September 30, 2013 Podcast

Show open: lineup, prayer requests, guest introductions

The host opens the show from the Pathway studios, noting regular host Ben is traveling back into the country and Boova is out sick, and asks listeners to pray for both. Guests Dan Hudson, Rick Gray, Dave Guaran, and Tessa are introduced. The night's lineup is laid out: Christian persecution in Syria, a CNN article on millennials leaving the church, advice from Rick Gray, and Dear LFTP letters.

Christian persecution in Syria and the Middle East

• Is there anything American Christians should do about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa, or is no response the right response?
• How should we pray for persecuted believers -- for deliverance from persecution or for strength through it?

The host reads from an article on Christians being targeted and killed in Pakistan, Syria, and the Nairobi mall attack, and the near-silence of American churches. The hosts discuss why American Christians seem unmoved, how Middle Easterners form their view of American Christians through US foreign policy, and what can be done -- landing on prayer first, then practical help such as sending medical workers to refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan, and praying for the persecuted to be strong rather than merely delivered.

Why millennials are leaving the church

• Why are millennials leaving the church?

The host reads a CNN belief-blog article arguing atheists are actively pulling millennials away with a dominant internet presence and by amplifying Christian-leader gaffes such as Pat Robertson on YouTube. The hosts push back: churches that entertain instead of disciple, parents outsourcing faith formation, and the wasted 'free years' between 16 and 26. A church youth trip to tornado-hit Oklahoma is offered as the alternative -- giving teens real work instead of parties.

Flannelgraph comedy bit

Playful riffing on old flannelgraph Sunday-school visuals after the millennials discussion, with the host joking about building a giant flannelgraph landscape on a wall.

Transition to Dear LFTP and sponsor reads

The host pivots to the Dear LFTP advice segment, hands the microphone to Tessa, and reads sponsor messages for Bob Eisenlauer's real-estate team and the Westfield Veterinary Clinic in Johnston, Iowa.

Dear LFTP: who pays for a deadbeat ex's cremation?

• Should an ex-wife pay for her deadbeat ex-husband's cremation, and how can she honor her son without dishonoring his father?

A listener divorced 14 years ago asks whether she should pay for her ex-husband Tom's cremation to show honor to her Marine son. The hosts agree she has no obligation -- the responsibility is her son's -- but she could quietly help if she can afford it; the 'secular' advice suggests the body could be donated to a medical school and notes the son, as next of kin, is the one to decide.

Dear LFTP: friend with bed bugs wants to stay over

• A friend with a bed-bug infestation asks to stay over -- is it okay to say no?

A listener asks whether she must host an out-of-town friend who admitted a bed-bug infestation. The hosts say be honest and pay for a motel instead of risking the house; the 'secular' advice agrees -- entertain her away from the dwelling.

Dear LFTP: breaking up after six breakups

• When you know in your gut a relationship will not work out, when is it okay to throw in the towel?

A listener in an on-again-off-again long-distance relationship -- six breakups in 18 months -- asks when it is okay to end it, fearing the boyfriend may be suicidal. The hosts say the time is now ('yesterday'), that suicide threats are control through guilt rather than love, and that leaving the door open just prolongs the pain; the 'secular' advice agrees the romance is past its expiration date.

KTIA radio sign-off interlude

The live radio portion on KTIA 99.3 ends and the show continues as a podcast-only recording, with joking about the awkward on-air singing attempt and brief banter about the previous letters.

Dear LFTP: a 13-year-old crushing on two boys

• A 13-year-old is crushing on two boys -- which one should she pursue?

A 13-year-old asks whether to pursue Jake (good for everything, may not like her back) or Corey (looks and popularity, definitely interested). The panel says she is too young to date at all -- dating is for finding a marriage partner -- and if she must choose, pick the one who would grow her faith; the 'secular' advice says wait a month and see.

Dear LFTP: who eats too fast or too slow

• My brother eats too slow and I eat too fast -- who's right?

A listener debates her brother over fast versus slow eating. The hosts land on eating at the pace of the table; a guest tells of a Middle East wedding where guests communally ate 13 goats on a bed of rice in five minutes; the 'secular' advice says both are right.

Dear LFTP: a 14-year-old wants her parents to let her date

• A 14-year-old girl wants her parents to let her date -- how can she convince them?

A 14-year-old wants to date Connor and thinks her parents' no-dating rule is unfair. The hosts say the rule is the parents' to set -- their house, their rules -- and advise setting a clear dating age early (16 is the panel's consensus) so teens can blame the boundary; Tessa shares that waiting to date helped her understand herself better, and a host shares how a suitor asking his permission first made an exception workable.

Show close: thanks and next week

The host thanks guests Dave and Guaran, notes Ben returns to the host chair next week and hopes Boova is back in the studio, and signs off.