Live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. You are live from the path. And you're listening to Live From The Path. We're tuning from The Pathway Studios. You're Johnston Puffer. Mike, that has to stop. That needs to stop right now.

Okay. Here's the problem. If you're on if if you're on the podcast only, you don't you're not catching the video. Mike has got his goofball face. I mean, like, two inches for I gotta clean that Yeah. Yeah. You can count my nose hairs, including the one that grows right on top of my nose randomly. Oh. You have a nose hair on top? Yeah. Most of it stays in in the forest where it belongs. And every once in while, I'll get this I'll get this young upstart that wants to come right out the top of the nose. And then my wife will catch it or I'll feel a stiff breeze wheeling it around like spaghetti. I'm like, I gotta do something about that thing. On my ear that does that. And I'm just like, oh. Yeah. And then I'll I'll like, I'll make a video for church and it's like up close and then it's like on the screen. It's monsters monsters like a tree sticking out. I'm like, why doesn't anyone tell me these things? Hey, man. I turned 30 a couple months ago, and I think my shoulder hair knows it. That's what I had to start a girl. Yeah. It's like magic. Yeah. I looked at them and realized that I had shoulder pads on my tattoos, and I hated it. Yeah. And I didn't know if that needed to be added to my grooming regime. Yeah. Was obviously not very long. And, Texie, you know you know you're climbing the age scale when your haircut ladies like, you wanna do some butt out of your hair? I'm like, yes, please. Yeah.

What do you mean? Please. Please do that. I can't hear. What are you saying? What was that? Okay. Thanks for listening. Hey, man. Oh, yeah. We're on live. Here's what okay. Here's what I got going on with show tonight. Alright. But Buva's here. Whatever. Say hello to Buva. He's also unnaturally close to what is going on? Yeah, buddy. He got your face in this camera. I don't even post the videos to YouTube anymore. It turns people off.

I gave up on YouTube fame about twelve years ago. Yeah. Doubt that. Wait a minute. Me Hey, hold up first off. Wait a minute. Moova, if if someone were to say, look, I can get like, you you make a deal with what's it's not the devil, but like some sort of deal with Tom Cruise. It's not the devil. It's Tom Cruise says, look, I can make you a YouTube star overnight. And would you have interest in it? Would you wanna be a YouTube man? No.

Mister influencer. Yeah. No. I I feel like for a second, I'd say yes, but then every bit of my lack of self esteem would eventually go no. No. You're like that you're like that lizard in Spaceballs where the guy's trying to eat the eggs or whatever, and then the lizard comes out and really wants to be the star of the show. The hello, my baby. Hello, my darling. Hello, my friend. I'm gay. A lizard. That's that's your inner YouTube man. It is a chest burster

that is supposed to be like from Alia. I haven't seen that movie. A lizard Yeah. In Spaceball Whatever. Yeah. Yeah. This is what I'm talking about. Look how close you are to that camera, Buba. This is not necessary. I do not have these kind of problems. Alright. So here's what we got going on. Alright. That's enough of you. It's like Piston Honda in front of Mike Chance's punch out. Okay. I I got a few. I have an observation. I was sitting next to

I was out out driving, and I pulled up next to a dude who was listening to a podcast. And it was real clear. Like, he was a he was an African American dude, and it was obviously a couple of

African American fellas on this podcast. Mhmm. And so I only caught, like, eight seconds of this, but but the phrase that stood out to me was, and all those white people with their HOAs. And so here's why here's here's this is this is weird where this got me. Because I heard that. Plan? No. No. HOA is like homeowners association. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So here's I have no idea what what the rest of the podcast was about. I don't know this, man. I don't care what the podcast is. What it got me thinking of though, just by that one phrase, it's just a weird thing to say. Because it it it it it applies that like, hey, man. White people as a whole live in places of which people are paying HOAs. Yeah. Okay? I never have for the record. No. I in fact, I don't know anybody that does. But like, that's exactly what I was thinking. What it got me thinking about, in case you're the person that is, easily offended and you're like, oh, where is he going with this? What it got me thinking about was is I wonder

if there's anybody that does, like like, nationwide giant perception studies.

Because what would be super interesting to hear is that, like, if you were to ask, I don't know, a 100,000 African Americans and say, look, what percentage of white folks do you think live in places where they pay HOAs as an example? All of them. I like, would it I'd be interested to know.

Because and I thought about that, like, there's all kinds of like Jimmy, you're careful how you ask these questions. But, like, just think of all the types of questions you could ask, where you could feel like what people's not just, like, what's your opinion, but, like, what's your perception? You have a belief of how the world works, how groups of types of people, how age bracketed groups of people are, what their lives are like, and then be able to say, here's America's perception of itself in all its,

cultural and diverse glory. And then here's the reality. Here's here's what you believe about white folks who pay HOAs.

And then, like, you think it's 80%, it's 15. Does that now now how do you reshape your world based upon where your perceptions are at? And, like, I don't know. I don't know. You'd have to have like a bucket of of probably 200 questions. But like There's some real good questions in there. Like, what percentage of people who have beards hunt, do you think? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You'd be like, 95. Right. Every time I see a guy who's got a beard and an air conditioner hat, I feel like he killed something within the week. Yeah. And like how many guys have killed something within the week? Well, actually very few. Yeah. And because it just and it it got me it just seemed a little bit different than you're you're always reading surveys about, like, people's opinions on something, and like people always trying to twist demographic and other facts to fit their narratives, it would be super interesting to me to take, like, a hands off here's just a stack of questions, a 150 high. We're gonna ask a 100,000 people a year for the next ten years. And, like, I I bet there's all kinds of things where I have a perception that I'm wrong. And I would never know it. There's not enough forum for me because what I'm gonna do, what I'm gonna ask my my as many white guys as I can think of, hey, does anybody do you have an HOA? Who haven't been here for, like, two years? He's on his phone, Ben.

Texting my wife. Give me a second. Phone. Yeah. I know. I can't Two years, Ben. Yeah. Yeah. He's in that he's in that phase in his marriage. This is some real HOA behavior. Yeah. Know. It's yeah. Pardon me for being worried about being four white men in a room talking about a 100,000 African Americans talking about anything. We were saying we were going to we were gonna pull Wait a Wait Wait a minute. Is this your perception after you did not pay attention to the conversation at all? First off, because the whole You think we're in trouble. The whole point was, can't it wasn't to assume what you know about anything. It was to ask and have an understanding of here's my perception of the world, and then here's what the reality is so you can learn from that perception. And then what you did was stop using your phone and then present like we're trying to present like we know what a 100,000 black fellows think. I am incensed at this behavior. I can tell and I am too tired in any way shape or form to try and rebuttal against what you just said. But no, were not correct. When missed me,

you were not correct. Anyway, the point was is that like it it it made me think that, like, part of part of the barriers that we have is just perceptions. Like, we have a perception, and they're not even like stereotypes even. They're just like we we think the world works a certain way or we think certain groups of people or people in certain situations

are are realities. And, like, there's not I'm not sure there's a great forum or a way to actually confront those types of things in a in a relatively unbiased way. Yeah. To get people to express it. Anyway, so, like, I don't even I I tried to look to see, like, I typed in annual perception survey. And, of course, I didn't find anything that I knew it. It just it just made me think that, like, it would be very useful to know where my perceptions are wrong. It was I I was talking to somebody earlier this week at work, and they said, like, Caterpillar did a perception study

similar to this about their brand. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go out and do that. Right? And, like, largely in Europe, the the common perception is Caterpillar is a boot maker. They make boots. Oh. Because, they're the machines aren't as that big of a deal. Right? Like, you if you come in the Midwest, you're like, okay, we make end loaders, make skid loaders, we make combines, we make That's what I think of. Yeah. Yeah. Like, because soon as you hear Caterpillar, like, big machines, moving dirt. That's what we do. Yep. Because that's what we do in the Midwest. Right? But you go over Europe where they don't use them as much, and they're like, Caterpillar's a boot manufacturer who may dabble in machines. Wow. And so it's it's that's super interesting to me because I would never have thought anywhere in the world that somebody would think Caterpillar is anything other than big dirt movers, you know? Well, I always always I always wonder, you know, we've had this conversation I have with many people over the years, like, is the person who's never been to church, what is the perception of what church looks like? Yeah. And then how does that blow up, you know, when they attend a particular church? Right. Not realizing you can go to 10 churches and have 10 completely different experiences. Yeah. Also true. Completely,

you know. But if you've never gone, you think, well, yeah. Well, they all do x y z. Yeah. Actually, there's a couple churches that I went to when when my wife and I were first married that, like, if that was and and and she did not grow she didn't grow up in the church, and that was her perception of what church looked like, and they were horrible. They're just horrible. Right? There's one of them we walked in and, like, we weren't we weren't we weren't there for five minutes, and all of a sudden, I could sit up front. She had to sit in the back. And What? She was supposed to be on the cherry pie ministry or something, and they were already telling her, like, how to get to the directions to the house. And I'm like, holy cow. We gotta get out of here. This is not the place for us, you know? She's like, all churches are like this? I'm like, no. No. No. Wait a minute. You had to like, you were you were separated? Yeah. Yeah. Dudes up front. I wanna know about more about the cherry pies. Yeah. She was instantly part of the the cherry pie ministry. I like that. And actually, I I did go to a we went to another church where they brought a cherry pie to us, like, the after Sunday because we were a first time visitor. Yeah. We showed up Monday with cherry pie, and it completely creeped me out. Did you eat it? Yeah. Of course, I did. I kinda wouldn't eat it. Some I'm I get creeped up by stuff even though they're, from, like, a church, I feel You think someone syringed it? I know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's gotta be needles. There's probably, like, Jesus Yeah. Needles in here or something. I mean, I've done a lot of I've done a lot of electrical work for a lot of people's houses that I've gone to church with. And,

yeah, it'll it'll it'll take you off potlucks for a while. I don't know that I can eat food from people's houses. So this tells me that you guys are prone to Internet conspiracy theories. Right. Yeah. All of them. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the guy who's super worried about syringes in their cherry pie from I'm the worried about the conditions I'm worried about the conditions of which the food was made after I came in and fixed a couple of It got baked. Everything it got baked out. I think they're putting old communion juice in there. What else are you gonna do with it? Recycling. Yeah. What do you do with it? I mean I got once it gets in the You bake it into the pie. Oh. Special recipes.

You're not gonna throw that stuff away. It's expensive. Yeah. Okay. I could see that. I feel like I'm in a fever dream right now. Have you ever have you ever not eaten a suspicious something that someone brought you out of the kindness of their heart, Bubba? Oh, okay.

Yes. I've thrown stuff away that people have given me out of the kindness of their heart. And you said because you felt like it was suspiciously baked? Or not not because it was tasted bad, but like you're like No. I'm not even touching that. You just assumed. Just smell it. I've had situations where people have brought me stuff trying to be sweet, and then I'm just like, that smells like a dumpster fire. Yeah. Like, So I will not be heating that up because the smell will get worse. But like, they have 10 cats. This can't be good. Right. Yeah. Exactly. Like, I don't trust where this came from. The the person is very sweet. Are you saying that there's cat hair in it or they cooked one of the cats? Cat hair. Okay. Got it. Yeah. They love their cats. They would never cook their cat. I couldn't tell from the smell. Yeah. Now they have nine cats. And No. I've had people be generous to me and bring me food and then I'm just it actually it happens more often at work. Oh, yeah. Like, people bring me food because, like, I like to cook, and I like talking about the food that I cook a lot. Like, I'm I mean, I do a lot of stuff like that. Yeah. And so people are just like, oh, yeah. Well, I cooked this. I'm a bring it for you. And I go, great. That sounds fantastic. And then they do, and I'm just like, cool. I'm gonna take this home. And then it it never goes home. No. Yeah. It gets thrown away almost immediately. Yeah. Never go go ahead, Dan. Well, I was saying, like the electrician thing. Like like, I've been in a lot of people's homes in in the pastoral world or or heard heard their life stories to the point where the church potluck. I'm like, this is someone who might put a syringe in a pot. That's right. I mean Yeah. I go right with this syringe in a somebody that used to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I'm like, thank you Jesus for these people. There's not a whole lot you can do with this. You can't do much. I'm a eat But I've seen their kitchen, and I still don't wanna eat it.

Yeah. Yeah. Man, I had my pastor over like a month ago, and now I'm worried about what he's thinking about my place. Yeah. Yeah. I mean He's just allergic to cats. No judgments. It's it's just you you filter things. You you file things away. That's why they call it meatloaf. It's not real descriptive on what kind of meat they're using. Stay away from the Engel nigger meatloaf Yeah. At the potluck. And make definitely count the layers on that bean dip. Oh, yeah. It's not seven layers. This is five, Karen. And I would say anything anything that anything over three layers, just cut some mystery business in there. Yeah. That and if you count just shredded iceberg lettuce as a layer, get out of here. Did you check the expiration dates on that? Yeah. I've yeah. I mean, if you've yeah. Especially a pastoral or a local construction guy, you you go over to people's houses and you're like, I mean, it's fine. It's nice and you got to do a good thing, but you'll walk out of there going, nope. Nope. Mm-mm. No. Uh-uh. That dog that dog has been eating on that turkey that's been on the table. I've been here three days in a row replacing outlets, and that turkey been sitting in exact same place for three days. Oh, yeah. Forget it. But they're still living. They got a stomach of stone, man. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. They got so many probiotics in there due to the filthy Yeah. If you eat a lot of microbes, that's what's gonna happen. I'm paying for the privilege to try to keep that kind of stuff down. You're doing it naturally. You got some kind of micro cultures going on in your stomach that I don't wanna get involved in. Actually, I did feel a bit real bad for our we made Christmas cookies last year for the the the post lady who comes by the house with the mail, and boy, these were bad. These were nasty cookies. They were the kids made a bunch of gluten free cookies. They make them so that then they can have a few of the leftovers. And I tried a couple, and I said, man, you sure you wanna give that to the post woman? I mean, she does good work. Yeah. Why didn't you go buy some legit cookies and just let the kids bake the gluten frees?

Because then they would they would have offended them because they they thought they made really good cookies. Here's the deal. Mike I'm not saying parade it in front of them and go, well, here's good cookies and here's your bad cookies. Here's what you did. You take your bad cookies, we're gonna give them good cookies. You could have just given them the good cookies and be like, well, by the way, these were baked by our kids. And then here's some legit chocolate chip I mean, the kids have to know that they like, so they don't show up going, look, made you delicious cookies when it's not. I mean, you gotta know that your gluten free cookies aren't doing it. Yeah. There's a few there's of of the gluten free cookies, there's like one out of the 7,500 recipes that is any good.

And that's because it's just peanut butter or whatever. Yeah. I was gonna say, if you're making cookies with arrowroot powder Yeah. I don't want it. It's a it's a ball of peanut butter with a raisin You know what? I understand that. A chocolate chip. They'll flour at anything. Right? They're like tree tree bark flour. Actually, I was asking my wife the other day. I said, what the heck do they make potato flour out of? Like, do they they, like, like, dry out a potato and then run it through the mixer? Because that's how we make like like, I I've said, hey, we're out of we're out of oat flour or whatever, and she puts oats in the blender, mixes it up. We're out of almond flour. She puts almonds in the blender and mixes it up. I'm like, I mean, how's this potato? I mean, can you dry a potato out enough to run it through the old vitamin? I I don't I would die laughing if you just threw a potato into a blender. And then was this right? These are hash browns. You made hash browns. Yeah. Yeah. I was gonna say when you blended almonds, didn't you make almond butter? Here's the thing. Can you imagine the the gravitas it takes to just basically grind something up and say that's flour. That's flour. Whatever it is. It doesn't matter what it is. That's what they do with wheat, Mike. Yeah. That's and grind it up. Yeah. But that's legit flour and it's been known

historically as flour. But that's like saying that I can grind up anything and now I call it flour. It's just ground up whatever you have. Yeah. Chocolate flour. Yeah. Yeah. Run it through the Vitamix. Yeah. I made you some mango flour. You don't get to do that. Right? Flour is flour. You get to call it something else. No. Okay. Okay. I'm with you. I like milk. You can't have almond milk. It's not didn't come from a kettle. That's not milk. It's water. It's just almond water. It's what it is. I've made it at home. Yeah. You you you you basically grind up a bunch of almonds. You soak it in a bunch of water. Oh. It's basically like brewing coffee, and then you let it sit there till it gets all white and and milky like really cheap skim milk, and then you sift all the crap out and leave what's behind. It's almond water. Yeah. Coconut milk is just juice. Yeah. It's not even that. It's you're not squeezing anything to get it out.

That's what you're saying. To be milk, it's gotta come out of a teat. Yeah. Yeah. Can you imagine a guy milking a tiny almond teat? Come on. Give me another minute here. I mean, a guy especially a guy new to this type operation, he's like, I've been at this for like six hours. This almost got nothing for me. I've been milking this almond for six hours and I've been lending that potato for three. All it is is hash browns. Sweet till we start our cooking show. This would be great. Yeah. Oh, that's gonna be fantastic. Okay. So George Barna, shares four. Who's gonna do the surveys when Barna is dead? Is he a real man? Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. This is him. Yeah. I always think of Barna and Bailey Circus when I ever hear his name before. He says, four ways Christian parents can combat media's influence in children's lives. Mike, how many can you think of any ways? I got one way. Okay. Let me hear it. Don't let him watch media. Turn it off. That's it. Mike says separate Amish Amish style. Nah. I no. Well

oh, no. It depends on your definition of media. Are we talking like like what? Like, all like, news? Like media. Or or or like a TV show? Is that media as well? That's like entertainment. Yeah. Like Not media though. Like like Internet, YouTube, Netflix Yeah. TV. All that is media. Any of that. Yeah. Oh. Okay. I got it. Because that's social Plus media like media. Multimedia. Yeah.

I feel I feel better Just keep defining what you're doing. People's list than coming up with my own list. So you read his list, and then I will criticize it. Okay. Alright. He says, the most significant influence on the development of a worldview in America today is what we absorb from the media. I'm not now he would know, I guess, but I'm not sure that's true. He's a media company. I don't see the kids listening to media. Well I'm thinking of news. Okay. Never mind. Yeah. So think about anyway, so it could be social media. It could be any media. TikTok. I I think I think it is introduced that way. I do I do think and this may not be true for very much longer, but I do think it is affirmed

or solidified within peer groups still. Not not I I don't like, there's some people that that walk out on a rail and follow a a personality just like people always have, but, like, major shifts, I think, are still happening with affirmations in close, friend groups and contextualize. Even if that's happening over social media, I don't think it's just as bland as you got an idea and it changed your life. Mhmm. I could be wrong about that.

Let's see. And if that's the case, then that says to me as a parent or grandparent or somebody who cares about the development of the worldview of children that I've got to pay attention to what media is investing in those children's minds and hearts. They enlisted four m's that parents should employ to combat the harmful influence of the media on their children. M's? Yeah. Four m's. Start with an m. Mhmm. Number one, he first advised parents to monitor what these kids are being exposed to. Because our research shows that most parents are happy to buy their children every device the kid wants and then leave the kids up to determine what they're going to take in through all those devices. Mistake. They don't even know what their kids are being exposed to. So is this something that, Dan, did you actively actively monitor? Now your kids were on the I suppose teenagers would have been exposed like they had devices and things. Right? They they yeah. Yeah. Like, they got phones when

they were in sports and were being left alone in the parking lot, and we thought, okay, that we need we need to know when this practice is over. It's like a weapon. You call when there's protection. You need protection. Well, just when it's time to get picked up. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because otherwise, like, well, I don't know when the practice is over. I'm not gonna sit there for two hours waiting for you know, the coach is in a bad mood and to go, you know, whatever. Yep. Yeah. And so it became like, okay, that's when they got their phones. But we we we tended to go toward the the cruder phones available at the time, you know, like, then they never had spark smartphones Rudevitver. You know. Okay. In charge. And then, so did you monitor? Did you ever do you feel like checking history of things or stuff like do you ever feel like you had to do any of that?

I didn't. I mean, knows what they could have done secretly, but there was a trust there and we had so much so many conversations. We talked about so many things that I figured I had set them up so that whatever they were exposing themselves to, they would be over they would know how to maneuver it. Yep. Yep. Yep. I tried to make them because I because I I knew that you're not it's it's there. It's just there. Right. I mean, there's you can't you can monitor it, but it's everywhere, you know. And

their friends have it and, you know, all that. So we tried to prepare them for that. Yeah. That makes sense. Think that's a good point. Is that the the regardless of how close you think you can lock your own joint down, like, there's always the friend that there's always the friend who's got the playboy somewhere. Let me know I'm Exactly. There's always the friend who's not locked down and has taken been looking at stuff for a while and can go, hey, take a at this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and the whole idea was was not everyone looks at the world the way you do. So just understand there are people out there who don't believe in Jesus, who don't have moral standards, and and so don't be shocked. Don't be like, oh, gotta believe in that. Know? Yep. You just just know that. Yep. And it's not healthy for you. That's right. Okay. Yeah. Mike, Mike, what what what are you doing? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, our kids have devices. I do

I think when I gave them to them, like, I I asked them if they understood how, like, the Internet browser works or how Netflix works, and I said, look, your history stays. I don't I don't I check it, mean, really randomly,

but not very often. But basically, I mean, I use the same accountability for me. Right? Like, figured what's good for where it was me is good for them. Right? Like, my history stays. And if you didn't have anything to hide, then there's no reason for your history ever to be clear. Yeah. So so just if I find your Internet history is is short or gone or missing, or I can't find out what you've been watching, I'll probably have to take this stuff back. But I I don't I don't I don't do it on, like, a weekly or even a monthly basis. It's 07:00. Yeah. Just if I usually, I here's the thing that I can tell with with my kids. It's like if they spend an inordinate time

on electronics, they start to get a little bit of a me centric attitude. Mhmm. Right? Like and it just I mean, it happens to adults too. Right? It's just more noticeable because they have a parent, you know, in the room. I could probably I'd probably do the same thing. There's just no one parenting me, You know, but like

and so if I if I see that coming or if I feel like that's coming on or I need an explanation on some behavior I've been looking at, I'll be like, just let me see your computer. I'm a go through it. Same same thing with phones. Like, they got they got passwords on their phones. I know what they are. Yeah. If I can't if there's ever a time that I can't get in your phone because you changed your password, I'm gonna have to take the phone back. So because it's my phone. Mhmm. You know? So and and so, you know, it's it's saying, look, you have this is the freedom, but the protection is is like, there's a there's a chance someone's gonna catch up on you. You're gonna check up on what you're doing. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That makes sense. I think mine's mine's similar. It's the the cost of the device is is transparency. And then which which means, like, you're more likely to get someone to say something to you, like, they're gonna talk things they may have run into or whatever. And, like, I think I'll check every once in a while. I'll check messages, and every once in a while, I'll look at at browser history. But, like, it's not it's not a ton. Yeah. And and frankly, that's just a it it's like it's like putting your putting your kid out into the world and and you peeking out the door every once in a while going, are we doing okay here? You know, just to make sure they're not because I'm like, you know, people get sucked in. This is not all, like, micro parenting,

you know. It's I mean, you still give a crap about your kids. Mhmm. Right? And so you don't throw them out like you've been in the world long enough. You I I don't even know if I'm fit to be out in it, you know. And so like, as as much as you want to give your kids freedom, there's a there's a a way to parent well where it gives your kids freedom to go out and experience some things, but you I mean, you still check up on them and go how's things going. There's an enemy whose desire is to devour them. Correct. And he's quite cunning. Yes. So yeah. Okay. Alright. So,

wait. Wait. Wait. We agree. Monitor. Monitor makes sense. Mhmm. Okay. So also suggested that parents minimize it because our research also shows that in America, the biggest addiction in our country is media. We spend more time literally absorbing messages from media than anything else we do except for sleep. I what am I I saw the other day that it said that the average American watches four hours of TV a day. Do you guys watch that much TV a day? I can't imagine. That's a lot. That's not an answer, Dan.

Well I can't imagine not. I can't I mean, I didn't wanna say no, you know, emphatically when if you maybe if you imagine it, you'd be like, well, you're at three forty five. I mean Maybe it's a lot. Is are they saying TV counts as all video streaming Internet? Yeah. I think so. Yeah. Buva, what was that same high to you or no? No. Absolutely not. No. You do you you get in four a day? If I'm not working Mhmm. And it's a day off where I actually am trying to, like, relax a little bit. Sitting back. Yeah. I could see that a day like that. Yeah. Yeah. But like an average of four hours? No. Not an average of four hours because, yeah, I'm working. Yeah. That seems real high. I'm working or sleeping.

I don't know. I bet two. I bet two. Like, you watch something every night? An episode of something? Yeah. Watch a couple three episodes or something or with your with your significant other while you're, you know, decompressing the day and saying what you're looking, Tyler. I think the biggest thing I would do is watch YouTube videos of, like, cooking. Mhmm. Like, I watch, like, cooking shows.

Are they about cooking? Cook cooking. Do they address the cat hair? What what to do what

to do about these people? Oh, okay. Alright. So so so minimize Just to reiterate, I did wanna let you know that the shows that I do watch, mainly, I would say cooking

is There's a lot of food involved. Yeah. Like cooking food is the usual thing. Grilling? Not to be redundant or anything. Right. Just yeah. It's cooking. Sometimes they're just heating up the food. Sometimes they're actually Right. Like I wouldn't even call it cooking. It would just be like reheating. Yeah. Fire elements. A lot of them are, yeah, in fact, yeah, cooking. So so, like,

did you ever I I guess so how do you how do you go about this? How do you minimize for your kids? Like, I mean, we'll kick them out of the house and be like, look, you can't it's nice outside. Go outside. Outside. Or it's not nice outside, get out. I don't care either way. We do we do a time limit. So, like, you can you can have phones, or or be on electronics, after, like, eight. And, like, you gotta be in bed by nine or 09:30. Yeah. And so, like, you get to use your time wisely. But here's this is the beauty of giving that type of freedom is because the next day or the day after, they'll be like, oh, I just really wanted to, you know, play a game with you, dad. And then you weren't around them. I'm like, you had between eight and 09:30 and this didn't come up. You that you made no mention of this. But all of a sudden, technology's gone and all of sudden, dad's real hot commodity, you know.

Just realize that, like, words and actions. You know what I'm saying? Like, can see right through this. We're like, oh, I just didn't have time to clean my room. I mean, you had time between eight, 09:30 to do it and you did not. So it couldn't have been that important to you, you know? Yeah. And so like, it it helps give a little bit of, you know, cause and effects and structure that goes, look, you do have some freedom, but realize like, it's it's not free of all responsibilities. It's not like an an hour and a half that gets taken completely out of the day. If if you didn't get your laundry done, I don't I don't wanna hear nothing. I don't wanna hear nothing about this. Right? You had time to do it and you chose not to. Yeah. So I mean, that's true that's true as an adult. Right? You set people up for life. Like, as soon as you get out of your mom and dad's house, you can sit around and do nothing all day. You're gonna have a hard time eating, sleeping, wearing clean clothes, or doing all the things that you've accustomed to while living at your day at your mom and dad's place, you know? Yeah.

Okay. The next one was mediate. Serve as the mediator between what the media is trying to get you to believe and what we as followers of Jesus believe based on what the scriptures teach. He marked that if parents are watching a show with the children that exposes them to an idea that runs contrary to the biblical worldview, they should tell them, we know that's a lie because the scriptures teach us this. Okay. I don't know. I mean, don't I wouldn't say like that. No. Yeah. I'd say it differently. Like a real nerd. That's a 100%. That's fabulous. Sorry. Yeah. Definitely. Say something was real nerdy. Yeah. To go, we know that's a lie. You know, Colossians two says that's a lie. Yeah. Yeah. That seems nerdy to me. Yeah. Yeah. It's like saying because the Bible tells us so. What did Jesus love? Yeah. There there'd be many many times over the years I'd pause, you know, the Hannah Montana, whatever, you know, whatever's on it and go, hey,

just clarify. We we we we think differently. Because the kids came in while you were watching it? Or You know? Oh, I'm just checking this out for you guys. News was on sixty two. My bad. Hannah Montana. It was it was was it was often. There were often conversation. And and I tried really hard not to make it creepy, know, like, I wasn't talking down to it. It was just like, hey, here's what the world looks like. It's so hard not to sound cheesy. Yeah. Because you know you sound cheesy to them. Yeah. Yeah. Like, you're already old and for in their estimation. And and you're already out of touch with whatever's going on, and then you try and explain Grace accuses me of this all the time. She's like, I don't know why anytime technology comes up, you have to start talking like a conspiracy theorist, like they're out to get me. I'm like, they are. No. They are out to get me. Lizard

people. Yeah. I'm telling you. Hello, my baby. Hello, my and and Totally for the lizard. You know, it wasn't like a half hour, you know, sermon. It it was like just little, hey, we don't do that. Yeah. That would make that Hannah Montana episode really long if every time something broke down, Dan's like, we don't wear the fake hair. Started here. Leviticus twenty seven thirteen says. Right. Right. Yeah. It wasn't that. It was just

Ben, admittedly, that sounds like something you might do. What do you mean? Like I would give the bible verse? No. As in you'd spend the twenty five minutes talking about why something that was said in one line was bad. Oh, no. I might definitely do that. Yeah. Turn the Hannah Montana episode into four and a half hours. Yes. Yes. No. Keep pausing and going, okay. I know we just talked. Yes. Yo. No. Yes. Paid. Guilty as charged. Actually, I I spent a number You up with a quiz at the end of it. Alright. Now why don't we believe that? B b That also sounds right. Yes. I said so like, I used to last year, I was having to drive my oldest to jazz band relatively early in the morning. Like, we'd leave the house at 05:45 or something to get to the other side of town. And like, we'd be listening to news.

And it was NPR because they like, at least it was always news. And so they'd be talking and like, I swear every story was like, okay now, I want you to think about how they presented this to you. Does this seem right? Yeah. But but like, it's been a lot it's been helpful because like now she's she's pretty good at it. She can pick out like Yep. Hey, we're missing a part of the story. I said, don't presume that it's nefarious, but just know that you're missing it Yeah. And that you don't have a complete story until you get it. Yeah. Sweat and training so you don't believe in war. Yeah. Yeah. So like so I I think that's been and that that the right mediation, I think, as as people take in media and like that's the one of the biggest risks of media is one, perpetrating lies to your children or or things that we otherwise wouldn't agree with in mass.

So just because 50 people said the same thing still doesn't make it true. Just because a million people shared it, just because it's it seems it's with a cool graphic. Secondly, you're almost never getting especially with social media, you're almost never getting things in context. But it's also true for all forms of traditional media. If someone told you the state of the war somewhere in The Middle East in under ninety seconds, you did not get a full perspective. Right. It's just not you just didn't. And so, like, reserve judgment. They're passing on facts. That's great. If they're not, like, anything beyond that, just be careful. You're probably not getting a full picture, especially a so when a politician reacted this way or these politicians reacted this way, you're getting shifted on the story. And it's it's agnostic to, political side. It's just happening. And so, if you can pick that stuff out, then whatever. You can consume media all you want to. I get more enjoyment out of just listening to it, but like but not, I don't get riled up about it because I'm like, boy, there's a half story. As opposed to like, I'm really incensed because of this thing or this thing. I'm like, I I don't even know whether that's true or not. I'm gonna have to check. Yeah. I tell you, one of the most gratifying conversations I had with my youngest daughter, she was in her undergrad years. So sometime in that first four years,

we had a conversation and and she was saying what she was so grateful for in her upbringing that her her peers did not get in in the conversation. It is that when there was a a like a rule or some type of conversation I would have with her of why we weren't doing something, I actually told her why. It wasn't just because, well, because I'm the dad. Yeah. Right. You know, I say so. Christians don't do that. It's like, it would give a more of a purpose. This is why we don't do that. And so she could think, learn to think, and like, okay. And if it's a different situation, I can still think, okay, we don't do these things. And like, so many of her friends had no clue how to handle life because all they did was the the whatever particulars mom and dad talked about. Yeah. Right. Wrong. Right. Here's the list. Here's all yeah. Yeah. Because the whole goal is to is to be able to recognize sin, and then when sin go put a mustache on, it comes back in and be like Yeah. Hello. I'm different Be like, hey, man. I recognize you. Yeah. Write that mustache, you fooling me. Yeah. I Yeah. Didn't mean I didn't know I was doing that. I like to think I was intentional, it was it was it was it was it was Purely by accident. I just ooze greatness. Put on a jean jacket and things happen.

Okay. Moral lies. Then finally oh, no. That was the last and final one was moral lies. In other words, helping them to understand the difference between right and wrong. That one might not have been necessary. I assume that was part of mediate. Otherwise, your mediation is funny. You know, here's the thing is if it wouldn't been for some of the conversations we've been having about

masks and points of view or whatever, that one, I it's it's not as clear to me. Like, I I'm I'm really I'm really growing to understand the battle of the goods, right, of of of two people or two different sides of a story that are coming at it believing that they're making good decisions here. Right? And so, like, I think we're sometimes we're too quick to go good and evil or right and wrong and and and take the the humanity out of it, which is God's whole his whole deal. Like his humanity is his whole deal. Right? Like he created an earth and put us as an ambassadors, his representatives on the earth. And so, like, taking some of those things out of it and acting like,

religion is or is a straight black and white, you know, good on one side, not good on the other side. I think that's categorizing people as less than, and I never noticed Jesus be doing that. So, I mean, there's some things that we can't acquiesce to. Right? There's some things that are pretty black and white. God's heart is spoken on it. His intentions are pretty straightforward. We can always say, I don't think we agree on this, but I think we can still be friends. We can still be in a relationship of some kind.

But on the other hand, when there's especially political type things, I think more often than not, we're coming from battle of goods here, where people believe that they're they're they're doing the best thing. And even even talking about some of the Middle East stuff, go and talk to them. Go talk to both sides of that conflict and both of them believe that they're doing what is necessary and right and good. Mhmm. Yeah. So I I think that's that's a really good exercise. It's like, your gut reaction should never be good evil. I would I would first say,

different? Yes. Different? How? Like, where different? So we're the same. Where are we what do we do we agree on anything at all? And then now focus on where you're different, and then figure out why you have a difference there. And then maybe you can make a good evil thing. Like, you could you can get to a point where it says, as opposed to like big buckets of good and evil, like, let's narrow it down and figure out exactly where where the problem is. And then eventually, there's gonna be there's a moral choice in there somewhere. But like, what we tend to do is we like we we we paint the whole picture that way as opposed to saying, this is the thing that actually throws it off. We're good here. We're good here. This is where we parted company. These are where the decision tree took us. And then ultimately, that's the moral question that we that we're not agreeing on. Because, like, that's that you can point that's substantive. It feels like human versus human unnecessarily when we just go, you have an idea. I have an idea. I hate you for that. That that's not productive. Okay.

Let's see. Blah blah blah blah blah. Panelists also elaborated on what constitutes a worldview. A person's worldview is formulated to by answers to questions asking, where did I come from? Does my life have meaning? Yes, no, and why? I don't care about that. That's an odd addition to the story. Yeah. Holy cow. It goes on for another eight paragraphs of blah blah blah. So noting that there are sixteen thousand hours between kindergarten and twelfth grade, you cannot overcome the impact of those sixteen thousand hours by taking them to church on Sunday and maybe take them to youth group on Wednesday night. So I do think that's true. Although you counted the number of hours,

they have exposure to school, how many hours do I have at home? Like, I'm because I'm not relying on my Sunday school teacher or the pastor to rescue my kid. Mhmm. Like, you you you're gonna have to parent them at home. I think I think you'd double double down on that. Yeah. Like, there's a lot of folks. In fact, I was some folks on the family put something out on the on the Facebook this week. We're like, here's our how to talk to your kids that have walked away from Jesus or how to prevent them from walking away with Jesus. Right? And the comments were just filled with parents that like, I did everything right. I I lived a good Christian upbringing. I taught them everything that Jesus should have not, and they walked away from Jesus anyway. And, like, two out of my three kids, you know. And, like and it was just comment after comment after comment. And and and there every once in a while, you'd get someone in there asking for prayer for that situation. I'm like, I believe that guy. That guy I'm board with. Everyone else. I feel like and and here's the thing, it's like it's it's way more common than you think. Oh, man. It's it's you are like, you're you're a good parent, you love your kids, and what that's not what we're talking about here. But you take the spiritual thing, the thing that God has taught us about how his world is supposed to work, and you said, we better leave that to the professionals. The thing is is, like, if you want, especially youth group and a church attendance for a child to mean something to them, they need to be reinforcing what you're already doing. That makes it legitimate. It's because they know that your mom and dad aren't just religious zealots and that's just not them on and how they are and they go into another community of people and go, oh, well, my my youth group lady was saying the exact same thing. And so that must now that must be God's deal. That must be what God has said, not just what mom has said. You know, and so that's how you how you youth group and and church programming for kids start to add legitimacy to the things that you're doing at home. But if it doesn't exist at home, now the youth group guys to sell it. Or your pastor is some kind of hard nosed jerk face. You know, in the kids in the kids estimation,

well, you know, they don't really make that big of a deal out of this stuff at home. And so, obviously, that guy's hard to get along with. Right? So you're not doing yourself any favors trying to do it that way. Yeah. I agree. So and it talks about, schools laying a foundation that the media then supports. So I guess if there's a broad takeaway here, it's that, like, you should whatever those four m's are should probably be true for almost anything your kids are dealing with. Like like you did, don't turn your kid over to anything. Right. You're constantly monitoring how much exposure they have to any given thing, talking them through it. And their friends. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Same difference. Yeah. Their peers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So just like just I I guess, sum it up, be active in their lives. Yeah. And then tell them true things in reaction to the things they're running into. And if this can be an encouragement for you, it's never too late to take your role as a parent back. Doesn't matter how far you let it slide. You gave them devices, they got four devices, and you let them go crazy wild for the last three years, and you're like, I gotta do something, but they're gonna be mad at me if I take their devices away. Just do it. They're mad at you anyway. Just take them away. Yeah. Just take them away. And then add I mean, give them back to you'll give them back to them. You know, like, you'll find you'll find where you feel comfortable as a parent for them. But if you failed,

don't live in the failure. Don't be like, I've already done it. I've already made this you let them date somebody that you shouldn't have. You let them go somewhere where they shouldn't go. Just say, yeah. That was my reaction last week. That is no longer my reaction. Here's what we're gonna do moving forward. Right? That do just take it back today. Don't sit on it and wait and worry about their feelings on the matter. That they're children. That's your job is to parent them. And like you cannot let their feelings run your house. You've seen their feelings. They're wild and unpredictable. Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's not like, that's the thing is that you gotta be reasonable with your kids is that like,

they're depending on you to help them set boundaries. They don't know what the boundaries are. They're gonna press them. They're gonna push around to see what works and what's what's good, what's not good. They're gonna try out different ideas and stuff. And, like, if you don't act as the boundary, they're gonna keep on a good one, because that's what they're testing. Like, every in fact, everybody does. Adults are still doing this. Like, you're still you're still trying things out and going, okay. I can handle that. Or you know what? No. I can't. Now maybe if you live a tame life and it has to do with how many tamales you can eat or how many sodas or how late you can drink soda. But, like, you tell me you're not still doing it. Like, you know, you say, man, I probably shouldn't drink all this soda, then you go, you know, I'm gonna try this at 08:00 and see if it works out. And then it doesn't work out, you're like, oh, crap. I'm gonna have to not drink soda after five. You're still doing this. Yeah. And you're gonna keep doing it. Your kid is just got a whole a whole bunch of things. They haven't nailed down any of that yet. You're like, I know probably not soda late at night. I just don't know how late. Your kid's like, I don't know why not soda all the time. Yeah. Mhmm. Right. So so like, be the be the boundary. Be help them not walk off cliffs. It's totally fine. Yeah. Yeah. Just don't be afraid to take it back. Alright. Okay. I don't care about that article anymore. It yields a life from the path. I don't know. Maybe

maybe you've had experience in this, and you're like, hey, I tried all this stuff and it didn't work. Or, you've run into situations where you got some additional tips, we'd love to hear them. You can give us a call or a text on the Life From The Path Bob Eisenhower complaint line. (515) 517-0085. That's (515) 517-0085. The Bob Eisenhower Life on the Path complaint line. You can call or text. Bob's a good man. My mom's car broke down, and, she blew a tire and somehow, limped it into the Eisenhower parking lot. Really? Yeah. And so I had to shoot him a text. They said, Bob, my mom's car is in your parking lot. And he said, it's no problem. Because I thought maybe he'd tow it away. You know, he doesn't know. Yeah. And like, it's not like she landed it there on purpose. It just happened to be his parking lot. I said, well, bonus.

So anyway, I I was I had like an open tire sitting in there. Was a parking lot, and he was real gracious about it. That's why we like Bob. Yeah. That's cool. Buy a house. Yeah. Wait. Yeah. Buy a house. Yeah. This is a good reason. If you weren't, you're gonna buy them before. Now's the time. I let you park that Jethro Mobile here. You better use me for your next transaction. I I so I'm interested in your students nationwide take part in Bring Your Bible to School Day. What do you think about this? Dan, you ever were you ever part of something like that? No. I just always thought it was dorky.

Like, at the eighth annual bring your bible to school day, students were emboldened to share the word of god with their classmates. What what's the disconnect here? Yeah.

If you just see I have a physical bible, then now you've now you've been evangelized or something. It's like, I think you need to be living it, you know? I mean Yeah. I think it goes back to a legitimate thing. Like we talked about with the parents and the and the youth. The same thing is true with your classmates. Right? Like you show up here every day acting like a complete horse's behind, and then all of a sudden bring the bring your Bible to because your mom and dad put it in your hands and set you on the way and like represent Jesus today. You know, like, they're gonna see right through this. Put on the pharisee robe and put on the long dangly tassels and they're gonna think you're a good prayer. You know, it's like I mean, I it's it's it's true when talking to with just about anybody

who doesn't know Jesus. You have no excuse not to love them. That's that you have to do. You don't ever change or agree to

things that God doesn't agree with. Right? You don't ever move. And because this is this is true with all types of of sin and people who don't know Jesus, is eventually, at some point in their life, they're gonna start questioning the decisions they've been making. And you have to be that person that they can come back and talk to because you never moved. You never agreed that the sinny thing they were doing was not sin. You called it what it was and you said, yes. That's what it is. But I still love you. And so, like, that when you when you bring a Bible to to to school and you don't actually read it, you're gonna give a really false impression on what

who Jesus is and what God is about. And, like, it's just it seems dangerous to me, honestly. Like, if it's it's one of those things that like as soon as you decide that like, maybe following Christ ain't for you, you should probably stop preaching or talking to people. Right? Until you get until you you understand what what is happening and where you're at, you know. And so it just seems like an offy kitschy kitschy move. Yeah. Like yeah. If

the expect I I guess if if if it wasn't bring your bible, if it was something else, like, would you are you making disciples? If everybody who loved the Cincinnati Reds coordinated and put a day together where they all wore their Reds paraphernalia,

I mean, I suppose I know who the Reds fans are, but that has no particular consequence to me. But it doesn't it doesn't motivate me to be a believer. I don't really wanna listen to them talk to me about why I should love the Reds. Right. Uh-huh. Like, I don't. It just seems it's like a maybe it just feels like a shallow victory. Like, we're claiming some sort of success for what? For doing something we could do on our own every day if you want to. Yeah. And like, I mean, do they real are do they think kids are doing this? Like, they're showing up with the Bible and kids are going like, oh, good. Now I'm open to the gospel. I just Yeah. I just don't know. Yeah. Maybe I'd be surprised. Maybe it'd be real awesome to hear, like, stories out of this thing where they're like, yeah, you know, you don't think it works, but like,

the word of God someone just carrying the word of God around makes flowers grow. Like, I something God can't do it. Just Right. Right. I I don't know. I I kinda put it up there with like, I always thought it was kind of creepy, like, when they did the forty hour famine thing and then it all wear t shirts. Hey, I'm fasting. You know, it's like I mean, I don't know forty hour. I mean, I get it's a fast. Yeah. But it's not like

it seems not the purpose, you know. You're going kind of contrary to Right. The the heart of it, you know. Yeah. And of why God was doing fastings anyway and Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But we're raising awareness. You just have to watch You have to be aware of anything that calls attention to yourself. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's all. And like, and and I suppose you can weigh it and measure it and go, hey, where we at here? But like, you bringing a bible school causes calls attention to you, not necessarily to Jesus. Yeah. Right? You can you can call attention to Jesus by the way that you interact with other people for sure.

But the fact that, like, even Christian t shirts are like, yeah. Yeah. Wear them. Don't wear them. Hey, I do see those BLDR shirts around town all the time though. Yeah. Yeah. That guy we had, like, I I see him a lot. It's more more prone to people who go to coffee shops. Well, here's the thing. It's like I saw somebody wearing a BLDR t shirt, and, like, when I was out in West Des Moines, I waved at them, and they didn't wave back. And I thought, oh, I see. It's a real jack wagon. Yeah. Yeah. We gotta I I was about ready to call that guy we had come in and say, like, you need to with that shirt back. Deconstructing? Yeah. He's that's right. I'm getting rid of the d and the r. So so the guy from who's the folks on the family, no doubt, he says it opens doors for students to talk to their friends about the gospel.

Like, this was the occasion. If they're your friends, like, I just why I don't know why you'd have to focus it on this. I'm not sure that like, oh, the door was shut because you didn't physically bring your scriptures to school. Yeah. I I don't know. It connects them with other believers in their school. That seems kinda handy. I see that. Yeah. Except for because of how they've set up the event, I might be a little wary of either the parents or the kid who show who's the guy who's like, heck yeah. Bible day. Yeah. We had a guy on our football team who'd carry his bible around. Like, I just didn't I never I don't if I ever talked to him. Yeah. And I mean, I was a total Bible guy. I totally love Jesus. Yeah. And I was just like, you're kinda weird. Yeah. Yeah. But because That says more about me. It feels like he's gonna use it aggressively. Like, you just don't. And this this one is actually makes me nervous. It allows them to celebrate their religious freedoms in The United States. I'm like,

yeah. But why? Like, why would I have the I don't the only reason I care about whether I have a religious freedom is Sowett has the ability to otherwise help me spread the good news. And I don't care that I have a personal religious freedom that requires a celebration. Like, I just it's a wrong thought. Like, that seems like an exercise on I want to show you that I have a right to do this. Yeah. That doesn't change the world. That just justifies you. No. There's there's dudes on the other side of the world that are carrying their Bible to go to the market because they might get shot on the way there. And they're gonna read it while the the guys are filling their order. Right? Like, they're it's part of their day. It's part of the regular. Right? It's like saying like, hey, wear your socks to work day. And you're like, finally. Like, I wear socks to work every day and everybody knows it. And so like, it's odd to call attention to something that like, either you do it or you don't. Either it means something to you or you don't. And like, people will know that, hopefully, by the way that you're living it out. And so like the the the one one day of, hey, hurrah, showing it to everybody kind of stuff is like, once again, I think you just gotta be careful that of of of what it's calling attention to. Yeah. Yeah. It is cool to meet other like, to know that there's other Jesus people. Maybe we could we'll maybe put something else together, like, a gray shirt or something. I don't know. Like, figure out I just thought the flagpole prayer thing wasn't so bad. I don't I didn't think it was like they had kids get together at the flagpole before Oh, yeah. School started. Just praying. Yeah. Just praying. I'm like, okay, one, you're you're bringing God into this deal. You're praying for your school that you're going to and you get to see the other Christian folks. And we're like, well, hey, we're a bigger community than we thought. And then you get to walk in and bold and take it on. Right? But like, it Bible thing doesn't seem the same to me and I don't know why. Yeah. Okay.

Let's see. Do we think bulk of bulk of students are high school students or junior high? But he says students could participate all through college. Like, what this feels like permission. Like, you think college kids is gonna ask you, is it okay if I bring my Bible today? It's just you know what it does? I think what what what I where I get wary here is that,

I think it's real easy to look at, this type of thing, which just feels like propaganda to me. And then I look at the Christians, I think those people are easily fooled. Look how they got propagandized. Yeah. It'd be the same thing if a bunch of Scientologists and their kids started showing up handing out crap. I'm like, this kid doesn't even know what he's talking about. Like, parents are obviously making him do it. This is a weird belief system. It would be it'd like This delegitimizes it to me. It'd like if I was go like like, could travel out of town for work. Right? And like, my Bible it'd be like if I if I put my Bible at the top of my bag and then spilled my bag open like, oh, hey, fellas. You guys saw my Bible. Yeah. I'm a Jesus man. You know, my Bible stays in my bag because that's where it's gonna be when I take it out and read it. Right? It's just it just seems like it's it's it's all for show. It's like it's Yeah. Propping up a a weird reality. It's like you have your Bible on the phone and you say, hey, guys. I'm reading my Bible now. Yeah. Just a heads up. Get into your phone. Yeah. It's like

yeah. That's And then I think to myself like, but focus on the family puts a lot of time into this. They expanded into homeschool kids. Yeah. Right. Like, the harvest is plentiful. I mean, kind of elsewhere, homeschool kids are filled with this kind of jazz. Yeah. They take bible as a class, these people. And so, I mean, not all of them, but I mean, really, if you're gonna focus your time, I'm just I'm not sure. Well, we saw an opportunity to expand into homeschool.

Okay. I mean Yeah. Tough nut to crack, buddy. Yeah. But like, but like, we're spending time. There's people whose jobs are these to, like, jig this thing up. Yeah. I just you know, maybe we'll do something else. Maybe focus our time on something else. I'm less worried about whether they showed up to this day. They said we want a million people to do it. I'm like, I mean, is that it's just such a bad measure of anything. Like, if you wanna invest in something that to do in in public school focus to otherwise like, I don't know, FCA when it actually used to be FCA and they cared about some of the Christian stuff going on. But like that kind of work, maybe that's awesome. Maybe that's really cool. Like, do they not care about that anymore? I it's just it's I mean, the notion of being a Christian in FCA is like largely unnecessary.

I it's because you can't press the matter. It's now it becomes a discriminator Yeah. Discriminatory problem. Gotcha. So, like, I I just I I just the focus are we focusing let's go with what what where can we agree? We can agree that focusing in this area is right, And that kids like, all the stuff that you say comes from it, I don't think comes from it. But we want we do want those things to happen. I do want kids praying, thinking about their school thoughtfully, looking for opportunities to share the gospel, being emboldened and empowered

to be confident in who they are and what they believe in even in that environment. These are all right things. I just think, like, how you're going about it is a real false victory. You're not only not winning, you're also not winning people to the way you're thinking. Mhmm. We should stop spending time on it. Okay. Let's

guy says, bring your bible school day and the live your faith challenges as a way to create contributors in God's kingdom story rather than consumers. Again, it's not the same. I don't I'm just not sure that that's what it's doing. We've lowered the bar so much. Yeah. That that's that's what it feels like because we've really lowered the bar. What does it look like to be a disciple of Jesus? Carry the book. And be bold about it. And even though even like I just it almost presents kids the opportunity to feel real to be arrogant too. Like, hey, I'm exercising my free rights to do so. I mean, is this the posturing that we're after? Right now, you're trying to solve a political problem, not a necessarily a false You wanna fight that on another realm, like, I it's different it's just different to me. Like, the the rights and things that our country proposes to honor,

I think you should fight for that. But don't blend this over here. Just make sure you're not using Jesus as a weapon to solve your own personal political problems. Mhmm. Where Jesus cares about it anyway, and then you're using a political process to emboldenly, like, make sure those things happen. I'm okay. Or that you try to maintain the freedom to do it. I'm okay with it. Just it just feels like you're picking it up as you're using Christ as a weapon Yeah. For something you keep for you. And like and that seems, yeah, that seems real bad.

Okay. Finally, Texas A and M kicker recited Psalm twenty three one all night before hitting game winning field goal against Alabama. Okay. Hey. You remember what I was saying last week? We have trouble reading these stories and like, here's how they're gonna go. We're gonna find something that seems like super Christian, and we're gonna glad y'all into it and get a lot of encouragement for it when we probably shouldn't.

Bingo. Yeah. He said it all night. What do you hold on. Let me see here. Let's see. Thought it was incredible night. Best moment of my life. Right after I accepted Jesus into my heart as my true lord and savior.

And then after getting married to my wife this summer, good catch. I'd rank this one three. After the game, he deflected the praise for his kick and turned it toward his team. It's not just me. I get to do a little fraction of it. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. What does he say about this thing? Oh, he tried to just focus on doing his job. I was just repeating Psalm twenty three one to myself all night, which is the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. That kinda comforted me, but that's the moment I live for, and I kinda wanna focus on that, then celebrate afterwards just so I deliver on my part. They've been delivering on their part all night long. So here was the thing where I'm with him. I I do use scripture that way.

And it actually even doesn't even have to be particular to a circumstance. Like, are times where I get anxiousness in in my stomach and stuff, and just like reciting words of Jesus is helpful to me. Mhmm. Just whatever's coming to mind and just kinda let it just keep coming, and just let it kinda saturate and and move around even if it's not related to what's going on. That is helpful to me. I'm I'm I'm with that. Yeah. Again, the problem I think is that I see it in a news story and the way they've used it, I it just makes it seem kinda goofy. Yeah. Yeah. That's super disappointing. Yeah. Yeah.

Alright. Hey, you're listening to Life From The Path. I don't know. I think I'm tapped out on stories. Good. I got some advice and then we're gonna tail it. Yeah. Let's do it. Ready? Yep. Dear, live from the path. We have a niece who spent twelve years in Hollywood trying to become an actress. The only job she ever managed to land was a TV commercial that showed only her hands.

After spending tens of thousands of dollars and having five different agents, she finally gave up and moved back to Kansas. She has now written a play in which she is the producer, director, and sole actor. Mhmm. She has rented a venue and now expects all her friends and family to pay $50 each to come and watch her perform. We feel this is nothing more than a hobby of hers and question the level of talent and entertainment that will be presented. We rarely attend even the best of Broadway plays, but now feel obligated to go to keep peace in the family. How can we get out of this without causing resentment? I think you should go.

Mean, unless like legitimately you don't have the money, but like you it's here's the thing. I think you're gonna have a good story one way or the other. Either you're gonna be super impressed or you're gonna be able to talk I mean, not with everybody, but definitely with your spouse on the way home, you're like, boy, that was real rough. Yeah. Well, you ain't been fleeced like that in years. Just don't sure. I just don't know about this. I had a suspicion she was awful. I saw her handwork. Yeah. And

I I just I mean, you don't have to go. I wouldn't feel any particular obligation, but like I'd go. I'd probably go. I I probably would too and I'd probably grumble about it to my wife all the way there. She's they're sucking a $100 out of us. Yep. Right. Nothing brings marriages together like a mutual grumble. Yeah. Yeah. Especially if it's on like a tertiary side of the family. Right? Like it's deep in your wife or deep in your side, you're like, these clowns.

Yeah. We'll go, but I'm telling you what. And then you get to leave and go, that cousin, I tell you what. Yeah. Couldn't I do this again? We can't be hanging out with these people. I mean, don't have to go again. I mean, like I said, you don't have to go. I don't think you should feel obligation. And like, there's no reason if they try to guilt you, then that's on them. That's their fault. And frankly, then they've shown their true colors. Yeah. But like, you know, I would just make a night out of it. I think it'll be a good memory one way or the other. It will bring some entertainment, something to talk about for years to come. I just go, yeah. Agreed. Yeah. Yeah. Because if if she doesn't have talent, it will flop. And then,

you know You never have a story. Right? Yeah. And it's like nobody else is coming. So And Casey, here's the thing. I'll tell you this. She still wrote a whole play Yeah. And rented out a theater Yeah. And is acting in a whole thing. And so like, it could be the world's worst play you've ever gone to. But like,

even completing a play, even if it's bad, is still a level someone's put a level of effort and that's all you're showing appreciation for. You tried. Even if you I still go to the little kids soccer games. They're terrible. I still go. Yeah. Segular says, shame on you. This production for better or for worse is the culmination of twelve years of effort on your niece's part. Not to mention her heart's desire. If you care at all about her, spend the $50 and invest an hour or so of your time in her production. Her level of talent may surprise you. But if it doesn't, at least you will know you did the right thing for the sake of the family.

I I don't know if it's the right thing or not. I don't I I would take the take out the the weight of sake of the family. That's not if your family is gonna part company or hold the animosity to you because you don't wanna drop a 100 bones to go see this play, I'm not sure that's a particularly healthy relationship. They might they will, oh, it's too bad they didn't wanna come or whatever. But like, you know, I would get rid of the weight of that, but do it anyway. Just go anyway. Dear life from the path.

My husband and I have been together for fifteen years. Over the last couple of them, he has grown distant. We were living with family for nearly ten years. At the beginning of the year, we finally got a place of our own, but nothing has changed. He likes to drink his beer after work. I've asked him not to, but he does it anyway. I've caught him in lie after lie about his alcohol intake and jobs he has left in years past. As long as I go with the flow, everything is fine. When I get upset, he always promises to to do better, but it never lasts long. Last month, I caught him messaging another woman inviting her to lunch. He even texted he would plan a trip and let her know. When I asked about it, he told me he was drunk and it was stupid. Am I overreacting or is my husband of fifteen years no longer into this marriage? You might be you might be

presuming a problem or a solution that I think is is maybe not healthy. I I wouldn't assume things were going well and then now he's becoming distant and slowly fading away from you. I think your husband is an alcoholic, and I think he's lying to hide that. I think a guy who lies to hide his alcoholism

will just as easily lie to hide other things going on in his life. And maybe it was a consequence of of how he feels about himself, either while he's drunk or because he gets drunk. And so I think you have a problem that is then expressing itself in 50 different ways that has very little to do with, hey, we were real close romantically and now he's fading away. I don't I don't know that I would presume that. I think it's much more of it is probably tied to his his use of alcohol. Yeah. I I agree. I I think there's there's problem problems going on in his personal life that he's trying to get a grasp on, and he's run to alcohol.

And you got see if you could get him get him into some counseling, get him get get involved in the church, and and try to start turning things around in your life, and give him something give him something to to look forward to. I mean, he's gonna need some help. Yeah. And He's gotta wanna do it though too. I mean That's what I was gonna say. I think it I think it's it's it's fine.

There's no reason to believe if someone says, hey, I I really wanna change. Like, it has to it has to reflect. Yeah. It has to reflect in what they do. So like, if you say, hey, I wanna see a change too. Let's set up a counselor or let's go to these meetings and he says no, then like, at least you know it's gonna be just as heartbreaking,

but like, you can relieve yourself of that burden. Yeah. You cannot do it for him. It is his thing. You wanna give him every motivation to do it. You wanna encourage him to do it. You wanna be steadfast in in kind of the ups and downs of what that looks like for him. But, just know that it it is not your burden to carry. To you don't have to, one, believe him just because he says he wants to change. He has to demonstrate it. And you can offer to do help who help with good things, but don't don't just don't let that burden sit too far on you. It's it's his to carry. K. Secular says,

you are not overreacting. Whether your husband is drinking because he's no longer quotes into your marriage or because he is unhappy about other things going on in his life is anybody's guess. The question is, are you still into this marriage and the person your husband has become? Unless those issues are resolved, your marriage doesn't stand a chance. I don't think you have to say, are you into the person your husband has become?

That's too shallow of a of a look at humanity. People often become different, sometimes good, sometimes not as good. And if they had the ability to move and change to good and not to not good, then that would presume they have the ability to move and change back, or to something better. And so I I I I wouldn't I wouldn't just be too shallow about that.

Have some have some optimism. Like, you're gonna he needs it. There's a point where it where it'll where it'll feel like you're you're doing things that aren't actually helping at all, but you'll know when you get there. But in the meantime, double down on on helping him and and be praying and working with those who can, you know, get him on a path and and let's let's hope that he takes it. Yeah.

Okay. Last one. You ready? Yep. Dear life from the path. I have been with a man for the last six years. He has been separated for twenty years. When I asked him if he was going to finalize his divorce, he said no.

When I said I would like a commitment, he said he gave me one when he moved in five years ago. I said, I want more. His wife even asked him for a divorce, but he said, that's expensive. I told him by my upcoming fiftieth birthday, I want a yes or a no on the divorce. What should I do? I mean, you kinda set it in stone already, didn't you? I I think so. A little too late asking for advice now. You kinda already threw the gunman down. Wait.

I love this guy. This is a classic dude here. He's been separated from his previous spouse for twenty years. Still hasn't filed the divorce. She and the woman goes, I want I want a commitment. He said, I moved in five years ago, didn't I? So this guy's a real clown. Yeah. You gotta get you gotta get as far away from this as possible.

Yeah. That was a bad investment in time, I'm afraid. Yeah. That's oh, yeah. I here's the thing. And this tends to be dudes that are doing this type of thing. But like, one one,

don't presume that he's gonna treat you any differently than the lady who came before. Yeah. Like, I don't know if that yeah. But you you you that's where you're too optimistic. I told you to be optimistic for the drunk, but you already committed to that guy. When you're not already committed to someone, there's no reason to believe that they're gonna treat somebody better than they treated the last person. Mhmm. Secondly, like, it's okay to say, look, if I'm gonna commit my life to you, I gotta see it. I gotta I gotta you've proven it to me. Like, here's how you know this. We have we have, ceremonies for this type of thing. It goes, hey, do you promise to commit to me? And I say, yeah.

That's why we do weddings. Everyone sees it. You got witnesses. It's all great. This back alley stuff like, oh, yeah. Committed to you when I moved into your place, but like, no. I'm not gonna tell you that in front of anybody else, and no. I'm not gonna do the formal ceremonies. Like And yes. I'm gonna stay married to my ex wife from twenty years ago. For what purpose at all? Like no. Yeah. No. You're out on this thing. Like now, directly. Uh-huh. Yeah. Agreed. Well, that's it. We're just gonna cut it. We're not gonna even wait for his answer. We don't need a yes or no on divorce. Nope. If he was gonna do it, he'd have done it already. You know what he thinks. Like Excuse me. Yeah. That's right. Exactly right. And like you do you have no reason and here's here's where you don't have to have optimism. This is not a guy fighting for what's good. He's fighting for what's bad. He wants to be able to continue to perpetuate the bad thing because he's a selfish turd. He's controlling both women. Yeah. Yeah. He needs to be stopped directly, and you're gonna put a stop to it. Yeah. You're gonna be the one that sees this for what it is and goes, I'm out. Or we need to rent a bus and go visit him. Yes. Yeah. No. Was that. Wait till we get this bus.

K. It's a good option. Sure. Life of the Path. Secular says, assuming this man lives with you rent free, you have spent the last six years with a house guest who is more concerned with his net worth than your need for validation. I didn't say anything about that part. Yeah. Just threw that in. What does that have to do with anything? It was too expensive to get a divorce. Oh, to get a divorce. Right. I put are they are they that expensive? He's looking for all of a sudden, she's coming alimony or something, I suppose. Or it's like Twenty years. Part. I mean I feel like the court would go, look, you guys seem to have got this just fine. Word's staying out. If his wife wanted a divorce, it would have happened already. And the issue of property division could have been bifurcated. Obviously,

this arrangement is serving them both in some way. Your next I didn't think about that, that the ex wife is still hanging around for some kind of reason. Yeah. I mean, you can't force her to stay married to him, can you? I mean You can do a no contest divorce after a while. Right? I mean I mean, twenty years of separation, I assume most states, maybe not New Hampshire or whatever, but most states got a path to this. I mean, do they still have shared furniture? I mean, I can't Is he coming home? Yeah. I don't this sounds like garbage. Yeah. It does. This guy's a hot hot mess. He is. Secular continues. Your next step should be to make a final decision about whether the status quo is acceptable to you because it is not going to change. Nope.

Okay. Yeah. We agree with all that stuff. Yeah. But boy. This wasn't super controversial today. Yeah. These are pretty pretty straightforward. Maybe we straighten secular up. Yeah. Yeah. We've got she's been listening to the show and getting turned back on righteous. Yeah. That sounds right. Hey. Thanks for listening to Live From The Path. We do appreciate it. Make sure you go you can go to livefromthepath.org and catch back episodes of the show, at least for the past few years. We love that. And actually, it was just I see you guys are digging on some of the old podcasts that we've got retitled and out for out for glory. And so thanks for checking on that. We do appreciate it. If you've got the time and the inclination, we love it if you leave us a rating. I'm not sure if it does anything or not, but it does provide some level of encouragement at least to know that you listen to the show even if you hated it. We don't mind that at all. We'd love to hear from you either that way or through the Bob Eiselower Life From The Path complaint line, 5155170085. That's 5155170085. I could be wrong, but I think we're out next week because I think I'm out next week. So it might be a few weeks before we drop a a show for you. We got some

stuff that we recorded in the can that we I might release if I can find the time to do it. In the meantime, be faithful in the means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to Live From The Path.