Before Steve Jobs at Apple invented the iPod, podcasts were called radio shows. As someone who made radio shows for 30 years, perhaps I am not the best person to review podcasts. But then again, maybe I am. Because the basic rules haven’t changed much.
Rule number one is to say something interesting. Rule number two is to be listenable. Sounds simple, right? But not every podcast follows these rules, as just about anyone with a microphone and an internet connection can now be a podcaster.
As for listeners, there are some people who are fans and some who are not. Those with a long commute, exercisers and people who do repetitive tasks by themselves are likely to be podcast enthusiasts.
If you are a Christian, there are a lot of good content options but also a lot of dross. I regularly listen to shows such as The Pastor’s Heart and 5 Minutes in Church History, and now I have the choice of Dave Jensen’s Fire Up! show.
If you have heard Dave speak or read his columns here in Southern Cross, you will know he is passionate in evangelising for evangelism. He ticks rule number one: he is always interesting. The Fire Up! podcast was launched early this year by Evangelism and New Churches and features co-presenters Ling Shooter and Dan Baker.
Like Dave himself, expect more passion than propriety. This team is committed to coming at the issue of evangelism from every angle. Recent episodes have tackled things such as welcoming at church, reaching Gen Y, what to do at Christmas time and how to step out of the Christian “bubble” – all helpful stuff.
Along the way, Dave drops some golden tips, like this one about testimonies: “The best way of articulating what a testimony is, it’s the story of Jesus’ story in your story. It’s not a story about you. It’s a story about Jesus and what he’s done in your life. Now, don’t get me wrong, that is going to involve you. It’s going to talk about you, how it has profoundly affected your life and shaped your life and challenged you and so on, but at its core it’s a story about Jesus, not a story about you”.
This is a helpful corrective to some testimonies I have heard that don’t mention Jesus at all. Now, we come to rule two: be listenable.
I have to say that some of the audio quality of Fire Up! (and Dave’s excellent partner podcast Discover) is pretty tough listening – just a technical thing that I hope will improve because the content is great.
Evangelism and New Churches hopes this podcast will help people to do more evangelism more often. For commuters listening to a podcast encouraging evangelism, it is an ideal crossover. The chance to say a word in season may well come on that journey to and from work.
