December 5 2011

Show open: Ben's intro, Ed Sullivan bit, lineup preview

• How can a person know they are saved?

The host opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston, introducing himself as Ben Fust (transcript renders 'Ben Foose'), then does an Ed Sullivan impression to welcome viewers in Colorado and 'bigger than ever' crowd. He previews tonight's show: Double J in the studio, the question 'How do I know if I'm saved?', a new edition of Secular vs. Solomon, a Focus on the Family video the hosts found disappointing, and a song about the Bible. A host asks the audience to text in where they are watching from.

Double J interview: Genesis Tour, albums, first-date banter

Double J joins the hosts in the studio and catches them up: a Genesis Tour with Saved on Sunday through Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Iowa; the new album 'Limitless' (plus 'Generation of War' and the 'Breakaway Project' anniversary re-recording); his plans to keep recording as he goes. The hosts crack jokes about his first date (Cheesecake Factory, bowling), his posse of Michael Tate and 'Taco John', and his role as roaming correspondent at the Newsboys show at the Indianola Community Church.

Double J's 'Memory' performance

Double J introduces 'Memory,' a new cut from his upcoming album, explaining its premise: everyone carries memories they wish they could do over. The hosts play the full song, a mid-tempo piece about regret. Afterward Double J reflects that the song's style is unlike his earlier rap-leaning work and says that is okay — the next era is the 'limitless era.'

Post-song banter: 'like the wind,' pizza buffet, Skyline Studios

The hosts riff after the song: Double J explains the track's R&B-leaning arrangement (he jokes about 'Clyde Drexler glasses'), and they spin the running joke of an upbeat freestyle rap ending in the ad-lib 'like the wind.' A host pitches 'pizza buffet' as a song concept — the phrase becomes the episode's recurring joke. Double J talks about the 'Limitless' album, the next two records, and why he chose not to leave a studio for his own — 'the Lord works in our weaknesses.' A listener asks where he records; he names Skyline Studios off Merle Hay.

Focus on the Family 'Journey Like Christ' video review

A host reviews a Focus on the Family video he borrowed from the Ministry Center — 'Journey Like Christ,' from the team that made 'The Truth Project.' The hosts are unimpressed, especially by the host's delivery, which they compare to a slow-motion sports montage. They critique the video's claim that the Israelites could have crossed the Red Sea 'like in a day' (countering with the Egyptians' chariots), and laugh through a reenactment of Saul's Damascus-road encounter ('Saul, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'). They invite local listeners — including Dale Taggart of the Truth Project team — to come on the show and defend the video.

Chat-requested freestyle and beatbox bit

A chat listener asks Double J to freestyle. After a back-and-forth about whether he's ever done one on the show, he performs a short improvised rap, with the hosts riffing behind him ('like the wind,' 'like a boss'). The hosts keep the bit rolling with more bars about Double J rapping on the spot.

Tour logistics, Saved on Sunday tent, Troy joins

Double J gives details on the Genesis Tour with Saved on Sunday — the routing, an outdoor 'tent' show at the Indiana Community Church, and that band member Daniel Brown does the tour announcements. Troy drops in from chat ('Troy is from the house!') and the hosts banter with him about Double J's dancing.

J4J (Just for Jesus) project and 'I Am Significant'

Double J lays out the J4J — 'Just for Jesus' — project: a lifestyle movement rather than a brand, where people adopt the cause, spread the music and the message, and mission groups can raise money for trips through it. He shows off t-shirt designs, including the slogan 'I Am Significant,' and explains the distinction he draws: 'There's a difference between being significant and being known.' The hosts discuss the project alongside a joke about John the Baptist 'losing his head' over missions work, and Double J recalls discovering Dance Dance Revolution via church youth-group games.

Plugs: Monday show, YouTube channel, blip.tv archive, merch

The hosts promote the show: it now airs Monday nights at 8:30pm Central, 'live from the path' from the Pathway Studios in Johnston. They push the YouTube channel (every episode since #1 is there), the blip.tv archive, and merchandise — mugs, wristbands, and T-shirts including the 'Call Me Diesel' line — and ask listeners to send in their prayer requests.

Double J's 'Energy' performance

Double J introduces 'Energy,' a song about addiction and dependency in which every verse cycles through names — he counted about 105 energy-drink references. The hosts play the full track: a fast, percussive rap cataloging caffeine brands against the hook that 'we are tired of the energy from drinking caffeine all day.'

'Energy' discussion and the 105-name challenge

After the song, Double J explains the writing process: he listed the drinks, picked one per verse, and even ran a contest where a chat listener named two brands that made the record. The hosts invite listeners to verify his claim of 105 distinct energy-drink names — email j4life@gmail.com if you think you caught all 105 — and point to the J4JTV YouTube channel for the song's 2011 video.

Christmas commercial parody bit

A mock Christmas album commercial plays: a deep-voiced announcer sells a fake holiday release — 'The Christmas albums you need this Christmas' — with off-key sung snippets of 'Baby It's Cold Outside,' 'O Holy Night,' 'All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,' 'Jingle Bell Rock,' 'Carol of the Bells,' 'A Holly Jolly Christmas,' 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,' 'Santa Baby,' and 'Away in a Manger' (pronounced 'away in a manager'). The ad is for the joke label 'Big Donkey Incorporated,' and the hosts close it with an 'It's a Wonderful Life' quote-along before returning to the show.

Deer hunting story and segue to the game

A host recounts a recent deer-hunting trip: he climbed into a blind a friend had prepared, and an eight-point buck he had been watching wandered within 15–20 yards — too close for comfort with a bow. The story (with a quip about 'shooting guns in Wyoming') closes out the banter block and the hosts transition into Secular vs. Solomon.

Secular vs. Solomon game

The full Secular vs. Solomon game: Secular (the world) reads a proverb and Solomon's camp must answer with a biblical saying — Ecclesiastes 7:8 ('Better is the end of a thing than its beginning'), Ecclesiastes 7:2 ('better to go to the house of mourning'), and Ecclesiastes 7:12 ('the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money') are the three cited verses. Along the way a listener mis-cites 'the end justifies the means,' the hosts get sidetracked by a long knock-knock-joke run (interrupting cow, 'water you doing'), and Troy argues over whether the answer counts before Solomon wins the final round.

Dear LFTP intro + letter: younger sister wants to move in

• Should I let my younger sister, who has been homeless and in and out of counseling, move in with me?

The hosts open the Dear LFTP mailbag with the 'deer / dear' joke ('We have some deer... needing big help'). The reader reads the first letter: a woman's younger sister Nicole — 22, in trouble, has been homeless and in and out of counseling — now wants to move in with her. The writer fears it would wreck her own health and her family, and asks what she should do.

Letter 1 discussion: guilt, 1 Timothy 5:8, brother's keeper

The hosts counsel the woman whose sister wants to move in. A host reads 1 Timothy 5:8 — 'if anyone does not provide for his relatives, he has denied the faith' — and they unpack what 'provide' means when the person is unstable: boundaries, not enabling; counseling over housing; a deadline, not an open-ended commitment. They weigh guilt against responsibility ('not your brother's keeper vs. love your brother'), and read the secular answer, which advises against the move-in with firm short-term boundaries. Mike and the hosts stress care without control, and that helping may mean outside help, not a spare room.

Dear LFTP letter: 15-year-old on parents having another baby

• Should parents consult their existing children before deciding to have another baby, and is a teenager wrong to feel the decision is unfair?

The reader reads the second letter: a 15-year-old writes that his parents have decided — without asking anyone — to have another baby, though his mother has health problems and he has had to grow up fast. He asks whether parents should talk to their existing children about such a decision, and whether he is wrong to feel it is unfair. The hosts answer that the decision belongs to the parents, that God gives the baby, and that it is normal to feel unsettled — but that jealousy and resentment are traps, and the letter-writer's real work is trusting God's plan for his family.

Brother's-keeper debate resumed; Trey and Anne story

Back on the first letter's thread, the hosts keep debating 'brother's keeper' — one host argues keeping them doesn't mean keeping them in your house, another counters that provision can still mean housing. They tell the story of Trey and Anne, who took someone in — and note that even that couple was worn out by the arrangement, which they take as confirmation that boundaries matter. The segment closes with a joke about a coming Focus on the Family DVD.

Dear LFTP letter: holiday letter and son Dexter in jail

• How should we mention our son Dexter, who is in jail for drug problems, in our annual holiday letter?

The reader reads the third letter: every year the writers send a holiday letter highlighting family events; this year their son Dexter is in jail with a drug problem, and they wonder whether to mention him — and whether mentioning him means lying about how he is doing. The hosts advise honesty without detail: say he is incarcerated, ask for prayer, and keep the focus on hope rather than a glossy story. They read the secular answer, which recommends being truthful and brief, and debate whether 'it's the holidays' is ever a reason to gloss over truth.

Dear LFTP letter: memory-care mom and staff nicknames

• Is it disrespectful for memory-care staff to call my mother 'granny,' 'grandma,' or 'mama' when she never went by those names, and how do I correct them?

The reader reads the fourth letter: the writer's mother, in memory care with advancing Alzheimer's, is being called 'granny,' 'grandma,' and even 'mama' by staff, though she never went by those names — she was 'Mimi' to the grandkids. The writer worries about correcting the staff without seeming rude. The hosts side strongly with the family: ask staff to use her real name, model the correction kindly, and escalate to the facility director if needed — but don't let an outsider rename your mother. They read the secular answer, which advises a direct, respectful request to the care team.

'How do I know if I'm saved?' discussion

• How can a person know they are saved?

The hosts take up the episode's marquee question, prompted by a listener disturbed by a Pastor Bruce-or-Chuck CD that quoted Matthew 7:21–23 ('Lord, Lord... I never knew you') in a way that felt like circular reasoning. They walk through the texts together: the tree known by its fruit (Matthew 7:16), the danger of performance-based assurance, whether an emotional 'warm fuzzy' relationship with God is required, and obedience as evidence of love rather than its price. The discussion covers fruit vs. feelings, comparison among believers, grace vs. technicality — 'we're not saved by the technicalities' — and closes with the proverb 'iron sharpens iron,' crediting the night's group growth to the conversation itself.

Wrap-up: Saved on Sunday fundraiser, Kevin Lindgren next week

The hosts wrap up: they thank Double J for coming in and remind listeners that Saved on Sunday is playing a fundraiser for their acoustic album at Eagle Vision Church on the south side of Des Moines on the 16th. Next week Kevin Lindgren returns from Lamoni with stories from the studio. The show signs off with thanks to the chat room and a good-night.