I am experimenting with journaling my way through Philippians. I know myself well enough to know that I am not going to write every day. Maybe not every week. But I am going to write.
It may be just a little. It may be more some days. I may cover a whole section on Monday, and the next Thursday we may only cover one verse.
I’m not going to set any specifics. I am just going to commit to sharing my thoughts as I go… partly as a way to keep myself accountable in my Bible reading… and partly to encourage you.
This will not be a scholarly journal. It is unlikely to be very academic or in-depth. It will be intentionally simple and straight-forward, and… hopefully… brief. I will just tell you the first thoughts that come to mind in my own heart and refections as I read the text. And I will trust that God will use that for something for YOU too.
If this is good for you, great! If not, don’t follow along. Just seems like it may be a God prompting for 2016. So… for what it is worth… here we go.
A BRIEF word of Intro, today, to get us started. Philippians is a book of Joy. It is one that I hold close because it reminds me of my mother.. who loved the concept of JOY and exemplified it, without trying, in her life. Always.
Paul writes these letters from a prison cell. Things are not going well for him.
Did I mention the book is about JOY?
So… does it ever feel to you like your life is stuck? Or going south? Or you are locked-in to a fate, an outcome, a relationship, a job, a future.. that is NOT what you had planned and dreamed for yourself? Yeah? Do you sometimes just stop in your track
s and say, “God, what is the deal? Where ARE you in this?”
Yeah? Me too.
So.. I am thinking this book will probably have a few things to say to us. I am looking forward to jumping in with you.
See you tomorrow… or next Thursday… or whenever the Spirit moves…
+ Jonathan
www.mountcarmelministries.com www.paraphrasetheatre.com