I’m kind of all over the place in what I read and what I listen to on a weekly basis. And I want my readers to enjoy some of this as well! So here are a few of the things I’ve been enjoying for some time now. I feel a little guilty I haven’t shared them, so let’s dive in….
Daily Audio Bible:
If you don’t know what this is, it’s a fantastic resource in which Brian Hardin reads through the entire Bible in one year, starting on January 1. In addition to reading, he often gives insights and exposition of the Word and plays prayer requests from the DAB community. I often listen when I’m driving to and from work. And when I can’t sleep, I turn it on and find enormous peace. I fall asleep to the Word of God. I used to feel badly about that. But when I read to my kids and they fell asleep, it was a gift. They were safe and secure enough to fall asleep to the sound of my voice. I think that’s OK. (I’ve fallen asleep praying tons of times!)
First Things is a website that calls itself ‘America’s most influential journal of religion and public life.’ I find myself mesmerized by what I read there. Such deep insights into the faith, such great thinkers, so much depth and history. Frankly, I love the evangelical world and the passion my fellow believers have for evangelism. But I once heard Dr. John Patrick (physician, apologist and educator) say ‘the evangelical world gave up the life of the mind 200 years ago.’ (I may have the quote off a bit, but it’s close.) I think he was right. We have a lot to learn and we won’t get it from simplified Sunday School tracts or the lastest pop-Christian book. We need to look back over history and deep into the minds of the great thinkers of the faith who are still with us. First Things helps.
Matt Fradd hosts the podcast Pints with Aquinas in which he discusses theology from with an emphasis on St. Thomas Aquinas. He has wonderful guests and the discussions are spiritually profound, enriching and educational. I especially enjoyed his recent podcast on the sin of sloth, which really wasn’t what I thought it was at all! I was raised a United Methodist, I’m currently Southern Baptist and I married a babe from the Church of Christ. I’m also absolutely inspired by my fellow believers who are Catholic and Orthodox. I think, in fact, I’m Baplicodox. Hey, I invented a new branch of Christianity. Except we probably have enough already…
This site, founded by Claire Lehmann in 2015, is one of my favorites. Ever. Because at Quillete, you can read things that most other thinkers simply won’t publish. The writers are bright, articulate and bold. Some are academics and some are not. I am a physician but not an intellectual. (A problem in medicine is that too many physicians think that our medical degrees make us intellectual, but that’s hardly the truth.) I have been educated and challenged by so much that I have read there. Quillette is truly a place where intellectual diversity is allowed to flourish. And not a place to have all your cherished views confirmed, either. Whether you want to read about the problems of Antifa, suppression of speech on campuses, the dangers of big tech censorship or the abuse of women in Muslim countries, Quillette is the place to go. Frequently these are taboo topics, but worth your time.
Mind of the Warrior is the podcast of Dr. Mike Simpson. Mike is a friend and fellow emergency physician. Mike is also a former US Special Forces physician. And self-defense expert. And MMA practitioner and physician. The list goes on. I had the honor of being on his podcast a couple of months ago to discuss free speech in medicine (after I was the subject of a ludicrious Twitter storm). Mike graciously invited me on his podcast to talk about it. While I do not participate in MMA and was never a special operator, I find his insights extremely powerful and relevant. His recent two part discussion of the Second Amendment (part one runs down the statistics on guns and gun deaths in an enlightening way)
Well, to begin with, I may be just bit too old for all this podcasting and blogging. I cannot listen for an hour or more to folks offering opinions to which I have no opportunity to respond. Perhaps it would be different if I still had a two-hour commute morning and evening, but those days are behind me, praise the Lord. First Things (in print) was introduced to me in the early 1990’s by a pastor who liked to watch me struggle when in over my head. There’s no better way to learn how to swim, as long as you… Read more »
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Well, to begin with, I may be just bit too old for all this podcasting and blogging. I cannot listen for an hour or more to folks offering opinions to which I have no opportunity to respond. Perhaps it would be different if I still had a two-hour commute morning and evening, but those days are behind me, praise the Lord. First Things (in print) was introduced to me in the early 1990’s by a pastor who liked to watch me struggle when in over my head. There’s no better way to learn how to swim, as long as you… Read more »