Word (and thought) of the Day - Intentionality

I don't wanna go through the motions,
I don't wanna spend one more day,
Without your all consuming
Passion inside of me...

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
What if I had given everything...
Instead of going through the motions...

These words, from a song called 'The Motions' by Matthew West, seem to sum up well the thoughts that I have been having and the conversations I have been a part of over the course of the last few days. It's another one of those overarching themes that has taken over my thought process as of late.

I was having a conversation with my pastor about some conversations we will be having with the confirmation kids over the course of the next year, mostly looking at the promises they make when they go through their Affirmation of Baptism. We want to ask them why it matters if they keep the promises or not...what it means for them to keep them.

We also want to have a conversation with the small group leaders about what the main focuses/purposes are when we are teaching confirmation. Our hope is that they will find the connections between what we do in confirmation and what areas we focus on with our ministry at Grace.

Then, I had a third conversation before a meeting earlier today about a couple lines in a book I recently read - - if our community said that they were going to shut our church down, who would step up to defend it? Would it be solely the people that attended the church. or is the ministry focused enough on outreach and community support that others beyond the church membership would rise up in its defense as well?

What does it mean for us to live lives that are intentional? How different would it look from the way we are living right now?