July 14, 2014 Podcast

Show open and the hard question

• Can you reasonably help feed the poor or clothe the naked without becoming poor yourself?

Ben, who introduces himself as the show's host, opens the episode and previews the night's hard question, submitted earlier that day by Michael Pollard: can you reasonably help feed the poor or clothe the naked without becoming poor yourself? He frames the tension honestly — part of him wants to sell everything and live on a dirt road, part of him wonders whether that is just joining a different society or making a rash decision. He also raises the definitional question underneath it: what counts as 'poor'?

Trending preview and guest introduction

Dan previews his three trending topics — a woman who accidentally sent a nude selfie to her father, the viral Steven Spielberg dinosaur photo, and migrants crossing the southern border — framed as working out how a follower of Jesus should react to the news. The host welcomes back musical guest Ryan Ekatunek, who records as Echo, ahead of a sponsored concert the next night at Zeke's in Ames. Ryan says the summer has let him focus on the music side after a college year centered on ministry and relationships.

Artist interview: human first, artist second

Ryan discusses the balance of being an artist without making people feel valued only as an audience, wanting instead to be known as a human being first who happens to use music. The panel riffs on people who clean up their language around him and worry their words will end up in a song. The conversation lands on a pointed line: nobody wants a Jesus reshaped to resemble the believer — 'Jesus is not your homeboy.'

Trending: the Spielberg dinosaur and Christian conduct online

• How should a Christ follower treat social media discussions?

Dan opens with the viral joke photo of Steven Spielberg posed beside the mechanical Jurassic Park dinosaur, which tens of thousands shared to shame him for 'killing' an animal, and asks how a Christ follower should treat social media discussions. The panel unanimously picks option B: be self-controlled and alert, since words reflect faith whether or not anyone knows your real name. The host adds that he mostly stays out of comment threads because tone gets misread, and Dan admits he once mocked an atheist online in a way he never would have face to face.

Trending: the nude selfie and identity

• What advice would you give to women who take nude photos of themselves?

Dan's second item: a 23-year-old woman accidentally sent a nude selfie to her father, recorded his angry response, posted it, and began chasing reality-TV interest — prompting the question of what advice to give women who take nude photos of themselves. The panel lands on option A: a woman's value to God exceeds a few cheap photos, with the carve-out that married couples may do as they please. Ryan adds the deeper counsel that identity must rest in Christ, not in the approval of men.

Trending: the border crisis and the church's responsibility

• How should the church respond to the needs of migrants and unaccompanied children at the border?
• Does a nation have a responsibility to protect its border?

Dan's third item covers unaccompanied children crossing the southern border, asking how the church should respond; the panel converges on option B — the church itself must go and care for people rather than outsourcing the job to the government. The discussion widens into whether a nation may still protect its borders (consensus: yes) while the church stays 'reckless' in mercy, and the host argues the church's past failure to care for the poor is exactly why government programs stepped in. They float sending a Live From The Path relief team to the border, as they did tornado relief in Oklahoma the previous year, and close urging listeners to check everything against Scripture.

Ryan's 'What Is Love' spoken word and his comments philosophy

Ryan describes his spoken-word video 'What Is Love,' made with Ryan Buck on visuals, which walks viewers from TV-and-ad depictions of love to the closing line 'that's Jesus Christ — He is the love,' the line that put commenters 'in a hissy fit.' He explains his approach to the comment section: thank people, appreciate their input, refuse to press God on them, and move real disagreements to private conversation rather than performing them publicly. A co-host praises the classiness of not defending or over-explaining the work, letting the video speak for itself.

Panel: billboards vs. real evangelism

Picking up Ryan's comments philosophy, the hosts argue most online evangelism is 'renting a billboard' — performative, risk-free posts that cost nothing — versus real one-on-one conversation, which the host calls an 'ears to hear' matter: some talks belong in private, like his rule against discussing his wife on the phone at work where coworkers only hear his side. Boova mocks the 'Jesus mad-lib' comment — dropping 'atonement' and 'sanctification' on strangers — and the panel agrees the gospel works backwards when it leads with sin instead of love: if people don't know Jesus, they don't care what he believes. It closes on the claim that nearly everyone already senses something isn't right, so overselling hell is unnecessary.

Radio sign-off and Zeke's concert push

With the 99.3 KTA radio audience dismissed for the break, the host pushes the next night's show at Zeke's on Lincoln Way: four bands, Echo performing, five dollars at the door starting 6:30. He frames supporting the bands as supporting people with access to audiences the hosts will never reach.

Mouse in the studio

A mouse appears in the studio mid-show, derailing the conversation as the hosts try to catch it and joke about its missionary zeal — it wandered in while they were discussing the border. The bit doubles as a listener shout-out: someone in Egypt has seen the show.

Where to get 'Broken Connection'

Ryan says the album Broken Connection is on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and CD Baby — he personally uses TuneCore — with physical copies available at the Zeke's show. The host jokes they have now earned nine cents from saying 'CD Baby' so many times.

Boova's soccer-goalie story

Boova (addressed on-air as 'Bubba') tells a self-deprecating story about playing soccer goalie as an oversized kid — roughly six feet tall and 200 pounds at nine years old with size-fourteen feet — and his policy of asking kickers where they will aim, since he cannot move fast enough to matter. He concludes his athletic gift is limited to momentarily lifting very heavy stationary objects, like a fridge pulled out to clean behind it.

Pope-style advice: don't bail on religious people

• Should frustrated Christians leave 'religious' church people behind to go evangelize 'real' sinners?

In the 'Pope style' advice bit — framed as thousands demanding counsel from a man mistakenly declared pope — the host takes on the anti-establishment streak in Christianity that mocks 'religious' churchgoers while chasing 'real' sinners. His argument: a rule-following churchgoer who doesn't know Christ and an open sinner who doesn't know Christ are the same guy, so leaving the church to evangelize elsewhere abandons people who need Jesus just as much. Ryan adds that leaving because 'this isn't working for me' reveals a servant's-heart problem: it solves your discomfort, not their need.

Dear LFTP: Grandma in Ohio and the medication scare

• Are we obligated to help with more of our granddaughter's medical expenses?

The hosts read a Dear LFTP letter from 'Grandma in Ohio': her three-year-old granddaughter Bethany wandered into the guest room, rummaged through medications left on a desk, and was rushed to the ER (nothing was found); her son-in-law now wants more help with the bills. The panel's consensus: the grandparents owe nothing more — it is the parents' responsibility — but several say they would pay anyway if they had it, since principle isn't worth a family fight; they also flag the grandmother's harsh read of a three-year-old and the unsecured medication. The 'Secular' answer agrees the grandparents have given enough and notes a closed door won't deter a granddaughter, closing with the non sequitur 'It's a false lie.'

Outro

The host thanks Ryan Ekatunek for joining, re-plugs the Zeke's show the next night, and signs off until next week.