Prepared for Change!

Everyone living in Southern Manitoba is getting used to the comments about preparation....be prepared for change. Either in the next level of the Red River, the sandbags all stacked and ready to be used, the newly discovered pothole, the ever fluctuating price of gasoline, or in the weather....change is something that we are prepared for in Manitoba. When it comes to celebrating Easter....I don't think that people living in Manitoba, southern or northern, are really prepared for! We prepare for Christmas for weeks on end, we prepare for summer....O.K. since last summer, but for Easter?????? it seems like Easter gets cheated down to one week. Palm Sunday is the official signal that Easter is coming and then.....bam.....it's here. I want everyone to be as prepared for Easter as Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba is prepared for the rising waters....here's what I suggest.

1. Change your schedule. We are all really busy this time of year.....trying to rush winter away and hurry spring in....and with the overlap, we are very busy. Take control of your time each day. Plan out what you need to do and have the energy to do and change things up so you have some opportunity to prepare for Easter.


2. Pick up a book. Not just any book, but the Bible in a translation that assists you in understanding the events leading up to and including the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Read through the accounts of his last week in Jerusalem and all the events before his death. Then read ahead and re-discover the end of the story. Read on into the book of Acts where they changes are felt in those who followed Jesus. Pick up the book and be prepared for change.


3. Take a personal Inventory. I know....it seems like no one likes personal inventories....but there are huge advantages! For you to get to where you want to go, physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually....you need to know where you are and the steps that need to be taken to change. There are several personal inventories that are available online that will nudge you in the right direction of change. Make a list of actions points and then follow along as you set out for change.


4. Take the action steps and begin to put them into.....you got it....action. A good plan is only good when it's put into action. For you to change your preparation for Easter and for that matter, life....there has to be an engagement in the action plan. Just a suggestion here....make them attainable....so many times I've missed out on change because I tried to make too much change too fast. Take it a shade at a time, one step at a time...but take some action toward healthy, strengthening changes.


5. Call a friend. It's not like a last resort that is used when you don't know the answer, it is something that we must do to achieve the changes you are looking for in your life. Call a friend and tell them your plan, the action steps and that you want to be kept accountable for doing this. Be open, honest and give them full authority to hold you to it. This is one way change will take place.


6. Find a place to rediscover Easter. There are places all over this city, province and nation that are perfect for you to rediscover Easter. We call them community worship centres, but many call them "a church"....that's o.k....but don't let the name trip you up. You have a few days left before Easter, do a bit of research and find a place that you think will be truthful with the facts of Easter and Jesus, and fit your expectations of how you would like to connect with God.

I know this post is very long, but if you've read this far, you are perfect for experiencing change this Easter because you already have a desire. The desire to change is the start of something great for your life....follow that desire to know more about the changes Easter can make in your life.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian