Am I a "Messianic Jew?"

I am starting a new project called The Isaac-Ishmael Initiative, as some of you know. The focus is on promoting shalom among Jews and Muslims. Simple, right?
       As soon as I began to dive into this volatile issue, questions came my way. Good questions, hard questions, though-provoking questions. Here's a major one:
       "You are a Jew. What kind of Jew are you?" This question is asked with the unspoken backdrop of, "Have you lost your mind? Are you nuts? A Jew wanting shalom with Muslims? What kind of Jew are you?"

       My answer is this: Yes, I am a Jew. I was born a Jew, I will die a Jew (as my father says often).
       I am a Jew who follows a Rabbi. His name is Jesus (Y'shua). I'm sold out to him, just as a student of a rabbi in the first century would be sold out to their rabbi.
       So am I a "Messianic Jew?" Technically, yes. But I have not associated very much with the messianic movement. And I doubt I will begin doing so. There are two issues that keep me at arm's length from Jewish people who believe Jesus is the Messiah. While we agree on that central fact, we often disagree on these two things:
       First, I don't have a dispensational theology. While I believe the Jews still have a vital place in God's redemptive story, I do not believe the Church and Israel are necessarily so distinct peoples of God. And I do not believe that the Church Age is some sort of parenthesis in history;
       Second, I am largely agnostic about today's nation of Israel and it's relationship to Israel of the Old Testament. Please hear me on this: I certainly believe that Israel has a right to exist, that there is a legitimate and important place for the modern Israeli state. However, I also believe the Palestinians have the same rights and that the global community of nations needs to be equally committed to the peace of Israel and Palestine. The Palestinians are God's people as much as the Israelis.
       Sometimes I feel like this initiative is simply CRAZY. But if the Kingdom of God is truly THE ultimate Kingdom, we can expect God to do "crazy" things. "With man it is impossible, with God all things are possible," Jesus said.