Philippians – Your Invitation

Sometimes when I come downstairs on my way to the kitchen, the smell of something in the slo-cooker reaches me long before I turn the corner and arrive. I love that. It tells me something’s in the making, and certain dishes —my favorites— bring a smile at the very top of the stairs! It doesn’t matter much that dinner’s still a long way off, I know it will taste as good as it smells, and it will be tender and moist when the time comes.

While our grille is buried under several inches of white at the moment, I have enough of a memory to remember lifting chicken steaks out of their marinade and placing them on the grille last summer and fall, knowing the flavor they’ve been soaking in all night will soon be ours to enjoy. Yumm~!

Many of us live and move in a microwave culture where speed and efficiency is a virtue. Too much of one, I think, at least when it comes to things spiritual. It’s easy to lose sight of the value of thinking slowwwly and thoroughly about things, even familiar passages of Scripture.

I tend to think God is more into marinading than microwaving. This is your invitation to a marinade and slo-cook approach to the little book of Philippians this month. Would you care to join us?

Each Sunday I’ll place the chapter here, just as Brenda arranges the chicken in the dish with our favorite marinade. No comments, just the text so it can soak overnight. I’ll post the New American Standard – Updated, but you’re free to read and think on the translation of your choice. Comparing translations will probably offer good discussion and insight as we go along.

Next I’ll turn comments on, and we’ll begin to slow-cook each chapter from Monday on, or if you’re a grille chef, we can turn it several times through the week. Feel free to share things you read (be sure to give credit: Book, Author, Publisher & © date, if it’s more than five or six lines worth of copy, the things you’re wondering, thoughts you’re turning over in your mind, etc. Those who happen to read along may be able to help with questions or perspective.

The next Sunday we’ll do the same with the next chapter. I invite you to join us:

March 4 – 10: Philippians 1.

March 11-17: Philippians 2.

March 18-24: Philippians 3.

March 25-31: Philippians 4.

Would you like to participate? You’re invited!