Struggling for Purpose

After listening to Evo Terra‘s podcast, Podcast Pontifications, regularly for a few months, I’ve come to realize that I’ve been “phoning it in” when it comes to this podcast.

You deserve better. You deserve excellence. I’m capable of producing better content.

Listen to me pontificate about this and more in today’s episode.

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Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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Lately, I’ve felt like the small sailboat in the image associated with this blog post. I’m adrift. The water is calm but there is no wind. I’m in a haze and even if I had a paddle to get myself to shore, I can’t see the shore. No matter what direction I head toward it’s the wrong way.

News of Christian leaders abandoning their faith has caused me to think about what I believe and the struggles I have with my beliefs about God, who I am in Christ and my role in life.

I don’t have any answers but something I recently heard Carlos Whittaker share helped. He shared from 1 Peter 5:10.

And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Rather than me expounding upon it, here’s what Carlos said, in his own words:

I haven’t pulled out of it yet. I still feel adrift but I know that this is only for a little while.

Chime in! What do you do when you feel adrift or without purpose? What scriptures or affirmations help you remember that God seeks the best for you despite your circumstances and feelings?

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Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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Why is it that all of the “new” t.v. shows and movies seem to capitalize on 80’s nostalgia? What is driving this trend in media? How does that trend apply to our lives as people struggling to follow Jesus?

Listen in as I try to answer these questions and more in the latest episode of Struggling for Purpose.

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Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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Truth time: I hardly ever use a physical Bible. Nearly all of my devotional reading and studying is done on my computer, smartphone, or tablet. I use a physical Bible when I occasionally teach at church and pull one out when I don’t want to have a screen in my face.

When I use a physical Bible, it is a multi-sensory experience. The scent and texture of the material, combined with the sounds of turning pages and seeing the words help to emboss what I’m reading into my heart and mind. Nearly all of my senses are engaged when I use a physical Bible rather than a virtual one and each Bible that I own provides its own unique experience.

Bibles make great gifts as long as you’re giving someone a great Bible. The CSB He Reads Truth Bible is a great Bible. Listen to the podcast to hear all of my thoughts on this study Bible and how I think it will help you study God’s Word.

The CSB He Reads Truth Bible includes robust, well-crafted theological extras to draw the reader back to Scripture, increase biblical literacy, and foster a growing affection for God and His Word. Color-coded by genre, each book of the Bible features detailed book introductions, a reading plan with supplemental passages for deeper understanding, and full-color maps, charts, and timelines by the He Reads Truth team. In addition, the CSB He Reads Truth Bible features 66 key verses, artfully lettered to aid in Scripture memorization. This Bible invites every man to count himself as part of the He Reads Truth community of “Men in the Word of God every day.”

Features include 66 hand-lettered key verses, 17 full-color timelines, 21 maps, 122 charts (including infographics and lists), and 4 illustrations, reading plans for every book of the Bible, a one-year Bible reading plan, detailed book introductions, key verse list, Smyth-sewn binding, two colored ribbon markers, and wide margins for journaling and note-taking.

The CSB He Reads Truth Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others.

I’ve teamed up with LEV3L Digital to bring you another giveaway. This time, you have a chance to receive a copy of the CSB He Reads Truth Bible.

The publisher has asked that I limit this giveaway to U.S. residents only. You will receive a copy of the Bible shipped to you directly from the publisher after the conclusion of the promotion. Please use the widget below to enter the giveaway.

CSB HE READS TRUTH BIBLE

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the CSB He Reads Truth Bible and a $10 Amazon gift card in exchange for hosting this giveaway and providing an honest review.

I’ve decided to make some changes related to my podcasting. That means this podcast is changing (again) and another has got to go! It’s going to be messy for a little while.

Support the podcast when you buy me a coffee! If you’re listening in a new podcast app, hit that boost button and send me some Satoshis.

Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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Back to the traditional top-of-mind recording this time. Recorded in my car, I share how I’ve been struggling to podcast lately and compare podcasting to the Eucharist.

Support the podcast when you buy me a coffee! If you’re listening in a new podcast app, hit that boost button and send me some Satoshis.

Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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In 2015 when Periscope was the hottest and newest social media platform, I shared how podcasters and entrepreneurs could use the platform to better serve their audience.

A number of social media platforms now support live video so I thought I’d revisit this list to provide a refresher that can be used broadly, rather than specifically for one platform.

Not all of these points will apply to every podcast but I hope that you get some value from this list and try incorporating live video into your podcast outreach.

Here’s the original video that was streamed live on Periscope.

https://youtu.be/_u0f93Aatrw

Chime in! What other ways can we use live video to serve our audience?

Share your thoughts with me on Twitter using the hashtag #str4p.

Subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or on your favorite platform.

Steve Cleary is the Executive Producer of The Pilgrim’s Progress, a feature-length, animated film based on John Bunyon’s classic novel. The film was in theaters on April 18th and 20th, 2019, and is now viewable online.

Steve started his work in missions in 1989 as a volunteer for The Voice of the Martyrs. He joined the staff in 1990 and soon after had the honor of traveling with VOM founders Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. Being able to spend the last decade of their lives with them became the biggest blessing and honor of Steve’s life. He continues with VOM as a contractor and has traveled with them to hostile and restricted nations around the world, including Cuba, Sudan, Northern Nigeria, borders of North Korea, and most recently Iraq during the ISIS occupation.

In 2015, Steve and Robert Fernandez began an animation studio in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was at this time he began to see both the tremendous need and opportunity of making films for the mission field. In January 2017, Steve officially founded and launched the ministry Revelation Media, which is committed to providing quality and culturally engaging media for the global missions community.

Support the podcast when you buy me a coffee! If you’re listening in a new podcast app, hit that boost button and send me some Satoshis.

Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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Movies have been used for years as a way to reach people with the gospel. However, in some countries, unapproved religious content isn’t permitted.

Allegories like The Pilgrim’s Progress can subvert the censors in countries where preaching the Gospel is prohibited and give missionaries tools to share the love of Christ with people who desperately need it.

The Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into over 200 languages, has never been out of print and has sold over 200 million copies – more copies than any Christian book, next to the Bible. Written in 1678 by John Bunyan while in prison for holding religious services, The Pilgrim’s Progress is often cited as the greatest allegory ever written.

The 2019 film will be the story’s feature-length theatrical debut, as well as the first computer-animated telling of the timeless tale. Media-driven families can be assured that this centuries-old story can still connect with viewers of all ages.

https://youtu.be/04WXlAcOtS0
This Easter, Revelation Media is bringing an adapted, animated version of the classic tale to theaters. Starring John Rhys-Davies as Evangelist, this epic story will come to life on the big screen for a limited time only.

Genre: drama/ animated
Rating: NR
Run time: 1:45
Studio: Revelation Media
Talent: John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings), Kristyn Getty (In Christ Alone), Ben Price (America’s Got Talent)

Theatrical release for 2 days only! April 18 & 20, 2019 Easter weekend! You can buy tickets now at pilgrims.movie to see The Pilgrim’s Progress on Thursday, April 18th at 7 p.m. or Saturday, April 20th at 12:55 p.m.

I sat down with my family to watch this film not knowing what to expect. Of course, I knew John Rhys-Davies’ performance would be top-notch but I was unfamiliar with the other actors.

Additionally, I didn’t really like the animation style. I think I’ve become so used to seeing what Pixar and Disney produce, any other style looks dated or less appealing.

I decided to put aside my issues with the animation and focus more on the plot, pace, and performances.

The story, of course, is timeless. Revelation Media’s adaptation is approachable and retains much of the original style while still making it appealing to modern audiences.

Our church had used a Sunday School curriculum based on the novel so my kids were familiar with the story. At times they pointed out when things differed from the original and I reminded them that this is not intended to be an exact copy of the novel.

The pace of the film was just right. One trend in modern filmmaking is to make these epic tales and that often means adding or extending scenes to make the running time longer.

I never felt like that happened. The 105 minutes of runtime feels just right and at no point was I looking at my clock wondering when this film would end.

As I expected, John Rhys-Davies shined in every scene as Evangelist. I’ve seen him in other small-budget, faith-based films and he never just phones it in.

Ben Price’s performance as Christian was good as well. I was unfamiliar with him as an actor and thought he did a great job portraying the story’s lead character.

Most of the other performances were ok, there’s nothing that really stands out to me.

I think it’s important to keep the purpose of making this film in mind when reviewing it. It’s intended to be an outreach tool for missionaries. The message and method are more important than the medium. The intended audience isn’t American Christians, it’s non-believers in other countries.

One of the executive producers of the film, Steve Cleary, worked for The Voice of the Martyrs so he’s familiar with what it takes to reach people in difficult situations.

I have an interview scheduled with Steve and I’m looking forward to talking to him about the process of creating The Pilgrim’s Progress.

I think Steve and everyone else involved succeeded in creating a film that will reach millions with the Gospel and help lead people into a saving knowledge of Jesus.

Making a Christian film is hard. I’d encourage you to support this film in theaters because its purpose is to spread the Gospel.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

As part of the promotion for this film, I am giving away 3 illustrated story books and 3 $25 Fandango e-gift cards, redeemable for The Pilgrim’s Progress. Only U.S. residents are eligible for this giveaway. Each winner will receive a storybook and a gift card.

The Pilgrim’s Progress Movie Tickets & Storybook

Disclosure: I received a free pair of tickets and an illustrated storybook in exchange for this review and promotion of the film.

Support the podcast when you buy me a coffee! If you’re listening in a new podcast app, hit that boost button and send me some Satoshis.

Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.

Since I started podcasting in 2005, I’ve started ten podcasts. Of those ten, I consider three failures. In this episode of Struggling for Purpose, I’ll share why I think those podcasts “failed” and what I learned from those failures. You can read about those failed podcasts on the About Page of this blog. Also, you can find the giveaway I mentioned here.

Support the podcast when you buy me a coffee! If you’re listening in a new podcast app, hit that boost button and send me some Satoshis.

Music: “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.