The Intentional Life

  Thoughts This past week I received some disappointing news. It was in the form of an email, letting me know that I was not selected to be a part of a class focused on preparing our manuscripts for publishers. Truth is, I kinda knew in the back of my mind that I wouldn't get picked. Thousands of people apply and less than a hundred are chosen. But still, I had a bit of hope. I know the email was a template, something sent out to all applicants who didn't get in, but the correspondence still stung. My initial reactions were “I'm not good enough.” “My whole book I've written is a failure.” “No one wants to read what I've written.” And perhaps the worst of all, “Maybe I've heard God wrong.”  You've faced it, too. Rejection. You offer something of yourself, hoping to be accepted, and instead you are turned down. You are not invited to the party. You aren't included in the planning of an event. That potential job never calls you back. That coll...

  Intentional Time It wasn’t super convenient. I had places to be. Kids to pick up. Work to do. Dinner to make. It didn’t really fit into my schedule. I didn’t have time. But she needed help. Needed someone to listen. Needed someone to take the time. So, things were put on hold, shifted around. Time was made. And I still got where I needed to be. The kids got picked up without disrupting any coaches schedule. Work got done and dinner was made. Turns out I did have time. I’m sure I am not the only one to fall into the trap of thinking that my time is the most important time. Sure, we’ll give some of our time to others….when it’s convenient for us. When it doesn’t disrupt what we already wanted to do for ourselves. The next time you start going down that road of “Me,” stop and consider the occurrences that people stop and gave of their time for you. Picked up a child from practice for you. Stayed on the phone with you for bit longer than normal because you needed to vent....

  Thoughts. This past week I received some devastating news about a friend. Though I am on the fringe of it, and not directly affected, it still rocked me back on my heels. As I processed it in my brain over the next 24 hours I found myself asking these questions of God: “Why do you have to take someone so full of life? Why do you have to take someone who is doing good things for you? This person has a spouse and kids - why are you allowing this to happen?” I know I am not the first person to ask these questions when life suddenly doesn't make sense. And I know I am not the first person to question God's plan. This isn't the first time and this isn't the last. God is not intimidated by our questions; He knows our gaze is finite. But just as it is OK to ask God questions, it is not OK to go to our own human thoughts for the answers. If we're seeking answers of God, then from God is where we need to get the answers. For myself, during this time of questi...

  Money. If we want to be intentional with our money, then we need to have an idea of how we view it. We may say that we want to save for the rainy day but when that ad pops up in our feed we just have “take a quick look.” We say we're frugal with our money and have a decent amount put away in savings. But, when we hear of a hard need of a neighbor our first thought is, “well, I don't have anything to spare." Someone who has more can help. The bills are paid, we tithe, we feel like we have a good handle on our finances. Then, an unexpected medical expense comes along and we're thrown for a loop. It feels so ridiculous to part with our hard earned money for something like that! It's possible to fall into any one of these scenarios. Or, you can come up with a money tale of your own. Regardless, each of these can tell us a bit more about how we view money, and some shifts in our mindset that we can intentionally focus on. Instant...

March, like most of the nation, had us looking back to a year ago. Remembering the sudden halt to all schedules, the feeling of dread that gripped many, and the slowing down of life for several months. I'm thankful for the progression we have made in a year's time. Though, in many areas, there is a long way to go. Despite the still present pandemic, some of our March was able to happen like it did in 2019. The most prevalent was the tournament season for basketball. Paul got to do the online announcing for our Boys Varsity high school Basketball team again this year which meant many nights and weekends filled up with traveling and announcing. I was thankful for the times that I was able to go along as "stats keeper." We also saw the start of soccer and track season, celebrated Hannah and her National USATF Cross Country team as they were given awards from the Mayor, snatched an ice cream treat on an unseasonably warm Sunday, visited with Grandparents, and cheered with...