Almost there...

I have decided that I'm going to start my project next Sunday, July 3. I was going to start at the beginning of the month, but I decided that there is nothing better than starting a project like this on the day of the Lord. It's going to be 40 days, which brings me to...August 11 as the final date. So this should be my last post before I start on the project. Then my goal is to write every day about my struggles and discoveries.

On that note, I want to use a quotation from Rob Bell's book Love Wins that I think sums up Jesus' secondary goal in coming to earth--second to dying for our salvation, of course. Bell writes, "Many in the crowds that followed Jesus assumed that he at some point would become one of those leaders, driving the Romans out of their land. But Jesus wasn't interested. He was trying to bring Israel back to its roots, to its divine calling to be a light to the world, showing the nations just what the redeeming love of God looks like...We find him in his teachings again and again inviting people to see their role in the world in a whole new way."

We're called to be the light of the world, to bring heaven to earth. And my goal over these 40 days is to do just that, in the best way I can.

Who Jesus Is

As promised, this post is a little about who Jesus is. Obviously, some of these were very easy to find, while some required a little more digging. Based on time restraints (i.e. I don’t have a year), I’m focusing on the four Gospels, with a little of the epistles thrown in.

My goal was to find the qualities Jesus displayed that I want to put into practice in my own life.  Therefore, you won’t see “Jesus turned water into wine” or “Jesus walked on water” on this list. It may be true, but I’m not going to spend six weeks trying to pull that off. If I find myself with a little extra time on my hands, we’ll see. Anyway, here’s my (admittedly not comprehensive) list.

Jesus…

•    Loves
•    Gets angry
•    Is brave
•    Is wise
•    Is knowledgeable
•    Makes mistakes
•    Speaks to people where they are
•    Tells it like it is
•    Prays
•    Teaches
•    Shares
•    Is self-sacrificial
•    Loves the poor
•    Chooses to be with the “least of these”

Feel free to add some of your own, and I’ll do my best to incorporate those into my summer project. Thanks for your help and I’ll see you next time!

The Project

Those of you who read the Metheran Life know by now that I am going to be doing a summer project. This project has come about because of a number of factors: my desire to follow the biblical commands to be body of Christ, my recent reading of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs, and my lack of anything to do this summer.

I haven't thought too deeply about this project yet, but I explained my initial thoughts to Wes and he didn't tell me I'm crazy (er?), so I guess it's a good plan. I am going to spend 40 days, beginning sometime near the start of July, doing my best to be Christ-like. The next few weeks of June are going to be my research time. Yes, I've read the Gospels, but I'm going to reread them, and probably some parts of Paul's writings, to determine who Jesus IS. Then I'm going to spend those 40 days being as Christ-like as possible.

Paul tells us, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Phil 2:1-3). This is just scratching the surface of who Jesus is, but I feel like that's a good enough reason to do this project.

Anyway, my next blog will be "Who is Jesus," after some research. I hope you enjoy this journey.