April 25, 2026
Good Evening, Grace Vineyard Family and Friends,
Another beautiful week! I hope you enjoyed it, and have already launched into a great weekend. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning at 9:30. Here’s a quick rundown on happenings you’ll want to know all about:
Debby Gidley’s Retirement Part – April 26 After Church
Debby Gidley has been serving as our Children’s Ministry Director and Administrative Assistant for around 20 years! (I’m actually not sure if the actual date, so we’ll have to ask her at her party, but we have been partnering in ministry together for almost as long as I have been our lead pastor.) Come celebrate and appreciate Debby after the service on April 26th (that’s tomorrow). We’d love for you to bring a card with your favorite memory of Debby or just a note of appreciation as she has served as the church administrative assistant and children’s ministry director for many years. If you have any printed pictures of Debby- please bring them. The church will provide sandwiches and drinks. Please bring a side dish to share. For more information, please text Kim Ohst 760.519.4558
Aligning our Lives with the Heart of Jesus
Last Sunday we finished our series, “On the Road to Resurrection”. (We’ve collected all the sermon videos in a playlist on our YouTube channel right here: On The Road To Resurrection Playlist.) This week I plan on launching an “occasional series”. What’s an “occassional series”? Glad you asked. What I have in mind is a series of related messages that are related in a broad sense thematically, but each message stands on it’s own and doesn’t necessarily build on the previous messages in the series. The overarching theme is going to be “Aligning Our Lives with the Heart of Jesus”, and the first message I’ll bring tomorrow is all about the idea of both contentment and discontentment in the Kingdom of God. Usually we think of contentment that way Paul did when he wrote “I have learned the secret of being content in every situation.” in Philippians 4:12-13. In that sense, contentment has to do with being peacefully satisfied with the current situation. But in the Kingdom of God, sometimes we should not have contentment with the current situation. Think, for example, of the situation in John 2 where Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple:
John 2:13-17
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
This is what some have called “Holy Discontentment”. I want to look at some Bible stories with you and explore when Contentment is appropriate and when it isn’t, and how to respond. This is one of the ways we align ourselves with the Heart of Jesus. I hope this will be practical and helpful for all of us. If you can’t join us in person on Sunday morning, here’s the info for joining us online: join us online on Zoom with this link Zoom Meeting ID 153 112 432, Passcode 684814 and you can also find our livestream on Facebook Live at facebook.com/gracevcf.
By the way, I know some folks look in these weekly update emails to find a quick link to the Youtube video of the previous week’s sermon, so I’ll drop that right here:
Join Us For Sanctuary – Sundays at 6PM
You can still join us for Alpha on Mondays at 6pm
It’s not too late to join us for Alpha on Monday’s at 6 p.m. on the Terrace at Grace. For the next 8 weeks, we will be hosting a series of open dinner conversations around questions of faith. This week the question is “How can I have faith?” Think about inviting a friend to join you!
Ladies Tea Saturday, May 2nd 1-4 pm
Ladies, it’s time to dig out your hats and tea cups, ladies. Join us for an afternoon of enjoyment complete with scones, tea sandwiches, desserts and tea. We’ll have worship and a message. Cost is $20. You can sign up at the table in the lobby to host a table, help decorate, and bring food. For more information, please contact Abbey 832-683-8178. We’ll be setting up the tables and decorating on Friday, May 1st from 12-5pm at the church and could use some helping hands. Please let Abbey know if you’d like to help with set up.
And that’s it for this week’s update. I hope to see you tomorrow morning.
With love and blessings to each of you,
Ron Ohst
Tithes and Offerings Online
THANKS for taking ownership in the life and ministry of Grace Vineyard! And thanks to all of you who are stepping into a lifestyle of generosity with your tithes and offerings. It really does take all of us doing our part with the income God has entrusted to us for His church. If you’d like to give your tithe or offering online, click the donate button below. If you’re giving to a specific fund (like benevolence or missions), just be sure to say that when you are given an option to add a note with your donation.