Kingdom Experiment

Wow- this might possibly be the longest I've slacked on this thing. I've wanted to write, but there's always something more important.......Christmas was great, kids are doing well....life is just as busy and challenging as always. Jer and I have started a new Bible Study and are really liking it. We've made fast friends and appreciate the new relationships. Someone suggested this new book to study called "The Kingdom Experiment" so we checked it out. Everyone agreed it would be really interesting to do, so we decided to go for it! It is a book that is taking a closer look at the beatitudes. The Beatitudes are found at the beginning of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. They aren't catchphrases or proverbs meant to stand alone- so it is important to take them in context (like most of the Bible).

As Jesus was preaching and making these statements- he was purposefully creating tension in the group, wanting to challenge their concept of God. Here's some plagiarized words from the book to give you a background summary....

Israel's entire existence is shaped around one epic event: their exodus out of Egypt. While in the desert, the prophet Moses climbed up a mountain and received a word from God. He called it the law, which represents way they could please God and learn about his heart. The chance to know this previously-abstract God got them real excited. briefly. Then they continued sinning and trying to clean up after themselves... Thus began a vicious cycle of elected priests who went around policing the Ten Commandment (and some of their own laws) with the belief that if all of Israel could go one day without sinning, God would come to earth in the form of a king. Wrong. Israel's attempt at perfection is unsuccessful to say the least. Fast forward a good thousand years and now Jesus climbs a different mountain and says he has an updated word from God. Mainly, that HE is the new word. A living embodiment of God's new law. The prophesy is fulfilled- but this isn't the kind of Savior everyone has been dreaming of. Many of the Pharisees (law abiding, judgemental "righteous") had only the concept of the laws and rules to please God. Jesus begins asking people to repent and "rethink" everything they've known. His main intention for speaking a blessing over the disenfranchised was to assign them worth in a way that no one had before He was flipping things upside down.--promising to actively fulfill that declaration of blessing in their lives.

Sooooo.........

So this week, we did the first beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3 (also-see the Beatitudes in the book of Luke) In this book, (not the Bible) each week- there are eight challenges to do - or "experience". Most of them this week related to poverty, or doing without something. I thought I'd try the sleeping on the floor challenge to do without the privilege of a bed. But if you know me- after 2 nights, and waking up fine at 4:30, ready for the day.....I quickly realized that the floor didn't affect me at all. (I can really sleep anywhere). So I tried doing without the dryer on the weekend. Anyone who has kids knows that laundry becomes a mean monster haunting you and I often think, when I'm throwing a load in of diarrhea or puke...."What would I do if I didn't have a washer or dryer?" (Amanda, I got a taste of your life.....:)

So I hung string to make lines, back and forth in our tiny garage and clothes pinned them up to dry in the cold air. Fleece dries great......cotton gets a little stiff...:) After 4 or 5 loads, I ran out of room to hang things and decided the point had been made. (Jer, BTW, was really sick all weekend and is participating in this, but was a little down and out for most of it)

My big challenge was going to be doing without the car one day and riding my bike to work. I mentally had to gear up for the 25* degree bike ride.....and when the morning finally came, I loaded on 3 coats, gloves, scarf, and 2 pairs of pants. reflectors, mirrors, backpack with my lunch.....and did it. The sun came out and it was a clear morning. BUT COLD. I should have taken my ipod. I showed up to school soaking wet in sweat. I should have taken the clothes to change into instead of putting everything on top of them. Turns out 3 coats was overkill. I was exhausted all day long. I'm not sure if it was from the bike ride, or not getting my 2nd cup of coffee (that I usually make at home and take to work)....but it was brutal. Riding home was a little better but I did think of how wonderful it was that the next day, I could use my car again! :) The same night, we decided to do the no electricity with our kids. That was tough. We had to fix our dinner in the dark and we just thought it would be more light with all our candles and flashlights. Going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth, either you go everywhere with a flashlight or you are in the dark. When you are camping, you have that big, bright fire. That night I fell asleep EXTRA early---I didn't even have to miss the t.v. :)

I had been putting off the cold shower challenge all week. Now it was Tuesday, and I decided it was time for me to do it. (one guy in our group slept on the floor and did a cold shower all week.....yikes!) So, again - I tried to mentally prepare for it.... but nothing can prepare you for a cold shower in January. It.was.brutal. I was huffing and puffing and trying to put up with the shock that your body goes through when it feels the frigid water. And washing hair in that? Half way through I had to turn it to "warm" which would normally be "cold" water to me, but after the ice bath, it felt tolerable. I have found, I would do almost anything for a warm shower.

There were some other challenges.....paying for the person behind you in the drive through, donating food to the food bank, giving a loan on kiva.com (to people in 3rd world countries seeking loans...) and I can't remember the others. It was a great experience. It was good for our kids as well. We might have to implement the no T.V. more often! :)

So last night at Bible Study, as we reflected on our experiences, we discussed what it meant to be poor in spirit. The lack of monetary valuables can be considered but a bigger concept is that when we are poor in spirit, we are reduced to nothing on our own. This image is extremely contrasting to the self-contained, self-sufficient spirit which most of our world longs for. But to realize that you have nothing (without God) and need help- can be paralleled to living in poverty. Many of us talked about how some of the challenges were so good that we might do them again in the future.

Next week, is the beatitude "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

We'll see what is in store! :)