July 25 2011

Show open and episode preview

The hosts open the broadcast from the Pathway Studios and preview the night: a phone interview with Christian hip-hop artist Corinth D13, a main discussion on evaluating people who serve in the church, and a second hour with the band Light Switch. They note the Jeremy Willett interview planned for that night was pushed to next week.

Phone interview with Corinth D13

A host interviews Corinth D13 by phone ahead of his Spirit Midwest Music Festival appearance. He describes switching from secular rap to Christian hip-hop after hearing Lecrae's Rebel album, his debut album The Storm Is Over releasing nationally that Friday via CD Baby, his website daywalkisentertainment.com, and his 'kingdom swag' view that God adds to a believer what they lack. The hosts react to his confidence and humor after the call.

Post-interview banter and festival logistics

The hosts joke about being hard to follow on the Truth Talk stage and work through Spirit Midwest broadcasting logistics: three stages, filming windows between bands, camera volunteers, and Tim Denner's planned visit. One host notes the editing work falls to a fellow host.

Studio tangents: flannel graphs, thrift store, festival fun

Comedy tangents: the hosts try to name the felt-board Bible-teaching aid ('flannel graph'), mock its oversized Jesus figures, recall a Hope Ministries thrift store trip and estate-sale shopping, and joke about water inflatables and painting up like a warrior for the festival broadcast.

Framing the question: evaluating church volunteers

• What responsibility does a church have to evaluate the spiritual standing of the people who serve in it?

A host poses the episode's main question: what responsibility does a church have to evaluate the spiritual standing of people who serve in any capacity, from janitor to worship band to communion server? He notes a volunteer organization cannot demand the 'cream of the crop' for every role, and suggests written expectations and job descriptions for ministry leaders.

The serving debate: hypocrisy, journey, and worship-band standards

The hosts debate whether servants must be believers: everyone is imperfect, so the question becomes whether someone is 'on the journey' and moving forward. The worship band is treated as a special case where the leader should be a believer, but newcomers should be given time and grace. They stress that people need to know Jesus first and that serving without a heart connection is hollow.

Hard conversations and accountability in ministry

The hosts work through how to have hard conversations with servants: approach prayerfully, use yourself as the mirror, welcome being called out, and accept that some will call you judgmental. They cover redirecting the unskilled but sincere (the loud bad singer, the grumpy greeter) toward better fits like the cafe or children's area, and lean on small groups and life-transformation groups for accountability. The segment closes by asking what Jesus expects in return from those He saved.

Corinth D13 track: 'Hustler's Prayer'

The hosts play a track from Corinth D13's new CD, introduced as 'the hustler's prayer' (spelled out on air as H-U-S-T-L-A-Z). They joke about being 'too white' for the track, riff on trying to talk street, and confirm he plays the hard rock stage and the Truth Talk stage Saturday following the show's broadcast.

Banter after the track, lead-in to Dear LFTP

More studio comedy: an electronic vuvuzela-like gadget, a story about a friend failing at 80s slang around parents from India, and a bit about the hosts being too suburban to sound street. The segment ends with a host turning to the listener questions.

Dear LFTP: husband who dislikes the best girlfriend

• What should a wife do when her husband does not like her best girlfriend?

A listener asks what to do when her husband does not like her best girlfriend. The hosts advise honesty over deflection: the wife should level with the friend, not stop being friends, and the husband should occasionally 'suck it up' for his wife's sake or let her go on a girls' trip. A comment from a reader named Abby is read: when social invitations keep getting deflected, it is time to level.

Dear LFTP: four-year-old watching TV sitcoms

• Is it harmful for a four-year-old to watch adult TV sitcoms with a parent?

A grandmother asks whether it is harmful that her daughter lets a precocious four-year-old watch primetime TV sitcoms. The hosts agree it is a problem: the content is adult and small children repeat what they hear. The segment drifts into a tangent about learning Monopoly at age four and a grandfather 'gone to free parking.'

Festival promos and newsletter plug

The hosts plug the Spirit Midwest Festival on August 5th and 6th with full-on broadcasting both days, joke about wardrobe (a kilt, a top hat), and push the website livefromthepath.org, the newsletter signup, the Facebook page, and the YouTube channel.

Second hour open: past-guest recap

The recorded second hour opens with a recap: a previous interview with Jeremy Willett of the band Willett (willettonline.com) and the earlier Corinth D13 call, teeing up the Light Switch session recorded in the studio the previous Friday.

Light Switch in-studio interview

The band Light Switch joins in the studio. They explain the name comes from encouraging people to switch from darkness to light spiritually, note the members are brothers, say they began focusing and touring around 2005, and mention interviews on Total Christian Television in Detroit and a praise fest. They promote lightswitchband.com and their Friday 6:35 festival slot. Comedy riffs cover a cat on the van roof and gummy bears fed to dairy cows.

Light Switch performs 'Holy'

Light Switch performs their song 'Holy' in the studio, joking beforehand about playing it in Spanish and only knowing the chords. The hosts praise the performance and one member's shift from bass to keyboards for the song.

Songwriting chat and 'Shine Again'

The band discusses CDs on the way ('too much awesome' to price), how songs are born (one member woke up with a song), and the story behind 'Holy': the verse about every knee bowing, judgment, and putting faith in Jesus. They then perform 'Shine Again,' described as a song of hope about pressing on and the sun shining again, and discuss reading crowd reactions.

Secular vs. Solomon with Light Switch, rounds 1-3

The game 'America's fastest growing internet game show, Secular vs. Solomon' begins with the band: each proverb must be judged secular or from Solomon/Proverbs, with a joke nationality attached to secular guesses. Round 1 is an old Danish wives' tale, round 2 is Proverbs 20:17 ('Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man...'), and round 3 is Proverbs 26:6, read in the English Standard Version.

Secular vs. Solomon, rounds 4-7 and wrap

The game continues: 'When he has to, the devil eats flies' is judged secular from Germany (with a Lord of the Flies riff), 'a little sleep, a little slumber' is Proverbs 24:33-34, an unattributed 'cannot expect to be cured' saying is secular, and the final round is Proverbs 27:10 in the King James Version ('a neighbor living nearby is better than a faraway relative'). The hosts close the game with jokes about its 100% growth.

Sign-off and final festival promo

The hosts thank Light Switch, plug their $12 shirts and website, remind listeners of the Friday 6:35 main-stage slot at the Spirit Midwest Music Festival with food on site, and close by previewing next week's pre-festival interviews.