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Live From The Path · Season 2025, Episode 5

The Simple Life

Recorded 2025-03-24 · 1:15:57 · 16,160 words transcribed

Episode post · Watch: YouTube

Topics covered

Show open — The live show open from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. ≈ 0:01
Government and public space — Whether a taxpayer-funded government building can forbid public restroom use. ≈ 0:01
Hospitality — Whether turning away a stranger who needs your bathroom is unchristian. ≈ 0:01
Generosity when helping feels risky — Mike's story of helping a likely drug dealer, and whether the risk was worth it. ≈ 3:09
Helping versus enabling — Saying no to money requests, avoiding conflict-driven generosity, and knowing whether help actually helps. ≈ 9:29
Media and fear — How constant information about distant dangers makes the world feel too big and bends us toward fear. ≈ 14:54
Abundance and anxiety — Being cursed with too much of everything, and how excess feeds anxiety. ≈ 17:11
AI and the liability to know — Asking AI questions instead of experiencing things, and the anxious pressure to know everything in advance. ≈ 18:58
Minds beyond the scope of our feet — Being mentally postured beyond what we can influence, plus manufactured influencer outrage. ≈ 22:26
Faith without full information — God giving 2% of the story with a call to obedience, versus our culture of eliminating all risk. ≈ 28:06
Helping strangers on the road — Scatterwag stories from leaving the show late at night and giving people a chance to be different. ≈ 29:43
Biblical simplicity — Whether Scripture speaks to a desire for a simpler, less-information life. ≈ 33:22
Fasting and prayer — A Lenten fast from TV and phone reels that produced a prayerful hotel-room week. ≈ 35:30
Rhythms of life — Lives time-boxed by sunlight and slowed by older rhythms. ≈ 39:50
Third-world simplicity — Dan's observation that simpler societies live happily with far less. ≈ 41:10
Evangelism and culture — Sharing the gospel where people actually are rather than retreating to Montana. ≈ 42:48
Anxiety and control — Anxiety as things spilling outside their borders — the 50 pharaohs you keep adding. ≈ 45:17
Dear LFTP: commitment issues — Advice to a 29-year-old whose boyfriend of three years will not commit to marriage. ≈ 50:02
Dear LFTP: the craft hobby — Advice to a grandmother-trained crafter pressured to sell her work on social media. ≈ 1:00:11
Dear LFTP: the negative friend — Advice on whether to be honest with an aggressively negative former colleague. ≈ 1:07:57
Show close — The outro and sign-off. ≈ 1:15:07

Segments

Show open and the government-bathroom riff 0:01–3:08
The hosts open from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper, then riff on a county government office window sign that read 'no public restrooms': since the public paid for the building, a host argues everyone should be allowed in. That spins into a question about hospitality at home — is it unchristian to turn away a stranger who wants to use your toilet?
Mike's stranger-on-the-porch story 3:09–9:29
The hosts recount Mike's story of finding a strange man sitting on his porch at 5 a.m., giving him a ride ten miles to his truck in a ditch, and slowly realizing from the man's answers — 'I'm an exporter,' moped shopping at 11 p.m. on a Sunday — that he is likely a drug dealer. Two farmers with shotguns and a truck bed of meth-making material confirm the sketchiness. The host who drove him concludes it was a bad decision he would probably still make, because getting the man off his property and away from his family was the point.
Saying no: helping versus enabling 9:29–14:53
Asked how he handles strangers, Dan (addressed by name and answering) says he does not answer the door for people he does not recognize and does not feel he owes anyone an answer. The hosts then work through money requests — giving $20, buying groceries instead of handing cash, cutting off repeat askers — and the hard line between helping and enabling, plus the admission that it is sometimes easier to just say yes to avoid conflict than to do what is actually in the person's best interest.
Our world is too big: media makes danger feel everywhere 14:54–17:10
The hosts argue the modern world is too big for our brains: constant news and social media make rare dangers feel common and close, bending us toward fear and away from helping people who genuinely need it. In the 1850s you heard your town's news; now you hear about a roadside incident eight states away as if it happened on your street. The availability of information shrinks the world and magnifies the danger at the same time.
Cursed with the situation of abundance 17:11–18:58
A host frames the anxiety epidemic as a curse of abundance: we have too much money, too much information, too many expectations, and every excess creates fear of losing it. Unlike David facing Goliath, modern Christians would scheme to avoid the confrontation rather than walk out. Too much of everything — even good things run to extremes — exhausts us instead of freeing us.
Asking AI instead of experiencing 18:58–22:26
A host confesses that at a conference in the Washington DC area he caught himself asking AI things he could have just experienced — traffic, parking payment, phone trees — and realizes the culture of knowing everything in advance makes people anxious about looking stupid. Because information can be known somewhere, it starts to feel like a liability not to know it. He envies his wife, who can go a week without hearing major world news to no consequence.
Minds postured beyond the scope of our feet 22:26–28:05
The hosts extend the point: our minds are postured way beyond the scope of our feet, which they call a wrong liability and probably not healthy. They note the irony that paid influencer campaigns — like conservative influencers paid a grand a post to oppose SNAP soda restrictions — manufacture outrage at people like 'Mike's point' describes: voters get a 20%-lie version of the world, stop taking any risks, and sit with nothing but worry and anxiety because they did nothing.
God gives 2% of the story, then calls for obedience 28:06–29:43
The conversation turns theological: every real interaction the hosts have had with God gave almost no information and a call to obedience — 'I want you to move here. Why? Not important. Need you to do it.' Like Abraham told to move and the priests told to step into the Jordan, God tends to give small amounts of information and ask for action. They contrast that with modern life, where online daters filter and curate so much information up front that they remove all risk — and miss out on actually living.
Scatterwags: hitchhiker stories from leaving the show 29:43–33:22
A host coins 'scatterwags' for the sketchy people you meet leaving the show late at night — gas-station panhandlers, a young Asian man walking down the interstate toward Ames — and tells of driving the man forty-five minutes to Ames and getting home at 3:30 a.m. The lesson he draws: you cannot witness people change or have unique experiences unless you give people the opportunity and interact in ways you did not yesterday.
Hard question: is the Bible silent on a simpler life? 33:22–35:30
After the Bob Eisenlauer complaint-line plug, a host poses the hard question the whole discussion has circled: does the Bible speak to wanting a flat-out simpler existence — no AI questions, no constant news, no 85,000 Instagram friends, knowing your neighbor — or is that just personal nostalgia for a folksy past? They ask whether Scripture offers any guiding principles for a world where even comfort and money have become 'too much.'
The Lenten fast: a hotel room with no TV and lots of prayer 35:30–39:47
A host testifies about swapping his Lenten sugar fast for a week of no TV, movies, or phone reels while at a conference: stuck in a hotel room with none of the trappings of home, he suddenly had time to pray, focus on praying, and catch up on reading. It got him thinking about how the pre-modern scope of life was smaller and distractions fewer — dinner was an all-day affair of catching and skinning the calf — and how few worries by count people had pecking away at them.
Time-boxed by sunlight: the rhythm of an older life 39:50–41:09
The hosts reflect on lives time-boxed by sunlight — you worked while the sun was up, sang tunes in a restful winter, and could not carry the weight of the world because your hands were full of the few things in front of you. One host tried aligning his family's rhythms to the light for a week, with no artificial lights, and found the world slowing down with him.
Dan on third-world simplicity 41:10–42:47
Dan (addressed by name) answers the simplicity question from experience: in third-world countries life still runs like Bible times — the sun goes down and people go to bed happy with their simplicity, washing clothes and preparing for the week instead of piling on movies, videos, toys, and activities. The hosts admit the irony of four guys in a podcast studio making this argument, but hold that we have complicated our lives by trying to make them less complicated.
Herrick, Montana, and taking the gospel where people are 42:48–45:16
A host recalls asking about moving to Montana twelve years ago and Herrick answering no, because the people are not there — the same reason Paul targeted big cities rather than the salt-of-the-earth countryside, and the same reason the show continues. Whatever direction society moves, the gospel has to be shared where people actually are; you play soccer where the game is being played.
Anxiety is rooted in 'too much': 50 pharaohs 45:17–50:00
The hosts land the thesis: anxiety is rooted in things being outside their borders, and almost always in there being too much of something to control. A lack of control could be lack of faith in yourself, others, or God — but either way, people keep adding pharaohs until they have fifty, and God is not going to manage them all; he asks them to stop taking on so much. Paul's 'work with your hands' is read as the same instruction Adam got in the garden, set against a culture that figured out how not to have to do that.
Dear LFTP: the boyfriend with commitment issues 50:02–1:00:11
The host hands the Dear LFTP letters to Mike to read. The first letter is from a 29-year-old whose 36-year-old boyfriend of three years broke up with her two months ago, saying he could not marry her, while insisting she is his soulmate and dream come true; she came out of an abusive marriage and believes God put him in her life. The hosts' verdict is blunt: he does not have commitment issues, he just does not want to be married to her — actions speak, and at 36 there is nothing she can do to make him see it. Secular's answer agrees she should get counseling to avoid repeating the pattern.
Dear LFTP: Crafty in Pennsylvania and the soap carvings 1:00:11–1:07:57
Mike reads the second Dear LFTP letter from 'Crafty in Pennsylvania,' who learned an uncommon hobby from her grandmother, inherited her tools, and posts her work online — but never names the hobby, which drives the hosts to pontificate between themselves (soap carvings is the leading theory). Friends keep demanding she sell her pieces; the hosts' verdict is that she is a terrible communicator for hiding the hobby, that posting publicly invites buying requests, and that she should either say no directly or limit sharing to relatives. Secular's answer suggests treating the creations like her children that are not for sale.
Dear LFTP: the aggressively negative colleague 1:07:57–1:15:07
Mike reads the third Dear LFTP letter: a listener reconnected with a former colleague who has become negative, aggressive, and angry — bashing family, colleagues, and service workers, and refusing to stop talking politics. The listener is afraid of being bashed in turn and asks whether to make excuses or be honest. The hosts' verdict: tell the truth in love, ask curious questions about the negativity instead of silently ducking, and bail if the relationship is one-sided — 'duck and cover' is no good. Secular's answer instead recommends training her like a dog with bones: schedule dates ever farther apart until she loses interest.
Outro and the sign-off 1:15:07–1:15:27
The hosts close the show, noting they likely will not be back next week, pointing listeners to the back catalog, and giving the show's sign-off: be faithful in the means; God will handle the ends.

Bible references

Matthew 6:25

Jesus says, don't be anxious.
Genesis 12:1

Just like Abraham, you're gonna move.
Joshua 3:13-16

Priests dip your toe in and all you can all heap the waters.
1 Samuel 17

simple children's story of how we would normally tell David and Goliath.
1 Thessalonians 4:11

Paul going, look, just do work with your hands.
Genesis 2:15

the same instruction Adam gets in the garden.

Key questions

Is it unchristian to turn away a stranger who wants to use your bathroom? (host-framed)
Have you ever said no to someone asking for help when you could have helped? (host-framed)
Does the Bible speak to living a simpler, less-information life? (host-framed)
How can I get my boyfriend to see that we are meant to be? (dear-lftp)
How can I get my friends to stop pressuring me to sell my crafts? (dear-lftp)
Should I make excuses or be honest with a negative, aggressive friend? (dear-lftp)

People

Mike
Dan
Pants
Gene Hackman
Kennedy
Herrick
Abraham
David
Goliath
Paul
Adam
Jesus

Full transcript

Live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. You are live from the Pathway

And you're listening to Live From The Path coming from the Pathway Studios here in Johnston proper. It is just beautiful to be with you. I don't know what time you're listening to this. It may be in the evening. Is it actually, I find that perverse. I don't know why people would listen to the show in the evening time. This feels like something you should take in in the morning. Is the chamber of commerce, is that a government entity? No. No. It's private. What what do they do exactly? They they promote they promote business. Yes. It's paid for by business dues, and they promote the local economy. And the business pays into it. Yeah. Interesting.

Why why are we talking That was a secondary question. I was looking up something else. But I real I I yesterday was it two days ago? I don't know. I walked out of a restaurant, and I walked by this government, like it was like a small government office, for the county or something. Yep. And they had sign a in the window that said no public restrooms. And I thought, you're a government building.

Like, literally, we pay for all this the whole thing. What do you mean no public restrooms? That seems outrageous to me. And I thought, can you actually do that? Like, I know as a business, you can be like, hey, man. There's we're not saying there's no bathrooms. We're just saying that you cannot use them. Yeah. But, like, as a government building, I feel like you basically bought the toilet with the taxpayer's money. You're gonna have to let whoever wants to come in here come in here. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. It should be mandatory that all government offices allow you to take a dump in the front there. I'm gonna go I'm gonna audit I'm gonna go back and reaudit this location to make sure I'm right. But I was I I I remember standing back aghast that I'm like, I don't think you can say no public restrooms in a government building because literally the public paid for the building. Yeah. So that doesn't feel like an option to me. You yeah. Just because you walk in there and like, Margaret, I'm here for a for a two. Yeah. You either let me into the designated area or I will go in an undesignated area. Do you think

is it un is it unchristian like? If someone comes to your house and wants to wants to use your toilet, do you do you have to greet everybody? Or is there anybody we can go, look. I just don't like your vibe, friend. No. I think that yeah. I don't like your vibe. Yeah. Keith, you gotta go somewhere else. I would have a hard time saying no, I think, just out of the awkwardness of it. Yeah. But, like, I've had I've had some weird dudes come up to my house in very odd hours asking to either use my facilities or my phone or something. I'm like, nah. I don't know, man. You know? Why don't I give you a ride somewhere else? Yeah. Hey. Can you think of a situation where, like, someone has asked you for help

and you it like, it's not like you wouldn't ever do this, but you said no in that particular situation for some reason? Well,

I had a guy come up to my he was sitting on my front porch at, like, five in the morning. No. Hold on. I think setting the scene, Mike does not live in town. Oh, yeah. There's, like it's a it's a, like, a five, ten minute drive off even a rural highway. Yeah. And so and there are no houses directly around you. There's like a small small unincorporated town, I don't know, with a couple miles, but, like, there's no one directly around you. Yeah. It's yeah. It's it's in the country. Right? Yeah. And so there's this dude sitting on my porch at five in the morning, And, like, the dog must have sniffed him out or whatever. So I go looking out the door, and there he is just kinda hanging out on the porch. I freaked me out. I'm like, this is weird. You know? So, like, I opened the door. I'm like, dude, what are you doing? He's like, I was taking a breather. I'm like, what? It's five in the morning. He's like, yeah, my car broke down or something other this craziness. You know? I'm like, you walking? How long have been walking? And he tells me where his car breaks down. It's like 10 miles away. This dude been walking for, like, five hours. I'm like, well, midnight's still calling hours with your cell phone still have battery. So I'm suspicious of this dude already. It's weird. Long story short. Right? Like, I offer him a a bottle of water, and I said, look,

like, your car broke down. He goes, well, it it it's it's in the ditch. I had a tire go bad and I just need someone to help me pull it out. And I'm like, oh, I said, I tell you what, why don't I give you a ride down there? I'll give you a ride back to the place. I'll help you pull it out with the truck or whatever. And really, it wasn't because I really wanted to help the guy. It's more like I need you to get off my property. Yeah. Yeah. And so like if there's something gonna happen like nefarious, it just will be happening to me. So I start giving the guy a ride down south about 10 miles. Two miles in, I'm just asking him a bunch of boilerplate questions, you know. And he's like I'm like, well, you know, what do you do for work? And he's like, I'm a like, I'm an exporter. I'm like, oh, no.

He's a drug dealer. He's the drug dealer for now. This whole story is starting to make sense. I said, what are you doing, you know, down to 10 miles south of me? You know? He's like, well, I was looking at this moped that I was gonna buy and then, you know, I was trying it out and and whatever. And then, you know, I went ahead and and crashed the car. I decided not to get the moped anyway. I'm like, what time on a Sunday night, you went to go look at a moped, like, forty five minutes from where you live at 11:00 at night? He's like, yeah. I'm like, man, I've really done I'm like, I'm gonna die. This guy's gonna murder me. Like Sounds good. The more, like, the more questions I ask, the more it's definitely sure he's a drug dealer. And so, like, his phone his phone was out of batteries, and he didn't have anybody to call at midnight, which means either he's made everybody around him upset at him. But he like said, I'm also in the security business, you know, like, I like to protect the inventory. I'm like, Oh, for heaven's sake. I'm like, oh, man. I gotta get this guy out of my car. So by the time we get pull up to his truck, right, I'm like, I'm about to poop my pants. I'm like, I'm so nervous. I'm like, this guy's gonna shoot me. Yeah. Boy, I don't know what I've done. At least they didn't get my kids and my wife, you know, all is well.

And so we pull up to his car and I can you, it's like a it's like a like an old western. There's two farmers standing in the middle of the road with shotguns. I'm like, oh, man. This is getting worse. Oh, wow. You know? And they're like, what y'all doing over here? I'm like, I'm loosely associated with the situation.

I found this dude on my porch. He needed help getting out of his getting his truck out of the ditch. And his his back of his truck is filled with meth meth making material. Yeah. Clearly. Yeah. I'm like, man. I just I've really done it this time. You know? And so anyway, I I finally get the dude out of the car and I'm like, alright. Let's get you pulled out. I got him pulled out of the main road. And he's like, well, that that was pretty good. Do you think you have time to I'm like, no. You got everything you need to change that tire? He's like, yep. I'm like, I gotta go to work. I have a good day, dude. You know, I'll I'll see you later. And then I cut a trail in nearest cases. I'm like, I gotta I need I gotta get some soda, maybe straighten this day out. But it wasn't but 06:30,

and I already thought I already had my life flashed before my eyes because I gave this dude a ride back to his drugged out freaking pickup truck. I'm like, these are bad decisions, Mike, except for the the glowing wind was, I you got away from my family. That was the whole point. Yeah. Yeah. You didn't have a choice. See, like, I just don't answer the door if I don't know who it is, but I'm, you know, they can go to the house 10 feet down. Yeah. In my situation, that's different. You're, like, in the middle of nowhere. Yeah. There's not he's not going anywhere. Now well, that's the thing. It's like a part of me is like, look, I I I don't like to cause unnecessary conflict, you know, with a with a dude that I don't know very well. You know what I'm saying? Like, people like, a dude that's sitting on my front porch at five in the morning and he's already walked 10 miles, he's a desperate man already. Yeah. Yeah. There's a weird set of circumstances that brings people to this, you know? And so I'm like, you know what? I can still do a good thing. I love Jesus. Like, whatever. He's gonna take me out on the drive back to back 10 something, 10 miles south. I mean, that's what it's gonna be. But at least he ain't gonna be at my house. You know? My wife was then furious after I told her this story. And she's like, what were you thinking? I'm like, well, it made sense to me at the time, but it it wasn't a good decision. Like, if that happens again, you just call the police? Let them pick him up? Or, like, I I don't even know what I would do. Doesn't it feel like kinda extreme too. But Yeah. Yeah. In this case, needed it. I mean, it feels like you open, crack the door open, and go, like, get off my porch. I'm a call the law. Like, you know, like,

I mean, mean, I don't wanna be that guy. Yeah. But, like, I also says I am the law. Yeah. I also just don't want you sitting on my porch at five in the morning acting weird. Yeah. Like, then he had to come, like, walk off the the highway road and, like, look and and come sit on my porch. You could've sat down in the grass. Right. You know, in the ditch where I would have sat if my car had broken down and no one was answering their phone. Like, I would have just sat down in the ditch Yeah. And been like, well, I can't go sit on someone's property at five in the morning. They're gonna think I'm a weirdo. Yeah. I mean, out there, like, you're liable to get shot. Like, it's dangerous to go sit down. Like the dudes with the shotgun. Yeah. I mean, I own a gun. Like, I own a shotgun precisely because I don't live out, like, near people. And so, like, when I lived in town, I just it didn't ever occur to me. Like, I it made sense that someone could break down and, like, be hanging around the place and need a lift or something like that. But kind of out where Mike's even farther out than I am, but I just thought, like, as far as I am out, if there's a dude out here, he's out here for weird situations. Yeah. And so, like, I mean, I don't wanna shoot him or anything, but, like, it was enough that I'm like, I don't know. I'll probably pick it up just in case. Yeah. But like, I I don't even know if I ever changed what I did. Like, even even ten years down the road. No. It holds. I'm like that. I I think I because the thing is is like, I I know enough people who have made enough choices that put themselves in situations. I would want someone to help them too. You You know what I'm saying? Like Yeah. I don't really I didn't care about the guy's backstory so much. In fact, I regret even asking him. Because if I didn't know, I probably wouldn't have freaked out so much. You know? But, like, by the time I figured out he was a drug dealer and some kind of enforcer for his own stash who apparently has no buddies and buys mopeds at 11:00 at night on a Sunday. No one who goes to work Monday morning at eight is out looking at mopeds at eleven on Sunday. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, everybody's home getting ready for work because they gotta go work. So as soon as I found out what he was doing out there, I'm like, this dude is not obviously getting ready to go pay houses tomorrow at eight. So anyway, like, I I probably still would have done the same thing. Because like, as far as he was concerned,

like, it was kind and it was loving and like I took him back to his car and like all the things. You know. But like internally, I'm like, I have no idea if this was the right thing to do. This felt like an unnecessary risk. But like the unloving, unkind thing would have been like, get off my porch, dude. Like, I don't care what your story is. You need to not be sitting on my porch five in the morning. It's weird. Yeah. You know? And so, like, I still think it was probably the right decision, but, like, what I I wouldn't tell any of my kids to do it. I wouldn't advocate that other people should do the same thing. It's dangerous. You know? Yeah. How about you, Dan? Man, I got nothing like that. I mean

yeah. I mean, like I say, if I don't recognize a phone number, I don't answer my phone. If I see someone who got the ring, you know, someone not ringing the doorbell, like, I don't answer it. It's like, don't have I don't owe anybody, you know Right. To answer a door. What if it was some so simple as, like, have have you had people ask you for money and you told them no? I'll help them. I I've always you know, I'll do a little bit, $20 or something, it depends on the situation. Yeah.

Or or I've taken people shopping before, and I'd rather buy them something than give them cash. But I mean, I can't think of a time I've said no, but I I just don't give myself the opportunity. If if I'm already feeling like, I don't this doesn't look good. But see, like, in your situation, I just haven't been thinking about that. I was like, shoot. I'd probably just freeze. I wouldn't know what to do. I haven't had enough I just don't deal with that type of situation. You know? I live in a little city on a nice little block and everybody's happy. Yeah. I think I've definitely told people no on the money score. Yeah. Especially if it's

been a common occurrence. Like, I'll shut it down after the last time and be like, look, man, like all is well. I still love you, but like as far as the financial stuff goes, I think this is probably the end of the road here. Yeah. You know, and then like, you know, they'll they'll always give it one more shot. I'm like, yeah, I, you know, I gotta stick with with no, you know. Yeah. Like that is awkward. It feels weird because like you have like, I have the means to help them. I definitely do. You know? And like, that's been true. Trying to think like, I've had people ask me for help in a lot of different ways. And I think we're like, we're we live a sacrificial life. That's our kind of our the thing God has called us into. Right? So like, it's not like we're gonna say like, we're we're,

like, in a posture where we're like, look, we're not gonna sacrifice to help other people. But, like, I think we've had this conversation. Like, it just comes around in diff with a different hat on, you know, of, like, to know whether you're actually helping them. Right. Know, like That's hard. Like in a helping versus an enabling gets to be a hard conversation. You kinda have to know a lot of what's going on to know whether you're actually helping, you know. Some people have to actually legit eat out of a dumpster for a week before they get figure out that, like, this is bad. My my choices are putting me in places that I do not wanna be. Yeah. And, like, you might it may it feels like you're the hand that delivered it there, but the truth is is, like, you were the hand that were was keeping it from getting there. You know? Yeah. Yeah. I do think it's, like, it's a weird I've always I always feel I I always feel bad. Like, not just like bad, oh, I wish I could help, but, like, I don't I would prefer to say just say yes, but it's because I don't like conflict. Like, I may not be even doing it in their best interest. So I just feel like, look, yeah. No. It's easier. Yeah. I don't wanna have to deal with the fact that I said no and then like

I basically, I'm paying so that there's no opening for someone to try to get make me feel guilty. Even though I shouldn't, even though the situation doesn't actually require it, it's probably just lazy on my part, to be honest with you. But, like, it's cheaper than dealing with it. Yeah. Which is there's probably something wrong with that. But, like, I it's it's hard to feel like there is like, there's a grace in there, and then there's a question of am I actually helping people? And then sometimes, I think there's a caution that, like, it's not your job to be punitive.

Yeah. Like, you know, like, that guy made dumb decisions that got him into the ditch and probably selling drugs and buying mopeds at all hours of the night. But, like, even if you knew all the things, you don't refusing a ride for him because of that would be wrong because that's just punitive. It's like, oh, you didn't get your comeuppance, and so I'm gonna generate it. You know what I'm saying? But, like, it it what happened to him could happen to anybody, at least hypothetically.

He may be Nope. Nope. He may be in the Nope. 09:00 moped on a Sunday night. That don't happen to nobody I work with. Everybody's in bed at ten. I gotta work. Connor and ditch in general. Okay. I'm with you there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So but, you you know, I've been thinking about this a lot. Like, this come up multiple times. I guess I'll put it that way. Is that, our our world is too big. Like, it's just too big. We are aware of danger way beyond our skis. Like, think about if it was the eighteen fifties,

you know, you'd be lucky if you're a person who saw a daily or every other day newspaper to keep up on the comings and goings. But like, the the the civil war rumblings were in the paper, not something happened on the side of a roadway in Tennessee way away from you. And so, like, our perception of people getting kidnapped and nefarious things happen by helping people, like, is way overblown because no one reports all the things where it just went perfectly fine. And you're able to hear stories that are coming from eight states away and are making it feel like things are happening way more often than they are. And so, so the caution then becomes

that like our perception of how much danger there's out there has us pull back from helping people in situations where, like, they actually legitimately need help. Like, you're because the same guy where I'm like, oh, I think I picked up a shotgun because there's some dude out of my house and I live away. Well, like, that's either a real nutball or a guy who really needs help.

Yeah. And, like and because of the like, just this perception of how often things like this are occurring, like, I'm more likely to presume he's, like, something wrong or he's on drugs or something. Well, like, I don't know. Is that the most reasonable conclusion for a guy who goes off the road or a dude who ends up out of gas somewhere near my house? Probably not. But it's just our our the availability of information

shrinks our world, but it also, like, magnifies it in a way that's probably not that that bends toward negativity. Yeah. That bends toward fear. And it's probably not a particularly good So that's I I think that's the the killer is, like, it does bend towards fear. And like a lot of decisions, like, I think get made out of either the fear of not knowing or fear in general. Mhmm. Right? And so, like and that's the thing. Like, I struggle with that a little bit because, like,

I mean, I know a God. You know what I'm saying? And so, what am I what am I actually afraid of? Like, you know, it would suck if you killed me, I guess. You know, but, like, not for me. You know, like, I'm on the way out. It's it's no no big deal. And so, like, you know, even looking at at like simple children's story of how we would normally tell David and Goliath. Right? And I'm like, yeah, I wouldn't have done that. I would have been like, you know, can't we come up with some kind of scheme here? Like, don't know about going out and facing this dude. Like, I've like, there's gotta be a way to avoid this. And so, like, kind of to our conversation earlier, like, we're we're cursed with the we're cursed with the situation of abundance.

Like, we have too much of everything. Mhmm. And so, like, everything creates a fear because it it rocks the too much boat that you might lose it. Right? Like, we have too much money to be able to to to count on God to take care of us. We have too much interaction and too much available information

that our brains can't even handle it. So now we're worried about things that don't even apply to us. You know? Or worried about even shadows of situations that smell like something that could have maybe happened. You know, with there's too much knowledge out there that people feel inadequate because they don't know it. And, like, there's too much Steven had like, wouldn't the the things that we expect out of out of even students these days or people to to, you know, enter the the workforce, like, all the guy had to do back in the day was be able to pick up the hammer, And then we'd work with him for three years Yeah. As he figured out how to use it. You know, we're like, you don't actually have to know anything. All you have to do is literally show up, and then we will teach you how to do all this stuff. But like you look at, like, the the the college information and like the high school students, like, there's so much in the world to be taken in. And because the information is so available, we just keep going, learn more, seek more, look at this over here, look at this guy's perspective. And you're like, holy cow. All I wanted to do was, like, come up with a little bit of work and have a little bit of a family and have a little bit of joy in my life. Yeah. And there's just too much of all of it. And so you wonder why, like, especially the generation coming up right now has so much anxiety. They're surrounded by too much. All of it. All the time. Oh, totally true. I actually found I'd I'd recognize this behavior in myself last week. I was in, like, the Washington DC area

for a a conference that I was, like, talking to at, and, like, I found myself asking AI questions of things that I just would have just experienced. Like, I I was what was I trying to do? I was trying to get to I think I was I was about 20 miles away or twenty minutes away from down, like, Washington DC. And

I was just trying to figure out, like, I don't know, how's the traffic? And so I looked it up the traffic and like, well, when does it when does it die down? And how do I interact? I wanted to know whether the pay system took a credit card or like, there was some other question where after it wasn't quite those. But after I asked it, I thought, what? Like, what am I doing? Like like, I have to be so prepared to go do a thing that I would've just shown up to ten years ago and go, well, I mean, we'll see what happens when I get there. Yeah. Right. And the the the process will work itself out because, like,

it's it's kinda like I noticed this in some of my some of my kids too is that, like, they'll try to well, kinda like we were talking about this. Was this on the show we were talking about calling people? Oh, yeah. We're like like, there's just an anxiousness on what do I do? Well, like, I don't know. What like, what's what do you think is gonna happen when this person what what they say on the other line? But, like, I think I googled at some point. I went to find out if whether the AI had the phone tree for wherever I was calling. Like, hey. Just tell me which ones to hit, which seems like, okay. Maybe I'm just saving time. But, I mean, also, could have just listened for about ten seconds and I would have gotten the information I needed.

But it's there's there's like this building up of this. If I don't know how all the things are supposed to work when you get there, you're gonna look stupid or someone's gonna be mad at you. And like, you're you're right. It because it can be known somewhere, it feels like you have the liability to know it. Yes. And that's wrong. Yeah. And I think it creates yeah. It create actually, I I sometimes envy my wife where, like, major things will happen in the world and she will not know about it for like a week.

And like my kids and I will be talking about it. She's like, well, kinda like an old guy who just like crawled out of the what's this now? What what do you say? What y'all listening to? Yeah. It's like and so I I just but, she'll just be completely ignorant of something and to no consequence.

I I feel like I gotta know all the stuff. Pants, who does our who does our intro, the what he like, the live from Pathway Studios in Johnson And Proper. That's that's Pants. Pants keeps me up to date when people die. And when Gene Hackman died, he didn't tell me. I found out through the regular news, and I'm like, what the heck is going on here? I'm way behind. Gene I mean, the story had been out for about thirty eight minutes. I'm like, what the heck is pants doing? And so but anyway, like, it's it's wrong. It's a wrong liability. Like, we are our our minds are postured

way beyond our the scope of our feet. And I think it's probably not healthy to be that. Although there are very cool and interesting things. I think Dan's got a lot of foreign Facebook friends. Like, and it's cool. It's kinda cool. Yeah. Like, just the world has gotten smaller and your ability to connect and see what other people do, it's exciting. But it brings some things with it, the shrinking of the world that probably aren't best.

Right. And and I think the the ability to take in the things that can be you can be afraid of from all over is probably one of those things that came in the door with it that wasn't great. Yeah. I I I think if you weighed it and measured it, that the fact that the world got smaller like, say that in a context of, like, like, we can have communications with people across the world. And, like, you're like, why why would that be bad? Right. Like, but the thing is is now you're taking on weight from across the world that you can influence.

Right? Like, you're you're we're way out of our own scope here. Like, normally, even even the chamber of commerce is a great you know what saying? Like, we used to be able to like, in small town, like, you you took some level of responsibility within your town for, like, how the streets got built or where the budget happens or you're on the city council or they went to the school board meetings or whatever. And then, like, Washington was kinda Washington. Like, what I mean, you you participate, but you're like, look. I mean, there's no way I can research the exact behavior, like, more than they tell me. And their entire, like, goal is to convince me they're great. And so they're not gonna tell me any of the stuff that's bad. So, like, what does a what kind of chance does a guy have to know who he's actually voting for? They're like, you gotta get out to vote, and you gotta get to Canada, and you like, you gotta participate in this thing. And I was like, what you're basically saying is you want a bunch of uninformed

dudes out there Yeah. Clicking tickets based on the last advertisement they heard or how their granddaddy used to vote. And, like, liter because you're not what what you're not saying is we want you to participate in big national decisions

because you're an informed party. You're not an informed party. You don't know anything. Oh, totally. I I saw I saw this thing this morning that there was a number of what are kinda traditionally conservative or or right leaning influencers on Instagram and TikTok and stuff and Twitter. And they all of them had posted like eerily similar campaigns that are like, government out of out of soda. Like, the government's trying to step in and regulate your your soda intake and use.

But what it was was like the who is it? Kennedy goes, hey. Look. We don't like, we're gonna make it so that the SNAP benefits, the food stamp stuff can't buy soda and potato chips. And so, like, people are like, well, this is actually kind of weird. Like, this isn't it generally isn't a pro like a conservative thing to go, hey. Yeah. We definitely want our potato chips and soda purchased with the food stamp cards. And what had happened was is like some marketing company had approached a bunch of

conservative esque social media influencers and paid him a grand per post to to, like, use these talking points that they gave him. And you're like and so, again, like, you just I know what you generally think you're like, look at a bunch of shills on the other side of the thing that I think is righteous. Like, you're to Mike's point, you're just not getting a fair shake at the world. The all these people aren't incensed because the government's trying to overtake their soda. They got paid a grand

to manipulate you and said, yeah, I'll do that. And then did it. Yeah. And so I just like, no, no good. No, not one. And so I just need you to be careful. And to to Mike's point, like, think of how much in the political sphere or even be thinking beyond that is like how much of the the effort that goes into these things is postured to sway uninformed people to not be any particular, like, deeply informed,

but just be colored or shaded in one way or the other with their lack of information. Yeah. And and those are the votes that are generally up for grabs. Yes. Those are the those are the people fighting. That's why the that we go wave to wave and moon to moon every every four to eight years is because that's what we're trading off. And so, you know, just don't put your faith in it. I mean, more than 50% of the population, if you ask them right now, it'd be like, how are gonna vote the next president election? They'll tell you. They already know. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what facts come to light. You know what I'm saying? They're already decided. And the rest of them are like, I don't freaking know. I mean, people come up and they the debates were actually used to be pretty helpful in some ways. At least you got to see some some, you know, colors coming out. But, like, even those are, like, so shaded in the way they ask a question or what topics they bring up that you're like, I just I don't know. It feels like everyone's lying to you at once. So, like, here's the broader point. That now you have two things that are competing with each other. Right? Like, you have a whole society that believes that all the things need to be known to be able to make a decision or to participate in it. I don't wanna get on the phone right now and find out later that number four is the office I want because the one that that they're gonna announce for number three is actually kinds of sounds like that, and then I'll get real nervous and hit 3. And now I'm in the wrong part of the phone. No one wants to be part of this. They're like, I'm gonna research and figure it out because the knowledge is out there and available. Right? Yeah. So now you won't take a step until you feel like it's a solid step right in front of you. Yeah. No risks. No chances. Yeah. No risks. No chances. Right? And then and then there's this entire like, because there's so much knowledge available,

no one is there to vet it whether it's good, right, or indifferent or even half the story. That's most likely the case. Right? It's never like a 100% lie. It's like an 80 truth, 20% lie, but the 20 mattered in some kind of way that you can't get to the bottom of because it's not freely available to you. So now you put all this together. Right? And then you got people that, like, won't make a move unless they feel confident in the next one, trying to get information that's a 20% of a lie. And now you're just sitting there with nothing but worry and anxiety because you did you didn't actually do anything. Nothing actually happened or moved forward. And, like, the worst portion of that is especially when it falls in the Christian,

like, worldview because if there's any interaction that I've had with God in my entire life, I get no information. I get literally 2% of the whole story and then a call to obedience about it. Yeah. Hey. I want you to move here. Why? Not important. Need you to do it. Hey, I want you to put your money here. That seems weird. It doesn't I didn't ask you. I need you to do this. You know what I'm saying? Like, God goes, step out in faith. Here's the thing I'm gonna put on your heart to do, and I expect faith and obedience in doing it. And if that's the way that, like, a modern Christianity is working the way our society is working, no steps of faith were will ever be taken. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just like Abraham, you're gonna move. Priests dip your toe in and all you can all heap the waters. Yeah. Like, they get you're right. It was God tends to give very small amounts of information and then ask that there be an action associated with it. Yeah. And we're all storing up

information and not taking any action prior to that. Well, think about that. Think about even that from online dating and stuff. Like, you're trying to you're not they're not having to take the risk of getting a real stinker. You're just doing all kinds of filtering upfront, gathering a bunch of information, think thinking of the stuff that you're gonna talk about. Like, you're removing all variety and risk,

which I like, I here's the thing. I get it. You and you know, if I was online dating, I'd probably wanna make sure I didn't, you know, go out to some kind of stinker. Right. But like, you're almost collecting enough information

to help curate a life that you will never actually get to live. Yeah. And that and, like, you're you're missing out on the thing that is actually the life, the walking out. And then sometimes it's a rando. It made me think of your story, made me think I left the show here. Leaving this show is the where I'm most likely to run into some sort of, like, scatterwag hunting around. But I was on on my way back home. Look. A scatterwag. I I multiple at the gas station. Like, just they're hanging around and they need a ride or they need $5 or they want me to like, instead of asking for $10, like, dude, will you just buy me a pack of cigarettes? I'm like, I don't know. Is it cheaper than $10? Like

but I I I came I was on the interstate and there was this, like, I don't know, 20 year old Scalowag. Asian Scalowag. Asian dude just walking down the interstate. And I'm like it kinda felt like a my house situation, which is what the heck? I didn't see a car abandoned or anything. I'm like, what the hell is this man in up out here? And so because I was leaving the show, I was probably emboldened to be like, hey. We're doing things for Jesus. So I I pulled over,

and this dude is supposed to be in Ames, which is, like, forty five minutes from here, forty thirty five maybe in real traffic. And apparently, he had been in some sort of shindig that he was at, and his his friend was drunk and just he was gonna drive home, and this guy wasn't gonna abide it. And so he just

don't know why he's where he's going. He's obviously not walking to Ames, but like he just, I don't know, walking about. And so I took him to Ames and it was at the time We used to run the show way late at night. And so it'd be a two hour program and we'd get out of here. And even if I do work after the show, I might be here till 12:31 in the morning. So I think I didn't get home till three or 03:30 after running this guy to Ames or something because I stopped at the gas station again when I got to Ames. Yep. But like, anyway, like, it just it it felt I thought, well, what's gonna happen?

And who says Ames? Like Yeah. Yeah. He would've been if you're gonna kill somebody, like, I don't know. I feel like you do better and make it not sound like you're setting me up for what is obviously a murder. And so but anyway, it's just it's like that is kind of the experiences though. Like, if you it's it's the thing I often tell people who are like having interpersonal issues, either marriages or kids and whatever. I'm like, if you they're like, oh, I know how he's gonna behave. Well, you don't ever give him a chance to behave differently,

then he won't ever. You won't ever get to witness it. You have to walk in hope with people's relationship is like, Hey, I want them to change, but I think they'll never will. Well, that's your attitude, you won't notice them changing, and you won't give them the opportunity. You'll step in front of you like, I would have asked you to do this, but you you know what I'm saying? Like, you just you have to give people the opportunity to change. Otherwise, you won't see it. And, like, you won't be able to have unique experiences if you're not willing to have unique experiences. You can't change the world in ways that you didn't think of yesterday unless you're willing to interact in ways that you weren't yesterday. And and it's always the, like it's the same principle around your house. Like, I can't find my keys. Well, they're definitely somewhere where you haven't looked yet.

Like, I know Everything you've lost is always in a place that you haven't checked out. And so I I every once in while, my wife will be like, why are you looking in there? Like, because all the obvious like, if it was in an obvious place, I would have seen it by now. And so this is a good as good and an obvious place as any. So alright. And whatever. I get this maybe you pulled something of wisdom in there or threw it all out. Congratulations on your discernment. You're listening to Live The Path. Thanks for hanging out with us so far tonight. If you got any thoughts, comments, feedback on that particular conversation or anything that comes to your mind, hit us up on the Life From The Path complaint line. (515) 517-0085. Call or text. That's the Life From The Path, Bob Eiseler complaint line, and we'd love to we'd love to hear your feedback. It's the the complaint line's not popping. This I think it's because we've done a low number of shows.

But so, you know, if you wanna make sure that you get in on the first top five submissions for 2025, now is the time. Can you can you think of a place where god speaks towards complexity of, like like, are we just talking about folksy back in the day stuff because that's where we believe whimsy is located in the simpleness of of it all? Like or or just, like, is there any guiding biblical principles to that thought pattern?

You mean, are there other places where where it feels like God has executed a more complicated plan of which he's given all the steps at once or something like that? No. No. No. More like like, because like, if you if you tease out, like, everything we just talked about. Mhmm. What maybe it's just what I'm personally advocating for is is a flat out simpler existence. One that does not ask AI any questions because you've you totally survive without AI. Like, it's adding

nothing of actual value into your life. Right? Or taking in news constantly Yeah. Or having 85,000

friends on Instagram that you feel like responsible for knowing about and answering to Yeah. Or knowing that new tunes are coming out today. You actually were happy with your old tunes. You know what I'm saying? Like like or or being involved in in in stuff that's across the world, you know, where, like, there's you don't know your neighbor. And you know what I'm saying? Like Yeah. Everything in me thinks that, like like, the the mass amount even even the knowledge portion that we were talking about, you know, that we're asking to know more. And that includes, like, the news stuff or, like, seeing this new documentary, whatever, all that stuff combined. Yeah. It seems like like you would have less

anxiety if you merely did not have so much coming all the time. But, like, I I don't know I I don't know if that's just my own personal thought on the matter or if, like, there's biblical principles that would, you know like, they're not like, because of the time it was written, they're not having the same struggles.

You know? I think some of that's true. I was I'd been given up sugar just for fasting in this for this Lenten season, not for Lent specifically. We we after we talked about it, I thought, don't know. I think I'm gonna try it. So I I'd given up sugar, but then I'd been waiting to go to this conference that I was talking about, and there's a bakery there. And like, I've been waiting all year. They make a very delicious

chai tea. And so I said, okay, like because all my family had otherwise given up the sugar. Also, said, look, can I swap? I I will I need a break on the sugar for this week, but I'm I'm gonna give up something else. And I gave up

TV and any, like, short, like, movies or short things on my phone. Yeah. So Facebook reels, YouTube and stuff. And that's hard at the hotel because, like, none of the trappings of my house are around me. And so, like, and not having the TV on and not being able to just kind of swipe and look through stuff, like, I thought this this seemed like a fair swap to me. And so one of the things I realized having gotten rid of all that is like, I actually had quite a bit of time

to pray and catch up on some reading and stuff that I hadn't been doing very consistently. And I I got me thinking about like, how much this

is in the vein of did they just have the I think the scope was smaller, but, like, they also didn't have near as many distractions going on around them that took that sapped your battery, that slowly took your time. And the things that did take time were things that you couldn't avoid. Right? Like, if it was time to slaughter the fatted calf, it's not like you're just, like, defrosting this thing and then going about your business. Like, you gotta catch the thing, kill it. Oh, yeah. Skin it. You know I'm saying? So, like, dinner's like a I mean, it's an all day affair. Yeah. Like, think about, if if at the time,

the primary thing that the of the lady of the house was responsible for is, like, the food and the stuff related to the food. Like, that could easily take up your whole day and whatever schooling you were doing. It's presuming you didn't have, like a schoolhouse or something to take your kids to like, you didn't have 50 things on your mind because you only had two things that you like realistically these kind of major things that you could even do. And like for the dudes, kind of was the same thing. Like, your house wasn't very big because you couldn't afford to do a big house like that. You couldn't get the materials to build it. You're constantly trying to wrangle whatever animal you have, keep weed out of it, keep fires away, keep bugs away, like, all kinds of stuff. And, like, you just there was so much in your own hands

that you just could not even carry the weight of all the other things beyond that very much. But also, you were you were time boxed. You woke up. You could only go do work because the sun was up. And then when I was thinking about this during the winter. The sun's down at, 05:30, 06:00, and then,

you it's not like you can burn 50 candles in your place. You were poor. You just didn't have all that. So, like, you had to figure out what to do. You probably went to bed early. You probably sang tunes to each other. You read Probably had a restful winter. Yes. Right. Like, I actually, I tried to get my my family on board with me choosing like a week and saying, look, we're going to align the rhythms of our house

to the to the light. And so we'll work when there's light out to work. We're gonna get up when the sun gets up. We're gonna come in and like we're gonna have to I was gonna try to go with like no electricity or at least no like maybe heat and cooling or something but not like lights and stuff. So like you just had to acclimate to like the world slowed down. You have to slow down with it. So anyway, very long way around to saying, I I found that I got a ton of stuff, things accomplished,

but I also had time to like focus. I didn't feel rushed. Like, I could I was could pray and I could focus on praying and still have another forty five minutes left in the hour that I'd started. And I probably I could have cycled through way more people and thought about some things and, like, ask questions and just all kinds of stuff that I don't really ever get to because there's so many things pulling, but I've sitting in a hotel room and having fasted all the other distractions. I had lots of time.

Lots of time. And so, I do think people had less to worry about. I think they also had not less to worry about. That's not the right way to put it, but, like, fewer things by count that might be pecking away at their worries. And but also the just the rhythms of life did not even permit you to to

unnaturally stay up till one in the morning. I'm up till one in the morning almost every night. Like, unnaturally. Yeah. I like, we have we have fake lights in our house just like everybody does so that my body will be convinced that it's okay, and I probably it's alright to be up at one in the morning. But, like so this is my that's my major question. Like, are we over,

like, looking back at history and going that sounds so much more simple and more balanced and more weighted to correctly that the that the life that god would, you know, provide for us. But, like, do we have any, like, is the bible not speaking to it because it wasn't it's just a different age. Like, we're not having the same

issues. Like, this is obviously the the the furthest port in history, and, like, no one's had one like this. And so, like, has society has the rhythm of life changed in such a way? Like, that we're advocating that, like, it's frankly just all too much. All of it. Every there's too much even too much money, even too much comfort. Like, it's it's all just too much, and it's not actually good for you. This seems possible to me, but I but I think to your getting to the root of your question, it feels like that might be super idealistic and, like, it risks

layering a simple life on top of what it is to live a Christian life. That's right. In the same way, having conservative political beliefs layer might feels like it layers on to a Christian life, and there's a very real risk of kinda conflating things in that way. Does that make sense, Dan? Yeah. Yeah. I think so. Like, I was just thinking as you were talking that, you know, you go to a third world country, and and it is still like it was Yeah. In bible times. You know, the the sun goes down, and people are like, well, headed back. We're going to bed. Right. You know? You have we we go and have revivals in churches, and and they're like, we're gonna keep this going till Sunday night. They're like, oh, no. We gotta go prepare for the week. We gotta wash the clothes and get them out and go into bed and Yeah. School so early in the morning. And and it's like, And they're just very happy, you know, with with their simplicity. Simplicity. And Yeah. It's it's really odd to us. It's like, well, we got six hours. We need to cook supper, you know, and start the fire. Right. It's like so,

yeah, I I don't know. I I think we we have complicated our lives by making it less complicated. I mean I mean, but we've added. We piled on. Yeah. The the things like you said, the movies, the the videos, the the toys, the trinkets, the Yeah. Activities, and and they just didn't do that before. Yeah. And it feels like progress. I mean, like, I I get the irony of four guys in a podcast studio Agree. Talking. I I get it. But, like, that's what we're talking about, I suppose, is, like, this this whole part of our existence would not be if there was a simplification of our lives that go, look, man, it's dark out. Yeah. We get here when it's dark every time. Every Monday throughout the whole year, it's dark. Right. And so,

like, I I get that. And and it seems like from a modernization perspective, like, you know, if you didn't have to spend five hours preparing for dinner, could you go play volleyball with your children? And is there something good about that? Yes. I I think there is. But it it it does feel like we're like, that it brings it's a complication. You wouldn't talk about it that way, but it is.

And so simply as being simple it's simple as not holy. Let's so let that's not what we're saying, but but there is something about how our society changes around us and how you get away from Paul going, look, just do work with your hands. Like do like something that feels the same instruction Adam gets in the garden. We're like, yeah, but we figured out a way not to have to do that. Right? We we do other things with our time. Yeah. Yeah. But it's holy because people may listen to our podcast and turn to Jesus. And like, here's but that's here's the other thing though. And I remember this from this had been twelve or thirteen years ago. We were having this conversation in this it has a different studio. But like,

hey, is it can I just move out into like Montana? And like, Herrick was here and he goes, no. Because the people aren't there. I'm like, well, I don't know. Is that my responsibility? He's like, yeah. Because the reality and what he basically was getting at, and it's the same reason why, like, we'll probably continue to do the show is that regardless if I'd like to see the whole world maybe simplify and maybe it reduces anxiety and I dunno, maybe it brings all kinds of good things. The gospel still does have to be shared in the society even if it's moving in one way or another, which I'm like, oh, I'm not sure that's best.

And so, you know, you gotta play if you wanna play soccer, you gotta go where people are playing soccer, not fire up your own game in Montana and go, but if you wanna join me, you can. Right. And so I there is it's the same reason that, you mean, Paul goes to the he goes to big cities. Like, as much as I like the salt of the earth stuff, like, Paul's basically targeting big cities. I think I think the point is is, like, there there couldn't be it's just study after study after study after study that's like we live in the most anxious time Yeah. In the world. Right? Like, since its inception. And so, like and then we have one keynote biblical verse of which we use to address it, where Jesus says,

don't be anxious. Yeah. Just nug enough. That's all. Right? And so but but, like, I I think it would be the foolish part is is is most people are like, where else all all this anxiety coming from? And they have a thousand places that they wanna look for it and say, could be this, it could be this, it could be COVID, it could be the milk, it could be the you know I'm saying? It's all this stuff. But like, at the end of the day,

anxiety is rooted in whatever it is, it's too much. That's where it comes from. Like, a lack of control, and the lack of control of it could either be a lack of faith in you, a lack of faith in others, a lack of faith in God. Right? But, like, at the end of the day, if you can't control it,

a lot of that stems from it being too much for you to be able to control, which means it's just too much. All of it's just too much all the time. And if you're unwilling to be able to go, well, let's at least run that through the gamut and get rid of some things and see if that see if that addresses it and see if it can't help it. Then then you're being run, right, by the idealistic, there's more is always better, more knowledge. And like, it's some of the it's always the good stuff that ends up trapping you. No one's gonna be like, hey. More turkey is better if you just keep pounding it down after you're ready to vomit. Like, oh, you just gotta have more. That'll be better. But more knowledge? Sure. More relationships?

Sure. That sounds great. More love for the people around you? Sure. But, like, if you run those things out to their extremes, they're exhausting, and no good actually actually comes from it. Yeah. And no one is actually saving the time because they have an automatic payment reminder on all their bills. They're like, well, good. I'm glad I saved that time. I can go play t ball with my kids. What you're doing instead is scrolling Facebook and adding more weight and watching videos and adding more weight and, like, spending money on more technology to try to take off more weight, which in turn breaks and causes you more weight. Right? Like, it's just a never ending cycle of more weight and more weight, and we just keep trying to solve it the the wrong way. Yeah. It's basically like like the world is offering a shortcut to what God has promised, where God says, look, you will get there through

faithful, patient following of me. Like like, stay stay focused on the problem solver, not the problem. And, like and and it will it will eventually take care of the problem. Right? But instead, we're like, all I see is the problem. Let's shortcut our way around it. And it just keeps adding.

And and I just know that like, I've just had so many people I've talked to, like, especially over the last year where it's just anxiety after anxiety and worry after worry and fear after fear. And and all of it comes down to I can't control it. Right? There's nothing I can do about it. Yeah. Well, some of it is because there's too much of it. You couldn't control it even if you wanted to. And God's not God's not gonna step in and go, hey. I'm gonna control all of this. Right? He's gonna be like, stop taking on so much. Stop letting there be so many factors. Right? Like, you're being controlled by your own you chose your own pharaoh except for you chose 50 pharaohs. Yeah. And god's like, I defeat a pharaoh when it's standing in your way or two pharaohs, or I can help you see the way through this, but you keep adding pharaohs. And so, like, you're not asking for my help. You're asking for me to tell you to stop adding so much, and, like, that one's on you. You gotta stop doing that. I like I really like that visual of, like, anxiousness is the presence of something going outside of its borders.

Like, something something, like, spilled over that was not contained that should have been contained. Yeah. And it's a sometimes they're fears of stuff. Like, we've got too many things. We we there's so many possibilities and, like, well, okay. Those there's too many possibilities. They've gone outside their borders. You you gotta let that go. Or, like, we we took something that's that was god's to own, and we drug it outside of its borders and put it in our own shop or whatever. And especially that stuff tends to be centered on you. Like, some people get a lot of anxiety about I'm not enough. That's why they get anxious with the phone calls. Right? What if the guy the receptionist at the dentist office thinks I'm an idiot? Well, who cares? You know I'm saying? Like, you care because you're like, I'm not good at this. I'm not good at making phone calls. I'm not enough. Well, this this does tend to start pointing in like, god says you're enough even if you make crappy phone calls. And, like, the point of the day is to get the dentist appointment, not to gain the affection, love, and trust of the person running the phone. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And so, like, it's not it's not risky.

There's no risk there, but, like, you inherently put risk in there because you can't control what the receptionist thinks about you. Now that's a weight, you know, opposed to what I can control is my ability to say, can be there at two, clean my teeth. I don't know. I don't do dentist things. I'm not gonna research 50 dentists. I don't wanna know the ins and outs of every dentist in the Tri State area. I just wanna pick the guy closest to me and go, do you do dentist work, and do you have some kind of accreditation? Yes. Great. I won't know whether you're any good or not Yeah. Until I've been here and thought, nope. That wasn't great. I won't come here again. Yeah. Alright. You're listening to Life From The Path. Mike, let's I think I'll tell you we we we kinda made our way through enough time just to do some advice. Alright. Here we go. Okay. Here we go. Dear. Dear. Dear and I from The Path,

I'm 29, and my boyfriend is 36. We met on a dating site and we're together for three years. He broke up with me two months ago because he didn't think he could marry me. We were not engaged.

He says I'm the love of his life, soul mate, and his dream come true, and I feel the same, but he has commitment issues. When I met him, I was in the process of getting divorced and ending an abusive marriage. He was the best boyfriend, and to us, our relationship was perfect.

But his commitment issues gave him doubt that I'm the one he's supposed to be with. I truly believe that God put him in my life. Something told me he was the one. How can I get him to see that we are that we are meant to be and not to give up on the best relationship both of us have ever had? I don't when people say somebody has commitment issues, is that just like a is that just as, a way of saying he

he he got cold feet? Like, what do we mean by that? I mean, he broke that relationship all the way. He didn't even propose. Yeah. And he'd been dating for seven years. Right? No. Or did I make that up? Three. Three. Three years?

Where did it go? It wasn't that long. Two for three years. Yes. Three years. Yeah. I mean, in three years, you'd know at that age, you you know, that that He's almost 40. Yeah. Yeah. He He don't wanna marry you.

Why does he say she's she's a dream woman? Apparently, he's gonna marry every anyone, though. He she's had he she's been married, but he hasn't, it sounds like. Yeah. I think that this this without reading too far into it. Right? Like, you coming off an abusive marriage, you're basically like, this guy's great. He doesn't abuse me. Mhmm. Do know I'm saying? Like, you have a very low bar after the commitment that you made that went foul on you Yeah. And that you got out of. And so, like, it's just like

if you're this is how, like, people end up cheating. Right? Like, your spouse pays you no attention and you find anyone that pays you any attention at all, you're like, this is my dream relationship. That doesn't get vetted out through years of living and shared experiences and ups and downs. It's just this is different than my current relationship, and it's way better. And so, part of me thinks that that's true here. Right? Because like a four 36 year old man who's gonna date you for three years,

right, and offer no sense of commitment at all. He doesn't have commitment issues. He just doesn't want to be with you, in a legal sense and commit to you the things that are required out of a husband wife relationship. You have to wonder, is she giving him a reason to marry her? I mean, is she

if he's already if they're already playing married, you know, and all the intimacy and sharing finances and whatever, all the things you do, why why bother getting married? You're you're already doing everything. Mhmm. You know, if she hasn't given him maybe the incentive to, like, well, if we were married, we'd do this, this, and that. I mean, we're we're guessing.

But Yeah. I think I think overall, like, this more sad than anything, like, because, like, at the end of the day, feelings don't move

mountains as much as actions do. And, like, his actions are like, if you were to separate what's coming out of his mouth versus what his actions are, his actions are he does not wanna be in a long term married relationship with you. He just doesn't. Yeah. Right? Like, he broke up with you. That should be a pretty I mean, that's a solid action. Like, I do not want to be in a long term relationship. How can I get him to see it? Right? Like, I don't think that's on you to make him see it. Right? And so, like, if he hasn't figured this out, it's what did you say? It's been two months? Like, I I you know, I don't know. He's not he's not 22.

You know what I'm saying? Like, we expect a certain level of maturity out of people. And frankly, if he's 36 and still this immature, you're out anyway. Right? But if he's 36 years old, he's not worried about not being able to go to college in London because he has a tight relationship with you. You know what I'm saying? Or he'll never be able to move to New York and do his dream job. He's 36 years old. You know what I'm saying? He's not facing a bunch of awkward conversations and long distance relationships. Right? So

I I don't know what excuses that you're currently making for him, but, like, he's not as he's not interested. He's just not. And it sounds like that he's not willing to sacrifice these things for you anyway, so you should be definitely out. And to answer her question, there's nothing she can do. Yeah. I mean, she's they've already been together for three years. Yeah. And it it wasn't enough. Whether it was her or him, either way, it's not long term. It's not gonna be a marriage. Doesn't it kinda start a pattern that you don't wanna get in anyway? You know what I'm saying? Where, like, it's on me to show him this. You know, it's on me to make him realize it. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is how you wanna live your whole life, like, trying to convince him to do things that he's not interested in doing? That doesn't sound like a partnership.

Yeah. I mean, the one question maybe is if if he is he just doesn't have a lot of I don't know. Maybe he's got low self esteem or something. Like, he

if if he was saying, I'm not I'm afraid you're going to leave me eventually, because he doesn't think very strongly of himself. One, most people like, if you asked him, I'm

you're asking like, this is why the commitment issue thing I've realized I've I've been heard people say that for years, like, I don't know what you mean. Like, hey. What are you actually afraid of that I'm going to leave you? Because that feels like a that's not your commitment issue. That's you just protecting yourself. But, like, in either case, I could see that. Because I actually had the conversation with my wife recently is that I thought, like, every once in a while, I'm like, I don't know.

Do you even do you like me? Like, am I like, I here's the thing. It's like marriage is such an interesting situation because, like, everybody you can't really rely on everyone else's stories, but, like, the the most important thing of the world, you're only getting feedback from one person. Mhmm. And you're like, I don't know. Am I maybe am I not good at this at all? Or like and so I just I we the the reason it came up with the conversation, was just talking about health of our marriage and stuff like that, and I'm like, I don't know. I just like I like to know that you,

you know, this is working. That you're happy with me. Yeah. Yeah. And a lot of your life just gets into doing life, and there isn't there aren't, like, very obvious where, like, not only are we doing life together and I appreciate it, but, like, I'm actually very happy with you. And and she was like, well, I do the same thing. I just want you to be happy with me. I'm like, well, dang.

But, like, there was there was, like, some self consciousness stuff there that, oh, man. Maybe she's getting the rough end of the bargain. Like, she's a lot better at marriage than I am or something like that. And so, like, I I say that to say, I I think it's normal to to to someone have to have to be reminded or to or to take the opportunity to remind and encourage people that no, like, actually, I still choose you. Whatever whatever your fallibilities are, like, I'm not rethinking any of this. And so, like, if it's that, I I think you should be patient with that. I don't think you have to sit on like, you can't be babying a man for five years. Like, he's gotta take you at his word and realize that it's like, if you've if he's got some self esteem stuff that it is actually his to work through that he it's not fair to, like, tell tarry that forth for the next twenty years of the marriage. So if it's that, I guess I have a little bit of patience for something like that. But if it's just like a guy who did like, didn't do your thoughts. Like,

if he just doesn't wanna commit because he doesn't have to, and he wants to keep his options open, like, again, that's not a commitment issue issue. That guy's a philanderer, and he's using you. And there is a difference between that and a guy who just, like, needs to be reminded that you actually do think real highly of him. Mhmm. So maybe that that'd be the only caveat I would make.

No. That's not enough for me. Mike's not doing it. You're done. You're done. He's a he's a old man. 30 come on. Come on. We don't have time for this. What? He's not old. 36. He's on his way out. He's on his way out. Segular says, I love your sales pitch, but the person who is who has to buy it is him. He's not in the market for a permanent attachment. Believe me, I sympathize, but both partners have to believe the other is, quotes, the one, and the urge to commit appears to be definitely one-sided here. Remember, you met this man as you were getting out of an abusive relationship. He was kind, and you pounced on it. It would be interesting to know if you received any kind of counseling after the prior relationship because you may need some now to make sure you don't repeat an unhealthy pattern. Oh, yeah.

I mean, it has been three years. We don't get the sense that the guy's, like, mistreating her. Right? No. Mm-mm. Yeah. Okay. No. Okay. Hey, man. Look at this great thing you don't deserve. Do you want it? Yes. Yes. I do. That's the way people act when they're excited and feel like they are they're in a relationship where the other person's way better than them. You're like, heck yeah. I can't believe I'm doing this. This is so great. I'm getting away with it. No. No. Actually, it's a really good point.

Oh, this is gonna sound like terrible advice. But but like you almost have to coming out of a bad relationship, you should just almost immediately break up with whoever you date next.

As just just so you get used to flexing the muscle. Like, lest you lest you end up in a situation that you shouldn't be in. Like, to remind yourself that, like, you are not you are not, like, damaged materials and that you're lucky to have whatever thing, like, flew by next. And so I'd almost just intentionally pick out someone that you know you don't really wanna hang around. Date go on, like, two dates and go, you know what, dude? We're gonna call this off. Yeah. I think it's a good muscle to flex. Also, I'd say I would say the same thing if you've only ever dated the one person in your life.

If that, like, if that relationship doesn't happen to work out, do this, like, same thing. Just just go on a Just practice. Just go on a daily basis. Do a practice cut. Yeah. You don't gotta be harsh about it, but just be like, oh, it's not working out. Yeah. You're an experiment to me. Yeah. Brian, you're out. Yeah. Okay. Deadline from the path. I was fortunate to learn an uncommon hobby from my grandmother. Weird. Like, I'm kinda What a weird thing to say. I can't wait, actually.

Because I am the only grandchild who continued the hobby, I inherited her tools. I mainly keep in touch with my extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins through the social media. And because of that, I post my work from time to time. They've expressed happiness that someone is continuing the hobby, so I wanna continue sharing. My problem is that several friends constantly nag me to sell them my items. I work full time, have a large family, and volunteer at my kid's school, so I have little time to devote to this hobby.

Each item takes many hours to complete, and I don't wanna sell them. Also, if I price them appropriately for the time it takes to produce, the items would be costly. I have told these friends repeatedly that I do this purely as a hobby, yet they continue to bombard my post with demands that I sell to them. I don't wanna, quotes, unfriend these people. They are my friends and in other respects are wonderful. How can I get them how can I get my message across to them? I would I would submit that you're a terrible communicator. Damn. What kind of person says I got an unusual hobby from my grandmother and then does not say what it is? Does not reveal. It's the most interesting thing about the thing we're talking about. There's tools involved. Tools. Yeah. What the heck is it?

Like, I don't know what he does. Saddle stitching? I think he makes stained glass. I think I think I think Wood carvings? Soap

soap. Soap carvings. Soap sculptures. Oh, like chess pieces. Yeah. Uncom why wouldn't you just say yeah. I I'm a soap my grandma carved soap. I

picked it up. Everybody wants me to do it. Like, you call me the soap man. Like, shrunken heads. Like, why would you not just say these are so I mean, is it so uncommon that, like, people are like, good night. I didn't even know that was a hobby. Right. I taxidermy walruses. Yeah. Only walruses with one tusk. And my friends live it. Everybody wants one. I put the other tusk on top. Looks like a Uni walrus.

Okay. Listen. Your friends are just being nice. Learn to deal with either get off of social media or recognize that it's a bit of a float show. And so they're always gonna be like, oh, I want one of our walrus. Like, they don't some of them, maybe a couple might want it. They're just trying to be encouraging to you. They're not like, what do you mean bombarding? Like Yeah. How is this negative? Just swipe it away. Oh, Ted commented.

Okay. There's six red circles. I can't take it. Like, what? Like, yeah. Red all. Like, these are not difficult things to overcome. And so I yeah. If you block this is your own personal problem. What are you doing with all these one eyed walruses? Right. Where are they going? Like, if you just do it for your own like, is there a basement full of these creepy shrunken walrus heads or whatever you do with your time? Yeah. And then you pick take a picture of them, put them on the net, and go, hey. Look. I'm continuing what Meemaw taught me. And everyone's like, wanna buy them so bad. And you're like, no. They're in my basement. I can't get them out. Once they're down the stairs, they can't go back up. Yeah.

Weird. Turn of events. What do you sell, friend? Wow. Okay. So so you just say no? Yeah. I mean Or nothing. Like, if if it was like, your example that you gave was that they throw on social like, if they're coming to your house, like, every few days, I'm like, no. Seriously,

sell me one of those, you know, smokeless ashtrays and and a mogwai. Okay. Like, you got yourself a problem. But if all they're doing is commenting on social media going, looks great. I really want one. Yeah. You know? Okay. Also, the premise is disingenuous. Right? If I want to show

my aunt who lives a quarter mile down the road, this shrunken walrus head, Then I go to her house, I knock on the door, and I say, hey. Look at this. Yeah. And we're gonna use this metaphor to equal a message that you sent them. Right? Opposed to standing in the middle of a cul de sac going, shrunken walrus heads. Everybody look at them.

You know? And they're like, are those for sale? How dare you, sir? Right? Like like opposed to targeting the people through a direct message that is completely available through all social media platforms, you stood in the middle of the cul de sac and yelled at the top of your lungs, and then you anger it to people. They're like, that's cool. How much are they? How dare you try to buy my hobbies? It's a weird and you're a weird dude. Like, out and out, I don't think you take the world in right. You think this is a fella? Hell, yeah. What's the what was the name? Hold on.

Crafty in Pennsylvania. I thought it was a lady. Yeah. Me too. Sounds kinda girly. Yeah. No way. I inherited the toodles.

You're right. There you go. Totally masculine. I mainly keep in touch with my extended family, aunts, uncles, and cousins through social media. Yeah. I I think what this person needs to do, they can make some cash this way, is hold a class and then have everyone come over who wants to buy one, teach them how to make their own. Yeah. And then

you'll charge $50 for each person. And so you've made some cash, and now they know how to do it on their own. What is it though, Dan? What is this woman making?

What is it? Is it like those what's those needle craft, like, old school looking things that people put swear words in? They look like, like the two Dutch people kissing that says home sweet home or something, except for they write Cross stitch? Like yeah. Cross stitch. Yeah. Except they write like I poop here or something and then put it in their bathroom. That's what maybe that's what this guy what is that the tools? That's not unique enough. Here's the thing. It's like you inherited the tool. Are they unavailable for purchase? Is it like a butter churn? Or you know what I'm saying? Like, is it is it like an old school apparatus that people can't get anymore? I don't I'm I'm so mystified at what this person is making. I don't know. It's beyond my reach to understand it. I make light bright animals. Can I ask, is it wrong to ask the AI this? Like, if it's what is they making?

What what are the most likely thing? Yeah. We're not asking the AI that. It's better to pontificate between humanity. Yeah. When when do I give up and ask the AI? You don't ever do it. I'm I'm I'm and then my surroundings have acclimated me to wanting to know,

can't I have this information? Can't I let the AI be my friend and ponder with me? I feel like the soap carving is probably most accurate. That's That's probably right, Dan. Yeah. I think I think it is. What what what else would you why would you leave it out? And why would you modern tools can be purchased for cheap. You can Tebu a whole set of soap making material for, like, $7. Take three months to get here.

Yeah. Okay. Okay. I don't I don't know if Secular also wants to know. Okay. Secular says, tell your friends you are complimented that they would like to buy your creations, but after spending the amount of time you do creating them, they've become like your, quote, children. Yeah. That's leaving less creepy. Little soap people. Freaking weirdo. This is a horrible idea. Point out that you would no more sell them than any one of your kids. Oh, dear. And they are not and never will be for sale. Say it with a smile or smile or use a smile emoji,

but do not relent. If the requests keep coming, limit with whom you share these images. For example, only relatives. K. That's the only salient advice that happened there. You should stop telling the whole neighborhood or the whole world that you have this tusk walrus. You should just tell the people that need to know. There's no way that you are taken aback on how social media works. You're seeing how everyone else's social media works when you look at it. When you tell an entire people group of things, an entire people group is gonna be like, cool.

You're a weird fella. Yeah. This a this a lady for sure. That's not a dude. Okay. You wanna do one more? Yeah. Let's do one more, then we'll cut out of here. Okay. Okay. Dear oh,

dear life from the past. I recently reconnected with a colleague from work. We were friendly, but not really what I would call friends. We were connect we reconnected on social media and have had lunch a few times. Problem is she's become a very negative, aggressive, angry person. She spends our time bashing family, former colleagues, and just about every service professional she has encountered. She refuses to stop talking about politics even though I've made it clear I'm not comfortable with it. The first lunch was bad, but I thought I'd give it another shot. The second lunch was worse, and I decided I wouldn't reach out to make plans again. Then she made a comment that made me feel inclined to try to befriend her. She said she didn't have a lot of friends. Two or three lunches later, I just cannot keep doing it. I'm trying to rid myself of negative influences, some of whom are family members, and I don't need to continue spending time with this individual.

If she reaches out again, should I keep making excuses until she gets the hint, or should I be honest? I'm somewhat afraid of her because seeing the way she bashes people, I know she would bash me to other people we know, and I could I could do without that. She already does. Yeah. She's already doing it. Yeah. We had this conversation earlier today about saying no to somebody when it's gonna be awkward. Yeah. At, like, what of what level you wanna tell them the truth? I'd I'd give them the full honky, honestly.

But just if you love them, you gotta tell them that, like, look, you you're taking on way too much negativity in this world, and you're spilling it on me. And I that ain't my journey right now. So Yeah. We either gotta shut down these lunches or you gotta figure out a way to look at a sunrise every once in a while. Yeah. I don't you know, one of the things I always appreciated about, whatever, like romantic literature. I don't mean like romantic literature. Wrong with you? I like the long flowing hair. Unbelievable. I don't mean I don't mean like romance novels. What do you mean?

I mean like romantic era. So like eighteenth eighteenth century. Anyway, so, like, like, the the the characters always have the conversation that you want them to have. Like, they say the thing. And so I I feels like from societally, we've gotten away from a lot of this stuff,

And I don't mean, like, being jerky. I just mean being clear. Like, I think you should have lunch with this person and go, hey. I said I I really didn't wanna talk about politics all the time, and you keep talking about politics all the time. Can you tell me why you're doing that? I don't know how you couldn't do that. It's so important to our world right now. Yeah. I don't like, I get that it's important to you. It's not important to me. And so since I asked you to to I didn't really wanna talk about it. Can you you think you can respect that and and not keep bringing it up? I mean, is this friendship completely about you and you only? I have wants and needs as well, and I wanna talk about the politics. Yeah. I understand. And I'm sure there are other people in your life that you can connect with to do that. But I I value your opinion. That's great, and I appreciate that. But it's still the thing I don't wanna talk about. I just I just feel like or, like, hey. You come in here all the time, and I you talk all this bad stuff about people. One, like, can you name a good thing? You know what? I'm just like, if I

just we kinda like, oh, I if you just shade someone and go, oh, I I don't like what this person talks about all the time. I'm just gonna stop going to lunch with them. Like, it's not your job to fix this person, but, like, did you did you just say did you at least say it? Did you have a chance to and ask them about it? Like, not just here's the problem is we tend to, like, get irritated with something and you just load off on somebody, and then they get defensive and you don't progress. But this goes to some advice Dan was giving before the show started. Is it like, I don't know. I'm kinda curious. Why is it that you spend all your time talking about this negative? It's it's it turns me off. Like, I don't I'm not super excited to come out and hear just all this negative stuff. So have you thought about that? And it's just backing yourself away from I just don't like this to I actually just become more curious about it. What is causing this? And did you realize you're acting this way and how other people might reflect? And like, the the thing I like about that is it gives people a chance to either kind of try to make progress away from it, or it becomes a lot easier when they go, yeah, it's just how I feel. And I like to share what I feel. Okay. Great. Now that we got that straightened out, I don't wanna be here. I'm not gonna keep showing up because, like,

you know, it it, like, it helps clarify something without presuming that people are intending to be the way they are. Maybe they are, but they'll they'll give it to you once you start asking some questions. I it it does, like, help if you, like, can quick characterize what the purpose of your relationship is. Right? Like, I have plenty of friends that are mutual friends. Right? Like like, we share, you know, struggles and thoughts and good times and all the things. And, like, they feed into me, I feed into them, and that's a mutual relationship.

There's some relationships that you have on purpose that are not that. Right? Like, if you're like, a mentor is like a overly professional word. But, like, if your role in this relationship is to be a guiding figure in in in, like, the way that their life is going, then that's a different approach. But, like, a friend you meet for lunch,

like, that should probably be a mutual relationship. And if it is not, if it's completely one-sided or is providing no value in your life, then you either need to decide whether you flip the way that you look at that relationship in your mind, which would then you'll tolerate a lot of negativity because you're trying to be helpful to them. But if that's not the route, then, yeah, you probably gotta bail, and you probably gotta tell them. It would be it would be a the the duck and cover idea is no good. That we don't we don't live that way. Like, you don't have to be, like, horribly, you know, truthful, but you should be truth and love when you're when you fire it out. But, like, truth definitely has to reign in that in that particular thing. Yeah. Agreed. Alright. Segular says, there's no reason to be unpleasant to this troubled woman. Start being busy when she contacts you, here we go, with the lies.

If she traps you by saying something like, if your schedule is too full this month, how about next month? Make a date with her. If she starts bashing others, stop her, smile, and say, let's talk about something else, something pleasant. Then continue being less available for longer stretches of time. When you become harder to reach often enough, she'll eventually lose interest. It's like a dog. You gotta you gotta train them with bones. And then, like, you give them a bone and you say sit, and then you walk farther away. And if they try to stand up, you go, no bone. But if they sit there for a long time, then they get a bone. This is this is horrible human to human advice. Yeah.

Gosh. I don't know. You know, I I I know this this seems like it might not apply all that often, but, like, I would say it's happened numerous times in my life where I just didn't realize I was behaving in a particular way. And you just trend. You start to trend in a direction, and someone goes, hey, man. You're kinda acting like a turd. In this following way, I'm like, well, shoot. I did not realize I had done some and, like, when you're at your best, you might respond positively to that. Sometimes you get defensive, but, like, maybe maybe we'll come back around a few days later. So I think at least give it a shot and do so by asking questions, and I think you'll get to a spot. We'll either make you feel really good about, yep, yep, totally great to chop this off, or

I'm glad I didn't overreact. And now that I now that they know about it, I can be helpful to them. So alright. You're listening to Live From The Path. Thanks for hanging out with us here on this beautiful evening. I do not I don't think we're gonna we're gonna be here next week, but we'll see how that we we we I think we'll pick up. I think the the consistency of these shows will pick up. In the meantime, plenty of back catalog. Make your way through that. And in the meantime, be faithful in the means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to Live From The Path.