Wholeheartedly

The story is a good one. Caleb, his very name meaning “All Heart.” After 45-years of desert-difficulty because of the sin of others (that’s right, Caleb was one of two who were faithful out of those 12 seriously stumbling spies (Numbers 14,)) finally gets his due, his blessing, the fruit of his faithfulness. No, not heaven, the ultimate fruit. He gets a chunk of desert in Israel called Hebron. A place where giants live — giants that he must see removed, even though he is now 85-years old. Guess what? He drives those giants right out of there. There isn’t a giant in your life that can’t be driven out by the same means Caleb drove out those giants in Joshua 15. Wholehearted devotion to the Lord. Caleb was all heart, and three times in Joshua 14 we’re told he followed the Lord wholeheartedly. How about us? Can the same be said for me? Failure to remove the enemy is always an indication of not following the Lord wholeheartedly. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 — Pastor Terry

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

"Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." --John 4:21-24

Be Praying

We’ll soon begin publishing our all-new prayer newsletter. But in the interim, there’s lots to be praying for. Here’s just a couple of things that Pastor Terry mentioned during services this last weekend. 4Johnny Wheeler recovering from surgery 4Jim Harris recovering from a visit in the hospital 4Tenneil Gonzales (daughter-in-law of Mike and Barb Gonzales) recovering from a serious car accident 4Also, be praying for the strengthening of marriages at the Fellowship, weariness abounds (but strength is found in Jesus Christ!) Join us for prayer and communion any morning at Countryside. The Friday Night Prayer Service begins at 7:00 in Encouraging Words.

It’s about time that we rest from war!

Good morning brothers and sisters of Countryside! Over the last couple of weeks, you all have been on my heart in an increasingly huge way. In our studies in Joshua, the Lord has continued to remind me of the battle that wages all around us, and the battle that too often gets the best of us on the inside. Spiritual war is a dirty game, and the enemy is even dirtier. What a blessing we can know just how done that battle is in Christ. We have victory because of His sacrifice and love. When the enemy is doing his worse, that’s often the time when we feel there’s no hope. We’re sick. We’re busy. There’s strife, distraction and even sin. This is the time to stand strong, and quite frankly, to stick it to him. As we saw in Joshua 10, it’s easy to hide in a cave, when in fact we need to find ourselves, again, at the foot of the cross. And, by the way, we’re at the foot of the cross with you. That’s why cave dwelling is an impossibility — victory is pretty illusive when you’re alone and hiding. That’s why Paul said so emphatically in Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” I need the encouragement. You need the encouragement. We need each other. I’ve been praying for you. Praying for the battles, praying for your strength, praying for our peace, and praying that you would know the great power that is our God. Remember, we’re already in a place of victory. With Christ we’ve already won. We have to stoop down from this great place of security and spiritual strength to even struggle at all. It’s about time that we rest from war! (Joshua 11:23) — Pastor Terry

Is the Son rising for you?

Some of the sunrises in January were unbelievable. It caused me to wonder about personal Son-rises. Is the Son rising in your life? Is there an increase of the color of the Spirit in your actions? Are your thoughts on things above (rather than the stuff of earth?) The Son is the radiance of God's glory... Hebrews 1:3 — Pastor Terry