Scripture Referenced: Exodus 20:8-10; Mark 2:27

Five Benefits to Taking A Vacation: https://selecthealth.org/blog/2019/05/5-benefits-of-taking-a-vacation

Three Tactics To Regain Rhythm To Get Unstuck

1 - Divert Daily. Allow for a distraction every day. Focusing briefly on other things helps us not succumb to the pain of what we may be currently facing.

2 - Withdraw Weekly. The concept of “sabbath” is not about doing nothing… but about not doing anything. It’s about taking control of your day… instead of the day taking control of you.

3 - Abandon Annually. You “need” to get away. It’s actually good for your health. Working consistently more than 55 hours a week will exponentially increase your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

FIRST STEP:

Set an alarm every day to take a moment and intentionally divert your attention. If you carve it into your schedule, you place its importance and value to you.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

Craig McKibbon

IG: @mckibber

facebook.com/mckibber

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: 

“Summer Nights” by LiQWYD -

 www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Scripture Referenced: Matthew 5:23; Matthew 18:15; Hebrews 12:14

Reconciliation is not about simply fixing “others”... but doing what is necessary to fix the “relationship”.

Reconcile: 1100’s used in French: “to bring together again”. In Latin it means “to win over again”. You cannot win over “again” without admitting you lost it in the first place.

In mafia families, the conciliare was the right-hand person who was the representative of the family to other mafia families.

Reconciliation is about rebuilding the bridge between parties.

Three Keys To The Road To Reconciliation

1 - Seek first to understand; then to be understood. The more you know, the more you will then know how to respond.

2 - Aim to act; not react. If you are always the one responding or reacting, you will never build trust. You MUST take initiatives to build trust.

3 - The effort will match the intent. Repentance without remorse simply equates to a “replica”... a fake effort. This will be revealed in what you are willing to do to restore the relationship, as well as what they are willing to do.

REMEMBER… Even though there may be potholes along the road to restoration… at least you are on the road! Don’t downplay the fact that you are actually working towards restoration. Any progress… is still progress.

FIRST STEP:

Pick a relationship that has recently gone sour. Write down all the reasons why “they” may be upset with you. Once you feel right about it and have prayed for guidance, reach out being willing to a) hear only “their” perspective, and b) ask for forgiveness for all you have done to contribute towards the breakdown in the relationship.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

Craig McKibbon

IG: @mckibber

facebook.com/mckibber

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: 

“Summer Nights” by LiQWYD -

 www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Scripture Referenced: John 1:42-43

Inc.com Article - “Four Ways to Avoid Mental Burnout”: https://www.inc.com/heidi-zak/adults-make-more-than-35000-decisions-per-day-here-are-4-ways-to-prevent-mental-burnout.html

Most of the decisions we make we don’t even notice we are making. (There are at least seven decisions in John 1:42-43; six decisions aren’t even noted)

Any “decision” to do something by defacto “decides” to NOT do something.

Decide: (latin: decaedere - to cut off) (FR: dechirer - to tear off)

Many “decisions” we tend to make don’t “cut off” other options but rather we “sweep under” or “brush back”.

Three Things Best Decisions Do:

1 - They better your goals / plans. Labyrinths may seem to go in the wrong direction many times, but they ultimately get you going further along.

2 - They consider the cost. When you ascertain what you gain, you also choose what you lose. Anything you choose to hold onto / not deal with only slow you down.

3 - They are “made in the shade”. We think best when we can think straight. We turn off all distractions when we are trying to concentrate better. Clearing your surroundings allows you to properly clear your mind.

FIRST STEP:

Choose something to be an easy decision to make (supper, clothes, movie to watch, etc)

1 - Clear your surroundings so you can give it the proper attention.

2 - Ask yourself how this decision will better you.

3 - Ask yourself how it will not benefit you.

Make the “best” decision for you based on those answers.

The more often you do this, bigger decisions will be able to take less time.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

Craig McKibbon

IG: @mckibber

facebook.com/mckibber

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: 

“Summer Nights” by LiQWYD -

 www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Scripture Referenced: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4

The Lord’s Prayer shared by Jesus reveals God’s will for us to recognize that we need to keep an eye on today including both the past and the future.

You cannot make the most of your “today” without considering multiple points of reference.

“It is what it is” is so passive, non-influential, and reactionary. We will look at that saying as to how it should be changed based on all three tenses.

1 - Past: “It was what it was.”

God was before anything else was. The past cannot change… and you cannot change it. Dwelling on it, staying or mentally staying there does nothing.

The past is there not to re“live” it... but to “LEARN” from it. When we learn what happened, it helps us to move forward.

2 - Present: “It is what I choose it to be.”

Give us… THIS DAY… our daily bread…

He gives us what we need. So if we did not receive what we thought we needed, we should consider why that did not happen. Perhaps by looking at “why” it is the way it is or (or “what” it is) we can learn to “LIVE” in the presence of it.

We are to be present… in the present.

3 - Future: “It will be what it could be.”

It is impossible to say the word “future” in the present tense. By the time you start the word, some of it will be in the past by the time you are done.

We can “plan” for the future or “react affecting” the future. But technically a reaction or a response can never be something happening in the present. They all “happened” (past tense).

So, being prepared and being proactive (both present decisions) best position you to be able to “LEAN” into the future.

You cannot prevent or predict the future, but you CAN best prepare / position yourself for it; which increases the likelihood of things going a certain way.

Momentum is simply a series of successive moments.

FIRST STEP:

Pick something you actually want to continue to be doing two days from now.

1 - Ask what has stopped you from doing it so far (LEARN).

2 - Decide the when “now” for you to do it (LIVE).

3 - Schedule a time tomorrow and the next day to do it (LEAN).

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

Craig McKibbon

IG: @mckibber

facebook.com/mckibber

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: 

“Summer Nights” by LiQWYD - www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

“The Elevator Bossa Nova” by Bensound - www.bensound.com

Scripture Referenced: Genesis 1; Galatians 5:7-9

In sports, you cannot win the “whole thing” without winning the things “enough times”. The more wins you have, the better position you place yourself moving forward.

Doing / not doing something “once” is good. Doing it “repeatedly” is harder and harder.

THREE KEYS TO CONSIDER TO MAKE A WINNING STREAK

1 - Remember that Wins Take Work

It is not a “win” if it wasn’t actually “won”. They are most likely “wars” before they are “wins”.

2 - You are only as good as your NEXT win

One win is not a streak… it’s a start.

God took a universe that was formless and void and formed it and filled it.

Keep your “rearview mirror” and your “front windshield” the appropriate sizes.

3 - Don’t give IN to the give UP

Persuasion happens over time. It’s the relentless call to comfort and not control.

“Good enough” should never be good enough.

One of the fruit (byproducts) of the Spirit is SELF-control. The only person who can / will do it is YOU.

Don’t do it for the “fans” you are trying to impress. Fans are fickle.

Impress YOURSELF. That is “disciplined” living. That is “discipleship”. That is giving God “worship” (the Jewish word for worship is “work”).

FIRST STEP:

Pick a war you CAN win (challenging but attainable). Chart it for 30 days. See if you can get a 30 day WINNING STREAK.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: “Summer Nights” by LiQWYD - www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Scripture Referenced: Psalm 139

Missing Woman Searches For Herself: https://torontosun.com/2012/08/28/missing-woman-unwittingly-joins-search-party-for-herself

Pros and cons are two-dimensional. They leave too much left unknown or not properly considered.

Though God knows us and understands us, that should never stop US from doing the same by engaging in self-discovery.

What would happen if we reworded Psalm 139 so we were gauging how much of ourselves we understood?

The woman joined the search party because she did not recognize her own description. What do we miss about how we realistically view ourselves or how others view us?

We should join God and search and know ourselves. Moreso, we should change what’s “offensive” so others start not “recognizing” the “new” us… even to the point when “we” would stop recognizing “old” self because of the changes.

FIRST STEP:

Carve out one hour and throw a “search party” on yourself; noting what may need to “change” to become better.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: “Summer Nights” by LiQWYD - www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Pros and cons are two-dimensional. They leave too much left unknown or not properly considered.

Pros and cons lists become based on “volume”, not “values”. Many decisions then get based on the “size” of the list instead of the “significance” of the items on it.

Just like purchasing a house or car needs a house inspection or car safety, things are discovered when you take the proper time to “kick the tires”.

This one question brings the different perspectives needed when facing big decisions; simply asked four different ways. Do this exercise the next time you need to make a big decision.

1 - Take a piece of paper and divide it into four equal quadrants

2 - Write on top of the paper the ONE question with the least amount of words. (ex: “Do I move to Chilliwack?”)

3 - Write four versions of this question in the four quadrants:
Top Left: What do I gain if I do?
Top Right: What do I lose if I don’t?
Bottom Left: What won’t I gain if I do?

Bottom Right: What won’t I lose if I do?

4 - Set a timer and start in any quadrant (recommend “what do I gain if I do?”). Write down thoughts as quickly as they come. If you think of something that applies to a separate quadrant quickly write it in the appropriate quadrant and resume with the quadrant you are working on.

5 - Repeat the process until all quadrants have been thoroughly considered.

6 - Now, evaluate the quadrants based on their merit… and the decision will become more clear based on values, significance, and wisdom (marinated knowledge).

FIRST STEP:

Write down the decision you need to make in the least amount of words before writing the four quadrants below it.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: “Summer Nights” by LiQWYD -

 www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Scripture Referenced: Matthew 6:33

Sunday's Message: I Wanna Be Rich (Facebook) (YouTube) 

Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first God’s Kingdom and God’s Righteousness. It is about following God’s DIRECTION as well as God’s DIRECTIVES. The rest will line up under it.

Covid has made us all have to “PIVOT”

Definition of “pivot”: to modify something while retaining some continuity with its previous version.

Three Things To Develop The Passion To Pivot

1 - Embrace The Discomfort

We shift when we are uncomfortable. That is the only time we’ll move.

Embrace the discomfort by facing it head-on. We can make the best decisions by looking at it straight on.

2 - Pick The Open Lane

If the sandbox isn’t working out for you, move the box onto another part of the massive beach.

It also keeps you moving… like taking a detour because of an accident. It may even take longer, but you are still moving and now have new strategies based on what you discovered.

Remember the past simply got you to where you are now. It does not commit you any further.

3 - Commit Your Plans In Pencil

Develop “planned obsolescence”. Determine at the beginning of any project/decision that there will be a day when it is no longer necessary to do.

Make sure to shift your long-range planning (LRP) to a shorter time frame. The reduction in scope will depend on your risk.

Make sure to place marker dates to:
a) review
b) redirect (even if is the same direction - be willing to adjust)
c) resume (don’t stall out)

FIRST STEP:

Embrace what is currently uncomfortable about your life. Look at it dead on to prep to “pick the open lane”.

Remember that Easter is the best example of having the “PASSION to pivot”

Because of our sin God went to the open lane by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sin. He solidified His work in our lives by not committing it with a “pencil”... but His “Blood”.

FIND US:

First Avenue Christian Assembly - 46510 First Ave. Chilliwack, BC CANADA

www.firstave.org

facebook.com/FirstAveChurch

IG: @firstavechurch

First Ave Message Podcast: on Apple and Spotify

MUSIC: “Summer Nights” by LiQWYD - www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd