Yesterday I outlined and described “what” 48by48 is going to look like and its hopeful achievements. Today is the reasoning behind the project. I will do my best to give you the events and the thoughts behind my judgment to embark on this journey. I know that I appreciate something more if I can discern the intentions behind it. I am also a person who thrives on the “why” questions in the world, a lay philosopher if you will, and I figure it only fair for me to be scrutinized with the same questions I would ask anyone who would embark on this same challenge.

However, please don't think I have answered every question that could be asked. That's something I hope you will help me by bringing up tough questions along the way that will constantly refine the vision and fortify the intentions of this journey. Even though the dream may have its roots in my head, it can't stay there for it to be considered a success. My hope is that everyone who reads this will have a stake in bringing this way of life into being.

I figure I'll start with the three “biggie” questions and then finish with some commonly asked “why” questions that I have been bombarded with lately. With that said, I will conduct an interview with myself.

Why is 48by48 so intriguing to me?

I think there are a few recent events and many years of character development that makes 48by48 so exciting/interesting to me. The events that really sparked 48by48 were the spiritual road bumps in February of 2008, the death of my Grandpa Johnson, and being introduced to the writings of Chris Guilleau.

It seems so long ago that I ran into what I call my spiritual road bumps, but the truth is it was only a year and a half ago. I resigned from a wonderful church in November of 2007, serving as their youth director, and left thinking I was called to plant a church or ministry somewhere in the world. While spending my newly found downtime reading and studying for my new ambition, I came across an excerpt by Francis Schaeffer. Before Schaeffer started the L'abri Fellowship in Switzerland, he went through a season of doubting. He later positioned himself on the side of an unbeliever in order to work out the reasonableness of the faith before giving his life over to this same faith. I thought this was a great discipline to undertake but instead of it making my faith soar, I got stuck on a some “road bumps” along the way. Needless to say, I got to a point where I didn't think it would be in the best interest of others that I be in the church planting arena until these bumps got worked out. But what did come out this time (and the months to follow) was the knowing that even though a person's worldview doesn't always line up just right, that person still has to function. That person is still required to act upon the good they perceive and understand to be true.

The second event happened in late June with the death of my Grandpa Loren. My dad and I had the privilege to be with him for a week before he died. Those long days came with many hours of me reflecting on my grandpa's well-lived life and also brought a healthy dose of self-examination along with it. I remember looking at my grandpa and thinking to myself, “just imagine all the things he saw and experienced.” (My grandpa served as a medical assistant in China, Burma, and India for the US Army in World War II.) It made me think about why I chose not to go into the armed service (I was kind of a pacifist at the time) and it made me imagine myself in his shoes. I also thought about his decision to come back to the States to farm and raise a family. My grandpa was praised for being a great father and an all out servant in his church and community. With all this said, I think that the seriousness of death is powerful motivator to correct and change one's life to do what they know they should. I think regrets can be looked at from two angles: 1) stuff we did that we wish we didn't, and the more uncommon thought of, 2) stuff we didn't and wish we did. Either way you look at it, I am quickly beginning to think I will have a regret in life if I don't at least try to do 48by48.

The third juncture was the introduction of Chris Guilleau's writings. Chris is an expert at unusual living and makes a living creating resources for people who feel like they are in the same boat he is, all while completing his goal of traveling to every country in the world in five years. I've read through his works and have been encouraged and motivated to seek out what you love in life and then use that to help others. He also emphasizes that a person doesn't have to live life the way others tell him/her to. Taking his advice, I spent a couple of weekends figuring out what those loves are. (To recap from the “what” article”, they are: travel, technology, and volunteering/helping others.) Once I figured these things out, I had an epiphany to travel throughout the United States, volunteering as I go, and to use technology to communicate a “service to others” lifestyle.

Apart from these events, I also have strong characteristics that fit the 48by48 adventure perfectly.

1. I am a people person. The story goes that once I started to talk as an infant, I never stopped. I also have an uncanny ability to speak to strangers.

2. I like to do lots of things. Variety really is the spice of my life and I naturally gravitate toward it. Just check my iPod.

3. I love storytelling. Once upon a time...just kidding. Other people's stories and having experiences myself that warrant a good tale have always been apart of who I am.

4. I get charged serving others. I think this developed from the flood of opportunities I've had being involved with service programs. Working with people from a multiplicity of ethnic backgrounds, varying ages, and from all across the country (and beyond), my passion for people being successful in their own life only grows the more I serve.

5. I really believe this can have a lasting impact. Our communities need a renaissance uprising of servant leaders and participants. 48by48 would be the perfect event to kick off a modern movement of people living a “service to others” lifestyle.

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Since this section is already over a thousand words, I will publish part two tomorrow answering the rest of the “why” questions.