5 Podcasts to Nourish Your Life Right Now

 

1.  Slingstones with Terry Wardle

 

When I was in Jerusalem last June, I had the Sabbath off to roam the city. It was a ghost town. The usually packed market was closed and buttoned up. The streets had a handful of people strolling, mostly dads pushing strollers. Restaurants were closed, awnings drawn. Only Palestinian taxi drivers were on the streets and they demanded a steep Sabbath tax from folks like me. I chose to walk from our Ramada to the Old City.

 

On my walk, I saw a group of Orthodox Jewish men, long curls, long black coats, white prayer shawls, white tassels streaming behind them. A white bearded rabbi walked in the middle of the pack. The others followed like a pack of journalists behind a politician. Animated. Taking notes.

 

If I was part of the Jewish rabbinical system, Terry Wardle would be my professed rabbi. I’ve had the privilege of sitting at his feet for numerous seasons of my life, listening, drinking it all in. I’ve read 90% of his books, (start here or here), taken years of his classes, taught 10 yrs of his curriculum, and much of my off-Terry reading has come out of the bibliographies at the back of his books. Much of my knowledge from Inner healing, the life of the Spirit, grace, neuroscience, mentoring and spiritual direction have all come straight from him or the other professors who teach with him. Because of this, I have a hard time distinguishing between their thoughts and mine, Anne Halley’s thoughts and mine, Sarah Herring’s thoughts and mine, etc. etc. etc. Sure, I bring my Anglicanism, my love for the arts, knowledge of the mystics, mix of evangelicalism and particular slice of Eastern Orthodox theology (start here), but in everything I do, I feel like I need to include a caveat and gratitude to Terry and Healing Care Ministries.

 

Start here: Gazing at the One Gazing at You

 

 

2. The Next Right Thing with Emily Freeman

 

Emily P. Freeman is my Inner Artist Whisperer.  Her book A Million Little Ways has pulled me out of writing paralysis more than once by whispering to my fears: “Just offer. Just offer. Just offer.” But Emily is more than a virtual writing coach, she’s a spiritual director who gives us 15 minutes of thoughtful stories every Tuesday.

 

Start here: No.8 Expect to be Surprised

 

 

3. Trinity Atlanta

 

I love this church for its coffee bar and hipster beards but even more so for its theology of Christian formation. I had the privilege of seeing Richard Foster here in March on his Farewell Tour. I love churches which presuppose that we all come with brokenness and are all on different stages of a journey and when I listen to sermons, I want to hear pastors pastors who have truly wrestled with what they are preaching and come to the text with deep humility. We should never come to the scriptures with mastery or a pronouncement that we have “arrived.” It’s just not honest.

 

I don’t miss a sermon by Kris McDaniel at Trinity Anglican in Atlanta.

 

Start here: Mark 5: 21-43

 

4. Andrew Peterson

My husband and I adore Andrew Petersen. He wrote our favorite marriage song here and we were hooked:

Someone recently introduced me to this Andrew Peterson interview by Annie Downs on her podcast, That Sounds Fun. If you love Andrew’s work, if you’re wondering about his passion for songwriting, or if you want to be inspired by his beautiful theology of art, listen to episode 83.

 

start here: Episode 83, Andrew Peterson

 

 

5. Unhurried Living with Alan and Gem Fadling

 

Last March I had the privilege of hearing Alan Fadling teach a class from his book, Unhurried Living. The teaching was fantastic, the book even more so. Fresh. Thoughtful. Rooted. Every Christian should wrestle with the concepts of rest and work within this book.

 

While there are incredible gems, this podcast can be a bit hit or miss. Keep mining. With this particular episode, we have been given soul care gold. I listened six times this last October-January. Here’s the presupposition: If we have active lives, we need to undergird them with a rhythm of life (what Benedictines call a Rule of Life) which will support it. He and his wife Gem take three historical figures and shares their rhythm of life: William Wilberforce, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr.  and augment these with stories of their own.

 

Start here:

Unhurried Living: rhythms of life

 

(Hi Friends, by the way, I’m slowly learning the ins and out of audio production for a possible lectio divina podcast in the future. What do you think?  Until then, I’m continuing to tape weekly videos of lectio divinas called The Slow Word Movement. Get them slipped into your inbox next week along with a free introduction to lectio divina and scripture meditations. Subscribe on the right.)