April 11 2011

First-ever broadcast from the prayer room

The show opens with its first broadcast from the Pathway Studios prayer room. A host introduces himself on air as 'Ben Foost' and names co-hosts Dan Hudson and Mike Foost (transcript spellings). The hosts explain they are broadcasting from inside the just-launched 24/7 two-week prayer room.

Prayer-room testimonies: why it works

The hosts share personal prayer-room experiences: filling empty half-hour slots, the room as a spiritual reset, weeping alone with the tunes up, reading others' written prayers, and how the prayer room opens ministry doors (a pastor's phone lighting up with crises, inviting people to take slots).

Dedicated time: listening instead of talking at God

• What makes the prayer room different from praying at home?

Discussion of what makes the prayer room different from home prayer: dedicated undistracted time, the difference between talking at God and listening, and how slowing down lets God redirect prayer far beyond the original list.

Prayer as honest talk; tour of the prayer room

• What does the prayer room look like?

The band Candy for Nichols takes a prayer-room hour while the show continues. The hosts talk about prayer as honest conversation with a Father rather than formal 'thees and thous', then describe the prayer-room layout: a large conference-style room plus two smaller rooms and a bathroom, with prayer requests written on themed Post-it notes on the walls.

Comedy bit: egging houses and the creepy red light

Comedy bit: a host jokes about egging houses and drawing crosses on eggshells, then confesses he installed a creepy red police-style lantern in the prayer room against everyone's advice.

The holy of holies, Mark 7, and performing for God

The small dark 'holy of holies' room, a joke about a hypothetical guy with wheatgrass and an English Standard Version, and honest talk about performing for God in prayer - resisting the urge to wordsmith beautiful prayers or fill the wall with junk just to look spiritual.

Next week's bands and the Atheist Convention prayer room

Re-intro from the prayer room; next week's plan with bands Saved On Sunday and On This Rock swapping between studio and prayer room; and the announcement of a 24/7 prayer room set up at the Atheist Convention hotel - a no-contact, prayer-only outreach.

Why people reject God; the Bible as a book of salvation

Why people become atheists: mostly hurt by churches rather than convinced by logic, plus a desire for moral autonomy. The Bible framed as a book of salvation, not condemnation - God protecting people from self-destruction rather than looking for rule-breakers to punish.

Doubt is welcome: Thomas, John the Baptist, the Bereans

• Is it okay to doubt - to ask God 'are you sure?'?

Doubt treated as legitimate: Thomas asking to touch the wounds, John the Baptist checking from prison whether Jesus is the one, the Bereans verifying Paul's teaching. God answers 'are you real?' with evidence rather than rebuke. Melchizedek mentioned as a mysterious priest figure possibly pointing to Jesus.

Convicted by Mark 7 in the holy of holies

Re-intro from the prayer room; then a host tells how reading Mark 7 in the prayer room's 'holy of holies' convicted him - his complaints about the room's setup were 'traditions of men' Pharisee behavior - plus comedy about lounging guiltily in the holy of holies and not wanting to be comfortable worshipping.

Worship posture, 'Isaiahing', and the woman who felt the weight lift

Worship posture talk (arms raised feeling awkward everywhere but right in the prayer room), 'Isaiahing' - praying Isaiah's 'here I am, send me' - why the prayer room can take several visits to click, and a testimony of a longtime believer who wept as a youth group prayed over her and felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

Music break: 'Rescue' by Eyes Wide Open

Music break: 'Rescue' by Eyes Wide Open, a band recently in the studio.

Candy for Nichols in the studio: interview

Candy for Nichols joins the studio after their prayer-room hour. Haircut and Nair banter, upcoming gigs (Java Joe's on April 16, Smokey Row on May 13), their Facebook page, the Iowa Roller Derby, Nicole as the mom/manager who books everything, arm-wrestling jokes, kids, and Keith's early nerves joining the band.

Performance: 'Take My Life' (Third Day cover)

Candy for Nichols performs 'Take My Life,' introduced as a Third Day cover.

Worst gig ever: the Newton jazz venue

The band's worst-gig story: booked at a jazz venue in Newton, they rewrote their whole set in the alley to sound jazzy, and the owner shut them down after an hour - paid for the hour, glad to leave, and grateful it gave them a good story.

Performance: 'Pieces of My Heart' (original)

Candy for Nichols performs their original song 'Pieces of My Heart'; the songwriter explains it is about giving all of her heart to the Lord as He gave His.

Relay for Life, the drummer joke, and nicknames

Relay for Life gig talk (a cancer benefit in Des Moines), the drummer joke ('what do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians?'), a running 'Scott joke time' bit, childhood nicknames, and Dan's granola bars.

John 21: breakfast with Jesus on the beach

A host teaches John 21 - Jesus cooking breakfast for the disciples on the beach, Peter swimming ashore - as a picture of God meeting physical needs first and then talking; he notes he will preach this passage on May 1 at Pathway Church.

Prayer-room slots, a radio partnership, and the poo tracker

Open prayer-room slots are listed for the coming days; another radio station wants to partner and use the studio; the move from Des Moines Amplified is recounted as a prayed-over step of faith; the 'poo tracker' is recalled as the show's peak broadcast moment; Praise 940 and J.C. Walker are thanked for airtime.

Closing: atheist prayer-room details and final songs

Closing: newsletter and podcast signup, details of the Atheist Convention prayer room as a no-contact event where God does the changing, thanks to Candy for Nichols, and the band plays the show out with a final song ending 'Satan, you're under.'