Do you remember Apple’s little iPod Nano? I sure do! Mine was a gift from my wife while our family was living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Back then I was working for a Home Depot subsidiary and doing a lot of driving back and forth between Las Cruces and Albuquerque and radio could be a bit sparse. That little device started my shift away from listening to music on the radio to listening to the music I wanted to, when I wanted to, at the touch of a button. Eventually I started listening to podcasts today and that is almost all I listen to in when I am alone in the car.
I particularly enjoy listening to podcasts when I am making a drive of several hours. Since I get up to North Georgia regularly for various reasons, I have the chance to really get into longer podcasts and have a number of them I enjoy. I thought it would be fun to share a few of the podcasts I listen to and why.
The Briefing with Dr. Albert Mohler
This podcast is one of the few I subscribe to and make it a point to catch daily. Dr. Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, describes it as “a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.” If it is making headline news in a big way, you can rest assured that Mohler will be talking about it here. The format is a solo commentary so there are no interviews or anything else to distract from the analysis and Christian critique of the issues being considered.
A typical episode addresses three or four points and runs roughly for about 20 minutes. For me this is perfect for the drive into work each morning. Recent issues addressed include religious liberty, LGBTQ news, legal marijuana, and the 2020 political campaigns for president. If world events interest you and the Christian perspective is missing from the coverage you’re currently receiving, consider giving The Briefing a listen. Better yet, subscribe!
Lead On with Dr. Jeff Iorg
This podcast is another of the few I subscribe to and listen to as soon as new episodes drop. Dr. Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention and here he discusses practical issues related to ministry leadership. This podcast is one of my favorites because of the practical focus the topics discussed focuses on.
Like The Briefing, the format of Lead On is a solo commentary in which Dr. Iorg shared practical advice for a range of ministry leadership issues that churches face on a regular basis. I had the opportunity back in the fall of 2015 to meet Iorg in person and spend about 90 minutes chatting about a whole range of topics while attending the Montana Southern Baptist Convention. I can tell you Iorg gets ministry in the local church, especially outside the Bible Belt, and the advice he shares is gold!
Dear HBR
There’s a good chance you have no idea what HBR stands for and that’s okay. The abbreviation stands for Harvard Business Review which is a general management magazine published by Harvard Business Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harvard University. Dear HBR springs out of the magazine and bills itself as the advice show for workplace dilemmas.
The format of this podcast differs from the first two. It has two hosts and a guest that discuss listener questions about various workplace topics such as workplace culture conflicts, building trust, performance reviews, etc. Really, any topic faced in a workplace is fair game. Though this podcast lacks any Christian perspective on the views discussed, it is quite helpful in providing a different point of view on issues many of us face as we do ministry in the local church.
There are other podcasts I listen to periodically, especially if I have a lot of drive time to fill. There are other podcasts I have checked out and dropped after a short time for various reasons. Let me know what you think and tell me about some other podcasts you listen to.
Blessings,
Chris