June 26 2012

Show open: Sean Covington and Double J join in studio

The show opens at the Pathway Studios in Johnston. A host introduces himself by name as Ben Foose, welcomes listeners, and introduces the in-studio musical guest Sean Covington, who will share tunes and stories, plus Double J joining from the corner. The host lays out the show plan: a Secular vs. Solomon segment and Dear LFTP advice letters.

Warm-up banter: the meaning of 'par'

Opening banter between the hosts: confusion over the word 'par' (subpar sounding like it should be good), endorsement jokes, and the 'cheese man' getting an endorsement too. Light warm-up comedy before the interview begins.

Interview: Sean Covington's story and music

The interview begins. Sean Covington introduces himself: he is about homeschooling his two oldest boys (second grade and kindergarten), has four kids total, and has been writing worship songs mostly for himself over the last several years. The hosts ask about his music and ask him to play some tunes.

Music: 'Great, Great, Great' live performance

Sean Covington performs his original worship song 'Great, Great, Great' live in the studio — described in the transcript as its first recorded performance. The hosts react afterward, praising the flowing guitar part and the chorus, and joke that he designs music videos for artists.

Interview: promoting music with integrity

• How does a Christian musician promote their music with integrity in the social-media era?

The interview continues on promoting Christian music with integrity in the social-media era. The hosts and Sean discuss the difficulty of self-promotion, Facebook/Twitter/YouTube as 'the new phone calls,' changing worship styles (electronic drum sets, attracting new visitors), and the tension of reaching culture without compromising the message.

Interview: calling, humility, and the rock-pushing story

The conversation turns to calling and humility in ministry: the struggling Christian band booking gigs, the David-and-Samuel story (the shepherd boy called to be king while feeding sheep), and the Sisyphus-like rock-pushing story — we quit pushing because it seems stupid, but if we stop, Jesus catches us; he is 'a big rock pusher.' The hosts land on doing God's work humbly, 'back on my knees, let's go through Ephesians,' with the Holy Spirit tapping the shoulder.

Music: 'With the Lord' (Psalm 23) live performance

Sean plugs his free download on noisetrade.com/seancovington (five tunes), noting 'Great, Great, Great' is exclusive to YouTube. He introduces his rewritten song 'With the Lord,' a Psalm 23 paraphrase, mentioning his harmonica sidekick Heather McLennan is missing tonight. He performs it live; afterward the hosts plug Noisetrade again and joke about his intense photo and being 'partly psychic.'

Comedy block: littering rant and prank stories

Extended studio comedy block: a rant about littering after seeing teenagers chuck McDonald's trash from a car in a Johnston neighborhood, the Hy-Vee/Curtis story, the grandma-crushed-by-paper-towels-in-the-Walmart-freezer story, a host's prank of following friend Heather around a store with giant toilet paper yelling 'Ma'am, you dropped this,' and turning himself in to the Lost Child Foundation as an 18-year-old.

Dear LFTP: the 4th of July party guest-list letter

• Are party hosts socially required to reciprocate invitations, and what should a host do about badly behaved guests?

Dear LFTP advice segment, first letter: a listener has set the guest list for their 4th of July party and reads seven grievances against last year's guests (arrived empty-handed, arrived early and stayed late, never reciprocated, complained about the food, solicited free legal/medical advice, raided the liquor cabinet, complained about traffic), signing off 'thanks for letting me vent.' The hosts debate the letter — some side with the writer, others say the writer should stop hosting parties — and discuss church potluck expectations and reciprocity. The Secular persona closes with a sarcastic verdict: the writer has been entertaining complaining moochers and paring the guest list will improve future parties.

Dear LFTP: the photo-album mother-in-law letter

• How can I refuse my future mother-in-law's requests for copies of my personal photo albums without offending her?

Dear LFTP second letter, signed Abby: she regards her photo albums as diaries, does not like making copies, and her future mother-in-law has picked half a dozen photos she wants copied. She asks how to refuse without offending. The hosts mostly side against her — calling the stance ridiculous — while one host defends personal boundaries around photos. A tangent on emoticons and texting follows.

Dear LFTP: married seven years, feelings gone

• I have been married seven years and the feelings are gone; should I leave?

Dear LFTP third letter: a listener married seven years says the feelings are gone and asks what to do. The hosts advise that marriage is a decision, not based on emotion — feelings cycle and fade (the seven-year itch) — and urge severing ties with an ex-fiance the writer still wants. Discussion broadens to the culture of chasing short-term feelings in entertainment, consumption, and relationships.

Witnessing stories from the week

A host shares witnessing stories from the week: two separate conversations with men on their third marriage, asking one whether he has served his wives as if each were the only woman in the world, and a conversation that ended with talk of God's word though not a baptism 'at the nearest pond.' Reflection on the difficulty of opening Jesus conversations with men who assume they are in the wrong.

Station break and program preview

Station break: the show airs Monday nights 10 to midnight at livefromthepath.org, with clips on the YouTube channel. Preview of the rest of the program: more music from Sean Covington and week seven of the '50 proofs that God is imaginary' series from godisimaginary.com.

Music: 'Holy, Holy, Holy' live performance

Sean introduces a song he held onto for a long time, inspired by the idea that it is always 9:30 church time somewhere and all that praise echoes in the halls of heaven — 'Holy, Holy, Holy' (joking 'Live from the Bath'). He performs it live; the hosts praise an off-the-beaten-path chord change, then plug Sean's Noisetrade page and Facebook music page.

Hard question: proof 7, religious delusion (Santa analogy)

• Is belief in God a delusion comparable to a child's belief in Santa Claus?

Hard-question segment: the hosts read proof number 7 of the '50 proofs that God is imaginary' series, 'understanding religious delusion.' The piece argues by Santa Claus analogy — a magical sleigh, appearing chimneys, timelessness, omniscience are delusions, so belief in God is likewise delusional — and extends the argument to pyramids, Aztec sacrifice, Muslim prayer toward Mecca, and Jewish dietary law, claiming Christians detect the fairy tale in every faith but their own.

Rebutting proof 7: resurrection evidence and getting off the throne

The hosts rebut proof 7: the Santa story falls apart while the Jesus story has hundreds of documented firsthand resurrection witnesses and a movement that spread through radical generosity (selling possessions for the shamed), not rational arguments. They critique the piece's tactic of pairing Jesus with a 'mass murderer' to poison the category, note the author's Bible familiarity ('put me in the number two position'), and land on willingness to 'get off the throne' as the real difference, touching predestination and election lightly.

Roll-out: Spirit Midwest plugs and sign-off

Roll-out: Sean and Double J are playing Spirit Midwest Saturday afternoon; Sean also plays the Green Grounds in Valley Junction that night. The hosts thank Sean Covington for coming in, Double J jumps in on the closing music, and the show signs off from the Pathway Studios.