Friends from I-540

Since Monday was my last day to drive my 112 mile commute to Clarksville, I felt it only fitting to honor the wonderful podcasters who have played such an important role in my life over the past 10 months. Not only have they helped keep me from falling asleep and from going insane with boredom, they have also informed my mind and heart quite a bit on a variety of topics. I would like to share them with you ... now that I won't be able to spend quite as much time with them they may need your listenership to keep them company.

Here they are, in the order in which they appear on my ipod. I have included my own 5-star rating system. A 1-star means I subscribed to the podcast and never listened to it and a 5-star indicates that even though I will no longer spend hours upon hours in my car each week, I will continue to make it a point to listen weekly to the particular podcast.

** American Public Media: Prairie Home Companion's News from Lake Wobegon.
I love Prairie Home Companion, but I prefer listening to the entire show live on the radio. Fifteen minutes of Garrison Keillor is still enjoyable, but I often forget about this one.

** American Public Media: How to Eat Supper. This was an offshoot of the following podcast. It was practical, but very short.

**** American Public Media: The Splendid Table. I very much enjoyed learning about food from this podcast. Two downfalls, though: it would make me become very hungry which is not good when your only options are fast food places off the highway; and sometimes Lynn Rosetto Kasper's voice made me want to fall asleep.

*** Desiring God (John Piper's sermons). I thought I would love this because I really enjoy reading Piper's books. However, I found that (at least in my opinion) his sermons tend to be a little too structured. Sort of reminded me of Bible class lectures in college. They are great, but you get the feeling that you ought to be sitting up straight and taking notes to get the most out of it.

** Fellowship Bible Church Saturday Night. I only listen to these if I'm not able to be at church. The only reason they didn't get a higher rating is because I usually hear them live.

* Imago Dei Community Podcast. I think I subscribed to this because I liked the name of the church. I really haven't listened to it much at all.

** Learn Spanish Spanishpod. I think this has the potential to be very helpful, but alas, I have not been disciplined enough to stick with it.

**** Mars Hill Bible Church (Rob Bell). I'll have to admit that I listen to this one mostly because Rob Bell is such a controversial figure in the arena of U.S. evangelicalism. Sometimes I really like what is said, other times I don't. Still a good listen.

***** Mars Hill Church (Mark Driscoll). It took me a while to get used to Mark's personality, but I will definitely continue listening to him. I'm very challenged by his sermons, and I appreciate the loyalty to the Scriptures.

**** Mosaic (Erwin McManus). I love Erwin's focus and passion. He is probably my favorite person to listen to, based solely on charisma, but his sermon's tend to be very topical, and as far as regular listening, I prefer a more exegetical approach. He has challenged me a ton in my relationships. I'd highly recommend his series from earlier this summer on practical wisdom.

* Notes in Spanish Intermediate. Never listened to it.

***** NPR: Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me! I love it. Listen to it all the time.

**** Fellowship Blble Church Sunday Morning. I like to keep up with the teaching from the Sunday morning congregation at our church, but it's not often my first choice.

*** The Moth Podcast. Unscripted autobiographical stories told live on-stage.

***** The Village Church (Matt Chandler). I think of Matt as a younger, more entertaining, and easier to understand version of John Piper. Very similar theology, not as difficult to get into listening to.

***** This American Life. Several stories/episode that all relate to a central theme. I'm crazy about this one.

*** Travel with Rick Steves. Fun to hear about other cultures and travels, but for the last several months I've just been more interested in listening to other things.

***** Reformed Theological Seminary: History of Christianity. This one isn't a podcast, but you can find it on itunes u. When my brain is clear enough to really pay attention, I love learning while I drive.

So there you have it ... my podcasts and reviews. Enjoy!