Honest Faith. Fierce Grace. Donkeys.
Ponds, not wells: the peace that stays
Ben develops the ponds-vs-wells metaphor: the things people chase — money, sex, identity, emotional self-knowledge — are ponds, not deeper wells, and 'they both look the same from the surface'; you have to wade in to your waist and go 'well crap.'
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When God feels silent for two weeks
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How often do you actually hear from God
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The moment faith finally clicked
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Affluence lets us focus on ourselves
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Why seeing Christian joy matters
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Peace that doesn't require the high
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God's peace doesn't move like ours does
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You have to taste the pond to believe it's a pond
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Every subject- Marriage & Dating Marriage · Dating · Relationships · Communication 850 conversations
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- Games, Letters & Series Dear LFTP, Secular vs. Solomon, Woke or Toke, the GodIsImaginary proofs… 20 recurring segments
- Play: Secular vs. Solomon Hear a saying; guess whether it's from Solomon (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes) or the wider world. 40 sayings
Five Things
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Five-things lists — back-office vs the main thing
- Are five-things ministry lists helping the main thing, or just the back office?
Mike's grass-mower analogy and the lists' real point: the lists describe back-office competence, while the main thing is speaking about Jesus effectively in today's culture.
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Accountability and structure
- How much structure and accountability does ministry need?
Dan pushes back gently: not everyone comes from a pure heart, so some structure and accountability is needed — Paul always had people with him, and 'the Holy Spirit told me and only me' is dangerous.
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Strip it to the core
- What does it look like to do the main thing with nothing?
Ben's rule: strip everything away, get it right at its core, then have it back — don't measure by the peripherals; Jesus keeps the main thing the main thing.
Hard questions
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Roundtable: Simeon, Jeremiah, and Craig in Albia
Mike brings it together with Simeon, the weirdo hanging around the temple, as the picture of un-shiny faithfulness, and admits the other side of his story — feeling drained and half-mad at God while half-hearted believers look happy.
From No. 614 · Rearview Mirror
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 613 · Found Out
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'It's not a religion, it's a relationship': framing the big question
- Does God want a relationship with you - and if so, what do we actually mean by it?
Ben frames the night's first big question: the phrase 'it's not a religion, it's a relationship' is common, and evangelicals say 'God wants to be in relationship with you' - but is it true, and if so, what do we mean?
From No. 612 · Relationship Counseling
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'Submit to spiritual authority': elder as responsibility, not office
Mike questions pastors who tell congregants to 'submit to spiritual authority' while meaning themselves: biblically, God's Word is authoritative and the Holy Spirit fills in the…
From No. 610 · Rage The Elephant
Dear LFTP
Listener letters, answered-
Dear LFTP letter 1 — the 44-year-old man who feels like a failure
- How does a 44-year-old man who feels his life is a failure find a path?
A 44-year-old man who feels his life is a failure asks for a path; the hosts counsel volunteering, trying directions, and serving others; the 'Secular says' answer points to career counseling and volunteering.
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Dear LFTP: the neighbor's granddaughter Sarah
- What do you do when you want to stay friends with a neighbor but her teen won’t stop acting up?
Mike reads a Dear LFTP letter about Dee, whose granddaughter Sarah has turned disrespectful — ringing the doorbell for no reason, teasing the cats, skating back and forth outside the apartment.
From No. 614 · Rearview Mirror
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Dear LFTP: the single man and the holiday cliques
- Would it be wrong for the lonely single man to start declining holiday invitations?
The first Dear LFTP letter: a single man, happy with his life and plenty of friends and family, dreads the holidays — at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of 15 to 25 people,…
From No. 613 · Found Out
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Dear LFTP: the grandma, 'Libby,' and the weight comment
- Was I wrong to mention my concern about Libby's weight?
Mike reads the letter: she moved 2,000 miles to be near her daughter's family; granddaughter 'Libby' was diagnosed with a medical condition and put on weight.
From No. 612 · Relationship Counseling
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Recent episodes
All 613- 614 Rearview MirrorOct 26, 2026 · Ben's story, part 2: the Jacksonville dream and the house church · Roundtable: Simeon, Jeremiah, and Craig in Albia
- 613 Found OutOct 19, 2026 · Church, emotions, and the self-focus of affluence · Ponds, not wells: the peace that stays
- 612 Relationship CounselingOct 5, 2026 · The questions game: Beelzebub, Jesus's outfit, heaven karaoke, lateral moves · Dear LFTP: the grandma, 'Libby,' and the weight comment
- 611 Humble Faithful IdiotSep 28, 2026 · Dear LFTP: the birthday-gift pressure · Dear LFTP: the spontaneous husband and the 7 p.m. date
- 610 Rage The ElephantSep 21, 2026 · Listening well: holding plans loosely · Dear LFTP: the inclusive dinner and the autistic boy
- 609 Call Me HoopiSep 14, 2026 · Ask the Pastor: encouraging perseverance with no payoff in sight · Is modern Christianity biased toward a personality type?
- 608 Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with StrangersAug 24, 2026 · Do accountability partners actually work? · Confetti and lasers: what should God's people be known for?
- 607 Maybe A Word From GodAug 10, 2026 · Mike's Ethiopia adoption story and the fear of being a false prophet · The right-song question, the complaint line, and Ben's New Orleans heaviness