Immediately following every significant event in the Church, such as Easter, there will be a cooling-off period. It takes about 24-48 hours for me to work through the emotions of the event, follow up, pray for people, debrief on what went right or wrong, and then breathe deeply in the satisfaction that the big day is over.

Then, well, I shift my focus to the next event on the horizon. There will be a “Graduation Sunday” baccalaureate program, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a youth conference, and Vacation Bible School in the next twelve weeks. As soon as one program is done, my focus must shift to the next big thing.

The future for me is one of more prayer, planning, preparation, and preaching. There is no downtime to coast after a big experience; the next thing is coming, and I know God will use these next twelve weeks just like he has used the last twelve weeks.

As I ponder the future, I am always excited to see what God will do next. Just because Easter is over, the work of the Lord is not done until he returns.