Being Intentional...

Our youth pastor, Chip Herrera, has been doing a series on Suffering and the Sovereignty of God after the death of student, Nick Doub. It's been a good series that has truly helped the kids work through their loss. This past Sunday, Chip did a Q&A Panel where the kids were able to text questions and they'd get answers, or guidance with Biblical principles and life stories of the panel members. Of course, the answers including turning to their Bibles and prayer for ultimate guidance. One of the follow up questions to that was something along the lines of "How do we find time for the Bible and prayer in our already so very busy lives?".

The panel's answer.... Be intentional!

Be intentional. Seems so simple, but yet can be so complicated. After all... in our crazy technology driven, car pooling, always working, and let's not forget cooking cleaning and parenting lives... where is time for intentional? I try hard to be intentional every night before bed... but I'll be honest... after a long tiring day where I'm finally crawling into bed after 11pm I find it hard to stay up and spend time in the Word for a while.

How wrong is that though!?! Say it out loud to Jesus and see what it sounds like....

"Sorry, Lord. I am just so tired my eyes won't stay open so I'm not opening Your book tonight, and I'd just fall asleep in the middle of prayer time anyway."

Yikes! But, if I'm being honest with myself that's what I've done on nights like that and after saying it out loud to Jesus makes me just want to cringe and smack myself right upside the head! Yep... time for that to change!

There are other areas in my life that need to be intentional as well....

How about marriage?
Children?
And (here's a biggie)... being intentional with MYSELF for time all alone!

So... I've decided to really focus on these things that I need to make priority... be intentional with making sure that I focus on them more often!

Being Intentional with the Lord:

• Spending time in prayer or devotion while I'm driving. I want to get some devotions on DVD and listen to them to and from work.
• Being intentional reading from my Bible. I've found a One Year Bible Online tracker to print and use and have already started this week.
• Being intentional in attending my Small Group each and every week and not letting anything get in my way!!!!

Being Intentional with Marriage:

• Doing a better job of weekly date night!!! How crazy is it that we have access to free movies at the theater whenever we want and we just don't take advantage of it?!?
• Being intentional on the evenings Michael is home in turning OFF the laptop and sitting with him watching TV, games, or whatever.

Being Intentional with the Kids:

• We rarely get 1 on 1 time with the kids and they deserve that from us. We need to work on a schedule or calendar on spending 1 on 1 time with each of the kids 1 time a month. Maybe each week is a different child... but make it happen! (Again... duhhhh... movie theater is free!)
• Having a family meal at LEAST once a week where EVERYONE is at the table! We don't do this often, even when we are all home. But when we do, it always is so much fun! We need to make it happen more often!
  

and Being Intentional with Myself:

• Working out at least 3 times a week while listening to music (if ya didn't know... music is great for calming the nerves!)
• Allowing myself 30 minutes of uninterrupted ME time each and every day.

I'm sure there are more things that I need to address... but if I can accomplish these things in this order, I know that my crazy technology driven, car pooling, always working, cooking, cleaning, and parenting life may just be a bit less hectic!