Reviewing "The Voice"

Sorry this post is late. I'm finishing up reading for Grad School and getting ready to teach intro to the Bible at OVU, as well as being deeply involved in the normal chaos of youth ministry. Anyway...on the the reviews.

The Voice

The Last Eyewitness: The final week of Jesus--
I have to say that I'm impressed with this resource. I recommend it highly to anyone (adult, college, teen) who has honesty found it hard to "get into" personal Bible study. It is, in essence, a fresh tranlation of scripture...but it is so much more than that. It is a fresh approach. In particular, this volume covers the final week in the life of Jesus primarily from the book of John. Clearly deliniated from actual scripture, is a first person commentary written in the voice of John that brings in tons of historical and cultural context (I like this approach b/c it doesn't come across as scholarly, but is extremely informative and enlightening). "John" also bring in the perspectives of the other gospel writers (translated by different writers) where it gives a fuller picture of what's going on in the story. Chris Seay is the main author/editor for this volume (though it includes writing/translation by Brian Mclaren, Lauren Winner, Greg Garrett, and others). This is a promising start to the series.

Songs From The Voice Vol. 1: Please don't make us sing this song--
I normally hate things like this. Basically this is a compilation CD where music artists give their interpretations of several of the psalms. While I agree in principle this is how the pslams should be done, normally it results in fluffy pop garbage. I expected to hate this CD. I didn't. It's beautiful. These folksy arrangements hit home in unexpected ways and, I think, really capture the spirit of these pslams. Artists like Derek Webb, Don Chaffer, Sandra McCraken, Sara Groves and others lend their talenst and gifts to this beautiful interpretation.