Struggling for Purpose

It finally happened. After 12 years I stopped hosting my podcast with Blubrry.

Before I get into the reasons why this happened I want to say that I’m not disappointed with what RawVoice offers to podcasters.

I think they offer the best overall package one can get. You can get stats, media hosting, and even a website for one price. They also have some of the best support staff in the industry.

Blubrry hosting is top-notch and for years they have been on the cutting edge of podcast technology.

However, when it’s time to retire a podcast there are very few options. This is the case with nearly every hosting provider. Once you decide to stop hosting your files with a hosting provider, access to your files is gone. Forever.

I retired The Wired Homeschool over two years ago. I’ve released a few episodes since the “last episode” because a global health crisis forced many parents to homeschool and they were coming to my site for advice.

Leading up to the eventual end of the podcast, I reached out to Blubrry on two or three occasions asking if there was some sort of plan where they would continue to host my files but I wouldn’t be allowed to upload any new files.

I thought $3 – $5 a month would be reasonable considering LibSyn offers a $5 hosting plan. I didn’t want to continue paying $12 a month just to host my files. I also didn’t want to go through the process of transferring files to a new host like LibSyn because, well, I’m lazy.

After repeatedly hitting walls with Blubrry and because I didn’t want to spend the time systematically moving files to a cheaper host, I decided to move the files to Archive.org.

I know, it’s not a real podcast host. I know there may be times the files are unavailable. But after culling my available podcasts by 90%, I decided this was going to be the best option.

In fact, out of the original 800+ blog posts and podcasts at The Wired Homeschool, there are now only 27 podcasts and 24 blog posts.

Over 95% of my content wasn’t even being seen. 3% of my original content brings in over 90% of the organic traffic to the website. Over three years I reduced the amount of content publicly available to 51 posts.

I basically needed a place where I could archive the remaining episodes. I still get affiliate sales that pay for hosting so I’m not losing money but I figure it would be nice to keep more of those affiliate dollars since I had so little content that was still accessible to the public.

So there you have it. I stopped hosting with Blubrry because I didn’t want to pay $12 a month to host 30 mp3 files. That’s it. Nothing groundbreaking.

Now I need to start looking at the content on this site and start pairing it down too.

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

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2021 is behind us and a new year is ahead. It’s easy to look back over the past few years and think, “Will this ever end?” I’m sure the Israelites felt that way when they wandered around a desert for 40 years. Jacob and Caleb must have been chomping at the bit to get into their promised land.

Move – This was one of my words in 2019 and I need to revisit it this year. There’s a lot of stiffness in my life—physically, mentally, & professionally. The main focus of this will be on physical movement. I plan to walk 1,200 km this year and play a lot more pickleball. I feel stagnant professionally and need to make a move (I don’t know what that will be yet). Finally, my mindset has been stagnant lately and that needs to change.

Strengthen – This word ties into “move” in so many ways. I plan to strengthen my body and mind. I want to strengthen my relationships—with God, family, & friends. One way I’m doing this is to play more pickleball with my wife. I also want to strengthen my position online. I’m not sure what that last statement means yet but I’ll be exploring it in the weeks to come.

Renew – Finally, I need a bit of a renewal. I didn’t do much podcasting the last two years for various reasons and throughout 2021 I’ve had the itch to start again. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll restart all of them but I do have plans to restart a least one of them.

There it is. My three words for 2022. I’m not sure how things will turn out this year. My three words for 2019 weren’t very successful because I’m terrible at goal-setting and vision-casting but I’m hopeful for this year. I’ll be on the lookout for your three words.

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

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As I wind down this podcast, I decided to give Pod decks a try. I answer some of the questions found in the “Episode Deck”.

You can check out my unboxing and review of Pod decks on my YouTube channel.

Check out Paeter Frandsen’s podcast, Christian Geek Central.

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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I’m ending Struggling for Purpose once I reach episode 50. Listen to hear why.

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

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I started thinking about the recent events in Atlanta and it lead me down a bit of a rabbit-trail. I shared some thoughts on Christian nationalism, empathy for those who are hurting, and some general thoughts on the state of the American Church.

I also announced the winner of THE RANK GAME giveaway.

A post shared by Nick Cho (@nickcho)

This was another really heavy episode but I still have hope. I have hope in Christ and I have hope that, we, the Body of Christ can function as one rather than individual parts.

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

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Chip and Dana Brown noticed a troubling trend: people were spending more and more time interacting with their smartphones than with the people around them. Their solution to this problem was to create a game that was not only simple but stimulated conversation.

THE RANK GAME gives friends and families a way to reconnect through the “gamification of conversation.” Developed over several years, it’s truly a game you and your family will want to play over and over.

In this interview, Chip and Dana Brown share how their experience working for Disney and HarperCollins set them up for success.

They share their design philosophy and how Christian principles were weaved into the game. 

Chip and Dana both share interesting stories from their careers, how they met, and lessons from previous jobs that helped them when creating THE RANK GAME.

Watch my review of THE RANK GAME and enter the contest to win your own copy!

Note: this interview and my review of THE RANK GAME are part of a promotional campaign. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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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February is historically a difficult month for me. It’s the middle of winter and the shorter month puts me in a bit of a tailspin when it comes to my podcasting schedule.

There are many things that are pulling on me and it’s sometimes very difficult to determine where I should invest my time, talent and treasure.

My appearance on The Mango Times: 025 Discover: Walking

Three Minute Bible Study

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” -Matthew 6:21

“When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”” -Acts 19:21

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

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The last two episodes of the podcast have been heavy. Let’s talk about that…

First, I share and respond to a comment from Professor Alan. Alan and I have been each other’s podcasting orbits for a long time. I always appreciate his input.

Alan and his daughter Em host the Dorkness to Light podcast which is a spin-off of their main podcast: Relatively Geeky Network.

I also read some comments Paeter made when he shared the podcast with his audience.

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

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In September 2020, a few months after his death, Christianity Today published an article about allegations of sexual misconduct against Ravi Zacharias.

Since then, a preliminary investigation has revealed these allegations are true.

To talk about this sensitive topic, I’m joined by Paeter Frandsen of Christian Geek Central.

We discuss our thoughts on the topic and how lament and restoration should be a part of every Christian’s life.

Paeter’s video “Reacting To Corrupt Christian Teachers”

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

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