A Year of Thinking Deeply about the Good Book provides an introduction and guide for readers contemplating the challenge of reading and studying the Bible over the course of a year. Each chapter highlights the main messages of the books of the Bible and guides readers through commentaries on each of those books. Author John Ash begins each chapter with a key Bible verse, uses his photographs as illustrations, and shares guidance in an approachable manner.
On occasion, the chapters pull together surprising references, bringing an eclectic array of voices into the conversation. The introduction to the gospel of John, for example, moves from Phil Collins, the rock singer and drummer, to Abraham J. Heschel, the Jewish scholar, and then to N. T. Wright, Anglican theologian. This conversation helps to draw readers into a deeper exploration of what the Bible meant in the days of its authors and what its message is for believers in today’s world.
If you find yourself mulling over life’s big questions—wondering how we came to be together in this life, what does God call us to do, why we face a world bent on violence, and what hope can we offer one another—then A Year of Thinking Deeply about the Good Book can take you along a yearlong path of reading the Bible and seeking God’s answers to those big questions.
But it seems to me that we moderns just really want to tip toe around with our faith. We like singing uplifting songs of praise. We like giving thanks to God when we get that promotion or a negative report on a medical test. But the ancients let it all hang out to God. They didn’t want to get in the pit. And when they did get in it, they wanted God to help get them out. Brueggemann says in his book that ‘the pit refers to the experience of being rendered powerless.’ For example in Psalm 69 we read, ‘Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.’
We don’t want to be in the pit either. What we want according to Brueggemann is to be ‘safe under the protective wings of God.’ Whereas the pit speaks of danger and threat, wings speak of safety, tenderness and nurture.’ Psalm 17:8 ‘Keep me as the apple of thy eye; hide me in the shadow of thy wings.’ Brueggemann concludes by saying ‘Our lives move between the pit and the wing, between the shattering disorientation and the gift of life….It is clear that the Psalms, when we freely engage in them, are indeed subversive literature. They break things loose. They disrupt and question. Most of all, they give us new eyes to see and new tongues to speak. And therefore, we need not enter the Presence of the Holy One mute and immobilized.’
John Ash teaches Bible classes at Douglasville First United Methodist Church, Douglasville, Georgia. More than a decade ago, Dr. James Howell, pastor and author, inspired him to enrich his faith by studying the Bible and exploring religious literature. Ash works in the petroleum industry and relaxes with landscaping and photography. He is married with two children.