Live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper. You are live from the path.

You are listening to live from the path at livefromthepath.org. Come in, friend, and know me better. What? What?

That sounds like an early proverb. I'm out. I tap out. I you know what? I've been doing this wrong for years. I saw it on the Muppet Christmas Carol.

The ghost of Christmas present says, come in and know me better. And I thought, that's gold. That's solid gold. Oh, man. My dad responded to every woman who said that. Oh, man. That's rough times. Yeah.

Alright. You've been listening well, I I mean, just for a few seconds, I guess. But thanks for listening to live from the pack. You know, here's what I was I was think looking back the other day, and we've been doing shows for over seven years. And I realized that, like

How do you judge fruit? Is that what you're asking? Let's end this conversation right here. How do you know if the Lord's in something?

Shoot. I I had something less apocalyptic than that. So it was around trying to keep events. Right? So, like, what's what's the context? If I listen back forty years ago, we're blathering on about something or that's going on in the news or something, And it's hard to keep the context of what's happening around you as as things continue to progress on. And so,

Mike, I was I was thinking that you should do some sort of, like, a time like a like a weekly recap of all the things that happened in the week so that I can sit it within the right context. That Yeah. That's fantastic. Yeah. Because here's the thing. It's like, I don't take in news. And so if it's gotten to my ears, it's gotta be big. It has to be affecting multiple people in in deep ways. Otherwise, I just I will not have taken it in. Yeah. That's a good point. I I have too much. Yeah. I I there's multiple times I come home to my wife and say, hey, did you hear about something? She's like, no. I don't sit on my butt all day and look at news. I said, well, shoot. Guilty as charged. I I I signed up for a satellite radio recently.

Again, one of these three months free, I thought, I'll take it for free. But now I'm liking it. There's a particular Christian music channel, the message that I thought, have I do we do all those songs. Yeah. Right. And I'm thinking, I don't hear any local radio stations do that kind of stuff. And and I listen I I anyway, my point is, it's so refreshing. I'm not listening to news. I'm not hearing people say really dorky things that sometimes are on Christian radio stations. Yeah. Right. It's just music. I thought I would play that music. And, anyway, that's that's been a lot of fun. It's I I I've made two recent drives back and forth from from Des Moines to Minneapolis, and they happen to have given me vehicles that still had the Oh. The satellite radio. And it is it's fantastic. Like, those drives go a heck of a lot faster Yeah. When there's good there's, like, a there's a jam on channel.

I've in every song is twenty five minutes with a bunch of hippies that go, like, rocking on and jamming for twenty minutes per song. Sometimes I do the blues. Hey. They used to have more than one blues station. So BB Kings Bluesville is on there, and there used to be, like, like, a modern blues thing and then some, like, some, I don't know, Lead Belly's greatest hits on all the time on, like, third there was, like, three blues stations, and now they're just down to one. It's And a little bit more dicey. I think it's good, like, 70% of the time. Yeah. Yeah. And then there's some shifty blues and you're like, you know, I don't know. I don't know. Anyway Yeah. I mean, one

of our guys has he bought a radio at a garage sale that's a satellite radio, you know, like a boombox thing. Yeah. And he's had it for, like, fifteen years and they never canceled the subscription. Like, he bought it from the guy and then he never signed up for it, but it just never went away. And so, like, he brings it everywhere. We listen to the lithium nineties rock station. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Some guy bought, like, a boombox satellite radio from a garage sale, and the guy who sold it at the garage sale is still paying the subscription? That's the thing is I think he's not. I think, obviously, he he quit doing it. But, like, they never seem to cancel it. Oh. And so he just thinking that thing's not working anymore. Yeah. And so, I I mean, it still plays. It we he brings it everywhere we go, and it's it's awesome.

I mean, we never change the station. It's always the same station, but but it's it's cool. Yeah. There was a what what else is on there? There's, a Beatles only station. There's, an Elvis only station. Yeah. They do, like, the forties, the fifties, the sixties, the seventies, eighties, nineties, whatever. Anyway, there's lots of good actions on that satellite. Yeah. I'd say so. I don't know if I did for program did a bunch of news stations, and I can I forgot I hadn't done that? And, like, today, was like, okay. Big stuff's happening. I and I found it again. And I thought, you know, I went back to the music. Oh, you're right. Like

I mean, you know? You know, so, actually, I this ties in a little bit because we were having a conversation with a guy at work the other day. And and me and this other kid that that that has the he's at satellite radio. Right? We tend to listen to either the the nineties alternative rock station most of the time. You know? And and the guy that was with us doesn't. And he's like, this music gives me anxiety. It makes me angry. And, like, it just seems to be so angry all the time. You know? I'm like, man, I I I swear I I didn't even notice. You know? But then I was thinking about him today when I was scrolling through my Facebook, and I'm like, Facebook makes me angry. Like, I just read it. It gives me anxiety. It gets me worried, worked up about things that, like, I don't affect me in the least, like, even pro or or or negatively. Like, it's just it does nothing but increase anxiety and pain in my life. It's no wonder people go on Facebook fast, and they're like, like, you know what? I'm just out of this for a while. I can't do it. It's like it's like we're wanting to be in every conversation that was ever had. Yeah. You know, like, after a while, it's just gotta wear you down.

You know, like, if you stayed in a room with a 100 people and you're like, I gotta get in on this. Gotta get in on this. I gotta get in on this. You know? And, like, after a while, you're like, I've been part of a 100 different conversations and I can't And I said nothing. I said nothing. I took nothing away. I don't know who was having them. I don't know anything about the guys that were the car that was having the conversation. Like, what a disaster of a day. You know? I hardly post anything. I mean, no. No. Take that back. I post lots of stuff. I hardly read anything anymore. Like, I'm hardly on Facebook. You would think I'm there all day long because I'm always throwing stuff from my phone. You know? But, So I don't I don't really even know what's going on out there in the Facebook world because, you you start reading, you're like, that just makes me mad. Or or it disappoints me in people. You know? I I'm just like, why would you do that? Why would you say that? Why would you post that? Why would you consider this? Where did you come from? You thought that was a good idea? I mean

because I just so I just spent so little time actually reading other people's stuff. It's probably a good idea. I guess I'm a Facebook snob now. Well, I you know, I wouldn't call it a snob. Maybe a pragmatist. You know I'm saying? Someone who sees it correctly. I want them to read my stuff because it's good. My stuff's gold. Wait. So, Mike, you were talking about this a little bit before the show started. We we were

it's a multilevel topic of which we're just not very good at splitting them out and talk about things appropriately. But it kinda had to do with, one, how do you know your conversation? Like and how does that tie into your sense of justice? Like And self aggrandizement. Yeah. So, like, there's just a lot of people having conversations that it's just not theirs. It's not like it has nothing to do with you.

Your opinion is not necessary or even valued except for the fact that you love it. Yeah. And that you're not affected by the outcome of this thing anyway. Right? Like, let's say there's a major you see this a lot, especially with major social issues. You know, they're like, if if we were if the the if the society was to side one way or the other and they eventually came to this big thing and like this look. This is just what we're gonna do. There is a million people in the conversation that it has no effect on at all except for they had a thought about it and merely because they had come up with a thought, it was solid gold. And they wanted to throw themselves in the middle of a debate that didn't concern them in the least. Yeah. And like it's I mean, I can't imagine how tiring it is to live your life that way. There are a million things out there that I have no business being involved in the conversation. I don't I I I didn't see how it happened. I wasn't there when it went down. I don't know what it feels like to be x. I wasn't born into this blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. All this stuff. And then I'm gonna show up with my big old chief justice hat and start deciding the outcome of things. And then after it's all said and done and the outcomes made made, I dust my hands off and I walk away and it it didn't affect me at all. Like, I mean, what kind of pompous jerk throws himself in the middle of those conversations where you have absolutely no business in there? Right. Zero.

Yeah. So right. If I if I generally believe that smart there's smart people that love Jesus everywhere, Maybe I could just let them handle certain things. Certain things were like, they've they've at least got a leg up on me. They're involved. They're close. It's related to things that they're doing. And it's not saying that the people of Jesus aren't speaking on this thing. It's just saying, like, I'm I'm I'm aware that my opinion is at least somewhat uneducated. Well, right. And I trust that God has got people that are on this that I don't feel like I have to insert myself and everything. So, like, I mean, let's say the air conditioner breaks down here at the church. Right? Like, we it's not like you have, you know, the the local accountant who goes here show up and go, well, here's the thing. I'm a man of God, and we should replace the condenser coil. You know what I'm saying? Like, we just get the local Jesus air conditioner man to speak to it, and he's like, no. No. No. We're gonna put a new this in, and whiz bang, it's working. An accountant man doesn't have to go home and be like, but someone of the Lord must speak. Yeah. Someone of the Lord can speak who knows what they're talking about. Just because you know Jesus doesn't give you any right to stick your face in every conversation that's ever been had. The Lord has people. The Lord will speak to it through whoever he chooses, and it's not it's it can't be you every time. There is no way it's you every time. Yeah. But is that is that the problem?

And and this this is hard because it like, the advocation is not saying don't speak truth where where truth belongs. Right? Mhmm. But I think the question is is that, like, can we rely on one, it's probably a matter of effectiveness or efficiency. Are you the right person to be speaking on this? Yeah. And are you are you capable of looking at yourself rightly to decide whether you're the right person? Right. Because, I mean, there's gotta be a handful of guys on my Facebook that are like, I'm the right guy in every situation. Put me in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So, like,

do you is is there a prod like, before you were just to speak of something, especially the reformation did this and let everybody say, hey. You're qualified to speak. Yeah. Yeah. You should go out. Like, we we'll put the Bible in every house, and then everyone should be able to speak on everything. We and there's not there's there's probably a recoil of discernment that says, hey. You know what? You probably don't actually understand this as well as you believe yourself to, and you have no capable level of discernment and don't seem to to understand the responsibility

that's associated with you saying the things that you're saying or trying to represent Jesus or Christianity as a whole by opening up your mouth in this circumstance. Right? Like, are you wearing the weight of saying, if Jesus himself were here, this is how he would communicate? Because I like, I I feel like there is we're not taking responsibility

for the position that the Christian holds to the extent that, like, if people when I speak, if they hear Jesus, I feel like I've I'm I'm a little bit slower to speak to make sure that I'm speaking

in a way that's consistent with my walk with Christ. Yeah. And there's I like, some of that's built some of that's built into, like, the biblical weight upon, like, pastoral roles and stuff. Right, Dan? So, like like, you know that there's a responsibility that comes with doing those things. Same thing with old like, if you think of prophets. Like, the Old Testament prophets, there was just a weight associated with what they're doing. But, like, I think we've we do have Christians who are taking on the responsibilities of prophetism

without the accompanying weight that's associated with being responsible for speaking for Jesus. The prophets, like Jesus or God would speak to them, say this. Yeah. Right? And we're just saying, I think I ought to say this in the name of God. Yeah. Yeah. Here's what I think, and the Lord will bless us. Yeah. Yeah. You don't see Paul laying out. He's like, I got there's prophets and and and preachers and teachers and blah blah blah. And he lays out all these roles. And then in the next chapter, he's like, and then there's this separate category I like to call ultimate dudes. And they get to do whatever they want in all contexts.

Second Corinthians. You know I'm saying? Like, that's not there. No. And so that's interesting because I was actually just answering talking about this with someone about, like, pastor roles and stuff and how I I I I don't know, like, the pastor has all shoot. How was the right way to put this? Most Christians have all the same responsibility, pastor or otherwise. I think there's a greater responsibility upon pastors for the role that they've assumed and the authority of which they've agreed that they are part of. And so, rightly, there's a greater weight upon how they conduct themselves within that role. But, generally speaking,

I can't think of of very many things, if any, where I would say this is something that only pastors do. Right. Christians don't do this at all. Right. But only if you're a pastor. So if that's the case, I guess, well, I'm not saying that you have to be, say, prophet, priest, king type of fella to be able to speak. But, like, as you open your mouth and think that you're gonna share with something in the world and you are proudly waving a banner of Christianity saying, I follow Christ, like, have you actually associated the things that you're saying with the wait upon saying, this is what Jesus would also say? Because if you there's not not a pause in your voice or in your fingers before you go firing something off in social media or in conversations in general, then I would I would submit to you that perhaps you're actually not thinking through the weight that comes with saying that you represent Jesus in this situation. Because there's it's bigger than that. And it's not just your opinion that says, well, because I've read the Bible and I feel like I'm well informed, I can speak to this and say that Jesus would agree with it. And, like, if if whatever pause I don't care however long it takes. If it's a month or three years for you to get comfortable with the fact that you've rightly discerned this before you start acting like you're appropriate to speak on God's behalf, I feel like the pause is appropriate.

And I think that's what we're I think that's what we're missing is we we are so quick to wanna speak to something, and I think rightly motivated to say, how do we think of these things through true perspective? But I I think you're I think, Mike, you're right that that they're the guys that are jumping in every conversation, they feel like they're the ones that are supposed to speak profit style, and they're not coming out with something specifically that is related to them representing Christ. It's just their opinion, and then they've added something that, like, ties back to Jesus in one way or another to sound like it's a broad endorsement of whatever it is that they think. Yeah. You gotta stop doing it. I mean

And I've noticed that people who truly are qualified tend to not be as noisy. Right? Yes. You know, Jack Cottrill is a guy who's been a seminary professor for for decades, and he's written tons of books. He's a he's a theologian. He he's super intelligent, yada yada yada. And and I'm, you know, friends with him on Facebook. People will, like, ask him some dorky question, and he'll just, like, copy and paste a chapter of a book of one of his books he wrote. Like, here here's the response. You know? But he's not engaging in conversation. He's not, like, jumping around saying, hey. Oh, yeah. You know? This is what I think you are. And I think because his work stands on its own. Yeah. You know? He he I mean, he'll answer if if you ask a question, but he's not yeah. He's not running around trying to settle everything and tell everybody how dumb they are and how smart he is. And and I think maybe that's part of it. It's it's,

people trying to present themselves bigger than or smarter or whatever than they really are. Yeah. So, actually, that that ties in a little bit to something we were talking about a little bit earlier where, like and and it it it does speak to a little bit of the events that happened here in the last day or so. There was a mass shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas and I think there was like fifty eight people died,

over 400 some or ended up being wounded in the hospital. And and the thought was is like without knowing anything about the man that did it. Yeah. Right? Like, it's but we have a there's a pattern like that that seems to be steadily getting worse. And I don't know and and this is where Ben and I were were talking about. It's like, I don't know if it's a human like, a human discussion of, like, this is what has happened to humanity, or this could just be a Western civilization thing, and I don't know the answer to that. Right? But, like, it can be found in the way that people respond to their sense of of justice.

Right? Like, it wasn't so common that people would felt that where they felt wronged, that they ultimately felt like whatever response they came up with was justified and right. Doesn't matter what they thought the response would be merely because they were wronged in the first place. Whatever they decide is gonna be the repercussion for that is now acceptable, and then they push the button and go do it. You know what I'm saying? And, like, that was not the con it just it was not near as common, you know, as in in years past where, I mean, people would even be treated poorly by a group of people in school or whatever. And right? And and they would they would they would hate it, and they would feel terrible, and their self esteem would be low. And they would buckle down and study, and then they would graduate. And then then the twenty years later, when they're running a Fortune 500 company, they'd laugh and go, Who's an idiot now? Right? But you the same thing happens in today's con in today's context,

and, like, they'll hire a hitman off the Internet and beat him with a bat. Right. And, like, it's just because I was wronged, you know, it ends, and then here's the repercussions because and it just happens now. And so as long as I decided that, like, this needs to be addressed and my sense of justice needs to happen, then bam. Now, obviously, I'm not saying that the bullying or whatever is great. It's not. It's wrong, and it should always be wrong. Right? But, like, people's immediate sense of justice and what needs to happen, it, like, points to a to a a I don't know. Like, a a a value of their sense of justice that, like, it just doesn't seem that was placed in years gone by. Right? Or am I am I interpreting that completely wrong? Is it so is it

I I I feel like this word doesn't capture the context right, but, like, it is a sense of kind of vigilantism. Right? It says it is I do not I do not trust that there is a sense of that justice can be done in my situation either

or or the or the right perspective of the amount of the justice that is necessary to to cover the situation, that it will be done rightly even if it is done. And so the only way to fix that is to take matters into your own hands to right the wrong that has been done. And so, like, some of it's probably an over overstatement of of how you've actually been wronged. Right? Like, what could actually

what could actually be a sense of justice around killing 58 people? Sure. Or and and hurting half 500. Right? And and like I said justice. And we're not even bringing in I don't know nothing nothing about this, man. Right? Like, it's completely speculation at this point. I have no idea. Right? But, like, if you take this event and then you start to to to put it in some brackets around, you know, an increase in school shootings that we've seen over the last ten years and increase of of of shootings when it has to do with a guy getting fired for what he thought was wrong. Right. Right? Like, I mean, this is does it sound right that, like, I you pine for the days where a guy got fired and he shouldn't have been. It was wrong. But he goes home. He he he he reads some books. He he works doubly hard, and he gets a better job in three weeks, and it's done. Right? Like, in the face of adversity, people used to work harder and and double down and say, I'm moving on, and I'm gonna I'm I'm gonna make this right. And and what they've done to me will not affect me. Where now, like, if someone does something wrong to you, you're like, instant justice. I'll take care of this right now. And it's not even justice. It's way on the other side. It's vigilantism. It's it's it's comeuppance and revenge. And so the scales were tipped wrong when you got wronged, and then you tipped them completely on the other way. You didn't balance it back out. You went way, way the other way. And, like

and and maybe this is from a limited perspective. Right? I'm 35 years old. And so it's not like I got the history of the world in my pocket, and I've seen things like a wise old man. Right? But, like, to the tune where I just do not recall everybody's need to be satisfied in their in in how they were wronged being so immediate and so, like, knee jerk and, like, just I gotta have it. Like, was just a social thing where, like, you know, when you got screwed, you just kinda said, well, it happens sometimes. I'm bummed. I'm depressed. We're gonna we're gonna double down or we're gonna come back out of this thing.

Maybe this is just like old bad Western movies that's affecting me here. I mean, wasn't that kind of a thing though that they would like in the West if if they didn't feel like justice would be in the service, they'd go break the guy out of jail and do a lynching party before he got the Sure. I I mean I I don't know. So close. Going by the old movies. You know? I'm like Do I mean, that's we've always been this way. Just it's more visible now because it's on the Internet or or it's a shooting. Do you think that's true? Because, like, I mean, Dan, what well, you grew up you grew up, you know On the Old West? You grew up in the Old West. You know? But, I mean, I'm I I it just it didn't feel that, obviously, you know maybe I'm pointing it back to when I was a kid. I didn't take out in a bunch of news. But, you know, we're talking about throughout the sixties and seventies and whatever. There was there was incidents

like this. Uh-huh. Right? But, like, it just I mean, look at the every knee jerk reaction you get on Facebook if you wanna tie all that in. Right? Or anybody that feels like they've been socially wrong. It's not just, hey. I was treated bad this time. All of a sudden, you got treated bad one time, and we're signing a petition to get rid of what whatever entire institution that that one guy that treated you wrong worked for, and now we're just gonna shut the whole thing down. Yeah. There's been an evolution for sure of some sort of societal evolution, and you just wonder where how far can that go? At what point does it reset, or do we just collapse? I I I don't I really don't know. Why can't we be this individualistic and still have a democratic society?

Yeah. You know? Like and actually, Ben and I were talking about this at I I was mostly talking about this. So if it doesn't have any theological heaviness to it, Ben actually wasn't part of the development. Right? But like He was politely listening. It it has to it has to do with, like, the way that people, you know, almost insist on having like, we like to call it a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You know? Like, I want God to talk to me directly, and I want him to have this for my life and a plan. And, like, there is very little biblical basis for God addressing individual people,

right, when it comes to what he has going. He will talk to individual people, but usually say, tell everybody else. I'm gonna tell you this thing. You tell everybody else. Not like, hey. I've come to talk to you, Jacob. Here's the individual thing. You know, blah blah blah blah blah blah. He says, here's what my people are gonna do. I'm gonna deal with my people as a whole. Right? And and and, like, some folks get really frustrated with with with God when they're like, he just doesn't speak to me in direct, you know, personalized text that would be just for me. And I'm like, hey, you know, yeah. He I I mean, I'm not saying he doesn't do that. Right? But, like, the general way that he deals with his people are with his people, like, as a whole. And, like, the the almost it's almost starting to lean towards even within Christianity that, like, you deal with me on an individual

basis, Lord, or you don't deal with me at all, and I'm out. And so, like, that falls right in line with that same individualistic thing of of of when someone gets wrong. They're like, you know, whether they've helped 80,000,000 people, if they've wronged me, that whole organization needs to go down. It's junk. And same thing like, I see here what Jesus Christ is saying, but if he's not willing to answer this prayer in particular that I've asked him with my name is Mike Foost and he doesn't get back to me directly with the saying to Mike only, you know, I'm out. And, like, it's just this is not the way that God tends to interact. I'm not saying he doesn't. He will interact people on an individual basis. But, like, in in scripture, you don't see very much of one man. Here's the deal. He'll talk to one guy and say, I want you to tell my whole people about this deal. You know? But, like, it's not a and by the way, pick up Bob and tell Bob this specific thing about his horse and it's gonna be fine or whatever. You know? Mhmm. So, anyway, I was trying to wrap those two things together and figure out if maybe it is just a Western culture

thing, you know, that's that's that's starting to move that direction or, you know, I don't know. I I was just trying to figure out that, like, I I just I know, what the response to this thing is, what the thought process to this thing is, and, like, what the heck did a guy decide that, like, he just gets to do what he wants now? You know what I'm saying? Like, all social decency

and all thought processes of, like, I realize I've been screwed, and I'm hurt, and I have pain, but, like, you get to inflict that on 500 people? Like, there was just it felt like there was just some type of level of decency where, like, one man would take it for the team in that instance. I got fired or my wife left me or I'm broke. And you're like, There's no reason to spread this misery. I guess it'll just sit on me. I'll take to drinking and whiskey will be my friend. That's how they used to do it. So it's I was trying to find words that would that would kinda properly categorize the, I think, the the thought of the question, which is

how what does it look like where you move from communal senses of responsibility and justice to

individual senses of responsibility and justice where the definition can change by individual? Right? Because it like, isn't isn't that the problem? Is is the sense of right retribution

if you allow if you do that communally, say, The United States as a whole. As a country, we agree that the punishment for this type of action, for this type of crime is this type of punishment. Right? That's that's how we react.

But in an in in a in a a country, in a in a belief system, in a structure that says the the individual is valued, important, autonomous, and and elevated, when that that obviously seems to translate to people's certain sense of individual justice. Right? Like, you know, this is this actually goes back to the Western point.

We said that this will be the punishment for the crime or for the way that I I personally have been treated. I feel that it is insufficient. Is It not to the extent it doesn't rightly address my grievance. And so I do not trust the community as a whole to rightly, punish crime, or the way that I've been treated. And so I must deliver some sense of justice to that. I that that is this is my way to fix that. And so and I I think that is probably the best possible way to describe a line of thinking there. What is probably more in focus is, like, is simple blind hatred and evil. Right? So, like, I think we can't take hate and evil off the table. It is just there there are people who they're not think, oh, I've I've just been been mistreated. Although, I suppose that most of the school shootings, right, like, can tie it back to some guy who feels like he was mistreated,

and his right sense of justice says, I can shoot as many people as I want. That's the right reaction, or that is the proper reaction to how poorly someone has made me feel, in addition to the fact that, like, I've coupled them into to also kind of hating the institution of which now individuals are paying for it. And so, it's kind of interesting to think about it's really when people start individualizing their responses to things and saying, don't trust I don't trust us as a as a people to make a right decision. I'll take this into my own hands. And then, you're subject to whatever is right in their own eyes. Yeah. Right? And and that's where you run into some serious risks. And you can't we're talking about this before the show started. You can't out crazy crazy. Right? Like, what there's not a level of preparation that says,

you know, I I think within the realms of reason, the right sense of justice says, that guy should have gotten the chair, but he got life life in prison. He might try to kill the man. But, like, not kill 58 people and not you you know, again, without context of of that particular shooter, but it's a thought process that says, like, you know, how are you going to anticipate the level of what someone believes is either a, just, or a proportionate dispensation of their hatred,

or evil within them to otherwise perpetuate upon a world of which they're not even trying to play part of the community anymore. Right? Like, you've obviously taken yourself out. You're saying I'm not part of this anymore. I am enacting justice upon it or showing or or providing a judgment upon it. That's why I hate it. And so that I'm going to do X, Y, or Z in reaction to that.

And so it's very like, it's extremely difficult because it implies that, like, you have to be able to trust the community that you're in to otherwise treat you fairly. And if you do not think that is the case, I think I think to the extent that you say it's a West that maybe it's a western thing western culture thing. So I do think eastern cultures are more prone to submit to a community.

It's not exclusive. Right? But they're just because they live more communally, I think they are more prone to that. Western society, because we elevate an individual, they can, write easier, get in their own mindset and be separated from it and then find that valuable and say that it is right and good. When, otherwise, community might help restrain that to a certain extent in some other cultures.

Well, it's just I don't know. I mean, again, I I don't know that I you know, you can boil it down to it, you know, sociological conversation that's gonna make any of that make sense. Any of those events make sense. But it really does. Where the turning point was, the reason I thought it was kind of a Western deal is I

was in London with Ben, actually, I don't know, ten years ago, fifteen years ago or something. You know? And I happen to notice, like, if you go up in these old castles or whatever, like, once you get to a certain height, they was built in, like, the sixteen hundreds. They're like, look. You know, if you weigh more than this or you're handicapped or something, like, I'm sorry. You just can't come up at all. You know? And I'm like, that would never pass in America. There'd be we'd be building, you know, gates or an on ramp or something five stories up on a, you know, eight eighteenth century, you know, Monarch Castle because someone would be upset. They're like, I gotta be able to go. But the I mean, they built these castles. I mean, it's only like 14 inches, these staircases. They're terrible. You know what mean? You gotta squeeze and and skinny up these things. I don't know why anybody would wanna go up there anyway. It's like, I mean But at the end of the day, Britain goes, look, you know, there's just a certain line. You just can't you can't come up here. And and and I was talking to my wife. She just got back from Ethiopia,

and she said, you know, the streets are a bit nutty, you know, in Africa in general, you know, and and it's it's a it's a law. If you hit a guy, you're liable. It doesn't matter what he did. You know I'm saying? Like, you could be driving along just clear as day, and some dude decides to come rocking across the street at a at a 60 degree angle long, you know, broadside. Yeah. And if you hit that man, you liable. And they're gonna show up. They're gonna take your license plate, and then that's it. You're done. And and, like, well, that doesn't that seem unfair? And they said, yeah. But, I mean, if people know that they're liable for it ahead of time, they drive better. And and so, like, is there a possibility of a guy getting screwed? Some drunk doofus comes out there back rolling and runs into you while you just drive along like normal. Yes. There's a good possibility you're gonna get screwed there. Is there anything you're gonna do about it? No. No. Because them's the brakes. You know what I'm saying? Don't hit a man. That's that's it. And, like, their their court system's cleaner. You know? So, like, at the end of the day, what am I saying? Like, I'm what I'm trying to say is, like, where I'd I'd I I would want it to be the whole world's getting more individualistic with the ability to have social media where, like, I put out what I want. I take in what I want. Very much like we would just talked about. I can put out whatever I want, and you can't force me to take in anything you're saying. And so that means that I get to purvey and and color anything that I want the world to know about me and exactly what I want it to know. And so that's available to the whole world, individual style. Right? But, like, there are still broad societies that are like, look. Handicapped,

overweight. Sorry. You can't come up here. You know? Hey, man. It's just simpler for us. You know? Don't hit a man. If you hit a man, you're going to jail. That's it. We don't we're just we're not we're not in the individual rights thing. We're saying it's easier to prosecute and keep the place clean if you know that if you hit a man, you're going to jail. And then everyone slows down and everyone damn behaves correctly. And so it's not fair, but it does keep the thing in line. And so, like, in America, that's just not the Western culture does not operate that way. It's whatever is good for me, whatever is best for me, whatever is just and fair for me, you're gonna have to find a way to tailor it to me so I don't get screwed in any situation. And I just don't think that's possible. I don't know how you run a community and not and someone never ends up with the short end. Someone's always gonna have to end end up with the short end in some capacity. Yeah. It's it's it's it's that's the kind of thing that comes up when you start talking about things like acts two. Right? Like, where where people are, like, freely giving up things to otherwise support others so that there's not a need. That guy, the guy who has

likely would have worked hard to obtain what he has, maybe even harder than the person that's getting it, and is not being able to use it on themselves. And we and general reaction would be there's something not fair about that unless the guy wanted to give it away, and then he's fine. Right? So, like, unless you can reorient reorient your understanding of

of what that looks like and how you like, not someone taking something away from you, but you giving it freely, like, that's not gonna change because the situation on its own says, this is something is mine that I'm not using for my own benefit. There's a a lack of fairness in it. Well and and here's the thing. It's like, that's what makes the Christian life you know, there's parts of the Christian life that are not easier. This part is. Jesus said, someone's gonna get screwed. It's gonna be you. Just be ready. You're gonna give your stuff away. Right? You're gonna invest in things that aren't gonna return. Right? You're gonna put you're gonna serve. You're gonna put others before you. And so yeah. You know, the world calls it getting screwed. I call it this is how you behave in my kingdom. Yeah. And so Jesus clears all that up and says, just know it's you. And then you don't have to be surprised by it and shocked and act like we gotta make sense of this conversation. Jesus already did. He said, you follow me. It's you. There. Done. I have that actually, that conversation has come up multiple times with my kids. They're like, oh, so and so stole it from me. I said, if you just give it to them, then everyone is in good shape. Right? They still have it, and you've not been wronged.

Can you change the way you talk about it? Just say that you gave it to them. They're like, yeah. But that's not what happened. I said, well, not yet. Not yet. Just change your mind. And I thought I mean, like, there's probably nuances to that understanding, but I thought, you know, if we can like, you can either get someone's gonna come up upset at this thing unless you just give it away, and then everyone's gonna be happy. Yeah. They all Seems alright. Yeah. I just gave this guy my stuff. Was pretty jealous. I mean, it's not going over well. I'm still still working on it. I'm just saying, like

like, you can be upset about your circumstance unless you do it voluntarily, and then and then things are good. And I suppose, like, from a Christian perspective, like, are there stuff that we're called we're basically called to eat. We're called to you you know you're gonna get the short shrift of this thing, but you're gonna like it because you're gonna do it voluntarily, and you think it's in the service of of Jesus and others. And so it's actually not a problem. Yeah. Yeah. That's got to be easier than the surprise and shock and awe of you getting screwed and going, I can't believe this happened to me.

Are you really that shocked? He took my tunic. Yeah. He does it. Yeah. That was aforementioned. K. So there's a there's a bring your bring your bible to school day on October 5. Mhmm. Mike, are you are you participating? I mean, I'll drop some Bibles off at the school if you if someone wants me to, but, I mean, I wasn't gonna go. Something creepy. You're supposed to send it with your kids. Oh. Your kids go, and they carry the bible around all day. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, what's that gaining?

I don't know. Dan, have you ever participated in something like that? No. No. I haven't. I mean, I suppose if my if if I mean, if they don't see the light of Jesus Christ in my children, giving them a big heavy book care around it, it'll make them no happier. You know what saying? I know you barely do your homework. Read this. Yeah. Check this out. Oh, here's the I would love to have give people Bibles. I just I wonder. So is this effective?

And so do you want me to hear? Let me read you the context. Yeah. Yeah. I do. So it says, why is it important for me to be involved? As a Christian student, you can be a powerful voice of hope at your school. In the Bible, it's often young people who lead the way for the rest of their culture by providing an example of spiritual boldness and taking a courageous stand for their beliefs in God. Mike, can you name two examples? Any examples? Of people carrying around roles? Young,

Specifically, that are providing an example of spiritual boldness and taking a courageous stand for their belief in God. Young people in the Bible can do that. Yeah. David did it. Dan, can you think of any? Daniel.

Dan's in for Daniel? That's two. That's what you asked for. Okay. They gave Daniel and Esther. Esther. Daniel and Esther. I'm not supposed. I mean, David's better, I think.

Which tell see, which tell the stories of a young man woman who, despite their youth, had the courage to share God's truth and love with an unbelieving culture. David killed a giant when he was, like, 12. I mean, that's not enough? You gotta be put in the king's service at some later a Bible at the time. Yeah. Yeah. He was handed it. The scripture doesn't record, but he was handing out scrolls. It's James. It didn't count. Hey. Hey. Somebody hold these scrolls, boy. Wasn't Esther the one that was at at those was was in in volunteer to be the king's concubine? Well, she didn't really volunteer. She got put in.

You'll you'll be in the contest, young lady. Mean, am I trying to be are you trying to convince me that she was holding the scrolls on her way in while she was getting beautified up to go dance in front of Xerxes? Yeah. So, I mean, she's kind of an interesting example. Right? Because, like, she protected her people or I mean, not really. The king the king protected her people once he found out that she was those people. She she risked going to the king knowing she could die

Yeah. Without being requested. That's a here's the deal, though. And so look at that in in relative to what we're asking here is she took a she took an act for protection of those who were going to be treated wrongly. She didn't hand over scrolls.

Yeah. I mean, just for relatives. I mean, I here's the thing. I don't wanna tank this whole article, but I feel like David was a solid example. And I don't know that Esther Trump's It doesn't say Daniel and Esther and certainly not David. Yeah. But it was the first thing that And was my

like if I thought of it, it should be solid. See, here's here's the deal. When I was in high school, there was one kid who brought his bible, carried it around, and he was on the football team. And I just thought he was weird. And I I was a total Jesus freak. Yeah. I mean, I was all in 100%. I was the only guy in the locker room not having sex with people. I mean, well, as far as I know, at least not not not saying I was. It was weird. I didn't dance. Not me. Alright,

Greg. I mean, I was I was, like, you know, totally in love with Jesus, but I wouldn't, like, carry a Bible around just to be seen.

Well, that's the thing. How much is this is really just shining on? If someone catches you reading your Bible because that's what you wanted to do Yeah. That's okay. Hopefully, they saw I was living it. That that's you know? Yeah. That was my goal. This kinda is like a like a group of a group of seven dudes holding hands walking down the hallway with their bible, and someone goes, hey. Look at those bible guys. Oh, you got me. Oh. That's that's like the forty hour hour famine where they all put the t shirts on and say, look at us. We're fasting for a day. Yeah. They said there'd be Well, my part of it anyway. Part of a day. I didn't eat last meal. Yeah.

I mean yes. Okay. Now I am outraged. First of all, David should have been first in these examples. And second of all, this is exactly the phony Christianity that that like, exactly what we run into. This is The phony courage. Well, here's the thing. This Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That that's a good distinction. Right? It doesn't mean they're not Christians. It's just we're being bold in places where boldness is not necessary. But I mean, is that even what boldness looks like? Boldness doesn't even look like you carrying your Bible. That is not that bold. Right? It's you in a book, in a in a protected nation showing up with the Bible in your hand. And the worst someone's gonna call you is a Bible beater or a Jesus freak, and you're be like, oh, I'm I'm so defeated. I mean I won't sell you muffins. Yeah. I feel wounded. Oh, come on. You know, like, these are exactly like the phony setups that, like, you wonder why our youth has no faith of their own and they get to college and bail. Right? It's because you tried to have this as being one of the things. Like, the forty hour famine or this thing, and you're like, this is what makes us a staunch strong Christian. You don't make a staunch strong Christian? A guy that follows Jesus,

and that's hard enough. Yeah. Right? And loving people in response to the love that you received from Christ. You find guys that can do that? Now now you're talking about kids that will that will hold on to their faith and actually have a Jesus that they know throughout their lifetime. But like this, this is not this you know, a Christ t shirt with a shield on it or something, wear this twice a week. You know what I'm saying? Like, that is completely that's not even actual byproduct of knowing Jesus. That's what I'm saying. It's yeah. So it reproduces what I think is a core issue that Christianity's had in The United States for for as long as I could speak to, I guess, is that

the fact that someone has a Bible tells them nothing because where we live inconsistent with it, they don't know what's that it's powerful anyway. Right? Like, if Christians in general don't otherwise adhere to the principles outlined within the scripture that we supposedly revere to the extent that we want to make sure our rights are protected to carry it. But if we simply take it in as literature, we might as well be carrying around the catcher in the rye. For for as much as someone goes, oh, hey, that guy has a Bible. By the way, he's also a real jerk. Yeah. And so, inherently,

I will connect this man and his jerk behavior with the scriptures. Right? So, like, because we're not living it out anyway, the fact that the Bible is there is it doesn't actually make a statement for you. And to the extent that you are living it out, the whether you're not carrying the Bible is irrelevant. Right? So, like, the core of the thing is if you're otherwise following Jesus in your words, actions, deeds, and relationships,

that's whether or not you are seen holding a Bible is is a nondistinction. Yeah. So, like, I so I got I got two solid examples here. Is one, you're talking about the guy, you know, that that, you know, carries his guitar in his back everywhere he travels in high school. Right? Yeah. Like, he's Okay, dude. You you in a band. You know what saying? You get it. He's only wearing that guitar because he wants people to know he's in a band. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so, like, that you're basically doing the same thing with your Bible. Two, I went to I went to high school or maybe maybe it wasn't even quite high school. Maybe up to junior high with a gal. She had had to been the absolute nicest girl I've ever met in my life. And I had no idea that and I found out years later that, like, she was the daughter of a pastor. Right? And, like, here's the thing. It's, like, after meeting her and figuring out that information

and and here I was, you know, ten, fifteen years later having girls on my own. I thought, I can raise girls that love Jesus and are kind, and they're fine. They don't have to be the hated worst people in high school that take nothing but ridicule. Everybody loved this gal. She was super nice to everybody.

Mhmm. Right? And it was because of her faith in Jesus Christ and the fact that she grew up in a family that loved her. Right? And, like but, like, you know, the the the honest byproduct is is you love people. That's what the byproduct is of following Jesus. Right? It's not that, like, as soon as you get baptized, all of a sudden, the Bible just kinda magically appears on your side and you just cannot shake it. Like, the byproducts of following Jesus are the byproducts. And any attempt to act like they're something different is completely dishonest, and you're not building an actual faith in anything. Like, I just I don't think you're doing your kids any good at all by pushing this whatsoever. Push them to be the the kid that loves everybody. And the kid and and then guys like me will go twenty years later that like, oh, no doubt. She was a pastor's daughter. No kidding. So that was a Jesus thing. I thought that was weird that she was so nice to everybody. You know? And then it it turns around and emboldens my faith as a dad that says, can raise kids that love Jesus and don't have to be social outcasts or the worst people, you know, convicting, stern, overbearing, conservative jerk faces. You know? They could just love people, and it will stick with them. And so, like, I just I I don't see the benefit of this at all. Zero. In fact, it kinda makes me mad. This is why I can't find decent youth curriculum. Seriously, this is the kind of stuff.

So it's it's I have such a hard time with focus on the family. So they're in this. This is them. They're they're they're backing this. And I saw the newsboys the reason I I saw this is that there was something going on in the newsboys Facebook that were like they were all fired up about it. And I thought, like, how do we well, where is the disconnect here? How can I how do I keep running into people where I'm like, yes? We agree theologically.

This is the right way to look at the world. And then the reaction to that same world is such like suspenders real like and and and thick glasses. I just don't I don't understand how you can I I I just I just don't understand this thought process here? Right? Like, it's it's the conversation we were talking about social media interactions and, like, getting the actual value. Like, what do you actually want to accomplish? And this is the fake. This is it's the likes. It's not that it's not that it has to be discipleship. Right? But, like, what what are we actually trying to prove? Here, they're they're doing two things. One, trying to to encourage children to be bold about their faith, and two, trying to demonstrate that it's within our First Amendment rights to be able to act this way. Okay. But, like, are those two things actually leading to paths of discipleship and people who are,

like, living out a life faithful to the tenants of the kingdom of Jesus and loving like Jesus loves. Because if those two things serve that, then great. But, like, if they aren't actual tangible things in service of that, then it's a win that's not a win. It's not forward progress. It's just you ran in place for a while and thought you were making some ground. And I think that's the risk here. Yeah. It's like we're we're playing with words. We're not teaching people how to live their faith boldly. We're telling them to live bold faith, you know, to go out and be bold one day and carry a Bible. Yeah. Like, just just live boldly. Just just live your faith. Yeah. And everything else falls in place. Then

you're sharing your faith. You can't help it because people ask you. It should be an overflow of who you are as follower of Jesus rather than a gimmicky thing you do one day. That's right. It's it that's that's a perfect explanation of that. It should be absolutely an overflow, a genuine overflow. Right? Yeah. Like, mean, here's the deal. I know I know people that love Jesus that carry their Bible everywhere. Mhmm. It is the most tattered, beaten up looking thing. It's barely holding together. And they love Jesus, and they pursue him through that, and that's what they do. Right? I know other people that love Jesus, and they have they have tattered and messed up pants because they are praying all the time, and they are spending all their money on coffee with weird people. Right? And like neither one of them those it's the overflow of what God created them to be. Yeah. And neither one is a is a poster child of being the guy that carries a Bible and like wears a a press suit or something. Right? Like, it is exactly an overflow of the heart issue and I've never seen anyone's heart overflow with a a shiny Bible walking around high school. Like, I've just I've not seen it. It's always overflowed in how you deal with people, how you deal with relationships,

how you how you honor God in the way that you act, and the way that you carry yourself. And like anything other than that is a phony faith that I'm promising you, you are contributing to our youth bailing when they get to college. You are adding to it with this. Yeah. Because I get to college, and it wasn't real. That's right. It was never real. Yeah. Like, if you I'm okay. I was slightly slightly high horse here, but, like, here's the thing. It's, like, you wanna captivate

youth. First of all, you have to give them the keys to a faith, and they have to own it. It has to be their own. Right? And secondly, you have to stop lying to them. Stop sugarcoating things. Stop acting like things aren't what they are. Right? Stop acting like there's there's certain conversations that are too taboo for you to have. Like, I mean, you wanna just censor that when they're like 12 or something. I get it. Right? But your kid be 16, 17 years old, and you still ain't talking about certain things in this world. What are you thinking? What are you doing to them? They're gonna ask you a hard question, and you are gonna give them a hard awkward answer. And like you owe that to them, you're trying to send them out into a world backed by the lion of Judah as they go. They have nothing to fear and you're acting like they have something to fear by withholding the world from them. Please stop doing that. As soon as they leave the comfort of your house and your church and meet any type of resistance, they'll realize that you set them up on a phony bible day and that their whole faith was wrapped up in that, and then Jesus becomes like a like a like a a foam finger at a basketball game. They really want it to be true, but it turns out at the end of the day, it doesn't hold anything. You've got to stop doing that. My daughter is in college now, and

tells me that she is amazed at the number of kids that come into college who came from Bible families, but it was the fake y stuff. I donit want to say fake, but it was the surface stuff. And they get to college and they are the wildest partiers there. Yeah. You know, because they've never learned to have their own faith, stand on their own feet. They weren't

exposed to the fact that there's a world out there and all of this is out there. And she's always so grateful that I don't know what we did that worked, but she was aware of what was going on around here. This is why we don't do what your friends are doing and that kind of stuff. So when she got thrust into this world, she's just like, Oh no, not interested. She already decided that. It wasn't like, Oh, you mean you can drink this or you can smoke that? It

was disappointing for her to see that. Kids, they're just wild, wild, wild, wild, wild. And they probably all took their Bibles to school and wore the shirts. And That's the thing. And, like, here's the thing. It's like when I'm lamenting youth curriculum. Right? Like, it's almost all centered around peer pressure, sex, and drinking. Mhmm. And, like and and they wanna beat on it, and they wanna say, look. You can't do this. You can't have this. We're gonna talk about what dates you know, you you probably shouldn't even be kissing a boy at all until you're married and whatever and blah blah blah blah blah. And you've boiled an entire complex human down to three things and then told them no. No. No. Right? And so, like, instead of saying, look. Sex is awesome. God created it. It's really actually pretty cool. It's just not set up for you until you find the man you wanna live with. And you know what? At least tell him that. Right? Like, I got kids that are so afraid to talk about sex at all because their parents don't wanna act like it doesn't happen. What do think happens to that kid on his wedding night? Yeah. He's scared to death. He'd been told his whole life that it's bad and wrong and gross. You know? And then now you got two Christians. Let's say they made it. Let's say they they muscled through it and they held through, and they're virgins when they go to get married, and then they walk into that room and go, I've been told my whole life this is bad. Good. And this feels dirty even though it's awesome. Right? And they don't even get to awesome till ten years of working through the guilt that got dumped on them in church their first fifteen. I'm so conflicted about breasts of her youth. Yeah. I like that, but I don't feel like I should. That's right. We're doing this wrong. It feels guilty and wrong. You know what I'm saying? And like, I'm I'm and I'm and once again, I'm not saying sex is the big sell here, but like Right. It's the same thing with drinking. It's the same thing with with peer issues. It's the same thing with how to deal with everybody. I swear we spend so much time working on moral boundaries and saying this, this, and this, where I feel like I can probably teach youth curriculum straight out of the Bible itself. And, like, as long as you craft someone to know and love Jesus Christ, he loves those kids. He working on it. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not like it's any shock to them that you probably shouldn't be having premarital sex, and you probably shouldn't be abusing alcohol.

Right? These are not shocks to people that grow up loving Jesus Christ. Right. And so, like, I don't know that you gotta get out this big list and make this big, scary deal and make these rules and, like, not have any grace for when they screw up and try to assert a little bit of freedom trying to figure out if God's actually true. That's how you test God sometimes. You you sin a little and go, oh, woah. No. No. No. No. Right. God was right. That's not me. Everybody does it. Everybody says, do I really believe what I say I believe? And generally, reaction is to get a little freedom in there and try to do something they shouldn't. And then they'll get about halfway through. And if they really love Jesus, they go, nope. This separation is no good. This is not gonna happen for me. And they turn tail back, and they show back up. But you at least owe your kids that. Mhmm. Right? Like, just give them a faith in Jesus Christ and skip the the constant peer pressure and and pictures of dudes smoking weed and seductively dressed gals. And, like, I mean, come on. The kids are smarter than that. They deserve more than that. And you boil them down to just this simple stupid bible day. And I'm like, I'm begging you to quit doing it. Please don't do that. Yeah. I mean, I I think that and that's that's a broad point. Right? Like, even even even Bible day and, like, your memorization of sort of stories or your understanding of of straight rights and wrongs. Like,

I mean, my my lands for a generation who actually knows how to read the Bible and use it. Right? Like, who who isn't who aren't just floating in the breeze here or or being tossed to and fro because they know where to find answers. They know how to understand them. They actually know how to how to take in scripture and be comforted by it. Like, think think of it this way. Is, like, when we look at the much of the Old Testament, you've got generations of people who are comforted by these words, And we take in two lines, we're like, I have no idea what this means, and it means nothing to me. Right. And I'll move on with my life. And, like, I'll grant that it might be not be your specific situation, but the God that was in it is a is a consistent God. And so can we understand how he works? And then you can understand what that means for you. And so, like, I've found a lot of value reading the Old Testament in kind of a fresh light and saying, you know what? Actually, that has a lot to do with me, what he just said there. And like and so it's it's the thing is is it is not, can we use the Bible as

a, as a tool of as a a message of hope and as a message of truth, as opposed to a propaganda piece, just so we can assert that we are just as protected under our First Amendment rights as, as the gay and lesbian community. Right? Like, agreed. That's really what you're proving. Right. I understand that that's what you're after, but, like, I I I'm we're more remiss that we don't know how to use and understand and follow scripture than I am as to whether you won a a First Amendment argument. I hope you do. I think the First Amendment argument is worth discussing. But, like,

I mean, if I gotta pick one, I'll take learn to use word of god for a 100, Alex, every time. Alright? Bring Put that conversation away, Ben. Yeah. I don't wanna talk about that ever again. I know. I'm gonna follow-up on it. There's good there's bound to be an output

on October 5 or October 6 after they digest and all these kids do that. And there's good there's here's the deal. There's bound to be three schools in the South where there was some sort of altercation. Yeah. And it depends where at in the South because, like, 98% of the South's gonna be like, yeah. Your Bible. Everyone who doesn't have a Bible sucks. And then you're gonna have 2% of South's like, we hate we hate this. This is wrong. Can I bring my phone? Can I show the Bible on my phone as I walk down the hall? Is that gonna work? Yeah. Now you got a bunch of pharisees walking down there trying to decide whether they can they can do a digital bible app and whether it's gonna count or not. Like, you gotta be kidding me. Alright. Alright. I think I had something else, but we're not gonna have time for it. So we'll hit it next week. Mike, you got time? We got any

dear life and path? Yeah. I'm sure we do, man. To be honest with you, haven't really looked one up ahead of time. I got all fired up about that you think. Can I That's my bad? Can I hey? Can I alter the material? There's a bunch of materials. They put so much effort into this thing. It's like a website and stuff. Can I alter the materials for bringing your Bible to school day? No. The posters and conversation cards provided on this site are designed to communicate a loving message in the most loving, respectful way. It is very important that the materials not be altered in any way, shape, or form. Hey. Do you know what the implicit thing is there to say? We do not actually trust you to communicate what it is to have a relationship with Jesus or to to speak about the gospel rightly. You may only use the materials that we produce. They're so concerned that we won't that people will alter it in a in a crappy way which which I understand but that does that not highlight the underlying problem? We don't actually know how to use the Bible correctly. Right. Alright.

You wanna you wanna burn through one here? Yeah. Yeah. Dear life from the path, I am 32, married with two young sons. Mhmm. Since starting my own family, I've grown closer with my mom as a source of support and guidance. The problem is my dad seems to be jealous of the relationship I have with her, probably because I was daddy's girl growing up.

Mom and I were planning on a girls trip together just the two of us and dad said my mom couldn't go because he was feeling left out. This was after he invited himself along on another attempt at a girls trip. How can I have a close relationship with my mom without hurting my dad? Should I confront him? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know how else you're gonna do it. Hey, dad. I love you. I love mom too. Yeah. Grow up. I mean, how's ignoring it going? Yeah. Super rough.

That that's kinda that's that's too bad. This is a legit question. Blah blah blah. Something didn't happen like I thought it should. Should I say something? Yeah. No. I'd let it slide. I mean, I have adult I have adult girl children now who are daddy's little girls, and and it's like, I I am thrilled when when they

suggest, like, a a girls trip or, you know, something that bonds them together, I think. Because now they're learning how to be moms. Yeah. You know? They need to they need to have that connection with mom. Yeah. Like, I mean I can't tell them how to be a mom. Well, right. And, like, how can you like, if two two two groups of people that you love more than anything else in the world, how would you not want them to spend time together and enjoy each other? Yeah. Like, how selfish do you have to be? Well, here's well, that's the thing. You are selfish. Right? You're not even trying. You're not even like, I hope you guys really enjoy that girls trip,

but, actually, I'm I'm feeling a little lonely here. Do you think I could rig something up that we could all go to? Like, maybe next month, we'll we'll go boating or something? You know what I'm saying? Like, come up with an own plan where everybody can go or whatever. Yeah. And that's cool. You know, you shouldn't take away just so you can have, but, like, I mean, if the dude's legit feeling lonely, I get it. You know, sometimes you wanna hang out with your kids. I don't know. I say give me some extra $100. Say, go have some fun. I'm gonna rent movies, sit around, scratch myself. Yeah. That's good, Danny. This could be a guy this could be a guy weekend. Yeah. Yeah. He doesn't seem interested in that, though. I he's taking I don't know a man yet that's not interested in that. You don't know. Go away. Yeah. Are we talking about a real man? He's taken from his wife. Like, really, this isn't even about necessarily his kids. Yeah. It's about his wife. Yeah. Don't like him. He's been in competition. Here's our advice. I say don't beat him in front of you. He brings his Bible to school. Yeah. There's no personal justice for you. You've just been screwed. That's it. Yeah.

I would say you definitely have to bring it up. I'm not saying that's not awkward. This is a man that you obviously grew up loving that had a place of authority in your life. It's going be a little bit awkward. Be gentle. But yeah. But firm. Yeah. I agree. I mean Secular says, no. You don't bring it up. Your your mother should confront him. No. No. That you need that you need bonding time with your mother is not a rejection of your father. That you were daddy's girl implies that he was the favored parent for decades. He doesn't own you or her. Women need each other, and what your mother has to offer you at this stage of life is important. I hope the two of you won't allow your father's insecurity and apparently controlling nature to interfere. Yeah. I mean, I I agree with everything else except for that you don't have the conversation. If you're an adult, I think you have the conversation.

I think everybody should have conversations about everything. Yeah. I mean, just just let's just bust it out. Let's just have a conversation with a guy. What's the worst that's gonna happen? I wouldn't even have mom there. Yeah. I wouldn't be like, say, the three have the conversation together, maybe the second conversation. Yeah. But, yeah, she needs she needs to just sit down with dad and say, here's dad. Dad, I love you, and I I am grateful

for our past. I need some mom stuff. Yeah. I think told me how to nurse? What if he's like, no. You need dad time. No, dad. I do not. Scratch yourself.

Get away from me. Yeah. Right. The I think actually, I think the mom conversation makes it worse, which hey. Here's the thing. You this is you tiptoeing around. There's always there's a marital problem here somewhere, and you're not gonna solve that on your own.

I I I think in a perfect world, the two parents would talk something out, and they'd come to a right conclusion. But, like, something else is going on here where the I just don't think that's gonna work. So I think you're yeah. You're absolutely fine just having this conversation on your own. Alright. Let's do one more. Ready? Yep. Dear, live from the path. Yep. I was recently in the bakery section of our neighborhood grocery store. Good. A woman came rushing in carrying a cake that had been at least three fourths eaten and made a scene saying the cake was terrible and demanding that she has been given a new one. To stop the scene, the store manager gave her a new one Uh-huh. Even though she had managed to eat most of the terrible cake. Yeah. The next night, my husband and I went to dinner at a nice steakhouse. The couple sitting next to us ate almost their entire dinner before complaining to the manager that the steaks were awful and demanding their meals for free. Mhmm. Has this become acceptable? It is something is wrong with the food. Shouldn't management be told after the first bite? It looks to me like these people are looking for a free ride. Well, not with you stepping in the middle of it. Why don't you keep to your own business? Are people trying to get free cakes? I

mean, it's not really a problem question. Because, I mean, no, it's not acceptable. But, two, that doesn't mean people aren't trying to get away with it. That's what people do. Yeah. That's what's fraudulent. Like, here's the deal. Every crime is not acceptable,

but people are doing it everywhere. Once again, though, doesn't it just come down to cowardice? Because if I feel like some guy was doing that and I was in the restaurant, I would have stepped up and and helped the manager and be like, you ate the whole thing, bro. I was sitting here right next to you for an hour. You were talking about your kids and your cousin's birthday party. And then smile on your face. All of sudden, two minutes ago, you hated the steak, and it was awful. I saw the whole thing, buddy. Yeah. I she didn't do that. I mean I mean, here's the deal. I I I would say it's it's it's really up to the prerogative of this of the store manager in either case. Like, here's you can say, look. The customer's always right, or you can just say, look. You're just no longer a customer of ours, so you cannot be right. Yeah. You're

not allowed back in here. I reserve the right to refuse service to you. You're trying to steal a steak. Yeah. I'm never gonna come here again. Well, you didn't pay for it the first time. You've been trying to steal a free meal. So, I mean, what are we out? You don't have to see it like a win. There's there's a lot of guys actually. That's it's interesting because some some restaurant or, like, businesses regret our feedback culture because you can leave reviews on everything. You can go on Yelp. You can go on, like, your product websites, people can always comment on, hey, I didn't like this. But, like, you actually have the same platform, and you've seen a lot of cool business owners go on there where someone's like, hey. I was treated wrong. And the guys, you know, just to correct the story, you know, you you tried to feel up the waitress, and you took the urinal cakes. Yeah. So that's actually what happened, Steve. Yeah. Please please don't bother coming back. And, like, they can kinda set the records straight. So, like, you know, if the here's the deal. If they if the the restaurant if the restaurant don't care, then I feel like it's not your business. If the restaurant cares, then they'll handle their own. So I I think it's not your affair

to engage in unless someone is asking for your help. I don't know. I mean, wouldn't you feel I I mean, know, the manager's part of painting in a corner. He don't own the place, and he has to try to keep people happy, and they're making a scene. I think you should stand up and help him out. If they're really trying to screw him, I'd stand up and and say, like, no, man. I watched this whole thing go down. That dude dropped that cake over there, picked up half of it, came in here, acting like a tasty man. But here's the deal. The manager can see that he ate three quarters of the steak. Is he not his own man? He was he a damsel in distress? I gotta swing in and Yeah. Cut my hair down? Yeah. Because if you could sway the crowd restaurant, then the manager doesn't feel like he is is because otherwise, most of the time, it's everybody in the restaurant against management. Everybody hates management. Doesn't matter what management you are. Everybody don't like you. But, like, if you can sway the room, like, dude's trying to put the hustle on it, everyone and else in the room is paying a hundy for the dinner, they were like, hey. Listen here, cheap man. You know, the whole room's against you now and we're on the side of the manager. Then the guy won't get the meal for free. So your so your suggestion is to turn everything into a mob? Yes. Fire up the mob. Yeah. Get the people on your side. Yes. If if that's the right way to go, you gotta shepherd them, Ben. Just like following people to Jesus. You gotta help them get the right way. Okay. You can't just pray for Las Vegas. You gotta tell me why. The good the good Christian incites a riot in defense of the good. The good Christian bubbles good to the top even when the pasta is not quite done. I I don't know. I think you can let the restaurant I mean, here's the deal. If he's manager for either he's a good manager and he could handle this on his own affairs, he's a bad manager and they'll fire him eventually. There are no good managers. I've not met one yet. If your name is something management,

you're terrible. Here we go. Secular says, it certainly appears that oh, the question was Is this acceptable? Yeah. Something wrong with food. Shouldn't management be told after first bite? It looks like people are getting free ride. She says, it certainly appears that way. The most effective way to demonstrate that an item of food is inedible is to not eat it. In situations like in situations like this, the restaurant manager will sometimes offer as an accommodation, a free dessert rather than write off the entire meal. As to what happened at the grocery, if the complainer was a good customer, then what the manager did was a wise public relations gesture.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Like, what what if what if this is a customer that's that's always there. They're just having a particularly bad day. The manager knows that and they're trying to handle it well. And then you're up there pompous and out riling up the produce section. Be like this this woman is in the wrong. Everyone shame her. Yeah. That's crazy. No. That's what that's what you would do. Oh. Yeah. That was your advice. Yeah. I you gotta get the mob into it. That's the way it works. Alright. Keep on listening Life From The Path.

Thanks for hanging out with us again tonight. You got any questions or positive things to say about the show? Just shoot us an email info life from the path dot org. If you have any negative things to say about the show, although this has no more relevance to the show, hasn't for a couple of years, I want you to email Chris Roloff at c roloffwtru dot com and he will be glad to handle any concerns you have about the program. He's with the Truth Network. So and thanks for hanging out with us. We will see you next week. In the meantime, be faithful to me. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to Live From The Path.