This week's book review is "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible" by A.J. Jacobs.
From the Amazon summary: A.J. Jacobs chronicles his hilarious and thoughtful year spent obeying – as literally as possible – the tenets of the Bible.
Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.
The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history’s most influential book with new eyes.
I've owned this book for years and have read it and re-read it over and over and over again. One of the reasons I find it fascinating is because it's written from the perspective of someone who is pretty much a polar opposite of me: An urban liberal secular Jew. Despite his (massive) doubts about faith (of both Judaism and Christianity), Jacobs gives following the Bible a real, honest-to-goodness try, including prayer, faith, and belief. He admits his limitations and addresses his shortfalls in a way that's both honest and humorous.
Jacobs is a brilliant writer and he will absolutely draw you in to his faith journey. "The Year of Living Biblically" is highly recommended.
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This week's product recommendation is Don's faithful 3M radio ear phones.
He writes:
I'm kind of surprised I haven't posted these earphones as a product review already. I've owned these earphones for so many years I can't remember when I bought them. They're old enough that I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh on them daily in my wood shop.
As you can see, these earphones have a lot of mileage on them. I use them practically every day, especially when I'm working on power tools, because not only can I listen to AM, FM, or a connected MP3 player, but they also do a pretty good job of cutting the noise from the tools.
As you can see in the photo above, the ear pads are shot. I just bought replacement pads, which I'll install when they arrive; but the radio keeps on working.
These earphones are tough. I've dropped them so hard that the batteries have popped out, and I've forgotten them outside in the rain overnight. I've bashed them, abused them, and manhandled them. They just don't quit, and they get pretty good reception too. When I misplace them, I ask a higher power (Patrice) if she's seen my "ears."
3M
makes other varieties of these earphones with more modern features, like
Bluetooth and a graphics screen, but I've never used them so I can't make a personal recommendation. I guess I'm just old school (or just old).
For durability, comfort, and enjoyment, I can truly recommend my "ears."
(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)
(Don't forget: A complete list of all our book and product recommendations are linked here and at the upper-right column of the blog.)
Some Jews can definitely take the Bible too literally; I once heard a Rabbi tell a story about a woman who was so excited to have a bird nest on her balcony; she didn't want the eggs, but she took them anyways to fulfill the mitzvah - לֹא־תִקַּח הָאֵם עַל־הַבָּנִי (See Deuteronomy 22:6-7). Of course, that was not the point of the commandment. It's a principle. Preserve the best plants and animals as your breeding stock. Don't shoot the trophy buck. Don't select cut the best trees in the forest. Otherwise, the weakest will breed and the population will become weaker and weaker. It's a matter of love for future generations. Unfortunately, most people aren't looking at the big picture and the long run, dismissing such commandments as mere "ceremonial laws". And where has that gotten us? How badly have we broken creation because we didn't follow directions? God told us to keep Deuteronomy 22:6-7 to "be well" and to "prolong our days", not to "fulfill the mitzvah" like it was an item to be checked off a list. We would all do well to remember that God does not waste words. There are no trivial commandments. If one seems trivial to you, it's just because you aren't looking at it the right way.
ReplyDelete"If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days." (Deuteronomy 22:6-7, KJV)
When I see pictures of things people regularly use I always like to see if I can guess habits just from the wear patterns. Looking at those headphones, and knowing he wore them in the shop a lot, my guess is that he tucks his pencil behind his right ear.
ReplyDelete