What is SAP
Original Airdate: January 7, 2008
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Super Average Podcast, a podcast about everyday Christianity from average Christians living it. In this episode you'll learn about your hosts, get some insight into the format of the show, and learn what it means to be super average.
This podcast is not just a podcast for Christians. It's also a podcast for anyone interested in Christianity and what it means to live as a Christian.
Luther Quote
Here's a link to that quote from Luther in my blog: http://joeburnham.com/2007/08/02/diaper_duty
Shalom,
Joe
Very cool..
I just listened to it at the gym. I have been really looking forward to this. Thanks for getting it out. Enjoyed the cast a lot. Less geeky alternative to GeeksandGod which provides a nice mix up between the two. Nice to hear some pastors on the cast as well.
I know Matt and Bobs take on Technology in ministries, but It would be cool to hear the take what the Pastors on the show ( I think both of the other two speakers were pastors) think about this and maybe how they would recommend promoting more technology in christian ministry to those pastors who just aren't tech savy.
Thanks guys
as one of "the pastors"
as one of "the pastors" i can say that i believe the trick to promoting tech in ministry even for the less tech savvy is to tell them to blindly do whatever matt and bob tell them to do... at least that's been my approach so far and it hasn't led me astray :)
I know that's not an answer, great question though. Maybe some day we'll address it. Thanks.
Who's Batt and Mob?
If I were to tell my pastor to listen blindly to Matt and Rob, I think the first thing he would say is "Who is Batt and Mob?" :)
I haven't been to many different churches in my town, but it seems that Churches tend to spend mucho dinero on sound systems, lighting and powerpoint presentations, but when it comes to their websites they tend not invest much money on that aspect.
A basic website is just fine as long as it has a map to the church, contact, and what we believe section. Not much more attention is given to a online presence.
This is what I think needs to change at least in my local churches. A online presence can be huge I think and just as important and in some cases more.
A lot of people just go to church once a week. Simply can't during the week because of work or whatever reasons. A online presence is always there. A site that is rich in community, study aids, audio, video and more is a site that I want to go to.
Why can't a churches site be a virtual version of the physical church? Churches have Bible study groups. Set up a interactive study groups online. Churches have bookstores? Why can't a virtual bookstore be added? Not only mirror the resources of a physical church but also use the site to compliment activities in the church.
Am I making any sense here? I am tired and falling asleep right now and I sense Im ranting on a bit, so I'll stop now.
What's your take on this?
Totally makes sense
Totally makes sense.
I know as a pastor that sometimes the possibilities of the internet aren't as clear. Pastors are busy and we spend a lot of time feeling like we're trying to play "catch up" with things related to tech, culture, etc.
What often ends up happening is copycatting, you look around at what other churches are doing and you say, "let's get us one of those" whether it's a sound board, projector, book store, or bible study program... we emulate what we see.
I think because the ideas you espouse are not yet widespread in the Church, it takes pastors a while to catch on to the possibilities. Having dialogue with the Geeks and God guys always helps my mind be open to possibilities i just didn't know where there because i don't see them, because i don't sit around for hours a day reading up on new tech possibilities, and i'm not sure my mind works in that way.
So i think pastors need help from people who live the tech life to see the possibilities that are yet to be realized. We need people who can stir our imaginations a bit. I have the incredible benefit of guys like Rob Feature and MF, guys who are sound in their faith, guys I can trust and talk to, so even if I don't always "get it" I let them lead me in a direction a little until I can begin to see what they've been trying to show me.
I've heard them say it on Geeks and God, be your pastors friend, help give him a vision for what could be...but in my opinion that means showing yourself to be a well rounded, trustworthy, MISSIONALLY MINDED, Christ-follower, not just a techie with ideas. Maybe that helps? If not maybe Joe can dig me out of this hole :)
Um, yeah, and uh ...
Honestly, this is a conversation where I'm not going to be all that helpful. Given the people I'm ministering to, I sort of need to be at least somewhat up to date on all things tech and culture. Beyond that, it's in my makeup to push boundaries and discover how we can use technology in the service of the Gospel. In the end, people in the church end up looking to me for technological help and then, when I suggest some of these edgier things, they look at me like I've got 12 heads.
However, there are few things I'd suggest. One, I think Dion nails it in that last paragraph. With that missionally minded bit, remember to also talk about technology as something that serves and is placed under the Gospel.
Two, try and talk in terms of what you pastor is familiar with. In the Lutheran world, we have this 75 year old radio show called, The Lutheran Hour. Pretty much everybody knows what it is so, it becomes helpful when explaining some of the stuff I do online ... "It's like The Lutheran Hour, but on the internet." It doesn't matter if what I'm doing adds in video and opportunities for users to interact, right now they're supportive and I can show them how what we're doing has more features than the radio show later.
Three, explain everything. I've heard a slew of people say, "I can't listen to a podcast because I don't have an iPod." Obviously they need to hear a bit more about how podcasts work.
Shalom,
Joe
verry good.....
I love what you guys are doing on this site and "Geeks and God."
I do have one question...are you going to add any ladies on your show?
Take care and God bless:
Barbara
Funny You Should Ask....
Funny you should ask... (ok, maybe not funny) this is something we struggled with when we first started this podcast (we never really considered it on G&G). We thought "to give a balanced view on the Christian life, we should have 2 men and two women". This brought up two problems:
First, we didn't know any women who were willing to do it. Part of the reason SAP works (in my opinion) is because we've all been friends for years and can have really open conversations, disagree with each other etc. The thing is, we didn't have a woman in our circle who was willing to do the show with us each week. So the first problem was just logistical.
Then, we thought further: What if we did get one woman, or two women on the show? The reality would be: it's a podcast being produced by a few guys who are trying to include a women's point of view, rather than a show that is truly equal. The issues would be different, not just the voices. We knew this struggle to show balance would really burden the show because we'd have to be really careful how everything was presented to make sure it was "even". The bottom line is: It would be a show that was trying to do too much.
So, in the end, we decided: "We're 4 guys...let's not pretend we understand what the Christian life for women is like." So, we're doing what we know we can do well: Be Guys. I think all of us would agree that we'd LOVE to see a podcast like this hosted by 4 women as well. But, the reality is, it won't be produced by us because of the above reasons.
This is officially encouragement: If you're a woman and can gather up a few more gals....Start a podcast! We'd love to hear it!
I'd LOVE to listen to such a
I'd LOVE to listen to such a thing... no doubt.
A second ... or is it a third
It would be awesome to listen in to women talking about faith so I too encourage you to make it happen. If you want some thoughts on how to do the studio cast like this, I'd encourage you to check out some of the past series on Geeks and God where they go over the "how to" stuff.
Shalom,
Joe
Skype and other podcasts
Great show guys - really looking forward to hearing this one each week.
The audio quality on the Skype call was great.....were you doing a double-ender, or perhaps just using a super-super fast connection...or using a dedicated port for Skype, and opening that port for UDP connections, as suggested in Leo Laporte's Podcasting Equipment page?
The Lifespring family of podcasts might be of interest to listeners of this podcast too. There are a lot of different podcasts in the family, so there should be something for everyone.
You might also want to take a look at the Star Quest Production Network: "a multimedia organization specializing in the production of audio and video programs faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church".
In regards to women on the show - who is it at the start and end of this podcast, and Geeks and God? Or did one of you just spend a couple of minutes with a helium balloon? ;)
Double Ender
Yup, You're correct Ed...We're doing a 'double ender' on this. Even though Joe is coming over skype to US, the audio for the show is actually being recorded on his end via Pro Tools. He then outputs his file, sends it to me, and I edit it in...Cheating, really...but you know what an audio snob I am...
The beginning and ending of both podcasts are my wife. She did such a good job on G&G, I figured I would't reinvent the wheel.
Thanks for listening and posting Ed!
Always Right
Did you really have to ask what we were doing Ed? After all, you could have just told us and you would have been right because, as has already been made clear on G&G, Ed Ross is always right.
Shalom,
Joe
The myth lives on...
And the Ed Ross saga continues....
Very interesting!
Joe sent me the link to this podcast and I'm glad he did. I can't wait to hear tomorrow's episode.
Jason