October 13, 2014 Podcast

Produced intro, tooth-brushing song, and complaint-line gag

The produced show opener plays, followed by a novelty song about not wanting to brush your teeth. A host then jokes that complaints about the song should be directed to Chris Roloff and reads a station identification for The Truth Network 99.3.

Show open and cold-weather homelessness reflection

Ben opens the show from the Pathway studios, noting the cold, dark night. He reflects on walking to the new grocery store in Bondurant with his kids on the first cold night of the season, and how involvement with the Thankful Leper has made him conscious that he gets to go home warm while others do not.

Roundup recap: supplies, stories, and the 'blessed man'

The host the others call 'Buva' recaps Sunday's homeless roundup: a ticket system for supplies, sleeping bags, tents, flashlights, and about 45 hygiene backpacks for men, plus a TV crew from WHO filming the event. Ben adds two stories from the day: a stranger snagging a bag of dry pinto beans, and a man who lost his new pants but shrugged it off, saying he had gotten a new tent and is 'a blessed man.'

Next roundup and winter supply drive logistics

The next roundup is set for Sunday, October 26 at 2 PM at the Papa John Sculpture Park downtown. The hosts explain the Thankful Leper's winter needs - tents, sleeping bags, socks, batteries, flashlights, coats, hats, gloves, thermals - and the ways to help: an Amazon wishlist linked on Facebook and Twitter, drop-offs at 99.3 in Boone or 3 Merle Hay Road in Johnston, or emailing info@livefromthepath.org.

Tonight's agenda: article week five, news, Dear LFTP, guests

Ben lays out the show: week five of the 'What leaving my religion did for me' article series, Dan's three news stories, a look at '67 surprising things not found in the Bible,' Dear LFTP advice, and in-studio guests Bob and John of the Eisenhower team.

Guests: Bob and John of the Eisenhower team

Bob Eisenlauer, a longtime show sponsor and realtor, and his brother John join the studio. John describes getting into the family's marketing business after working for them; they trade notes on working with family (their mom works with them too), and Bob says it is a buyer's market since interest rates just dropped again and inventory is building. The hosts roast 'Buva,' who just signed a rental agreement instead of buying, and he volunteers his face for 'don't be Buva' ads.

Article series recap and reason #5 read aloud

Ben recaps reasons one through four of the 'What leaving my religion did for me' article (peace of mind, a rediscovered love of learning, accepting people he once judged, less self-judgment) and notes Mike is absent tonight. He reads reason #5 - 'I give credit where credit is due both to others and to myself' - including the author's claims that his evangelical upbringing taught him self-loathing and discouraged acknowledging his own positive qualities.

Pushback: false humility is not what Scripture teaches

The hosts react to reason #5. Dan calls it 'false humility,' arguing Scripture never commands self-loathing. Bob wonders whether the author is describing a world anyone actually lives in, and the hosts land on a both-and: thank God and thank the surgeon too. Ben paraphrases C. S. Lewis's cathedral illustration - true humility is calling a beautiful building beautiful whether you built it or not.

A right view of self-worth: created for good work

The discussion continues toward a positive picture: human worth is inherent because people are made in God's image, not derived from others' approval. 'Buva' argues Christians are not called to self-loathing, since God works through people and both God and the person can be thanked. Ben tells a workplace story - colleagues once asked 'Ben, who is the best resource we have for this?' and he answered 'me' - as an illustration of owning competence without ego, concluding that refusing good work in the name of humility cheats God and his people.

Hibachi buffet comedy bit

The hosts banter about the area's largest buffet, Hibachi, after 'Buva' judged it with fellow self-described avid buffet goers (7 out of 10, with a pho bar and tubs of ice cream). Ben admits he sent an Outlook calendar invite titled 'hibachi bro date' weeks in advance, and they try to rope John and Eric into coming along.

News: the 113-year-old on Facebook and when Christians may deceive

• When is it okay for a Christ follower to not be truthful?

Dan presents a news story about Anna, 113, who had to shave 15 years off her age because Facebook caps new accounts at 99, and poses the quiz: when is it OK for a Christ follower to not be truthful - never, to protect someone from physical or mental harm, or truth is relative? The hosts debate Rahab's lie (Joshua 2), whether Rahab was a believer, deception as an element of warfare, and the Anne Frank example, landing on intent: tell the truth as the default, with real exceptions only for life-or-death situations like hiding Jews in the Holocaust.

News: Alabama pastor scandal and the church's way forward

• How should the church move forward after the pastor's scandal?

Dan reports that Alabama pastor Juan Demetrius McFarlane of Shiloh was removed after revealing he had full-blown AIDS since 2008 while continuing to sleep with church members, use drugs, and mishandle church finances. The quiz asks how the church should move forward: sue, let him go, or negotiate reconciliation through the elders. The hosts agree he must be removed from all standing and spoken to as an unbeliever - loved, but needing to start over - while one host frames him as a convert who was never discipled.

News: $100 tip for terrible service

• How should Jesus' followers respond to a bad restaurant experience?

Dan tells of a Cedar Rapids, Iowa couple who, after waiting 20 minutes for water, 40 minutes for an appetizer, and an hour for entrees on their anniversary, responded by leaving a $100 tip with a 'paying it forward' note; the receipt photo went viral. The hosts unanimously pick the generous option, confess Christians' reputation as the worst tippers, and riff on how people treat waitstaff as a character tell.

Sponsor reads and radio sign-off

Ben thanks sponsors Westfield Veterinary Hospital (westfieldvethospital.com) and the Eisenhower team - John reads his and Bob's phone numbers on air - and signs off the KTIA radio audience while the podcast continues.

Post-radio banter: Rhett Walker Band and license-plate jokes

Back podcast-only after a fumbled music transition, Ben plugs the Rhett Walker Band's new CD 'Here's to the Ones' (out tomorrow, featuring the song 'Tattoos and Cigarettes') after seeing them in concert in Norwalk. The room then riffs on John's coveted '770' number and license-plate vanity ideas.

'67 surprising things not found in the Bible' lightning round

Ben works through a list of things the Bible supposedly doesn't teach: Jesus as the reason for the Christmas season (his birth date is unknown), halos (Moses' glowing face is the closest parallel), an apple in Eden (just 'fruit' - maybe a durian, jokes one host), the word 'discipleship,' a clear doctrine of original sin or total depravity, a singular apocalyptic Antichrist (the term is in 1 John, not Revelation), Mary's perpetual virginity, and overwhelming proof Jesus was poor. A long durian tangent ensues, including a plan to eBay one in for the studio.

Dear LFTP: the canceled lunch date

• Should I end a month-long dating relationship over one canceled lunch date?

Ben reads a listener letter from a man dating a woman for about a month who canceled lunch; she apologized twice by text, but he wonders if it shows lack of caring or integrity. The hosts roast his 'protocol' for canceled dates and advise grace: accept the apology and ask how to make her stressful week easier. Dan's suggested gesture - a Friday spa appointment, then a movie at home - gets called 'adorable.' The 'secular' answer calls him an insecure over-analyzer courting rejection where none exists.

Dear LFTP: the immodestly dressed 40-something daughter

• How should a mother handle her 40-something daughter's immodest dress?

A listener's letter: her wonderful daughter, in her forties, dresses immodestly, and the mom draws over cleavage with magic markers in family photos before displaying them. The hosts agree the mother is best positioned for an honest conversation - or a peer could do it - and debate mom-versus-friend delivery. The 'secular' answer advises giving up on the wardrobe battle: keep the magic marker and pray for colder weather.

Wrap-up: hibachi plans, links, and thanks

Ben closes with reminders: the hibachi outing, a Thankful Leper link, and the article link to post on Facebook and Twitter. He cites Hebrews 11:31 for the Rahab point, thanks guests John and Bob Eisenlauer, and signs off.