May 19, 2014 Podcast

Show open and nickname banter

The show opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper. A host introduces himself on-air as Ben (rendered 'Ben Foose' by ASR). The hosts trade self-appointed nicknames: Boova dubs himself 'T-Rex' (pending) and 'Little Ice' after a coffee-shop cup mix-up where a barista wrote 'little ice' on his iced coffee order.

Is God the author of sickness and disease?

• Is God the author of sickness and disease?

The hosts read and debate a Facebook article arguing 'I can assure you that God is not the author of sickness and disease,' with commentary on John 9 (the man born blind). They push back on the idea that Satan pulled a fast one on God, arguing sickness entered through a fallen world that God permits, and Dan shares a fire-pit conversation with his daughters about death and the body as a temporary tent.

Prayer for healing and God's discipline

• What is the place of praying for healing if God can be glorified through sickness?
• Should we expect God's discipline in this earthly life, and how do we tell discipline apart from fallen-world suffering?

The discussion turns to the place of praying for healing, biblical precedent for petitioning God (Moses interceding after the commandments; the parable of the persistent widow), and Hebrews 12 on God's discipline as corrective rather than punitive. They consider how to tell God's discipline apart from fallen-world suffering, and warn against telling the sick their faith or prayers are insufficient.

What's Happening: Michael Jackson hologram

• What do you think of holograms being used in place of live performances for people who have died?

Dan Hudson presents the week's news-reaction game. First up: the hologram of Michael Jackson performing 'Slave to the Rhythm' from the album Xscape at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. The question: holograms in place of dead performers - creepy, awesome technology, or record your own funeral hologram? Boova picks the funeral hologram (with a pinata of himself); others land on creepy-with-awesome-tech.

What's Happening: charity workers divert $1 million

• What are your thoughts on corporate or government charity funds?

Next news item: a government audit found federal employees diverted over $1 million of charitable contributions to personal luxuries at two training conferences. The multiple-choice question asks how the hosts feel about corporate or government charity funds; most prefer giving face-to-face or through their own church, and Dan notes two people in their church give to Pathway Church through United Way pledges.

What's Happening: elevator fight - family member attacking your spouse

• What would you do if a family member started beating on your spouse?

The leaked video of Beyonce's sister attacking Jay-Z in an elevator prompts the question: what would you do if a family member started beating on your spouse? The consensus answer is B - use all necessary force to stop it, then find out why. The debate detours through Roadhouse ('I live Jesus, and you live it by Swayze') as a decision-making framework.

What's Happening: bomb threat to stop graduation

• What should happen to the woman who called in a bomb threat to stop her graduation ceremony?

Final news item: a 22-year-old woman who faked attending college called in a bomb threat from her own cell phone to stop her graduation ceremony and was arrested in her cap and gown. The hosts' unanimous verdict: send her to a work camp to pay back her parents. A joke follow-up asks what percentage of college deans would call your name at graduation for $5.

Pope style: what it means to be in the kingdom of God

Mike (addressed by name on-air) delivers his recurring 'pope style' advice from the bit's premise - rumor spread that he is the pope staying at his place, and the crowd on his lawn demands wisdom. His counsel: don't settle for an easy existence in the kingdom of God; hand your life to the Holy Spirit and ask God where He wants you instead of guessing His plans (invoking 1 Corinthians 13's 'here's what love is'). Another host adds that God breeds holy dissatisfaction with fence-sitting.

Boova's faith journey and the obedient missionaries

The host addressed on-air as 'John Buba' shares his faith journey: accepted Christ and was baptized about two years ago, rode a honeymoon phase, then depression when nothing big happened, then learned joy in the Holy Spirit's conviction. Mike follows with a story of missionaries who obeyed God onto a plane with no money, were told 'you're gonna go home now,' and obeyed - plus Moses getting one plague at a time from God without the endgame. The thread: trust the Holy Spirit without demanding the full plan.

Kidnapped Christian girls and American church delusion

Dan pivots to overseas news: young Christian girls kidnapped and sold into slavery, contrasted with American articles written for audiences who want to hear how blessed and prosperous they are. The hosts confess their own American-blinders thinking - 'of course America's great' as a base-level assumption - while noting the gospel is exploding in China, and close the thread joking that Rome thought it was fantastic too (except the Visigoths don't know how to use a boat).

Website announcement, sponsors, and farm humor

Housekeeping: the redesigned livefromthepath.org is mobile-friendly; sponsor reads for Bob Eisenlauer of the Eisenlauer Team (Des Moines metro real estate) and Westfield Veterinary Hospital (tick season warning). The segment drifts into farm comedy: a host keeps seeing 'King Herod' in fat ticks pulled off the dog, and his six-year-old daughter has named one chicken 'the minor prophets' (plural, non-negotiable) and another 'fashion chicken.'

Dear LFTP: wardrobe spending and the guilty husband

• Why does my husband make me feel guilty about my wardrobe spending when it is part of my professional image?

Dear Life from the Path letter from 'clothes make the woman': a healthcare worker who climbed out of poverty clashes with her husband over a $200/month clothing budget - she says it's professional image, he's making her feel guilty and materialistic. The hosts advise working it out as a couple (one suspects the real issue isn't the money but image attachment), then read the 'secular' answer, which presumes the husband is a sexist pig - destructive advice, they say.

Dear LFTP: birthday invitations with wish lists

• Is it tacky to include a child's wish list, interests, or clothing sizes on birthday party invitations?

Second Dear Life from the Path letter: is it tacky to include a child's interests, clothing and shoe sizes on website-generated birthday invitations, or just practical? The hosts debate wedding registries, garage-door-opener registry backlash, and the Ben-Sharpie-pack anecdote, then read the secular answer - it's tacky; have guests text or call (a phone call is 'more refined') - and riff on refinement.

Sign-off

Closing: contact info@livefromthepath.org, a joke complaint line to KTA on the Truth Network, and the sign-off catchphrase 'for the good of the people.'