Favorite Things: Three Podcasts for The Road
Since moving into a new apartment last year and having to walk close to a mile (this is a good distance for me; I enjoy walking on any good day) to get to campus, I’ve quickly become a podcast girl. I grab my headphones and power through my walk, often caught up in my own world. Now, I listen to them whenever I get the chance- between doing laundry and fixing myself a quick lunch. They’ve proven to be a good companion as the voices of people I’ve grown to admire fill the silence in my room and kitchen. I laugh and nod and rush to take notes. They’re so good, fun, and compelling in how they challenge my thinking; my favorite part is that these podcasts are all about God and His Word and the practical ways we’ve been called to live as Christians, to demonstrate love in a culture that’s quickly running out of it.
I’m currently reading Brother Lawrence’s Practicing the Presence of God, and all he talks about (really) is recognizing the intimate presence of God at all times, attaining a ‘habitual sense of God”, and filling his mind with Him. It’s a tiny book of his letters to people about the need to consistently-by simple attention- exercise ourselves in the knowledge and love of God even as we go by our duties and I’m amazed by how he placed so much emphasis on this one truth: “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess in God as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the sacrament.” Now isn’t that something?
I strongly believe what we listen to contributes to this conscious personal union between ourselves and God. If indeed we become what we behold, and the things we give our attention to significantly shape how we live our lives, and how we think about ourselves in the world, then certainly, what we listen to has just as much of an effect on us as what we watch or eat. In light of this, I’m sharing three of my all-time favorite podcasts with you. I’ll sneak in a few of my favorite episodes (if you’re like me and easily get overwhelmed with options and want a simple place to begin). I hesitate to call them recommendations, but they may be just that—if you’ve got some minute to spare in your day. Here are, among others, three of my favorite podcasts you’re sure to find me plugged in, listening to, and learning a ton from:
I just recently shared a reflection on Jackie Hill Perry’s book, Holier Than Thou. So I’m sure this comes as no surprise. On this podcast, co-hosted by her husband Preston Perry, the couple breakdown the Word and through exciting personal narratives, bring fresh perspectives about living as a believer in the modern world. The Perrys are jovial and have such a friendly and lighthearted set-up; sometimes it feels as if you’re just meeting up with a group of friends for coffee. I don’t believe their fun side takes away from the work they’re doing; if anything, it opens us up, and creates loving and kind conditions within which often controversial issues can be tackled. Some topics covered include relationships & marriage, social justice, cancel culture, etc. I have many episodes that I wouldn’t mind revisiting but this one was so convicting for me: Toxic Friendships. It completely changed my outlook on the idea of ‘toxicity’ (this episode was recorded in 2019, a time when the word was everywhere—and nearly everything we disliked was quickly labeled as toxic).
Memorable Quote: “I know myself enough to know that I don’t want to work to get to the other side where God might be in this friendship. If I defaulted to my natural disposition of cutting people off easily, my own maturity would have been stunted, my own ability to persevere in relationships, to even see how God can show Himself strong in us to grow our love for our neighbour. Your friend is your neighbour. Maybe God is saying, “I’ve given you this particular friendship as a means of sanctification in you, and that’s what makes it beneficial, but you would rather skip the hardship of fighting for the joy that can be found in these hard friendships.”- JHP (shoutout to James 1: let patience have its perfect work)
So I actually discovered this podcast because Jackie recommended it on her Instagram (At this point, I know I’ve completely given away my admiration for the woman of God ha, but that’s okay). This is the first podcast I’ve engaged with that takes the ‘teach the text’ approach in an exciting & non-traditional fashion. It’s like going to church all over again, but super fun because you laugh a lot. There are three brilliant hosts of Knowing Faith: Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley. These people are pastors, bible teachers and with some fancy theological seminary background, and so yes, this has been my introduction to terms like complementarianism and other interesting theological views. If this sounds daunting, it shouldn’t, because what they really do is explore topics that the everyday Christian hears about and experiences. I love that the friendship between these three comes through as they listen to each other, poke fun at each other and even—wait for it, disagree with each other in very respectful and mindful ways. Their conversations are honest, their arguments are grounded in God’s Word, and the perspectives they bring on board are so needed for our times. I love that they talk about the hard stuff and clearly grapple with some questions on air.
Their tag line is “Training The Church,” and it is exactly what they do. So far, I believe they’ve done a deep dive into the Book of Romans, and one area they’ve challenged my thinking is the subject of sanctification. In this era of cheapening grace and leaning on the notion of God’s abundant love (which is real and incredibly good), there’s a growing misconception of obedeince, God’s justice and holiness. Jen Wilkin said, “I think people get confused between positional holiness and practical holiness. Because we’ve placed such an emphasis on the Good news and justification, we forget to apply the Good News to our sanctification. Obedience is sanctification and the path to holiness.” I have Wilkin’s book, In His Image, sitting on my bedside table and cannot wait to read it. If you’re interested in wanting to dip your toes a little deeper into God’s word, to really deepen your understanding of some foundational Christian principles and practically live out a life of obedience and in true reverence of God, this is a very good place to begin (well, there’s primarily the Bible, of course!).
My close friends know I love a good interview. I could listen to writers, chefs, actresses talk about their work, their process, their struggles, all day, and then some. It wasn’t hard for Sadie Robertson’s podcast to quickly climb to my favorites list. Sadie’s a champ and a Jesus-loving, always-smiling, sweet-voice kind of lady. On her podcast, she invites people and the very first question they’re asked is: “What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?” I’m always fascinated by what people share, and the stories they carry with them, and how a statement could be so meaningful that it altered how they thought about things or even themselves. So this is very much interview-like in setup but it easily becomes a conversation (as most good interviews tend to do) where Saddie and the guests simply share their hearts, testimonies, and their walk with God. Some of these conversations are so vulnerable, so deeply moving and just filled with godly wisdom that I want to press tightly to my chest and never let go. One of these is her chat with Lisa Bevere (another powerful teacher and preacher) which left such a huge impression on me. These two women opened up about expectations and hurts, their painful childbirths and how they had to navigate feelings of fear, and disappointment. There are no filters. They don’t tie a happy-ending bow on the narratives of their lives. They are honest about it and unwavering in their faith in God, and confident of His redemptive power. This episode is so so good, and I hope you’ll listen to it now!
Memorable Quote: “Who you are to God is more important than what you could ever do for Him. Your identity is always attached to something you can never lose and what I can never lose-no matter what life brings-is the truth that I’m always His and He is always mine. God is deeply and personally attached and in love with you; He’s not detached or on the sidelines of your life waiting for You to mess up. If God says He has loved us with an ever lasting love and drawn us with His loving kindness, He means it. He’s set His heart to love you into wholeness.” - Lisa Bevere
Memorable Quote #2: “I had made excuses for my anger for a very long time. And I had learned that What I justify, I buy. When I use excuses and blame, I’m actually saying, I have to be this way because of what was done to me. But God is always saying to us: It’s not what was done to you, but what was done for you.” - Lisa Bevere
If you have any favorite Christian podcasts you listen to, I’ll love to hear about it! And if you do listen to any of these and are blessed by the conversations from these podcasts, I hope you can pass it on! Happy listening!
