Struggling for Purpose

By John WilkersonSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Technology Personal Journals

Struggling for Purpose episodes

February 29, 2020 Failure to Plan
Failure to plan has been the biggest hurdle in my podcasting “career”. I’m not sure you can actually call it a career, but, I think you know what I mean.
What happens when I fail to plan is that I end up recording an episode of my podcast by myself the morning it needs to be released.
If I’m being honest with myself, I expected this to happen and subconsciously planned to record an episode by myself about failing to plan.
If hearing me talk about how I’ve failed to plan over the last 15 years interests you, have a listen.
You can hear how other podcasters have overcome failure in the Examining Failure series.
30 min
February 20, 2020 Failure to Promote with Chris Staron
Chris Staron hosts Truce Podcast and has written and directed two movies: Bringing Up Bobby and Between the Walls. If you listen to his podcast, you’ve probably also heard him mention his novel, Cradle Robber.
Chris has previously appeared on the podcast and since then he’s made great progress using journalistic tools to look inside the Christian church.
Although his approach to examining the American Church is unique and insightful, Chris explains how his failure to promote the podcast has stunted its growth.
You can hear Chris dissect some sacred Christian cows by listening to Truce.
43 min
February 10, 2020 Failure to Pivot with Cale Nelson
Today’s guest is Cale Nelson (K4CDN), he is best known for hosting the Ham Radio 360 and Modern Christian Men podcasts. He’s also the head-honcho at AFX Media Group where he and his team provide graphic, video, and audio production services.
Today we’ll discuss how he failed to pivot and the affect it had on his podcasting and his spiritual life. It’s quite an interesting story!
Follow Cale on Twitter and Instagram and be sure to let him know you heard him on the podcast!
Be on the lookout for Our Podcast from Cale and his wife Carla.
29 min
January 30, 20207 Ways I’ve Failed at Podcasting Since 2005
Failure is an option. Yes, you read that right. Failure is an option.
We often hear the opposite, that failure isn’t an option, and this gives Christians and podcasters (like myself) a skewed view on life, faith, and success.
The Bible is full of accounts where “the faithful” failed. While many Christians are familiar with a few of these stories, most don’t embrace them.
We forget that books like Lamentations, Job, Jonah, and Ecclesiastes are there for us to meditate on and that God speaks to us through failure.
In this podcast, I briefly touch on 7 ways I’ve failed at podcasting:
Failure to plan
Failure to produce
Failure to promote
Failure to profit (Listen to this episode for clarification)
Failure to pivot
Failure to prioritize
Failure to partner
In upcoming episodes, I’ll have interviews with other podcasters and we’ll discuss each of these failures.
This will be a long, difficult journey. Along the way, I think you and I will learn a lot about why & how we fail.
I also hope we’ll also learn how to embrace that failure and carry on despite it.
I normally don’t announce my ambitions when it comes to podcasting because I often fail to follow-through. This is a gargantuan effort for me.
Until next time, learn to fail.
16 min
December 30, 2019 The Twelve Books of Christmas
Since Christmas Day, I have been sharing a book each day on Twitter and Instagram.
Many of these books I read last year. Some I’m sharing because I’d like you to know about them and one I plan to start reading on January 1st.
You’re getting to read and hear about all twelve books before I share them.
So, without further ado, here are the 12 Books of Christmas!
1. Haunted House Flipper
Ray is a friendless realtor who stumbles on some supernatural tools, including a sword, that can rid a property of evil spirits. He decides to use them to change his career and finally become a house flipper, but on a grander scale. He plans to flip old haunted mansions that no one else will buy, rid them of their evil spirits, renovate them, and sell them for a hefty profit. Getting them to leave isn’t as easy as he’d hoped and he has some competition from Bill Baldock, who buys up haunted mansions to destroy them and build apartment complexes in their place. Discover a new world within our own with Ray as he tries to learn how to use his new tools against demons, make new friends, and outsmart new enemies.
2. Hornet’s Nest
Fear is spreading. On the fringes of Coalition space, M-2s are hunting down and massacring entire colonies of Christians.
The Angels, however, are in no condition to respond. Captain Dex D’Felco has been missing for weeks, the Voor twins are incapacitated with a mysterious illness, and rumors about a traitor in their midst threaten to tear the squadron apart from within.
At JenKore, Darik Mason thought his new promotion would make everything better, but he soon realizes that he hasn’t yet earned the respect of CEO Kirrone Jenkins, who seems determined to make his life miserable. When Darik learns of a corporate spy attempting to steal inflammatory secrets, he sees an opportunity to prove his boss wrong—and avenge the death of his parents.
Full of breathtaking action and pulse-pounding suspense, Hornet’s Nest, the second book in the series, takes the world of Flight of the Angels in exciting new directions, adding greater layers of emotional depth—and some shocking twists.
3. Kill the Spider
Are you tired of trying to live for Christ—only to fail time and time again with the same old behaviors? Do you pray for guidance, ask for deliverance, and vow to do better, yet fail to progress?
As an author, speaker, pastor, and blogger at Ragamuffin Soul, Carlos has lived much of his spiritual life in the spotlight. But, like any Christian, his faith story has its ups and downs. He spent decades trying to figure out how to be a “better person.” Time and time again, he strived for holiness only to get caught in the web of destructive habits, behaviors, and thought patterns.
In Kill the Spider, Carlos shares personal material ranging from hilarious, self-deprecating stories to passion-filled wisdom—to show others it’s not enough to try and “stop sinning.” He teaches that knocking out deep-rooted habits and issues comes by treating the issue, not just the symptoms.
But, the buck stops here. Or, rather, the spider is killed here.
With transparency, humor, and vulnerable stories, Carlos offers a breath of fresh air to any believer looking to finally step into the freedom in Christ. So, sit down. Open the book. And grab a shoe. We’re going on a spider hunt.
4. Blessed Broken Given
An invitation to find beauty and meaning in the ordinary and imperfect aspects of your life; not as a call to settle for less, but rather as a way to mysteriously participate in God’s power and purpose.
Glenn Packiam wants to empower readers to find great joy, purpose, and passion in their daily living. While bread may be one of the most common items on our dinner tables, Jesus chose to take it at the Last Supper and invest deep, wonderful, and transcendent meaning in it. Like the bread that was blessed, broken, and given; readers will see how God uses ordinary experiences to cultivate their mission and their brokenness to bring healing to the world. The ordinary is not the enemy; it is the means by which God accomplishes the miraculous. Through clear biblical teaching and practical steps, Packiam leads the reader into a more purposeful, directed, hopeful future.
5. Denver Moon
Earth is dying. Luna is uninhabitable. Mars is our last chance.
Once considered humanity’s future home, Mars hasn’t worked out like anybody hoped. Plagued by crime and a terraforming project that’s centuries from completion, Mars is a red hell.
Denver Moon, P.I., works the dark underbelly of Mars City. While investigating a series of violent crimes linked to red fever—a Martian disorder that turns its victims into bloodthirsty killers—Denver discovers a cryptic message left by Tatsuo Moon, Mars City co-founder and Denver’s grandfather. The same grandfather who died two decades ago.
Twenty-year-old revelations force Denver on a quest for truth, but Tatsuo’s former friend, Cole Hennessy, leader of the Church of Mars, has other plans and will stop at nothing to keep Denver from disclosing Tatsuo’s secrets to the world.
Hell-bent on reclaiming her grandfather’s legacy, Denver—along with her AI implant, Smith, companion android, Nigel, and shuttle pilot, Navya—set out on a quest to find the answers they hope will shed light on the church’s true agenda, the origin of red fever, and the mysteries surrounding Tatsuo’s tragic death.
6. The Day the World Came to Town
When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill.
As the passengers stepped from the airplanes, exhausted, hungry and distraught after being held on board for nearly 24 hours while security checked all of the baggage, they were greeted with a feast prepared by the townspeople. Local bus drivers who had been on strike came off the picket lines to transport the passengers to the various shelters set up in local schools and churches. Linens and toiletries were bought and donated. A middle school provided showers, as well as access to computers, email, and televisions, allowing the passengers to stay in touch with family and follow the news.
Over the course of those four days, many of the passengers developed friendships with Gander residents that they expect to last a lifetime. As a show of thanks, scholarship funds for the children of Gander have been formed and donations have been made to provide new computers for the schools. This book recounts the inspiring story of the residents of Gander, Canada, whose acts of kindness have touched the lives of thousands of people and been an example of humanity and goodwill.
7. Jewel of the Stars Book #2
Avaline wanted a perfect honeymoon on board the luxury cruise ship Jewel of The Stars, but when an alien invasion of Earth forced her ship into unexplored space, her vacation turns into a life sentence. She’s determined to fight with everything she has to hold onto her perfect dream, byt why isn’t her new husband fighting with her?
A series of lootings on the ship turn violent, prompting security chief Jaylen Banks to investigate potential organised crime, while first officer Maya Rice leads a supply mission to a mysterious earth colony that shouldn’t exist. When the invading aliens catch up and strand them on the planet, they meet what might be a new ally.
The big question is, can they trust him?
8. A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety
In his major New York Times bestseller, Jimmy Carter looks back
from ninety years of age and “reveals private thoughts and recollections
over a fascinating career as businessman, politician, evangelist, and
humanitarian” (Booklist).
At ninety, Jimmy Carter reflects
on his public and private life with a frankness that is disarming. He
adds detail and emotion about his youth in rural Georgia that he
described in his magnificent An Hour Before Daylight. He writes
about racism and the isolation of the Carters. He describes the
brutality of the hazing regimen at Annapolis, and how he nearly lost his
life twice serving on submarines and his amazing interview with Admiral
Rickover. He describes the profound influence his mother had on him,
and how he admired his father even though he didn’t emulate him. He
admits that he decided to quit the Navy and later enter politics without
consulting his wife, Rosalynn, and how appalled he is in retrospect.

In his “warm and detailed memoir” (Los Angeles Times),
Carter tells what he is proud of and what he might do differently. He
discusses his regret at losing his re-election, but how he and Rosalynn
pushed on and made a new life and second and third rewarding careers. He
is frank about the presidents who have succeeded him, world leaders,
and his passions for the causes he cares most about, particularly the
condition of women and the deprived people of the developing world.
9. One Blood: A Parting Word to the Church on Race
Dr. John M. Perkins is a leading civil rights activist today. He grew
up in a Mississippi sharecropping family, was an early pioneer of the
civil rights movement, and has dedicated his life to the cause of racial
equality. In this, his crowning work, Dr. Perkins speaks honestly to
the church about reconciliation, discipleship, and justice… and what
it really takes to live out biblical reconciliation.
He offers a
call to repentance to both the white church and the black church. He
explains how band-aid approaches of the past won’t do. And while
applauding these starter efforts, he holds that true reconciliation
won’t happen until we get more intentional and relational. True
friendships must happen, and on every level. This will take the whole
church, not just the pastors and staff.
The racial reconciliation
of our churches and nation won’t be done with big campaigns or through
mass media. It will come one loving, sacrificial relationship at a time.
The gospel and all that it encompasses has always traveled best
relationally. We have much to learn from each other and each have unique
poverties that can only be filled by one another. The way forward is to
become “wounded healers” who bandage each other up as we discover what
the family of God really looks like. Real relationships, sacrificial
love between actual people, is the way forward. Nothing less will do.
10. The Detective
https://www.amazon.com/Detective-Galactic-Football-League-Novellas/dp/B019QM7MLW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=the+detective+sigler&qid=1577658681&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=str4pur-20&linkId=2f141b17ee758d6b9404d8a60fbc625e&language=en_US
The Detective takes place from roughly March 2683 to March 2684. Where applicable, the chapters are named to map to the action in The All-Pro (book III in the Galactic Football League series). The story actually begins, however, on unknown dates during book II, The Starter.
In terms of the GFL timeline, The Detective runs from roughly week seven of the 2683 regular season in The Starter through week 10 of the 2684 regular season in The All-Pro.
11. Me, Myself, and Bob
This is a story of dreaming big
and working hard, of spectacular success and breathtaking failure, of
shouted questions, and, at long last, whispered answers. With trademark
wit and heart, Phil Vischer shares how God can use the death of a dream
to point us toward true success.
Larry. Bob. Archibald. These
VeggieTales stars are the most famous vegetables you’ll ever eat. Oops,
meet. Their antics are known around the world. But so much of the
VeggieTales story hasn’t been told. In Me, Myself, and Bob,
Phil Vischer, founder of Big Idea and creator of VeggieTales, gives a
behind-the-scenes look at his not-so-funny journey with the loveable
veggies. From famed creator to bankrupt dreamer, Vischer shares his
story of trial and ultimate triumph as God inspired him with one big
idea after another.
12. The Sun Does Shine
In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts
of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine
years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and
believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him
free.
But with no money and a different system of justice for a
poor black man in the South, Hinton was sentenced to death by
electrocution. He spent his first three years on Death Row at Holman
State Prison in agonizing silence―full of despair and anger toward all
those who had sent an innocent man to his death. But as Hinton realized
and accepted his fate, he resolved not only to survive, but find a way
to live on Death Row. For the next twenty-seven years he was a
beacon―transforming not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow
inmates, fifty-four of whom were executed mere feet from his cell. With
the help of civil rights attorney and bestselling author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, Hinton won his release in 2015.
With a foreword by Stevenson, The Sun Does Shine
is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through
the darkest times. Destined to be a classic memoir of wrongful
imprisonment and freedom won, Hinton’s memoir tells his dramatic
thirty-year journey and shows how you can take away a man’s freedom, but
you can’t take away his imagination, humor, or joy.
26 min
December 20, 2019 It’s Not Christmas Yet Christmas Special
‘Tis the season to take a break from podcasting. Many podcasters, including myself, tend to get a little lazy around this time of the year.
In keeping with that tradition, I present to you a brief little podcast that includes content from Truce, by Chris Staron.
I interviewed Chris when he started Truce and I’ve become a huge fan of the podcast.
He was kind enough to share a segment with the Christian Podcasters Association that members could use in their podcast.
I hope you enjoy this It’s Not Christmas Yet Christmas Special.
10 min
December 11, 2019 51 Weeks Later
Last year at this time I was one week away from a shoulder replacement. In this episode, I reflect back on the past year and how I’m doing since the surgery.
13 min
November 30, 2019 Jesus Geek is Back Again (Kinda)
After years of podcasting because I “had” to, I’m now podcasting because I “want” to.
I’ve relaunched and reimagined my first podcast, Jesus Geek, with a new name: My Week in Geek.
Listen as I explain what led me to do this and I share about the Advent season.
13 min
November 21, 2019 The Cult of Kanye
Last month Kanye West released his latest album, Jesus is King, to mixed reviews. His new album is controversial among Christians and non-Christians alike.
I don’t have any strong opinions about the album itself but I’m fascinated by the impact it has had already.
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.
7 min
November 10, 2019 Too Many Choices
I have too many choices. Listen as I process through why I haven’t been podcasting regularly. Also, I never got around to those show notes.
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.
14 min

About Struggling for Purpose

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A personal audio journal of faith and folly by John Wilkerson.

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Struggling for Purpose

Struggling for Purpose episodes

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