2. The Essentials: Planning for a Life

3. Roast Beef on Rye

4. One thing is true If you don't plan You'll react and accept And find yourself far from What and where you were Meant to be

5. No one accidently falls Into spiritual growth And a fulfilled, meaningful life

6. God gave: Resets Fresh starts Newness

7. Day of rest and worship Before entering a new week Times of Gathering Years of Jubilee

8. His mercies are new every morning…

9. God knows you need Times of: Reset Re-examination Recommitment Renewal

10. God knows that An unexamined life Is an unfulfilled life

11. An unexamined life Is an unfulfilled life So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom - Psalm 90:12

12. This is that time This New Year Is a Gift from God A time of "Reset" If you take it

13. If you Prioritize the Essential You'll be free to - Pursue the important - Handle the painful - And walk away from The meaningless

14. Prioritize the Essential:

15. Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching

16. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live…

17. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you

18. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her

19. God opposes the…? But gives grace to the…? Requires Humility "I don't already know it all…"

20. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown”

21. Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness

22. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble

23. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil

24. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble

25. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day

26. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble

27. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart

28. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh

29. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life

30. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you

31. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil - Proverbs 4

32. True Wisdom is the ability To see from God's perspective And to make decisions based on This viewpoint that honor God And lead to his glory and Our ultimate best

33. Keep your heart with all vigilance Everything flows from it

34. Everything flows from the heart The seat and center of your Affections, drive, desires

35. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (NLT)

36. The place from which you Experience all of life And are able to either enjoy Or barely tolerate What you'll face this year

37. You can "have it all" and fall Into deep depression "Meaningless" You can go through hard times Have very little and be Grateful, content in your God

38. The difference? Not the circumstances But the heart Because it determines How you experience The circumstances

39. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life

40. Discontent in the midst of Great blessing Because I also want… Because he has more… Because I feel pressure to hold on to it…

41. All of those things Come from an unguarded heart - Using people to get stuff - Tearing down others - God as a means to an end - Our pursuits and passions

42. If I have a problem with my desires The answer is not Behavior modification But a heart change in Christ

43. If I have a problem with my ability to enjoy life The answer is not More of what hasn't satisfied But a heart change in Christ

44. Keep your heart with all vigilance Everything flows from it "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…" - Ezekiel 36:26

45. If you Prioritize the Essential You'll be free to - Pursue the important - Handle the painful - And walk away from The meaningless

46. Keep your heart with vigilance Ponder the path of your feet Consider where your actions And habits are taking you

47. If I continue this way Where will it lead me? Most of us: For now, but it'll change one day No it won't

48. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil

49. These are essentials: My heart…which is formed by - What I take in - Who I commit to daily My path…that which I choose or Allow to be chosen for me

50. If you Prioritize the Essential You'll be free to - Pursue the important - Handle the painful - And walk away from The meaningless

51. Jesus spoke of the Essentials As a Foundation For everything else (Matthew 7:24…)

52. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them…

53. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…

54. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

55. And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’

57. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock

58. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock

59. The house stood Not because the storms Didn't come Or were lessened By having faith But because of the Foundation

60. Knows…doesn't follow And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand

61. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” - Matt. 7:24-27 Knew…didn't do

62. Both Houses Following Jesus does not Protect you from hard times It prepares you to weather them When they come

63. Tony Evans And the contractor

64. Tony Evans And the contractor If the foundation is shifting It doesn't matter how much You work on fixing the walls

65. Today… Time to change Your Foundation

66. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…"

67. Prioritize the Essential: Because a beautiful house Can still fall like a shotgun shack If the Foundation isn't solid

68. If you Prioritize the Essential You'll be free to - Pursue the important - Handle the painful - And walk away from The meaningless

69. Prioritize the Essential: In 2016 (as in 2015 and 2014…) Gym

70. If you are successful You die healthier But you still die And most won't stick with The gym or the diet

71. …train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come - 1 Tim. 4:8

72. …train yourself for godliness

73. The Law we follow?

74. The Law we follow? Love God, Love people

75. Time with God Time with God's People

76. Scripture: God-breathed…thoroughly equipped for every good work Prayer: …your Father who sees in secret will reward you- Matt. 6:6

77. Worship: I will lift up my hands In your Name - Psalm 63

78. Cross: Deny yourself… I buffet my body…

79. Time with God's People: I will build my church…. On the first day of the week… 1 Cor. 16:2

80. …while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come

81. The Bike and a Mountain

82. Fruit of the Spirit:

83. Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience Kindness, goodness Faithfulness, gentleness Self-control

84. Fruit of the Spirit Doesn't grow unless it is Planted, watered, tended Who you are grows As you pursue the One Who designed you

85. Prioritize the Essential And you'll have the self-control To handle the physical (gym) And the wisdom to know What is most important Gym vs. Family time vs. Worship

86. If you Prioritize the Essential You'll be free to - Pursue the important - Handle the painful - And walk away from The meaningless

87. Devote yourself to Practicing the Disciplines of Grace

88. Devote yourself to Practicing the Disciplines of Grace Time with God Time with God's People

89. Scripture Prayer Worship Cross Connected part of the Fellowship of Believers

90. Specifics: What do I need to deny myself In order to better follow You? Will I Prioritize Christian Family? The Gathering of Believers

91. Where you are this year Is the result of choices You made last year Even if others made choices You chose a response

92. Where you are next year Will be the result Of choices you make this year Start out Prioritizing the One thing that matters most And affects everything else

93. Keep your heart with all vigilance Ponder the path of your feet

94. Place your Faith in Jesus To Recommit to Him

95. Pray Questions, Comments Disagreements

96. Offering

97. Early Service Opportunity

98. Pray for Phil Calhoun Yazidi in Kurdistan