March 23, 2015 Podcast

Show open: buffet recap and tonight's lineup

Ben (speaker-0, addressed by name in the audio — 'Well done, Ben') opens the show live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper, recaps the Life From The Path buffet night at Buffet City (the Eisenlauers attended; Bill Eisenlauer's soup-bowl dessert move), and previews tonight's lineup: Buba's new-believer questions on denominations, Dave Herrick's Pope-style advice, the 'What's Jesus talking about' bit missed last week, and Dear LFTP advice from Mike.

Parody news-open: 'Mike with the weather'

A brief parody news-open bit: 'It's the top top of the line program. Back to you... Mike with the weather,' played as a mock handoff before the real guest intro.

Interview: JC on Nashville, Lighthouse Music, and co-writing

The hosts interview musical guest JC (introduced as being from Norwalk, traveling between there and Nashville), who works with Lighthouse Music, just finished her second Nashville trip of the year, recorded, did writing sessions, wrote with Tanya Reynolds of The Voice season 4, and played the Bluebird Cafe. She describes co-writing from scratch with a stranger, then introduces 'Where I've Made My Bed' as being about sticking to your path in life when people don't understand your choices.

JC performs 'Where I've Made My Bed'

JC performs her song 'Where I've Made My Bed' in the studio. Timestamps span the untranscribed intro music into the sung lyrics.

Post-song banter and JC's web presence

Post-song banter: hosts call it a 'moseying down the street lit by street lights' song (and a bank-robbery apology song), Buba jokes he has no talent and should leave, and JC plugs jcofficial.com, her Facebook, and Twitter for news of the upcoming EP. JC notes 'Mike tried to hold my hand' during the song; Mike (speaker-1) admits, 'I tried to fail. I got a wrist.'

Mission stories: Tijuana, South Dakota, China

Mission stories: JC spent nearly a full year after high school in Tijuana with Mexico Caravan Ministries building houses (she caught her fingers under a dropped wall; director Eddie Passmore; the Busers from Papua New Guinea spoke there). Boova recounts building a fence with a Pathway group at the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota (6.3 hectares, per the bit). Dan (addressed by name) says his group painted an orphanage in China, prompting Ben's 'great wall' pun ('Did Ben just make a great wall pun? Well done, Ben.').

New-believer question: how important are denominations?

• How important is it for a new believer to know about the different denominations, and which church should they choose?

Buba (speaker-2, addressed by name: 'Can you give me a preview on that, Buba?') brings questions from a new believer: how important is it to know what the Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, and other denominations believe in order to identify as a Christ follower, and which one should they choose. The hosts' consensus: start with pursuing Jesus and hang around people you like; the denominational 'box' doesn't bring you closer to Christ; you'll sniff out quickly whether a church actually teaches Christ (one host's anecdote of a pastor who doesn't believe the Bible or the resurrection). Closes with the Facebook 'which denomination are you' quiz riff — most got Lutheran, Dan got Presbyterian, and the 'Pluto Episcopalian' (Sabbath on Wednesday) joke.

Sponsor break: Eisenlauer team and Westfield Veterinary Hospital

Mid-show sponsor and housekeeping break. Ben thanks sponsor Bob Eisenlauer and the Eisenlauer team (they joined the buffet; Bill's cube van; eisenhowerteam.com as spoken) and Westfield Veterinary Hospital (westfieldvethospital.com). Mike's one-eyed cat Mabel bit follows — the vet fixed her up; the hosts joke about prosthetic pet eyes and invent the animatronic remote-control cat-eye app, with a Beetlejuice rolling-eye gag.

JC's upcoming EP and next single 'Hey Hey'

JC on her next EP: no single theme — songs about her life and her friends' and family's lives. Her next single 'Hey Hey' was recorded in Nashville in January (no release date yet); it's about the kind of guy you know is bad for you but keep letting into your life.

JC performs 'Hey Hey'

JC performs 'Hey Hey.' The performance is untranscribed; timestamps span the gap between the song intro and the hosts' on-air reaction.

Post-song banter: Spotify, ReverbNation, Crash Test Dummies

Reactions to 'Hey Hey' ('we don't have to spill your beans here, boob'), then where to find JC's music: iTunes, Amazon, Spotify ('stream it, dig on it, then purchase'), and ReverbNation. Tangent on the Crash Test Dummies' 'God Shuffled His Feet' ('everything that guy sings is in my range — I have, like, a six note range') and the EP's still-unknown release date.

'What's Jesus talking about': the Pharisee and the tax collector

• What is Jesus trying to get at in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector?
• What does humility look like when your culture actually praises humility?

Dave Herrick (speaker-3, named in the show rundown) opens the 'What's Jesus talking about' bit with a full retelling of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector and asks what Jesus is getting at. The hosts land on the heart behind each prayer: the Pharisee prays to be seen and lifts himself up; the tax collector agrees with God about himself and goes home justified. Follow-up: what humility looks like when culture praises humility — false humility, e.g. the worship musician deflecting praise ('it wasn't me, it was God') and defining yourself only as awful while ignoring that you're loved and redeemed. Includes the 'end of Job smackdown' (Job 38) line and the Enoch-poster joke ('the man followed the Lord for three hundred years' — Genesis 5).

Pope-style advice: morning prayers and night prayers

Dave Herrick (speaker-3) delivers his 'Pope-style advice': crowds await papal-level wisdom on his lawn, so he shares what God told him after a late night tinkering with a guitar when his mind wouldn't let him sleep — 'you didn't pray.' Two kinds of prayer: night prayers (give God your burdens and responsibilities, trust them back to Him, sleep) and morning prayers (wake up asking 'God, what do you have for me to do today?'). Morning prayer keeps the plate from being overbooked and makes following Christ proactive rather than merely reactionary. A host says he's excited to try it.

Radio break: 99.3 Truth Network signoff

The host lets the 99.3 Truth Network radio audience go (podcast listeners continue at lifeinthepath.org), re-thanks sponsors Bob Eisenlauer's team and Westfield Veterinary Hospital, then returns from the break teeing up Buba's 'booboo breath' pondering.

Buba on his prayer-life struggles; 'Let it go' riff

Buba (speaker-2) confesses he is 'awful at praying' — he can go days without talking to his heavenly Father, can feel the gap, and wants to try the morning/night prayer pattern rather than performative 'pompous jerk' prayers. Another host says he's about 85% solid on laying things down at night. The phrase 'let it go' then sparks a comedy riff: a Frozen 'ice castle' rap attempt ('sounded like someone stole a picnic basket from a grizzly bear').

Dear LFTP: alcoholic, homeless twin brother

• My twin brother is an alcoholic and homeless, refuses help, and guilt-trips me; my fiance won't let me help anymore. What should I do?

Mike (speaker-1, named in the rundown for Dear LFTP advice; self-identifies via the hand-holding exchange) reads a listener letter: her twin brother is an alcoholic and homeless, has never held a job, guilt-trips her for money, once faked a drug overdose for attention, threatened suicide, refuses professional help; her fiance won't let her help anymore; she feels helpless and exhausted. Counsel: 'morning prayer, night prayer' — give God what you couldn't accomplish; the real question is 'God, is this where you want me to be?'; backing out when God says 'I need you to back off' is harder than doubling down; distinguish tough love from reckless abandoned love; be faithful in the means and let God handle the ends ('my burden is light' — Matthew 11:30, paraphrased; 'feed the widows and the orphans' — James 1:27, referenced). Secular's answer: only the brother can divert himself from a self-destructive path; she should consider a mental-health professional to help her separate.

Dear LFTP: 11-year-old choosing between two boys

• I am 11 and like two boys — a funny, smart, good-looking friend of two years and a cute stranger. Which one should I pick?

Mike (speaker-1) reads a letter from an 11-year-old girl torn between two boys: a funny, smart, good-looking friend of two years vs. a cute stranger. Hosts joke about her 'two man harem' and whether the stranger is an 11-year-old who looks like 1980s TV star Tony Danza. Guest JC's counsel: at 11, don't focus on dating — focus on God, school, and friends, since middle-school relationships don't last. Secular's answer: enjoy both for what they offer; in time she may find a third someone combining both — the hosts call that a recipe for 'a very dangerous woman.'

Dear LFTP: wife hurt by friend calling her 'cheap'

• My wife was hurt when her friend called her 'cheap.' How do I make her realize the comment shouldn't upset her?

Mike (speaker-1) reads a letter: the writer's wife Tina was hurt when her friend Sally called her 'cheap' ('she's cheap like you'); the couple uses coupons, watches thermostats, and recycles — yet sent their kids to university debt-free, paid off the mortgage, and have a net worth north of $1M. Counsel: if it's true, embrace it; if not, say so and forgive — happiness shouldn't depend on others' view of your character. JC: in Tijuana money isn't the point, people are; 'being cheap's okay as long as you're loving your friends and family.' Secular: Sally probably meant 'frugal' (a virtue); Tina should tell Sally how it made her feel. Closes with a parenting-discipline riff and the 'Secular says Mike is handsome' gag.

Chat question: mourning missed prayer with God vs. earthly father

• I don't talk to my earthly father often and don't mourn it — so why should I mourn going days without talking to my heavenly Father?

A chat question picks up Buba's admission of going days without talking to his heavenly Father: a listener doesn't talk to his earthly father often and doesn't mourn it — what's the difference? Dave Herrick: if heaven is people in line with God's will, why wouldn't you want God's presence on earth; prayer is an opportunity to interact with God, and mourning missed prayer is about prioritization. Buba: he relies on his heavenly Father 'for things like breathing' — he feels the gap in connectedness and is fueled by God's presence; he doesn't need his earthly father that way.

Closing: JC performs 'Proud Man'

Show close: the hosts wrap with JC (jcofficial.com, Facebook, Twitter for EP news) and she introduces 'Proud Man' — about life's choices and whether you'll be proud of them at the end of your life — then carries the show out with the performance.