November 24, 2014 Podcast

Show open, 1 Thessalonians 1:7 gag, letter teasers

The hosts open from the Pathway Studios in Johnston, joking that 1 Thessalonians 1:7 gets thrown at anyone misbehaving, including a 'Fred from Macedonia' caller gag riffing on the verse. They tease the night's Dear LFTP letters: a restitution question and a 'Pope-style' advice request. A host is briefly addressed as Ben and another as Mike.

'50 things the Holy Spirit does' article, part 1

A host describes a Christian Post article titled '50 things the Holy Spirit does,' a guest post by Frank Viola excerpting his book Jesus Now. The hosts joke about whether the Spirit does 50 things or 51, and mock the author's too-close headshot. They begin reading the list of verses quoted out of context.

Facebook denomination quiz and Lutheran convention

Tangent on a Facebook quiz ('what denomination should you be') on which nearly everyone scored hardcore Lutheran. A host tells of working an event at a center during a Lutheran convention where nobody would talk to him. The others confirm they were all scored Lutheran too.

Holy Spirit list part 2, Romans 8:11 'quicken'

The hosts return to the list and debate whether fifty verses quoted out of context can say anything meaningful, joking about a repackaged-Bible book deal ('Boova Reads First Thessalonians'). They land on item 20, Romans 8:11, and work through the archaic 'quicken' (to revive, restore life to). They conclude the list is biblically sound but presented without context.

'Pope-style' advice on stagnant faith

• Why has my faith stopped growing — is it God who stopped working, or is it me?

A host delivers the requested 'Pope-style' advice after the others tease him about people mistaking him for the Pope and ask for a preview. He describes hitting a wall in his faith after a year of growth, realizing he had been blaming God while he himself had stopped praying and reading scripture consistently. His verdict: if your faith isn't growing, it's not God's fault — you stopped allowing God to work in you.

Works vs relationship: balance and the homeless shelter

The hosts riff on the testimony into a long discussion of balance: becoming cloistered monks versus burning out in outward works. One frames the alternative as 'check-in/check-out' Christianity versus 'kingdom partnering' — going with Jesus on kingdom work rather than running errands and reporting back. Another host tells of a harsh encounter with a jaded staffer at a local Christian homeless shelter, arguing you cannot sustain the Lord's work without Jesus and that moral checklists without relationship leave you empty.

Kentucky, KFC, and the Arby's roast-beef rumor

Comic palate-cleanser: whether Kentucky Fried Chicken is better in Kentucky (a host's daughter investigated during college there). A host admits he has repeated for ten to twelve years the story that Arby's roast beef arrives as a gelatinous liquid that firms up in an oven, without knowing if it is true, and vows to verify it.

'What did Jesus mean?' — your faith has healed you

• What did Jesus mean by 'your faith has healed you' (Greek sozo), and how should Christ followers live those passages out today?

Dave Herrick, named on-air, leads the hard-question segment: Jesus repeatedly said 'your faith has healed you' (Greek sozo, also rendered 'saved you') — to the sinful woman who anointed his feet, the woman healed of bleeding who touched his garment, one of ten lepers who returned, and a blind man — so why is faith healing treated as fringe in mainstream churches? The hosts discuss self-styled healers who blamed a child with cerebral palsy for lacking faith, the apostles' violent deaths, the pool of Bethesda where not everyone was healed, and whether praying in absolute faith is honest when God may say no. A shared video of a Syrian Christian family preparing their children to die for their faith reframes faith as seeking God's perspective rather than demanding his compliance.

Radio break and sponsor shout-outs

Mid-show break: listeners are invited to email info@lifefromthepath.org, and Truth Network 99.3 FM radio listeners are signed off while the podcast continues. Shout-outs go to Bob Eisenlauer (vote in the CityView best-realtor survey) and Westfield Vet Hospital.

Puzzle without a box: the God-sized piece

Post-break wrap on the hard question: knowing the Bible is accurate is like assembling a puzzle without the box — every piece is real and fits together, but one God-sized piece seems to fit everywhere. A host lands on 'Can God heal me? Yes. Will he? I don't know,' arguing that demanding God reproduce his acts on command (like parting seas instead of building bridges) boils the Lord down to a traveling roadshow.

Dear LFTP: fired for chronic tardiness

• After being fired for chronic tardiness, should I disclose it on job applications or only if it comes up in interviews?

A listener fired for chronic tardiness after four years asks whether to disclose it on job applications or only if it comes up in interviews, noting his mother thinks he should disclose. The hosts advise waiting for the interview and being honest when asked, but not leading with it on paper — you have discretion over what you share. Secular's advice concurs: leave it off the application, explain it in the interview.

Dear LFTP: shoplifting, gift cards, and restitution

• Is it wise to confess past shoplifting to a corporation in order to make restitution?

A listener who shoplifted from a major corporation and returned goods for gift cards asks whether to confess in order to make restitution. The hosts debate owning it versus the practicality — there is no human victim at a corporation, and a store manager would likely just call the police — and land on praying it through with the Holy Spirit and being open to the consequences, whatever management can or cannot do with a confession. Tangents include belated apologies sent by Facebook message, a stolen piece of work equipment replaced with a new one and returned, and a six-hour call-center career ended by a 'press 7' joke. Secular's advice: what's in the past is in the past; leave it be.

Dear LFTP: introducing the biological father

• Should I introduce my 2-year-old's biological father into his life now, or wait until he is older?

A 26-year-old mother asks whether to introduce her 2-year-old son Sean to his biological father ('Charlie') now or wait until he is older; the boy knows her husband as Daddy. The hosts are unanimous: tell the truth now in words he can understand — children can hold two dads, and waiting only builds a social construct to unlearn later. Tangents: a coworker calling his beer 'daddy's milk' for his daughter, and a childhood divorced-kids group with a puppet dolphin. Secular's advice (wait a year or two) is called the worst advice ever.

Closing sign-off

Sign-off: complaints to info@lifefromthepath.org, a joke that past iterations of the show don't get any better, and thanks for listening.