Max And Mel

I read the Bible through each year. In days gone by, I would use the book form of The One Year Bible, which is still what I give to my players for their Christmas present. In recent years, I've begun reading it by way of the Internet on a website called oneyearbibleonline.com. It has the advantage of letting me choose my translations and switch each year if I choose and I do choose to do so. It also has the same feature of dividing each day into an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a Psalm, and a Proverb. This year, I'm reading The Voice. It's different but I'm learning like I hope I always do. Here is what today looks like:

March 28
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Luke 8:4-21
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 12:2-3  

We recently were on Spring Break so with more time on my hands, I took a slight detour in my reading schedule. Instead of reading my laptop each morning, I decided to listen. There is a feature that allows you to hear your daily reading.  As there is no audio feature with The Voice , I had to go to an alternate translation. I went to the NIV because I wanted to listen to Max, as in Max McLean. The aforementioned Max is a well-known narrator of the Scriptures along with a myriad of other talents and endeavors. I could listen to him all day! Sometimes, I just need to use my ears instead of my eyes. Max can make genealogies fascinating. He can make the intricacies of the regulations of the Law of Moses intriguing. He can make borders and names of cities come to life! And that's just the Old Testament! The New Testament is even better! It takes more than twice as long to go through a day's worth of the Bible orally but it's worth it. If I had the time, I would do it every day of the year. I probably should just make the time.

I love to read and I love to read the Bible. When you have read something many times, I think your mind and eyes start skipping over the familiar. That's what I think has happened to me somewhat. You can't skip words when you are listening. I don't like reading genealogies but I know the ones in the Bible are there for a reason. When I hear them, it reminds me those names were real people who lived real lives and changed the world they lived in. I also love the correct pronunciation of names and find, assuming Max is correct, I've been saying most of them wrong my whole life!

Last night as I was eating supper, I watched a fascinating short documentary on Mel Blanc. Even if his name is not familiar, his voice is. Or, I should say his voices. You see, Mel Blanc is considered by some the greatest voice actor of all-time. He was the voice of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, and the list goes on. How many characters did he give voices to? A bunch, many I'd never heard of! (I thought it was fascinating that his son related how he didn't really like cartoons and often never watched the ones he made!) But here's something I think is amazing. Max McLean is the voice of every character who speaks in the Bible, every one! That includes God the Father, Jesus, and even Satan. He is the voice of Peter and Judas, David and Nabal, Jacob and Esau, Moses and Pharaoh. What a legacy! What a responsibility! Some of us hear better than we read. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17 that, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. On some days, it comes to me by hearing Max. 

To listen to Max McLean narrate Deuteronomy 3, click or copy and paste the link below:
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Deut.3


Applicable quote of the day:
The human voice: It's the instrument we all play. It's the most powerful sound in the world, probably. It's the only one that can start a war or say 'I love you.' And yet many people have the experience that when they speak, people don't listen to them.
Julian Treasure


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com