We have a small radio that moves around the house with us at different times of the day. The channel changes according to time of day too. It starts off with Radio 4 when Sally gets up and then changes to Radio 2 or 5 when she leaves the room and I have taken over. Later in the day it stays on Radio 2. We’re showing our age!

I have noticed that there is a considerable difference in the sound depending on where I put it. When you carry it around it sounds like a small portable radio. But when I put it down in some places there is wonderful bass resonance that enhances the sound brilliantly. The two best places are on a chest of drawers in the bedroom and (ahem) on the toilet cistern. They allow the bass notes to resonate and make the sound much richer.

Recently at our church we have started recording sermons as MP3 files, with a view to putting them on our church website soon. (They aren’t there yet). I had a quick listen to part of one of my sermons this week to check it had recorded ok and was horrified at the sound of my voice. I had forgotten that the sound of my voice I hear is different to what everyone else hears. For me there is resonance created by my own head that makes it a fuller sounding voice than what you hear. I am sorry. It’s the voice God gave me. I will attempt to put more variation and intonation into it, but you will still get my voice as heard on the MP3.

The combination of these two observations got me thinking. Either I need to sit on a toilet cistern when I preach to make my voice sound better. Or I need to be resting on God so that he creates resonance – not of my voice but of my words, resonating in people’s lives as his Spirit applies what I say to the different people listening. That way they won’t be so put off by the sound of my voice!

An old man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem. So one night, he stood behind her while she was sitting in her lounge chair. He spoke softly to her, “Honey, can you hear me?”

There was no response.

He moved a little closer and said again, “Honey, can you hear me?”

Still, there was no response.

Finally he moved right behind her and said, “Honey, can you hear me?”

She replied, “For the third time, Yes!”