This week I begin reading The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson. My friend Won is also reading the book and we’ll meet a few time to talk about it. You may know of Peterson from his earthy translation of the Bible, The Message. The Jesus Way is the third book in his 5-part spiritual theology set. The first two books, Christ Plays in 10,000 Places and Eat This Book, were excellent and beautifully written.

I had this random thought that perhaps some Signs of Life readers would be interested in reading this book along with Won and me. If so, leave a comment and I’ll let you know our very rough reading schedule. I think we’ll try to finish the 271 pages in 6 weeks or so. I’ll be posting some thoughts about the book as we go and would welcome comments from anyone who wants to read along. Also, it’s not necessary to have read the first two books in this series.

A blurb from Eerdmans to whet your appetite,

Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way we follow are symbiotic, Peterson begins with a study of how the ways of those who came before Christ — Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah of Jerusalem, and Isaiah of the Exile — revealed and prepared the way of the Lord that became complete in Jesus. He then challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing in stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on — consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so forth — obliterates what is unique in the Jesus way.