Some of you may have realized I'm a bit of an information hound. I love to learn, I strive to understand, and I believe that if I am going to have any sort of impact on the world around me where my faith is concerned I better understand a couple of things to have the greatest opportunity to influence and defend. Soooooooo...iTunes is kind of my nemesis (or my Great Enabler), if you will. I love, Love, LOVE the podcast section at iTunes. In fact, I have had to purchase an external hard-drive simply because I have so many podcasts on my computer...and, needless to say, it tends to slow down a computer's memory after the 3000th one or so. (And, yes, I do listen to many of them...maybe not completely FOCUSED on listening, but I DO listen to them. (And if I don't listen to them right then, I always find opportunities on the road or when cleaning the house (or walking on the treadmill or outside) to pop on my iPod and headphones and get caught up. Now I just need a MUCH larger iPod. :)
Well, I just discovered another new one. (Usually I make myself stay away from the podcast section, or in general the iTunes store, because there's just SO MUCH to learn out there!!) Leonard Sweet is a professor at George Fox University. My sister and I attended a conference there a few years ago when she surprised me for my birthday, and I fell in love with the peace and calm of the campus. I am familiar with his name only (until today) because I've seen it on some of the books I've wanted to buy. Books like, "The Gospel According to Starbucks" and "The Church in Emerging Culture" and others. If you want, you can go to leonardsweet.com and learn more about him.
I stumbled across his podcast yesterday ~ actually, I think it was in the new dangerous area of iTunes, iTunesUniversity (seriously! They're really feeding my addiction!!) ~ and it's called, "Napkin Scribbles." They're short, they're (no pun intended) sweet, and they remind me that I can know a lot and impact very few if I don't live with the transformational power of Jesus impacting my own life. I highly recommend it.
To download podcasts you don't need an iPod ~ you simply need a computer with internet access where you can download the iTunes application from the link in the title. Then you go to iTunes store...click on Podcasts...select your category and have fun!
Here are some other podcasts I highly recommend (some are for parents...some are just for fun...there's one that is here so I can know how "the other side" thinks and have a ready defense...and there are some that are for my boys, of course, but each of these you will probably find on my iPod if you were to pick it up at random.)
My most recommended for culture and relevant talk:
*Dennis Prager ~ he's a national talk-show host whom I HIGHLY respect and enjoy. In order to get his podcast you have to join Pragertopia at pragertopia.com, but for $7.00 a month, it's VERY MUCH worth it. He has three specific hours each week that Scott and I thoroughly enjoy and find entering into our conversations regularly: The Ultimate Issues Hour, The Male-Female Hour, and the Happiness Hour.
My most recommended for Christian Living:
*Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll ~ straight Bible, established teacher and past President of Dallas Theological Seminary.
*Truth for Life with Alistair Begg ~ Intelligent, straight Bible...and his Scottish accent keeps my ears tuned in!
*Enduring Truth with Pastor Paul Sheppard ~ Pastor Paul cuts no corners, and his straight-talk is refreshing and convicting
My most recommended for parenting:
*Love and Logic with Jim Fay ~ a great parenting podcast! Love and Logic may seem like it's a cheater's way out because you're giving kids choices, but when you read the books and really learn what it's about you see that it is a valuable tool that is missing in so many of the young people I see at school: the ability to choose what is best for everyone involved, not just themselves. Dr. Fay has a saying, "You may do whatever you want as long as it doesn't negatively affect anyone else." He then goes on to describe that every choice we make, even if it doesn't seem like it's going to affect others, does. Powerful and SMART!!!
*There are a couple from the same organization: Focus on the Family ~ I podcast both the daily radio show and the Official Adventures in Odyssey podcast. The show just has such great stories of people's lives and God's impact on them. The AIO podcast I say is for the boys ~ radio drama for the whole family at it's best ~ but I can't say that when I'm in the car alone listening to them! :)
My most recommended for learning to defend your faith:
*The Bible Answerman with Hank Hannegraff ~ In an age where so many "ministries" are about making people feel good and in so doing they leave out the "hard parts" of the Bible, or straight-out reinterprate the Word, this hour-long call-in show is a needed podcast for every Bible-believing Christian. I warn you, there tends to be a lot of "marketing" for products and books, but whatever. The truths and clarity of Biblical wisdom far outweighs the negatives. I have to say, I used to think he could come off as rather prideful and arrogant when he talks, but he's tamed down quite a bit and his heart is pure in his absolute desire to get people immersed in the truth of God's Word.
*Coffee Cup Apologetics ~ I enjoy this podcast because it's all about defending faith. Learning how to share truth, what kinds of questions to ask (I've learned that people are much more willing to hear me when I'm asking them questions and letting THEM think about the answer instead of telling them what they need to know! :) ), and what the arguments are against Christianity. Important podcast if you interact with humans at all. *grin*
My most recommended overall:
**New Heights, Matt Hannan ~ I'm biased because this is our church, but I urge you to download the sermons. Pastor Matt is a gifted speaker who has the ability to communicate the Bible in a straightforward, grace-based way. It is not unusual to hear a brand new believer and/or a "Seeker" who hasn't yet made a decision for Christ AS WELL AS an established, mature Christian saying they learned so much from his message. Right now he's doing a series on Proverbs ~ my favorite book of the entire Bible ~ and it's GOOD!!
Ugh, there are so many, so now I'm just going to make a list ~ I know, I'm what Pastor Matt calls a "pathological learner" so my list is long, but don't think you have to listen to them all! The ones above are the most recommended.
*Cooking with the Moms ~ healthy ideas with kid appeal
*Flylady on Blogtalk Radio ~ household tips and support
*Internet Monk ~ apologetics based
*Grammar Girls Quick & Dirty tips for better writing
*Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram
*Mosaic with Erwin McManus (I highly recommend his book, Soul Cravings
*Classic Radio Speeches
*Classic Radio Mysteries
*Classic Radio Comedies
*Brian Regan ~ HILARIOUS G-PG comedian! HILARIOUS!!!!
Oh! I almost forgot the one I listen to in order to know what kinds of arguments/questions "the other side" has. It's called "Reasonable Doubts." They're intelligent, and completely secular, so expect that it's not entirely "clean." Why would it be? I listen to understand...
I think I'll stop now. if you have a favorite, and you'd like to enable me to feed my addiction, please share. :)
Have a great day!
T
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