my Middle Schooler do for dinner?   Two Options :
1. Join us in the Student Pavilion for Papa John’s Pizza at 5:30pm.
2. Eat as a family at the Oakwood Wednesday Night Dinner for a nice hot meal.
Can my Middle Schooler play on the playground?  Parents, please let your Middle Schooler know that the playground is for CHILDREN and that they will be asked to leave the playground.

1)  Rescue Intro Lesson: This lesson helps students gain a framework for the salvation story of
Jesus: the consequences of sin, his sacrifice on the cross, the need for a rescue mission, and
our adoption into God’s family.
2) Sin: Why do we need grace? This lesson emphasizes the fact that every person chooses to
worship themselves instead of God. This introduces guilt, shame, and pain into the world. But
thankfully, God has created a plan to save and heal us. Bible Passage: Luke 16:19–30
3) Sacrifice: Why did Jesus have to die? This lesson dives into the idea that Christ’s sacrifice is
necessary to bridge the gap between humanity and God. Bible Passage: John 3:1–21                                                                                                                                                                                 4) Adoption: How do I fit into God’s family? This lesson will underscore the fact that followers of Christ are adopted by God. When we accept Jesus as Lord, our sins are washed away. But we’re also accepted into the family of God. Bible Passages: John 1:1–18 and Ephesians 2:1–10
5) Salvation: How does being saved make a difference in my life today? Being saved and following Christ means that we have a mission to fulfill here on earth. In this lesson students be challenged to make the mission of Christ a part of their life on a daily basis. Bible Passage: John 9

QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK YOUR CHILD:
1) If someone asked you how or when you became a Christian, how would you respond? If you had to give your testimony, what would you say?
Note: Having your child tell you their salvation story is a powerful way to get a deep understanding of your child’s faith. It is also great evangelism training and a way to coach them in how they would share their testimony with others.
2) Do you feel adopted into the family of God? What does that mean to you?
Note: Because orphan adoption is a familiar concept to many people, they will likely connect with the fact that they are adopted by God and are his children through Jesus’ work on the cross. If you’re an adoptive family or are close to adopted children, you can talk through the struggles, the beauty, and the similarities between earthly adoption and God’s adoption of us.
3) How do you and your friends talk about sin? Does it come up much? Why or why not?
Note: Sin is not a popular subject today, especially for young people. But it’s important to know and understand our sin and how we are to repent from it and claim Christ’s rescue of us. Talking about sin with your teenage child might not sound like fun, but you may be surprised by how they open up and want to share all that is going on in their world. Sometimes as parents, we just need to ask and listen. Only after really listening will we know how to guide, coach, disciple, and pray.

Pastor B Culture, Fall, Oakwood, Students

Back To School Bash Wednesday, Aug 29

Back To School Bash Tonight @ STUDENT PAVILION

  • 5:30pm Hang Out
  • 6pm Pizza Served
  • 6:45 OSM Worship and B2SB Challenge
  • 8pm Dismiss

September 5 Begins our Regular Fusion Wednesday Format:

Q What is Fusion?  Fusion offers a loving and accepting environment geared for Middle School Students Grades 6-8.  We have events, weekly meetings, and exist to Intentionally Engage Middle School Students by leading them to the heart of the Father.
Q What happens on Fusion Wednesdays?  5:30 is hang out and Pizza, 6:00pm Bible Study Begins in the STUDENT PAVILION.  We begin with Worship, move to Talk Time, then Students move to break out rooms for real life discussion. 7:30pm is dismissal time