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

here at Johnston Proper. I don't know what we're laughing about. That camera view is fantastic. It is very specifically the left side is real rough. Here's what I'm gonna tell you. If And the right side contains me, and that's the saddest part that that's the less rough side. If you do the audio only podcast, this is the week to jump on the YouTube and check it out. It's worth it. It's not worth it. Dan and I are in full regalia. Yeah. It appears that these two gentlemen are the type of folks that walk up to the buffet and go, I thought ginger ale was included in the free drinks.

Okay. Here's what we got going on the show. We gotta we gotta hop in quick because we have what what? No. We're not just gonna move past that with that being the only part of us making fun of you two wearing those shirts. What are you talking about? Nobody cares about you come you gotta come back to it. Sprinkle it into the rest of the show. Absolutely not. I get complaints on the complaint line. The show takes too long to get going, so we're getting moving. So, one of the things that we were we talked about before the show, we just had to cut it off and start the program because it's getting too late. Mike Mike, to give me the quick, like, thirty seconds on on the the question. The question is is, like, like, people's critique of, like, the Old Testament and the New Testament feeling very different.

And, like, god god is responsible directly for killing quite a few Israelites. Yep. Right? Mostly for rebellion reasons, but, like, we look at that in a modern context and through the lens of Jesus' sacrifice, and we're like, woah. Like, smooth tongued evil can suck in a broken humanity. Right? And, like, god's not, you know, throwing instant judgment out there, but, like, if you read in the old testament, like, the rebellion of Korah is a good one. When he gave them the meat, like, when

like, people were gorging themselves and dying. You know? And, like, it was it was a whole thing that, like, god has said, okay. Like, when when Cora's rebellion happened, like, he he said, okay. I'm gonna deal with Cora and his buddy. You two go stand by your tents, and, like, he let these both these tents get sucked up into the ground along with their entire family. Yep. So Cora's eight year old daughter, presumably, that's not scriptural, but, like, is in that in that group. You know? Sure. And same thing with, like, like, all all the people that were kind of backing Cora's rebellion, who are just too chicken to stand up for it. Like, they ended up getting a plague. It's like, I know what you did. And so they got a plague against them. And so, like, the the the major thought is is, like, when I think of, like, when I've been, seduced by the world or or not the way that Jesus would would see the world or, like, my sin, I don't think, like, man, if I don't hurry up and and get my forgiveness in or to run this heifer to the temple, then I'm out. And, like, the Old Testament reads from a modern perspective very much that way. Right.

Alright, Dan. How do we how do we think about this kind of thing? No. I'll tell you what. I think I think it's on a on a on an unhealthy premise thinking that the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament. That's a very popular belief and thought. And I all I can think about You could see where they're coming from, though. Right? I can see it, but they're just wrong. I mean Yeah. Okay.

I mean, all you have to do is read second Peter chapter two, and that in itself pretty much blows that whole thing out of the water because because in chapter two, Peter is going back to all these historic events where people died, Sodom and Gomorrah, cities full of people of children and women and men and, you know, people, animals, everything.

Goes back to the the story of Noah and the ark, the entire every human on the planet except for eight. So every woman, child, you know, all that died, wiped out. And he's going back to these historic events in first second Peter two saying, hey. Remember these stories because I don't want you to make the same mistakes because he'll do it again. Right. You know? God hasn't changed. And and so the the whole thing kinda throws out of the water for me. I I think you have to promise in our time frame,

we we're just not used to that kinda thing. You know, we want everything everything's so clean and sterile, and we go get meat at a at a grocery store that's wrapped up in cellophane, and we don't have to cut the throat of the animal. And and and, you know, I'd probably be a vegetarian if I had to because I'm I'm weak. I'm I'm I'm a, you know, wimpy little boy. I'm I'm I'm just saying we're not used to blood. We're not used to violence. It's off somewhere else. On a news channel that that told us something happened over in, you know, The Middle East somewhere or wherever. And and and so we we kinda project that onto God, say, well, God's different now. He's full of love and puppies and rainbows and Well, I mean, to be fair, though, like, there's there's scripture that, like, I think leads people that direction. Right? Like, when Jesus talks about leaving the the one for the 99 or you know what I'm saying? And, like like, when send the little children to come to me. My burden is light. You know what I'm saying? Like, all these things that sound very inviting.

Right? And then it's not that that Jesus does not speak of a judgment like he does actually quite a bit. Maybe we just lean in real heavy on the like, it's hard holding both things to be true on a flat reading of scripture. It just it just kind of is. There's some really bad doctrine where you've just raised your hand. You you you now are done with judgment, and you can do whatever you want. And I but that but that's not what I'm that I guess that's not what I'm thinking that people are thinking. Yeah. Right? Like, I'm I'm I'm saying that, like, fundamentally I mean, like, even though the guy that has known Jesus for Sure. Almost my whole life, like, reading the Old Testament has a different feel to it than reading the New Testament for a lot of reasons. I I I I very recently struggled with this, and we've had this conversation before on the show where I've brought a similar point up where I'm like, man, I'm just I'm struggling with as I'm as I'm working my way through the Old Testament trying to rightsize the the the holiness of God, right, and the the uncleanness that comes with a broken and fallen world that that forsook it or forsake him. Right? Like, that that made the wrong choice and and became a sinful world because of the choices that were made at the beginning, and then,

like, trying to figure out exactly right. Like, Jesus very specifically, if you look at it a certain way, like, it's it's inviting, and it's meant to be like, hey. Like, you are forgiven through Jesus and all these different things, and, like, you you you would hope that as we go forth to to the people that we're we're telling them that, hey. You are broken, but god can make you new, and god can make you you you take away your sin and all this different stuff. And then I read stuff in the Old Testament where it's like and then God was his anger was was, like, lit a flame in this situation of rebellion, and then he caused a plague to happen. And very specifically, many people died, and somebody like Abraham had to walk in and be like, well, wait. Woah. Woah. What if you did it this way? Or Moses comes in and intercedes and goes, God, like, please look on us with with mercy and, like, remember your people and remember your covenants and your promises. And, like, it's it's been interesting to try and walk through that and right size that because then I keep running into the thought of like,

we're told to fear the Lord. And like, I struggle with that because I I I don't I don't naturally have a fear of God, admittedly, because, like, I I I really feel, like, the love of God, and I feel like I'm accepted because of him, and I like talking about that stuff, and I want other people to see that kind of stuff. And so I totally get your point, and it and it makes plenty of sense to me, especially as I'm trying to talk to people about this. Right? Like like you like you said, someone who's been walking through this for for years and has been trying to take a step back and go, okay. Like, well, first off, I'm going to come at scripture understanding that it's not God's responsibility

to make things make sense to me. It is my responsibility to accept this because it is God's word, and he is the one who is just and right. And then I have to let, like, my heart be humbled and go, this one's rough, father. Like, this one's rough to take in, but, like, I'm gonna let you instruct me. I don't know how to have that kind of conversation with somebody who I'm trying to tell about Jesus and tell them that they can be saved through that, but then also be like, but if you run into a scripture that's kinda rough, like, humble yourself and shut up and just let him, like, instruct you on who he is through it. I mean, mean, he's spent centuries, centuries giving a story and Of course. Example after example of here's my standard, and and if you don't meet it, you're done. You're toast. Yeah. Bad things happen.

And that's the more you understand that, the better you understand grace. It's like, man, this this grace is a big deal. Yeah. I mean, I genuinely deserve everything bad that's gonna ever happen. I I deserve being I deserve the plague. I deserve fire. I deserve all the stuff. Whatever. You know? And he's like, yeah. But I go ahead I went ahead and took that for you. Right. You know? So it's not that god changed or anything. It's that he says, man, I love you so much. I love I love them too, but I had to do what I had to do. You know? And I'll do it. That's what Peter was saying. Don't forget. You're gonna get the same thing. Yep. But Yeah. I wanna forgive you, and I wanna save you, and and and that's for the the the fears and awe and a reverence thing. It's it's not scared. It's a man, that's a deep appreciation for woah. Yeah. There's beauty in that. Like, there's beauty in understanding that, like because I haven't heard. This same god that that exacted his truthful revenge on on a people that were rebelling against him or even sometimes not like an open rebellion. Sometimes it's like, hey. You did something I told you not to. Like like the guy that died when he touched the ark of the covenant. Yeah. Right? Like, it's falling, and you would think, yeah. Grab it because, like, you don't want it to fall. It's sacred. It's important. It's God's seat. Mhmm. But, like, he died because the instruction very specifically was like, this is mine. Don't touch it. And new New Testament God would do the same thing. He said, no. That's what really what it said. I really said don't touch it. I maybe this does Sorry. Revenge might have been the wrong word. I know you yeah. Sorry. Yeah. Maybe this just does point to, like, our our culture that, like, puts a lot of weight in feelings. Sure. Right? Yeah. But, like, it for sure,

just from our modern lens, no it doesn't matter, like, what you're saying is true, but, like, it it feels different. Like, on the read, it feels for sure So so let me may maybe this helps is in the presence of Old Testament, let's call it violence. Sure.

I I think there's three re in my mind, there's three reasonable reactions. There are three reasonable questions that might come come from it. One, because if you believe that it doesn't fit your understanding of the character of God, the question is, is this is it real? Is god even real? Because, like, I I don't these do not the multiple things don't feel like they go together for me, and so maybe the whole thing is made up. Sure. Could be reaction, number one. Two, maybe it has nothing to do with being real, but now but brings the question, is god good? Yeah. If I'm supposed to believe this story, and and I would this seems terrible. Women and children and whatever. And Canaanite, whether it's Canaanites, Israelites, some of these decisions, like, is god good? And the third question

is probably, can even God be understood, or is he capricious? Because, frankly, like, the capricious meeting, like, does he just make random decisions? Yep. His character cannot be determined. They're good because God did them, not because they have any consistent good. Because, like, a lot of the, like, if you think of other deities that that have been worshiped, you're supposed to think of their behavior as justified simply because of who they are, which is something you could make the case for for Yahweh, but, actually, I think it gets it it removes a consistency in God's character that we are supposed to be able to understand. God is predictable. The one of the key characteristics that stands out between him and other gods of the time or gods that have been represented at all is that God is not capricious. He just doesn't, like, randomly make decisions to do something. There is a standard of which his character implies of which he acts within, not that he's constrained by, but it is evident.

So if I had to deal with those three things and that does that seem right? Those three things can be kinda like easy. I can agree to that. Is he even real? If he's real, is he good? And if he's if he's good and real, he appears capricious because he's making some of these things seem petty or small or whatever. If I were to deal with those things, here's how I might think of it. One, we lack a little bit of context. Well, I think we have it. It's just harder to take in that the violence the thing where violence is perpetrated upon humans stands out to us. But, like, take the take the manna example where they end up choking on the manna. Right?

They the Israelites did not have a question as to whether God was real. Right. They knew he's real. And even if he did no good things, the presence of his justice is the evidence that he's real. Whether they agree with it or not, whether they think he's good or not, they're not questioning whether he's real or not. And so if you're gonna accept the biblical stories that represent some sort of judgment upon humanity that God takes from an earthly perspective, then there's no reason for you to throw out the provision of the manna to begin with. The, the Passover, the notion of of the freeing from Egypt. Yep. The miracles that the water out of the rock at Meribah, like, any of these types of So you know so if you accept the one thing, it can't be the justification that God isn't real,

because it's something that you wouldn't have done. From the same book came these things that he did that were good. Sure. So, if you're gonna throw if you're gonna throw out if you believe God is not real because of negative things that you believe exist in the Bible, that doesn't hold because you would have chucked the positive things. So if if you're not gonna believe in him, it can't actually have anything to do with Old Testament violence. The second question becomes, is God good? This is a harder question. Mhmm. But, again, I might submit to you that what what it lacks is a little bit of context. The Israelites did not question whether God was good. Right? The same the same people who fell or the same group of people who fell under portion of it fell under judgment Mhmm. Because of collecting sticks on the Sabbath or over I forgot about that one. Yeah. Or overindulging in Stone him. In stuff that showed up. Right? In food, like, they're the same group that two days before then collected manna from the ground. Yeah. They knew they did not that it wasn't there the day before. They knew that it was coming at the god at god's hand. There was not a question whether God was good. And so if by in context, they actually had an easier time with some of these judgments than we do because we we take the highlighter to the judgment,

and you don't convert at the same time go, god provided. Yeah. Right? And so, again, I I don't think you can you can't the question of whether god was good, they had the evidence of the goodness just like they had the evidence of the judgment. This isn't a thing that an Israelite is bothering you. Sure. Right. But we're struggling with because you did not collect manna yesterday. Yeah. Your grandpa was not, led out of Egypt. The the waters did not spread across for them to walk through. Right? So your if it's easier for us to focus on a context that says we would not behave this way. I don't I cannot personally think of a means of which this a reason that this judgment is okay, but you also did not participate in any of the goodness that was very clear and evident to those folks. Sure. Right. Israelites always repent. It takes them a long time. Take sometimes it takes it's difficult for them to get there, but they always repent. And what are they often doing? The prophets will do the same thing. They're always pointing back to, but did you remember God's hand here and God's hand here and God's hand here? Right? And so this is why it's important for us. It's easy in this room. I don't maybe it's not easy, but in this room,

I can read Old Testament scriptures and things where I'm like, I just did I don't see that same thing quite happening today. The world is different in the presence of Jesus dying on the cross. But I can look back at that and go, God can be trusted. And so even if it hits my sensibilities, my modern cultural sensibilities different,

I believe God can be trusted. But I came to that conclusion because I've seen throughout my life that God is trustworthy. If you're someone who does not have the experience of those types of things and then you start reading Joshua straight up Yeah. You lack the context because you're not an Israelite and you've not lived a life to otherwise notice within God's people and within his provision in your own life that he is good, that gives you a context for that. And so that's why we need to be gracious about, and why it's important that God's people do God's things because you actually start to help provide people a context of which they can understand

those types of things. And like, what it feels, that feels like cheating to some people. Oh, well, you're writing off because, well, you've had this experience that God is good, so you're willing to overlook this. No, no, no. That is the context of which I understand that type of thing. That's the caution. Three.

Is God capricious? Does God just randomly go, you know what? I'm just sick of this stick collector on the Sabbath. And so is he petty? Is he small for going after things like this? Is if he's God and humans are so fallible and he's aware of that, what's with the earthly judgment upon some of these things that seem to be just reflections of human fallibilities? I think it's a great question. I think it's a harder

question because shouldn't like, would I knowing the fallibilities of say my eight year old, how, what does my patients look like for them and their behavior? Okay, fair. So then it becomes the like, then we gotta think about again, what is God doing with some of these things?

Well, I think it's wise to consider that the presence of earthly judgment is not always the same thing as the presence of eternal judgment. So, because God took an action for protection of his people or the people around them to stop a particular thing on earth, I think we do not have enough in scripture to say, I know that then they are eternally separated from Yahweh. So he can take an earthly measure that is not the same thing as eternal separation. And so it would be different if it felt like dude who collected sticks on the Sabbath definitely made an earthly mistake. Is it condemnable

for forever separation from Yahweh? I don't know about it. Like, it's it's that we don't have the implication of that, but do we also get a God who goes, look, you've got to purge the evil from your camp because the presence of evil, the presence from from disobedience, the presence of humans, especially in such a, a thing as his people are supposed to be a light to others. And so is it important that people who are misrepresenting that to the other people in the camp and to the people outside of that are stopped because it's bigger than just that person's behavior? Sure. Yeah. Yes.

Right. So what and and we see this actually, to Dan's point, what do you see in the early church? Look at Ananias and Sapphira. Mhmm. That's like that's the type of thing where you're like, hey. Didn't God maybe over like, they just kinda said they would bring the whole thing, but they didn't really bring the whole thing. Isn't that kind of a human thing to do to keep a little back for themselves? Yes. There's a preciousness Just fell dead. There's a preciousness to the and to the early church and the protection of that movement and its purity that God takes an action in it that we would be like, woah. I think people do this probably all the time and they're not falling down dead. Again, it's God's discretion on what way and how firmly on the earth things need to be protected. Okay. That's a great point though because, like, it does tail off. Right? Like, it's very evident in the beginning stages of what Israel is is designed to be. Yep. It's also more evident in the beginning stages of what the early Christian church was designed to be. And then it's like it's it's very similar to raising a kid. Right? Like, you you follow it around everywhere. You tell it no when when you don't want it to, like but, like, by the time your kid gets to be closer to adult, you're not gonna, like, fall around to every stove and go, hey. You know, stop this. Right? You've been set on a path and and a and a way to live and a a way to face to live a life, and, like, he's setting it up for for success or at least a a blueprint to know what his heart is Yeah. And what he intends

for the designing of his chosen people, Israel, and the early Christian church. Yes. So so so I think the consideration then is, is god how does god communicate where where lines are at? How their behavior impacts the world around them? Well, there's a physical representation of that judgment of the impact of God said not to do a thing. You did a thing. There's a physical consequence. Think about, we talked about this, I wanna say maybe three months ago. Saul decides,

he's waiting to go to a battle, and he's he may and Samuel's supposed to come in and make the sacrifice. Samuel's running late. Saul's like, I don't have my answer. I made the sacrifice. And then Saul shows up. And Saul like, the the the reason Saul loses his kingship is that. It's that. He goes, take it away from him. I wish I wouldn't have put this guy in because he didn't wait for Samuel who was running late. And and Samuel basically looks at him and goes, look. Do you think you know better than what God said to do?

And and Saul goes, look. I I I did not wanna go into battle without honoring God, without offering our sacrifice. Saul's mind, this is like, hey. I'm trying to do the right thing. And Samuel's very clearly goes, except for it's not what he told you to do. And it's enough that you don't get to be the king anymore. Are they do the Israelites are they gonna remember this? Are they gonna remember the rebellion of Korah? Are gonna remember the guy collecting sticks on the Sabbath? Yes. Did that judgment then protect future folks in some way or another from continuing to perpetuate things that otherwise could have made their way and totally, like, took a whiz in everybody's pot? Yes. I think similar things about the, our descriptions that we get of the Canaanites. Like, yeah. Yeah. He said to go and the Amalekites too. He said to go in and he said to wipe out the folks. Okay? I think God is good. I I don't worry so much about the children and the women and stuff because I believe God is his intent is for righteousness. So I think he worked it out in whatever way. I don't know. Right? But do I know that the Canaanite religion and its child sacrifice and sexual immorality were pervasive and growing into the world? Is there protection

that God has done to to do judgment on those people? Is it just so, well, now the Israelites can move into the apartment? No. It's not just that. Right. He moved light into the neighborhood. And to do that, you gotta clear out the things that are that are poisoning the neighborhood to do. You understand? And so, again, now you chase it around because the Israelites continue to fail, and God continues to step in. And you see the judgment where he moves them out completely

Right. From the land that he promised because they were not faithful in it. So the thing that we get probably get stuck on, right, is, like, you're exactly right. Like, they get sent away. They get taken over by Babylon. You know, like, that is more palatable. You know what I'm saying? Like, on the whole, it was like, hey. God set up a land for you. You did not follow him. You didn't did not acknowledge him as god. You will be moving out of this land. And, like, you're like, yeah. That seems right and fair. But, like, when people were getting killed, like, we're like, well, now they don't have a chance to fix it. They don't have a chance to repent. They don't have a chance to to, like, get out of this mistake that they made. And, like, some of that is indwelling look at ourselves that goes, I make a lot of mistakes. Yeah. If I just happen to be around in that time period of the world, I would certainly be dead. Certainly. Right. And so but but once again, if we're looking at it as is like an earthly consequence does not necessarily mean an eternal consequence.

Right? Like, if God is, like, setting up his ways and trying to, like, show what his sense of justice and good and right means, he has to be able to do that somehow. And predating a bible, right, you're right. These are just stories passed down from so and so. You're like, man, did you hear what happened to Yeah. X. You know? And you're and and, like, I'm looking at it as I think Sarah, daughter of Cora, like, got unnecessarily punished. Well, to be honest with you, sin has that same effect now. Right? Where people are unnecessarily

affected by the sins of other people. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right? And it still catches them now. And Jesus just said, yeah. I I died for that, so Korah and his daughter don't have to die for that to make that relationship possible with Yahweh. Yeah. And I think where where we get into where it becomes difficult is that I think the examples are clearer. You see that moving through the Old Testament primarily because, like, you you've got the the the people of Israel acting as both a followers of Yahweh, but also like a nation state. Right? So so, like, there's rules that govern how you're to live and to work. The influence that the nation state has, like, we're spies today. Like, we're not what's a covert operation. We do not own the country. And so, like, it's it's it's a little bit of a different a different setup. But, like, also, the the power of god's name carries differently. You notice when the art gets I've listened to the first Samuel today, so, like, these examples are on my mind. But, like, when the art gets taken Mhmm. And it gets put in the in the in the temple of Dagon. Right? And the Just starts toppling. Falling on itself. Right? And those guys go, oh, yeah. That's Yahweh. That was that was the god who got them out of Egypt. We gotta get out of this thing. Remember, they they come up with these things that they're gonna offer it. Yep. Right. Back out.

But, like, there was god's name with with his people as their behavior. Right? So, like, it's it's culturally, it's how what's what you're dealing with. Is that same thing helpful, necessary, have the same impact today? It doesn't seem like it. Although, like, I don't know enough. God would know. He'll do what he wants to do in But, all the like, I I I think that's probably culturally this ends up looking different on how we think or interact with them. Or even culturally, like, what it meant. Like, if you got kicked out of your land, did Babylon go, oh, yeah. Yeah. Sounds like a judgment upon his people. No problem. No. Not necessarily. We wouldn't even think that today. But if you saw a god come and and, like, attack other gods or, like, an army be wiped out, I I like, it's the language they're speaking. And so I I I do trust god contextually in those types of things, but I I actually even I don't even have to just go, I just trust him, and that's good enough for me. I I think there's other contextual things that help us to understand that that are are different than our own culture, but I think allow us not to just take what feels like the easy way out going, well, he can just be trusted. I think it's true, but I actually think there's more to it than that. Mhmm. You know, you you look at

in in Revelation two, you know, we were talking about Israel and and how they were removed from the land and all the, you know, all the things. It's kind of a the New Testament equivalent of that is is Jesus writing the letter to Ephesus saying, hey. You know, I'm gonna remove your lampstand Yeah. If you don't repent. And and and it's like how many churches it was just not visible. We don't we don't know it. Mhmm. But how many churches out there have no no spirit left? Right? Yeah. They've got a sign. They're going through the actions. They sing their songs, whatever they're they're doing. But they're it's god left long time ago. Yeah. You know you know, he they he's he was no longer invited, and and I I think it's the same thing. We we're just not maybe

perceptive enough to to see it. Mhmm. You know? We're not writing down, and god left the ex church. Yeah. Right. We're like, man, what's wrong with them? You know? We're just you know? So I think it's still going on. Yeah. I think I think so too. And, so, but I will say, like, all that said, I I get that this is difficult. It hits my sensibilities, because you would think the same God in the New Testament that says, look, it's my desire that everyone come to me, and thus is, like, we've got John saying, come quickly, Lord Jesus. And then there's back of your mind. You're like, oh, but if he waited, his mercies are new every morning. I need another morning so that Ted can come to Jesus. Yeah. Totally. And so like, but here's the thing. You're, that's what you're built for. That is that's for you. Your job is to look out. The thing that you can handle is to look out and hope and to desire for the opportunities that people would come to Jesus just like you were able to. You can't actually handle the judgment. It's why the when it hits you and you see that there was a judgment upon people, your heart breaks because it's supposed to. It's supposed to do that. Only God can be trusted on which those times are appropriate. You've seen humans do this, and this is where you get dictatorships. Right? The power of life and death in human hands is not handled well. And so, I think the reaction is because that's what you're supposed to have. That's the way and the representation

we have of, of Jesus too, is like, that's how he's looking at the world. Now, certainly God holistically has to be able to deal with evil. He has to be able to say the the this much poison. We want him to deal with evil. Exactly. In fact, we pray for that. You pray for the we've talked about this before, but, like, you pray that the guy who's beaten his wife, like, you pray for it to stop. You want God to reach in and stop that man, And you and it's okay because you agreed with God's level of in interference. And because you agreed what that guy was doing was morally wrong, you don't have a problem that God stepped in to stop it. And but you're like, well, the guy who gathered sticks, the the problem isn't that God, we don't, we care that God interjects in the world and that he executes justice. We're not comfortable on the thing that the guy did that it's bad enough to justify how God reacted. That's our real problem. Yeah. But part of that is, again, we don't really have a good appreciation for God's holiness. We don't have a good appreciation

for like the, like those people having to see God act physically in their midst for them to, to contemplate, understand, because I get to read the story of the guy in the sticks. They didn't have the story to read. It had to happen. Right? Now I do think it's wrong to look at the entirety of the old testament as if it's all posturing for me.

Right. Oh, well, they had to die so that I would know better. That's arrogant. Yeah. Right. That's great. There was a Think God was thinking of me. Yeah. There's a practical reason those were happening at the time. It was for them, but, like, we benefit from a different way. Because of the the mediums that we have, the scripture that I can read, I don't have to run afoul of those things to understand the consequence. But here's the deal. We're almost missing out on the lesson because we do spend our time disagreeing with God's actions at the time. And so I think it's difficult. I think you're made to be diff I think you're made to find that difficult. I think it's in your heart. You're supposed to look at people in a gracious way and want for them what God wants for them. And so I think it's if it if it didn't if it didn't hit you initially where you're like, oh, yeah. That seems totally fine. Then I actually think you're missing something that God is is meant for you. But then I think you do have to contextualize So we're we're saying that, like, if you're reading through your old testament or you're new to the bible and you're you're you grew up or your your majority of the things that you know about God are coming from the character and stories told

about Jesus. Like, it's okay to feel away about some stuff in the old testament, but it's not okay to leave it there. Yep. And, like, you should you should be digging in and realizing that it's the same god throughout. And so, like, his character is consistent, and people are actually pretty consistent in the way that they rebel against him. Yeah. And so, like, all those things are are okay. It's okay to have that question. It's okay to dig into why,

and it's okay to talk it out and and find people around you that you don't know the scriptures that have been walking with God for a while that can help solidify the way that you're looking at things. Yeah. And I would say that, like, you whatever you're feeling, I I know you don't do it very often, but just take a trip through the minor prophets.

There's there's very there are very few modern accusations against Yahweh that not have not been leveled against him by his own prophets. Sure. Representing the the the will of the people. Like, if you ever thought, God, where are you? How can all these things be going on around you? And I, it feels like you're silent. Yeah. Go check out, check out, Amos. You know what saying? Like, and so you, you are in,

you are in human company, even to people who have seen God act to go, how are we supposed to understand this? This seems we need your help understanding this. Where are you? Why are you behaving this way? Why haven't you done the things? Actually, it's, there's another, there's another Samuel story, where they're praying to go to battle, and they pray to God, and like, hey, tell us whether we'll you'll deliver into our hands or not. And the scripture goes, and God did not provide an answer to that. What

are we supposed to do? You've been there? Saul's been there. Jonathan's been there. And so, like, this is the, this is one of the reasons you can tell, if if scripture was not real, you wouldn't write down most of this stuff. If you were just trying to control and manipulate people, you would not have God's prophets failing so hard Right. And accusing God of things. Like, it's the reality of trying to understand something that is much bigger than you. And God graciously doesn't just go, I'm Yahweh. Suck it up. He's like, I get it. I get what you're saying. And he and he this is where Job is held for. Like, there's a reminder of god's perspective into the world. So, like, there are the bible doesn't shy away from some of these things. Don't feel guilty about thinking them, but, let's go back to god with the question. Not to jump back into it by any means. Yep. But like the Korah situation. Right? Like, Korah's rebellion was under the perspective that

they were saying, how do we know that Moses and Aaron are the only ones that God speaks to? Right? Like, what if he also speaks to us? Yeah. And that was the fight that was coming against it. What a dangerous situation that, like, if it becomes a thing that the people who are speaking to, to god are not the ones who are listened to as they are the ones speaking to god, like, of course, that was put down quickly. Because then if it becomes a situation where all of them are hearing or saying that they're the ones hearing from god, and then they start getting a bunch of random direction and all this different stuff, and then the fact that exactly right. They're becoming like this nation and have been in slavery for four hundred years, have no idea how to take care of themselves, can't provide their own mana, will die in the wilderness on their own, or get killed by the kings that they're trying to pass through their land that just flat out go, no. We're an army against you and will murder you all. Like, of course, there's a situation in which you have to set the example of no.

I speak to them, and they are the ones that you should hear when I speak to them. Mhmm. Like, don't go off and think that everybody's talking about me because you're all foolish, and this will go horrible immediately. I think that's a perfect example, right, because, like, from from our modern perspective, God tolerates this now. There's all kinds of people that claim to speak on Yahweh's behalf and definitely do not, you know, and so, like, he tolerates this. He allows us to be in his grace and his mercy, And so, like, to have such a stark reality

that's different than the one that we're in, right, it just takes it takes one of the there is a level of arrogance to the way that we read the bible. Right? Like, we do trying to self centerize it, and and, like, as we've talked through this, I just realized how much I definitely do that. But, like, the, like Same. The thought is is, like, this is people will say this is, like, not my Jesus. My Jesus wouldn't do that. Right? And, like, it's a self centered look, like, as if you control the narrative of who Christ is. My puppet Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. Like, that's Genie. But but, like, think about them saying the same thing in Deuteronomy. God were to smote them directly. Right? My Yahweh would do it's like, you're Yahweh. Rock rock on head. That's it. That guy's out. You don't Take that dude out among from among you and kill him immediately. Yeah. So and and I guess one of the other things to consider too is that, we're not getting every story. So, like, think of the end of the judges. Right. Book of judge where it says everyone did what was right in his own eyes. You're telling me there's not false prophets in there? Right? Sure. Yeah. We we know about this. And actually, Amos has lodges a complaint about this. And there's a few other Obadiah, I think, has got a complaint about this. And so what you don't see is the condemnation of those guys. You don't see that God strikes them down. And so are there a few key points of which have persisted

through the scriptures of the stories that can that we know about? Sure. But, like, it's probably actually you know, you wouldn't know. It's something to ask Jesus. But, contextually, is God handling false prophets in some sometimes like this today? Yeah. He probably is. Probably at the same level of which it happened, like, at Korah's rebellion, except for everybody was in the same spot. You know what I'm saying? We're just all distributed out everywhere. And so, you know, I I think we just have to be careful. Some of it's a visibility issue. Some of it's contextually. Like, we're not getting every story that's out there. And so, you know, just because god stood in in one thing as an example to his people doesn't mean that there's not another thousand within fifty years of Korah's rebellion of which God did not take earthly judgment. Dang it. No. Every time I'm a hear about, like, an earthquake that randomly happens in Chile and it was just in the middle of nowhere, I'm gonna think, I wonder if there was a false prophet out in there. I wonder what Manuel did. Yeah. It's like, hey, man. I sucked Cora and his entire rebellion up into Shiel. I'll do it again. It can be in the Andes this time, friend. Bye. Yep. I know and and I think that is one of the risks that comes with with this this type of thing too

is then you depending on who you are, you're looking for that kind of stuff. Yeah. Right. And all over the and you you getting yourself in a little bit of hot water because, again, it presumes a place of judgment that you it's just not even your problem, man. So hard. Yeah. Like, you gotta say the thing that it exists, and it has to be clear what what the rescue looks like. But, like, when God decides to intercede in the world when he chooses not to, the level of which he decides to do it, like, it's it's his his ways and not my ways. It's his perspective, not mine, which is, like, the same justification he gets for choosing David. You're like, the way the world would look at this, we'd say, why didn't you step in on Hitler? For sure. Right. Like, we'd say, why did not God do blah blah blah. Right? Even Hebrews, you know, says to to look at hardship as discipline from the Lord, and he's like, well, which ones? I mean, sometimes it's just hardship. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Discipline. You know you know, it's like, you know Right. It's the discernment part. That's exactly right. Like, it's it's difficult to say and this is this is where people people who don't handle scriptural well Mhmm. Will do that kind of thing. They're like, oh, can't see. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. God God's putting you through hardship, or I'm just an idiot, and I think I don't Or the commodities market is up and natural gas is high. You know what I'm saying? Instead of going, this is a hardship, these corn prices. Well, then there's the people that will use that as an opportunity to, like, tell people that something horrible happening in their life is god disciplining them, and they should look towards it as, wow. Count it all joy, friends, till we go through these things. It's like, hey, man. My parents died. I don't believe that god was disciplining me for something. It's a fallen world. My parents made decisions that led them to the place that they were in, and it certainly led to me being able to find him a lot better because of some of those things. But, like, somebody walking up to me in that point in time and going, hey, man. Your dad died actually so that you would be disciplined in your sin, and he was taken away in that specific situation because he What did you learn? I'm like, what the heck, man? Because I've had that. I had that situation. It's Yep. Yep. Alright. Hey. No joke, though. Like, I I know this is hard, and especially Old Testament stuff. Especially, we start with Jesus, and then you make your way back.

Again, And, we just it's it's you gotta read it, and it's it reads differently. Some of the literature is different. The way that it's what it's communicating, how it's trying to communicate, understanding some of those things. Like, you get a deeper appreciation for for Jesus by taking that stuff in, but it's hard. So, look, if you lack of any other resources, let me offer you two things. One, hit it. If you got questions, hit up the complaint line. I'm guaranteeing whatever qualm you may have with the Old Testament, more people have. Yes. It's pretty common. I felt to be honest, I felt some of that felt super risky to me. I would say the same reason when I approached Revelation, I thought this thing could either significantly deepen my faith or it could tear it up. Yeah. And I would say, like, the further I dug into Revelation and then into the Old Testament,

I'm not I don't think I'm kooky about it. I think we're in this room. Pretty look at it I don't wanna say, like, logically or reasonably. I say I think we're taking it as it's intended. Yeah. And the same thing with the Old Testament. Like, I'm not trying to provide a apologetic. Right. For making excuses on God's behalf. I'm trying to read it as I think it what it's actually trying to communicate. Yeah. And some of that requires you actually taking in some of the context around it, knowing what's going on in politically or in that world. And actually, for the most part, at least not reading as like it happened in Ohio in 1998,

because you're probably reading it wrong if that's how you're taking it in. And so that does take it does take work. A reason God has teachers and resources and things to help with that because that's something we actually have to bring forward with us to to understand. So hit us up on the cape complaint line if we can be of any help there. I would also, I would recommend the bible project. They handle these things, pretty well. Just, have a podcast, also some videos and things, and they do a pretty good job of helping you sit in context. The thing that I would tell you that they do is they are pretty gracious with people who've got are trying to approach it in multiple ways, And I think they do a pretty good job of recognizing how how someone might take it in and and kinda cover that. So just do a search for the bible project. Check out the podcast. Just look for the sometimes we'll do books of the bible, overviews of the book of the bible, which are good. That'll set you up to try to take it in

well. But those I I would start there. And if you have questions on specifical specific, like, if you want commentaries and stuff on some Old Testament books, just shoot that to complaint line between Dan and I. I bet we've got something, like, commentaries that we probably trust That would be good places to moving, Mike. We'll just pick our butts and sit over in the corner and go hurt. That's that's pretty cover. Doug Moo. I I would I would recommend Doug Moo. Douglas Moo for Romans. Douglas Moo for Romans specifically,

but no other moo for any other situate anti right. Okay. Okay. Okay. If you're gonna do a Doug Moo for Romans, one, I actually would grab the anti right commentary at the same time because there's a good balance between the two. N t Wright's more pastoral. But I'll tell you this, Doug Moo is actually pretty difficult. He's a pretty technical commentator. He's hard to get through. And so it depends what you need it for, but maybe don't start with Doug Moo. Ben one time gave me a Doug Moo book to go through. I don't even remember what it was for, but I have never felt more dumb in my entire life than when I, like, opened the book and I thought I brought intelligence to reading and then went, what? That was the preface where he thought his wife That was like the, hey. I'm gonna tell you how to read this book. And I'm like, what? Do you have a how to read how to read this book by chance? Like, is there a Doug move for dummies?

Because there's not, and it was rough. I have given up on commentaries before like that. Like, I got started up, and I'm like, I just nope. You're not saying anything to me. It has to be accept like, and there's Read Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, and then have a good old time. Those are great. I love C. S. Lewis. C. S. Speaks to me or or Jesus speaks more to me through the Chronicles of Narnia than he does some of the Screwtape Letters and or Mere Christianity. I follow S. Lewis. I'll be able to get those. On Instagram, knowing full well it is not him. I was gonna say, he's been dead for a bit. Alright. You're listening live from the Path. Thank you for hanging out with us today. I just we we we

probably would have continued that very conversation for another forty five minutes off air, and I thought, whatever. We'll just turn the mics on. We'll let you we'll let you listen in on that particular one. Because but it's a reminder that, like, we're here practically for our own purposes. These conversations are helpful to us. We're having them in our normal lives. True. So if they're helpful to you, great. But, like, we're having them anyway. Well, we were talking, like, an hour, weren't we? Be forced to talk that. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. That that could have been bonus material. Yep. The amount of times that we've been, like, two and a half hours late to starting the show and would have been like, why didn't we just turn the cameras on two and a half hours ago? Yep. We coulda had three shows kicked out by now. We should do that. I should just start chopping the show up at, like, fifty minutes and going, here's part two of last last week. Last week on live from the path. Hey. Were we gonna get to that article that Dan sent over? Oh, yeah. There was one well, there were two. There were one with the demolition of the these mega churches in the Dallas area. Oh.

And then there was one about Kids respecting the parents. Yes. One? Phrases gotta go. I wanna do that one. Okay. Alright. Dan, do you have it? I didn't read I was I sent it to our Okay. Hold on. I got it. Find it. I got it. I'll I'll pull it. I I did read it. I didn't. I'm so sorry. Because I do. Skimmed it, and I thought, hey. This looks interesting. Now it's weird. The here's what's weird about it. It's like the website it's from Yeah. I don't know what Dan does on a normal day, but the the website is Global English Editing. I do that all the time. Geediting.com. I'm like, okay. It's one of those. I actually read read something, whatever I was interested in, and then it, like, popped that up next. Like, here, you you'll probably like this. I'm like, well, interesting title. Apparently, Ben feels confident enough in that shirt to be able to comment on the weirdness of other things in his life, but not on himself. No. No. I feel great. I feel powerful. I feel like Dan and I empower each other. Yeah. Yeah. You look like you found a biology book that had something to do with, like, flowers that are birds of paradise, and then you just ripped that book, that page out, copied it, and turned it into a shirt seven times over. Here's what I'm gonna tell you. Someone tried to insult me and called me Don Johnson, but I took that as a compliment. I don't know who that is. Why is that on Sunday? Be more No kidding.

I was like Be more offended that I have no idea who Don Johnson is. He's from Miami Vice. Yeah. You think I've watched Miami Vice? I was about ready to sing the opening theme song to speed, and I don't know how that ties in. I also don't know what speed is. Where that bus gets running away, Keanu Reeves on it? It's got a bomb on there. Never seen it. You've not seen the movie speed? There's a bomb on your bus. You know, I've never actually watched it, but I know enough of it. It's gonna tell you a few times. I'm like, oh, okay. Yeah. It looks boring. They're, like, on a bus. Boring? There's a bomb on there, Dan. What kind of excitement do you need? I'm like It's the same situation that people believe there should be nine fast and furious movies. Once it gets over 55, it can't go below 55 because the bomb is enabled.

Oh. Now I must watch it. Alright. What's this article? It's a good movie. Okay. Alright. Five reasons if you didn't watch speed, you probably got baptized as an adult. If you want your child to respect you as they get older, say goodbye to these seven habits. You gotta knock it off, or your kid's not gonna respect you when you get older. Here we go. Oh, I'm a tell you a story real quick. These kids these these kids are mine. So one time, this is my biggest parenting mistake. It's in it's, like, indwelled in them. But, like, Ella was a a wee tyke, and I can't remember how old she was. She was, like, I don't know, seven, eight, whatever. Told repeatedly not to use Sharpie markers on the table. Right? Yeah. And so because she colors outside the lines, it gets it all over the table, and so she does it again. Right? She just did like a repeat offender. There's Sharpie marker over the table. So I always decided as I was growing up, I always felt that my parents, like, punished me with something that was unrelated to the thing that I did, and I hated it. Right? So, like, you clean your room or you can't go stay the night over at John's house. And I'm like, what? That doesn't seem like a fair right? Like, if I acted poorly at John's, then maybe you should take away John. But, like, I always like the punishment to fit the crime in some capacity. Yeah. And so in response to what Ella had done, I said, hey. Like, we've talked about this multiple times, and I feel like you're not taking it in. So, like, if you can't treat the table in the way that it was designed to be treated, you're gonna have to eat on the floor. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so I had her Oh my gosh. Eat her dinner on the floor, and the children bring it up ten years later as if it is the number one topic at their therapy session. Right? They're like they're like, oh, one time my dad made me eat on the floor. I'm like, why did I do that? Give context. Do you remember the reason why? Because I was eating during prayer time. I go, stop it. That is not the reason you were on the floor.

Like, there's no possible way that I got sound so bad. Fired up for about I'm like, there's no way I did that. They're like, it's probably because I I'm like and then her sister rolled in and be like, it's because you wrote Sharpie marker all over the table. Don't you remember that? No. I don't remember that. I go, how convenient. You remember the time I put you on the floor, so I tied the punishment with the crime together, like, a perfect parenting fashion, and then now it's just abuse from ten years ago where the whole other family got to sit at the table because they didn't put marker all over it. And then she had to sit at the floor. And I'm like, I'm tired of you guys bringing this up. Okay. Let's see if one of these would have prevented that particular situation. I'm ready. Okay. This was let's see. If you want your child to respect you, you gotta say goodbye to these seven habits. First one, being overly authoritative.

Get off the floor. Maintaining discipline is crucial when raising children, but there's a thin line between discipline and dictatorship. Often parents fall into the trap of establishing an overly authoritative environment. We might think it's best way to maintain order, but in the long run, it can lead to a lack of respect. When children feel like their vices or, excuse me, their voices are not heard, they start seeing their parents as oppressors rather than mentors. Don't get me wrong. Setting boundaries is important, but it's equally key to allow your child some autonomy. Let them make some decisions and learn from their mistakes.

That way, your child will not only respect you more as they grow older, but they'll also develop valuable life skills. I want my children to simultaneously feel like they can make decisions in certain situations, but then to always recognize that my authority is there. And I don't mean that from the perspective of I'm lording over them and taking away their autonomy.

You can have autonomy and have someone over you with authority. Those are not contentious points. I mean, here's the thing. You're trying to raise them to have God as an authority in their life, and so, like, that's not an easy behavior as a broken human. Right? Like, you're trying to to to be under someone's authority. You do have to teach them how to do that, and that's difficult. Yeah. I actually I will say this is one of the I thought I was gonna get in trouble with this because this came up in our logic class that I'd taught to the

to the to some high school kids. It said, like, I consider the I am you have to do it because I'm your dad, to be bad parenting, generally speaking, because it because it relies completely on authority. Yeah. And it does two things. One, it allows you to say that, like, if you're teaching your kid to think, like, logically and thoughtfully through things, and then you get to subvert that completely because of your authority Mhmm. Like, they that's bad. Like, that's the exact thing you would want them not to do is just to blow up all good thinking just because of who someone is.

That's how they find, you know, follow despots in their life or get bad boyfriends or something. But the second thing it does is it actually it lacks humility because I'm okay being wrong where God is right. And so, like, if I am if I transverse something that God said was good in my relationship with my kids, it is not a weakness for me to humble myself and say such a thing and say, I did not handle that well. Right. I was angry when I should have been. I was not patient when I should have been. And so my humility

in following God is a much better example than trying to portray the fact that I cannot be wrong. That's dumb. That's a false thing. And it gives them the impression that that's how they're supposed to interact with somebody else's parents. And so I actually that that that is the problem. I don't mind at all saying so. Like, take an example. If I told my one of my kids, we're not gonna get you a cell phone. You because of you're just not old enough. I might be able to say, we're just not doing it because I'm your dad. And a dad says no. But I I actually am gonna use some of that, but not all of it. I have no problem saying, look, I'm your dad. I I I believe this to be a risk to you. I understand that you do not agree with me, but because I am responsible for your well-being, I'm open to being wrong at some point in the future. But right now this feels like the right line. And that's why I'm making the decision that I'm making. That's not me saying I'm infallible. That's not saying that you are gonna have to abide by it because I am responsible for you. But that's what it's a different vibe than I'm your dad, and you're gonna do what I say because I said I think that's It's huge. It's huge. I I think there's two two approaches that that parents tend to take. One one is they they tell the kid children what to do. Here's what you're gonna do.

Here's your list. You know? Here's how you act. Whatever, you know, that list is. And it's an authoritative thing because because I said so. That's why. But it doesn't matter. Don't don't ask. Or you're you're teaching them how to to live and make choices and think on their own, which basically what you you were just saying. And and in that, you give them some space. When you know they're gonna make some choice, man, that's not that's not the best idea. You know? But you also know it's in a limited capacity. Like, when one of our kids was really young, they had, like, $5. It's like, you get to do whatever you want with this. They went to the mall. They bought, like, these white gloves, you know, dress up gloves. We're like, that's the stupidest thing ever. But but but we let her do that. Sure. Yeah. And within a month, was like, I don't know why I got these stupid gloves. You know? That's right. That was a $5 lesson that to this day she talks about, you you know, because we weren't like, you will not get those gloves because we said so. You know? We thought, no. But we weren't doing that. We were you give them room to breathe

Yep. And and think and learn, when they're in under your authority when when yeah. Okay. Can cover that $5. When it's a car, ten years later, it's gonna be more challenging. Yep. But Yeah. Right. If if any part of what I said came off as though I was saying that I want them to always know that they're under my authority Oh, yeah. Means

I'm dad, and what I say goes? Dad goes, oh, yeah. I didn't catch that, but the people knew that. People knew that. That's certainly not what I said nor what I meant. And so I there's a certain level of of reading into what I said that that might've been done there. No. I didn't pick that's Okay. Okay. Just making sure because that's certainly not what I meant by that at all. I would just swap what I would swap is is they are most certainly your responsibility, and your boundaries should look like that. But part of your responsibility like, we struggle with this, I think, to a certain extent at my at my house, is that

when you're trying to to guide your kids into what are the right and wrong things, like, you you have to have the ability for them to be confident in their ability to pick it out when you're not Right. And so Yeah. If you're caught to I think to Dan's example, if you're constantly if the your your barriers to them are so small that they cannot fail even impartially

Right. The only thing they're gonna know is, like, I cannot make decisions on my own. If my mom and dad does not explicitly tell me, ahem, old testament, exactly what I can or cannot do, then I cannot make good moral decisions. And what you want is confident people who can go, look, I, I know what it looks like to make mistakes and I'm gonna I can make this decision on my own and I can do so where other people are pressuring me to make a different decision. I cannot be pressured. Yeah. Because I know and and so if you don't give enough leeway, they can't learn that. Yeah. Sure. Both of my children thanked me when they got to college because we approached life that way. You know? Like, hey. Look. They say the phone thing. Here and here's here's why we have an issue with the phone. There's things you don't understand yet. Yada yada yada. And at least when they didn't like it, they didn't agree with it, but that made sense. Yep. So you know? Okay. Alright. We'll do it. But then they got to college, and we're surrounded by kids who just had authoritative parents, and those kids were wild. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because there was no one there to say no. Right. So therefore, I'll do it all. Yeah. Yep. Then been presented with any kind of autonomy before, any transparency in decision making, things like that. It was just always fences and blinders. Yep. And so once those things were broken, they were fricking stallion running. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I do like, I'll give you another example just in case this is helpful. So, like, just pick a kid in my family. They've got something that bothers their stomach, whether it's dairy at times, gluten at times, just depends on the kid.

I think like the younger they are, the more we're likely to go, look, I gotta deal with you having a stomachache later on. And so I'm Sure. Yeah. You can't no ice cream or whatever it is. But like the older they get, if they recognize the impact of eating a sandwich, of wheat bread or something, if they if they look at it and go, worth it.

Okay. Like, you know I'm saying? It's their pain. Right? Their eyes are open. And and if I as long as long as, like, the same this is where I I I'm not gonna the next day go, they're like, oh, I I can't do anything because I ate the bread. I'm like, well, that was a mistake, but you still have to do all the things you're responsible for today. I'm not gonna lighten that up Sure. Because it's part of the way that they they learn to draw their own boundaries. But if that kid goes, you know what? It's totally worth it. I was out with my friends, and we to eat some sub sandwiches, and I want to, and I'm totally gonna you're not gonna hear a critique from me. Go ahead. It's your lie. Like, you're old enough to know the difference, but I'm not gonna coddle that decision. You do have to deal with the impacts of it, and then go ahead. Yeah. Totally fair. Okay. I'm not sure my wife and I actually agree on that particular one. So Oh, no. Don't don't take that one to the bank. That's what I think. Seven parenting styles that you and your wife might not agree on.

Which I think, actually, it's an interesting it's an interesting thing, and I do think in some ways this is this is more difficult for ladies because, it does tend to be that ladies are closer to kids when they're younger,

and that and there's a style of parenting that, like, you need to be effective for younger children. Nurturing thing. It's it's a lot it's funny. You make fun of the dads. The dads treat five year olds like they're teenagers. Well, like, he can he'll do the right thing. No. He won't. Right. Yes. Keep an eye on him. But there's a transition of which, like, the way this is at least the story in my mind. Like, the older the kids get, the you have to be able to have your hands off a little bit. You have to have them trial and error and stuff. Dads are actually in some ways, dads get a ticket for being way too harsh on this stuff when it comes to how they interact with, like, boys and other out external situations. But I think also dads are just a little bit softer, lighter touch when it comes to that. But moms have to go from a place of being the protector, the provider. I kept them, you know, healthy, and I kept them fed, and I kept them disciplined so they don't make a boob out of themselves out of coat. And then, like, when do you stop doing that and leave them to the risks of the world? It gets riskier the older they get. And so it's very difficult, I think, for moms to pull that back

because they had to be so good at it in a certain way the younger the kids were. And so I think and I say that because I think it's a difficult transition because the the the raising as the younger was a righteous thing. I think that's the risk to moms. I think the risk to dads is actually being too light of a touch to to the younger younger children. Yeah. Alright. Two. Not We're making it through this. Not practicing what you preach. This oh, I remember how this one hit home for me. I remember how my daughter used to love drawing. One day, she drew on the wall, and I scolded her for it.

Yet later that week, she saw me marking measurements on the wall for a new painting. Was confused and asked me why I could draw on the wall, and she couldn't. This doesn't seem like a price. This doable. This dude is like, I got one good idea for an article. AI, help me write this.

Okay. Yeah. We're gonna skip that one. Now I do think I actually I do think Hold on. Ben has a salute point for this waste of a point. I feel the point's good. The examples are bad. Consistency is important. Yeah. Right point, wrong scripture. Yeah. So I I do again, I think this becomes worse as you get older is you can get away with being a hypocrite until your kids are old enough to know the difference. Yeah. Yeah. They can sniff that out. Yeah. And basically because it rolls up to the same thing. Like, do it because I said so. Not be like, if it was the right thing, why aren't you behaving that way? Yeah. And so and I do think, again, it does you a disservice. If your kids call you out on your hypocrisy, you should check whether they're right. And if Yeah. And if they're white, you should go, you're right. Yeah. And, like, and maybe there's a reason. Maybe there's a nuance for it. You should share that. Yeah. But, like, there's no there's no following Jesus justification

for you to puff up at your children. Right. If you need to be humbled, then accept it from them. I just I I know it's innate. Like, I don't want my kid to have one over on me. You're thinking about it wrong. Do not be antagonistic towards your children. Be humble in the sight of God, and if they're right, then repent. I have too many I know too many examples of children who grew up and left the faith because all they got was a fake example

Yeah. Growing up. Right. It's like, you acted one way at church, and you told us to do church, and all this stuff, and then you obviously didn't live it. Right. Yeah. And it's like, if they can't see Jesus through you Yep. I mean, yeah, warts and all. Yep. Yep. I agree. I agree. I I I've actually I think I think, and I I believe Jesus agrees with me here. Your humility is powerful. And so I I just as parents, just be cautious. Like, you're gonna have a hard time getting your kids to respect you. Like, it doesn't mean you're not parents, and you don't provide boundaries and stuff. Right. But, like, if you're aiming for, I don't want them to have one over on me, I you're fundamentally thinking about your kids incorrectly. But I I I know how you got there. Like, I get it. I

get it. That once they get real skilled at talking at you, it feels like I can't be dominated by this. But I'm being disrespected. And you might be. And, like, here's and you should not Check your fragility at the door. Well, but here here's the reality. It's like, you shouldn't be disrespected by your children. Right. And and you need to help them understand that it's not okay to act like that towards other people because, every every argument I've ever had with with my teenage daughters, where I've thought, you know, I should have handled that differently. I'm only half wrong. They were also wrong. They and and that's the reason I reacted the way I did. I very rarely, like, way out of left field, but how I

handled it, I needed to to apologize for. But they still had something that, like, they still needed to deal with. Right? So, like, you're not giving up. You're not letting your kids walk all over you. Why would you? It's not healthy for them to do that. But there's no reason for you to over posture beyond your effectiveness. It's just dumb. Right. Yes. Alright. Next, dismissing their interests.

Did you know that by the age of three, children start developing their own interests? These interests can range from dinosaurs and princesses to even complex things like the solar system. What? Wait. Dinosaurs are somehow less complex than the the eight planets in our solar system? That's just weird. It's

okay. I don't know how to respond to that. I have a preference for the Milky Way. Gaga, goo goo. When parents okay. When parents dismiss or belittle these interests, it can be quite discouraging for a child. It sends a message that their passions aren't important. But if you take an active interest in what your child enjoys, you're showing them that their thoughts and feelings matter to you. It helps them feel validated

and respected. I mean, are they the cartoonish level of which he's implying, like, dad, I just wanna learn more about solar systems. Plants are dumb. You ape, go back to your room. Foosebumps for the devil. What is this? Waterboy? They're just they're just really bad examples. Yeah. Great. Learn more about dinosaurs.

Go away. Yeah. Like, it's a nurturing perspective to, like, love on your kid and be excited about the kind of things that they get excited about to an extent. Like, obviously, don't let them be, like, dangerous with themselves. Like It's just regular human behavior. Like like, hey, man. I'm in Little League. Who gives a crap? Dad, I I I think I I think I like animals. Shut up. Animals are only for food and to be shot. You know? Why? Alright. If I can if I can rescue the points, I would, I would submit that, like, where we are, where we may make this mistake

is in children's search of some things that are impractical. So like, there becomes a point where you're you're your kid might start following something, and they're like, I'm I'm gonna be a professional ball player. You know they're not gonna be a professional ball player. Right? But do you have to drop that on them when they're five? Right. Yes. Exactly. You probably don't. So play catch and Yes. That's right. Still playing, like, Little League. Yeah. Actually, I think it goes to to the one of the first points, which is, like, your kid's gonna come to the conclusion on their own. Like, we're we got to the point where we're so nervous that we're gonna create the American Idol bad audition that we forgot that, like,

someone supporting you because you dug on it is a confidence builder. Yeah. Again, people who believe, like, I can do anything do actually change the world. Absolutely. These people do change the world. And so, like, you you gotta balance the notion of reality of what is likely to be true to to the thing that, like, you know, it's it's the only reason it won't be true is because you actually refuse to allow it be a possibility. Sure. Yeah. We're we're running in so as an example, my my oldest wants to write. She wants to be a fiction writer. Almost no one makes money as a living. Like, doing the only thing to do is writing fiction. But, like, she

could. Sure. And so, you know, what is more likely, the the thing that's very difficult to happen is gonna happen because I gave her a cold dose of reality, or I said, look, you're you're old enough to know this is a hard road, but if this is what you want, I'm in. Whatever way I can support it, I wanna support it. And, like, maybe she'll come to the conclusion that it's not gonna work out, but I'd rather she come to that. And frankly, I'd rather be wrong about the practicality of it. Rather be in full support of the thing, and then it works out and goes, look. Yeah. Dad was for it. And I said, look, it was it seemed like a difficult road, but I'm in if you're in. Yeah. You know I'm saying? And so, like, there if if there's a something to the point is sometimes it's it's how quickly things have to come to fruition. Is it okay if they learn their lesson by having to go through the process of buying the gloves? Yeah. If they come to the conclusion that they're probably not gonna be a professional ball player when they're 15, is it okay that they came to that as opposed to me trying to guide that? Because they're not you. They're uniquely their own person. They're gonna have likes and dislikes that that are different than yours. And, like, maybe you can learn something from that and maybe things aren't gonna happen the way that you think. I guess one of the things I remember from my own parent, like listen to my own parents is like, got a sense that they, they thought they knew how the world worked. And I know enough to know, I don't actually really know that much about how the world works. I have a belief of how I think it often works, but like, there's a million ways of which it doesn't work the way I think it does. And so my, my, I've, I have, I have more opinions than I do facts on what their lives are gonna work out like. And I should communicate it as such. Lot of parents walk into, I know these are focusing on teenagers because this is where most of these are relevant, but like a lot of parents walk into it going, no, this is how the world works. And like, again, humble yourself a little bit. You have opinions on how you think things work, but like,

you know, not always. Hold Yeah. Loosely. I think especially you have to look at your station in life and be honest. Like, do you really? Yeah. Do you really? I mean, you're making $20 an hour working for Firestone, you know, whatever. I mean, you probably don't know. Right. I mean, I I have no clue. I don't either. I see some of these high high off peep people in the world, you know,

they're pushing levers. I think you guys know things I have no idea. Right. You know? I don't I don't know. You know? I don't know. Sometimes this lever goes up. Sometimes it comes down. That's right. Give me my money. I'm gonna buy a solar system. Screw you, dad. Pluto's real. Number four, neglecting promises.

Promises to a child are like law. When we keep our promises, we show them that we are reliable and trustworthy. But when we break them, even for seemingly small things, it can shake their trust in us. Blah blah blah blah. So make a conscious effort to keep your promises. Yeah. Listen, mate. Just Watch your mouth. You know I'm saying? Don't be promising your kids you can't do stuff you can't do. That's why my dad always say maybe. Yeah. Drives them crazy. Here's yes or no. Here's what I would say, though. Right. They do. Like, they're they insist because maybe they know you're dodgy on the maybe. But here's the thing. If you if you tell your kid you're gonna do something, like, it. Do I do? Absolutely. Hey. Hey. We need to get to we're gonna go to the, I don't know, Chuck E. Cheese on Sunday. Like, I don't care if it got inconvenient.

You go just go there. Yeah. You know, like, because here's the thing. It's less about of course, your life is complicated. You're an adult. Of course, there's things that you have to balance that your kid doesn't. Again, you're the adult. Your problem. That's not your kid's problem. And, like, yes, they have to learn the reality that, like, not everything always occurs. But I would say in general, if you tell your kids you're gonna do something, like, you want them to trust you. Right. Yeah. You want them to have confidence in you that, like, if my and so if my I remember this. My our parents were divorced. And so there came a time where we were old enough that dad just started coming to pick us up. And I think he was supposed to I don't remember the exact time. Was probably seven or something,

and, like, almost never there at 07:00. Mike and I are ridiculous. We're, like, two we we see him every couple weeks. So, like, we're out waiting for our bikes on the edge of the apartment complex to see his car come down the road so that when we could race him to get back to our apartments to see if we beat him there. We'd be out there for an hour and a half. Oh. Waiting for this man. Yep. I don't know. He I I think this like, every week or every time he came to pick us up, he'd be late. Right. Significantly late. And so I just I I think back to my, whatever, 12 year old self riding this bike. I'm like, what the heck? Couldn't my dad just be on time? Yeah. I fell asleep on the couch. Why? Like, come pick your kids up. Right. Like, tell me it's gonna be eight. Sleep for half an hour and then come pick me up. Yeah. Like, what a goofball thing to not be able to keep your I mean, like, don't wear I'm not mad at dad. But, like, I just think about it. And, like, why didn't you just show up when you were supposed to and and keep your promise to me? Like, I want my kid to go, look. Dad would if I didn't make it to an event or something or

I was supposed to do something for him, that they their first reaction is like, oh, yeah. That's dad's like that. But they go, no. It must be I'll give dad the benefit of the doubt. Because if he told me he's gonna be here, he he shows up. Like, just I get it. Again, I I understand it. Parents, I I sympathize with the difficulties in your life. But, like, try to if you're gonna make promises, you're gonna tell your kid you're gonna do a thing, you should very try to do a thing and, like, inconvenience yourself to do it Yeah. Mhmm. For as long as it takes to establish a thing that you're trustworthy. Yeah. Hey, man. I just did a funeral recently where the adult children were in the room. They're all in their, you know, fifties, and, talking about dad who was in his whatever eighties or something when he passed away. Talking about a promise that had been broken from decades earlier. And it wasn't like, I hate dad, but it was like, man, to bring that up at this point, it it left a scar. Yep. You know, it did. It did. Whatever that was, I mean, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's and again, I I I think there's there's a balance to it, of course. I know that your kid has to recognize that just because you said it and whatever, you had to end up doing something else for the day and it didn't work out. There's a life lesson in that too. But on balance,

try to keep your promises and try to and but, like and here's the thing towards the first thing we said. You could always say maybe, but, like, once your kids get old enough, they're not dumb. They're gonna see what you're doing. Like, why can't you just say, yeah, for sure. I'll be there. For sure. We're gonna do the thing. I will let other things fall to the wayside to make sure this happens for you from me. There's something powerful in it. Mhmm. Alright. Number five, avoiding difficult conversations. When my fun son first asked me about the concept of death, I was taken aback. It was a topic I was not prepared to discuss with him. I initially tried to skirt around the question, but he was persistent. Eventually, I realized that if I didn't discuss these difficult topics with him, someone else would, and they might not explain it in a way that's appropriate or sensitive. By being open and honest, even when the topic is uncomfortable,

you show your child that they can trust you with anything. This openness fosters respect and encourages a deeper connection with your child. Yeah. I mean, sometimes they're gonna ask hard things. I'm not really sure. He's like, tried to skirt the issue. He'd be like, deaf? What? What do you anyway, Twinkies. Look. I'll take you to Chuck E. Cheese on Sunday. I promise. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. I promise.

Yeah. I don't yeah. Definitely. Well and I I think we'll let it happen. Because you went, I don't know. Well, yeah. Definitely. I don't know. I'm sorry. Sorry. Was You up and down on your affirmations of your own thought. I was just thinking that, like, someone like, there has to be age appropriate. But Yeah. Yes. But I I often I often come back to the thought that, these kids my wife has stuck with me. She chose to say yes. These kids did not have a choice on their father. And so it's totally my liability to be the best possible dad because they cannot take any responsibility for the one that they got. And so,

you know, if who else is going to do this kind of thing? It's not acceptable for me to defer it. Right? And so it has to be age appropriate. But, like, this this is where we're getting in, not not to go off on a to go too far off the side, but, like, I I get the same thing. What are we laughing at? Okay. Fine. I'll give it up. I won't say anything. Yes? I didn't say I I just was reacting to my situation. I'm moving on. Take your aside because I would love to hear where you're heading. Nope. We're not gonna do it. Wait. Wait. I just wanna say this. Yeah. Oh, no. No. No. No. On the difficult things, it is when you start young at the age appropriate level Yeah. It's not hard later. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I I had girls, so I talked boys stuff with them at at a at a fish tank level when they were super young. Like, look at how they're they're shaking their tails. You're you're gonna have boys doing all kinds of silly things that get your attention. They're like, oh, that's funny. Yeah. Did you watch puppies? I mean, they said There's a dude outside my house shaking his butt at me. Like soon you have babies. You need to go.

But that helped later on. I was like, yeah. This guy was, you know, being a jerk, whatever. And he's like, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He's gonna shaker. Had the foundation. Right. My 14 year old comes into my house, dad, there was a tail shaker. I'll kill him. Yeah. Yeah. No. I I agree. I agree. Like, you lay the foundation of it. And, like, things especially dads, like, there's just things that are not off limits. Like, you gotta be comfortable having conversations with your kids. Yeah. And if you've never had it, you're all sudden, like, there's the sex. You know? I mean You're right. Let me talk to you about the menses. So

watch this movie. When an Adam and Eve love each other very much. I say that with word openly in my place. They get used to it, and then I get to have relevant. Hey, dad. I'm not feeling very well. Hey. What's going on? Is this the menses? Then I know it's gonna be a problem for a few days. I'm out.

I hate that for your children. They only get one. You're stuck with me. Let's just That's the most awkward thing to It's it's the most awkward thing to say because nobody says that. No. Of course not. I chose that intentionally. Like, I'm like, I'm all in. Here we go.

Number six, always solving their problems. We already talked about that one. Not trying to, like, giving them space to fail. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Number seven, I think this is the final one. Yeah. Just if you want your child to respect you when you're older, stop doing this. Don't show them, not showing them respect. This is perhaps the most critical point. If you want your child to respect you as they get older. I really enjoyed that. I It was enough to go. And point at me. I felt so To where in audio, no one got that. They just heard a

I used to here's what I'm gonna tell you the problem. I literally can't see this article. I'm so blind at this Why are you at this distance. I can't read the words very well. And so I couldn't tell what the next word was, and I'm like, quick cover. Point it. Make this noise. So old. I can't I can't see it. Okay. Oh,

gosh. Anyway You need to increase the size of your letters there. Alright. Respect. You must first show them respect. Respect their time, their feelings, their thoughts, and their space. Teach them that respect is a two way street. By treating your child with the respect they deserve, you model the behavior you wish to see in return. It's a fundamental principle of mutual respect that could transform your relationship with your child.

Yeah. I yeah. I think this one I think this is true, and it's it's an outskirts of looks at some point, you're just you're not the dominator here. Like, they're becoming their own person. You gotta let them become their own person. And here's actually, this goes back to the authoritative one. Like, if you're not willing to be humble to them like, you're saying, I do not respect you as a individual person. You are just a person to be, like, molded and been moved around as a chess piece. And like and they're going to feel it. They're going to feel it as they age. And so, yes, continue with the boundaries and stuff. But, like, they are going to have their own thoughts, treat their questions like actually any anything that refers back to your own parenting. I did not raise you to do this. What do you mean? Like, yeah, you did. Very specifically, here we are. Or Yeah. Or whatever whatever the occurrence was, this is what you came to. And so they made a decision. I respect that they're capable of making their own decisions. I just disagree with it. I'm gonna provide boundaries that otherwise have tried to contain whatever damage their decisions are and try to talk them out of it. But, like, there was a there was a point at in some of my older girls' lives where,

like, I don't know, they were behave they were doing something that they shouldn't do. And my wife and I were talking through it. I said, look, man. I you actually you you think, oh, they're 18 or they're 21. I can't do much anymore. Like, when they're 13, you can't what are you gonna do? Mhmm. You're gonna hold them hostage in the like, send them to the room? What if they refuse to go? Are you gonna force them to do it? Right. You can physically, like, hold them back. Like, you just can't. There's you actually cannot do anything as soon as they're old enough to recognize, like, that they you cannot force them. And right? And so that's the point at which you go, then I have to stop threatening force. You know what saying? Like, I I they if if I said one of them, hey. You gotta you gotta stay up, and you gotta finish cleaning this thing. If they just said no, I can't make them clean it. I physically can't. I can't make them stay in the room. I can't make them, you know, do their homework. They could they could refuse any of it. And so once you realize that about your kid, it's the time to recognize that they will start making their own decisions. And now you need them to do it because they respect you, because they trust you, because they have confidence you're looking out on their behalf. The more you try to puppet that and force it around when you actually don't hold any control anymore, like, the more you're gonna lose that, and it's gonna become very rocky. Yeah. Well, and I think that the the other perspective of that, and I recognize that this coming from I'm not a dad, but, from what I've I've seen and, I mean, I've seen you guys raise your kids, and I've I've been involved in in a lot of different situations where I've seen parents doing their thing. Right? But, like, by the time they're at that level where they recognize,

well, I'm just gonna make this decision. Right? Like, they can threaten all they want. No. They're not gonna do anything. It's in, the kid is saying they're thinking that about the parent, like, you've already spent ten years instilling in them that you are trustworthy and that, like Or not. Or not. Exactly. Right. The exact opposite. Right. Like, you have you have you have instilled that in them through the years that they didn't know that they could say no, and then that was how it went. Right? But, like, so that by the time they're that age, if you say, hey. You should do this thing. They recognize, I bet they have my best interest in mind. I can trust this person because they've always they've they've kept their promises kind of thing. I've always felt respected because there was a level of autonomy that I had as a kid. Like, I'm a five year old, and and I wanna go crazy and eat all the ice cream in the world. But mom and dad came in and went like, hey. I recognize that what you want is a sweet treat because that's exciting. Why don't we try something this? Do you would you like to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead, or would you like to have a banana, both of which are sweet? Right? Like, you you instill that in them and their ability to make choices, but then trust you and respect you for those because you're not you're not authoritatively lording over them that the reason you do what I say is because I'm dad or I'm mom. You do what I say because there is a level of authority that I have, but, also, you understand that I am trustworthy and that I do respect you, and you should respect me. And there's boundaries in this, and I want you safe and making great decisions because I care about your well-being kinda thing.

Alright. You're listening to Life From The Path. You can, give us a buzz in the old Life From The Path complaint line (515) 517-0085. That's for Old Testament questions. Adoration for Bob Eisenhower from the Eisenhower team, for all your local real estate needs here in the Bowen Metro Area. He's great. He is great. And, also, I don't know. Maybe, do we get into that parenting stuff wrong? What rebuttals do you have? Where have we missed, should I realize I messed up my kids? Maybe you can tell me so I catch it before it, fully sinks in. Solar system's fake. Bird bird change.

Hey. Completely unrelated thing. Yep. Oh, fantastic. Right. Sunday morning, I'm leaving the house, and I'm going on a we got a little split level thing. Go down the stairs. I just hear a little noise. I don't think anything about it. I left. I come back after church, and, like, you can see this the basement through our stairs. I'm like, oh. Uh-oh. This is weird. Uh-huh. And I go up the stairs. I'm like, maybe I shouldn't be on this. You know? And and Sheryl looks at it like, this this this looks weird. Anyway, we just text a little Snapchat. Uh-huh. The family. House fell on the part. Sun-in-law shows up, like, fifteen minutes later, and he's like, don't walk on these steps. They're literally separated from the house on on the interior. I'm not under like, you know, didn't think that that could happen. You know? I that has nothing to do with anything other than, man, that's kind of weird. And yeah. Prices averted. Yeah. Because of good relationship with the kids. Yeah. Nice. They didn't have like, I was like, no. Really? That that's what we did. They're like, you gotta go help save my dad.

Because I like, did you go Dan, it's owed a mutual respect between him and his children twenty years ago. Yeah. And that means that his daughters are willing to send their husbands to potentially save his life. I think that's alright. It never occurred to me till about the last six months that I, like, might look forward to, like, who these people are gonna marry. Yeah. Like, like, they might marry a cool person that I wanna be around. I know. I know. Yeah. I've always, like, playing defense. Like, you stay away from it. Like, what if they get a good one? What if they get a good one? I wanna talk to them. What a hopeful life you could have lived, Ben. I know it. Anyway, if you sabotage Dan's house, (515) 517-0085, you you might as well replace it. House is for sale. Fuck.

That's right. Those are no surprises. Okay. We got time for one advice to take. Life from the path. That's me. I'm married and in my mid forties. K. My wife and I have a robust social life for which we both feel very lucky and blessed. Mhmm. We have amazing friends who are wonderful support system and with whom we go out regularly. Lately, our wives have been wanting to go to dance clubs where the majority of the people are half our age. I'm the youngest of the husbands in our friend group. We go along despite feeling uncomfortable. We get weird looks and the occasional comment, and it's awkward being there. We've talked about it among the guys and agree this is a tough situation.

We've we've had a conversation with our wives about feeling uncomfortable, and we all get similar responses like, well, then don't come. The one or two times I've sat out, my wife was cool toward me for several days afterwards. She's angry. Cool means angry. She really enjoys going to clubs with her friends, and I don't want her to stop enjoying her life. I also understand she feels safer in the in these environments when I'm around. It's just hard for me and my buddies to feel like losers or people who are much too old to be at the club despite the fact that we're with our wives. Is my perspective valid, or do I just need to suck it up? I don't know. I don't know, Buva. What do you think?

You saw my face and went, I'm gonna make him talk right now. Dan was also making a similar face. I just I don't know. Like, part of me wants to say, like, hey, man. Like, just go. If your wife feels safer, go. But, like, the other part of me is, like, if she wants to go and it's that awkward for you, like, maybe she should give a little too and go, like, hey. Let's go half as often. Or or maybe I'm fine going, and I'll just text my husband while I'm there so I can feel safe. Or him and his buddies can be at the place across the street or something so that if I come running out screaming, holy hell, then it's he'll be able to run and see me. I don't know. I wanna be like, just shut up, dude. Just go love your wife, but I also totally see his point. Yeah. I mean, can't he just hang out at the table with the fellas and like, is she asking me, like, if you don't come out and Roomba with me, then, you know, you're out. Yeah. You know I love this Shania Twain song. Get out here, honey. Well, is that the implication that he's he's supposed to be out on the floor cutting a road? That no. I don't think so. He didn't say. I think it's just presence. Yeah. And they just feel awkward because they just look like a a table of dudes, old dudes at a creepy club. You are. Which is totally fair. Yeah. Right. Exactly. That's true. You are being looked at that way. You are not incorrectly taking in the situation. Yeah. Yeah. Dan? I I I think I think that the the wives are going through a little midlife crisis. They they're 45 wishing still thinking they're 25 or wishing they're 25. Sure. All the 25

year old dudes are looking at him and saying, what are these old women doing here? And the the husbands are probably, you know, looking around going, everybody our age has matured past this and actually have lives now, or they've learned to do it different ways. Which Moses did? Well, anybody who dances is an immature

boob. What do you think? There's a solar system? Yeah. Mature mature past this. I'm just saying. If you if you ladies looked at yourself right, you would say you didn't care about this. Good, dad. I

mean, I get the point. It was just kinda funny. I mean, I I I remember I can't remember why. We we went to some deal. Think it was like a Halloween thing, and it was like we were with someone, helping someone, or doing something, And there were some people our age it was probably ten years ago, so still not young. Right? And and they were in the we're in some club, and everybody was all in their little costumes, I'm going like, guys, we we don't belong here. Like and I I I can't for the life of me think of why we were helping, like I said, somebody rescuing them or something. I don't know. Somebody needed a car. I don't know. I think their husbands were saying But you're becoming more and more than a wife. Yeah. I don't know. So we were stating But it's like Cash for a cocaine kidnapping. You just don't fit. Dan finally realized that the monster mash is a song about a dance, but it's not actually the dance itself. And he would I'm tired of being in these Halloween clubs. I've matured past this point. Hey, Dan. You aren't actually Dracula. Get away from me. I have been so uncomfortable for a long time. I can only imagine you not only in a dance club setting, but for some reason, everyone's in a Halloween costume. It's like And you're sitting there in the all sexy stuff. It's not like, oh, I'm a nice little witch. You know? It's like, oh, no.

I don't get to see that stuff. I'm sorry. Hey. Can I take that back for a second? Was your statement, I'm a nice little witch? That's so you just okay. Just I was Alright. The costume. There is there is no one more in tune with the common man than Dan does. I can't just it's a male dude. Two types of costumes in Dan's life. It's either it's sexy stuff or I'm a good little witch. That's the juxtaposition in Dan's understanding

of Halloween costumes. K. His wife's been wearing the same costume for the last forty years because Dan can't take anything else. We both we both dress up as mummies. We are American Gothic every year, woman. Cover that up. I'm gonna be Mario. That's sexy stuff. What kind of stuff you into, bro? I'm a good little plumber. I'm just saying everything is going on there that I didn't think happened.

Hey. Hey, guys. Club is lecherous. The world is in here. Leave some room for Jesus. Can I give you a gospel track? Oh gosh. Okay. Here's the here's what we're gonna do. I think I think this ties back to some of the advice that we were talking about with the children. Your wives are gonna get over this.

Yeah. I think they're so I think you play along Before it out. A decent amount of time, and they're eventually gonna figure out that something very odd is happening. Take pictures of them. See it. They'll they'll see how ridiculous Shove they it in their face how stupid they look. Hey. That guy's dressed as Douglas Moo. Okay. Just so it's clear, I do not agree with Dan's

recommendation to take pictures of your wives to say, look how ridiculous you look. Let me give some tightening cream or whatever aging cream or whatever stuff they make out there. Wow. No. We should have matured past this. I wish you were mature like I was. Here's a photo album of you looking stupid. Okay. Okay. Here's they did I did think of an alternative option now that Dan has suggested it. You could just pay another man in the club to insult them. Oh, god. Here, Dan. Here's $20 to be frank. Some old guy comes up. You and my mom's freaking in college. I'm never going there again. Yeah. You guys are gross. Dan is holding on to his wife as she's crying. He's going, yes. Yes. Best $20 ever. Oh, no. Wow. Okay. Listen. Indulge in it for a bit. I I think the the the most non confrontational situation might

be, like, let it play out. You've set a timeline with the Phillies, whatever you can tolerate. Call it a year or something, and just see if they just see if they get over it. Alright? Talk to in in the interim, I think a couple of the suggestions are pretty good ones. So one, if you can hang out at the table and just talk with it, play here's the thing. What do you care? Play cards. Yeah. Take some cards with you. We're gonna play pinochle. Yeah. As as someone who's been a bouncer at nightclubs, I would totally hang out with that group of fellas. If they're sitting there hanging up playing pinochle, I'd be like, I don't know what this game is. Unless he's like, pinochle. Look at the shuffleboard. Seem great. I wanna hang out with you. Or, like, I mean, tell me how many hours a week you spent, like, taking a false number two playing on your phone. Do it in a club. What do you you don't care. Alright? So, like, pass the time. Or, yeah, if there's a place nearby you wanna go, like, hang out at the sports bar while your, like, ladies are at the club, that way you're there for kind of support or whatever. I there's in some interim steps. I think this will die down.

There and, frankly, I hope they're I hope your wives are having the time of their lives. They're going out, having a good time, dancing. I think they'll get over it. But, like, if they're having fun now, what do you care? Right. Do your best to support it. Hope it goes away. Find other things to to spend your time. And if it becomes a real problem, I here's here's what I would say to your wife. Is that, I I need you to know I'm here because I love you. I love that you're having a good time. I wanna support you. And we just feel a little bit out of balance, though, because to be honest with you, this is not how I would elect to spend most of my Saturday nights. And so, like, can we find a balance where we don't do this as often? Here's the things I'm interested in doing. Can you either come along with me or at least allow me to go do that? Dudes are like, I just wanna sit at home doing nothing. This is the problem with the dudes. That's what I was just about to say is the flip side of this is your wife's your wives, excuse me, could be seeking out this because they're getting absolutely no attention or affection at home. And so, like, bring some romance back in, fellas. You've probably been married for twenty five years at this point in time. Like, you could very easily have just slipped off into being a roommate with this lady unless you want sexy times and it's convenient for you. Maybe you should romance your lady a little bit more often. She'll be less likely to to, like, need Yeah. To feel like she needs to be validated at a at a at a nightclub. Yeah. Well, I bet she could just be enjoying herself. But the point is rightly taken. Like, if you had a better alternative, like, hey. I I booked just a a room at the Garden Inn or something like, ew. She she why'd you why'd you have to say it that way? It was fine if you would have just said, I booked a room at the Garden Inn, and we would have been all fine with it. But you were like, I booked a room at the Garden Inn. Why'd you make it sound lecherous? They have the forbidden fruit.

That's what Hey, baby. Who I'm married to, I booked a room at the Garden Inn. I think it's gonna be more enticing than the nightclub. That doesn't sound enticing at all. No. It did not. No. It sounded terrifying. Sounds like you could still smoke in there. Baby, do you feel loved at a motel ocho?

It's Spanish. I'll get to pack a Bronsons. You wanna remember the teenage years? There we go. Alright. What's the what's the secular advice? Yeah. Gotta be it's gotta be worse than ours. You know what? Yeah. You two with the shirts. You're not allowed to talk no more. What do you mean? Le

Le Gardinean. I've not matured past this. Yeah. Take pictures of her. Shove it in face. You both are in the same boat in every way. I disassociated with Dan. I was very clear about that. I think you hot girl. Oh, then there's you. Then you're reassociated with that shirt. Alright.

Segular says, no guy is, quotes, too old to go dancing. If your problem is that you feel weird doing it, you and your friends should consider signing up for some dance classes. That's Yeah. That's what I do. That's so good. Hey, man. I hate painting. You should have painting classes. You should embarrass yourself in an instructional situation. Oh, no. She doubles down. No. I am not kidding. With someone who is experienced and has the patience to teach you, you might actually have fun. Those who have two left feet or no sense of rhythm should consider another activity on the nights their wives go dancing. PS, your wife should not punish you for feeling awkward about going to these clubs. She should instead be trying to help you. You know? I mean, ever think of this a little bit in the end, but still. People just make the best of their situations anymore. Like, you know I'm saying? You just throw your hands up and be like, I don't wanna go to this. Why don't you just go and figure something out? Strike up a conversation with some random people. Try ordering some new drinks you've never tried, but try to sneak food in if it's if it's banned. You know what saying? Like, have some fun with it. You don't have to, like, go there and be, like, some kind of curmudgeonly doofus. Really? Try to pocket somewhere, see if anybody catches you on the way out.

There's just all kinds of fun things to do, and you're wasting your time being upset. Go and order a new drink you've never had before. Go to the bar where your wife is dancing out on the dance floor twenty five years older than everybody else as the creepy guy that's been sitting in the corner, walk up to the bartender and be like, you know what I've never had? A Cosmo. Let me give it a shot one time. Do have milk with lemon. What do you have that's flavored like cherry? I'm very interested. I would like a mojito. The j is silent. Is anyone here Brazilian? I've heard of these, copper caperanias.

You wanna see a picture of my grandkids? Do you have a virgin decree? Alright. You've been listening live from the Path. Thanks for hanging out with us. We really do appreciate it. I'm sure you have if you're a reasonable person, you have complaints, end up with a Life from the Path complaint line. (515) 517-0085. Call or text. Also, if you go to lifefromthepath.org, there's a link there to our shop if you wanna pick up some sweet life from the path gear. Yeah. There's some there's some nice stuff out there. The war donkey coffee is there. There's some fresh t shirts. I I've been ordering a few things just to make sure they're of decent quality. I got the sweatshirt. It's super expensive.

So, man, you gotta really love it, but it's nice. I've been wearing it the whole week. It's holding up. Looks good. Never today. No. No. I I put this you should've worn it today. Yeah. But we would have been bettered by that. Put this hot spot my life. Do Arnold Schwarzenegger after he retired from being a governor. You got that shirt secondhand and went, someone was a fool for goodness. Now I have it thirdhand. I do look like a guy who books a room at the garden.

I'll have two mojitos. Alright. Thanks for listening. We'll see you if we're back next week. In the meantime, be faithful to means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening too live from the path.