Divided We Thrive

Show open

The show opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper: 'You are live from the path.'

Current-events cold open: the Bush funeral

The hosts riff on switching the show to current events, then discuss the George Bush funeral: Trump's demeanor and the Apostles' Creed flap, Reba McEntire's rendition of the Lord's Prayer (and Andrea Bocelli's version, recommended by a listener), the Oak Ridge Boys, and John McCain's eulogy, which one host praises as genuinely clean, folksy comedy with no dirty jokes or jabs. A host addresses Ben by name ('He died, Ben').

Hard question: must truth-tellers guard the message?

• What responsibility do people who speak truth into the world have to guard the message, or tailor it for what they think people will do with it?

A host poses the episode's hard question: what responsibility do people who bear the burden of speaking truth into the world have to guard the message, or tailor it for what they think people will do with it? He grounds it in a real example: Jeremy Willett, lead singer of the band Will It, led worship on both sides of the border and posted sympathetically about the migrant caravan, then a border guard pushed back that the picture is more complicated (rock-throwing, attacks on agents) — and Willett never quite acknowledged the complication.

News spin, buckets, and advertising culture

• To what extent are you responsible for other people's perception of what you say?

The hosts work the question: news is delivered as fact-plus-spin and audiences only read their own spin; people sort each other into buckets ('compassionate liberal,' 'heartless wingnut') to avoid complicated middle-of-the-road conversations. The 'Baby It's Cold Outside' debate is used as an example — radio stations pull it over consent concerns while Christians defend it, yet biblically the song depicts fornication, which Christians oppose either way. A host argues an advertising culture has taught everyone to brand their speech, distancing them from core true things. A host addresses Dan by name ('You know what, Dan?').

Leaders, platforms, and Jesus' enigmatic speech

Discussion continues: people who want to lead must address everyone, not just their own camp; a one-on-one conversation allows nuance that a blanket post to 2,000 people doesn't. Jesus is held up as enigmatic — eating with sinners without explaining himself ('the sick need to know' a physician), telling parables for those with ears to hear. One host notes the platform itself creates the complication: anything said publicly gets taken however anyone wants to take it.

Deal in true things, not shaded things

The discussion lands: Christians should deal in reality rather than shading or denying parts of it to influence people — 'let it be true.' Clarity brings complication because truth is generally complex; simple slogans like 'God loves you' can do a disservice if left unqualified. A host argues America's political dysfunction is self-made ('we asked God for kings'), using a hypothetical speech ending in 'and I love Puerto Rico' to show how audiences stop listening over one fringe line. A host addresses Dan by name ('That's the point though in it, Dan').

Next week: the shrewd manager (Luke 16)

A host tees up next week's topic: the parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16, which he finds genuinely difficult to discern — 'what is going on here?' He notes Luke's Jesus drops harsher lines at the ends of parables than the other Gospel writers ('bring them here, and I shall dispatch with them').

YouVersion's top verses of 2018: the guessing game

• What are the most highlighted, noted, or favorited Bible verses by country on the YouVersion app in 2018?

The hosts play a guessing game with YouVersion's just-released list of the most highlighted, noted, or favorited Bible verses by country in 2018. Guesses for the United States (Philippians 4:13 — 'Dan?' is asked) miss; the actual US verse is Isaiah 41:10, which a host reads aloud ('Fear not for I am with you...'). A sidebar praises reading poetic passages like Isaiah in The Message, which lands far better with media-saturated youth-group kids than formal translations.

Reading Isaiah 41 aloud

A host reads Isaiah 41:1-10 aloud at length — the call to the coastlands, judgment coming from the east, the craftsman and goldsmith, then the turn to Israel ('you are my servant... Fear not, for I am with you'). The hosts discuss its context as post-exilic comfort after Babylon, with one jokingly asking another if he is 'the one who smooths with the hammer' whose 'solder is good.'

China's verse and the roots of anxiety

• Is modern anxiety new, or is it different in kind from the fear described in the Bible?

The country-guessing continues — no data for Zimbabwe or Cuba ('Come on, Ben'). China's top verse is Proverbs 4:23 ('keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life'), which a host notes sounds like a Confucius saying. Discussion turns to whether modern anxiety is new: biblical fear was rooted in God's judgment or mortal danger ('will the crops survive,' 'will the kingdom kill us'), while today's anxiety is work pressure, neighbors, and relationships — real, but a different kind.

Were the men of the Bible anxious?

A host argues the major figures of the Bible don't read as anxious — they call a spade a spade, hold God to account ('Lord, I'm holding you to account'), and run on his strength — while modern Christians spend the day second-guessing every decision, unable to trust any of them. Another agrees biblical anxiety had weightier objects and warns against taking scriptures aimed at something heavy and applying them to something light in our own lives.

Prosperity has made us soft

The anxiety riff peaks: getting thrown off course by trivial things is 'a victory of Satan' — exhausting ourselves 'beating off ants with a broom' instead of fighting the serious kingdom battle. A host recounts fuming over small setbacks (a mower that wouldn't start, a stain on a shirt), argues Americans have already won the lottery compared to the rest of the world, and closes by noting this is 'Mike just having a therapy session with Mike' — the speaker referring to himself as Mike — 'not Pope style advice.'

The rest of the YouVersion list

More verses from the 2018 list: Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Peter 5:7 ('cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you') and 5:8 (the adversary the devil prowling like a roaring lion — debated as 5:7 vs 5:8), Matthew 6:33 ('seek first the kingdom') for Thailand/Taiwan (the transcript is unclear which), and Proverbs 16:9 for Korea ('in their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps'). A host observes none of the top verses is simply about who God is — like the Shema — rather than what believers gain from him.

Chance the Rapper's Bible sabbatical

A host reads a New York Post story from that day: Chance the Rapper (Chancellor Jonathan Bennett) announced on Instagram a sabbatical to study the Bible in full — starting with the first five books — pass it to the next generation of Bennett men, and quit smoking. The hosts cheer the line-in-the-sand ('My not knowing the word ends today') and use it to needle listeners about their own Bible reading. A sidebar plugs Porchlight, a new coffee shop in Ankeny run by 'Jesus folks.'

Dear LFTP: the laid-off IT worker and the handyman dream

• I am 58, laid off from IT, and want to start a handyman business, but my wife insists I find another IT job for the benefits and will not go full-time herself. How do I raise this without an argument?

A host reads a Dear LFTP letter from a 58-year-old IT professional laid off a year ago: he can't find IT work, wants to start a handyman business, but his wife insists he find another IT job for the benefits and refuses to go full-time herself — he calls her selfish and asks how to raise it without an argument. The hosts advise there is no argument-free way (he already knows where she stands), he may be misreading her motives, and his only course is to keep talking until they find an option both agree on. Then the 'Secular' persona's answer is read: expect an argument and be prepared; ageism in IT hiring is real; a good handyman is hard to find.

Dear LFTP: the reply-all Christmas wish list

• My boyfriend's mother asked the whole family for Christmas wish lists by reply-all email. How do I respond without appearing greedy?

The second Dear LFTP letter: a woman's boyfriend's mother emailed the whole extended family asking for Christmas wish lists via reply-all, and the writer doesn't want to look greedy. Advice: they asked, so answer honestly within a sensible budget (high/medium/low tiers). This spirals into a long riff on Christmas consumerism — one host is 'fifty-fifty' on whether he's a Grinch, December spending is 'flushing money,' yet gifts really mean 'I was thinking about you.' The Secular answer praises the mother's practicality. A host tells the story of receiving drywall for the attic hidden in a Scrabble box (tiles spelling D-R-Y-W-A-L-L), and the segment ends with a Mancala defeat by his kids.

Outro and complaint line

The hosts sign off with the Life From The Path complaint line — (515) 517-0085 for call, voicemail, or text, 'whatever tickles your wick' — and the closing line: 'In the meantime, be faithful in means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to live from the path.'