It seems like I just re-read the actual book, but that was in 2020. I’m not sure at what garage sale I might have picked up this single audiocassette with no binder/folder, but our recent ride back from St. Louis (to see Herb Alpert as the ancients foretold), I popped it into the vehicle’s audio cassette player.
This is a condensed version of the book, and it’s read by the author. It has three “chapters” that distill some of the book’s contents into less than an hour and a single audio cassette. It covers, basically, the power of prayer, the power of reframing your mind with positive affirmation, and whatnot (he said, because a couple of days later he forgot one of the chapters). A female narrator, who introduces us the the Sound Ideas, offers some takeaways and exercises as well, but basically, they’re to reframe your thinking by repeating some of the uplifting Bible verses like “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24) and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) as well as studying some scripture for solace.
Some people have likely dinged Peale for his focus on calling upon “The Power” that God has given you–it seems a little gauche, perhaps, but some interpretations of the Old Testament and some bits of the epistles (and perhaps even the Gospels) encourage believers to call for aid for the basics and for triumphs. So I’m not going to pile on him for his interpretation. It served him, and many of his followers, well.
My beautiful wife remarked a bit on one of the elements–silence, and listening to God, I think–and said nobody does this sort of thing any more. However, they do. It’s just been denatured and turned into Mindfulness. Strip the words God and Christ out of Peale’s teaching, and it would fit right into the modern zeitgeist without having icky Christian overtones. But, to be honest, the lessons are also found in Buddhism and Stoicism which predate Christianity.
At any rate, it was a nice, short review of the material, and I might well listen to it again.
Discogs lists 13 titles in the series, but does not include this one. They might be worth picking up when and where I can, if I ever see others of the ilk.
As to this title, I’m not sure what to do with it. I’m not sure where I got it, but without an audiobook-style binder, I won’t put it with the other audio books on the bookshelves. I’ll probably put it under the bed with the rest of our audiocassettes.
