iPods and Podcasts

The iPod is an icon of our generation. It's a must-have tool of entertainment. Every contest offers a free iPod, demonstrating the iPod's dominance and demand in pop culture. And I'm getting mine in 3 days.
(go ahead, click on it...)
Yes, I know other mp3 players are cheaper, hold more songs, and may even be higher quality that Apple's iPod, but I just can't pass this one up. I was set to get my iPod and then something happened - I got married. Oh stop... I'm not dissing my marriage. I just had to change my Game Plan in regards to the iPod b/c this husband and wife are all about the budget. My impulsive consumer ways have been tamed (sometimes violently) with Katie's wise handling of our finances, and I will someday thank her for her discipline. Until then, I just apologize to her for my years of bad habits.

Back to the iPod. So we're going to Chicago - we actually get to go to the Apple store on Michigan Avenue. That's sure to be a blast. And when I walk out of that store, I'm making a b-line for Borders. Sitting with an iced vanilla latte, I'm going to plug in my iPod and hook it up to iTunes. If I need to describe iTunes, you need to get out more.


The thing with my iPod is that I'm going to finally have a place to store all my podcasts. I subscribe to 14 of them. Podcasts are audio or video files that are uploaded to iTunes. For example, our church (Blackhawk) uploads their video sermons each week. Then people like me can go to iTunes and subscribe to the podcast. Then whenever I open iTunes, one click on the update button keeps all my podcasts current. It's a wonderful thing for people like me who are always mobile and don't know when we'll have time to listen to a podcast.



(Podcast icon)



So what podcast to I subscribe to? There are a few pastors around the country that have some great things to say about the Church and how to be relevant in today's world.

Erwin McManus - Mosaic
Rob Bell - Mars Hill Church
And of course Chris Dolson and Company - Blackhawk Church

Then there's the leadership. Ahh, the leadership. I haven't touched on this a lot, but over the last 4-5 years, the study of leadership has probably become an addiction (don't even get Katie started...). Here's a couple I like:

Leadership Podcast (simple, but good)
Defining Moments - anything with Bill Hybels is A+
Practically Speaking - anything with Andy Stanley is A++, more exciting


Lastly, there's the culture. In this area, I have 2 that are absolutely wonderful.

One Campaign - Bono's deal fighting AIDS and global poverty
Relevant - the magazine's podcast with great interviews and highlights from pop culture

So there you have it - Hans' Podcast Subscriptions. I'm always looking for more, so if you find one (other than Ask a Ninja), write me a comment.