Spring Ahead

It’s time to SPRING AHEAD those clocks as Daylight Savings Time begins again this coming weekend. Before you go to bed on Saturday night, don’t forget to set your alarm clock for 2:00 a.m. When your alarm goes off, quickly jump from your cozy spot and set all of the clocks in your house ahead by one hour. Don’t forget the blinking VCR. Then, having already reset your alarm clock for a reasonable wake-up time, return to bed. When your alarm goes off again, jump up with gusto and come to Encouraging Words for coffee and breakfast anytime after 7:30 in the morning. The band will be rehearsing, communion will be happening — it’ll be a great morning. OR, if you’d prefer, just set your alarm clock ahead by an hour before you go to sleep Saturday night. One way or the other, the coffee and breakfast thing will still be happening in Encouraging Words. We’ll gather for a celebration of Worship and the Word at 10:00 Sunday morning. We love you and pray that the Lord will put His spring in your step over these next months. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping , and praising God. —Acts 3:7-9 —The Gang at Countryside

Personal Resurrection

It was early Sunday morning, nearly 2,000 years ago. “Woman,” Jesus said to Mary, “why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for?” (John 20:15ff) Emotions spent, life in turmoil, savior lost. She thought she’d get past a half-ton stone? She thought He was a gardener? She thought someone had pulled a “Thomas Crown Affair” on the Lord’s body? She thought she’d fetch Him? She wasn’t quite in her right mind. Too little sleep, too many issues, too many wrongs not made right. It was then that Jesus spoke her name: “Mary.” (16) It must have sounded much the same as the greeting to the disciples a short time later, “Peace be with you.” (19) Wherever we’re at today, the resurrection of Jesus brings the same hope that it did all those years ago. Discouraged, discontent, depressed, despondent, a disaster — and the Lord can resurrect us from them all. Why are you crying? Is it because you have yet to recognize and find hope in the one standing right in front of you? May the Lord bless you with His certain hope and resurrection power this week! —Pastor Terry

Good Friday Worship Service

Often observed with a somber sense of loss, Good Friday has been remembered for 2,000 years as the day Jesus died. However, the day Jesus died was the beginning of a remarkable three-day period that would, in the end, culminate in the greatest celebration of life ever conceived. Our new life began on that first Easter Sunday, and we're ready to celebrate now. Join us on Friday, March 25 at 7:30 for a rich time of praise, worship and communion at Countryside. The Friday Night Prayer Service begins at 7:00.

Are You in Prison?

As worshippers, we bless the Lord with our adoration and devotion. This is a high calling that the Lord has placed upon His people. In fact, this is such a high calling that He asks for our worship regardless of outward or even our inward circumstances. Luke tells us a story in Acts 16 that I think illustrates this perfectly.

Paul and Silas have been flogged and thrown into prison. Actually, it’s called the “inner cell”, which translated probably means “small, dark, dreary, dirty old dungeon” to you and me. Why were they there? They’d been doing what God had called them to as Apostles. They’d been preaching God’s Word to the lost. What would your response to their circumstances be? I know what mine would be! What are you doing Lord!?! Why is this happening? Woe to me! But how’d they respond? They began praising and singing hymns to God. They weren’t concerned about their chains, they simply began their own worship service in their cell and the results were earth shattering. We’re told that there was an earthquake, their chains were loosened, and their prison doors flew open. What’s interesting to me though is that it wasn’t just their chains that were loosened or their prison doors that flew open. The prisoners with them experienced the same blessings as Paul and Silas worshipped the Lord, the prisoners’ chains fell and their prison doors flew open also.

Any time we gather at the Fellowship to worship and meet with the Lord, we have the same sort of opportunity. The only catch is that some of our chains need to be dealt with first. You see, Paul and Silas were already free—this is how they could worship God even in their incredibly hard situation. We’re free also, no matter what circumstances are surrounding our lives at any given moment. So we ought to be expressing that to Jesus through our worship. As worshippers of God, we need to allow the Lord to throw off our chains. It doesn’t matter whether that is an inhibition to raise our hands in worship or a bad morning, week, day… whatever. It’ll be then that expressing our passion for Him will be the sweetest. The Lord wants to break those chains and throw open our prison doors, but He wants us to realize He’s worthy of our worship regardless of our circumstances. As we’re faithful to do this, we’ll be amazed at what the Lord does in us individually and then those around as we worship Jesus with all our heart.

—Pastor Graham

Altared Life or Altar-cation?

They said it was about an altar — but what it ended up being was an altar-cation. As we saw last Thursday night, Joshua 22 carries a huge message. What’s that message? LET’S GET ALONG! Over my years as a pastor, I wish I’d had a dollar for every little altar-cation, every skirmish, argument, arrogance, offense, pout or “I didn’t get my way” that I have been aware of — folks, I could write a book. I know, I pray we know, that it can be better than this. The Lord has caused his Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to dwell in us that we might be saved, sanctified and unified. It’s our flesh that continues to cause disunity. And gang, flat out, it's the devil who is at the heart of the matter. Repeating hearsay (that would be gossip), jumping to hasty and wrong conclusions, blaming others and not taking responsibility for our own sin, using God’s Name as a hammer to get our own way or to refuse accountability, flat out lying, claiming special spiritual enlightenment and privilege — all of the goodies of Joshua 22 — it’s just sin. It just destroys the Body of Christ. We’re so quick to want to build an altar to our faith… maybe it’s service that we’re proud of, the music that we pen, studying that we do, knowledge that we have, the T-shirt that we wear. Maybe it’s the spiritual superiority we feign in diminishing others in the Church. However, our altar has already been built. It was built by Jesus Christ. That altar is the cross. How necessary it is for us to act like the Christians that we say we are. Jesus said the world will know we are Christians by our love (John 13:35) If we do what we’ve already been given to do, by being who He has already made us to be, nothing else is needed. Indeed, we’ll be “A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God” (Joshua 22:34) Evidence of Christ in us? Altared lives. Not altar-cations. —Pastor Terry

Worship in the Tabernacle on Palm Sunday

Have you ever wondered what it was like for those first worshippers of Yahweh? What would it have been like to enter the Tabernacle to bring their sacrifices, their offerings and their lives before their most High God? From the first sound of the shophar, to the lingering fragrance from the Altar of Incense, from the Gates of the courtyard, until we enter the Holy of Holies, Jesus will be magnified and lifted up as we Worship in the Tabernacle. Join us for this very special worship experience, Palm Sunday, March 20, 7:00 p.m., at Countryside Christian Fellowship.

A Brand New Countryside Online

We're live! An all-new www.countrysidefellowship.com! We’ve been hard at work for a few months now, breathing life into our website that it might better serve you, the gang at Countryside. And, hard at work to be able to better help those who are trying to figure out what we’re all about. We’re ready with new content and features. aEasier and better looking user interface aThis week’s schedule at a glance from the homepage aA new FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), for when we don’t know whatever it is we don’t know aFind a Flocks location with interactive maps aSubmit a prayer request or subscribe to our prayer list aThe “how do I get a hold of that staff member” problem solved aSubscribe or unsubscribe to our eNews mailing list aKeep up-to-date with Countryside’s Blog (wait, you’re already here!) aTrack dates and information for Mexico, Israel, the Family Campout and much more aMore than 150 pictures of life at the Fellowship aAnd more than 100 pictures of of The Garden — start to finish aAND IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS: All of our audio content — book libraries and topical index — in MP3. You’ll be able to stream or download as you please. Check it out!

Remembering Hopper

One of the young guys in the Fellowship, Hopper, was killed in an auto-accident after leaving our mid-week service, Thursday night, March 10th. A memorial service was held for Hopper on Monday, the 14th. Though we'll miss Hopper, how blessed we were to share with more than 350 people people on Monday about Hopper's Heavenly Home. Please continue to be in prayer for Hopper's family and friends, and for the many friends he had in our own youth group. How we rejoice that Hopper is with the Lord, enjoying His presence, and worshipping at His throne. How we long for the day too when we'll be reunited with our brother. The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. —Isaiah 57:1-2

Bright, sun-shiney days

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. — Colossians 3:23-24 The unseasonably warm weather has enabled us to get a jump-start on a beautiful summer in The Garden — and we could use a hand! Connect with the Fellowship offce to lend a helping hand.

How Long?

So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?" — Joshua 18:3 We’ve been talking about this for weeks… there’s an experience of Jesus for us, peace, victory, fullness of His blessing, an abundance of joy in the Spirit that is as far beyond the average Christian today, as Canaan was beyond the wilderness for the Israelites. Isn't it time finally time to leave the worries and cares of this life behind? Isn't it time to leave sin's stumbling stones behind? Isn't it time to rest in Jesus Christ's victory over enemy? How long will we wait to take possession of this land — the Spirit-filled abundant life — that the Lord has given us? I pray, that for you, that day is today. — Pastor Terry

For Unto Us a Child is Born...

Welcome to the Fellowship young men! How blessed we'll be to watch you grow in the love of the Lord. Gabriel Son of Earl and Lindsey Sommerville Born February 24, 2005 and Jonathan Son of Ross and Inez Cooper Born March 2, 2005 And the Lord added to their number daily... — Acts 2:47