Hey everyone, over the course of my internship I will be reading several books for personal growth. These books are not of my choosing, but are an intentional part of my internship, they are assigned to me by Pastor Darryl Handy. Since a portion of this internship is geared towards my personal growth, Darryl has composed a reading list on various topics that he believes will be of particular benefit to me. I will be composing short summaries of each chapter as I read them. I hope this will be encouraging to you a part of my ministry to you. Thank you for your financial and prayerful support of my internship. Thank you.
By Max McLean
Abstract:
Unleashing the word is about the public reading of scripture. In 1 Timothy 4:13 we find that the public reading of scripture is held with equal importance as Paul commands Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching. McLean neatly lays out the various components of reading scripture in todays church. McLean prioritizes helping his readers to discover whether they should pursue this role in the Church, and if so, how to go about preparing oneself to fulfill it in a way that brings honor to God's word.
A short note on my exposure to this book. I had already selected this text for my summer reading list in order to expose myself to a strength which I do not find myself naturally exhibiting, that strength being dramatic vocalization. I was happy to find it on my reading list and have chosen to kick start my book reports for this internship with this one. I hope to learn from this book and apply the techniques offered in it to the public reading of Scripture in Blue Ridge Community Church.
By Max McLean
Part 1: My Story
Chapter 1: How I Got Started Reading Scripture Aloud
McLean begins by diving deep into his past. As a young man he describes himself as having "had a strong desire to express himself." Seeing the dramatic arts as a means to this end he pursued acting in college. Shortly after graduating he became a Christian. Upon conversion he more than ever was excited for his future in the dramatical arts. After completing his post graduate degree in theater he moved to New Your where he met and married his wife. Newly married and preforming in a region theater he began seriously considering his life as an actor. Contemplating his career and its unfulfilling role in his life he quit acting. McLean recalls "While I was struggling through this dissatisfaction with my work, God was calling me to experience more of him. He was teaching me that "no one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). Leaving the theater was hard for him and it left a void in his life, after all, actin was his passion. He began to get more involved with his church exposing him to many excellent and convicting speakers. At this time Mclean was still a new Christian and the Lord was planting in his heart a taste for dramatic vocal expressions such as the public read of Scripture. Eventually he was invited to read a short passage 2 Peter 3:10-15. Since Max wanted to do well with the reading he rehearsed it carefully, meditating on it in order to hear what the Lord was saying to him. He felt that it was a great honor to have been asked to read this passage. During this reading Max noticed an unusual attentiveness amongst the congregation. After the service he was approached by many who expressed their gratitude for his reading. It was this gratitude that sparked a fire in Max to seriously pursue speaking Gods Word's with the training he had received in the dramatic arts. Max's work since then as a voice actor has led him to produce many recordings ranging from multiple Bible translations to literature written by theological giants. At the time that this book was written, he had most recently produced a stage adaptation to C. S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters."
By Max McLean
Part 1: My Story
Chapter 2: Recruiting Others Who Love The Game
Here Max begins detailing the role of any public reader of Scripture, communicating that not one should not simply feel obligated to pursue this role in the church but to love doing it. He depicts great readers of Scripture as being those who have both a "love of the game" and a gift for speaking publicly. He points out that one who is reading the Scriptures publicly has a great responsibility and opportunity to bless listeners with hearing God's Word with every detail and emotion intertwined with each passage. Max goes on to communicate that one's personality and self should be poured into and out of each reading. People should be seeing you in light of God's word. His over arching point to this chapter is that it is a great mistake to simply read any passage of Scripture to a congregation, and that God's Word deserve so much more than a bland and emotionless representation. He encourages those who are considering this role to carefully evaluate their personal dedication to doing justice to the public reading of Scripture, by incorporating intentionality, diligence, and resourcefulness.
By Max McLean
Part 1: My Story
Chapter 3: No Longer The Worst Moment
"A normal person makes a decision about where to turn attention about 100,000 times a day. The brain is always drawn to something. This raises the question of how to make sure that when the Bible is read, that's what people are giving their attention to!" With this quote Max really hit the nail on the head. How does one as a reader do their very best to attract the undivided attention of those who are listening. In chapter 3 Max describes the pain of listening to a bland reading of the Scriptures. He comments that for many church's this is the norm, and that it matters whether or not God's word is simply stuck here or there with out much thought. Here is another excerpt from this chapter that really speaks to this issue. "John 4:23-24 tells us that the "kind of worshipers the Father seeks" are those who worship him "in spirit and truth." When I hear the Scriptures read intelligently, energetically, convincingly, and passionately, even the most familiar and shop worn texts draw me to a place where I can worship God in spirit and truth."
Unleashing The Word
By Max McLean
Part 1: My Story
Chapter 4: The 9 Percent Isolation Factor
"The Message of this Chapter can be summed up in one sentence: if 90 percent of effective Scripture reading comes from selecting gifted, trained, committed readers who "love the game" (chapters 2 and 3), another 9 percent of the unleashing process comes from isolation --- making Scripture reading a separate element of the worship experience. By isolating the moment the Scripture is read, we enhance its power." I agree with Max that this chapter is all about the need to isolate the reading of Scripture as a complete portion of the service in and of itself. His point is that in doing this you draw special attention to the reading giving it the attention that is due. This is done in part by setting aside a planned moment in each service for that reading, and by avoiding the norm of blending the public reading into other naturally emotional moments in a service such as worship. The reading of Scripture in its natural form is already both emotional and complete.
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