Handshakes and Wrongness

Show open: the sneeze and the live start

The produced opening plays, then Ben delivers the live show start ('And you're listening to live from the past'). The hosts riff on a sneeze one of them tried to force through the intro music, debate whether John Wayne or Yul Brynner ever sneezed, and land on The Ten Commandments and The King and I before setting the evening's docket.

Complaint line: the Sandra Bullock coffee story

A complaint-line submission from Marshall: his brother, a Texas police officer, ended up sharing coffee inside Sandra Bullock's house after a neighborhood domestic disturbance. The hosts declare it the winner of the informal best-celebrity-story contest over a prior story about biking with William Shatner, and promise Marshall a Live From The Path mug.

Docket: 'is this wrong?' and the one church question

• What is the one question you should ask at any church?
• Is it wrong not to dwell on the violent, gory details of Jesus' crucifixion?

The hosts lay out the evening's docket: a new 'is this wrong?' game in which each submits an attitude they hold as a man following Jesus for the room to judge, plus a Christian Post article asking what single question you should ask at any church. One host previews his submission — whether dwelling on the gory details of the crucifixion matters.

Cold-open comedy: potatoes and handshake etiquette

An extended cold-open comedy run: one host confesses he dislikes twice-baked and scalloped potatoes ('like eating a limp handshake'), which spirals into handshake philosophy — power grips, the presidential hand-on-shoulder move, how hard to squeeze an elderly man's hand — and a frank exchange about social anxiety when meeting new people.

Dentist-visit anecdote

A host recounts taking the kids to the dentist while his wife was ill: the dentist's treatment lecture, his refusal to be the household 'button pusher,' and his car-ride lesson to the kids that every specialist will find $10,000 worth of work to do. Pure parenting anecdote before the show turns to the docket.

Christian Post: what gets your church most excited?

The hosts take up the Christian Post article: after 25 years of church research, the one question that gets people talking is 'what gets your church most excited?' They test answers — baptisms, caring for babies and foster kids — and reframe it as 'what does God have your church doing,' noting it often tracks the pastor's passions and that 'we're a group of randos' is itself a fine answer.

Is it wrong to think God will send people?

• Is it wrong to think God will send people to your church without any marketing or outreach effort?

First 'is this wrong?' case: is it wrong to think God will send people to your church, so you don't need marketing? The room lands on 'not wrong, but incomplete' — faithfulness is attractional and God works through it, though pamphlets and events aren't forbidden either. They note the book of Acts shows no staged outreach events, just believers living their lives and interacting as things happened.

Is it wrong not to dwell on crucifixion gore?

• Is it wrong not to dwell on the violent, gory details of Jesus' crucifixion?

Second 'is this wrong?' case, submitted by Ben: is it wrong that he doesn't dwell on the excruciating details of the crucifixion or find them all that important? The room agrees it is not wrong — the gore can feel manipulative, the Bible itself is spare on the details, and one host's ant-farm analogy reframes the horror as the Creator being murdered by his own creation. Boova adds that knowing the Lamb was sacrificed is powerful without knowing how it was slaughtered.

Is it wrong to keep a potty mouth and chew tobacco?

• Is it wrong to love and follow Jesus while keeping a slight potty mouth and continuing to chew tobacco?
• Does the Bible call gambling a sin?

Third 'is this wrong?' case: can a host love and follow Jesus all his days while keeping a slight potty mouth and chewing tobacco? The room works through Christian liberty at length — the 'does it own you' slavery test, the body-as-temple passage, gambling (the Bible never calls it sin; the ancients cast lots), Noah's drunkenness (which Scripture doesn't belabor), swearing as cultural rather than inherently crass, and the stumbling-block principle. Verdict: not wrong in itself, but keep everything on the table before God, since the Holy Spirit roots things out and sin defends itself.

Is it wrong to pray distracted?

• Is it wrong to pray distracted — with music, while driving, or while doing chores — instead of in focused silent prayer?

Boova asks his 'is this wrong?' question: he finds focused, silent prayer difficult — possibly ADHD — and defaults to praying with music on, while driving, or while doing dishes so his hands stay busy. Is that wrong? The room says no: focused prayer is a skill, not a talent, and it can feel like play-acting; what matters is intentionality. One host recommends journaling because handwriting slows the racing mind, and another notes God is in the fast as well as the slow.

Ad reads: former sponsors and Bob Eisenlauer

Mid-show ad reads: Kapona's Coffee House in Ames and On Purpose Promotions are both noted as closed former advertisers, while Bob Eisenlauer of the Eisenhower Team is still in business — which is why he holds honorary ownership of the complaint line. One host notes Eisenlauer advertised when the show could barely justify the spend.

Dear LFTP: the vegan-obsessed wife

• Should I stay or go? My wife has become obsessed with veganism and I can't have a conversation with her.

Dear LFTP letter one: a teacher writes that his wife beat diabetes through veganism but has since become purely vegan for animal rights, listening to vegan podcasts on earbuds all day and messaging vegan friends mid-conversation — 'should I stay or should I go?' The hosts push past the binary: join her world first (cook a vegan meal, support the cause), document a few steady examples, then have the frank conversation. Secular's answer — tap her shoulder, take an earbud out, and give her an earful — is judged terrible advice.

Dear LFTP: the surrogate baby shower

• Was it proper etiquette for a surrogate baby shower invitation to ask guests to donate toward the surrogacy costs?

Dear LFTP letter two: a listener got an Evite to a surrogate baby shower asking each guest for diapers, a favorite children's book, and a donation toward the surrogacy costs, with a note explaining how expensive the process is. The hosts find it fine — a shower is already organized gift-giving, and 'just give $5 if you don't want to give a lot.' Secular's answer calls the solicitation tacky and over the top.

Outro: recap and benediction

The hosts recap the episode — sneezes, handshakes, the 'is this wrong?' rounds, the church-excitement question — and Ben closes with the standing benediction: 'be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends.'