Well, what can I say? The second half of 2009 did not go the way that I expected for Wired Jesus and there were no podcasts, much to your dismay. In the midst of it all, the new versions of Itunes don’t seem to play nice with my version of Wordpress and its plugins. So what it boils down to is that I will be taking some vacation time after Christmas to completely update and renovate the whole Wired Jesus web page and possibly have to create a second rss feed to get Itunes working again.

So, my new year’s resolution – a working web page, new content from some of the Wired Jesus on the Road consultations from the past year, and yes, finally, podcasts. My pastors and wife agree – Wired Jesus is a key part of my creative sanity and I’m grumpy without it.

Here’s to shaking off the dust and a renewed WJP in 2010.

The summer has gone by quickly and has been far busier than I had hoped. I plan on getting a podcast done here soon but besides my senior pastor duties, I have a new sermon writing project for Augsburg Fortress (our church publishing house), a church consult on alternative worship in October, a seminar class on social networking and the net for congregational ministry, and a few projects I promised my wife I would get done. I guess my model trains will have to wait a bit. However, podcast number 50 will probably be a “Napkin Scribbles” recording on the road Friday when I have to drive 3 hours to pick up our youth from a mission trip week.

So, look for a podcast by next week and if you want the daily news, be sure to check me out on facebook!

tom

Last week I did an interview for our local newspaper, The Findlay Courier, on churches, web pages, and the internet. The reporter, Sara Arthurs, did a great job and expanded out a little on the whole subject of digital ministry, mentioning the Wired Jesus Podcast. So, check out Sara’ book blog but also take a look at the article here.

I guess I better get a new podcast up! I think we may go down the virtual sacraments and church discussion from the last post.

Hello, one and all!

I’m up for air and just wanted to let everyone know that the transition to Ohio has gone well and we’re pretty much settled into the house and I’m finding my groove here at the new church. The people here have been remarkable friendly and receptive to Wired Jesus and there have been question here as to when a new podcast will appear.

This weekend.

Really.

The moving truck arrived, the boxes are all in the same house, I had a good first day in the office with the staff, so life is good.

I’m not sure I will get a podcast off this weekend – I preach and Carla wants me to do something about all the boxes around the house and in the garage. But next weekend looks good to get a podcast up on internet streaming churches.

More to come but things are finally falling into place, which not only bodes well for me and the family, but also for Wired Jesus.

May and June have been absolutely nuts but the good news is that our transition continues. We have moved in our apartment and closed on our house despite my wife nearly breaking her ankle and ending up on crutches (not to get out of helping with the move ). So once we get things unpacked into the apartment, we wait to see what the Spirit has in mind for our next move where I can get back into the pastor groove and we can settle down as a family. Right now I feel a transition coming from feeling like Job into a life more like Abraham – on the journey to a promised land that I don’t know, can’t see, and God won’t say until we get there.

I have a couple of preaching gigs here in the Chicago area this summer filling in for pastors on vacation and a new worship project for our tribal publishing house – Augsburg Fortress. So a podcast may happen here before June is out – I have the outlines – but first I have to get the apartment in order and get my oldest son off to college orientation.

Hang in there, I know we are, and I’ll keep you up to date.

However, I did have time to finally do some updating last night to my Facebook page, so feel free to drop by there for more info.

So thanks for the thoughts and prayers and I’ll try to get a podcast up after the move this weekend.

tom

I remember when there were only 120 religious podcasts and Wired Jesus was consistantly in the top 25. Now there are now 2457 religious podcasts and Wired Jesus doesn’t register in the first few hundred.

If you have a chance, cast a vote. Not that I need it – with 1200+ listeners to the feed, I know I have a regular audience out there. I’m just curious to see what might happen.

However, here is a new podcast with an old podcast. If you are planning on attending the Act 3 Forum here in Chicago, the rewind of the 2005 Burning Man Podcast is good prep work to understand postmodern community.

As I mention in the podcast, I’m also asking for your help in searching out spiritual stops in Second Life. So if you hang out on Second Life at all and some suggestions for me to check out, shoot them off my way.

Link to Show Notes for Podcast #18.

Download Podcast here.

Here’s the link – Act 3 Forum.

Diamond In the Rough:
Being a Multifaceted Congregation in a Postmodern World

Rev. Tom Lyberg

Sunday
February 17 @ 6:00 p.m.

Heritage Presbyterian Church
945 Kuhn Road
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188

Come join in an evening of exploring how established Christian congregations can navigate the mission transitions for relevant, multigenerational ministry while engaging the fading and emerging cultures of the 21st Century.

Rev. Tom Lyberg is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 17 years of parish ministry in rural and suburban settings. In addition he is a writer and the host of the Wired Jesus Podcast: The Wired Wanderings of a Postmodern Pilgrim.

A quick examination of popular leadership books for pastors hold up monolithic megachurches or eclectic postmodern congregations as the models for mission in the 21st Century. However, most pastors find themselves in established congregations with multiple and often conflicting visions of mission that stand in stark contrast to the popular models.

Yet an examination of the Acts of the Apostles paints a picture of the local congregation that differs from most examples today. The local congregation in always in transition–multigenerational–engaging each generation in community; multicultural–speaking the languages of many local cultures; and missionally focused–the core of the congregation always centered on the biblical mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.