One thing I want to do with this blog is pass on and review some of the resources I've found particularly helpful. There are so many "Christian sites" on the internet, but not all are created equal. One thing I like to do with my free time is sift through all the interweb clutter and find the ones that are particularly useful.
I'm actually surprising myself by starting with GodTube Today. I have a whole list of newsletters I subscribe to that I just love, but recently these GodTube Today devotionals have stuck out to me as accessible and helpful.
What is it?
Many of you have probably heard of the Christian version of YouTube - appropriately christened GodTube. Well, on the right side of the page there a box that says "Free Inspiration in Your Inbox." Mousing over that box causes it to expand, and a list with check-boxes appears. One of the options is "GodTube Today." Checking that box and typing in your email will sign you up for a daily devotional email from GodTube. In each email are three links: a GodTube video, a short devotional, and a short piece of Scripture.
What's so great about it?
Generally, the three links interconnect in some way (or at least the last two do). But really, all three are great resources on their own.
You could sift through hours of cheesy/dumb videos that fail to capture your interest in hopes of finding a really good one (much like regular YouTube), but some of us don't have the time (or patience) for that. These daily videos, at least in my couple weeks of experience in using this resource, are really quality ones worth watching. If you're someone that likes posting cool videos on Facebook, the variety in genre of these daily devotionals are bound to give you something to use (some are funny, some are music videos, some are deeply theological, some inspiring, etc.). If you're not a fan of reading things, there's an obvious appeal in these videos for you as well.
The devotional is, for those of you as time-crunched as I am, reasonably short, but still contains quality. I'm always disappointed when I find a convenient devotional site/app and then it turn out to be a series of "God loves you. You are awesome" messages (Sorry, if you're a fan of these. You should check out the Apple app store devotionals in that case). A lot of the messages have really got me thinking about them throughout the day - which is kind of the goal, in my opinion. A lot of them connect to the video in some way, but not always.
The Scripture is generally (well, actually, I've only ever seen this to be the case) whatever was highlighted in the devotional. But this is helpful if you want to link to it (I don't know why you might want to do that, but if you do then you would find that helpful) or for whatever reason would like quick access to the Scripture. It's hosted through BibleStudyTools.com (a site that is likely to show up in these recommendation blog posts in the future at some point).
While I think personal devotions (as in, just you and God with no outside person telling you what they think on the subject) are vital for developing your own relationship with God and being able to stand on your own in interpreting Scripture, I think it's important to have outside guidance as well. If you're someone who has trouble getting into devotions at all, this might be a good place to start. It takes 10-15 minutes of your time (Today's only took me 5), and it's real, quality stuff that I think would appeal to a widely diverse selection of people.
Also, if you're like me and don't have time for a half hour (or hour or two hour) devotional time in the morning or if you're frankly not a morning person and know you aren't going to be giving your best to God until about three in the afternoon but still want to get your day started on the right foot, I'd recommend signing yourself up for this. These emails will continue to come to your inbox, giving you some measure of accountability in the vague threat of filling up your inbox until it overwhelms your sense of guilt and you delete them all, so it's convenient, structured, and quality.
The other newsletters on the site are good too if you were wondering (though I didn't click the 30 Days of GodTube one), but GodTube Today takes the spotlight.
Links:
http://www.godtube.com/
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