Recently, I've been listening to some really good daily devotional podcasts. Words of Hope, woh.org, has a smooth, professional sound and fairly traditional style. Each installment is exactly two minutes long and usually contains a reading of Scripture, a personal illustration, application, and challenge. You get a good amount for being so short. The organization--based in Grand Rapids, Michigan--has been putting out devotional materials and messages for over 50 years, and you can read their mission statement and what they believe on their web site. I was attracted to this devotional because of its affiliation with HCJB, a long-time shortwave radio station in Quito, Ecuador (I'm a former DX'er, if you know what that means), and because Grand Rapids is known as a center of conservative Christian educational institutions and the like.

The other devotional I am listening to is Daily Encouragement, found at DailyEncouragement.net. Less professional sounding than WOH, this podcast features a regular guy--a layman, in fact--with a raspy voice that is, nonetheless, quite easy on the ears. The devotionals are usually about five minutes in length, give or take a couple of minutes, and features a few verses from the Bible with insightful exposition, accompanied by personal illustrations. The host, Stephen C. Weber, does an excellent job of quiet exhortation, and keeps the website up-to-date with daily pictures, a prayer written by his wife, poetry, music links, and much more. The ministry is based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. One of his favorite links is Answers in Genesis. I rank this devotional at the top of my list because of Brother Weber's humility, sincerity, depth of scripture knowledge, and direct delivery.

I have other favorites, but I'll deal with them later.