Lately, for about the past 6 months or so, I've really gotten into podcasting. Whether it's helping friends get started with their own podcasts or downloading podcasts of my favorite news, entertainment & spiritual subjects, podcasting has changed the way I learn about the things I am interested in. And there's just about a podcast for anything you can think of.
One the most influential podcasts I subscribe to is the Mars Hill Church podcast, Mark Driscoll's church in Seattle, WA. I was introduced to Mark Driscoll's teaching from a couple of friends at church who showed me a few of his written pieces in Relevant Magazine (excellent read) and I was intrigued. Dug a little deeper in who this guy was, wikipedia'd him and checked his website out. This guy is a no nonsense pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the country in a very challenging part of the country to grow a church. He teaches very much in line with what we teach at the Vineyard. He is culturally relevant and biblically faithful at the same time, which is a priority for me.
In addition to the Mars Hill podcast, I also subscribe to Vineyard Kenner's podcasts (my church) and Rob Bell's podcast, all who I listen to while I work. I can't tell you how much I've learned about my relationship with God and my place on this earth through these podcasts.
A few interesting quotes to give you an idea what he's like:
“Churches that embrace tradition over their children will die slow and painful deaths.” Relevant Magazine
"You have been told that God is loving, gracious, merciful, kind, compassionate, wonderful, and good sky fairy who runs a day care in the sky and has a bucket of suckers for everyone because we're all good people. That is a lie... God looks down and says 'I hate you, you are my enemy, and I will crush you,' and we say that is deserved, right and just, and then God says 'Because of Jesus I will love you and forgive you.' This is a miracle." The Radical Reformission (Zondervan, 2004, p. 40)
"...I am myself a devoted heterosexual male lesbian who has been in a monogamous marriage with my high school sweetheart since I was 21 and personally know the pain of being a marginalized sexual minority as a male lesbian." christianitytoday.com
"In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging Church and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake." TheResurgence.com
If you don't currently subscribe to any podcasts, please at least check out Driscoll's and listen to some of his teachings. A bonus for you if you check him out, he's VERY funny. Fell out my chair many o' times.
I dig him.
Search Mars Hill Seattle at itunes or check out these links:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/http://www.marshillchurch.org/feeds/http://theresurgence.com/md_blog
This should be quite entertaining (see link above), especially if you enjoy the sweltering tension between the fans of Football European and those of you who love Football American (or Gridiron Football) as it is sometimes referred to. For those of you who don't know, David Beckham was the worlds best Soccer player in Europe until he was deemed over the hill and decided to now be the best Soccer player in America. And here's a lovely pic of him in a Saints helmet.
