My Favorite Podcasts
I’ve got about a 20 minute (sometimes 30 during school season) commute to work. I like to redeem my commute by listening to podcasts. I generally subscribe to about ten or twelve of them so I have a wide range of options when I get in the car. My moods change and my needs change and my interests change, so I like to have some variety. Currently this are the podcasts on my iPhone:
Fresh Air (NPR). Yes, I’m a conservative who loves NPR. I love Fresh Air because there is such a variety of interesting content. Terri Gross interviews a wide range of guests, from historians to jazz musicians to athletes. I don’t listen to all of them and I don’t always agree, but I find that I learn much. For instance, there was a recent episode with a journalist who just returned from Iraq and Syria and gave a detailed account of ISIS. Another one returned from Nigeria and reported on Boko Haram.
Morning Joe Podcast. I’m a huge fan of Morning Joe, but I don’t always have time, in fact, I rarely have time to catch the show in the mornings. I find their podcasts, which condense all of the content, commercial free, into 40 minutes or so, is well worth my time. I get an update on the latest news with some incisive commentary. And no, I don’t watch the video while I’m driving, in case you were wondering!
The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons. I’m a huge sports fan and, for me, there is no better sports columnist/interviewer/fan than Bill Simmons, founder of the terrific site, Grantland. I don’t listen to all the podcasts, because sometimes he gets into niche pop culture stuff that I have no interest in. But during the NBA free agency period this summer, there was no better listening than this.
Canon and Culture Podcast. A little shout-out here to one of our new ERLC podcasts. This is based from our DC office and always has informative and good guests. The latest one about North Korea is really good. Check it out.
Family Life Today. This is always on my podcast. Like the others, I can’t catch everyone, but as a father of four children, I need this podcast. Bob Lepine and Dennis Rainey interview parenting and family experts and offer their own sage, Bible wisdom. Highly recommended.
Brook Hills Church. I love the preaching of David Platt. His rich, biblical exegesis and passion for Christ helps me grow as a Christian.
First Baptist Mount Juliet. My pastor, Andy Hale, is a terrific preacher. I podcast this for the weekends that I’m speaking or traveling so I don’t miss what God is teaching us as a body of believers.
City Church. This is my buddy, Dean Inserra, a terrific preacher in Tallahassee. Highly recommended.
Mere Fidelity. Matt Anderson, Derrick Rishmaway and others host a podcast on theological philosophical ideas. This is a new podcast that I really, really enjoy. Helps me understand some hard-to-understand concepts.
The Rich Eisen Podcast. Rich is a host on the NFL Network. This is for football junkies. During NFL season, this is a must-listen. Rich is engaging and witty and features great guests from the pop culture and sporting world.
Rainer on Leadership. My friend, Jonathan Howe hosts this with the CEO of Lifeway, Thom Rainer. This always has great insights on leadership and good interviews.