40 Days with the Holy Spirit, by Jack Levison

Levison, who teaches Old Testament at Perkins School of Theology, has made a career of studying Spirit in scripture. He puts his significant learning in accessible form in this book intended for use as inspirational reading over a 40-day period, which could be used for Lent or any time of year. Whenever they think of Spirit, Christians are inclined to think of Pen­tecost, baptismal liturgy, gifts of the Spirit—or noisy charismatics. Lev­ison shows that there is so much more about the Spirit that can enrich our thinking about the God who is Spirit. The Spirit is involved in the biblical story from the outset: in the first creation story in Genesis it was the Spirit who brooded over the primordial chaos. It is God’s spirit that gives each person breath. The simple prayers Levison offers at the end of each day’s reading are themselves worthy of meditation.