Episode 365 - Show Notes:
A little over a year ago, I was at home. Likely, you were too. Everything was shut down due to Covid-19 restrictions, and here in California there was little we could do. Church services were only online, stores were closed, all forms of recreation had been canceled. We couldn’t even go out to eat. With most of our normal church ministries put on pause, I began praying about how I could serve our church family. I’m the lead pastor of Pacific Christian Center in Santa Maria, California. I knew there was more I could do for our church.
One day, God gave me the idea of starting a podcast. I had been an avid podcast listener for years, but I knew nothing about how to record, edit, and upload episodes. After some research, I purchased an inexpensive microphone on amazon and began watching YouTube videos to learn how to edit audio.
In August of 2020, with a shaky voice, I recorded my first episode. When I finished, it was ten minutes long! Clearly, I needed to cut down my content since this is a 5 minute podcast, but eventually I got into a rhythm. Over the year, I’ve become more efficient at writing content, recording, editing, and sharing.
For me, this podcast is about discipleship. It’s about learning to follow Jesus. It’s about taking a small step every day to grow in our faith and to become more like Jesus. Discipleship is not about big leaps, it’s about small daily steps.
What has happened over the past year has been truly remarkable. God has used the podcast in ways I could have never dreamed. It has reached further that I expected. The podcast just past 150,000 total downloads. Amazingly, this number puts us in the top 5% of all podcasts.
The listening audience has spanned the globe. Episodes have been downloaded in 106 countries of the world. In the United States there have been listeners in all 50 States.
Earlier this year, I created the 5 minute discipleship Facebook group and also published the 5 Minute Discipleship Journal, which is available on Amazon.
I want to take the opportunity to thank you for being a part of the listening audience. It is my sincere prayer that these episodes have inspired you to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus.
So, the obvious question is, “What’s next?” Well, I don’t know exactly. I will continue to the mission of recording daily podcast episodes to inspire and encourage people to follow Jesus, so be sure to come back tomorrow.
Several people have emailed me and have asked if there was more we could do together. Could we create an online discipleship community so believers could connect and have the support to grow together. Others have asked me to create online discipleship courses to help them study and grow as a Christ follower. I’m praying about these opportunities. If this is something that would interest you, I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at loren@5minutediscipleship.com
Once again, thank you for your prayer, support, and encouragement. Thank you to everyone one of you who have shared the podcast on social media. Many of you have invited your church, your friends, and your family to listen. Thank you very much. To those of you who have taken the time to leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast, I am very grateful.
5MinuteDiscipleship.com
The 5 Minute Discipleship Journal
The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group
