When the Angel of the Lord saw the blood on the houses of God’s people, he “passed over” those houses and all inside the home were allowed to live. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was to serve as a yearly reminder of God’s passing over his people. The blood of the lamb also served as a yearly reminder that the death of an innocent lamb was necessary to preserve the lives of all inside of a household. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and discovered their nakedness, God in his grace sacrificed an animal to make clothes for them to cover their sin. From that time on, death was necessary to atone for (cover) sin. In the case of the Passover, the death of a lamb was even necessary to protect Israel from sins committed against them.

The book of the Leviticus is the third book of five in the Bible written by Moses along with Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Leviticus serves to help a redeemed people understand how to live as the holy people of God through obedience and sacrifice. As much as anything, Leviticus shows the people of God that holiness is not an attainable goal outside of God’s willingness to forgive through sacrifices and offerings.
Leviticus outlines a system of festivals, sabbaths, and sacrifices the Israelites are expected to cling to as God’s people. The sacrificial system of Israel was instituted by God to remind the people of the great cost of their sin and to create a system of atonement whereby the people of Israel might maintain their holiness. The sabbaths and festivals served as times of solemn rest during which work should not be done, but God should be worshiped and remembered.
Passover
Perhaps no festival or feast in ancient Israel was more important than the Passover (also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread). The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a time to remember and reflect upon God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt’s bondage. After a period of time and plagues when Pharaoh refused God’s command to let his people go, God acted to force Pharaoh’s hand. The tenth plague enacted on the people of Egypt was the plague of the death of the first born. 
Because Pharaoh refused to honor God, God warned that he would kill the first born from every household in Egypt. But, God promised to spare the children of Israel. After Pharaoh’s final refusal, Moses led Israel to honor God’s command.
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Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” If he is a man of faith who you want to be your pastor, then honor him by living for the Lord and imitating his faith. Make it a joy for him to shepherd you, not a burden. Keeping a pastor requires work on the part of a church. 
I have just celebrated my sixteenth anniversary as the pastor of Malvern Hill Baptist Church. Often, as I reflect on my time at Malvern Hill, I offer advice or suggestions to pastors who desire a long tenure. Today, however, I am writing to churches who might desire to keep a good pastor.
For a man to remain at a church for long tenure, he must have a strong sense of calling, work ethic, an occasional thick skin, and a short memory of offenses.
But, there are things a church can (and must) do if it desires to keep a pastor. I know from experience that a church can make it a joy for a pastor to lead. If you are a church member reading this, you can bless your pastor.
Church, outside of God and his Word, your pastor is your greatest resource–especially if you have a good one.
If you like your pastor, here are several things you can and should be doing to care well for him and to make sure you are not looking for a new pastor in the near future.

Pray for your pastor. Seriously. Pray for him, he is in an odd job. It is not the hardest job in the world, but it is challenging and it is unlike any other job in the world. He carries the burdens of many people and tries to balance that out with the burdens of his own family. Pray for him and tell him how you have prayed for him.
Care for his family. When you call a pastor (or hire him if you prefer that term), you did not also hire his wife as a counselor or pianist or floor sweeper. Allow the pastor’s family to be church members. Do not place expectations on them you wouldn’t place on other Christians. Care for the pastor’s family so that they desire to be in the church. For example, when I took a sabbatical several years ago, my kids protested, “You can go somewhere else, but we want to go to our church.” And they did. Every Sunday for several weeks I attended another church, but Angela and the kids went to Malvern Hill. Malvern Hill is family and it is home.
Protect him. Don’t talk behind his back and don’t allow others to either. Ephesians 4:29 commands us, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Talk to him, not about him. His job is different than yours. He spends a lot of time alone, praying, writing, staring out his window, visiting. If you have questions about how his time is being spent or whether or not he is doing his job, go ask him. But, rest assured, he works more than “one hour per week.”

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Following God’s leadership requires enough humility to change your mind and change your direction. Prayer opens to door for God to continue to adjust your plans. Do you want to be open to change? Daily quiet times create opportunities for you to seek God’s will and direction regularly. Through those times of personal devotion, God can (and often will) work to bring clarification or even a change of direction in your own ministry. Make a plan, but do not cease to pray.

Do you allow God to lead you? When Paul set out on his second missionary journey, he had an intention to move into Asia or Bithynia, but he and his traveling companions were not allowed by the Spirit of Jesus to speak in the areas they intended to go. You might imagine that they were a bit frustrated and confused. They were seeking to serve the Lord and thought they were acting in accordance with his will, but God was throwing up road blocks instead of open doors.
Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, had a plan, but God had different intentions. If you have ever been on a mission trip, you have learned that God often has different plans for your when you arrive than you anticipated. But, how can you make yourself more open to God’s leadership?

Plan Your Work

Just because God may change your plans is no excuse to be lazy. Paul and his mission team were not just sitting around twiddling their thumbs and hoping God would give them something to do. They were busy serving the Lord to the best of their ability. God’s plans were different, but in his sovereign will, God still worked within the plans of Paul. Paul’s second missionary journey took him on a reverse route from his first. As a result of that reverse route, the team was perfectly positioned to move toward Macedonia.
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Your future is not determined because of your past. You will become that which captures your attention. Is your attention set on the things of God, you will look like God. Is your attention captured by your family, you will probably love them well. Your attention is valuable and it is transformative. Don’t waste it. Where do you spend your attention? That is what you will become. The focus of your attention is transforming you.

We have a tendency to focus on all the things in life that happen or exist outside of our control. You can’t control the weather, you can’t control other people, you can’t even control when your hair turns gray or turns loose. You did not choose where you would be born or to whom. You had not part to play in your genetic make-up or your siblings or even your kindergarten teacher. You do not control the drivers in the other lane or the barista taking forever to make your black coffee.
But, it turns out, none of those things matter as much about who you become as you might think. The things outside of our control are more excuses than they are causes. The things I cannot control become perfect excuses for my bad behavior or my lack of commitment or initiative.
How do I know?
I am often tempted to blame my kids for my short temper or slow drivers for making me late or even others around me for distracting me from the task I need to accomplish.
I can be an expert excuse-maker.
But I have great news. The things outside of your control are not the most important things in your life. The things outside of your control do not have to be the most formative things in your life.
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We are failing them. They are left to their own devices, their own ways, their own griefs and sorrows. Our boys are living in a world that let them down. They turn to sin and sin, when full grown, leads to death. It may take a village to raise kids well, but healthy villages are built around healthy families that support one another. Our village is broken because our families are broken, and our kids are paying the price.

We are failing our boys, and the consequences are deadly. There was another mass shooting at a school this week. These have become all too familiar. We know what to expect. A young man found or bought a gun and used it to commit a terrible atrocity.
The rush to politicize these events is always the same. We scream for gun control. We demand mental health help. What we never seem to do is look in the mirror.
The demands placed on society are always pointed at someone else. Democrats point at Republicans. Republicans point at Democrats. Red states blame blue states, blue states blame red states.
But nothing changes. And, of course, the carnage is much worse than we usually admit. Boys and young men are killing at a terrible rate. Two mass killings in our country in just a few weeks grab the national headlines, but that isn’t all. The news in South Carolina has been dominated in recent weeks with stories of teenagers killing and being killed.
Who is to blame? We all are. We are failing our boys.
How do we know we are failing our boys? Because our boys are failing or falling behind in nearly every category imaginable.

Nationally, 70% of high school valedictorians are female.
In 2010 only 44% of college applicants were male.
At the turn of the 21st century, boys received 70% of “D”s and “F”s and only 40% of “A”s.
As of 2016, the dropout rate for boys is 40% higher than for girls.
2/3 of the population labeled as “learning-disabled” is boys.
For every 100 girls who repeat kindergarten, 194 boys repeat.
Boys are 50% more likely to be held back a grade than eighth-grade girls.
The average 8th grade girl writes at the level of the average 11th grade boy.
Boys make up 70% of medicated preschoolers and kindergartners.
Boys make up 80% of the suspects in juvenile courts.
Boys are punished more harshly than girls.
In the past two decades, ADHD diagnosis rates have doubled. Boys make up a majority of these cases–often because they can’t sit still for extended periods in class.
Male prisoners make up 93% of the prison population.

Every time we endure another outbreak of violence, we lament. We yell. We wring our hands, we blame others, and we look for a quick solution.
But we don’t look in the mirror. We don’t look into our communities and ask the question of why our boys are the way they are. We resist hard questions and even harder answers.
We must begin to ask hard questions. Hard questions that may cause uncomfortable answers.
If we ask how we are failing our boys, we may discover that we are failing our boys because our boys are not being raised in intact homes with men of character loving them well. If we ask hard questions, we are going to be forced to deal with hard realities.
It is hard for us to acknowledge that broken families lead to broken boys and more broken families. It is hard to acknowledge this because we love those broken families.
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You don’t have to buy a fire pit, but you must find ways to invest in your kids; to teach them diligently as you sit and as you walk and when you lie down. Remember, you have 936 Saturdays. Unless you are reading this today with 9 year old, in which case you have half that many. Time is fleeting. You have opportunities and responsibilities, but you don’t have forever.

The days are long, but the years are short.
These are wise words that were spoken to Angela and I when our kids were younger. Our oldest son turned fifteen last week, and I was reminded again of the sage wisdom. Some days as a parent seem to last a month. And yet, as holidays roll arounds or birthdays are celebrated, we all find ourselves sounding more and more like our parents, “they sure do grow up fast.”
My days are numbered with my kids. From birth to eighteen (when we sort of hope they will begin to leave the nest), I have about 936 weekends. 936 Saturdays. 936 Sundays. Actually, I don’t even have all of those. Of the 936 Saturdays that my kids will spend on this earth during their first 18 years, many of them will be spent away from me. I may travel, they might go to a friend’s house or visit with grandparents.
My 936 gets cut down to 836 or 736. If you happen to be a family separated by divorce, you may only have your kids half of those days. Maybe your number is 400 or 425.
Depressed yet?
I hope not. I’m not writing to depress anyone, just to remind you all that the days may be long, but the years are short. Because the years are short, it is imperative that we invest all we can in the years that we have.
In our family, one of our efforts at investment is to get away from screens regularly and spend time enjoying each other. That means we love walks and sports. It also means that we have to double-down on entertainment ideas that keep us away from the television.
That’s why we bought a fire pit.
Angela and I wanted to create an excuse to be outside together. But, we also are realistic. Sometimes, our kids find us boring and sometimes getting them away from screens is a fight.
But, kids don’t find fire boring.
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Jesus called people out for their sin and their lack of belief. He didn’t make excuses. He called on people to take responsibility. And then, Jesus took responsibility for our sin. Jesus took our sin and shame and punishment. No excuses. 

I am an expert excuse generator. It is part of my nature. Not my spiritual, redeemed nature. Excuse-making comes from my sinful, flesh nature.
We offer excuses because we do not want to take responsibility. Just consider the way that they are explained. You give an excuse. You take responsibility.
An excuse is that which you offer others to hide your sin, your shame, your insecurities, your weaknesses, your guilt. Responsibility is the mantle that you take upon yourself so that you can relieve others of the burden.
When we make excuses, we work to shift blame. We work to burden someone else. When we take responsibility, we own the blame. We carry our own burden.
Adam was the first excuse-maker. When God questioned Adam in the garden, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Adam answered,
The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree and I ate.
Adam, unwilling to own responsibility for his failure to protect his wife and for his failure to obey the Lord, seeks to shift blame. Who does Adam blame? God and his wife.
Since that time, we have all imitated our first father. We are not only sinners, we are excuse-makers and blame-shifters.
Like Adam, we look for someone else to blame. We avoid mirrors and point fingers.
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The more you close your mouth, the more cognizant you will become of your own pride and desire to be heard. The more you close your mouth, the more you will listen to others. Who knows, as you say fewer words, the ones you do utter may grow in value and application. 

The practice of spiritual disciplines will aid you in your walk with Jesus and in your walk with others. The more time you spend in Bible reading and prayer, for instance, the more likely you are to be growing in godliness. There are lists of spiritual disciplines and books written about spiritual disciplines. Lists include such disciplines as Bible intake, prayer, fasting, evangelism, worship, meditation, simplicity, silence, and solitude.
One discipline that is conspicuously absent from most lists, but which I find to be incredibly beneficial in my sanctification and in my relationships with others is the spiritual discipline of shutting my mouth. You may practice silence and solitude, but that isn’t the same thing as the discipline of shutting up.
Silence and solitude is the discipline you practice before the Lord. But, the discipline of shutting your mouth is practiced in the presence of others.
Biblically, this discipline is proposed in several passages of scripture:

James 1:19 — “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”
James 1:26 — “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
Proverbs 1:8-9 — “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”
Proverbs 10:19 — “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”

There should be time in your life where you practice extended periods of silence and solitude before the Lord. But, there should also be times when you shut your mouth in the presence of others. Be quick to listen. Be patient in listening. Sometimes, when people are saying things that may not be exactly accurate, you will even have to be long-suffering in your listening. But, it may not be helpful to speak.
Your speaking to a fool could be as throwing pearls before swine. Further, if you choose to speak into a subject about which you are ill-informed, you may show yourself to be the fool.
Truthfully, we often speak because we want to be seen as important, or wise, or learned.
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Men, we need you to serve Christ and his church. We need you build buildings and playgrounds. But, we also need you build yourself through Spiritual disciplines and build others through the investment of your time and energy. The church needs men who will heed David’s instructions. Be strong. Show yourself a man. Obey God’s word. Serve faithfully.

It has become chic to attack and criticize men. Even in the church, much attention is being paid in recent years to patriarchy and its supposed role in creating and sustaining both evangelicalism and purity culture. Increasingly, I fear that the attention paid to attacking and criticizing men and boys in the church and larger culture is going to have detrimental effects on boys, girls, men, women, the church, and society. I also see that the more we demonize men and boys for being men, the more we alienate them from serving faithfully within the church.
Men, the church needs you. The church needs you to serve her well–as men. The church needs you to serve her as pastors and deacons, as trustees and mission leaders. But the church also needs you to serve in the nursery, as children’s Sunday School teachers, and as role models and mentors for teenagers and young adults.
The church needs men to show young boys that being a Christian is not a female role and that serving in the church is not a job only for moms and grandmas. When men step up and serve, they show young boys what a Christian man should be, and they give young girls role models for the kinds of men they can look for in relationships in the future.
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Analog requires effort. You have to put some effort into it, but you can expect the outcome to be proportional. Do you invest love, time, and joy? Guess what you will get?

I built a fire with my eight-year-old son this week. He helped me gather the firewood. We stacked it together. He lit the fat lighter and watched it slowly ignite. An hour later, as we prepared dinner, the fire died because we had not tended it. I helped him place another piece of fat lighter among the hot coals and rearrange some wood and told him to wait.
He reached for the lighter, but I took it from him and told him to wait. He complained. “But, nothing is happening.” I told him to wait.
He sat close to the fire on the hearth and watched, exasperated. It was obvious to him that I was dumb and had sent him on a fool’s errand. Until, from the kitchen I heard, “It started again!”
My eight year old is all boy and he learns primarily through experience (a trait that terrifies me, most of the time). If I had turned on the TV for Sloan, I could have built a fire in peace and quiet. He would have appreciated the warmth, but he would have paid little notice to the process. But, when he participated in gathering wood and building the fire, this particular fire became his fire. He learned that a small spark can grow into a warm fire. He learned that hot coals can be brought back to life. He learned (I hope) that daddy knows what he’s talking about when he says “wait.” He learned because he experienced.
Increasingly as a parent (and pastor), I am convinced that families need to emphasize analog experiences. In the digital age, our kids need to feel hugs, experience personal connections, eat real food, take their own photographs, get splinters, skin their knees, and feel the pages of a Bible or book as they read it to themself or out loud. They need to stand with their parents and marvel at God’s glory in a sunset or even hold hands and cry at a funeral.
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