Podcasts You Need #3: The Seven Degrees of Swindoll
I am a big fan of Charles Swindoll’s books. I have the first eight volumes of the “Great Lives from God’s Word” series, and I have a couple of other books of his. If you have never read his books, you are missing out. While you will not agree with everything he writes (since he teaches that one must only believe in order to be saved), you will find his writing uplifting and illustrated beautifully. Also, I find his knowledge of Hebrew to be helpful.
Since I enjoy his writings, I also enjoy his podcasts. There are three that have some connection to Swindoll to which I subscribe.
1. Insight for Living Daily Broadcast. This podcast simply puts out the daily radio program of Swindoll’s preaching. Since Swindoll likes to preach fairly lengthy series, you will find some serious “meat” in these broadcasts. What amazes me, though, is that Swindoll’s sermons sound like they are written in book form. It is a skill I don’t have, for sure! One thing that makes this podcast more “friendly” is that the first minute or so and the final 3-4 minutes are usually basically a commercial for the “ministry,” so you can fast forward through that, which makes the show shorter. (Release: 5 times per week–Monday-Friday. Length: approximately 28 minutes).
2. Insight for Living Daily Insight. These are very brief messages that basically constitute a daily devotional. Most usually contain a brief story illustration, followed by a Biblical principle for everyday life. If you enjoy devotional thoughts, you will greatly enjoy this podcast. It is also a great way to get ideas for short lessons, such as Wednesday evening invitations. (Release: 5 times per week–Monday-Friday. Length: 1-2 minutes).
3. Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel–Preach the Word. I am including this podcast in this list because Swindoll serves as the Chancellor for DTS. These podcasts feature speakers from all over the world who come to teach the students at Dallas Theological. While some present much about their particular “ministries,” the vast majority of the lessons are Bible-based. So far, I have found that many of the lessons are from the Old Testament, which I greatly enjoy. You will get many sermon ideas from this podcast. It is also available in audio only or in video format. I subscribe to the audio version. (Release: 1 time per week–Monday. Length varies, but is usually less than 20 minutes).
