You thought you wanted to get through with Exodus and then you hit Leviticus. You thought you wanted to get through Leviticus and then, you hit Numbers. They call these books The Law for a reason. They are filled with do's and don'ts. But remember, these people had been slaves for generations. They did not know how to be a people. They needed lots of guidance and God gave it to them. Here in Numbers, God begins by telling them to count the people. Next he tells them how to set up camp. Lots of logistics to be taken care of. It made me reflect upon the way we manage things here at the Church. We designate certain people to take care of property (Trustees) and others to manage our money (Finance) and others to address staffing needs (Staff Parish Relations Committee). Some people serve on Congregational Care Teams, others on Outreach Teams, others on Education Teams and others on Spiritual Formation Teams and on and on and on. My point is this .... we designate certain people to take care of certain things and we trust them to do that. That frees the rest of us to attend to our responsibilities AND to keep our minds and hearts open to God's direction to new ministry possibilities. God knew that organization would be the Israelite's friend and it can be our friend too. Kingdom work deserves the very best we have to give .... and that includes the way we organize, too. Keep reading! Blessings, Pastor Jan