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

And you're listening to live from the Pathway. We're coming from the Pathway studios here in Johnston, Prabhert. Hey. You remember the movie the mask?

Remember with Jim Carrey and the Well, the movie the mask. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Moving the mask. I thought Yeah. Remember when we all got together and moved that mask one time? It was just after Raiders of the Lost Ark. We were all geeked up. Anyway, the wife the wife texted me on the way and said, hey. Can the girls watch The Mask? And I'm like, man, every time that I recall a movie from my childhood, I'm like, ah, the kids should watch great one. And then I watch it with them, and I'm like, this is foul. That's a different filter. Terrible. Yeah. Yeah. That was just on the not long ago we watched it, part of it on TV, and I'm like, oh, yeah. Oh. Yeah. Oh. Yeah.

I I I don't know how you watch that with a filter on. Right? Like, all the innuendo passed me. I didn't know when I was 10. You know I'm saying? I just let it go. I knew they were saying something iffy, but, like, I didn't know what exactly. And so I'm like, laugh because the other people are. Yeah. I thought, oh, that's great. But that that's we're almost nightly. We're talking about movies or whatever and, maybe we could sit down and watch these with because, I mean, we're about done with My Little Ponies and stuff. They're getting a bit older. Yeah. Yeah. But they're not quite to the, you know, where you can let a decent amount of profanity go by, then they don't suck it up. You know? So now we're trying to find stuff in the middle, and, like, Goonies is out. Mask is out. Any Adam Sandler movie's no good. You know? I'm like, come on. I you know, my parents were terrible, I guess. I watched all kinds of stuff. I I remember my our when my oldest was, like, two years old or whatever, and ET had come back out or my father-in-law had the movie at the house or something. Thought, oh, yeah. ET is a great movie. And and I'd never had kids before. Now I have a child. And they start playing it. I'm like, every third word's a foul mouth. Yeah. I'm like, I never knew. I couldn't have told you that that movie it was just filled with profanity, and I kept like, oh, hey, Danielle. Why don't you go out and play with the kite or something? You know? Like, it was oh, it was terrible. It really is. It's weird. You're listening to Live From The Path. Thanks for hanging out with us so far tonight. Here's what we got going on the show. So we do kinda have some I got some more news of the day. Yeah. Thought everyone might see see how things are going. I don't like it. Yeah. You know, there's some actually, there's some entertaining stuff in here.

We're gonna run into some classic foils in life, including Kenneth Copeland and Perry Noble and three tips for hosting a potluck. Yes. Oh, man. I thought they were alright. Anyway, we're gonna do that. We what were you talking about? Just before the show started, we were talking about The downfall of all civilization. The downfall of society. That's what it was. I knew it would come to me.

No. No. It was it was bigger than that. Wait a minute. It's on the tip of my tongue. The destruction Could you tips? Hey, there's a website out there you can go to where you can you could drag this marker onto your wherever you live, and then it will simulate an atomic blast so that you can tell, like, how far it would be impacted impacted

if your city was targeted. And, like, you can change, like, the size of the bomb and at what height it is detonated. And I thought Yeah. This is good for people. This is morbid. But I did it. This is kind of stuff we did in the eighties, but in classrooms. But we didn't have the technology.

Hey. Second thing, actually, from that. So you remember that false that missile warning in Hawaii a couple weeks ago? Yeah. So so refresher, in case you're listening to the podcast two years past its prime.

So some some Jack and Abe's in in Hawaii sends a text message out to everybody in Hawaii saying, there's a ballistic missile coming your way. Seek shelter. This is not a test. Obviously, it was a it was a test. Was it was that a preprogrammed message? Like, he just accidentally hit a button or, like, he typed it out and then said go? You know It's from a menu. It was a drop down menu, and then you go through hoops. Yeah. Yeah. He chose it specifically, and then it says, are you sure? Because, you know, you'd wanna have a secondary notice there and make sure you send that text message out. And he's like, yeah. Yeah. I am. This is it.

Send it out. And, like, they so it must be that they feel like it wasn't nefarious because they didn't fire him. They kinda reassigned him. But I mean, that is some Quote. Yeah. Reassigned. Yeah. I mean, that's some bad design for one. I mean, certainly, you should be have to call the governor's office and be like, you know, what's the code for the text message? Yeah. Don't you think it should ping his boss or something, and like, Phil h is trying to send out a ballistic missile warning? I mean, we could wait three extra seconds, can't we? I mean, it's a show anyway. But we're gonna die. Anyway. So, yeah, you lose a few seconds. I would I think I'd rather actually not have the warning. Mean, I what am I gonna do? Blast out my bulletproof vest? You know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, it's not like I keep ballistic missile shielding at my place. You're gonna hit it. You're gonna hit it. I'm I you know? I'd rather just be petting the pills. Down in ditches and stuff, like sewers and saw a video of that. Yeah. So did you did you read though that Silver Signed was in Hawaii at the time? Who? So

so I'm trying to think of the right it it didn't matter. There were there was a wedding. Ali's wedding was there, so Laura's sister. And so her and her husband and their and their daughter were there for, like, the the wedding and everything. And so I meant to call him to see if we could get him to talk about on the show because it sounded cool, but, like, he he got the warning and he, like, you know, kicked down the door and he's, you know, like, trying to get get people in the places and stuff, and it seemed fairly harrowing. Yeah. And so, anyway, may maybe we can get ahold of him and kinda get their description because, like, that's that's a unique thing to happen to you, like, such a Yeah. But I mean, didn't didn't the thing come through in, like, minutes? Like, you got a couple minutes. Yeah. And then it they didn't correct it for, like, forty, though.

Yeah. Yeah. Wasn't, like, gonna be twenty minutes away or something? And yeah. But I mean I still don't know what I'd get done in that amount of time. You know what I'm saying? I mean, I suppose we could throw everybody in a crawl space and I I don't know. Do you think that'd be a life changer? I mean, honestly, if you really thought you were going to die? Like, do you start to, like, living your life differently? I I I wonder. I mean, I I would think some people would get, like, oh, woah. What would you try to rectify in the last twenty minutes? You know? Or like you went to them crazy I always wanted to be a nudist dude.

Give me chance? I said, finally. Would I do fire me? I would live my way. Hey. There's no way there's no way that I do that on the off chance that, like, I'm only you know, like, I lose a toe or something. Yeah. And I'm just sitting out there with a toe gone in in the book wild saying, I thought I thought it was gonna take me out, sir. What a disappointment.

I really feel like I just I wouldn't wanna know. You know? I I think I I just I think I'd rather just see it and go, man, what is that? Oh, this isn't good. Don't know. Do you do you listen to the weather for the tornado warnings? Uh-uh. Or do you or it comes on and it beeps, you're like, shut it, woman. No. Yeah. I might as well not know. I shut it down. I go stare outside on the porch and tell me what outside. Really? Yeah. Where is it? Mean, here's the thing. The Lord's gonna take me out with a tornado. I ain't gonna stop him. What am I gonna do?

I don't know. Not run into the middle of it? I mean, I ain't taking, like, six kites and a helium tank out there. Hold on a minute. That's like saying that's like saying the Lord ain't gonna take me with the speeding semi in the middle of the road. What am I gonna do to stop it? I'm just saying No. You're you're blowing that out of proportion. I'm just saying there's certain things that you ain't gonna defend against as a mortal human. Your defense against the speeding thing is to not speed. What's my defense against an oncoming tornado? No. I was implying that you were standing in the middle of the road trying to to fist bump a ruling

Yeah. That's moving towards the danger, whereas a tornado what it is when you see a ballistic missile and you refuse to go anywhere. Now the danger's coming towards me. I can't stop it. You're taking precedence to say you invaded my territory Yeah. That's right. Way around? I mean, if it was if if I had a way to stop it, I could, but I can't stop a tornado or a ballistic missile. And so there's not much I'm gonna be able to do. You can get away for you can hide in the sun. Where do gotta go in Take a run twenty minutes? That doesn't make any sense at all, Ben. I'll tell you what, man. When we were in Hawaii a few years ago, I remember it crossed my mind. I thought, what what if something happens here? There's all these people on this one little tiny island,

and there's, like, what? Five jets. You know? It's like, I'm not the guy who's gonna get off the island. No. That's true. You know? They got people selected for that, I'm sure. And I'm like Selected. Save people. Dan Hudson's a no. Not this guy. He's a tourist. Actually, and if you did get off, you'd be that, like, the those that ape that, kicked the ladies out of the boat of the Titanic. I survived. I mean, there was pure evidence that you're a coward. But I have this giant jewel.

Well, I did. Man. Alright. Well, anyway. That was it? You brought that up. Why? I was oh. The silver side.

Yeah. Oh, no. No. So we were we were talking about the impact of like, the the thing that we were just talking about just for the air we got on air was looking out and trying to balance your understanding of, like, the the depths of the world's problems. So we we would we would we talked with the Joy Fatima with the Wings of Refuge.

There's someone that's doing a film about that's putting a film together about sex trafficking in Iowa. We're gonna talk to her next week. And, like and so it's, like, these are big problems. Right? Like, you think to yourself, like, the depths of even trying to comprehend, like, child abuse and and sex trafficking and and just kind of, like, the, I don't know, depleted nature of of how people treat each other or how they've been treated.

And then you look at some of the stuff that we're engaged in and that's that takes up a lot of our time, and we we were talking about just like the consistent thing, we're we're just running into people who are kinda just kinda half involved with their bible study. Or they just seem like they're they're not really committing to follow Jesus. They're just kinda being dragged along, and they just need someone to kinda babysit them all the time. And you're like, hey, this is this is how we're spending our time? Yeah. Is is is we're spending our time having to to keep after these folks, and they're soaking up a lot of it when there's, like, other things

going on in the world, you think, this this is terrible. This is terrible, and I'm not really doing much about any of that. I'm calling these fellows all the time to say, hey. Hey. Hey. Did you read James three today finally? Like, we agreed? Guess we'll just read James three again if you didn't get to it. You know, life life is busy, blah blah blah blah blah. People are being bought and sold, you know, one city away, and we're hauling down this guy that refuses to read his bible or submit to anything at all. And you're like, man, I I mean, is this really is is is is the the path of of how we thought it is to disciple people or spread the gospel, you know, it's gotten to a weird place. I and maybe I'm just talking from personal experience. Right? But, like, where you literally chasing down people that have heard the good news of Jesus Christ and go, I think I'm in. Maybe we should meet sometimes. Yeah. Okay. You know? And then they don't read it or they they, you know, they don't do anything outside of your meeting. You berate them for maybe forty five minutes and be like, well, you know, here's all the things that God is asking of us. Your life isn't really reflecting that. You know? And then they just go, yeah. I'm gonna work on that. And then a month later, it's the same story. And you're like, you know, maybe I should be getting involved in a soup kitchen or getting people out of sex trafficking or anything besides this. This is terrible. I mean, what's the right way to think about that? Do you get out of that business? Or, like, that's just the nature of kind of our our society? We don't have the other problems. We've got, like, commitment issues that just as well keep people away from Jesus.

I I think you always continue to try different approaches through disciple, and you you you cast a wide net, and you just pray to God that some get caught. That's all you can do. You you just keep you can't cookie cutter it too much because Right. Different personalities, you know,

react differently. And but you just keep trying, and and you there's always those moments of gold when when someone latches on and says, man, I I just wanna follow Jesus, and you, like, celebrate that and pour yourself more into them. And you just you you gotta keep doing it. Then but there comes a time you shake the dust off your feet and say, know what? I'm going to the next. You know, I just can't I can't chase you forever. You're you know? There's somebody else not being chased, and and they need Jesus and never Just

a lot of the work and I could be wrong. My perception could be wrong, but, like, we have a lot of infrastructure, I think, a lot of things that that people can kinda casually get into because it's an opportunity to potentially get them closer to Jesus. And, like I mean, they're just they're just soaking up. Like, people who are kinda half committed are are there for the for the coffee or someone who'd pay attention to them, and they're like,

you know, it's it just it's hard as you as you start to kinda get your eyes open to bigger things going on in the world, or maybe I didn't say that. Big things going on in the world that you otherwise were blind to, it's hard to turn back and and worry about some of the other things that are going on. And both both are separations from Christ, both actually come from things that our society's allowed, like like our structure, just our our the nature of our of our society, the way that we think Western thought and even our political process allows people

the freedom to think that that it makes sense to them that they can be kinda half in, half out. Whereas, there's other cultures where you just you don't run that same problem. Like, either they're in or they're not in. That's true. If you win, you might die. If you're out, you're pretty safe. Yeah. And so, like like, we are unique, and it is something you have to combat. And I think it like, you don't just it is a what am I trying to think of right way to say this? It is a distraction or a a falsehood about our society that gives the people the impression that that that things are fine when they're not fine. And, like, you do have to engage in that. It's just it's just hard when you see people like, you can see tangible, physical or mental or spiritual things that are that are happening to people, and then, like, you're spending your time kinda Jason Scott, who's got within his own power, you feel like could just reasonably submit to Jesus and we could move on? Well, you know, I I mean, I suppose it it echoes, you know, the conversations that I have with the girls a lot of time. But, like, I mean, actions are truth. Words are are iffy at best. You know what I'm saying? But, like, it's what you catch people doing. If what it's what you catch them asking. They'll tell you a million things and tell you all the stuff that they're gonna do, but, like, their words don't mean anything. Their actions always are are their intentions of their heart, what they end up doing. Right? And so, like, I think, really, what it comes down to the point is is is your is job is to spread the hope

of Jesus Christ in the world. Right? And, like, I I will I feel like you can spread it as far as you can spread it, but it's not your job to focus and chase down people who are running from it. Right? Like, they know where to get it. You you offered it to them. Right? Like you said, here's here's the deal. Here's the way life has lived. Here's what here's where I think we should be. And and if they say no or or flaky or whatever, like, God gave them the freedom to make that choice. Who are you to say they don't have it? Right? Like Yeah. It's harder to do with people, like, say, in your family or people that you love or, you know, or people that are are your I don't know. You you don't just give up one try and go, they're not interested. I'm giving up. Right? But, like Yeah. On the whole, I I generally find this it's it's a I will try harder with people who don't know Jesus at all. But people who, like, kinda know Jesus or have been showing up at church or or whatever and all this stuff, I'm like, listen. If if if you don't wanna engage in this thing, I can't make you. You know? So I'm always here if you ever need anything. And if you wanna talk about it, I'll be here. And and and that's always gonna be true. That will never change. But, like, the days of me coming down to your door every three days just to check up and see if you're still reading your Bible or not, you know, I mean, your actions will back that up. If you wanna read your Bible, you will. You know, I kinda think about there's not too many examples in the Bible

of that dude who's who's chased someone for ten years. Right? I mean, maybe for three years. You got the apostle Paul coming into this town, going to that town, but he he goes and goes to the next town Yeah. And leaves behind, alright, church. You guys you guys chase him, but we don't know what that looked like. Yeah. You know? I mean, hey. At what point do you say, yeah. Yeah. We we tried, and and you just aren't in? Yeah. It's it's interesting, I suppose, that all the letters like, all the letters are churches. Right? Like Yeah. We don't have

biblical content that is actually addressed to unbelievers at all. Like, you just assume you know Jesus, and, like, here's what it looks like to follow him. And, like, there's advocation on dealing with people, nonbelievers, but it's actually not that much. Like, a lot of things that we even apply to relationship with nonbelievers tend to be relationships within the church. Like, the biblical text is really centered around Christian community, and it kinda just assumes that

you know what you're doing outside of that. Like, you're just sharing basic good news. There's just not a lot of plotting on how to how to change the world around you outside of sharing the good news of Jesus. Speaking of which, there was there's good news on the block here. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. It's causing me troubles. Kenneth Copeland

acquires new Gulfstream V Jet. Seeks 19,500,000 for upgrades and maintenance. Who's Kenneth Copeland?

Really? Yeah. He's a longtime televangelist guy. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he was That's before my time, really. Yeah. I mean, he that guy he's been on forever. Probably 70. I'm probably out in the ports looking for tornadoes. I don't watch no TV, Ben. Anyway, he's he's looking good. He's got a bomber jacket on. Let's let's take a real quick look and see That's like what he looked like in '82.

Now I remember in '82, I watched him a couple times, and he he had, like, music out. He had albums out. I I bought one of his albums. Was kinda cool. Then I was kind of embarrassed later on thinking, wait a That's what this guy is. See, Dan's actions are approaching the Kenneth Copeland album. It says, thanks to the support of his deep pocketed partners, Texas based televangelist Kenneth Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries has acquired a new multimillion dollar Gulfstream

is it five or v? What do you think? Going five. Okay. Gulfstream five jet that he says will help him do the lord's work and help him avoid having to contend with demons that travel on commercial airlines. Hey. Just to stop you real quick, if people ever refer to me as Iowa based anything Mike Foost of Mike Foost Ministries, you shoot me now. What I want them to say is, that's Mike Foost of Jesus or of Christianity

or guy who follows Jesus in any regard. Continue on. Okay. Noted. Copeland's ministry announced last Friday the acquisition of the debt free jet, which hit the market with a $36,000,000

price tag in 1998. It's been on sale for a while. The ultra long range business jet can accommodate up to four crew members and 14 passengers in an executive configuration, according to Gulfstream. It is unclear how much Copeland's in ministry paid for the jet, but AV buyer says they currently have the lowest price Gulfstream five on the market priced at just under 6,000,000.

Okay. Here's his reaction. Here's the reaction to getting the jet. Father, we thank you so, and I'm asking you now, sir, according to your word, bless our partners beyond measure. Yes. In the name of Jesus. For you said in 2002, I'm sending you new partners who are very strong financially, and they will obey me. And I will increase your longtime partners, and they will obey me. Coupland, 81, said in a prayer of thanksgiving for the new jet. You ever called Jesus, sir?

I think that's a Texas thing, Ben. Okay. Yeah. I thought that was odd, though, too. Remember? I heard that. Sticks out weird, doesn't it? Yeah. Yeah. It says, and you will not come short, and you will not fail, and you will not lack, and you will not come behind, and you will not be diminished. Praise God, he said of his donors. Oh, those aren't descriptions of the Lord. My bad. Those are just okay. On 12/29/2015 television broadcast of Believer's Voice of Victory hosted by Copeland and Jesse Duplantis,

the ministers explained that private jets were important to their business to help them, among other things, pray in privacy as the Lord leads and avoid unnecessary demons. That's a heck of a phrase, unnecessary demons. Here's here's the here's

the content. We've got to have this. The mess that the airlines are in today, I would have to stop. I'm being very conservative. At least 75 to 80, more like 90% of what we are doing because we can't get there. That's why we're on that airplane. We can talk to god, Copeland said. Now Oral Roberts used to fly airlines, but even back then, it got to the place where it was agitating his spiritual, period. People coming up to him, he'd become famous, and they're wanting him to pray for them and all that, Copeland explained. I just tell him it's terrible, man. I know. You can't you can't manage that today, this dope filled world.

And and get in a long tube with a bunch of demons, and it's deadly. Oh, man. Yeah. This guy yeah. No doubt. He's he's full of the spirit. Yeah. I I remember what was it in the tail end of Matthew where Jesus is like, yeah. People keep showing up to have me pray for them. And I'm like, you can't do this. I'm

busy. This is terrible. You're ruining my spiritual life. A bunch of dope fiends. Okay. I wanted to make that clear so the devil can't lie to you and say, see them, they're preachers spending all that money, just fat cats riding around. No. We're not. We're in business.

Look. I just just for a quick comparison, Duplantis Copeland, airplane. Yeah. Son of man, homeless,

walking. Walking. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, I'm just having a the thing. Actions and words. These words make it sound like maybe the lord has blessed this thing, and maybe he has. I you know, I don't know. I don't see it. I've been tell okay. Can I be wrong about this? Maybe my gut feeling is is, like, this is ridiculous. This your rationale is bad. Your theology is bad. Everything about it doesn't make any sense about loving God or loving people, the two commandments we're most after. Right? But, I mean, is it possible God's like, yeah. Yeah. They are to have these planes, and there's because there's demons in the other ones.

Isn't it exactly who we'd want to send? These high rollers of of God's troop? I mean, if there's demons in that plane, it's their job to get them out. We should be saving people on commercial airlines, not living by yourself in a big tube. Yeah. And what what we were just talking about. Right? Like, you've got the disciples continually going into the temple and get getting whooped upon. Stephen eventually dies for this conversation because he's trying to go in there to people who are antagonistic to the message but God still wants. So they keep going in there. These fellows are like, you know what? There's bad trouble in those planes. We gots to get out and live in style. No. No. I I Yep. Nope. No. There's this is not sanctioned by the Lord. No. No. It's just ridiculous.

That I mean, there's nothing about the words or actions or ministry of Jesus Christ that would point to this being in any way something that is promoted to to spread the gospel to people. Yeah. We gotta have this, Ben. Yeah. There are dope fiends in there. People need Jesus in their commercial planes. I ain't going on there. Dope fiend. Alright. So just real quick, the in addition to the plane,

which they bought from Tyler Perry, they said it was paid in full during Thanksgiving week. While the newly acquired Gulfstream five jet is in outstanding condition as and is is an exceptional value, in quotes, Bollinger said it will need 2,500,000 in upgrades to meet new FFAs FAA standards.

And so they need they're asking for that, planting a seed, and then they also are asking for additional $17,000,000 to build a hangar and such for it. What a hangar? This is the thing. You look out to yourself and you say, hey, man. There's a sex trafficking going on. We could use some money for fund that thing, to help fund the combat of that stuff. And you think there's people to Hungary and such, and we'll be like, you know what? Let's plant a seed for 17,000,000 plus 2.5 plus at least 6. Kenneth says, I need to fly over there and see what those people look like. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the pope don't travel this way.

No. No. He don't. Hey, man. Do you see the pope was in a pope was in, like, a parade of sorts and, like, there was a police lady who, like, fell off her horse. Yeah. Hey. And the pope get off of the thing and just went over there and waited till they picked her up with the ambulance. I love that, it rolling. He got himself in all kinds of trouble picking a fight in Chile, I think, this week. What did he say? Did he say something bad? Yeah. He

so so he went over there. It was like an apology tour to to try to because there there are people that were concerned about, again, priests and abuse in the Catholic church, and so he was trying to to help with that. And he's generally been a pretty strong

advocate in that area, but, like, he's from the area. So he goes over there and then, like, does all these things and meets all these people. And then just before he's about to go, someone asks about one of the particular dudes in question, and he's basically, I I don't believe it until I see proof. And then and then he left. And so it kinda soured the whole visit.

I mean, what is is that an accurate statement on his behalf? Like, he thought the guy was pretty solid, and and these these accusations seem wild? I mean, I I assume so, but, like, I think they don't seem wild to everyone else there. It was a it was it was a weird interchange. It doesn't matter. Okay. Alright. Good. We're done with Ken here. I think Here's I I mean, I just so we're clear, I'm against this, the whole thing. I think it's stupid, terrible. I don't know how to put a stop to that. Like, what was what what gives what

Dan, why are people giving their money? What does this say? Very charismatic. I know I'm doctrinally, but, I mean, he has charisma about him, and he just he spends a lot of time telling them how God's gonna bless them if if they give. And you get people in desperate situations, and

they they think that by giving that God's gonna help them get out of their desperate situation. And so he's, yeah, he's he is robbing poor people to buy his jet in many place in many many cases. So it's sad.

Yeah. I remember when was a junior high guy, I I would listen to the the PTL club, Jim Baker, and I gave sent him, like, $40. You know? Yeah. I had all this change I'd saved for, like, four years or something in a in a jar, I wanted that special bible. You know? And so I I collected all my cash and cashed it in and sent him a check, and and, you know, we didn't have any money. What what was I doing sending sending that dude

with a gold doghouse, you know Yeah. $40, like, get his PTL bible. I mean but but that that's what they do. They they they have these slick little packages, and and there's always some new promotion, and and they're gonna save the world. And, you know, the no pictures of little kids with flies on their nose, and now we're gonna go save these kids, and

they just suck it in. Oh, man. Alright. Next.

So there was a it says the article on on Perry Noble. It said Perry Noble lashes out at I am praying for you text. Calls it condescending. So I actually did wanna talk about this. Says pastor Perry Noble, now of Second Chance Church and formerly of New Spring Church in South Carolina, has hit back against the text message that someone was praying for him and explained why it provoked real pure anger.

Noble wrote on Facebook Monday that the text that got that he got got him riled up read, hey, Perry. I just wanted to reach out and let you know I am praying for you. Now have you ever got you ever got a text or, like, a somebody said, I am praying for you, and it was your impression that they most certainly were not praying for you and that they were trying to say that in a vindictive manner in some form or another? I've probably seen that on Facebook more than I've seen it personally, like, a personal text message to me. But I've seen some people get involved in some pretty rough stuff, and then, you know, and and I knew some of the parties involved, and they said, I'm praying for you. And it was not like, I'm really praying for you that that you seek God's guidance here. It's more than I'm praying for you because you suck. You know? I've seen that definitely.

Dan? I mean, I always assume they're praying. I mean, like, if I got a text I get the text once a while from people, hey. I'm praying for you. I'm like, oh, thank you. I mean So so it's never come across to you where someone might be doing it like an like an enemy of yours Right. Or someone you're in a tiff with is, like, praying for your damn. Of course, I've never lost a a national ministry

and credibility. Right. And, yeah, had someone who hasn't lost that day. Oh, yeah.

I'm above you. Okay. Let's see. So there is some specificity to this. He says, why would why did he feel anger, real purge anger, confusion, disbelief? He said, why? Because the person who sent me the text has not spoken to me in eighteen months. In fact, they ignored my calls to them during that time, and I know for a fact they have gossiped, even told flat out lies about me, he explained. So why in the hell did they text me to tell me they are praying for me? It's quite simple and unfortunately, the reason far too many Christians tell others they are praying for them, he stated before suggesting a number of reasons. I don't know. I've I don't think I've been the victim of a passive aggressive

praying for you. Yeah. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to know. Yeah. It's true. It's best actually, I'm with Mike on that tornado and ballistic missile. Ignorance is bliss here. Praying for you. Thanks, buddy. Great. I'm glad you came around. Here's my list. It says, Noble argued that sending such a sentiment helps relieve a person's conscience,

including in cases where they don't actually care about the subject. Says he says it places them in a place of spiritual superiority over you. In some cases, not all, I'm praying for you is actually one of the most condescending things you can say to a person who has gone through or is going through a tough time. Okay. Okay. I I yeah. I'm about done listening to this now. This man, he's he's had a rough go of it last couple years. Right?

He leave he's done working at the church that he started. He now starts a new church where he's in charge of leading people, and now he gets to be personally offended even if he's right. Even if he's right and the person that wrote him the I'm praying for you text is condescending and judgmental. His job to lead people is to focus between him and God and then pray for people just like that who are obviously not understanding Jesus correctly. And and, like, he's taken the time to go on this one rant on how he's wronged in such a way. It should seem so below

the task that God has before him. Right? Like, being in that position, it seems so below that. I I'm I'm not sure that you can't have this conversation with, say, a good friend of yours or your wife or whoever is super close to you. I get it. People gotta vent. Pastors aren't bulletproof. You know, that stuff's gotta be irritating. Right? But, like, to go on a public lambast on Facebook about it, like, your job is to lead people to know Jesus. Your business is with God alone. And so, like, to let some dude who obviously if you feel like all that stuff is true, it does not know Jesus well enough to not be a vindictive jerk, and then you put him on blast on the on the social media, I'm telling you, you're just not in the right place for that thing. I don't know that you should be leading people if this is the tactic you're gonna take. Yeah. That's rough times. Yeah. Yeah. Let's see. No Noble

Noble launched Second Chance Church in December and has been preaching online following a very difficult couple of years. He was removed from NewSpring in 2016 due to struggles with alcohol. He later admitted that he was close to suicide while in rehab, and late last year, he revealed that he and his wife will be divorcing. In his latest Facebook post, he suggested that there have been people who have said, I'm praying for you and have been sincere, but at the same time argue that that is the exception and not the rule. Well, that's I I mean, you gotta be living a real rough life to be looking out defensively against people saying I'm praying for you to the extent that you would say that is the exception that they're actually doing it, not the rule. I mean, here's the thing. What's the one thing that that fights against if people when people say they're earnestly, I'm praying for you, what part of you will fight against that? It's generally pride. Pride. Right? I don't need you I don't need you praying for me. I got this. I you know, it's it's always pride that fights that. A humble walk, even if you are in a really bad place, usually, the humility will look at that and go, someone else cares about me. Someone else is praying for me.

Thank you. You know? But, like, it's only pride that that fights against that. Yeah. That's a good point. Because, like, to the extent that, like let's say someone who my known nemesis goes been praying for you. At its core, I believe I'm a man that needs prayed for. Right? And I don't I don't I could assume that it's that he's praying for me because he thinks I'm wrong in our given circumstance. And the truth is, if I am wrong, great. Continue to pray that I would be homo to this matter and know the difference. And if I'm right, then I will be vindicated anyway. Like, you're right. It's just a it's just a core posturing of

I I I don't need it or it's not necessary or whatever you're praying for is is not helpful to me. Yeah. And even if it's not, even if you're like, they're not praying for me. They're just giving me the shine to make themselves feel better. Well, once again, I don't know if that's public display time. Right? You should be praying for them. Obviously, they're missing it. Yeah. You have it. They're missing it. You should be praying for them. You don't ever see the pharisees going like, we should pray for this man Jesus. I feel like he just needs to know God better, and then this weirdness will go away. Right? You don't see that at all? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I I boy, I don't like that, Ben. He's not learned from his No. Misfortune. No. That's that's too bad. I really did like a lot of his preaching too. Me too. Yeah. Yeah. I think I I think I took a lot of stuff away from him. I thought he was a pretty honest dude. It's not like everybody doesn't go through some go through some times where you're like, look. I just I'm I'm not nailing this thing, and my pride's getting in the way. And and look. It it does happen. But, like, it

it's it's odd that, like, you you can read the tale into Job, say, and then put yourself right back in a position of leading people when you know you shouldn't be there. I don't know him. I I shouldn't say that. I don't know him. I don't know what he's going through. I just you know? But, like, when you see a Facebook post like that talking about, like, where where the stance of is all in pride. There's two pride and the humility of following Christ can't exist in the same space. It just doesn't work that way. And, like, they'll fight and they'll push a little bit, and hopefully, god wins most of the time. But, like, when you're coming at, you know, your ministry from a point of pride, like you would name your place Kenneth Copeland Ministries and buy yourself a $19,500,000 plane, you know, I think you gotta be missing it somehow. You just have to be missing it somehow. That's disappointing, Ben. Yeah. Do have any stories that are uplifting?

No. No. I didn't see any. So and so buys somebody so and so or something. No. Uh-uh. No. I didn't come across anything like that. Boy, that's tough. Wow. There's I skipped there was one from Anne Graham Lotz about how Americans' chickens are gonna come home to roost likely through the nuclear warhead from the old North Korea or an earthquake.

So there it is. What do you mean? We're gonna we're gonna America's going down by earthquake? Yeah. Yeah. The judgment may may come upon us through natural disaster or crazy people. Who says that? Anne Graham Lotz. Who's that? It's Billy Graham's daughter. Right? I don't know. Is she a lit a legit prophetess? I don't I don't know. What are we gonna eat Are we gonna eat it by earthquake? You got twenty minutes? Yeah. I don't wanna know. I mean, here's the thing. Earthquakes have taken out a lot of people. Am I to am I to discern that that is always the lord's judgment?

No. No. I I so I actually, I've been doing a a little bit of reading because I've we're going through the book of Job in youth group with with the children's or whatever, and and, like, it's my favorite book anyway. You know, I love it. But, like, the basically, the whole concept of the book of Job is is is does god operate the world on a on a fair recompense scale? Right? Good gets good. Bad gets bad. The book of Proverbs, if followed to the t, will equal a a life that produces this. And the truth of the matter is no.

No. It it is covers most situations. Right? But, like, only god has the wisdom that it takes to run a complicated world structure and a complicated item and and and to be able to interact. And so, like, you you hear about these story. It's like that that that's the thing that that grabs me about the Copeland thing. I don't care whether a guy can buy a plane or not. Whatever. It's not really that big of a deal. Right? But, like, when you're trying to when you're trying to convince people that, like, if you follow Jesus, it will equal this, God doesn't promise any of that. Right? Like, he does promise certain things, but he certainly doesn't promise any type of prosperity for you at all. And and any of of of the people that followed him diligently that, you know, by the world's standards, they did not get any. No prosperity. Either fishermen, poor, and most of them martyred or dead. You know, that's just kind of the way it worked. Of the examples that were given in the book that God provides with us how to live, you don't see a guy that, Peter starts to follow Jesus, all of sudden, the temple is built to him, and he has big money. It just it just it just doesn't fly out that way. And so, like, when you say, if you do this, God will do this, that scares me. That's just a scary statement. Because if you read the book of Job, you would say, Job was an upright he was a righteous man. And if God works on a scale that doesn't move, then because Job is righteous, only good things happen. And, like, obviously, that's just not how the how the world operates. It's a little bit more complicated than that. And so, like, when you're trying to filch money out of dudes by giving him the hope of Jesus Christ and then making promises on his behalf, I I especially worldly promises, that's that's tough to swallow, man. That's just not the a promise that God gave.

Yes. Mhmm. Dan and I agree. Hear.

Alright, Mike. That's all the stories we got. That was it? Yeah. Yeah. We're out of the news for this. Hey. I need I need help interpreting a dream. You guys good dream interpreters? I'm ready. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm great. This this was, like, a couple days ago. Odd it has to be the most odd dream I've had in my life. K. Cheryl and I are are are buying it's a church. It's, like, a different building, but it's, like, here. It doesn't matter. So it's, like, a mixture of my life, I guess. This this truck backs up. They're gonna deliver something. We don't know anything's coming, and it's it's it's anyway, it, like, crashes through a window. They dump it off, they speed off. And I'm looking at him going, we're standing right here. What you know, what'd you do that for? And then I just get mad. I'm I'm burning. I'm so mad. I'm shaking. Like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm a whole something's gonna burst. Right? I'm just angry. And I get in our truck and I start chasing them. And I and I'm it's going as fast as that truck will possibly go. And I kept thinking the engine's gonna blow. Something's gonna go here. This is gonna be bad. And all of a sudden, we don't know where they are. It's like in a bigger city now. Not like like a big, big city, but not a lot of traffic. So this, you know, all the overpasses, and then we're just going through trying to find find things find them. And I don't know what I'm gonna do to them when I find them when I find them, but we're after them. And all of a sudden, I'm like, wait. I can't find them. They're lost. And and and Cheryl says, well, too bad you can't put in the GPS. And I don't remember what the phrase, but some kind of, know, down by the bay or something. I'm like, yeah. That would have been good because that's probably where they went. You know? And then it hits me. Wait a minute. They could have kept going straight. I'll keep going.

So I speed up again, and and, like, we're coming over a hill, and and it's like the hill goes down. There's nowhere pass over the top, and there's been a car wreck down there, and it was a band. Right? So the and but no one's hurt, but the the two lanes are closed, and I'm, like, the only one coming, so there's not even, like, a bunch of traffic. Right? But there's all these guys with their band instruments out in the street, and they're kinda looking at everything, making sure everything's okay. Next thing I know, I'm, like, picking myself up the ground. So I don't I must have hit him. I don't know what happened. Something happened. And I'm and the lead singer comes up to me, he's got his guitar. And we're talking, and I'm telling him what a crappy day I'm having. And he's looking at me, and he starts playing his guitar, he starts and he starts singing this song. And I'm like, I total I'm totally hearing this song in my dream. And and I don't remember everything. You know, he's, like, saying his

positives were always, like like, two sentences long. You know? I got this guitar, and it's really cool. And and the the next line was always, but you've got your neck. And it and it was totally in that tune. And he kept doing, but

you've got your neck. And I'm looking at him going, what what does that mean? Right? And then the last one I remember is he has, I got this really cool unibrow. And I looked at him and it was like this really shaggy, ugly unibrow and he kinda did his eyebrows up and down like, you know. And then he does, but you got your neck. And then I woke up. I'm thinking, what? What?

Boy. But that song's been in my head. It's I mean, it's catchy. But you got your neck. Yeah. There must be a song there somewhere that,

baby god's got a song. Oh, you got your neck. Alright. Mike, what are your thoughts on this, on this dreaming dance? You know, Ben, I

I'm I am positive Jesus is trying to tell me something. I mean, other people are having bad stuff happen to them, but they recognize that you still got your head on straight. There it is.

Dan, you're to be seen as a man that sees things correctly. Actually, I was going to I was gonna say something very similar. I think you have a new opportunity coming to you. Hey, everybody. But it will feel like an old opportunity because it's still tied it's tied tied to something familiar, but it otherwise is a new opportunity. And it will cause your life to to kinda speed up and feel like it's you're you're being

led along in in which you do not have any control. And then ultimately, the thing will kinda blow up a little bit, but you'll find that you were the calm in the storm and otherwise can help with the situation,

and you kept your head on straight. That's yeah. That was my interpretation of the dream. What's up, Dan? It feels like Dan dreams in in them Chinese cookies. You know? You got your neck. Life may go bad, but you have your neck. I'm I'm gonna send that to Chris Tomlin. He'll add five holies and print it right now.

This is my Christmas special. Until at the last verse, he's gonna change it. God's got your neck, and then everyone will weep. Oh. I didn't see that coming. Alright. Dear lie from the path.

I recently was rejected for a job that would have turned into a career. I put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak, and told everyone around me during the process that it was looking good. I am humiliated because now I have to tell my peers and coworkers that it didn't work out. My confidence is shaking, and I don't know what to do. In my middle school years, I used to know what I wanted to do, but somewhere in high school, up to this point, I'm 25 years old, I lost my vision, my dream. How can I find my way again? Boy, dude, you didn't provide any details at all to know whatever happened to you. No. That took, like, a reasonable problem and then turned it in some kind of melodrama.

Yeah. It's I mean There's some drama. Yeah. Talk about drama. Yeah. My life is over. Yeah. I mean, this is my peak. To take a quick pass at it, maybe you shouldn't have ran your mouth so much, you know, when you're doing this thing. You I mean, you ever heard of keeping stuff on the slide? Like, having a party, but, like, hey. Guess what? I got a big promotion or something. But you're like, I'm gonna get the promotion. I'm gonna get it. Check this out. I'm gonna be awesome. Yeah. You should take that lesson away. You shouldn't run your mouth so much. Yeah. I'm I'm gonna say you didn't get the job, but you got your neck.

And that's good. That's good. Yeah. It's all you really need according to Dan's dream. Everything else is fine. No. I you know what? Just relax, and and and the right job's gonna come come along. Keep your eyes open. Don't be discouraged.

I would say pray about it. Okay, God. Maybe you have a different plan than I did. What is it? And, you know, man, you can reinvent yourself. When people reinvent themselves three, four times or more anymore in in a lifetime, gone are the days of, you know, I worked at Firestone for forty five years and got a gold watch. Yeah. It's a you can you can you can completely redo

your life. I I was listening to to Dave Ramsey the other day. Some dude called in, he's like 57 years old. He's going, man, I don't know. Don't have any retirement. I just haven't been able to say blah blah blah blah blah. Because I just need some hope. He goes, you're 57? He goes, yeah. You you've got you've got twenty years of work left. You need to reinvent yourself. You need to figure out what your next career is gonna be because he was saying how he could double his money and everything. And and and he's like, just stop it. Okay? I'll stop what you're doing right now. Reinvent yourself and go for it. Yeah. And I'm going, man. Yeah. You don't have to be whatever you are for the rest of your life. That's what I'd say to this guy. Yeah. I mean and the way he tells it, he's like, in my middle school years, I used to know what I wanted to do. Yeah. But somewhere in high school up to this point, I've lost my vision. Now, you know, I don't know if I could you take this the wrong way, friend, but, like, if the clearest level of thinking you had was in middle school, I was certain that I could legit be Batman. Like, everyone else just kinda was gonna half do it, or they kinda always talked about it. But, like, if I put enough work and effort into it, I could probably be Batman. And that's what I came up with in middle school. So if that's the last time you had you thought that the world made sense,

you, sir, I I don't know what you've been doing with your time. You haven't lost your vision. You didn't have one to start with. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's probably too. You're you're pining for your middle school years. Like, I'm gonna be a fireman or whatever. Yeah. I mean, look at all the things you thought you were gonna be in middle school. I'm gonna be a successful doctor. I'm gonna be an actor somewhere. I'm gonna do great I'm gonna play in the symphony. I'm gonna write tunes for movies. And you thought, these are all the possibilities to a guy that doesn't know anything.

Right? And then when reality starts to set in, it turns out you ain't good looking, and, like, you can't afford to go to college. I work at a call center. Yeah. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like, reality set in after you stopped living at your parents' place and dreaming that you could do all these things that cost big money or require talents you don't have. So, I mean, yeah, maybe you just need a good friend or a counselor. And I'm with Dan. I think, you know, you should pray on that stuff. The Lord knows what what you could do and what you can't. So, you know, I'd give it a shot, but you gotta let your middle school dreams probably probably fade with the past. Yeah. Agreed. I think in in middle school, I was in love with Lori Wilbert. I don't know whatever happened to her. Yeah. You gotta let go of your middle school dreams.

But you can remember her first and last name. I do. I do. I remember her her father was a very large man, and he intimidated me. Like, you could outrun him large or you could get beat by him large? Oh, I could out I could outwalk him. Oh, yeah. Excellent. Yeah. Yeah. Secular says, the path to success is rarely straight. Most of us learn more from our mistakes than our successes, so take heart. While this experience has been disappointing, you have learned valuable lessons from it. Well, this lady gets her advice from, them Chinese cookies just like Dan. If you do not wish to stay in your current job, finding your way again may be as simple as inquiring if career counseling is available at your nearest community college. Ask whether aptitude tests are offered, then research what kinds of jobs are available for someone with your qualifications and interest. And when you are again in the running for a new position, keep it to yourself until you have officially accepted it. Yeah.

Yeah. Don't be a Dillard. Yeah. I I I agree. Oh. Okay. Yeah. Go ahead. Here we go. Tight budget will keep first communion celebration small. Oh. Oh. Oh, no.

Dear life from the path, my son is going to have his first communion soon. We don't have the money to have a party, even an inexpensive one, and invite the whole family. I would like to restrict the celebration just to my husband, myself, and my child's grandparents. However, I feel bad not inviting his godparents, their siblings, and other extended family. How do I tell them they are welcome to stop by the church but aren't obligated to come, and we won't be having a party? Dear person,

don't have a party. Tell them to stop by the church, and then do Dutch treat on the dinner afterwards. Done. Tell

tell them you donated and and to really do it, though, you donated all the money for the party to the poor. Don't They know they'll have to know how much it was. Yeah. We're not having a party. Really give it to the poor. Yeah. And it's a celebration of Jesus. Do people do this? Have first communion parties? Yeah. I don't know anything about that. It's a big Catholic thing. Oh, okay. Yeah. There may be others, but that's what I'm aware of. Well, I mean, I suppose I I mean, yeah. So that's just a it's a a thing that I'm not used to. That doesn't mean it's bad. Yeah. Yeah. So okay. I think was a big process to get there. It wasn't like, hey. I decided this is the day. You know? It's it's like they went through quite a process. Man, we just have our people saying, I have decided to follow Jesus, and we're like, yeah. You're in. Alright. That's it. It's all we need. Here's the communion. Yeah. Here. Take it. We didn't even get special stuff. That's the regular stuff. Yeah. I don't have anything else to add to that, dude. I don't either. Holy cow. This one's easy. No parties. I mean I mean, will people shun them? Will they get to social shunning?

If I mean, like, what? Didn't even have a party? They say godparents and their siblings? I mean, that really seems excessive to me. They sell, like, first communion dresses and stuff and suits. It's, like, a big thing. It's a big industry. I mean, it is a big thing. It's awesome. I don't know that you need a dress for it. Well, yeah, I didn't mean it's, a big I meant I meant it's, like, a big social Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like, a wedding, except it's well, they're 12.

Okay. Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. It's it's especially if you're gonna celebrate, say, your child's, I'm assuming, choice to follow Jesus with their life, let's use good godly principles and live within your means and tell the truth, and we'll go from there. That should cover everything. Mean, we'll just start there. We can hit a couple of the commandments at once, you know, and we'll just move on. I think you just tell people the truth. Hey. There's not gonna be a party, but you're more than welcome to stop by the church and celebrate with us and our church family, and it's gonna be great. If you wanna meet me up at the bonanza afterwards, we'll Dutch treat the meal, and it'll be great to see you. Oh, shoot. That reminds me. I didn't go through the list of the three ways to put on a good potluck. Okay. Yeah. Hold on. Hold on. I gotta find it. Does that come in handy for this party? That's what I'm saying.

Limbless evangelist. Mike Pence. Ed DeYoung. Anne Graham Lotz. Nuclear strike earthquake could be coming to unrepentant America.

I've seen 10 foot tall demons in my hotel room. High ceiling. It is a high ceiling. Well, Jim Bob Duggar tells Church's daughter, Jenna, is still single on 20 birthday. Okay.

What is that? Why is that news? I don't know. People are Is she single? I mean People are upset about it. Is he telling lies? Who's Jim Bob Duger? The dad of the Duger family.

Oh, yeah. They're like some TV family, aren't they? Yeah. I never saw the show, but I remember they they were at some event once, everybody was all excited about it. Oh, man. A bus of kids came in. What? They oh, like, around here? Yeah. Yeah. It was they were here. It must have been some political thing a few years back. Oh. I had no idea who they were.

Okay. Here we go. Top 11 horrible foods you see at church potlucks. Churches neglect older folks. Potlucks won't do. Nope. I can't I can't find it.

Doggone it. Okay, Mike. You're gonna have to go on. If I find it, I will interrupt you. Okay. Here we go. Dear what is this? What is this one about? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Old people. Here we go. Dear, lie from the path. I cosigned a college loan for my grandson. Unfortunately,

he didn't earn passing grades and was kicked out. He frequently misses loan payments, and I end up getting a late payment letter. I'm afraid his inattentive inattention to this debt will adversely affect my credit. I can make the late payment or pull the money out of my savings and pay off the loan. If I pay off the loan, I plan to deduct that amount from his inheritance. He's very apologetic about it when I talk to him, but I'm tired of it hanging over my head. Wait a minute. Didn't we do this one already? No. This is a different person deducting loan amounts from their own inheritance? Yeah.

Good night. Okay. Go ahead. There's but her question is, how should I handle this? Yeah. I'd go plan to b with the I'd yeah. Just pay it off and then take it out of his inheritance. Sure. I don't know. What's the problem there? We afraid he's gonna be upset? Maybe he should have got past some grades. It makes you feel better, and doesn't really hurt him.

Yeah. I mean, it's money. He wouldn't he didn't earn it anyway. Yeah. I think where's it in Proverbs? Proverbs mentions that about, like, unearned money ain't no good for you. Earning money is good for you. Unearned money is not. I don't remember where I saw that. Hey, man. Here we go. Three tips for hosting an outstanding church dinner for or potluck. Okay. Yeah. Pay off the loan. Love,

life from the past. Yeah. Yeah. Pay it off. Done. Yeah. Okay. We got stuff to do here. One number I'm gonna skip the formalities. One, set an abundant table. Jesus spent a lot of time around tables. Scholar John Dominic Crosson says that to watch a day in the life of Jesus would be to watch him mostly healing and eating. Other scholars like Christine Poehl agree, pointing out that Jesus' supper times were consistent and prominent parts of his mission. Think of how often the gospels record instances gospel record instances of Jesus reclining at dinner tables with scurrilous people. I mean, it's just a few, really. Yeah. I'm gonna say five? Yeah. Yeah. Mean, I'm pretty sure he ate dinner I'm

pretty sure he ate dinner every night like everybody else. So he ate on his jet. Here we go. Since the meal carries this theological significance, don't settle for a mediocre feast. I'm not saying you have to cook gourmet food, but what you prepare should be delicious and bountiful. I suggest cooking a large entree and then asking the rest of the group to bring complimentary side dishes, salads, rolls, and desserts to the dinner. Create a buffet table with tablecloths and centerpieces surrounded with numerous platters and colorful trays of food. Not only is that an inexpensive way to provide a large meal, it is truly impressive, just like the gospel.

I mean, I feel like you may have stuffed this thing in a box that you wanted it to be in today. You know? I I agree with the this with their point, but not with their Yeah. But I mean, who stands in their kitchen and goes, potlucks, come and cook something meager and ungenerous? Yeah. Okay.

Well hey. Is it wrong let me ask you this. Is it wrong to bring your leftovers to the potluck? Yes. Okay. Well, I mean, it depends. If you cooked three chickens and you have two chickens left over, then no. I mean but not something you've picked off on or cut a wedge out of. Yeah. Half a meatloaf is pretty that's so good. Upon. What was really awesome when we started the church, we had all these people who'd never done church potlucks before. They hadn't done church. And I bet the first three years,

people, like, ran out of like, a family of six would bring, like, a bag of chips, and they assumed everybody else would bring in stuff. Right? Right. And we just had meager, terrible food. So we far finally started saying, okay. Bring an entree and a side. And then it's people like, oh, that's how you do this. And we do have meals. We'll, like, cook a couple turkeys or something, and then people bring the sides, and that worked out pretty well. Yeah. But you can't bring cheese puffs for your for your family of four. Yeah. And then be upset that you don't have the right tortillas or something that someone didn't make. Yeah. Okay. Noted. Alright. Number two, invite the needy. The warmth of Christ in our hearts gives us a wonderful sense of fellowship. That warmth is so wonderful that some people never want to leave their Christian friends to reach outsiders. It's a good thing that the people who invited you and me into the family of God did not think that way. Every church must be reminded from time to time to include people who have little to give back.

Most churches have a greater opportunity to do that than they realize. Virtually every town in America has neighborhoods where people are struggling economically. Underprivileged populations aren't hard to find. Often, they're only a few blocks from your church. They might be within the shadow of your church building. What would it be like for a church to host a dinner for these forgotten neighbors? Okay. Good.

Number three, expect Jesus to show up. Woah. This is the tip. Jesus loved the dinner table. The early church believed Jesus might show up in a physical form during dinners like he did to the disciples on the road to Emmaus or to those behind locked doors in the upper room. Is that true? Are there early Christian writings that talk about their expectation that Jesus might show up? I that he would show up, but I don't know if they

specifically thought mealtime. Mean Oh, wait a minute. In some early agape feast, they even set an empty chair for him. Hey, man. That's kinda cool. I never thought about that. That's that's a little uptown. I mean, I don't know. I'd have to think about it longer than I've thought about it right now. But, like, on the whole, it seems cool to leave a spot for Jesus at the table. Yeah. But what if you have, like, a small, like, a Shih Tzu or something, he's always jumping upon the Lord's chair? Yeah. You gotta Jesus. You gotta push him down. And you keep asking Jesus to pass pass the mashed potatoes? Yeah. Yeah. Come on. Getting cold.

You love the dinner table. I read it in an article. Hand over them taters. He's, like, yelling down, I'm sitting at the right hand of the father, not in your kitchen. Let's see. We need to recover the idea that Christ will show up if we set up a Jesus table. Why did he have to say it like that? Most of us give a cent to the theology of omnipresence, but we do not anticipate the presence of Jesus when we gather for a meal. Wouldn't I then have to take a chair everywhere?

Like, wouldn't he always want a place to sit? I mean, would I have to upgrade my van? You know what mean? We're filled with gills. We gotta get a space. When you say plus one, do you mean plus one and Jesus? Yeah. Sorry, woman. Me and Jesus going to Christmas party. I can only bring one guest. I need an extra movie ticket for Jesus.

No. I gotta pay for a seat. Let's see. But what happens in any meal hosted by Christ followers is a is about far more than food and fellowship. It is a sacred invitation to have dinner with Jesus. Consider how compelling that offer is, to have dinner with Jesus, to have dinner with the healer, the comforter, the savior, and the provider. A Jesus table is a portal between the house of God and the house of humanity. That is no small opportunity or really, really wonky theology. Yeah. I mean, you've taken all the great things about Jesus and then put them on a magnet and then stuck them on your potluck fridge.

Yeah. Yeah. You well, you've replaced the holy spirit with a Jesus table. Like, ways in which you like, the god then dwells within humanity here on earth. You're like, well, he provided the holy spirit. Not good enough. I put this buffet together. I mean, I get what he's saying. It's just this is a reach. This is weird.

Let's see. Revelation three twenty reveals a picture of Jesus knocking on the door of people's lives. What happens if they open? It's a bad reference. Mike, why is that a bad reference? The lord doesn't believe in doors, man. That's incorrect. Well, one, that is a good thought. Two, Revelation three twenty, he's knocking on the door of the church. This is two Christians. This is for just, like, random folks.

I will come in and eat with that person and they with me. Jesus still wants to eat with us. This is written by a pastor to pastors. Does he may recognize that he's just on the hair on the cheesy side? No. He's probably 65, Ben. He's been doing this his whole life. No one's ever brought it up. Oh, shoot. He's the head of the dinner church collective in Seattle. Oh, come on. Hey. Every part of that sentence makes sense. Dinner Church Collective, this makes sense. Seattle, this makes sense. It all comes together now.

Alright. Anyway, there you got your three tips you're gonna put a Does public that mean you get to count Jesus? Like, if you have a thousand people at church, you get to double it because Jesus was with each family? Yes. Yes. You mean then you get to wonder why your tithe is low by percentage. Hey, Lord.

We're about half of where we need to be, and Jesus is soaking up all the air conditioning. Although then you can realistically say our population has doubled. We think it's primarily due to Jesus. That's true. Yeah. Our heating costs our cooling costs have doubled because the holy spirit keep flying in here with this with this hotness.

Hey. You know, you can just do regular tongues. Gotta be on tongues of fire in here. I was reading or hearing or something the other day. It's been a few weeks ago. Like, these big big churches are are counting web clicks for attendance. Oh. Yep. Shifty.

I'm just like, what? Yeah. Yeah. Boy, I you know, there's just a

I know we like to we like to love Paul, right, for for the things like the man you know, he humbly served Jesus. Like, he was he he wasn't a he wasn't a downtrodden dude. You know what I'm saying? Like, he was pretty confident in who he was and what he was doing. And, like, he didn't he he had no false humility about him. Yeah. But, like, he humbly followed God while getting his while getting his tail kicked everywhere that he went and being put in prison. And, like, it was never the ministry of Paul, Paul's ministry. Right? Like and so many churches, like, I I I struggle sometimes when I see super big churches or, you know, all this money put into this stuff, and I'm like, why am I mad at this? Am I mad at it because I'm not part of it because it'd be pretty cool to be go to, like, a church of 5,000 people singing worship tunes? It's gotta be cool to be in there. You know? Sure. You know? And and so I try to sort through that stuff. But at the end of the day, there's just some hubris that goes along with some of these the way that they they're they're putting on church. I'm like, what are you what are you doing? You know? Like, the the the heroes of our faith from Jesus down, like, they were just the most humble people around, you know, in the way that they gave all glory to the father, and they're like, I just gotta trust god in all the things that happen. Sometimes I'll get beat up. Sometimes I won't. You know? But, like, people who have screwed up and gotten themselves out of the ministry, you should stay out of the ministry. Just stay out. Right? You don't belong there anymore. Follow Jesus in a million different ways. And if your if your the goal of your life was to serve Christ, you don't have to be on a stage to do it. You can do that in a million ways, and you refuse to. And

and I I just I don't know. Some of that stuff is really starting to bother me nowadays. You know? I'm like, I just I don't understand where all this hubris comes from. You should be nonexistent. Jesus should be big. You should be the afterthought. Like this one guy told me about Jesus. I remember his name, but I remember what he was saying about Jesus, and this is what I do. Yeah. We've kinda gone with the I must increase bumper sticker. Yeah. It's a mistake. Alright. You've listening live from the past. Thanks for hanging out with us week. We really do appreciate it. Next week, we are we we I'm very excited, actually. We're gonna got an interview to talk about a sex trafficking film for here in Iowa, and that was interesting because that was part of the thing that we were talking about when when Nate

and Joy from Wings of Refuge were here was kind of the the surprise of the extent that it happens in Iowa. And so I'm really excited to kinda hear about the film and and what it what it hopes to accomplish and and and maybe get some insight into what's actually going on around here. And, I don't know. Maybe we can maybe we can put some effort into that thing. Well and we talked about it when when when Joy was was on about, the Super Bowl being up in Minnesota here this this year. And so, like, maybe we might go up there and patrol the place or whatever. I mean, people tell us what we're looking for, and we'll have a look at it. Oh, yeah. No doubt. Alright. In the meantime, go ahead and check out the website. Go to lifeinthepath.org.

Hey. I did post, there's a new study, study link out there. Just as, if you're if you're reading the bible this year and you're interested in any of the study material, we've we've gone through a few of the books, and we've got some notes and stuff out there for you. So if you wanna join us in that study, please do so. Go check it out. There's there's quite a bit of material on the minor prize because that's what's what we were doing. So in any case, go check that out. And,

until then, we will see you next week. Be faithful in means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to Live From The Path.