The Intentional Man

Intentionally comes from the word 'intention'. Intention means to do something deliberately, or a course of action that one intends to follow; to have a purpose or a goal. Another great description is 'intent implies a sustained unbroken commitment on purpose'.

I always find it interesting to hear people use words in the wrong context or use them and have no real idea of what it means or implies. Intention is a powerful word once you explore the meanings. I love the last explanation that says 'a sustained unbroken commitment on purpose'; sustained means to bear, or to hold the weight up, or to keep from giving way. Commitment means to pledge or to trust. So in other words an intentional man is saying 'I will bear all weights without giving in, I am able to be trusted at all times and I will do this on purpose'!

I think most men would agree with me when I say we are easily distracted. I like to refer to a dog stopping in his footsteps when he sees a squirrel passing; the dog stops what he is doing and stares or points right at the squirrel. Why do we have to look into the car next to us when it passes? Why are we so easily drawn to the woman walking by us? Who do we let things like sports, drugs or alcohol run or ruin our lives? Why do men not work, yet expect to be paid? Bottom line is we are easily distracted and we are not living the right kind of intentional lives.

'I will bear all weights without giving in,

I am able to be trusted at all times, 

And I will do this on purpose'! 

Living an intentional life is right in line with the theme for Manturity which is 'how a man develops a mature body and mind for Christ'. As we grow in age, we have to grow in maturity and that takes daily discipline. Daily discipline has to be on purpose! Here are some ways you can start to grow in maturity and be a more intentional man.

1) Access your schedule each day.

-What are you doing each day? Really? Are you making the most of your time or is it being wasted away to the TV or things that really don't matter? Write your schedule down if you have to and start rearranging accordingly. Be more productive, give more time to your wife and kids, and spend some time with God.

2) Evaluate your habits.

- Start really paying attention to your habits; like looking at the car passing you each time or breaking your neck to see the woman walking by you. What do you do with your wife everyday or how do you play with your kids? How much time do you give to Christ compared to the TV?

3) Start in the morning!

- Don't wait till the afternoon or until you get off work each day to check your life. Start each morning! Set a reminder somewhere by your bed or maybe in the bathroom. Write yourself a note and stick it somewhere or put a daily reminder on your phone calendar. There are so many ways to help you stay on track, but you have to be intentional about it! 

4) Tell a Friend.

- One of the most important parts of this process is to tell a friend what you are doing. Let him or her know you want to be more intentional about your daily activities and your daily walk with Christ. Keep in touch with him or her and share your experiences whether good or bad and talk it through. 

The real trick is to START NOW. Don't wait! This is where the enemy steps in and says 'ah, just start tomorrow' or 'you're doing fine right now'. I know you can handle it, so be intentional and get started!

The sluggard craves and gets nothing

but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

Proverbs 13:4

Manturity TOP TEN

I can't believe it, but Manturity is over a year old! Manturity was a crazy idea God showed me a year ago and it has shown and taught me things I would have never imagined. God took me through the darkest times in my life so that I could see the brighter side and also show people the brighter side of life. As I started to break free from the chains of my past, God started revealing to me a new way of life; a new set of standards that I was to live by each day. As they came to me, I wrote them down on two index cards. They were not anything fancy, but they were my new start; my new habits; my new life. Here they are listed below.

 1) Form Good Habits!

 2) What is your influence?

 3) How do you spend your time?

 4) Do you 'Feed the Machine'? (a song from the band 'RED')

 5) Careful not too judge.

6) It's NOT about YOU!

7) Give God your First.

8) What is your purpose?

9) Complaining is the opposite of Faith.

10) WATCH YOUR EYES!

These are some of the ways I stay in line with God's path. 

What are some of yours?

Firmly Planted...still

As it's been over two months since I last posted on Manturity, I can say I am still firmly planted. The timing of my absence has been mainly due to three things: wife, work and remodel. I'll give a brief background before I start back into the swing of things...

Work. I work in the commercial construction field, and to say the least, it can become very busy sometimes; most of the time it is at the end of the project. We were behind schedule due to issues earlier in the project and crunch time arrived about two months ago which meant long hours, intense problem solving and even longer meetings. It required my full attention on a daily basis and most of my weekends too. I would go home exhausted at night and my mind would be, well, blank. My wife would receive the rest of my energy and off to bed I would go. Thankfully, the job was completed with great success and the owners have moved in and are very happy with the building. I don't tell you this to boast or complain, but only to give a background on my absence.

The second and more important reason is that my wife and I are HAVING A BABY! We found out a few months ago now and are very excited. This will be our first child, and it has been a whirlwind of telling friends, setting up registries, celebrating with families and of course assisting my wife with whatever I can to keep her happy and comfortable. We were not exactly planning on having a child now, but after six years of marriage, we knew the time was approaching quickly. We will find out if it is a boy or girl next month and I'm sure some of my posts to come will be related to the baby and Fatherhood.

And finally, the remodel. As if we were not busy enough, my wife and I decided to remodel our kitchen and, well, most of the downstairs of our house. We have also been here about 6 years and decided it was time to make a few changes. The timing is actually great, because I don't think I'll have much time to work on things once the baby is born. Among some of the changes are; removing and painting the kitchen cabinets; removing the carpet and replacing with laminate flooring; and, now, soon to come will be the babies room.

Well, I hope I haven't bored you and thank you for respecting my absence over the last few months. I look forward to getting back to reading your posts and hearing you share your thoughts on my posts. I am still firmly planted in Christ and in his quest of building Manturity.