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Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life, by Jack Levison
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Lively, wise, profound, and winsome, this refreshing new book takes the Holy Spirit from the mountaintop to the grit of everyday life by showing us that the Holy Spirit is not just about speaking in tongues, spiritual gifts or "fruits"--but also about our deepest breath and our highest aspirations. Provocative and life-changing, Fresh Air�blends moving personal stories, rich biblical studies, and practical strategies for experiencing the daily presence of the Holy Spirit where we least expect it--in human breathing, in social transformation, in community, in hostile situations, and in serious learning. Small wonder that Scot McKnight calls Fresh Air�"the most biblical, wide-ranging, innovative, and refreshing book on the Holy Spirit in years,"�and Eugene Peterson calls�it "a rare and remarkable achievement."
- Sales Rank: #308419 in Books
- Brand: Paraclete Press
- Model: FBA-|293180
- Published on: 2012-05-01
- Released on: 2012-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x 5.50" w x .75" l, .48 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 218 pages
From the Back Cover
"Fresh Air offers careful examination of the Holy Spirit, all tangled up with a wide wonder."--Nichole Nordeman
"People told me Jack Levison was a great teacher, and when I read this book I realized why. His excitement is infectious; he tells a great story; he sets little-known biblical passages on fire and drills down to unimagined depths in well-known ones. He has a boyish enthusiasm, but his account of the holy spirit - and what the spirit can do for whole churches, not just individuals! - is mature, seasoned, challenging and wise. His scholarship is spot on, his human warmth and Christian compassion are everywhere. An unbeatable combination." --N. T. Wright
"Jack Levison's book is the most biblical, wide-ranging, innovative, and refreshing book on the Holy Spirit in years. The Spirit is here de-programmed and set loose. You may be surprised in every chapter, I know I was." --Scot McKnight
"Fresh Air is, well, a breath of fresh air. Jack Levison fuses an accurate but unpretentious examination of the Holy Spirit in Scripture with a lively and generous style that invites the entire Christian community, regardless of label, to embrace God's Spirit in the everyday ordinariness of life." --Eugene Peterson
"Fresh Air�is exactly what its title promises: a lively, fresh study of the theology of the Holy Spirit by� a brilliant and spirited theologian. If there is such a thing as poignant Christian midrash, then this surely is it." --Phyllis Tickle
"I've often asked pastors, 'Who is the most neglected person of the Trinity?'� They always answer, 'The Holy Spirit.'� In this lively and--well--Spirit-filled book, Jack Levison enjoys the exploits of the Holy Spirit throughout scripture, provoking a fresh encounter with God.�� Jack is uniquely qualified to lead us, combining his scholarly understanding of scripture with his deep affection for the church, both mainline and Pentecostal.� No one will think about the Holy Spirit in the same way after reading Jack's book."--Will Willimon
About the Author
Jack Levison teaches at Seattle Pacific University. The author of many books and articles, he has won major national and international awards for his scholarship. Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed, called Levison’s Filled with the Spirit “the benchmark and starting point for all future studies of the Spirit,” and Walter Brueggemann hailed it as “inspired.”
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Refreshing
By Dr Conrade Yap
How well do we understand the scope of the Holy Spirit's work in this world? Have we restricted the Holy Spirit to only fruit of the Spirit, or to tongues or great biblical signs and manifestations? Definitely not, says Jack Levison, a Professor at Seattle Pacific University. In fact, the Holy Spirit is present in more ways than one, in more people than we thought, and in more ways than we can even imagine.
This book is a breath of fresh air. Written by one who has one foot on a mainline Protestant denomination and another foot on the Pentecostal persuasion, the author hopes to share a fresh air of spiritual wisdom with both camps. The hope is that the attempt will share biblical, radical, and practical values for all. The Holy Spirit (Note: for reasons explained in the book, the author prefers to use small caps. I use capitalization to conform to common usage). Some of the "radical perspectives" that Levison has proposed in his book are:
- The spirit being in EVERY human being, both Christians as well as non-Christians;
- The spirit is present in all situations, including social upheaval and during our status quo
- The spirit inspires whole communities
- The spirit drives faithful people into hostile places
- The spirit inspires both "ecstasy and restraint, study and spontaneity."
Key to the understanding of this book is our openness to letting the Spirit work as freely as He wants. Levison argues that the Holy Spirit manifests Himself through routine awakenings, our routine listening, as well as routinely encouraging us. With frequent biblical references to the Hebrew 'ruach' (which means spirit-breath) as well as the Greek 'pneuma,' the author prefers to use the English translation "holy spirit" in small caps because he does not want to constrict or restrict the nuances of the words in Scripture. Then the author shows readers how the Holy Spirit has been working in the lives of various biblical characters, and how the biblical characters have become inspired to live spiritually dynamic lives. Of Job, Levison shows us how this famous character of suffering manages to avoid idealistic optimism (like Elihu) or depressing pessimism (by Qohelet), by retaining a sense of realism, that complains of one's torment on the one hand, and yet retaining a belief in God's goodness. Of Daniel, we discover how the Holy Spirit is with Daniel for the long haul, throughout the reigns of King Nebuchadnezzar, King Belshazzar, and King Darius. The spiritual life is not a short-cut solution strategy, but a long journey of discipline. Of Simeon, we learn the importance of regular devotion, to a disciplined life and routine maintenance to train our senses toward three major things:
- Routine awakening
- Routine listening
- Routine encouraging
In doing so, we grow beyond ourselves toward letting the Spirit move without any artificial borders imposed by the world. Of Joel's dream, we see how the Spirit stretches horizontally to become an outpouring to all people, all nations, and all communities. Likewise, we also see how the Spirit reaches vertically through all echelons of societies, to be poured out "indiscriminately." This is also similar to how the Spirit speaks to Peter that the gospel is not only for Jews, but for Gentiles, and all people. Then there is Chloe's complaint about some immoral matters happening in the Corinth Church, that let the Spirit leads the people toward a renewal and redemption of the community. Of Ezekiel, we see how the Spirit brings life to dead people, fully and totally. Jesus is a great example of how the Spirit has moved. Finally, in "Peter's Praise," Levison concludes with a call for unity, to all parties to see the Church or their version of Christianity beyond schisms and dividing lines. The Spirit unites. The Spirit brings people and communities together in truth. When that happens, there will be joy and ecstasy, peace and goodwill, Pentecost and Praise.
My Thoughts
============
While I appreciate Levison's stance of using the "holy spirit" in non-capitalized manner, I think there is some inconsistency in the book too. For example, in the front cover of the book, it is used in capitalized manner. Even the endorsements by Nichole Nordeman, Walter Brueggemann, William Willimon, and others, have used the Holy Spirit in its conventional capitalized fashion. Personally, I am not convinced of Levison's reason, but I can understand why he does it. Another special feature is the wide spaces on the sides of each page, that calls readers to remain open to learning and to write down inspired thoughts on the generous margins. This flows from Levison's conviction that the Spirit is in every person and can still speak to each one of us today.
This is not only a brilliant exposition on the work of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. It is useful for preaching, for teaching the expansiveness of the work of the Spirit. Far too often, we have hemmed down the possibilities on the basis of man's limitations. We have restricted the flow of the Holy Spirit on the basis of our own fear and insecurities. We have even used the name of the Holy Spirit in vain, thinking that we can form our individualistic enclaves, to mind our own business, when it is the Holy Spirit that is constantly prompting us to reach out, touch lives, and to let the Spirit unite. This book is powerful for three reasons. First, it gives us a fresh understanding of how the Holy Spirit still lives in us today. Second, it urges us not to be too fixated on worldly boundaries that can often quench the Spirit. Third, it can renew our own spiritual lives and lifts us up from spiritual mediocrity to a dynamism that only God can instill. We all need a dose of fresh air from time to time. For Christians, especially those who feels they have been mediocre, this is the fresh air that will revitalize your walk in Christ.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Paraclete Press without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Take up and Breath
By James R. V. Matichuk
When I picked up Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit For an Inspired Life and saw endorsments from N.T. Wright, Eugene Peterson, Walter Brueggemann, Scot McKnight, William Willimon and Phillyis Tickle I got excited. I am always on the hunt for a good book on the Holy Spirit so seeing this one endorsed by some of my favorite authors made me want to take up and read. Much of what is written on the Holy Spirit has an `anything goes' feel to it with low-level discernment, but these people don't endorse those books. So I had high hopes that this book would thoughtfully present the reality of the Spirit in a way that was fresh, insightful, inspiring and eye-opening. I was not disappointed.
Jack Levison is professor of New Testament at Seattle Pacific University. He's written an engaging book with each of the chapters profiling people from the Bible and illuminating aspects of the spirit's activity. Through out the book he speaks of the `holy spirit' rather than "Holy Spirit" because he is trying to be attentive to the way the biblical language functions (he is not denying the Trinity). The Greek word pnuema and the Hebrew ruach both mean wind, breath or spirit (ruach means wind fifty times in the Hebrew Bible, but the rest of its nearly four hundred occurrences refer to the spirit from God). Levison wants to preserve the way a single word in the Hebrew or Greek `could encompass stormy winds and settled souls, the rush of the divine and the hush of human holiness(17).' And so he attends to where he hears the spirit in the text and shows us the way God's spirit is powerful and unsettling, life-giving and good.
Levison does not always go to the most common passages people use when speaking of the spirit. But each of the people he profiles and the passages he chooses reveal who this spirit is. Here is a taste of some of the things I learned as I read this book and the biblical passages it alludes to:
-With Job I reflected on how life is a gift and God's spirit sustains us all (yes, all). Job is confident that though he is on the verge of death, he still has life from the spirit-breath of God is in him.
-From Daniel we learn that the gift of the spirit's wisdom comes from a lifetime of decisions and habits (i.e. Daniel's resistance to royal rations, his repudiation of royal ambition, his rejection of power, practice of prayer and simplicity, etc.).
-Simeon`s spirit-inspired-song was not just ejaculatory praise but bears the evidence of someone who has studied and searched the scriptures for a lifetime. Simeon unfolds for us Isaiah's expansive and inclusive vision.
-Joel`s dream (the one that is recounted by Peter at Pentecost) speaks of a day when the spirit is not poured into individuals only but is poured out on all flesh and all societies. It is a radically inclusive vision that is not fully realized in Acts.
-Chloe`s complaint to Paul (reported in 1 Cor. 3) was of the divisiveness in the Corinthian church. Paul's tells the Corinthians about the way that the spirit inhabits communities.
-Levison takes us to Ezekiel`s valley of dried bones and discusses the spirit's promise of restoration for the exiled and broken community of Israel. He contrasts this with the Spirit's work in the healthy thriving church of Antioch (who sent Paul and Barnabas out) where the Christians exhibited a love of learning, an ear for prophecy, were nurtured by the practices of worship and fasting, were extremely generous, had multicultural leadership and in all these things, were a source of grace. The spirit is at work in communities which feel dead and lifeless as well as in lively ones.
-The spirit is not always gentle. The same spirit that descended like a dove on Jesus at his baptism, propelled him into the wilderness for a time of testing. Levison also notes that in Mark's gospel, the only time that Jesus promises the spirit to the disciples was so that they could testify when facing severe persecution (but not escape!). The spirit will lead us to the heart of our vocation (just like it did Jesus) but this doesn't mean that what the spirit brings is always easy.
-Levison talks about Peter`s Pentecost sermon and Paul's passages on spiritual gifts and tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 (this is where many treatments on the Spirit begin). In this chapter he contrasts the craziness of revivalism and snake handlers with the somewhat subdued mainline perspective and the book of Common Prayer. He concludes that there is no evidence in the Bible that we should avoid spiritual experiences but that the thrust of these passages also compels us to engage the Biblical text so that we could see more clearly the ways the spirit is moving in us. Levison's vision of the spirit makes room for both spontaneity and serious study.
I loved the solid exegesis and the many insightful gems I found in this book (I didn't share all of them, Elihu plays the foil for the first three chapters). My one small complaint is that Levison never got around to treating my own `go to' passages on the Holy Spirit (John 14-16, 20). But I do love that the passages he chose to focus on are often neglected ones (and he put a fresh spin on some old favorites).
I would recommend this book for anyone who want to understand more of the spirit (or Spirit). This is a popular level book and is accessible for most people (he has an earlier scholarly volume called Filled With the Spirit). Levison is an great teacher and opens up these passages in exciting ways (often sharing stories of his own family life to illustrate his points). In each chapter you read several passages of scripture so I read this devotionally and really found that it helped nourish my spirit during a busy week. This one gets a high recommendation from me.
I received this book from Paraclete Press in exchange for this review. This is my fair and honest review.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Powerful book
By Clint Walker
Very few books come more highly recommended than this fine book from Jack Levison. With glowing reviews from people such as Eugene Peterson, Nicole Nordeman, N.T. Wright, and Will Willimon, I wondered if the publicity might overstate the value of this book. They did not. This book is as good as advertised.
This brilliant book does a wonderful job of weaving together the narrative of the Spirit, the author's personal narrative, and the story of God as revealed in Scripture.
The text has a narrative flow that makes it easy to read, and yet there are times when you must stop to think. It moves through Scripture in a sequential and logical ways, in many ways communicating a biography of the Holy Spirit and his relationship to humanity. Levison shares enough insightful stories and pithy, well-written lines that at the same time readers will pause to ponder. Each chapter has companion Scriptures to study and consider.
The book, while accessible, has theological depth. Especially, as one might consider, the theological depth relates to the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. And while some theological books on the Holy Spirit simply cause one to think, it becomes very clear that Levison's goal is to form spirits.
As I read and continue to read, I sense this book touching and forming my own spirit. For that I am grateful.
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