March 27, 2026
Greetings from Palomar Mountain!
It’s Friday night, and we’ve just finished our first session at the men’s retreat. We’re off to a great start and all looking forward to the rest of our weekend together. We’re going to have a bit of a deep soak over the next couple of days. We’re going to have plenty of time for worship, prayer ministry, exploring the Word, great times of fellowship and fun…please keep us in your prayers!
The retreat ends on Sunday at noon, but I’m going to come back early so I can be with you the rest of you on Sunday morning. It’s Palm Sunday and I’m going to continue in our series called “On the Road to Resurrection”.
This week’s focus is “The Road of Compassion”. By now I think most of you will remember that the launching point of this series is the point in Jesus ministry where he sets His face to Jerusalem, echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 50:6-7
6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
Luke 9:51
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. [Literally, “He set His face for Jerusalem”]
Jesus is resolutely moving toward the climax of Hs earthly ministry — the cross, the resurrection, and His ascension back to the Father. One of the things I noticed is that between Luke 9:51 and the time of Jesus ascension in Luke 24:51 are the many, many interactions of compassion Jesus has with people. People like the blind beggar who cries out for mercy as Jesus and the crowd are passing by on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus is always ready to be interrupted in order to show great compassion. Jesus stops the parade to show mercy and bring healing to this blind beggar. That story is in Luke 18:35-42. Or the 10 lepers who cry out for Jesus to take pity on them, and He heals them. There’s the famous parable where Jesus teaches how to fulfill the command to love our neighbor as ourselves, the parable that is commonly called “The Good Samaritan” in Luke 10. I plan on looking at a couple of these stories in Luke to learn how we can join Jesus on the road of compassion. I think you’ll be encouraged. I know am being encouraged as I read these incredible passages in Luke. I hope to see you in person on Sunday morning so we can all worship together, but if you can’t make it in person, you can 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.
Last week we were blessed to have Ted Lawler from Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries in Zambia join us. Here’s the video and Gracetalks.org podcast of his talk called “Guard Your Faith: Jesus is all we need”.
Night of Worship with CJ Orndorff This Sunday Night
This coming Sunday night we are excited to host a night of worship with CJ Orndroff. It starts at 6pm. Here’s a quick highlight video of CJ celebrating 30 years of prison ministr. You’ll some very familiar faces from fellow Grace Vineyardites here:
Alpha Interest Meeting
A couple weeks ago when I brough the message “On the Road of Empowered Witness”, one of the ways I suggested we answer the call to purse a lifestyle of being a witness for Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was to help put on an Alpha group at Grace Vineyard. If you didn’t watch this Alpha intro video last week, I’d encourage you to invest a couple of minutes to watch it right now:
If you’d like to learn more about how you could help us do an Alpha here at Grace Vineyard, Shannon Frye will be putting on a dinner to talk about it. She and Kevin led an Alpha group when they were live on Catalina Island, so they can give us real life experience. The Alpha Interest Dinner will be at her house on Monday, March 30th, at 6:30PM. If you would like to come, please text of call Shannon Frye at (760) 419-4242 and she’ll give you all the relevant info.
Easter at Grace
Next Weekend is Easter weekend, and we have 2 special events planned. April 3rd is Good Friday, the day Christians around the world pause and reflect on the crucifixion. We will meet a 6:30 for a meaningful, reflect service with scripture and worship. Then on Sunday morning, Resurrection, we will have a joyful celebration of Jesus’s resurrection and the hope we have in Him. This is always a great weekend to invite friends who need ot hear the gospel, so I hope many of us will be bringing guests!
Grace Vineyard Merch Shop
As I type this, I just happen to be wearing my Grace Vineyard “Need Prayer?” t-shirt. If you’d like to see what is available in t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, etc, that have the Grace Vineyard logo, just click here to go to our Merch Shop. You make your order there and they ship the merchandise right to your house. If there is something you wish we had that you don’t see there, just let us know and we’ll try to create it for you.
And with that, I will sign off. I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday 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.