Just Do It

Show open and obedience thesis

A host opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper with an admission he doesn't remember what's on the show, then frames the night's discussion: being obedient to the thing God has you doing, putting showmanship and gimmicks aside, and just doing the thing.

What stops us from sharing the gospel

• Should church-service outreach and personal-life evangelism be treated differently?
• What are our biggest hangups in creating opportunities to talk about the gospel?

The hosts catalog the hangups that keep Christians from creating gospel opportunities at work and in clubs: fear of people's reactions, not knowing the right thing to say, worry about embarrassing themselves or the gospel, and a tendency to temper advice based on who is listening. A host notes people usually end up being the problem in the story they tell.

Evangelism is influence, not a scheme

A host argues that people who follow Jesus smell like Jesus, and that Christians need to stop pulling punches and waiting for the perfect opening. Evangelism is framed as influence rather than a scheme: live honestly so the difference is visible, answer marriage questions like you would to a church friend, and let the Holy Spirit do the work instead of smuggling Jesus in as a side saddle.

Nathaniel's plant-shutdown 'Hevel' conversation

A room participant recounts falling into a gospel conversation at work by accident: after a twelve-hour plant shutdown shift, having listened to an Ecclesiastes sermon, he answered 'it's good money' with 'it's all Hevel,' which led to a talk about Solomon and David, the coworker confusing Solomon with Saul, and the fear of God. The hosts judge this exactly the faithful openness they are describing.

Pizza Hut breadsticks illustration

A host tells the story of a friend who was a Pizza Hut waitress: asking tables 'do you want breadsticks?' almost always failed, but carrying fresh breadsticks around the restaurant sold them everywhere within minutes. The hosts adopt it as a picture of witness: people should sense the difference without it being spelled out awkwardly every time.

Tag in the Holy Spirit and walk it out

The hosts land the episode's thesis: relieve yourself of the burden of the count and the method, walk faithfully with Jesus, and let the Spirit provide the words. They develop it through the kidnapper-lady sermon anecdote (the hearer grabbed 'watch out for kidnappers' from a rich example), the crappy-tag-team wrestling image for refusing to tag in the Holy Spirit, and the workplace test of whether your first instinct toward an upset coworker is to go offer comfort or to worry about what people will think.

Christian Post 'old time Christianity' article

A host reads a Christian Post article calling for a return to 'old time Christianity,' illustrated by Nigerian memories of the 1970s and 80s when cultists avoided born-again people, smokers threw away cigarettes as a Christian passed, Christian girls were respected, thieves feared stealing from Christians, and Christians were believed in court without an oath. The hosts agree with the premise (Christians recognizable by their lives) while pushing back on parts: the cigarette example targets the wrong thing, the phrase 'old time Christianity' sounds like a Southern Baptist nostalgic for the 1970s, and the Antioch Christians were treated poorly rather than respected.

Simplicity of the gospel and Zimbabwe mission

The hosts commend the simplicity of the Nigerian and Zimbabwean gospel: no twinkle and pizzazz, just 'you sinned, you can't pay for it, God said I love you, I will pay for this.' A host describes this year's Zimbabwe mission theme, 'the year of a thousand souls,' with four or five revivals, schools, churches, and villages, and reflects on communicating across cultures without fancy presentation, ending with the 'faith like a child' and 'allow longer awkward silences' counsel.

Dear LFTP: ex-girlfriend's holiday cards

• How do I respectfully tell my ex-girlfriend to stop sending me holiday cards?

A letter writer, together with his wife for six years and married for two, asks how to respectfully tell his ex-girlfriend from high school to stop sending holiday cards now that they make his wife uncomfortable. The hosts advise against the Secular answer's comically passive-aggressive vacation-photo maneuver: if it is really a problem, tell her like a human being or just throw the cards away. Includes a callback to the previous week's letter from Susan about hosting family over the holidays.

Dear LFTP: friend who takes 'stay anytime' literally

• Am I wrong to be annoyed that my friend takes my 'stay anytime' offer literally and leaves a mess?

A listener asks if he is wrong to be annoyed that a friend, told he could stay over anytime, now visits constantly, never goes out with the host, leaves piles of clothes and used tissues and face masks around the living room. The hosts say the annoyance is on him for never setting boundaries: have the tough conversation, tell him what he costs, and remember it is not ungenerous to draw boundaries on generosity. The Secular answer agrees the clothes conversation is overdue.

Dear LFTP: forty-four and feeling like a failure

• How can I convince myself that my life hasn't been wasted?

A forty-four-year-old divorced listener, living with her disabled parents while working in her field of study and content not to date again, asks how to stop feeling like her life is wasted when she imagines telling classmates at a school reunion. The hosts say she is judging herself by perceived failures that do not matter, that nobody at the reunion is really thinking about her, that caring for her parents is an honor, and that her worth is not set by accomplishments. The Secular answer agrees she is too hard on herself and advises countering self-defeating feelings with daily attention to accomplishments.

Outro and benediction

The hosts close with the (515) 517-0085 complaint line, an ask for podcast reviews wherever fine podcasts are delivered, and the standard benediction: be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends.