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.
Unleashing The Word
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.
Unleashing The Word
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."
Unleashing The Word
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.
Unleashing The Word
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.
Unleashing The Word
By: Max McLean
Part 2: Butterflies and Breathing
Chapter 5: How To Sound Like You
Reading God's Word publicly should reflect God's Word in a way that preserves the text. McLean argues that Scripture is never truly preserved through a bland and monotonous reading. Only a lively one which captures the ups and down of a passage can portray its original meaning. This is similar to the way we interpret tones and non verbal cues from others in our every day conversations. "The reader must convey the passion of the unfolding drama so that listeners can fully capture the logic of the story and get an accurate sense of what really happened."
McLean's teachings have a broad basis for biblical support Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16, Jeremiah 23:29, 1 Peter 1:23 and many more all tell of the nature of God's word. Hebrews 4:12 reveals that it is "living and active." Max admits that there are several obstacles to reading in a way that engages ones readers and that one must pursue a clear reading of scripture with a great self awareness. His advice on accomplishing these things include avoiding the following 1. Being an entertainer, 2. Being a clown, 3. Being a junior pastor, 4. Being unprepared, & 5. Being a bore. I must stress how very clearly Max communicates that intentionally readings God's Word preserves the life of the Scriptures literally unleashing it! In fact I would not be surprised to find a great majority of this information in a how to guide on Getting Out Of God's Way.
Unleashing The Word
By: Max McLean
Part 2: Butterflies and Breathing
Chapter 6: From The Page To The Stage
Here Max begins to move through what a reader must do to prepare for their reading. The topics that he addresses are listed below along with a few key concepts from each.
- "Devote Yourself To Reading The Bible Aloud"
- Biblical in origin
- "Let The Text Speak To You Personally"
- Start by prayer.
- Listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to you through His Word.
- Find out how this text applies to you personally.
- Engage in a conversation with the Word.
- "Block Your Text Into Thought Groups"
- Slow down, don't rush through the text
- Separating the individual thoughts of a text and then reading the text accordingly allows reader to follow along with attentiveness.
- "Identify The Action And Flow"
- During practice, give special emphasis to each verb
- "What is happening in the text?"
- "Am I being asked to do something or respond in a specific way."
- "Outline the text's emotional journey."
- Beginning - Middle - End
- "Practice With (Or Anticipate) A Microphone"
- Podium Mounted Mikes
- 6 - 12 inches from mouth to mike
- Hand Held Mike
- 3 - 6 inches from mouth to mike
- Prepare for Pronunciation Challenges
- Make sure you are pronouncing foreign names, words etc... in the same way every time.
- Consider pronouncing it the same way your pastor or key speaker will be during the message.
- Match Your Church's Culture
- Be authentic.
- "Authentic people are "true believers." They are people who believe in their convictions and are passionate about communicating them to others."
- Practice Until Animation Comes Naturally
- Goal: "to make public your devotional life with the text - using the words of the Bible and nothing more."
- Be prepared: "being prepared is the greatest antidote to a fear of speaking and to avoiding potential stumbles."
- Now Release the Passion of the Text
- "You should be able to read with the attitude, I have something exciting and wonderful to tell you."
- Anticipate Distractions
- They are inevitable
- Handle them with patience, grace, and confidence.
Unleashing The Word
By: Max McLean
Part 2: Butterflies and Breathing
Chapter 7: Take A Breath - It Even Helps with Nervousness
Breathing goes a long way to determine tone, confidence, volume, diction and more. Max shares techniques and suggestions on how to breathe properly so that the delivery of one's reading is not inhibited by a poor oxygen supply. Having grown up in chorus things like breathing properly and standing with an open diaphragm are not new to me. For the past two sundays at church I have performed the public reading of Scripture and remain aware of good breathing as Max suggests. McLean also correlates good breathing, good posture, and a confident voice with one another. For me this is the most helpful teaching in Chapter 7. As a side note I have really been enjoying this special opportunity to hear God more clearly!
Unleashing The Word
By: Max McLean
Part 2: Butterflies and Breathing
In chapter 8 Max takes time to recognize the practicalities of Scripture reading. This chapter is devoted to equipping readers with the ability to prepare quickly for a reading. Max gives several helpful suggestions on how one can prepare to make a good reading happen with only minutes to prepare, or without much formal training or experience.
If one finds that they will be reading a passage in the very near future Max suggests the following five steps for preparation.
- Ask God to make you an ambassador of his Word.
- Make sure your text is printed in a readable font and size.
- Find a quiet place to read over your text.
- Look for phrases and words that grab your attention, allowing your voice to express them with the energy they convey.
- Be authentic and real, delivering your reading in a conversational tone, while maintaining passion.
On the other had one might find that they are asked to preform a reading, but have no training in doing so. Max suggests that reader prepare by doing these things.
- Pray and ask God to use this Scripture to deliver to you insight and understanding, so that you will have something real to convey to the listeners.
- Make sure your printed text is readable both in font and size.
- Take time to understand the text personally, so that you will know which words to emphasize and when to deliver pauses in your reading which best preserve the message of the text.
- Block out the text. People have a hard time hearing a string of words and understanding them in full. Block out the individual thought groups in the text. This will give you understanding and help you to convey that understanding in your reading.
- Find the passion that leads you in this text. Identifying your personal emotional connection to this text will help you to communicate with power.
- Outline the emotional journey. Look for a beginning middle and end.
- Keep practicing. Your practice process should be no less that eight full readings of the passage. Standing as you practice reading is beneficial.
- Plan to have a verbally animated conversation with your audience. After you have completed your preparations, simply relax and trust that your work has benefited you. Don't worry about every detail during your reading. Just let the text flow.
- Remember the role of faith. Trust that the Lord will use his word as spoke through his people.
- Rehearse the event. If possible read the passage in the venue where you will be speaking.
The Delivery Of Your Reading.
- Position the microphone. Hand-held microphones should be held at fists length below your chin. Stand held microphones should be positioned 6-12 inches away from. Lavaliere microphones should be clipped on by a sound technician, who will know where to place it.
- Take the ready position. Position your text in an easy to read place, stand still, take a deep breath, don't slouch, Project your voice to the back of the room.
- Speak conversationally but across the room. It is best to imagine your voice as an arc, your arc must reach the very last person who will hear you.
- Read with passion. This happens best when you understand the significance of what you are reading.
- Slow down by taking deep breaths. Breathing deeply can help to slow down the effects of nervousness on reading.
- Bookend your reading by looking up. Look directly at your audience both before and after your reading.
- If a distraction happens, keep going. If the distraction is really serious someone in leadership will intervene.
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