BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Read Through the Bible MARCH Old Testament/New Testament Wed 1 Num. 7:79-89, 8:1-26 / John 1 Thu 2 Num. 9-10 / John 2 Fri 3 Num. 11-12 / John 3 Sat 4 Num. 13-14 / John 4 Sun 5 Num. 15-17 / John 5-6 Mon 6 Num. 18-19 / John 7 Tue 7 Num. 20-21 / John 8 Wed 8 Num. 22-23 / John 9 Thu 9 Num. 24-25 / John 10 Fri 10 Num. 26 / John 11 Sat 11 Num. 27-28 / John 12 Sun 12 Num. 29-31:1-24 / John 13-14 Mon 13 Num. 31:25-54, 32:1-42 / John 15 Tue 14 Num. 33 / John 16 Wed 15 Num. 34-35 / John 17 Thu 16 Num. 36 / Deut. 1 / John 18 Fri 17 Deut. 2-3 / John 19 Sat 18 Deut. 4-5 / John 20 Sun 19 Deut. 6-8 / John 21; Acts 1 Mon 20 Deut. 9-10 / Acts 2 Tue 21 Deut. 11-12 / Acts 3 Wed 22 Deut. 13-14 / Acts 4 Thu 23 Deut. 15-16 / Acts 5 Fri 24 Deut. 17-18 / Acts 6 Sat 25 Deut. 19-20 / Acts 7 Sun 26 Deut. 21-23 / Acts 8-9 Mon 27 Deut. 24-25 / Acts 10 Tue 28 Deut. 26-27 / Acts 11 Wed 29 Deut. 28-29 / Acts 12 Thu 30 Deut. 30-31 / Acts 13 Fri 31 Deut. 32-33 / Acts 14 “Read Through the Bible in a Year Plan” written by Marilyn Hickey, and used by permission. ****************************************** ********** article continues ********** "The Len Mink Show," which hit the air in December 1968, was an overnight success. A musical variety show, it soon became the hottest, most popular program in Cincinnati. Len interviewed guests, but mostly he sang—show tunes, Beatles hits, mood songs and folk music. Before long the show had been syndicated nationwide, and Len had expanded his popularity by serving as co-host of "The Nick Clooney Show" and appearing on "The Merv Griffin Show," "The Mike Douglas Show" and "The Steve Allen Show." Now, he was getting a standing ovation from Johnny Carson’s audience. Johnny joined the crowd in their applause and invited Len back in two weeks. Emptiness Unfilled That night, Len celebrated his success with friends in New York City. The next morning he sat on the bed in his hotel room, thinking. Where is the fulfillment success is supposed to bring? Fame had only made the emptiness in his soul more profound. Hoping a relationship would fill the awful void in his life, Len started dating a young model and co-worker, Cathy Gravitt. Like Len, Cathy had found success early in life. She’d begun modeling in high school and college, winning contests that took her to London. While there, she’d been paired with 19-year-old Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to attend the theater. The two young men went on to compose such hits as "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Cats," "Evita" and "Phantom of the Opera." Cathy won “Cincinnati Model of the Year” and traveled to New York where she shared a room at the Waldorf Hotel with Cybill Shepherd. At 21, after earning a degree in education from Ohio State, she moved to New York City where she worked as a model. Two blocks from where she lived in Greenwich Village, Link Mink sang at a nightclub called the Bitter End. They didn’t meet, however, until they were both back in Cincinnati. “We met when my mother insisted I take her to be in the audience of 'The Len Mink Show,'” Cathy recalls. “Len asked for my number and then lost it. The second time we met, I was modeling in a fashion show where Len and Johnny Bench were the emcees. That time he didn’t lose my number and we started dating. But we were both too empty to offer much to each other.” One morning, Len’s producer, Ken Bagwell, walked into the studio radiating a peace and joy Len had never seen before. “What happened to you?” Len asked. “I gave my life to Jesus,” Ken said. “I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” Ken’s conversion to Christianity affected the station. As program director, he selected the guests Len would interview. Suddenly, instead of movie stars and public figures, Ken began booking well-known Christians. “I found myself interviewing Arthur Blessitt,” Len remembers. “The man walked across the country carrying a cross and telling everyone about Jesus!” Following the interview, a pale, shaken Len Mink walked over to Cathy’s desk. “He prayed for me!” Len gasped, “out loud!” No Hope Weeks later, the emptiness in Len’s soul felt like a cavern. Having his own television show hadn’t filled it. Screaming fans hadn’t filled it. A standing ovation from Johnny Carson’s audience hadn’t filled it. Money hadn’t filled it. At home, he parked his car and walked inside like a zombie. That’s what he felt like—a walking dead person. He found his double-barreled shotgun and loaded both barrels. Sitting on the side of his bed, he positioned the gun barrels under his chin, pointing them toward his brain. He put his finger on the trigger. The sweat on his hands made it slippery. Slowly, he removed the safety. Ready to die, he whispered three words. “God, help me.” The explosion that erupted inside Len Mink had nothing to do with a gunshot. It wasn’t a bullet. It was peace. A peace that exploded around him. Peace that warmed him and held him. Peace he had never known. In the holy stillness that followed, Len Mink whispered his second prayer. “You’re really there, aren’t You, God?” Len put the gun aside and threw himself across the bed, sobbing. “I won’t leave this bedroom until I hear from You.” 12 : BVOV

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