Over the past 20+ months I have been producing a podcast; first weekly then daily, where I shared my journey of reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a year. For me, The Daily Bible Wrap Up podcast was an exercise in obedience; I felt led, perhaps even commanded to do so. And so I did just that.

Every morning I’d read, then go live around 7:15 AM Central. Later, I realized I could be more efficient and avoid possible sudden issues by recording and then broadcasting the episode later. That led to prerecording episodes days in advance to counter any possible longer disruption, such as a vacation or illness.

During this process, I learned a lot. And I’d like to think I did a pretty good job. When a flu-type illness hit me, knocking me out for a few days, I never missed a 7:15 broadcast, thanks to the prerecording habit. When we vacationed in Florida, I recorded from our condo, as I also did at other times when on the road. I had created a great routine, and I often patted myself on the back for how skilled I had become.

And during all of that self-praise, I lost the reason why I was doing this.

As I wrote above, I started this project in obedience to God. Somewhere along the line, my Type A and OCD traits took over.

The Daily Bible Wrap Up had become more something I did because I did it well. It would take a second flu-type illness in five weeks to make me realize that I had drifted away doing it for God to doing it for my obsessiveness. Which, as I thought about it further, I think was God’s plan. I hadn’t been sick with a flu-type bug since COVID in late 2020, a span of nearly three years. Getting sick with similar twice in five weeks could very well have been God’s way to force me to slow down. After all, I can be stubborn, and sometimes it takes a spiritual smack in the head to see clearly.

I fell ill at exactly the time I had let my recording buffer dwindle from five days to one. I simply did not have the strength to record while experiencing chills, fever, aches, and a completely stuffed head. I was angry at myself for slipping in recording.

Then the revelation. I had already received the message to put the podcast on hiatus at the end of the year, to refocus and determine what next steps would be. My plan was to finish Revelation, then reassess in 2024, with the idea of returning to the podcast in 2025. But God had other plans, He showed me that what was a response to his call had become a vanity exercise for me. I was trying to finish out the year not for God but for me.

Ouch.

I opted to end the podcast immediately. After missing one day, which prompted comments of concern as I had never missed a day, the following day, still ill but on the backside of the illness, I broadcasted live at 7:15 Central; you can catch the archive of the livestream at https://youtube.com/live/6_MIKn-bxCc?feature=share. I know it was the right decision because after I finished the livestream, I felt immense relief. I had indeed finished well, because I had done what God had wanted me to do.

What did I learn? First, I now understand quite well how to create and produce a daily podcast. It is a lot of work, and is difficult at times for a small business owner (I own an information security consulting firm) to devote the time to the project. One day I plan to retire, though, and I know I will stay busy during retirement. I have little doubt that The Daily Bible Wrap Up podcast will be one of my retirement passions.

Another lesson surprised me somewhat. In September I was compelled (led) to share The Daily Bible Wrap Up livestream on my LinkedIn page and I explained so in a post. To summarize, being in the Word daily helped me in my professional life, and I thought it could benefit others.

The one thing I expected to happen did. I lost some followers. Whether they did not agree with the content or just got tired of seeing the daily notifications, for that or other reasons they dropped. But the purge was minimal; I estimated about 1%.

But what I didn’t expect was the level of support and encouragement I received. Even those who did not consume the podcast said that just seeing the notification encouraged them to be in the Word themselves on their reading or devotional plans. That convinced me that there is a significant need for such on LinkedIn. Therefore, when The Daily Bible Wrap Up returns, it will be livestreamed on my LinkedIn page again.

I have more thoughts but one thing this and other media endeavors have taught me is to not be too lengthy in the written or spoken word. I’d like to close by first thanking all who have supported me in this endeavor. Your words of encouragement mean more than you know.

While it seems obvious, try to be open to God and his plan in your life, and not let your desires overshadow what the Spirit is guiding you to. As for future plans, as I indicated The Daily Bible Wrap Up will return, but it will be in God’s time, not mine. God has prepped me for something through this experience, of that I’m sure. I’m excited to discover what that is as the years unfold.