5 Podcasts You Should Listen To

I would not have described myself as a podcast person. My radio channels of choice have always been music based and I rarely listened to the radio. I have tried various e-readers but found they pale in comparison to an actual physical book.

So what converted me to the point where I not only listen to some but have 5 I want to share?
Washing the dishes.

Having something that is more than background but actively engages my mind while I scrub pans has meant I’ve been known to say ‘It’s not your turn to wash up, it’s mine’ just because I have a podcast lined up. So here is what’s been keeping my kitchen clean and my mind active:

1. The Bible Project
   I was already a fan of their videos when I started listening to this. It’s so good than when an episode outlast the time it takes me to do the dishes - which is often - I will continue to clean the house so that don’t have to press pause. I have a binge-y approach to podcasts so I like to look for a miniseries, on the wisdom books or the tree of life, and listen to all of those over a few weeks then wait a while and find a different theme. Their deep dives into the Biblical Theology that unlies the videos is well worth a listen however fast or slow you consume it.

2. Knowing Faith
   This is probably my favourite. I arrived late to the party and loved it so much I listened to 2 years worth in about 6 months and was devastated when I caught up and had to wait a week for the next episode to come out! Why is it so great? Well, the hosts (Jen Wilkin, JT English, Kyle Worley) love what they’re talking about, they’re not afraid to disagree with each other and stay friends, they have the best guests, they make big theological ideas accessible without talking down to you: they’re like real people!

3. 5 Minutes in Church History
   This is a fun one. They literally only take 5 minutes but they pack in all the info. They’re so short I will use them as an oven timer and listen to 5 or 6 while something bakes. There’s a lot of the reformation, so Calvin and Luther, but also the less famous including Lady Jane Gray (she’s just my fave), and Francis Grimké. It’s fascinating.

4. Pass the Mic
   Is the podcast arm (wing?) of The Witness. They cover a lot of current events, pop-culture and the church all from the perspective of Christians who want to hear Christ first on everything. They also have super interviewees - Leslie Odom Jr and Michael B Jordan so you know this is no lightweight podcast but something you can get your teeth into. They have other podcasts too that I haven’t listened to but I want to, maybe they’ll end up on a future top 5 list.

5. The Bible Recap
   This podcast is designed to accompany your daily Bible reading, they have a plan in their show notes. So, I’m not actually following it at the moment - it’s waiting until I’ve finished my current reading plan. At the moment I’m listening to the odd episode that covers whatever book I’m psyching myself up to write a study on. The episodes are short (about 8 minutes) which is the perfect length for when you’ve finished reading the Bible passage, but also means that when you just dip in and out you haven’t had the study prepared for you but you’ve got enough to give you momentum to look deeper into the passage. There are some intro episodes you should listen to before you start - a kind of top tips and enthusiasm builder for the not undaunting task ahead. And a high mark of quality is the acknowlegement that you need to find your best fit - which is what you get here.

These are my top 5 and, since I’m now a podcast person, what else should I be adding to my list? Let me know in the comments below

5 free Bible-based resources for kids at home

A ‘normal’ Sunday School probably involves singing, sharing for prayer, a craft, maybe a game and at the very least a Bible Story with a chance to ask questions about what it means for us. Church services have often moved to some kind of streaming which works great for sermons but less well for small group situations.

That all becomes very tricky when you’re stuck at home with kids who might normal be split by age into different groups and with only the crafting implements you would normally have. Leave a comment with any resources you’ve found useful.

So here we have 5 resources that can help you to do Sunday School at home.

Let’s start by blowing my own trumpet: On this very website there’s a series of Digital Sunday School lessons which include a story, questions to link it to our lives today, memory verses, links to youtube videos for singing together and some crafty, and less crafty, activities you can try throughout the day or week.
At the moment there are four available and producing two more a week seems like a sustainable pace to keep up with so you could do a midweek Bible lesson if you wanted. The series will be 20 lessons long and each lesson is based on God healing someone - wonder where I got that idea!

1. Digital Sunday School

Ages 5-10

2. Big Picture Bible Crafts

Ages 3-10

If you’re looking for craft resources my friend Gail Schoonmaker, illustrator of the Big Picture Story Bible, has written a book, Big Picture Bible Crafts that takes you through the major plotpoints in craft form. The book is excellent and Crossway Publishers have made it available free on PDF (although I would definitely recommend buying it for the long haul if, like me, you’re a Bible teacher who isn’t strong on the craft side). Each craft comes with a resource list, a Bible passage a memory verse and how you can adjust it for different ages and abilities!

My go-to videos for Bible Stories are Crossroads Kids Club. The God’s Story series are short, thoughtful, with high quality animation and designed to show how this individual story fits in to God’s greater rescue plan. They’ve made loads of them, I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find one that fits in with any other material you are or have been using.

3. Crossroads Kids Club

Ages 3-12

4. Olly Knight Worship Music

All ages

If you want some family friendly music Olly Knight and family are producing regular worship sessions live on Facebook (they also post the lyrics) - they’re chatty, they’ll read the comments and praise Jesus. So why not grab whatever instruments you have and your dancing feet and join in.

The Village Church is super committed to Bible Education run by the church and has a massive selction of resources you should check out. Including a podcast for kids! Originally designed to be something you could play on a car journey they’d be great for younger kids at home as well. They are very American so come with a healthy dollop of cheese, but when that dollop is on a serving of easy to understand, well grounded Bible stories form John, then it’s very stomachable. They even include original songs. Search for God’s Big Story wherever you get your podcasts from.

5. God’s Big Story Podcast

Ages 3-8