Have You Ever Heard Yourself Talk?

Have You Ever Heard Yourself Talk? :

(Click Here For Audio)  Over the past week I’ve been making a recording of my blog post and posting them to a separate platform, but I’ve provided a link within the blog so you can click and listen, if you so choose.

Now, for the most part, I keep my computing devices, even my smart phone, silent because I’m not one to listen to rattling noises from websites as I research and search for information. Besides, I read faster than I listen and in a glance I can grasp the data I need, but to listen to you talk, and drone, and spend hours what should take minutes? Well, that’s just about a complete waste of my time!

Still, there are times I enjoy listening to the banter between news anchors, or other talking heads. Some have pleasant voice and speech mannerisms that just make you want to tune in.

For example, of all the news anchors I’ve ever listened to, I can still hear Walter Cronkite closing out his daily news cycle with:

“And that’s the way it is, Friday, May 12, 2017. This is Walter Cronkite. Good night.”

Without research, and decades later, I can hear his voice in my head. All through the 60’s and 70’s he spoke into our household and I will forever remember his quality words, and voice, his gentlemanly behavior as he spoke of victories, challenges and tragedies. He is often spoken of as the most trusted man in America. Why? We believed his words. They were spoken facts as they were known, and it was Walter Cronkite who told me of the assignations of the 60’s, along with the Space program, and the war that was unwinnable. We watched and listened to him as he spoke to our hearts and minds of the important news we needed to know.

There is something about the quality of some voices that begs you to listen. It’s like a singer. There are some you can hear and understand their lyrics, the music is a quality you enjoy, and the beat keeps you connected, note after note. We were listening to a favored singers new album last night, and one song in particular changed beat and went down a path I was not expecting – “Turn it off!” I couldn’t take it! That one song may never become a favorite, although I still enjoy the voice.

The other thing about my hearing is that I do not hear as well as I should. All those years of mainframe computers droning in the background created some hearing issues for me. My doctor says it’s about the range where most women’s voices are known to be! Proof! I don’t hear women as well as men, or, I have to listen better when a woman speaks than when most men speak. Still, there are voices, regardless of gender, that I have to focus all my attention on just to understand what they are saying…

Add to that, there are voices that simply grate on my nerves and I could never spend hours, much less a minute, paying any serious attention to them. That’s not their fault. It’s mine. But they pay the consequence of my inattention. I tune them out.

Add to that, just one more thing. There are some speakers that make no sense and their jocularity has no place in my hearing. I could never accept them in a serious mode because of their senseless banter.

Have you ever heard yourself talk? Try it. Turn that smart phone recorder on, and simply read a page of some favored reading material. Scripture. News. Book. It doesn’t matter. Read, and listen, and report back. Go ahead. I’m waiting…

Here’s My Daily Thought: When you read and record material provided by another, you are reading their words with your voice. But when you write what you want to say, and record it, then you are speaking your words with your own voice. And it becomes easier. Too often, the words we speak never originate with ourselves. We speak from another’s platform, speech style, and message. What you need to do is to learn the facts yourself, develop your own voice and speak your truth from your perspective, but back it up with solid facts!

We bend our voice to speak their words.

Unless you are in perfect harmony with the originator, then you are not able to speak their words as well as they could – even if their voice is not perfect.

Jesus doesn’t speak of his source of knowledge often, but this one time comes to mind. Consider that the words you speak are important and relay valuable knowledge of who you speak for, and the power of the words you speak.

In John 6:63, Jesus states, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Regardless of the timbre of his own voice, the content of the words are Spirit (GK: pneuma = a breath or blast of air – think about pneumatic). This is the same Spirit they received on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) when they were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was that breath of spiritual air that filled them.

He was telling them something long before the event occurred! Our words can easily be mistaken when we just rattle something off the cuff, but when we know what the future holds, then our words are the very life someone needs in order to grasp understanding in the future.

This is why it is so important to listen to the way you talk! You need to learn how to speak so others can grasp the importance of your words!

Did you listen to the way you talk? Your command of the language, usage of words, and logical progression of thought… It all matters…I’m just saying…”That’s the way it is…”

 

What Is The Rest of the Story?

What will be the rest of your story?

Through the years of driving to work early in the morning, I would listen to the talk radio with a primary focus on the traffic report. For the most part, Houston has an excellent spate of freeways and as long as you know where they go, how they are named, and the flow of typical traffic then a well timed traffic report can help you puzzle out a faster route to your destination.

There was a time when my brother, Vaughn, rode with me to my job and we enjoyed listening to several different “news reports” that were presented in a way that sounded like a magazine where you would find the story spread over several pages and interrupted by advertisements.

Charles Osgood presented his Osgood File, and is still doing it today. I do not find him around locally, but he was always a pleasant voice and story to listen to. I know he did a Sunday Morning TV show and after technology caught up to the rest of us, then we could listen to it through the internet. You should check him out… He’s still going strong! www.osgoodfile.com

Another story teller that caught my ear was when he first did a presentation of Alaska. Since this is my favorite state, anyone who presents Alaska in an honest approach has my appreciation. Charles Kuralt passed away in 1997, but one of his famous pieces and books was titled “On the Road” back in the day with the news was presented by the favored newscaster, Walter Cronkite.

Oh, and do you remember Cronkite’s tag line? “And that’s the way it is…” and he would then tell you the date as it appeared on the calendar! He was often cited in the 1960s and 1970s, as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll.

He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award. ~Wikipedia 

 

My favorite memory of him was announcing the landing on the moon. Since we grew up around the astronauts and their families, I have always paid attention to the reports during the day.

Whether they be with us still, or passed on, the one I miss the most is Paul Harvey. His opening salvo was very familiar and you might hear him start off saying this several times a day:

“‘Hello, Americans, this is Paul Harvey! Stand byyy for Newwws!'”

He would present a number of stories on the radio and would move from page one to “Page 2” and so on, until he reached the final page. Generally his last story was often blended with a sense of mystery and history. He would leave you hanging through the last commercial break and would come back and say, “And now, the rest of the story.” He would then wrap up the story and you would be amazed by the ending, often learning the name of the person in the story during this last segment.

He signed off his news report the same way every day, “Paul Harvey … Good day.”

At the age of 90, his voice was silenced. The same year as Walter Cronkite.

As with every notable person we think about, not every one is perfect. Facts of their past often surprise us, or affirm what we thought we knew. Was Paul Harvey perfect? Just like others I have written about, he was not perfect. It does none of us good to rehearse the past, but it is much better to remember the good that was done, the joy they gave us, and the warm fuzzy memories we have of what they left us with.

“What will be the rest of my story?”

How will I be remembered? Was I effective?

Is my speech as trusted as the news reported by Walter Cronkite? Is my presentation as smooth as Charles Osgood? Will I have a good story remembered like the ones I remember from Charles Kuralt? Will I ever be able to unfold a story like Paul Harvey?

It will be true that not everyone will have fond memories of everything I have done, but, just like I assure you that I will remember the best about you, then please remember the best of me…

But here’s the best thing. Our past, as I wrote yesterday, is the back story of our life. The way we live today is often a direct reflection of that “yesterday”. But the way we live tomorrow is yet to be unfolded. Isn’t that a blessing! Just like the Lord of our yesterday’s remember our past faults and failures…No More… (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17), and our future is still in our grasp to direct.

So… Live the best today for the hope of tomorrow. But be ready to adapt as we have no clue about the future.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NKJV)

The Rest of the Story

What will be the rest of your story?

Through the years of driving to work early in the morning, I would listen to the talk radio with a primary focus on the traffic report. For the most part, Houston has an excellent spate of freeways and as long as you know where they go, how they are named, and the flow of typical traffic then a well timed traffic report can help you puzzle out a faster route to your destination.

There was a time when my brother, Vaughn, rode with me to my job and we enjoyed listening to several different “news reports” that were presented in a way that sounded like a magazine where you would find the story spread over several pages and interrupted by advertisements.

Charles Osgood presented his Osgood File, and is still doing it today. I do not find him around locally, but he was always a pleasant voice and story to listen to. I know he did a Sunday Morning TV show and after technology caught up to the rest of us, then we could listen to it through the internet. You should check him out… He’s still going strong! www.osgoodfile.com

Another story teller that caught my ear was when he first did a presentation of Alaska. Since this is my favorite state, anyone who presents Alaska in an honest approach has my appreciation. Charles Kuralt passed away in 1997, but one of his famous pieces and books was titled “On the Road” back in the day with the news was presented by the favored newscaster, Walter Cronkite.

Oh, and do you remember Cronkite’s tag line? “And that’s the way it is…” and he would then tell you the date as it appeared on the calendar! He was often cited in the 1960s and 1970s, as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll.

He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award. ~Wikipedia 

My favorite memory of him was announcing the landing on the moon. Since we grew up around the astronauts and their families, I have always paid attention to the reports during the day.

Whether they be with us still, or passed on, the one I miss the most is Paul Harvey. His opening salvo was very familiar and you might hear him start off saying this several times a day:

“‘Hello, Americans, this is Paul Harvey! Stand byyy for Newwws!'”

He would present a number of stories on the radio and would move from page one to “Page 2” and so on, until he reached the final page. Generally his last story was often blended with a sense of mystery and history. He would leave you hanging through the last commercial break and would come back and say, “And now, the rest of the story.” He would then wrap up the story and you would be amazed by the ending!

He signed off his news report the same way every day, “Paul Harvey … Good day.”

At the age of 90, his voice was silenced. The same year as Walter Cronkite.

As with every notable person we think about, not every one is perfect. Facts of their past often surprise us, or affirm what we thought we knew. Was Paul Harvey perfect? Just like others I have written about, he was not perfect. It does none of us good to rehearse the past, but it is much better to remember the good that was done, the joy they gave us, and the warm fuzzy memories we have of what they left us with.

The one thing that came to my mind last night after our midweek Bible study, “What will be the rest of my story?” How will I be remembered? Was I effective? Does my speaking cause others to want to hear more much like the 24 million that tuned in to Paul Harvey? Is my speech as trusted as the news reported by Walter Cronkite? Is my presentation as smooth as Charles Osgood? Will I have a good story remembered like the ones I remember from Charles Kuralt?

It will be true that not everyone will have fond memories of everything I have done, but, just like I assure you that I will remember the best about you, then please remember the best of me…