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Struggling for Purpose: Daily Summaries Delivered
by John Wilkerson
A personal audio journal of faith and folly by John Wilkerson: A Gen X grandpa struggling to follow Jesus.
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- May 4, 20263 min
Thanks for All the Fish
Thanks for listening; and thanks for sticking me in your ears!Follow me on X: https://x.com/@jwilkersFollow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jorowi
- Nov 30, 202532 min
From Stealth Bombers to Slaying Dragons: A Milestone Conversation with James R. Hannibal
Having reached 100 episodes on this journey of “faith and folly,” and for this landmark installment of the Struggling for Purpose, I sat down with a man whose life story reads like a high-octane thriller: James R. Hannibal.James isn’t just an author; he’s a former A-10 Warthog and B-2 Spirit stealth pilot, a synesthete, and the man tasked with carrying forward the legacy of one of the most unique Christian discipleship tools ever created: Dragon Raid.The Evolution of a Legacy: From Dragon Raid to Light RaidersIn the 1980s, Dick Wolf created Dragon Raid, a tabletop role-playing game (RPG) designed to teach scripture memory and Christian character. For James, a pastor’s kid growing up in Colorado Springs, the game was a formative experience. Decades later, when James sought out the game for his own children, he ended up connecting with Dick Wolf himself.Before his passing, Wolf asked James to expand the world. This birthed the Light Raider Academy novels and a completely redesigned gaming system.“We wanted to change the sci-fi fantasy mashup and make it pure fantasy,” James explains. “We spent months creating cultures and the world before even writing. We took the map on the back of the original box and ‘zoomed in,’ fleshing out the towns and the people.”The result is a streamlined, elegant mechanic that turns role-playing into a deep discipleship experience. By playing characters with specific “virtue ratings,” players learn to navigate moral dilemmas using scripture—all within a low-threat, imaginative environment.Seeing Sound and Flying Stealth: Life with SynesthesiaOne of the most fascinating segments of the interview touched on James’s synesthesia—a neurological condition where the senses intersect. For James, a flash of light might trigger a “clack” sound, or an engine noise might manifest as a “brown fog” that physically presses in on him.Surprisingly, this helped him in the cockpit. While he had to “learn to deal” with sensory overload, his color graphemia (associating numbers and concepts with colors) made him an elite forward air controller. He could track multiple fighters, airspaces, and weapon loads with a mental organization that others struggled to match.The “Write What You Know” Phase and the Leap to FaithAfter a 10-year career in the Air Force—including time on the think tank for the B-21 Raider—James transitioned to writing. He started with military techno-thrillers like Wraith, but eventually found himself at a crossroads.While writing for major New York publishers, James encountered a “glass ceiling” for his faith. He refused to include the foul language or explicit content often demanded in adult thrillers, and even in children’s literature, he found a push to include “indoctrination” that didn’t align with his values. This led him to Enclave and Revelle, where he now writes high-quality Christian fiction for both teens and adults.A Miraculous ConfirmationThe path to building Light Raiders hasn’t been easy. It is a labor of love funded largely by James and his wife. At one point, James faced a career-ending injury: his feet were riddled with stress fractures and torn tendons, a condition so severe he was navigating airports in a wheelchair.During a conference where he was struggling to even stand on stage, a stranger offered to pray for him.“I’m not Pentecostal or Charismatic, so I kind of laughed at the guy,” James admits. “But we prayed… and by the end of that prayer, I could no longer feel the pain. My left big toe—which had a disconnected tendon—was wiggling again. That moment answered every question about whether we should be doing Light Raiders. That’s the calling for the rest of our lives.”How You Can Get InvolvedLight Raiders is more than a game; it’s a non-profit mission (Courser Media Inc.) dedicated to equipping the next generation.Visit the Website: Head over to lightraiders.com to explore the trilogy of novels and the Starlots box set.Support the Mission: Because the games are sold below cost to keep them affordable for churches and families, donor support is vital. You can donate directly through their shop.Bring it to Your Church: If you’re looking for a way to engage youth in scripture memory that feels like an adventure, the Light Raider system is built for you.Note: This blog post was generated using Google AI from the transcript of this podcast.Support the podcast when you <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/johnwi
- Nov 20, 202512 min
Almost There
Another nostalgic podcast where I talk about how grateful I’ve been to be able to podcast for 20 years.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 LicenseFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
- Nov 12, 202514 min
Thought Train
I was sick for two days and had a lot of time to think, so, let’s talk about that.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 LicenseFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
- Oct 31, 20259 min
What I’m Struggling With This Week
Some days it’s tough to podcast because your tech doesn’t work the way you expect it to. Besides briefly talking about my technical issues, I also talk about sharing my burdens with others.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 LicenseFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
- Oct 21, 202510 min
Have We Forgotten How to Wonder?
As a whole, I think western cultures have forgotten how to wonder. We have a small slab of glass and silicon that we can use to get the answers to nearly every question we have and I don’t think that’s always a good thing.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 LicenseFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
- Oct 11, 202513 min
Evangelicals Believe What!?
Today I talk about some shocking responses to a survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research. You can follow along here: thestateofthelogy.comHow is it that 100% of the respondents to this survey affirm that, “The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe,” and yet 53% believe the Holy Spirit is a force and not a person?I talk about these and other findings from this survey and start preaching a little about how I think church is viewed by many Americans.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 LicenseFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
- Sep 30, 20259 min
A Brief History of Podcasting According to Me
Today is International Podcast Day and I thought I’d share a brief history of podcasting as I witnessed it. I could talk longer than 10 minutes about podcasting but (like a lot of things I do) I waited until the last minute to record this episode.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 LicenseFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
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About Struggling for Purpose
A personal audio journal of faith and folly by John Wilkerson: A Gen X grandpa struggling to follow Jesus.
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