I’m THRILLED to at last have the seven audio podcast interviews from 2008/2009 online in a “Stories of Faith” podcast channel. One of the big reasons this is “doable” at this point (besides finding the flash drive recently which contained three of the original, finished interviews) is my learning about Podcast Generator last semester teaching at UNT. See my September 2010 post, “Creating a course audio lecturecast (podcast) with Podcast Generator,” for more background. Podcast Generator is open source (free) and the easiest way I’ve found yet to publish a “real” podcast channel which includes a subscribable RSS/web feed on your own site. Sites like iPadio are great too, but there is no guarantee third-party commercial sites like this will be around in a month or five years. If you use an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, consider using the $2 app Podcaster to manage your podcast channels from your device WITHOUT needing to sync to iTunes. More info about that process is also available.

A simple keyword search on Google today for “stories of faith” (without quotation marks) yields over 48 million results. These include sharingfaith.org, greatfaithstories.com, ChristianFaith.com (a site filled with ads) and Inspiring Stories from Georgia Girl. Our landscape of voices is only going to grow more diverse in the years ahead. I think it’s important we share our Christian witness and testimony with others on the digital, global stage– and we invite others to share their stories too.

I submitted the “Stories of Faith” podcast channel to iTunes this evening so it will be listed there soon. I pray the sharing of these audio interviews and testimonies will bring more people to know Jesus Christ and join a local, loving community of Christian brothers and sisters.

photo © 2009 Colleen AF Venable | more info (via: Wylio)

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Several photos of our work this morning planning our podcast are available.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The original enhanced podcast version remains archived on our class blog. I’ve re-published this to YouTube hoping more people will watch and listen to this podcast when it’s available there.

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jesus, podcast, school, christmas, eve, sunday

We continued our discussions [in our 5th grade Sunday school class] about why God created us and how we are called to live by:

1. reading and discussing Galatians 5:22-23 today in class
2. listening to the song “Fruit of the Spirit” by Uncle Charlie (watching the lyrics too on DVD)
3. recording a five minute podcast about our thoughts on these fruits of the spirit.

As we continue to go to school, work, and home in this Christmas season, we want to remember that Jesus is the “reason for the season” and we should focus on the gifts he gives us, when we invite God’s Holy Spirit to enter into our lives and direct our actions.

We brainstormed some of the “Non-Christian Messages of Christmas” in class today. This is what we came up with:
1. Just give gifts
2. Santa Claus
3. Christmas Lights
4. Buy me / purchase stuff
5. Christmas Tree

We also discussed some of the “Christmas Messages / Symbols” of the season, including:
1. Christmas Star (Jesus)
2. Candy Cane

Next week we will talk more about candy canes, again in the context of “Why I am I here?” and “How am I supposed to live my life?”

We reviewed that the candles of the advent wreath represent:

1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Love
4. Joy

In reading, discussing, and listening to Galatians 5:22-23 (both in the NIV version and “The Message“) we discussed these fruits of the spirit and what they mean to us in greater depth. According to the Apostle Paul, writing to the Galatians, the “fruits of the spirit” are:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Faithfulness
7. Gentleness
8. Self-control

Just as we recognize a tree by its fruits, other should recognize we are Christians by seeing these “fruits of the spirit” in the way we act toward others every day. In addition to remembering and focusing on the meaning of the four candles of Advent, we also want to focus our minds and our efforts on demonstrating the fruits of the spirit this Christmas season.

We sent a parent letter home today, which you can also download in PDF format. (This online version does NOT include the password to join our new online learning community, however, the link to our iSHARE project spreadsheet or home/cell phone numbers. Alternate online contact information/methods for Wes are available.)

Please listen to our podcast this week and discuss these ideas with your family at home this week!

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Today in our 5th grade Sunday School class we continued our unit of study focusing on the question, “What is the point?” We talked about how there are so many images and themes all around us at Christmastime, but often VERY few of these have to do with Jesus and his birth! We listened to the free Pandora Internet Radio Channel “Peaceful Holidays” and viewed some secular holiday images/themes represented in the Flickr Group, “A Very Flickr Christmas.” (There are over 50,000 shared Christmas photos in this group, and none of the ones we saw had anything to do with Jesus, his birth, the church, or Christianity!)

We discussed whether or not it is a sin to be “tempted,” and Matthew 4:1-11 (New International Version) when Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil. We talked about how it is not a sin to be tempted, but our actions and choices determine whether or not we sin when we face temptation. While Jesus WAS tempted, he did not give in to temptation and always responded to temptation with the “sword of the spirit:” God’s word.

We next listened to our podcast recording from class two weeks ago, when we considered the question, “Why Did God Create Me?” We played images from the Flickr Creative Commons image search for “nativity Christmas” as we listened to our five minute podcast, and then discussed some of the “answers” we heard our classmates share during that audio recording.

We played a game of tag that proved to be very challenging because of the difficult rules we had to follow, and then talked about how that game connects to our theme today, “Why are we not perfect?” We then broke into three groups for a jigzaw activity. Each group read and discussed one of the following verses, discussing how it applied or related to our question, “Why are we not perfect?”

1. Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 1:31 (New International Version)
2. Psalm 139:13-16 (New International Version)
3. Romans 8:35-39 (New International Version)

Finally, we recorded a seven minute podcast, discussing these verses and how they apply to our theme, “Why are we not perfect?” Please listen to our podcast and share feedback as comments on this post.

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This morning in our 5th grade Sunday school class we started a new unit with the theme, “Why did God Create Me?” We read and discussed the following verses:

Ephesians 2:10
Psalm 139: 1-12
Romans 5:8-11

We recorded a five minute podcast in class, sharing these versus and some of our own ideas about what they mean in the context of God’s purposes for our lives. It is important to think about these ideas as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States this week, and as we move into the month of December to celebrate Christmas.

We started off our lesson today talking about the following advertisement I saw at Pier 1 this weekend, and what the advertisers might be saying “our purpose” is in the world.

God HAS made us to share our gifts with each other, but he has made us for so much more than to just buy things! He has made us to love him, to worship, and to be his hands and feet on earth. We are called to do his good works each day of our lives.

In December, we’ll be discussing questions like:

How Come I’m Not Perfect?
Why Didn’t God Make Us Like Robots?
What Does God Want from Me?

Next week (Sunday, November 29th) we will meet in Creation Station to make advent wreaths along with other elementary students. In December we’ll be back in our “normal” classroom for Sunday school.

If you have comments and feedback for our 5th graders on their podcast or on any of the ideas we’ve shared here, please leave a comment here on this post! Thanks for visiting our blog and listening to our podcast. We’d love to hear from you, and will share comments / feedback we receive here during class.

Here are some additional photos from our brainstorming, discussions, and prayer time today.

I have also updated the Moodle course for this class with embedded flash-player links to each session recording.

Session1: Ur / Iraq

Session2: Egypt / Sinai

Session3: Judea / Israel / Palestine

Session4: Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Session5: Turkey / Anatolia

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bible, christian, geography, googleearth, google, podcast

1. As an audio-only mp3 file
2. As an enhanced podcast (requires free QuickTime Player software or iTunes software)
3. As a VoiceThread digital story

You are welcome to leave feedback for our students on the VoiceThread or here as comments. Merry Christmas!

Subscribe to “Eyes Right Podcasts!”

• Grapple pre-teen Sunday School curriculum
• Creating and Connecting report (PDF) from the National School Board Association (August 2007)
• Sermons online from First Presbyterian Church in Edmond, Oklahoma

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