Nothing like pacing one’s podcasts. This one is about a great podcast mediocre sound quality called Napkin Scribbles with Len Sweet. Len is often called a church futurist, prophet, or, if you like the status quo of living in a church of the 1950s, a pain in the butt. Although we have only met a few times, I call him a mentor and a guide in steering me to some of the best resources and people for navigating a postmodern mission field. Len understands not only where emerging generations are coming from, he understands what the church needs to do if it is to stay relevant. So he spends a great deal of time writing and coaching for pastors.
One way he does this is through a podcast called Napkin Scribbles, a free form reflection done every few days as he has time. Using a portable MP3 recorder, he does his napkin scribbles in airport terminals, hotel lobbies, or any chance he has to switch on. While the sound is not polished, that’s not really the point – the point is real conversation about following Jesus: how some are getting it right, how some are really screwing it up, and what some of us can learn from what Len experiences.
To get this podcast out, I took the same approach and taped this using my trusty digital recorder and then recording it into my trusty MacBook Pro. Not the greatest sound quality but depending on your feedback, something I may try every now and then to shoot out a podcast more frequently. Let me know what you think.
Links
Go to the Itunes Store and search for
Napkin Scribbles (Current)
Napkin Scribbles with Len Sweet Archive (Itunes U)
Leonard Sweet Home Page (Under Construction)
Follow Leonard Sweet on Twitter
Wired Jesus Side Note
You can also find me on Facebook and on Twitter if you want to see how my wired wanderings are going on a daily basis. Always looking to add more friends.
tom
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Dig the Napkin Scribble format.
Interesting topic. Speaking here as the apostate in the room, I must say that the lack of creativity (or cultural sensitivity) in the church is one of the things that helped show me the door. It always seemed to me that – with a few exceptions – it was those OUTSIDE the church that were leading the charge into The Way of the Future while the Church was dragged kicking and screaming.
If, I reasoned, Jesus truly was The Way, The Truth, and The Life — or indeed if Jesus truly was the Light of the World and whoever followed him would never walk in darkness — then it seemed rational to me that the Church should always the engine of social change instead of its caboose.
Thank you Tom for your insights!
m
I have recently developed an ear for this kind of podcasting. It makes it sound so natural to have all the backround noises and to me it is what a solo podcast should probably sound like. This is probably why I have become accustomed to AudioBoo.fm a 5 minute limited way of as one person puts it “microcasting.”
But to move on, I always take at least on thing from a Wired Jesus podcast and what I took from this one is that I agree to the statement that the church does need to learn from the natives to stay relevant. Too many churches are bent on keeping with the old ways that the new ways are being almost completely ignored. This pushes us natives away from the churches we would like to attend but mentally cannot stay focused without some sort of technology being used.
Schools quickly discovered this and have moved even past TVs and Projection Screens to Smart Boards. If churches do not evolve the way nearly everything else has (TV, radio, companies, schools) they will quickly find themselves with only the people that press their phones with their index fingers.
Great podcasting as usual PT keep up the great work!
Tom:
As someone who has been a long-time pod-listener/lurker and has heard every Wired Jesus podcast and every Napkin Scribble, let me comment: I like Napkin Scribbles but have thought to myself many times that it would be so much better if Len would do it the Wired Jesus way. I get that the idea behind Napkin Scribbles is to be spontaneous and fresh, but I can only listen to NS on earbuds – he mumbles too much for computer speakers.
It’s OK with this long-time listener if you go mobile from time to time, but please keep your crisp, easy to listen to, matter-of-fact style. Stay as Lyberg as possible. I have read much of Leonard Sweet’s work and will buy your first book when you get around to it (or in your case you’ll probably do an audiobook or DVD) but until then, I’ll wait for the next Wired Jesus podcast. So many times I’ve thought about posting or contacting you, letting you know I’m out here agreeing, disagreeing, or just thinking, but always listening. Continue fighting the pod-fade and being fearless, bro.