Godly Living – Titus 2:11-15

So I’m going back to school with iTunes. Yesterday I spent a while hunting down some courses from places like Arizona State University, Duke and the Open University to fill in some blanks. I’ve downloaded the first couple of lectures from seven different institutions and plan to listen to each one and pick three of the best to keep me going for the next few weeks.

I’ll let you know if it’s any good when I get to the end.

Set up as a network to encourage and grow younger Christian leaders, the podcasts were part of a communication strategy trying to link experienced leaders with those just starting out on the road to Christian leadership.

The quality of the podcasts were always good and the interviews provided some really useful information, so why are they stopping after almost two years.

David Couchman who presented the podcasts wrote the following on his blog…

In the future, the main way the Slipstream resources will be delivered will be through the e-letter. Users identified email as their preferred way to receive information. This will be more frequent, shorter, and will not have a regular schedule, but will be sent out when there is something specific to say – a new resource, an upcoming event etc.

Read the full post here

A few thoughts

1. We can often get caught up in schedules and loose the plot of what we are trying to do. If you plan to release something once a month you have to produce something once a month, regardless of whether you have good quality content or not. I don’t think this was a problem for Slipstream, they had lots of good stories – including interviews that I recorded with Andrew Hamilton and Eric Bryant that never made the cut.
2. You have to use appropriate media for what you are trying to share. It’s far quicker for me to read an e-mail than it is for me to listen to a podcast. Much of what was shared through Slipstream could have been conveyed faster in writing than by listening to the audio.
3. Finally, does the technology limit the audience? I reckon more people can be reached by e-mail than by podcast. I listen to podcasts because I have an iPod and use iTunes on my home computer. If it wasn’t for my attachment to the Mac I probably wouldn’t bother. In other words, a podcast may be convenient for me but not necessarily for everyone. I reckon the e-mail route will give access to a wider audience.

What do you think?

To share in some of the stories, hear of the successes of the past and consider the challenges of the future is worth the time away from my desk.

We spent some time at the start in small groups discussing the story in John 13:1-17, where Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. We drifted a little from the structure of the questions we had been given, which was good, because it allowed a member of the group to share the following (and I’m paraphrasing).

A strong relationship with God allows us to be humble. In the passage we see Jesus, God in human form, putting on a towel and bending down to wash the feet of men, including the guy who was about to give him up to be crucified.

If Jesus was looking for human authority or power he would have his feet washed by others, not bend to do it himself. However, his status is secure with God. He is the Son of God, that cannot be taken from him. Because of this security Jesus could be humble and do what is right rather than what is expected.

For us it’s the same. If our security is in God, our identity safe with Him, then it frees up our options to choose what is right rather than what is popular.

Last night I was listening to a similar thing in a podcast from the Viallage Church. Lessons learned along the journey, it’s worth a listen if you have the time.

As work has been getting busier it’s becoming harder to think, but at times like this it’s even more important. In the office I’ve tried to instigate some reflection time into the week. We spend 30 minutes on Monday talking and praying about what’s going to take place during the week ahead, on a Friday afternoon we look back and see what has happened and pray and thank God.

This week we reflected on:
The Eden to Eternity tour. I went on Wednesday to see the production and was really impressed. Tany describes it as being like seeing the Reduced Shakespeare Company, which is a huge complement. Anyway, after a shaky start it’s picked up, both in the quality of the production and the size of the crowds.

On the back of that we are getting some good PR and some local radio stations are going to be doing some interviews around this on Sunday morning.

We also had a guy on UCB Radio on Tuesday talking about lost languages and the work we do to protect native languages. This also required some updating of the website and loading the first properly edited (but still rough) Wycliffe podcast.

I also interviewed some of the people who are meeting here discussing scripture use. It’s a bit of the operation that we probably don’t talk about enough, as the aim of Wycliffe isn’t just to translate Bibles, but also to enable communities to read and understand them. To do this we have to teach literacy and provide some level of education.

Then there were just the straightforward, unglamorous stuff that has to take place during the week, mailings, filing, meetings and minutes.

So I’m looking forward to this weekend. Time with Tany, a friend’s wedding, more marriage preparation stuff… but also the drive home. Have a good weekend folks.

You probably don’t remember, but in April 08 I managed to combine my holiday with a few interviews with church leaders working in different situations. Since then a suitable slot for the interviews hasn’t been forthcoming, until now. Seize the Day is a new podcast from Focus.

You can listen to it to get more info, but the important bit is that it uses my interview with Brandon Dickerson.

I hope you all enjoy it.