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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

My new favorite podcast

Well, I'm visiting with family this whole week.
Oh wait, first let me comfort you all and let you know that I survived my media fast! The first few days felt like a vacation, the next few felt like being in solitary confinement, and the rest of the week was, well, too busy for me to notice. I'm sure I'll write a little about it soon.
(The media fast was part of a book study/blog series I did on excess in our culture. Click here to read the entire series.)
Today, I want to write about this great podcast I found.
An amazing thing happened yesterday, and I was able to listen to some podcasts on the 6 hour drive to my parents' house in Mississippi. I don't know how it was that the kids let me do it, but we had a pretty smooth trip, with only 3 stops and 2 major meltdowns. For us, that's a great trip! I know, many of you travel with your kids all the time, but poor little Izzy is a little high maintenance and doesn't travel too well. Her biggest issue lately is that Korban just insists on sucking is thumb and looking at her. She just know this is done purely to offend her and she proceeds to yell at him a the top of her lungs, leading to one of us them having a total meltdown.
Anyways, yesterday was a good trip, and I got to listen to a couple of episodes of "Across the Pond", a podcast put out by Dr. Tony Campolo about all sorts of things. I have him listed as one of my inspirations on my "recommend page". I love his podcast because he deals with spiritual matters, but not necessarily the kind of spiritual matters we're used to hearing about from the pulpit. For example, the episode I'm listening to now is part of a 6 part series on gluttony.
Sounds exciting, no? Really, I would loved to have had this to listen to during the food week of our fast. He touches on a wide range of food-related issues, from how we are limiting ourselves spiritually when we cloud our minds and bodies with junk food to the example the church is setting for its people when it hosts events and serves junk food. There is also an entire podcast devoted to poverty and food waste.
Here are a few tidbits I've learned:
1. It is estimated that about half of the food grown in the world is simply thrown away for reasons such as - it doesn't meet quality standards set by government organizations, consumers overbuy, and a few other reasons I can't think of right now.
2. I love Tony's opinion about the best way to alleviate poverty and starvation - creating jobs through small business loans. Eastern University, where Dr. Tony is professor, has an entire degree program focused on doing just that. (A great organization to check out if you are interested in providing a loan to someone in a third world country to help start a small business, check out KIVA.org)
3. Two of the chief sins God accused Sodom of were gluttony and neglecting the poor, as referenced in Ezekiel 16:49.
There is also a neat podcast from the week Pope Francis was inaugurated a few weeks back that's worth checking out.
So, go check out Tony Campolo's weekly podcast, Across the Pond, on Itunes. Or, you can find them to download directly on the podcast newsfeed.
*Oh, and I should add, in the name of honesty and integrity, that I am staying with my parents this week, and no amount of conviction or self discipline can help a pregnant woman exercise self control in a house with two cobblers and three pies in front of her. I have failed miserably and do not even find myself worthy to write about gluttony or healthy eating. Fortunately, I don't have to because Tony Campolo did a six part podcast series on it, and I intend to relisten to the highlights, repent, and try to do better next week.*
A little mercy here, folks. Do as I say, not as I do. :)
Have you heard of Dr. Tony Campolo? What's your favorite podcast?

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