What would AJ do?

I wrote to an author, and he wrote back!

In The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, author AJ Jacobs recounts the year he...well, you get it from the title of his book. Among many rules from both the Old Testament and New Testament, Mr. Jacobs grows a beard, wears all white, ties tassles to the corners of his clothing, prays three times a day, gives up lying and lustful gazing-- all with the help of various religious advisors (priests, pastors, etc).

One commandment/law instructs you to tithe, which is the act of giving a percentage of your income to the church. The Bible also teaches its followers to give to those who are needier (I think; I don't remember exactly, but this sounds right). So, I wrote the author, Mr. Jacobs:

I just finished your latest book, "The Year of Living Biblically," for our book club. And, on my way to our book club meeting to discuss your book (which was well-received by my book club members-- kudos!), I encountered a homeless guy when I exited the freeway. After reading your battles/successes with tithing and all the other rules (as I'm sure this falls under many other rules/lessons from the Bible), I decided to give $3 to the homeless guy. I typically never give money to panhandlers, but after reading your book, I thought, why not? AJ would do it. LOL.

This is not to say that I will be doing this on a regular basis, but at the time, it felt right (it was rainy after all and he didn't look like he'd spend it on booze or drugs). And although Pastor out to Pasture (or whoever your other religious guides were) probably wouldn't condone that since the resulting feeling wasn't completely selfless, I'm sure the 3 bucks really helped him.

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration!

And, get this: AJ wrote back! And within just a few hours!

Hi Melody,
That is a wonderful letter! Thank you. I'm glad I played a small part in your decision.
Maybe I should market bracelets What would AJ do?
AJ

I don't know why but I'm so thrilled that he wrote back. After reading about an entire year of his life, I feel like I know him and his family so well. I am tempted to reply to him, but that might get stalkerish.