Digging in Deeper: Philippians 1:1-5

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,  including the overseers and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

“‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘to talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—of cabbages—and kings—and why the sea is boiling hot—and whether pigs have wings.’” Those words from the Lewis Carroll poem, The Walrus and the Carpenter, have since eighth grade meant it is time to make a change. It was just our class seating chart in Mr. Brock’s eighth grade algebra class. Today it means that our journey together through the Scriptures is heading off in a new direction. Romans is officially under our belt (along with Exodus, Amos, and Mark). Next up will be Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers. We’ll start right where Julie Andrews helpfully identified is a very good place to start: the very beginning. Let’s dive in.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 1:1-2

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax –
Of cabbages – and kings –
And why the sea is boiling hot –
And whether pigs have wings.”

Lewis Carroll, “The Walrus and the Carpenter”

When I was in Mr. Brock’s eighth grade algebra class, those words meant it was time to change up our seating chart. They still stick with me today and ring in my ears anytime I embark on something new. Well, it’s time for something new. The last week was a nice, natural break, but I am ready for a new journey with you. This is actually a journey I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. Over the next few months, we are going to be slowly making our way through the New Testament letter of Hebrews. Hebrews is one of the most theological rich and pastorally impactful documents in the whole of the Scriptures. It easily rivals Romans on that score, in my opinion. But instead of offering a basic primer on the Gospel, Hebrews takes its readers deeper in an exploration of the preeminence of Christ. As we go, then, we are going to see why Jesus is so great. We’ll also encounter several applications of His greatness that are designed and intended to make us squirm a bit. I’m excited to dive in with you. I hope you’ll come with me for every step of the journey.

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Digging in Deeper: Nahum 1:1

“The pronouncement concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We are finally finished with Micah. It’s time for something new. This morning, we are turning to the collection of prophecy we have from a man named Nahum. Nahum’s book is one of the shorter works of the Minor Prophets. It is one of the more focused as well. It is about the downfall of the city of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire. Still, as brief and concentrated on a single subject as it is, there is much for us to learn if we will look closely and pay careful attention. God included and preserved it for a reason. Let’s begin digging in and see what kind of treasures we can uncover.

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Constantly learning and organizing

So I write…a lot.  And I’m still a learning, work-in-progress when it comes to this whole blogging thing.  Pacing when it comes to managing a blog is a learned skill with a bit of a curve to master.  There’s a balance to it.  If you don’t publish enough, you won’t keep people around long enough to get invested in what you have to say.  But, if you publish too much, you wear people out and overwhelm them to the point that they give up on you.  As your email inbox or Facebook feed may have clued you in, I’m not likely to fall victim to the former challenge.  The latter, however…well…I might possibly lean in that direction from time to time.

With that in mind, I’m going to try something new going forward.  I’m going to dial back posts to just three days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  On each of those days there will be a combination of Morning Musings and Digging in Deeper posts.  But now, instead of having so much pressure to read right away because the next wave is coming, interested readers will have a bit more breathing room before the next set of posts will run.

Prayerfully, this will be a bit better a pace both for you, my faithful readers, and also for me, the verbose writer.  Thank you for coming with me on this journey and learning with me as we together explore how the Christian worldview serves as the nexus for all of life.  If you like what you are finding here, sign up to follow this site at the bottom of the page and share it with your friends.  Together we can build a community here that grows day by day (okay, well, three days a week for now) to not just understand, but live out of the life that is truly life.