Around here, Friday is the day to “fluff the nest”, which is just a much cuter way of saying “clean the house”. Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday.
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One incentive I’ve come to rely on each week in getting through my cleaning time is the use of podcast. I listen to a few different podcast programs during the week while excercising and getting ready in the morning. By Friday, there are a few left over that I didn’t get to, so I use my cleaning time to catch up. With a little podcast prompting, I can convince myself to actually look forward to the cleaning. I know if I clean, I can listen to several in that Friday afternoon cleaning time. I love it because I can put in my headphones and listen whether I’m vacuuming, scrubbing a bathroom, or working outside. Yes, there are definitely interruptions, but I can just pause it and then push play again when I’m ready.
There are a vast number of podcast programs these days, so you can pretty much take your pick of any topic of interest. I’ve had to whittle mine down to those that best fit the three main areas of my life in this season: Christian woman, marriage and parenting, and homeschooling. The programs that best fit those areas for me right now are Revive Our Hearts, Focus on the Family, and Homeschool Talks. There are others I listen to here and there and enjoy a lot, but these are the three that I keep up with on a regular daily basis. (Stay tuned for a little announcement at the end of this post!)
Revive Our Hearts
Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth, the host for Revive Our Hearts, covers every topic imaginable for today’s Christian woman. It seems like these days writers and speakers for Christian women are in abundance. I’ve chosen ROH for my more in-depth Bible study listening because Nancy goes beyond feel good messages, diving deeper into the text to offer bold teaching and hopeful encouragement in living a life for Christ. Some of my favorite guest speakers have included Joni Erickson Tada, Jackie Hill Perry, Dannah Gresh, Jani Ortland, Barbara Rainey, and the late Elizabeth Elliot, to name just a few. One of my favorite recent podcasts has been “Courage in a Foreign Land”.
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Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family has been a rich resource for my husband and me in both our marriage and our parenting! We each listen individually during the week and later discuss episodes of particular interest. They are so helpful and enlightening in this season of our lives. And not all of their episodes are exclusively about marriage and parenting. Other topics include general Christianity, grandparenting, singlehood, health, social issues, and much more. Even our oldest daughter has their app and listens throughout the week. They always have an amazing lineup of guests. A favorite episode recently has been Ken Davis’s “The Sheep-Like Qualities of a Disciple”. It’s a great commentary of our deep need for our Shepherd, illustrated with sidesplitting stories of growing up on a sheep farm. It’s a meaningful and hilarious message! We replayed it for our younger kids and they loved it too.
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Homeschool Talks
As a homeschool mom, I need all the encouragement and practical advice I can get! I’ve always loved listening to other veteran homeschool parents speak about their methods and experiences in homeschooling. Homeschool Talks by HSLD doesn’t offer an episode every single weekday like my other podcasts, so I just pop in about once a week to see what’s listed. One particularly inspiring episode recently featured Pro Football MVP and homeschool dad Shaun Alexander talking about balancing faith, family, and a football career.
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So, remember when I listed Jani Ortland as one of my favorite guest speakers on Revive Our Hearts? Well, my SIL just messaged me yesterday afternoon to inform me that Jani Ortland is starting her own new podcast program later this month called He Restores My Soul! I’m thrilled!
So I guess I’ll be adding a fourth program to my regular list, which means I can clean a little longer??? Well, we’ll see.
So, I’d love to hear what podcasts you enjoy!
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