Two Next Steps for the Week After Easter

Yesterday as Easter Sunday wound down, I found myself thinking, ?Now what?!?

We all made it over a big hill in what I expect was a beautiful day at our respective churches. I don?t know what your plan is for this week, but here are two next steps I think we should all consider:

REST
Did you know there are people who run a half-marathon on Saturday and then run a full marathon Sunday? That?s great for them, I guess, but don?t let yourself do that. If you?ve just finished an exhausting race, please rest and recover before you lace up your running shoes again.

Spend time with family and friends, read, pray, dream, and for heaven?s sake, take a nap. Going forward, your teammates and your congregation need you creating and leading from a healthy place, not a burned-out zombie place.

RENEW
Easter is big and we go all out. It brings out the best in us. But now that day has come and gone, and yet our work is not done. We still have a huge calling and opportunity to live up to and in to. As my friend Jason said yesterday, ?Today is Resurrection Sunday. But so is next Sunday and the next Sunday and the Sunday after that.?

May we all renew our commitment to telling God?s story and inviting people into it. Don?t hear me saying that you should try to match Easter Sunday?s level of production week in and week out, but do hear me saying that we ought to be just as careful, committed, creative, and thoughtful about April 27th as we were about April 20th. I?m in, you?re in, let?s do this.

With all that in mind, have a great week, everyone! Rest and renew if you can, because as you know, Sunday?s coming.