Formation through Podcasts
A quick google search reveals that podcasts became a thing in 2004. It is hard to believe that was nearly 20 years ago! I was not listening to podcasts in 2004. I was a relatively new mom with a nearly one-year-old wobbling around.
The summer of 2017 is when I really remember starting to listen to podcasts regularly. That same kid, who was nearly one, would soon be turning 14 and every Wednesday night I would drop him off at youth group and then head to my office to work for a couple of hours. Sometimes when I was in the car by myself I would turn on a podcast.
It is possible, probable even, that I listened to an occasional podcast before that summer, but I know that summer is when my listening shifted to a more regular rhythm in my life.
Here we are in 2022 and podcasts remain a regular part of my day. I listen when I’m folding laundry, doing dishes, and running errands. It is extremely rare that I listen to a podcast while I just sit and do nothing else, and I nearly always listen at 1.5 speed. When I first started listening I always listened at regular speed, but the longer I listened the better I got at listening, and bumping it up to 1.5 works great for me. I happen to use the Overcast app for listening.
I think podcasts are a great way to learn from people that you can’t necessarily meet up with for coffee, but you can drink a coffee, or whatever drink you prefer, while you listen each week. Since I don’t have unlimited time I do have to limit which podcasts I choose.
If someone recommends a podcast to me I will add it to my queue to check out. I can usually tell pretty quickly if a podcast will be a good fit for me. I tend to have a couple of criteria for what I will listen to -
Is this podcast about something I want to learn more about every week?
Is this podcast something I will enjoy listening to for fun?
Basically, all of my podcasts fit into these two categories. Your criteria may be totally different than mine, and that’s great. My main encouragement is to pay attention to what you are consuming each week in this format. After you listen do you feel anxious or angry, or do you feel encouraged or joyful? Do podcasts fill every minute of free time you have, or do they fit into your rhythms in a healthy way?
If you are filling every moment of silence with sound I would ask you why?
This is something I have to pay attention to in my own life. It is easy to turn on something to listen to when I’m in the car or doing chores around the house. But sometimes I need those moments to be quiet. Sometimes those moments of quiet are where the Holy Spirit meets me, and I want to be careful to not fill all the silence with sound.
This will look different for everyone and will likely vary from day to day and season to season, so it is a good idea to pay attention and make sure you aren’t using podcasts as a way to avoid whatever else might be happening in your world.
On Instagram this week I’ll be sharing some of my favorite podcasts and telling you a little bit about why I like them, so if you need some suggestions of what to listen to you might check that out. If you already love podcasts I’ll be sure to invite you to share your favorites this week too.
Podcasts can be a great way to connect with other people in your community. I know that my husband and I have a few podcasts that we both listen to every week, and then we can talk about them if something stood out to us. But we also differ a lot in what interests us, so our queues look very different. This is great too! If we listen to something and think the other person would benefit from the content we’ll send a link and invite the other to listen along. I always try to add what he sends me to my queue so I don’t forget about it.
I’ve been known to send podcast links to my friends as well. If I hear something that correlates to a topic we’ve been discussing I’ll likely send you a link to check it out.
Maybe you already love podcasts and feel like your rhythm for listening is working great; if that is the case - happy listening! If you are an avid listener but are wondering if you need to create more silence in this season, I’m cheering you on as you navigate modifying your current rhythm. If you aren’t really into podcasts - no worries. While there is content out there for everyone, not everyone has the space to follow along and that is absolutely fine.
If you are just getting started with listening to podcasts then text some of your pals and ask them for their favorite suggestions. You might find something new that you love!
Happy Listening - Melissa