2016 Episode 31

Phone interview with guest Ted Yoder about his viral hammered-dulcimer video

A host phones guest Ted Yoder, introduced on-air as a good friend of the show who had been in the studio a few months earlier playing the hammered dulcimer. They discuss a video of Ted playing that has gone viral (around 800,000 views). Ted, a father of seven, says life feels unchanged except his iTunes checks may be louder. He notes the remarkable lack of online hostility toward the video, the pet raccoon people ask about in the comments, and that Tears for Fears' lead singer Kurt Smith and drummer Jamie Woolham/Woolman noticed it. The hosts congratulate him and let him go back to his family.

Post-interview reaction and show rundown

After Ted hangs up, the hosts praise the video - a cover of a Tears for Fears tune on the hammered dulcimer - and marvel that an unusual instrument can capture so many people. A host then previews the rest of the show: the Ted Yoder segment just aired, plus a Dear LFTP letter from a woman anxious about filtering bad news, discussion of walking with God this week, a quiz, and a funny Lutheran church article.

Norway's Lutheran church puts membership records online; 15,000 deregister in five days

• What does it mean that Norway's Lutheran church lets members check and leave their membership online?

A host shares a news item: the Lutheran Church in Norway, the country's official religion, launched a web page (the previous Monday) letting people verify whether they are registered members, and by Friday 15,000 people had deregistered. The hosts riff on the church's response - a broad and open national church where no one is a member against their will - joke about a 'Denzel from Norway' losing registration, and muse on whether publicizing membership rules reduces church membership to a bureaucratic choice.

Slide from the path: 'Pope Buva' letter, 'you are not impressive,' and the Mark Driscoll scream bit

• A listener's lawn is full of people expecting wisdom from 'Pope Buva' - what should he tell them?

A 'slide from the path' letter addresses a host as 'Pope Buva,' expecting worldly wisdom from his lawn like crowds at the Vatican. In response, a host recounts a rough stretch - losing income to having nothing, needing to ask God's people for food - and his counsel: you are not impressive, by any means, and societal impressiveness does not matter; what matters is God's view of you as his child. The segment includes a comedic audio drop of Mark Driscoll shouting about cowardice ('You're not God. You're just a man'), which the hosts use to riff on how brutally honest 'you flat out suck' can sometimes be exactly the help someone needs.

Walk with God: a week of screwing everything up ends in answered prayer

A host shares a hard week where he felt he was failing at everything, prayed through a long drive home, and came home to an empty house in tears. Watching the Family Man movie broke something loose: he realized he had been carrying everything on his own shoulders, asked God for relief, and felt the weight lift - he could not even get back to the grim perspective he had before. Four days later he still sees things differently, calling it clear evidence of God answering a desperate prayer.

Showing God's love: discipleship as transaction vs. simply loving people

• Do our words and evangelism tactics show God's love better than simply loving people?

Picking up on a host's point that people's thoughts and actions cannot outdo God's love itself, the hosts argue that evangelism too often feels like a corporate transaction - say the buzzwords, plant the seeds, hand out the pamphlet. A host describes times he simply listened to strangers' heavy problems without trying to 'sneak Jesus in,' noting Jesus busted out Scripture with the Pharisees but simply talked with the woman at the well. Their shared conclusion: sometimes the most powerful witness is 'Hey, man. Do you need a sandwich?' rather than another round of facts about Jesus.

Dear LFTP: anxiety over filtering bad news, husband as news filter

• Is it wrong to prioritize mental well-being over staying informed about the news?

A listener writes that America is in turmoil, she is horrified by daily senseless death and fears death, and she has made her husband filter bad news for her - but feels guilty about not educating herself. The hosts agree she does not have to 'be in the know,' advise her not to feel guilty about using a filter, and warn against profiteers who hand out salacious advice to people with real problems. The Secular persona answers: 'You should be Amish.'

Dear LFTP: 23 and living with her boyfriend

• A 23-year-old has been living with her boyfriend of almost two years amid ongoing problems - what should she do?

A 23-year-old listener has been living with her boyfriend of almost two years, describes ongoing problems, and asks for advice. The hosts are blunt: move out, this is not a great foundation; couples counseling only helps people willing to give it a shot, and if he refuses and blames her, she should be honest about whether she wants to spend her future that way. The Secular persona answers with a proverb: even a stopped clock is right twice a day - she should not be forced into the role of perpetual peacekeeper.

Dear LFTP: sister-in-law's secret nude social media accounts

• What should a listener do after discovering her sister-in-law's secret social media accounts with nude photos?

A listener recently discovered that her sister-in-law Danny has been posting nude photos of herself on separate, secret social media accounts. The hosts say the ground rule is clear - do not open secret accounts to post nude photos - and that something deeper is going on; it is a perfect opportunity for a follow-up conversation. The Secular persona answers: it is time to talk to Danny, tell her what was learned, ask how she thinks her husband and daughters would react.

Dear LFTP: must they send a thank-you note to the wedding guest who poured water on the DJ's laptop

• Must a couple send a thank-you note to the wedding guest whose drunken behavior ruined the reception but who later apologized, paid for damages, and gave a gift?

A listener writes that at her wedding reception a month ago, a drunk guest poured water on the DJ's laptop, her husband had him removed, and the guest later paid for the laptop, apologized in writing, and gave them a wedding gift. She asks whether she must send a thank-you note, possibly addressed only to his wife. The hosts say the guest made it right and deserves thanks - 'he seems to have realized his folly' - and joke that the incident made the reception memorable ('Love you, Leon'). The Secular persona answers with an etiquette ruling: address the note to the wife but word it to thank 'you and John' for the gift.

Bible quiz on the Book of Job

After briefly considering a quiz on Titus, the hosts run a multiple-choice Bible quiz on the Book of Job: the land where Job lived (Uz), how many children he lost (10), who told him to curse God and die (his wife), which of Zophar, Bildad, Elihu, and Eliphaz was not a friend (they debate Zophar/Eliphaz), how long his friends kept silent vigil (seven days/three days - debated), and how many children were born to him after his suffering. The hosts keep score against themselves and admit when they are guessing.

Donation pitch and sign-off

A host asks listeners to support the show financially via lifefromthepath.org, joking that 'the Lord's calling you to give us money' while another host immediately undercuts it. The episode closes with a promo for guest Ted Yoder - search for Ted Yoder clips online and follow him on social media - and the show's sign-off: 'be faithful in the means; God will handle the ends.'