Hello ,
If you're anything like me, the holiday season has a way of "sneaking" up on you. With the busy-ness of life, Thanksgiving and Christmas always seems to catch me off guard.
I wanted to give you a "heads-up" about a project that I have been working on this year that
is almost completed. I have noticed that the holiday season is very commercial, and that many people have lost focus on how thankful we should be for what God has given to us. Not only does He supply all of our material needs, but He also sent His Son Jesus Christ down to this earth to give us each the opportunity to be saved for eternity.
This is good news!
In the midst of all the turmoil that we see in our world today, these glad tidings of a Savior are worth talking about. During the holidays, I don't want to think about Santa Claus, elves, and frantic
shopping trips. I want to focus on Jesus Christ as the Author and Finisher of my faith.
I wanted to find a way to get the message of Jesus to people in a way that they might actually listen to.
In June of 2016, I contacted a good friend of mine who is a voice actor. His name is Keith, and he's been struggling with cancer. I have used his services on a number of occasions (in radio ads), and I wanted to see if he would be willing to lend his voice to a project that is close to my heart. I discovered that he had been struggling with his health after I
asked him to do a Bible reading of excerpts from Luke 1 and 2, and I told him not to worry about it. When someone has health challenges, the last thing on their mind should be "another project."
Keith wrote me back and told me that he wanted to do this. He then went on to share with me that he believed
God was bringing him through some pretty rough waters. He wanted to do what he could to praise God's name by using his talent. We worked together over the next few months, and we now have all the readings in place for this audio project.
Keith is a consummate professional, and I will share a clip of this audio
project in the very near future. He's been a voice actor for a very long time, and I am confident that you may have heard this man's talent in a radio or television spot over the past 20 years. He has a soothing voice that brings a calm feeling of peace to the room when he speaks.
I wanted to hear him read the story leading up
to, and including the birth of Christ.
The thought occurred to me, that if Keith could read the entire narrative in Luke leading up to, and including the birth of Jesus Christ...that this would be a valuable way to listen to the Christmas story. I've set-up the CD to include 7 daily installments of Keith reading the
scriptures (with background holiday music). It's a quiet way to reflect on the Reason for the season, and I've already experienced feelings of gratitude while listening to his narrative.
After the 7 "spoken word" installments, I've also included 8 holiday music scores that do not contain words, and point towards the birth of
Jesus Christ with soft joy and appreciation. It's the perfect way to step back from the hustle and bustle of the season, and think about God's Greatest Gift to planet earth.
Please keep watching over the next few days, as I will share a small audio sample for you to listen to. I'm not a super-technical guy, and it may take a bit to put it together, but I want to make sure it's done right, so please bear with me as I prepare that clip for you.
Let me know if you have any questions regarding this project. I will keep you in the loop as soon as this CD is available. For now, please keep this project in your prayers. I want to do what I can to bring Jesus Christ to the forefront of people's minds during this upcoming holiday season.
Warmest
Regards,
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
