Ron Ritchie 

August 19,1933 – July 3, 2020

Dark Horse

by John Fischer

He’s a dark horse in the nighttime

Heading straight for the enemy camp

And he has no fear ‘cause his eye is clear

Throwing light like a burning lamp

And maybe sometime at the right time

You may see him galloping by

A simple man with a single plan

And the Spirit in his eye

He’s the one who no one thought could make it through

He’s the one who looks a lot like me and you

But he can hear it when the Spirit

Tells him where to go and what to say

‘Cause he knows that he can never be free 

When he’s going his own way

(Chorus)

He will not deny the struggle in his heart

But he also knows the grace that is his part

And his secret is the Spirit

‘Cause he’s trusting nothing of his own

And he’s fixed his eyes on the highest prize

And he’s heading for his home

He’s a dark horse in the nighttime

Heading straight for the enemy camp

And he has no fear ‘cause his eye is clear

Throwing light like a burning lamp

And maybe sometime at the right time

You may see him galloping by

A simple man with a single plan

And the Spirit in his eye

Thank you, Ron, for giving so much to so many.

First, a note to all our MemberPartners,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

– Charles Dickens

These are indeed extraordinary times. Between the pandemic and loss, injustice and ensuing protests, our nation is grieving. But the question remains: how will we make the most of this time now, and prepare for the future?

The life and work of the body of Christ, and therefore the important task of calling, mentoring and training disciples — the purpose of the Catch Ministry — must continue.

While the COVID-19 crisis necessitated the temporary closing of many businesses, we here at the Catch Ministry are having great difficulty keeping up with the increased demand for counseling and the needs of our people. Thanks to the efforts of our wonderful volunteers, we  remain committed to encouraging, praying for and mentoring our Catch Citizens, collectively and individually.

We hope you will forgive us for our inability to complete our MemberPartner It’s Friday Newsletters over the last 2 weeks.  Our Prayer Warriors keep praying and our counselors keep counseling, so keep praying for us as we pray for you — for safety, hope and a positive attitude of grace turned outward to all amidst this time of upheaval and great uncertainty.

All of us thank you in advance for understanding there is just so much we as a team can do with what is at hand.  It is our sincerest hope to provide “It’s Friday” next weekend.

On behalf of all who are working to further Grace Turned Outward,

Thank You!

John and Marti 

One hope

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called … Ephesians 4:4

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people … Ephesians 1:18

Looking for hope in a hopeless world

Trying to find love in these hateful times

Try to stay strong but my mind is weak

Looking for hope in a hopeless world

                 – Widespread Panic

We are currently looking into the great spiritual inheritance we have in the church — the body of Christ. Not the building on the corner, but the living, organic union of believers that exists whenever two or more of us gather together in Christ’s name in a home, or a building, or a park, or on Facebook live or Zoom. So far we’ve found out that our unity is a very big deal. We’ve found that there is one body (of Christ), one Spirit that lives in us all and now we hear about one hope that is associated with our calling — our being chosen by God.

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