I have to admit that the term “intentional living” was not part of my vocabulary until my son and his wife went into full time ministry several years ago.  I would frequently hear them use this term to describe the way they did ministry. They would say “we want to be intentional about we convey the message of Jesus.” Of course I used the adverb “intentionally” often when describing an action that I knowingly chose to accomplish a certain way but the idea of living and doing ministry intentionally was something I wanted to dig into.

First let’s talk about how to minister in a way that is intentional. For those of you, like me, who have been in church ministry for years and years, we know how to talk to other Christians in a way that is mutually understood. But how do you talk to people who are not in church often or ever at all? If we’re not careful, we will not be relatable to them or just sound, well..weird. We can’t ask them if they’ve asked Jesus to come into their heart when they have no idea who Jesus is and how He could possibly enter an organ of your body. Sound unbelievable? The truth is there is a generation coming up right now that have no idea who we are referring to when we talk about a Savior and what exactly is it they need saving from?

Gone are the days when you invited a neighbor, family member or co-worker to church with the hope that they would hear a message that spoke to them and they realized that they no longer wanted to run from God and the message of His Son but wanted to finally embrace salvation. In certain parts of the country, my new city included, 90% either don’t attend church because they choose not to or they have never been. They wouldn’t have a clue why you were inviting them to a gathering of people who sang and prayed and spoke of a “God” they’d never heard of. Being here and most recently, being a part of a church that my son and his wife are pastoring, the possibilities of this excites me, scares me and really intimidates me. I know Christianese fluently. But none of that will do me much good in this new endeavor.

That’s where being intentional about ministry comes in. I have to be aware of this fact as I order the weekly donuts for our church or speak to my new church neighbors in the grocery line. I have to be deliberate about the choice of words I use and purposeful about how I interact with them. My prayer time has changed considerably because of this but it has been a great opportunity for growth!

The second area I am growing in is being more intentional about how I live my life. It is so easy in my new surroundings to allow the day to go by without actually accomplishing what I’d like to. So many days I find myself wondering where the hours went. Somehow I seem busier now then when I was working 3 jobs! But I’ve realized that I no longer live by a long and tedious to do list like before but there are so many things I really would love to accomplish each day. Instead of allowing the hours to roll by and hope that I can get done what tasks were at hand, I intentionally set goals and a plan to see them through. And as I’ve said in my other blogs, this is my happy place! I love to plan, I love to dream, I love to make lists and I love to scratch things off that list! Don’t judge me..I know I’m weird!

I had been thinking about how to gather all of my goals together in one place. I have my beloved journal that I write in that contains my prayers, my dreams, my feelings. Then there is my to do list on the calendar on my phone for those daily, weekly and monthly tasks. In other apps on my phone I write out my grocery lists, meal plans etc. But it is so much to manage. That’s when my beautiful and talented daughter-in-love stepped in. She had been dreaming about creating a planner but not just any planner. An intentional living planner. The heavens parted and angels sang as she described what she wanted this to look like. What if she created a planner that held your daily, weekly and monthly goals for every area of your life? Spiritual, work, health, family, social, financial. A place that held a calendar that all of your appointments could be written in as well as tasks like shopping lists and meal plans. A planner that also gave the owner a place to re-evaluate those goals at the end of the month, giving a chance to refocus on the areas that needed it most, as well as giving a great snapshot of what was actually accomplished. So many women I know feel like they don’t finish so many things they want to and never see how much they actually do each week! Her dream planner would even include a DAILY reflections page based on routines, tasks and goals with a place to write what she is grateful for.

Of course there was nothing on the market that met all of these needs.

So she created The Intentional Living Planner!

And oh my goodness, is it beautiful! She enlisted the help of several friends and family members from different backgrounds and lifestyles to help fine tune it as well as giving feedback to make it absolutely perfect. It is stunning not only in aesthetics but also in practicality.

After months of working on this, they arrived from the printer just a few days ago and today I sat down and filled out the thought provoking questions in the beginning of the planner. It’s a wonderful way to begin this new journey and I can’t wait to have it be a part of my daily life.

How do we live intentionally? We must find a way to dream, discover and just slow down enough with our thoughts to see what we really want our lives to look like. If we’re not careful, we will just have our days turn into weeks and months turn into years. That is what this blog is all about. Pushing the pause button and finding a way to reach deep inside ourselves. To stop making excuses and put an action plan into place to reach our dreams. To live intentionally, with purpose. To make deliberate and calculated choices that will bring us the joy we so dearly need in our lives.

Is that where you are, dear reader? Ready to make some changes, big and small, in your life and live out your wildest dreams? I’m with you, sister! Need a place to write it all down? Hit the link that will take you to Lauren’s planner page. I promise you it will be the best investment you’ve ever made in yourself! Happy Planning!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/653170815/intentional-living-planner