With the advent of quantum physics, I would even go as far as to say that mind, or consciousness, underscores the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation. 3 The Bible is therefore a collection of narratives that both reflects and shapes our memories and thus our identity, just as our thoughts shape what we think, say, and do. Human community, after all, preceded the written word.

Jesus came to earth as a man: the incarnated God firmly planted himself in the midst of human history, with all its intrigues, variations, and undertakings. It cannot be divorced from the context of human experience. It is intricate and both obscure and transparent. Dynamic, brilliant, powerful, and influential, it cannot be used with abandon, as it impacts not only the reader but the world. It is not merely a series of documents set in the stone of time it is a book of books that has a life of its own: it is in many ways the living Word. After thousands of reads, we still have so much more to see and understand. It reverberates with the need for a transcendent purpose, a life greater than the sum of its parts.2 And, after thousands of years, we have barely scratched its surface. It is the story of human effort, human victory, and, of course, human failure. 1 It is shaped, stretched, and colored by the hopes, dreams, fears, and choices of the past, present, and future. It contains so much: so many narratives, so many characters, so many emotions, so many events, so many eras. The Bible truly is a remarkable set of books. Cover Introduction How to Get the Most out of These Readings

The switch on your brain