I recently finished reading an extremely enjoyable, interesting and insightful book, “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible,” written by editor-at-large of Esquire magazine, A.J. Jacobs.
   Mr. Jacobs is a self-proclaimed agnostic Jew but decided to embark on this physical, emotional and spiritual journey due largely in part, according to the jacket of his book, to an “interest in the relevance of faith in our modern world.” It also helps that Jacobs has a refreshingly insatiable curiosity about life, which also helps to explain his previous bestseller, “The Know-It-All, One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World.”
   In that book he took it upon himself to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. This endeavor not only earned him a spot on the New York Times’ bestseller list; it also earned him a stint (a very humbling stint, I might add) on TV’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
   While in the “hot seat,” it seems Mr. Jacobs got stuck on the $32,000 question: What component of blood is also known as erythrocyte? Since this stumped him, A.J. decided to invoke his privilege to call a friend for help. He chose his brother-in-law Eric, who also liked to consider himself a know-it-all even without having read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. 
   The phone call led to what was to become one of the worst, and yet, best moments of Mr. Jacobs’ life, because as it turned out, Mr. Eric “Smarty-Pants” didn’t know the answer either. Obviously, the moment was horrible for poor A.J. because his cerebral meltdown meant he walked away with the Millionaire consolation prize of only $1,000.
   And yet he gained something that money can’t buy — forevermore he could hold it over Eric’s head that he choked during his big moment, at least until Eric is inclined to ante up the $31,000 that A.J. says his brother-in-law owes him.
   For the curious among you, an erythrocyte is a red blood cell. I’m sure this is probably etched in the brains of A.J. and Eric like the Ten Commandments were on Moses’ tablets.
   I picked up my copy of “The Year of Living Biblically” at my local library, with my apologies to Mr. Jacobs for not paying retail. I figured this was the more biblical thing to do, since the Bible teaches us to be good stewards of what God has given us. By saving $25 I was living biblically ... see, it’s contagious. Now that I think of it, I also recommended the book to a friend and she’s going to purchase it with a gift card ... that still has to count for something.
   Having attended a Christian school for grades K-12, followed by a stint at Bible College, followed by marrying a minister, I thought I knew a little of what poor A.J. was in for.
   If you’ve been reading my column for any length of time I know what you’re thinking ... “You’re a pastor’s wife?” Believe me, if I had a dollar for every person who has asked me that same question, I wouldn’t be pursuing this writing career. I would just stay home and bask in my monetary fortune.
   What can I say? Except that God definitely has a sense of humor, not to mention that my husband is an extremely long-suffering guy. But after reading Mr. Jacobs’ book, I also can’t help but wonder if my husband hasn’t embarked on his own experimental journey of living biblically. The way I figure it, by marrying me he has had to endure hardship (those times when I just can’t keep my big mouth shut), famine (those times when I just don’t feel like cooking, which are becoming frequent) and trials (like when I want to get a second tattoo), just to name a few.
   My husband and A.J. have a lot more in common than I realized. He’s living biblically all the time simply by putting up with me. He just hasn’t written the experience down and charged $25 a copy for it. Maybe I’ll suggest that to him in a few minutes, just as soon as he finishes praying ... for me. That, I think, is about as much relevant faith that one man can show in this modern world.
   Robyn McCloskey’s column appears each week in My Community Trend. She can be reached at crmccloskey@verizon.net.