October 21, 2013 Podcast

Show open and tonight's agenda

• Where does the word 'wingding' come from?
• What is the place of teaching people how to live within sharing the gospel, versus emphasizing grace?

The show opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper with the hosts bantering about the etymology of the word 'wingding' (a host asks where it comes from; no answer is settled). A host lays out the night's plan: in-studio musical guest Jeff Arendelle and friends, a discussion of 'when beggars are choosers,' grace versus teaching people how to live, a book about sex and civil liberties, Dear LFTP advice letters, and Dan Hudson's first 'pope style' advice bit.

When beggars are choosers: charity stewardship and discernment

• How should people doing charity handle recipients who are ungrateful or keep taking advantage?

Mike describes people close to him who collect donations and deliver them directly to the needy, and asks what to do when recipients keep re-requesting the same items or reject what is given as not good enough. The hosts weigh the Sermon on the Mount 'two tunics' and 'turn the other cheek' passages, a reading of those passages as nonviolent defiance of Rome, and land on stewardship plus case-by-case discernment rather than a blanket rule: keep serving the ungrateful, but don't let a few people drain the resources meant for everyone else.

Jeff Arendelle interview and 'God, You, Our Father' performance

In-studio guest Jeff Arendelle talks about heading back to Nashville to finish a new CD, with five music tracks already recorded, plus recent gigs including Farragut, Praise Fest in Granger, and small country churches. He introduces 'God, You, Our Father,' a worship song drawn from Psalm 145 about the character of God passed from one generation to the next, and he and the band perform it live. The hosts plug jeffarendelle.com, iTunes, and Green Grounds Coffee House in Valley Junction.

Sponsors and Google predictive search church stereotypes

A host reads sponsor spots for Bob Eisenlauer's realty team and Westfield Veterinary Clinic in Johnston, and gives the show's schedule (Monday nights at livefromthepath.org, Saturdays on KTIA 99.3). The hosts then read Google predictive-search completions for 'Why are evangelicals...', 'Why are Presbyterians...', and 'Why are Anglicans...', and discuss what the searches reveal about public perception of churches and denominations.

Book discussion: How Sex Became a Civil Liberty

A host discusses 'How Sex Became a Civil Liberty' by Leigh Ann Wheeler, about how the ACLU shaped how Americans think about sex and blurred public and private. The striking anecdote: nearly all the female students in the author's University of Minnesota classroom said they would not ask a boyfriend or husband to remove pornography from their home for fear of violating his free-speech rights. The hosts find that conflation of private relationships with public policy genuinely surprising.

Population debate, missing Jesus, and a late-from-work apology

A host recounts a radio debate on population growth where both sides agreed the fix was sex education and contraceptives, and argues the whole conversation was missing any reference to a Creator. Mike riffs on taking authorship of God's story himself ('Old Mike's gonna take a turn'). After a joke about calling women 'bucking broncos,' a host tells a story about apologizing to his wife after being late from work instead of making excuses, and recognizing his own pride in it.

KTIA callback: the penis episode

The hosts joke about a prior episode, which aired on KTIA, in which they repeatedly used the word 'penis' on what is billed as a Jesus radio show. A host admits it was passable for prime-time TV but questionable branding for the show, and notes the irony: the episode's actual topic was Christians getting upset about words.

Pope-style advice: get up and start moving (the story of Job)

• How do you rebuild your life after losing everything?

Dan Hudson delivers the night's 'pope style' advice: a man who lost his job and made mistakes kept asking if God was punishing him, and Hudson walked him through Job — who lost ten children and everything in one day, then took years to rebuild. The counsel: at some point the sackcloth comes off, you wash away the ashes, and you get up and start moving forward instead of waiting for life to fix itself overnight.

1 Samuel 3 and 6: Eli's surrender and the cows that stayed on the road

Following the Job discussion, a host shares 1 Samuel 3: after judgment is pronounced on his house, Eli simply says 'It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.' He then reads 1 Samuel 6:11-12, where the Philistines' cows pull the ark straight to Beth Shemesh, 'lowing as they went,' turning 'neither to the right nor to the left' — accomplishing, he notes, what Israel itself never could.

Break and contact info

Station break: the hosts remind listeners the show airs every Monday night, give the contact email info@livefromthepath.org, and joke that emailing the show should come after spending time with one's wife and kids. They tease the upcoming Dear LFTP advice segment for podcast listeners.

Jeff Arendelle performs the hymn 'Trust and Obey'

Jeff Arendelle introduces and performs a juiced-up arrangement of the hymn 'Trust and Obey,' one of his grandmother's favorites that she would sing after Sunday dinner. The hosts react enthusiastically, joke about putting it on the new CD, and keep up the running 'Jeff is handsome' gag.

Everyday moral questions: Amazon showrooming, nose hair, and aging

• Is it wrong to try a product at Walmart and then buy it cheaper on Amazon?

A host poses a moral question: after frying his hair clipper in the Philippines, he tried one at Walmart, found it $6 cheaper on Amazon, and bought it online — is that wrong? The hosts say no. The segment spirals into extended comedy about nose and ear hair, aging ('Martin Van Buren coming out my ears'), a barbershop eyebrow offer, and being judged for watching Edward Scissorhands alone on a plane.

Dear LFTP: the 86-year-old dad who eats moldy food

• My 86-year-old dad eats moldy and long-expired food and insists the mold is penicillin. How do I get through to him?

A 'perplexed daughter' writes that her 86-year-old dad buys all his food from markdown quick-sale tables, lets it sit for weeks or months, insists the mold is penicillin and good for him, and keeps a turkey in the freezer that expired in 2008. The hosts argue about whether he's fine ('he's still alive') or needs a checkup, then read the 'Secular' answer: food safety matters, and print foodsafety.gov charts for him.

Dear LFTP: Jesse, the distant 17-year-old boyfriend

• My 17-year-old boyfriend Jesse has grown distant since returning from state custody; we have a 9-month-old son. What should I do?

A 17-year-old writes that her boyfriend Jesse, also 17, has grown distant since returning from six months in state custody; they have a 9-month-old son. The hosts' counsel: find a godly older woman for herself and a godly man for Jesse, admit the relationship is likely over, and start rebuilding with Christ. The 'Secular' answer suggests giving Jesse space, finishing school, and taking parenting classes.

Dear LFTP: the homeless brother Jerry

• My brother Jerry is homeless in a park. Should I email my siblings about it, and how should I word it?

A listener with siblings aged 52 to 69 writes that their brother Jerry is homeless in a park, does odd jobs, avoids real work partly over old student loans and back taxes, and may drink and use marijuana. She asks whether to email her siblings about it and how to word it. The hosts' counsel: first have an honest conversation with Jerry himself to learn what he actually wants before spreading the word, and skip the shame-based 'disgrace to the family' framing of the 'Secular' answer.

Dear LFTP: can I un-invite my bridesmaids?

• I asked four friends to be bridesmaids but can't afford a wedding party. Is it wrong to change my mind?

A listener getting married next year asked four friends to be bridesmaids but now realizes she can't afford a wedding party, and asks if she can change her mind. The hosts say yes — be honest and scale back, since friends who would judge her for it are the wrong friends. The 'Secular' answer agrees: contact each friend individually and explain the financial constraints.

Next week preview: grace versus teaching people how to live

• What is the place of teaching people how to live within sharing the gospel, versus emphasizing grace?

A host previews next week's postponed topic: whether the church's messaging has shifted from 'Christ and him crucified' to human improvement, making Christ's substitution a means to the end of our transformation. He asks what place teaching like the Sermon on the Mount or 'be holy because I am holy' has if the focus is grace — 'are we on the wrong track by saying, fellas, this is how you gotta pull yourself together?'

Closing: Jeff Arendelle sends them out with 'I'll Fly Away'

The show closes with the hosts thanking listeners and Jeff Arendelle sending them out with a tune: 'I'll Fly Away,' which he describes as 'a little bit old timey.'