Tunes with Jeff Arrandale, Prodigal Junk, and Drifting Families

Cold open: the belt debate

The show opens with an extended comic riff about how many belts the hosts own, including a reversible belt that counts as two and a childhood belt with interchangeable buckles. One host jokes his home-insurance lady owes him extra coverage for the uncounted belts.

Guest intro: Jeff Arendelle returns with a new EP

A host introduces returning musical guest Jeff Arendelle, joking that he thought Arendelle had retired to Arizona or Florida. Arendelle is back in the studio with a new EP, his third, and a big announcement about a music video teaser dropping the next day.

Boova's question: following Christ when family doesn't

• How do I navigate family relationships when I am following Christ more closely and they are not?

Boova asks how to navigate belonging to two families: one God-loving and following Jesus, the other the opposite. He says the more he falls in line with following Christ, the less he wants to be around the second family, and he is trying to figure out what he is supposed to do without abandoning people he loves. The hosts table the question for later in the show.

News: Tanzanian pastor arrested after deadly stampede

• What caused the stampede at the Tanzanian church service?

The hosts discuss a news story: Tanzanian pastor Boniface Mwamposa was arrested after telling roughly 10,000 worshipers at a stadium service to rush to one side to be anointed with blessed oil, causing a stampede that killed 20 people, five of them children. They condemn the prosperity-gospel spectacle behind it, arguing the pastor took no responsibility for the crowd entrusted to him.

News: Wuhan pastors and the coronavirus question

• Is the coronavirus news coverage and scare warranted given the reported death rate?

A host shares a better news story: amid the coronavirus outbreak in China, Wuhan pastors are encouraging congregations not to fear and to be at the forefront of helping others. The hosts then debate whether the media scare matches the reported numbers, comparing the roughly two percent death rate to the flu and asking whether the coverage is warranted or an overreaction.

Interview: the new EP's themes

Jeff Arendelle describes his third EP as a collection rather than a concept record: songs about corporate worship and gathering the praises of God's people, anticipating Christ's return, and picking up your cross daily. He explains the opening track 'You Are There' comes from the Psalms, where David asks where he can flee from God's presence.

Performance: 'To the Great I Am'

Jeff Arendelle and his band perform the EP track 'To the Great I Am' live in the studio, a corporate-worship song about lifting hands to God as the time draws near.

After the song: playlists, EP release details, and the brood of vipers

The hosts react to the song, trade workout-playlist names ('Dead Mic Running' for hard rock, 'Alive Mic Running' for mellower music), and Arendelle explains the EP will hit Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon with hard-copy CDs available. Banter spirals into a story about a host drawing John the Baptist saying 'you brood of vipers' on a Meals on Wheels Christmas card, and a running joke pronouncing the Urim and Thummim as 'Uma Thurman.'

The music video teaser and shoot stories

Arendelle announces his first music video: a teaser drops tomorrow with the full video next week. He recounts the shoot, playing the song about 27 times for the cameras, and the hosts riff on 1980s video tropes like warehouses that manufacture sparks. They joke about a shot-for-shot mockumentary remake starring the hosts, and rename the band the Mark Zurchelbach and Jeff band.

Setup: the pope, Bob's Tools, and the dirty bookstore

A host spins a long comic setup: a dirty bookstore on the South Side of Des Moines shares a parking lot with Bob's Tools, whose customers are secretly bookstore patrons. When word spreads the pope is driving through to Pleasantville, the patrons hide in Bob's Tools, follow the motorcade, and end up on Mike Fust's lawn mistaking him for the pope, demanding papal wisdom.

Pope-style advice: the prodigal son can't bring the lifestyle home

Mike delivers the episode's pope-style advice: the prodigal son does not get to bring his lifestyle with him back home. He retells the parable, stressing the son never imagined bringing the pigs and the lifestyle that separated him from his father into his father's house, and applies it: God will not allow things that separate you from Him in His house, so pay attention to what you are bringing in.

Reacting to the prodigal son advice

• How do you keep the right heart toward someone who keeps returning like the prodigal son over and over?

The hosts react to Mike's advice, with Boova joking his own version would be running toward his dad then veering away at the last second. They discuss the 'repeat prodigal' who returns every few weeks, the older brother's heart, and why the father's welcome is always open but the pig can't come inside. One host admits the bit's long setups sucker him in every time.

Interview and performance: 'Victory'

Arendelle introduces 'Victory,' an autobiographical song not on the EP about taking peace in grace despite not fully understanding everything: 'it is finished,' and the victory is already won. He and the band perform it live with a swampy, bluesy feel, and the hosts praise it afterward as a gritty identity-in-Christ song.

2019 in review: prisons, festivals, and a power outage

Arendelle recaps a big 2019: playing the Newton prison through Rick Amaril's ministry, a micro-tour to a Sheldon, Missouri festival and a Brookfield, Missouri church where a storm knocked out power for days and they held an acoustic service by stained-glass light, plus the Iowa State Fair and opening for Casting Crowns. Dan, who has seen the new video, vouches for its quality.

Upcoming shows and Pastor Fuzz

Arendelle lists upcoming dates: Winterset's Redeemer Church, Highland Park Community Church in Des Moines, Fort Des Moines Church of Christ, a Real Men event, and a Webster City worship night opening for Pastor Fuzz's band. The hosts get stuck laughing at the name 'Pastor Fuzz,' riffing on it as a late-night DJ moniker.

Boova's question, part 2: the full story

Boova lays out his question in full: adopted by two families, one following Jesus and one opposed, he has spent eight months running back to Jesus for real, quit drinking entirely, and cleaned up his speech, which has strained the second family. He fears losing them but will choose Christ, and asks how to navigate staying in the family without compromising.

Answering Boova: follow Jesus, let the chips fall

The hosts answer Boova: keep following Jesus and what happens will happen, because you don't have to leave them, they will leave you. They argue changed lives act as a mirror people resent, that Christians get called judgmental simply for reflecting conviction, and that much of the friction is just diverging interests rather than active hostility. The counsel closes with 'don't beat yourself up, just follow Jesus and hope it changes the world.'

Dear LFTP: Rafi the grandson and the house rules

• What rules are legitimate for grandparents to require of an adult grandson living with them rent-free?

A Dear LFTP letter asks what rules grandparents may legitimately require of their 24-year-old grandson Rafi, a college grad living rent-free for six months, wearing his baseball cap to meals, and refusing cousins his spare bed. The hosts say set house rules but don't meddle in his life: you can't give someone a room and then schedule sleepovers in it. The read 'Secular' answer demands strict rules and a move-out deadline, which the hosts reject as overstepping leverage.

Close: rate and review ask

A host asks listeners to rate and review the podcast on iTunes, Podcast Attic, Stitcher, or Spotify to legitimize the operation, thanks Jeff Arendelle, and notes the show is off next week.