So, I pulled out my trusty cassette player and dropped in the Book of Chronicles RSV audio tape by Alexander Scourby. I turned out the lights and dropped off to sleep in less than 15 minutes. I was awaken by a loud "bang" of the cassette shutting off. But, it worked!!
The next evening, I plugged the cassette deck into my photo timer. I would set the hand to 15 minutes and turned on the cassette. It worked again. If I happened to be still awake when it shut off, I would reset it to another 15 minutes.
Five years later I was married and I got my wife into listening as well. After a few more years, we decided to use pillow speakers because sometimes I would want to listen and I did not want to wake her. There was still the problem with the big "bang" of the cassette turning off, so I actually rigged up an auto-reverse, in-dash car cassette deck.
Finally, technology came to the rescue with MP3 players. Though I had wished that Apple would have built in a better auto-shutoff timer, my prayers were answered by a company called iHome. Believe it or not, it is the ONLY docking station that has a "Sleep" function. Not a "Snooze", but a "Sleep"-- big difference. The "Snooze" turns off your iPod when the alarm goes off, then turns it on again after 10 minutes. That is opposite of what I needed. The "Sleep" button turns my iPod on for a given amount of minutes, then turns it off... perfect!
After 30 years I have gone through the entire RSV Bible six times, then switched to listening to Chuck Smith's teachings through the Bible. I went through his 2000 series three times, and the 3000 series four times! Only problem is, if I hear him on the radio in the car, I want to dose off. :-P Here is a list of my equipment if you want to try this solution yourself.
Chuck Smith's 3000 series
iPod Classic - chose this one for the large drive and got a steal of a price on eBay.
iHome - there are several models, but this one is inexpensive. Sleep button not very accessible, but you get used to finding it. Press the button once, pause, then 3 times to get 15 minute intervals. This model, too, is only available on eBay.
A Pillowsonic Speaker - Doesn't put a "hump" in your pillow like the single speaker versions.
A few notes. I tried listening to Chuck Missler, but he is so intellectually stimulating, I found it difficult to turn off my brain. I also tried listening to the Word of Promise audio Bible, but it was also too stimulating with all its music and sound effects. Chuck Smith is perfect with his straightforward teaching. The only negative is when he sings at the end of his closing prayer, it is very loud and jarring... "OUR FAAATHER, WHICH ART IN HEEEEAVEN!" But, I still love it and miss him terribly.
