Friday Favorites: Recent Podcast Recommends
Before we launch into the list, I thought I’d briefly explain why podcasts are back on my radar. I go through a terrible cycle of media consumption, something along the lines of documentary tv binge, drama tv binge, comedy tv binge, get sick of tv, social media binge, house gets too messy, back to audio binge while I Snow White my house, now house is clean, I feel I can sit down and relax for a few months, documentary tv binge…and it starts all over again. I go through this cycle six to nine times a year.
In my case, the part of that cycle that I feel the best mentally and physically is the audio binge section. And I think it’s because I can still function as a normal human being while still consuming a decent amount of media. Also, I’ve found myself to be a fussier audio consumer than a visual consumer. I can sit and watch absolute garbage for a lot longer than I can listen to it. And as a result, I find myself making better life choices when I’m in the audio binge phase.
So I thought I’d pass on 5 of my absolute fave podcasts at the moment. And even if they don’t fit your particular taste, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below with some recommendations of podcasts you love! I’m going to be attempting to let this phase leak into the other phases and hopefully bring some balance back.
1. The Holy Post
This one’s a doozy so it’s at the top of the list. The Holy Post contains good content where Phil Vischer, Skye Jethani and sometimes Christian Taylor meet together to chat current affairs and Christian topics of mainly American content. As a non-American myself, I was a little sceptical, but I found the content to be informative, humorous and well-rounded. I started to see that Christianity in America has similarities with other parts of the world, so I found a place to fit. Another plus, they don’t just discuss easy and comfortable topics with people who hold the same beliefs as them, but I’ve found some of their interviews with people of other beliefs within Christianity to cause me to rethink some of my long-standing beliefs and forced me to question why I do things a certain way.
2. Your Future Self Will Thank You
If you’d like to be challenged and informed in self-control and self-discipline, this is the podcast for you. The two hosts, Drew Dyck and Jeremy Slager, discuss some interesting keys to creating good habits and the basics of self-control. It was noted that self-control is the cornerstone to a bunch of other Christian disciplines, and I found this to be true! I found that the information given had the capability of bringing change to many, different areas of my life. So good!
3. Bridgetown Audio Podcast
I was so impressed by John Mark Comer’s feature on The Holy Post (mentioned above) that I immediately sought out his church’s podcast in the hope that I would hear something that resonated with my spirit. And resonate it did. I found their ongoing discovery of slow living and technology discipline to be so refreshing and forward-thinking. And it’s kinda sad but it’s so exciting to hear a church talking like this in such an intelligent way!
4. This Cultural Moment
This one has some seriously gnarly topics, but totally worth a go! It’s a well-thought-out collaboration between Bridgetown Church and Red Church. I would advise sitting down and giving one of these episodes your full attention, just to get a handle on the way the hosts talk to each other so that when the gnarly topics come into play full force, you’ve got a little head start on digesting the content.
5. Transformation Church
Quite different from my other recommends, but equally as encouraging, Transformation Church talks about a number of Christian topics from a young and effective standpoint. I think they’re well on their way to becoming a megachurch, and I always find it interesting learning what big groups of people are tuning into for their spiritual growth. I think they have a lot of value, and even though I sometimes disagree with some of the sentiments expressed, I find myself refreshed and encouraged after listening to these guys.
Coming Soon: The Dropdown Lounge
I thought now was the appropriate time to let the world know that I’m officially starting a podcast called The Dropdown Lounge where I’ll be focusing on people who are involved in volunteer/charity work in a creative way and discussing how that feeds into their other creative projects. I think as a culture, we’ve lost the importance of how giving out to others actually empowers us in a way that saving energy never will. But we can discuss more in the podcast hey? You can follow along on Instagram here.
I’d love to hear what some of your fave podcasts are! Drop a line in the comments below and we can encourage each other on!
