What has been your experience with PRS?
I first heard about Public Reading of Scripture through a friend who attended weekly at the Grace and Mercy headquarters in Manhattan. During one of my trips to New York, he invited me to go with him to a PRS session for lunch. After that, I was hooked, and became a regular attendee on Wednesdays. In fact, the experience of Public Reading of Scripture has been so profound, that I have introduced every executive leader from Focus on the Family Colorado headquarters to PRS. Our organization has also conducted PRS devotions in several departments using the PRS app.
What have you learned?
It is amazing how listening to a theatrical reading of the bible gives you such a good visual perspective. Especially while you are also following along with the written Word. Our teams found that the experience of PRS brought the stories to life in a way that we could each imagine the situation and characters. One person’s idea of what the biblical scene looks like might be very different from what another person might be thinking. Yet, the context of the reading is still the same.
Have you had an “a-ha” moment?
My “a-ha” moment came the very first time I attended PRS in Manhattan. We were meeting in the New York Times building on a top floor where you could see the busyness of New York City all around. People from many different offices began to show up in the conference room to participate in PRS. So many that it was standing room only. Then, the scripture readings began, and it was as if we were in an “oasis” in the middle of what is normally a chaotic city. Everything else seemed to get tuned out as the words from the bible clearly resonated through the conference room. What a peaceful experience!
How has PRS benefited you, your organization, and others?
Our organization produces a children’s theatrical audio series called Adventures In Odyssey. Because it’s audio, children over the years have imagined what each character might look like. PRS gave us the idea to have the characters read major bible passages and chapters. We then were able to post the readings online for families to listen too at home over meals and in family devotion times. The impact was tremendous! Many families have been enjoying PRS sections voiced by the characters of Adventures In Odyssey. We now plan to have the Adventures in Odyssey characters record the entire bible.