Blog

A Look Back at the Oasis Network

On May 13, The Oasis Network celebrated its five year anniversary. Let’s take a look at what we’ve accomplished together in five years, and what’s next.

How to Hold a Community Group During a Pandemic

The 2020 pandemic need not preclude Community Group meetings. We can, of course, use Zoom.us, as we do for our regular meetings. The advantage is that Zoom is not limited by distance; the disadvantage is that it is a bit impersonal...

Reflecting on Community Groups

As the Fall 2019 community groups start wrapping up, I wanted to reflect upon the whole experience. I’ve been coming to Oasis for a long time, long enough to remember when we fit into a much, much smaller room.

An Oasis in the Suburbs: Galveston Bay Oasis

Every Sunday morning, familiar faces walk through the doors of our meeting space at Galveston Bay Oasis. These weekly regulars greet each other and enter into jovial conversation as they work together to set up the coffee, sound equipment, and welcome table...

The Life of Pie

Life, as we know, is complicated. At the center of life is competition. All of life is a competitive process for success and sometimes for survival itself. This is why competitions are so popular.

Oasis: A Year in Review

Last Summer, Houston Oasis and the greater Oasis Network experienced an unprecedented change in our leadership structure. Because of the drastic change and the many questions that came with it, Oasis hosted our first ever “Town Hall” event...

The Dog Park: A Day at Oasis

The doggie daycare looked like heaven compared to my lawn which was full of brambles and weeds. Through the fence I could see a perfectly manicured yard, a little obstacle course for the hounds to run through, a doggie pool where a golden retriever shook his coat freely, with almost a wry smile only a happy puppy could give...

Presenting the Oasis Care Team

The strength of any community is dependent on shared vision, trust and support. With that in mind, we have formed a Care Response Team. The Oasis Care Response Team is dedicated to overseeing secular celebrations of life as well as being actively present in times of need.

A Journey to Freethought

Like a great many people, Oasis folks included, I was brought up religious. I went to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I participated in church children’s choirs, attended Sunday school and participated in other church-related activities...

Evidence Unseen: A Christian Interacts with Oasis

Faith is a funny thing. You don't know it's there until you see it-- and it's not necessarily religious. It's that twenty minutes you wait for a date to show up, hoping they won't ghost you. Or the space between the time your check engine light goes off, and your next paycheck.

Why I Volunteer

More often than we would like to admit, we lead curiously monotonous lives. Work, home and the occasional insufficient vacation. We could hardly be blamed for not placing a priority on how those around us are going about their own lives. But this is not about them. It is about us and how their plight affects us.

Writing Our Secular Stories

What I love about this blog is the stories. I’m a bookworm, but serious reader or not, I believe the best introduction is always: “Let me tell you a story.”

Even Small Hands Can Solve Human Problems

"Human hands solve human problems" is my favorite Oasis Core Value. I believe the only way to help the world is by actually putting in the hours and getting hands on. This value is one that I want my children to grow up incorporating into their lifestyle.

Finding Your Tribe

Every four years, the world slows to a standstill to watch 22 grown men chase after a ball. The World Cup provides drama and pageantry, but is there something truly special about sweaty individuals with muscular thighs trying to kick a ball through a rectangle?

On the Subject of Labeling

Since coming to Oasis, I’ve been asked by some long-time friends, “What’s the deal with this Oasis thing of yours?” often accompanied by a slight rolling of the eyes. I’m never offended since I’ve even asked the same question of myself.