March 8, 2025
Happy Saturday, Grace Vineyard Family and Friends
I’m near a window right now at 8am on Saturday morning, and I can see that the sky is blue, and it looks beautiful outside! Looks like a beautiful weekend in store for us. It’s so good to live here!! I’m supposed to leave the house in one hour, so I’m gonna try to type really fast right now! (That’s my excuse for any typos or other mistakes I don’t catch 🙂 ) Let’s get going with this week’s update email…
Two Priorities
I’m thinking about this Sunday, and the things that are really important in our lives. Two come to mind right now – Worship and Prayer. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is (see Matthew 22:36-40), He didn’t even hesitate to contemplate the best answer to an important question. His immediate response was, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” That’s why we make Worship a very high priority. I’ve heard well known preachers talk about worship as just the warm up for the main event, which in their mind is the preaching of the Word. I think preaching & teaching the Word is extremely important, of course, but Jesus made it clear that loving God is the greatest commandment. That’s also why I’m a little sad for the folks who come into the worship room 1/2 way through our worship time, or when they spend a lot of time talking to other people while we are worshiping the Lord. This is our ministry to God. I hope you’ll make it a priority to join us in full-hearted, love-filled Worship to the Almighty when the band hits that first chord at 9:30 this Sunday. Priority #1 – Worship.
The second priority I’m thinking about is prayer. For reasons that aren’t always obvious and clear to myself (maybe it’s obvious to others), God has decided to do most everything He does in partnership with People, and a main way He partners with us is by waiting for us to ASK. “You have not because you ask not”, says James.
So a 2nd priority I have on my mind right now is PRAYER. We facilitate prayer for church, our city, our missionaries, our ministries….our world! … on the 2nd Sunday of every month. It lasts about an hour right after church. Would you please think about joining us for 1 hour this Sunday? It’s really true — prayer changes everything!
Time Change – Spring Ahead
This reminder is related to my exhortation to make Worship a priority. Just wanted to remind us all that this is the night we lose 1 hour of sleep, because we “spring ahead”, setting our clocks 1 hour forward tonight. Don’t forget and end up being an hour late to church tomorrow! I know most of us have smart phones for clocks, so they will change the time automatically. You might want to take a nap today to get that extra sleep in.
Bake Sale for Men’s Retreat Scholarships
The Men’s Retreat is coming up next weekend, and some wonderful people have decided to put on a Make and Bake sale to help with scholarships for men who can’t quite afford the retreat registration. The “Make” part of “Make and Bake” means craft items. And the “Bake” part is more obvious. I’ve heard talk around my house that both Kim and Bryce are gonna hit the kitchen for some great fresh baked treats for you to buy tomorrow. If you’d like to bake something, please contact Michelle Ertel today for the details — 760-994-5962.
Speaking of the Men’s Retreat – men, you can still make it, but we are now hitting the last second mark. Go to gracevcf.org/mens-retreat for the details and a place to pay the registration online.
Only Do What the Father is Doing
Tomorrow I’m planning on continuing to explore the topic “God’s Empowering Presence” with you. I’ll be looking at the main key to effective Kingdom Ministry – only doing what the Father is doing. This concept is revealed implicitly in the stories recorded in the Gospels and in Acts, and explicitly in the Words of Jesus, recorded in John 5:19-20 — “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. “ Let’s continue getting equipped for the life and ministry God has called each of us into!
And that’s it for this Week’s update. See you tomorrow morning. If you can’t be with us in person, here’s the link for the Zoom channel: Zoom Meeting ID 153 112 432, Passcode 684814, and here’s where you would go for the Facebook Live channel: facebook.com/gracevcf.
With blessings and love,
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.