Call Me Hoopi

Show open: the chamoy peach-ring ambush and the docket

After the produced intro voiceover, a host opens the show live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. Boova tells how he brought Mike chamoy and tahin peach rings as a peace offering to expand his snack horizons; Mike rejects them and the bag ends up thrown on the ground with a gesture at it. The docket for the night is set: whether modern Christianity is biased toward a certain personality type, whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable over time, and Boova's Ask the Pastor on encouraging perseverance.

Ask the Pastor: encouraging perseverance with no payoff in sight

• How do you pastorally encourage perseverance when there is no visible payoff?

Boova's Ask the Pastor comes from a man at his church: two and a half years separated with no divorce finalized, co-parenting with a spouse running the other direction while he himself has gotten sober, steady, and safer — and he is tired of being the bigger person. The question is how to pastorally encourage perseverance when the payoff may never come. The hosts answer: keep walking toward Christ and let God reveal Himself and then reveal you; the real weariness comes from watching what someone else is doing, which is a forgiveness issue; and one host quotes Hebrews 12 on running with endurance, keeping eyes on Jesus. Practical counsel lands too: keep everything on paper and route communication through text messages. The segment closes with the Bob Eisenlauer complaint line, (515) 517-0085.

Is modern Christianity biased toward a personality type?

• Is modern Christianity (its sermons and worship music) biased toward a certain personality type?

A host asks whether what churches teach, focus on, and sing is biased toward a certain personality type — prompted by emotive worship lyrics (the 'sloppy wet kiss' line in a Crowder song) that don't draw him in, and by an AI analysis of the most-listened-to sermons as emotionally driven. He wonders whether a stereotypical 60-year-old construction worker would feel he doesn't belong. The room notes lament is missing from the top-100 worship tunes (songs that end on 'How long, O Lord' with no resolution), each host names Bible books they struggle to connect with (Psalms, Hebrews, Romans — while one host connects with all 66), and they land on the observation that worship is modeled on David, who is far more emotive than Jesus, and that there is no worship song for 'great job, just staying with the Lord.' One host tells of fasting and praying for a big request and answering 'well, of course' when the answer came.

Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?

• Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?

A host asks whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable as time goes on — noting the low-level tension many feel around am-I-doing-enough and the stigma that contentment equals laziness. The hosts push back: tension usually comes from neglect; if you spend time next to the Father you will constantly find yourself in the center of His will. A host quotes a C. S. Lewis book — 'you wonder why you're having a hard time following Jesus... you simply didn't want to' — and the room warns against manufacturing external evidence (checklist Bible plans) instead of the heart's orientation. Practical texture: an Experiencing God study as a system for the undisciplined, 'Bible roulette' with Hezekiah, Nahum, and Hosea, and the line 'Romans is Mike's green beans.' Biblical touchpoints: Elijah in the cave, and Eli with Samuel's 'here I am.'

Two men on Facebook are 'faking' belief — and it is working

• What should we make of nonbelievers who 'fake it' — reading scripture, praying, applying Jesus' teachings?

A host shares that two men in his Facebook feed are 'faking' belief — reading scripture, praying, applying Jesus' teachings — with one at day 25 saying he doesn't know if he's faking it anymore because it is having a positive impact on his life. The hosts are glad for the experiment: try it, test-drive it; you'll meet God even reading the Bible as literature. When a Jehovah's Witness visits the experimenter and something feels off, the room notes 'he's got the radar on' — discernment kicking in. They connect it to liturgical churches growing: people burned out on being their own god are reaching for structure, and the move is to invite them to the deeper well, not scold the behavior modification.

Dear LFTP: the Mimi letter ('Call Me Hoopi')

• Is it wrong for a grandmother to be upset when her grandson's other grandmother claims the same nickname?

Mike reads the Dear LFTP letter: a grandmother whose two-year-old grandson calls her Mimi — but the other grandmother claimed Mimi for herself, and the daughter-in-law is annoyed and doesn't want 'mom mom' either. The hosts' verdict: let the kid mangle the name and codify whatever comes out; nobody gets to dictate their own nickname, though 'Hoopi' (with 'Hoopa' for grandpa) is floated as a contender. One host adopts it: 'Unless you call me Hoopy. I'm not listening.' The read-aloud Secular answer: more than one Mimi could be confusing; the relationship matters more than dibs on a name.

Dear LFTP: the senior-living handshake letter, and the close

• How can a senior-living resident politely decline the dining-room manager's handshakes?

Mike reads the second Dear LFTP letter: a senior-living resident whose dining-room manager (Manny) shakes hands at residents' tables, and who dodges with wet or greasy hands — how to decline politely? The hosts' verdict: just say you prefer not to shake hands; Secular's answer says the manager wants to appear friendly and welcoming, so a polite smile shouldn't embarrass anyone. What follows is a long comedy riff on handshake norms — the poison-ivy fist bump, handshakes only on first meeting and departure, the $1 shaking booth — ending with a listener poll: text 'shake' or 'no shake' to (515) 517-0085, plus plugs for livefromthepath.org and the YouTube channel.