Life as an unmarried grad student/SEO guy allows me to be pretty mobile. A long time ago I decided to live by the adage “Never leave the house without a book.” My list has grown to the following essentials. If you work remotely, or are a student, or just wish you could spend more time out and about, here are a few things you’ll absolutely need. Continue Reading…
When you live in a post-Christian society, Sunday becomes less about recounting sweet Bible stories, and more about engaging in the difficult questions of our time. For the most part, big name churches avoid this by trying to be practical. Practical is good. But anyone can offer practical.
What the Church can do, that no one else can, is be a safe place where difficult questions can be discussed. I’m happy to be a part of a little church here in Austin that’s really good at this. However, at least in the world of popular podcasted sermons, I only know of two places where this happens.
1. The masterful series from Erwin McManus at Mosaic back in 2006 called Life’s Toughest Questions, including “What About Sex?” and “Is There a Hell?” Nobody can frame a discussion like Erwin.
2. Then there’s this strange phenomenon north of the border. The fasting growing church in Canada is a multisite megachurch in Canada called The Meeting House. Each week Bruxy Cavey takes on the sacred cows of religion with rhetoric that is fiercely Mennonite (well, as fierce as a pacifist can be) and unflinchingly Arminian.
His most recent series My God Why? creates space to wrestle with the problem of evil. The previous series Grace Anatomy offers a solid foundation for a theology of grace, while offering an alternative to popular conceptions of depravity and election. Before that was a helpful series on evangelism that gives the listener a listening based framework to discuss eternal issues. Possibly the bravest (and most Mennonite) of all their material was a series making the case for non-violence called Inglorious Pastors. This features interviews with such peace focused rabble-rousers as Jim Wallis and Greg Boyd.
Bruxy’s sermon’s are intellectual yet accessible, and in my opinion, a lot of fun. Coming from a country a few miles down on the post-Christendom road, The Meeting House is an example of what a meaningful conversation can be.
I was raised listening to NPR, and since the advent of podcasting and audible.com, have consumed about 15-20 hours of audio content a week. Despite a deep love for the work of Ira Glass and the guys at Radiolab, I’ve enjoyed listening to Two Gomers Run a Marathon more than anything else.
The podcast started when two friends decided to give up their monumentally lazy lives and run a half marathon together. Living on opposite sides of the country, they decided to podcast the whole thing.
The journey has been a difficult one, causing everything from blisters to shingles, and even one gomer getting hit by a car while running. It has also been a ton of fun. The gomers are true nerds, and children of nineties. In many episodes, the running related content seems to be tacked on top of references to Full House, descriptions of their love for fast food and stories from growing up.
The Gomer phenomenon is a case study in modern media. Both seasons have consistently highly rated on iTunes. They have nearly 1,000 Facebook fans, and raised over $3,000 from charity. They are a perfect example of Seth Godin’s Tribes or the 1,000 true fans theory. Three things make the Gomers stand out, and teach us about how to connect and inspire:
1. Looking Stupid Can Be Inspiring. Even by choosing the name “Gomer,” they started the project with a sense of self deprecation. They have never stopped flaunting their ignorance, or their desire to overcome it.
2. Interact Relentlessly. Originally, it started with the Gomers asking for running tips. However, conversation has included everything from how to revive leftovers to thoughts on the iPad. These conversations have engaged fans on Facebook and Twitter, and find their way back into the podcast.
3. Authentically Display Your Faith. TGRAM is not a Christian podcast, however, it is a podcast made by Christians. Mentions of prayer and spirituality pepper the conversation. This gives the discussions an added level of depth and inspiration.
Last Sunday, the two Gomers ran a marathon. The podcast is coming to an end, and I feel like I’m saying goodbye to friends.
You can catch up on the whole saga at TwoGomers.com or search for Two Gomers on iTunes. Here’s another inspiration of the Gomers.
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