I went for my walk today, as part of my kick to get healthy. A nice, hour long walk around my suburb. What a blessing to be able to live in a suburb and feel safe going out for a walk, but not only that, but going for a walk where there are nice hills to test you, but not so tough that you’re dead by the end of it.
I put on my phone (my ipod died, and I’m yet to get a new one) a few podcasts that I wanted to listen to. The first was from Mars Hill Church, the first of a series by Pastor Mark Driscoll on 1st and 2nd Peter. I got onto Mark Driscoll a little while ago, when he did a series on Song of Songs. The teaching he gave helped me develop a deeper understanding of a Christian relationship, and I’ll be revisiting them closer to my approaching wedding. Next, Hack – Triple J’s Current Affairs program. A great program that deals with issues mainly aimed at young people (it’s the National Youth Radio Station), and isn’t afraid to deal with tough issues. In the past, it’s had weeks on Crime, Mental Health, sexuality, and more. Finally, there was a short podcast from the Salvos Southern Division called Salvos Out There.
It got me thinking that this was a wonderful mix of what Christians should listen to. If I was to change it, I would add in some worship music. As Christians, we need to surround ourselves in what is good and holy. Our soul needs nourishment, and that comes from worshipping, from studying the bible, and from being in contact with God through Prayer. For me, that came through the Mars Hill Church podcast, and the Salvos out there. I listened to Pastor Mark Driscoll take me through 2 verses of 1st and 2nd Peter, learning about the context, what it meant back when it was written and what it means to us now. I listened to John Cleary and Greg Morgan talk about Spiritual Hunger, and the sorts of struggles we can face.
But also as Christians, we can’t live in a bubble of Christianity. While spending every waking moment worshipping God, and learning more and more about him, we need to actually do something with what we’ve been given. Through listening to the Current Affairs in Hack, you get a snapshot of what everyone else is going through. YOu can hear about injustices in the world, or items such as Climate Change, Abortion, Social Networking and you can think about how it relates to you as a Christian, and more importantly, how you as a Christian relate to it. People who don’t know God may come to you looking for answers, and it’s up to us to know about and have thought about such things, in order to give them an answer that might bring them closer to God.
I might not be able to get it all listened to every day, but I shall certainly be trying to keep up to date with my spiritual and worldly affairs, so that when the worldly affairs come to battle me, I am knowledgeable about their tricks, and can draw strength from my spiritual reserve.
Ben Clapton 