July 13 2015 Podcast

Show open and followed-around-town banter

A host opens the Monday live show from the Pathway Studios in Johnston, then the hosts riff on the feeling of being followed around town, sparked by one host's story of a stranger trailing him for three blocks on a downtown lunch break. A co-host addresses Ben by name during the banter.

Pope-style preview and Silversyde intro

A host previews the night's 'Pope style' advice bit from Boova (Booba, addressed by name): 'Youth does not mean you can be irresponsible.' The hosts then introduce the night's in-studio musical guests, Silversyde, as favorite returning guests.

Joppa homeless benefit show announcement

The hosts promote a benefit concert the next evening (Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 pm) at 6523 Merle Hay Road in Johnston, with proceeds going to Joppa, a ministry serving Des Moines-area homeless displaced by river flooding. They ask attendees to bring water bottles, bug spray, tents, tarps, and nonperishable food, with a $5 suggested donation.

Silversyde interview: the Casting Shadows EP story

• Where can listeners pick up the Casting Shadows EP?

A Silversyde band member (lead vocalist, speaker-4) tells the story of the EP Casting Shadows: a finished full-length album from a commissioned producer was scrapped after prayer because it musically wasn't right, the release was postponed a year, fans responded graciously, and the re-recorded EP released in March. The hosts praise the EP's heavier sound and personal lyrics, name-checking tracks 'Anthem' and 'Rescue Me,' and the band explains where to buy it (shows, iTunes, Spotify, CD Baby). Mike is addressed by name when asked his take on the album.

In-studio performance of 'Closer'

Silversyde performs their song 'Closer,' the opening track of Casting Shadows, live in the studio. The vocalist warns her voice is strained from recent shows in the heat and asks forgiveness for any rough vocals. The track is introduced as a song about bullying, hurtful words, and forgiveness.

Story behind 'Closer' and a conversation on forgiveness

• Is the song 'Closer' a reaction to something specific, or to the broader culture of bullying?

The vocalist explains 'Closer' was written about a specific betrayal — a two-faced person spreading lies about her and the band right after her mother died — and about having to forgive that person daily for a year and a half. The hosts respond with a long discussion of forgiveness: anger is a right reaction to injustice, but holding onto it gives the moment more power than it owned; biblical forgiveness means recognizing the wrong for what it is and absorbing its cost rather than exacting it.

The Shack and forgiveness

• Has everyone read The Shack but me — what is it about?

The conversation turns to the novel The Shack as a lens on forgiveness. The vocalist describes the book's plot — a father whose young daughter was kidnapped and murdered, confronted with judging her killer — and its point about seeing people with God's compassion rather than becoming judge, jury, and executioner. A host notes the line that unforgiveness is 'holding a knife to somebody's throat that they're not even aware that's there' while only killing you.

Teaching kids to forgive and seeing people as God sees them

A host reflects on parenting: when his kids are hurt at school he teaches them to forgive without skipping over the fact that the hurt was real, and to feel compassion for those who don't know Christ. The vocalist shares how learning that her father was abandoned as a child broke her anger toward him and let her approach him with God's love. Another host describes his nightly prayer: 'Can I see this person the way you see them?'

Physical merch pitch and Dave Erick's Voice of the Martyrs cassette

After a pitch to buy Silversyde's physical CD and merch at live shows, a host tells about Dave Erick visiting the studio with a Voice of the Martyrs audio cassette. The tape's message stuck with him: people keep asking God to show them something before they'll give anything up, but biblically provision follows surrender — 'take up your cross' means trading my kingdom for his, asking what to let go of so he can see what God has for him.

Pope style: youth is not an excuse for irresponsibility

In the recurring 'Pope style' comedy segment, Boova (addressed by name) delivers earnest advice from an imagined apartment-balcony: being young and unmarried is not a license to act like a kid until you settle down — it's the season with the most time to serve the kingdom, care for orphans and widows, and fall in love with Christ. The bit opens with a running joke about him having to give away his Star Wars figurine collection to find a wife, plus a 'Star Wars roulette' gag about sacrificing a character (Jar Jar).

Band member introductions and Remedy Live partnership

The vocalist introduces the band: Nathan (her husband) on guitar tonight, drummer Nate Fairbotham, and new addition Zach Cullens, who swapped instruments for fun. She then shares the band's new partnership with Remedy Live, a Fort Wayne-based crisis helpline (backed by Google ads that surface it on suicide-related searches) whose mission — fighting depression, finding hope, healing from self-harm — matches the band's own onstage message. She explains why they left their previous child-sponsorship partnership (Mission of Mercy) and hands out 'fighting negativity with positivity' cards at shows for anonymous call/text counseling.

Sponsor read and a sick dog

The hosts read sponsor credits for Bob Eisenlauer (rendered 'Bob Eisenhower' / 'Bob Isol' in the transcript) and Westfield Veterinary Hospital, then a host shares that his dog is losing weight rapidly after a mass was found in her stomach — 'rough times.'

Dear LFTP: obsessed with the boyfriend's ex

• I'm obsessed with my boyfriend's ex-wife and can't stop checking her social media — what should I do?

A listener who moved in with her boyfriend Teddy (twenties; previously married, his wife cheated and left) writes that she Googles his ex and checks her social media obsessively and wonders if she'll have to leave him. The hosts advise she is invested in the wrong relationship, that she should either marry or move on, and that no man can carry the weight of that obsession. The 'Secular' answer agrees she should stop stalking and consider a mental-health professional if she can't.

Dear LFTP: the assistant who wouldn't keep a secret

• My teaching assistant announced my pregnancy after I asked her not to — how do I deal with her?

A pregnant teacher writes that after confiding her pregnancy to her teaching assistant, the assistant immediately shouted the news to staff and hung a 'bun in the oven' banner over the classroom door. The hosts advise telling her straight that it was wrong and never trusting her with anything private again — joking the only use for her now is as a gossip distributor. The 'Secular' answer agrees: once two people know a secret it's no longer a secret; tell her only what you'd want on the PA system. A riff on the idiom 'cat out of the bag' follows.

Dear LFTP: fiance Jasper thinks mom-daughter phone calls are weird

• My fiance says it's weird that I talk to my daughter on my commute — how do I get through to him that this is normal?

A listener writes that her fiance Jasper thinks it's weird she talks to her 25-year-old daughter on her commute 90% of the time, and asks how to convince him it's normal. The hosts find the complaint bizarre and spin a theory that Jasper is an attention-seeking freeloader riding in her car, joking 'Jasper's a boob'; one co-host adds the one real concern — whether the mom is meddling in her daughter's marriage rather than letting her 'leave and cleave.' The 'Secular' answer suggests Jasper may just be jealous of the mother-daughter bond.

Outro: benefit plug and sign-off

The hosts thank Silversyde for coming in, repeat the Joppa benefit details (July 14, 7:00 pm, 6523 Merle Hay Road, Johnston), thank Bob Eisenlauer, Mr. Roloff, and the Truth Network for advertising support, and sign off with the recurring line 'be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends.'