( I’m shouting in my titles again, sorry. ) I psyched! A group of my brothers and I are headed to a Christian Men’s Conference called Iron Sharpens Iron in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Saturday.

There is a lot of cool stuff that can come from getting some friends together and heading off to a big Christ-centered event. Whether it the conversations and goofing around on the long road trip, praying and worshiping with hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people who you don’t know but still have a connection with, getting to hear inspirational speakers you may not have heard before, or just the chance to pick up a cool new book or t-shirt, Christian events have a way of letting you get out the grind we can get into (even us on fire, swing for the fences, shake ’em and tell ’em about Jesus types!). They encourage us, build us up, allow us to make new connections and new friends, inspire us to return to our harvest fields with new energy and fervor.

In the past, I have avoided going to a lot of conferences, because, as much as they lift you up, there often seems to be a bit of a let-down right after the conference. The problem seems to have been that all the effort goes into plan for and attending the conference, but little though seems to go to what happens next. Our men’s leadership team has been going through Pat Morley’s No Man Left Behind, which places a lot of emphasis on planning for after the big event. I my case, my small group of guys will be going through Focus on the Family’s Truth Project in the weeks following Iron Sharpens Iron.

So If you’re worried that a Christian event will just pump your sneakers for the short run, or you want to build on the momentum, make some plans for after the event. Plan to joint a new study group, start coffee club with some friends, volunteer for a service ministry like the food bank or life skills mentoring.

So, next time a group is getting together to head off a men’s or women’s conference, a worship seminar, or even Christian music festival, plan to go, plan to be inspired and encouraged, and plan to keep the fire burning when you return home.