Reflecting on one thing I did...

Other than gain weight, I did achieve something while I was away on holiday. I finished reading (well, listening to) A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically. It's a fun, insightful book and I would encourage anyone, secular or spiritual, to check it out.

When I started reading it, I posted about that, but now that I'm done, I would like to share something really cool from that book with you. At the end, the author reflects on what he's experienced during the last year... living by following every rule and suggestion for living provided in the "old" and "new" testaments of the Bible. He comes to a very insightful conclusion about literal translation of the Bible that I agree with whole-heartedly.

Robbie Harris, one if the author's Rabbis is asked about whether a literal interpretation of the Bible's text is appropriate:

He says, "We can't insist that the Bible mark the end of our relationship with God. Who are we to say the Bible contained all the wisdom? If you insist that God revealed Himself only at one time, at one particular place, using these discreet words, and never any other time than that, that in itself is a kind of idolatry."

His point is you can commit idolatry on the Bible itself. You can start to worship the words instead of the spirit. You need to meet God halfway in the woods.

Amen. This is something I had always believed, but never brought far enough forward in my mind to put into words nearly this eloquent. What do you think?

The Year of Living Biblically

I read the Onion. We get it here for free, so I can't help but pick it up since it's funnier than the other local papers and has all the movie, club, and book reviews I could want each week. This time around, they reviewed the new book The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs which received high marks. Essentially, it's a book about an agnostic man's experience when he tries to come to terms with his Jewish heritage by reading the entire Bible (both Testaments) and living by every life suggestion, rule, and law simultaneously for an entire year.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to voyeuristically experience his very personal experiment. I've only finished a few short chapters and it's already very cool. I'll post more here as I keep reading, but here's a link so you can find out more if you're interested:

Hardcover Book @ Amazon