Saturday, February 26, 2011

Impetus

There are times when words come so freely and my pen moves smoothly across the pages.  It seems at those times that I am unable to put the pen down until every last thought has been captured in ink.  Afterward, I review what I've written and only minor revisions are needed.
This however, is not something that happens on a daily basis.  In fact, the daily basis, is more of a discipline than feeling that overwhelming inspiration and free flowing creativity.  
So now I must delve deep and find out where is my impetus?  What is it that is going to motivate me day in and day out to join the pen to the paper?
Alas! No answer comes easily.
So what about you...what motivates you to write?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Not Quite a Book

Some time ago I received the Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible.  I was so excited to get it and started listening right away.  
For me, my heart longs to know more of the Word and understand it in a way that will make me more like Him.  
The Word of Promise was presented in "dramatic audio theatre."  Some of the voices were easy to recognize, like Jim Caviezel and Louis Gossett, Jr.  It also has names such as Micheal W. Smith, and Luke Perry. It comes in a great travel carrying cd case, which makes the 20 cds not seem cumbersome or bulky.  The special sound effects and fantastic reading helps you to really visualize the New Testament and is a good supplement to my regular Bible reading. 
It was difficult to find something I didn't like about the Word of Promise version of the audio bible. If I had to come up with something, it was that it is not quite a book. I realize the world is changing and we all love our technology, but sometimes I do like the feel of pages turning in my hands.  The other thing is that I wonder how many of the actors actually believe or were impacted by what they were reading.  However, as for the audio book itself, just for what it is...I loved it!   It is dramatized, so it is not just someone reading something.  It has sound effects that really help the story come to life.  It reminds me a little of how America used to gather around the radio before tv.  I listen to it in my car, especially on road trips and I listen to it when I am washing dishes and cooking, or folding laundry.  Now what really surprised me was that my six year old daughter asks to listen to it while she falls asleep.  She did find the story of demoniac and the swine to be a little scary.  The sound effects and voices make it seem so real!
The other benefit of  "reading" the audio bible is that it helped us to memorize huge sections of scripture.  Overall, I highly recommend it! And I will keep "reading" it for a long time to come.