2016 Episode 30

Show open and docket setup

The hosts open from the Pathway Studios in Johnston and set the evening's docket: a list of Christian articles that should stop being written, a top-10 list of things worship leaders should stop saying, and a round of Dear LFTP letters. One host addresses another host as Mike while assigning the docket.

Top 10 things worship leaders should stop saying

• Is there such a thing as bad worship, and what would a biblical example be?

The hosts read and react to a listicle counting down ten phrases they wish worship leaders would drop, from 'are we ready to have fun this morning?' down to 'turn to your neighbor.' They argue most entries are cheap crowd-work or worship coercion, but concede a few carry legitimate theological points, such as 'Lord, we invite you to be here' and 'God showed up.' A guest participant assigned the gag role of 'Bible reading priest' weighs in periodically.

Christian articles that should not be written anymore

The hosts build their own top-10 list of exhausted Christian-media tropes: how-not-to-get-mad apologetics pieces, 'it's okay to be single' articles, Chick-fil-A hero stories, Hollywood-Christian celebrity watch, self-righteous open letters, 'Obama is a Muslim' claims, 'the gospel according to [anything]' mashups, and the worship-leader list itself, which gets added to the list. They argue most of these come from a shallow heart posture rather than a method problem.

Anxiety, depression, and honest faith

A host shares a personal account of anxiety while starting a house church and telling his congregation, then the hosts discuss how modern Christianity poorly handles anxiety and depression, often treating them as mere lack of faith. They land on a middle position: anxiety can be a healthy, appropriate reaction kept within its borders, and honest pursuit of God sorts what is a trust issue from what is a fallen-body reality; a past guest, Tessa Johnson, is cited as having raised the same theme.

Dear LFTP: convincing mom to move to the big city

• How can I convince my 62-year-old mother to be okay with the unknown and move to the big city?

A listener writes that her 62-year-old single mother lives in a small town with a church community, a job with benefits, and ongoing physical therapy, and asks how to convince her mother to be okay with the unknown and move to the big city. The hosts argue the mother sounds content and the letter-writer is projecting her own desires; their advice is to ask the mother what she wants rather than convince her of anything. Secular's written answer is read: be patient, wait until therapy ends, and try enticing her with visits or videos.

Dear LFTP: ex-husband's 20-year storage unit

• What does it say about my ex-husband that he has kept paying storage fees on household items for twenty years since our divorce?

A listener asks what it says about her ex-husband that he has kept paying storage fees on household items for more than twenty years after their divorce. The hosts say he has either forgotten, doesn't care, or she cares too much, and that after twenty years the only business between them is their children's wellbeing. Secular's answer agrees: the ex is unusually sentimental or forgetful, and questions why she cares enough to write in.

Dear LFTP: warning coworkers the company is dying

• I know the owner is letting the business die; can I warn the junior staff, or would that violate confidentiality?

A listener with access to confidential financial information knows the owner is letting the business die and asks whether he can warn the clueless junior staff. The hosts debate the tradeoffs: press the owner to be honest first, accept that telling likely costs the writer his job, and consider that his read of the finances may be wrong. Secular's answer is legalistic: do not spill proprietary information if a confidentiality agreement was signed, since the writer could be sued.

Show close

The hosts close with contact info for advice emails, point listeners to clips from a recent musical guest, and sign off with the show's benediction to be faithful in the means and let God handle the ends.