2016 Episode 12

Show open, Scatman bit, and teaser letters

The hosts open live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston with banter about scatting the show intro and a heavy-metal Scatman. A host previews a 'Pope style' bit (about people who want to be part of something big for Jesus) and reads teaser questions from listener letters: broken communication with a loved one, wearing a chicken suit to a fancy restaurant, and whether a debt is owed.

Guest Josh Wing introduced; Christian Pig banter

Josh Wing of the Christian Pig (christianpig.com) is introduced as the in-studio guest. The hosts riff on what the Christian Pig is (bacon jokes, 'not called the Jewish pig'), tease tonight's Secular versus Solomon game, and note they will learn what the site is about.

Christian Pig editorial philosophy

Discussion of the Christian Pig's editorial standards: a submission with the word Jesus in it is not automatically publishable, and writers must be applicable to someone's life. The hosts joke about Enoch getting only one sentence in Scripture and about wanting more specifics from the book of Revelation than God gives.

'My name is Carl' red-horseman comedy bit

A host performs a comedy bit as 'Carl,' the guy with the scales from the book of Revelation's judgment imagery, telling listeners to check out christianpig.com and joking about videos of Josh filming in his car 'like he's running from the law,' then pivots into the interview's first question.

Interview: testimony over evidence, apologetics, and persecution

Josh Wing discusses the conversations the Christian Pig is after: he would not defend the existence of God with a box of evidence but with 'a buttload of people' who can tell what happened when they met Jesus. The conversation touches on Lee Strobel, a Dave Ramsey tangent, a book from the Voice of the Martyrs about persecuted Christians, and a Facebook debate about taxing churches.

Shared catchphrases bit: 'He is risen,' 'Indeed,' 'Truly, truly'

The hosts riff on community celebration phrases like 'He is risen,' 'Indeed,' and 'Truly, truly' that mean something inside a shared community but fall flat as billboards on random people, joking about commenting 'truly, truly' on strangers' posts.

Pope-style advice: be faithful where you are; the sin boulder

In the 'Pope style' bit, a host plays the pope giving advice to people bummed that they are not part of something big for Jesus: be faithful in what God has actually given you, and wanting bigger is often a pride issue. He illustrates freedom from sin as being cut free of a boulder chained to you, then picking the boulder back up and dragging it, and contrasts the Lord's white robe with neon Zumba pants you keep wearing underneath. The other hosts respond, including Boova's account of God correcting his 'here am I, send me' pride and an illustration of God seeing a scraped-up little kid as someone with incredible potential.

Game: Secular versus Solomon

The hosts play Secular versus Solomon with guest Josh Wing: a proverb is read and players must say whether it is a secular bit of wisdom (naming the country of origin) or a biblical 'Solomon' bit of wisdom. Rounds cover 'Sweet is the sleep of a laborer' (revealed as Ecclesiastes 5), 'In all toil there is profit' (Proverbs 14:23), the winking-eye proverb, 'He who digs a pit will fall into it' (Ecclesiastes 10:8), and several secular entries, with running jokes about country-of-origin guesses.

Plugs, prayer talk, Bob Eisenlauer mention, Dutch bit

Wrap-up of the game with plugs for past Secular versus Solomon games on livefromthepath.org and quiz links. Josh Wing shares his Twitter handle @yeshuawing. The hosts chat about a Minecraft handle, a Russian mitten proverb, ask for prayers for Bob Eisenlauer after back surgery (former KTIA-era sponsor), and riff on the Dutch habit of saying 'my treat' to mean the opposite.

Letter: husband's 'married and buried' tombstone t-shirt

• Should a husband stop wearing a 'married and buried' tombstone t-shirt that hurts his wife's feelings?

The hosts read and answer a listener letter: her husband wears a t-shirt with a tombstone reading 'married and buried' and she has asked him repeatedly not to wear it because it hurts her feelings. The hosts advise both sides: she should not anchor her self-esteem in the shirt, and he should get rid of it if he cares about her feelings at all.

Novelty t-shirt riff

The hosts riff on novelty t-shirts: a joke about telling a guy his belly sticks out of his shirt to get him to change, the observation that men who wear 'clever' shirts think people will dig it, and stories about young-Boova-era shirt humor, nicknames, and a girlfriend's new pet name.

Dear LFTP: calling the in-laws 'mom and dad'

• How should a sister discuss her sister-in-law calling their parents 'mom and dad' without hurting feelings?

The final Dear LFTP letter: a writer's brother married a year ago and his wife started calling the writer's parents 'mom and dad' from the start; the writer feels the names are earned and asks how to discuss it without hurting feelings. The hosts answer bluntly: nobody earns the relationship, God lets everyone call him Father, and it is ridiculous to gatekeep the names. The hosts also share their own habits of calling people mom and dad.