LightGrams
November 12, 2026
Volume 30, Number 40
If you tell most people that they’re loud, they’ll be insulted. That’s not true for Brenda Willison of Suffolk, England; she’s proud of that fact. In fact, she has been paid for being loud since 1987. That’s when she was hired to be the town crier for Peterborough.
Just how loud is Brenda? In September of this year, her volume was measured at 105.9 decibels as she cried “Oyez” (which means “Hear ye” in either Old Norman or French). That was loud enough to earn her the title of “Loudest Woman in the World” with Guinness World Records. A man from Australia earned the male version of that record earlier this year by reaching 122.4 decibels. Brenda believes she can be louder; she was dealing with a cold at the time of the contest.
Town criers have played significant roles throughout history, serving to warn residents of impending danger or to announce special community gatherings or events. In the Bible they are known as “watchmen” (e.g. 2 Kings 9:17 and Psalm 127:1).
I propose that there is a woman in the Bible who is truly the world’s loudest. Proverbs 7:10,11 speaks of her: “And there a woman met [a young man], with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious …” In Proverbs 9:13 we meet her again: “A foolish woman is clamorous”; the word “clamorous” in the Hebrew is the same as in 7:11; she is indeed a loud woman.
Most scholars understand this loud woman of Proverbs to represent the dark side of the world, making its appeal to those who are young and naïve. This “woman” lures the innocent into doing things that appear to be fun and harmless, only to be brought down to their destruction. Proverbs 9:18 points to this ultimate end: “But [the young man] does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.” (Do you remember the Eagles’ song, “Hotel California”?)
In contrast to this loud and wicked “woman” is another woman; many refer to her as Lady Wisdom. “Wisdom has built her house … She cries out from the highest places of the city … ‘Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding” (Proverbs 9:1,3,6). Thus, those walking in the streets of life are daily presented with cries for living wisely or for living foolishly.
Jesus recognized that the cries of the foolish woman are the loudest to most ears: “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13). But there is a better way: “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14).
Two voices compete each day for our attention. Use God’s wisdom in deciding which to follow.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2026, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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