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

And you can sing a lot. Shoot. That stuff went awry. You're it's still Life From The Path. What's that? Life From The Path. Do we have an Instagram handle? Yeah. What is I think it's at Life From The Path. No one else took Life From The Path? No. No. I don't think that's that popular of a name. Well, Live From The Path is. And so we get messed up with that guy. No. No. I think no. I think we're good here. I'm a check Instagram. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we were just talking before the show. Buva says that the just to point this out so you guys go out and look, in case you only listen to the audio podcast, he wants me to change the start of the show because there's the picture of him, one looks like he's 12.

A huge 12 year old. And, Tully, he's got he's got a chipped tooth. And so you should go check it out. Don't anymore. I'm not I'm not likely to get around to it to change in the front of the show, to be honest. I barely post the show. Would it be fast if I don't look like a bridge troll any well, yeah, I do. What if you just gave everybody a chiptooth, Ben? Then we're all would look the same. We're all equal. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I can do that. I appreciate y'all. Hey. The people on fiverr.com would do that stuff. I just send them a picture of Dan or whatever and I say, look, give this guy a chipped tooth and send it back to me and they'll be the fabulous You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna go back once you do that, I'm gonna change my picture so I'm the only one who doesn't have a chipped tooth. You don't have any technology editing skills at all. That's a that's an empty threat. I bet I could figure out. Completely empty. I think I could figure that out. We could give a chiptooth to the strip, to the thrift store priest. Is he empty? Say strip store priest? Yeah. I did. He's I hope that's not exist. He makes no money. He keeps on the long robe and reads from reads from the book of Mark all the time. Everybody leaves. In his hand, makes no statements, does not move. Yeah. No.

Get off the stage. They give him money just to leave because he won't take off his cloak. Alright. Well, you're listening to live from the bat. Thanks for hanging out with us tonight. Post that on Insta. Here's what we got going on the show. Hashtag strip store breathe. Hey. So I got we're gonna do secular Solomon. Yes. I got a round of secular Solomon. There you go. We haven't done that in a while. I gotta move chairs. Let's see. Mike Mike, would would you did you say you figured out you had some you wanted to jump in on Mike wasn't here for the conversation on the ex evangelical

pastor Dave Gas. Did you did you say you got stuff you wanted in on that? Yeah. Here's I was listening to it on the way in and yeah. I thought that was a super interesting conversation and I had a couple valid points that no one was in the van to hear with me. And so yeah. I'd like to chime in a little. What are they? Okay. Let me let's hear it, Mike. Here's the main one that irritated me. Ben, how many times have you read through the Bible? Like, all the way through? Yeah.

Intentionally, twice. Like, two programs and then full and then a bunch of random reading. Bubba? I have no idea. Dan. No. I don't have any idea either. And the guy says, I've read through the bible 42 times. And I think, dick you reading it for? I don't keep track of that at all. Like, I keep no valid track of how many times I've read anything because I was reading it to get what it had to give me, not what to mark down for. And I thought, you've read in the Bible for the wrong reasons. That was totally foolish. I feel like I I I mean, you guys kinda nailed the conversation, so I'd have to rehash it. But yeah. I I yeah. I think he he missed just listen to him list off his stats of all the things he did. I'm like, I can't remember half the stuff I did that that God's been involved with. Right? Like, keeps the tally. He numbers the hair the head. You know what I'm saying? I actually thought that when we were talking about it, and and my mind went back to a good old friend, Dennis Clark, who could tell you how many times he's gone through it only because he does it every year. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so he knows how many years he's been doing it. It's not because he's like, notch. You know? I'm just like, oh, twelve years. 12 times. So I don't I was giving him the benefit of the doubt on that, but I don't know. That's probably pretty strong for him. I mean, I I I maybe I should take a secretive poll of people that I know and see if they can say how many times they've done. I know people that mark occasions where God has really showed up, and they mark those down so they can celebrate them, you know, and and and keep an eye on them. But on the whole, I feel like it's it's like having both people in your house do the counting work. Right? God's keeping tallies. God says good, bad. God says here's what we're doing. And and, like, my job is just to follow whatever he's doing. Rarely do I see the signs on the road or the traffic jam ahead because I'm looking at the back of a cloak because I'm following Jesus. And so I don't care what's up there. I care where Jesus goes. And so my whole life is seems to be to to be laid out before me, and I've looked at the back of a a scruffy haired man from Jerusalem for for eighty years of my life, I go, yeah. That's what that's what I wanted to see. We're good. Alright. We're good. We'll settle that.

I mean, it was poignant to me when I was in the van. I thought I had some real zingers in there. Were all were those all the zingers, Mike? Well, I don't wanna say the rest now. I feel like the room's dirty kiss me. Yeah. Ben, especially, is leading the parade. Disappointed in Mike. I could tell by the look on his face. No, man. I wanna hear these zingers. No. Ben's got a vacuum sucking all the air at the room. No. I thought I thought I thought it was gonna last longer. No. It wasn't. Oh, man. Why is all you got? Do you have some music? I didn't prepare a ton. I thought I was hoping you filling some time. Yeah. We were kind of expecting you to have quite a few zingers. That was Well, to be honest, I was halfway through it, but then I had to pick up Buva, and then and then Buva wouldn't let me talk. He was talking about all his stuff on the way over. So I got nothing. Hey, man. That conversation started by you asking me how my day was. Yeah. That was You've known me for fifteen years. You should have expected that. I

handled that. The the the Bouba tried that on me not, I think last week. So, Ben, how's it going? I said, no. We'll get to that later. So I didn't have to get involved in it directly. And then you said He really did do that. That's not even a joke. That come and it completely worked. Oh, man. Yeah. Hey. Here's the deal. Like, I know I know a few guys like that. Pants, who does the opening for the show, he does that kind of thing. Like, I mean, he's I I've gone to pick him up. I've probably picked that guy up, 500 times in our lives. Like, I've gone to somewhere to his house to pick him up and he doesn't have but half a leg in the car and he's like, how's the family? I'm like, we are not prepared to to start a conversation here and frankly I don't think it's gonna mean anything to you because, I mean, your butt is not settled. Yeah. And so I always defer any of that kind of thing for later on when there's nothing else to talk about. I don't like to kick off with it.

I mean, I What do you like to kick off with? Ben's Guide to Life. Yeah. What's going on with you? Yeah. That's what I say. No. I don't do that. Actually, here's the thing. It's like, I think I like to get right to the point of wherever we're meeting. Because I don't just, like, pick up people or go hang out with them just to hang out and share their company. So if we ran into you, it's for a reason. And so I like to get right to the reason that we that that we're Whatever, man. I'm gonna start showing up at your place. That's a huge mistake. Nope. You start showing up, and I'm gonna walk in your house and be like, hey, man. I know we weren't planning on meeting for anything. How was your day? Nah. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. I got a bunch of other stuff planned. Yeah. Too that that sounds like breaking and entering. Yeah. It does. Like, that's exactly what's happening. If you don't have a stated purpose and you are in my place, I feel like you've broken an interest. I know your wife. She will invite me in. Here's the thing. We have enough wild animals around the house that I keep a a fairly accessible shotgun pretty close to the door. Don't worry about it. And so if you walk into the house, Buva, and make your regular noise, I might mistake you for some kind of wild animal. I I know I know your wife. She's gonna invite me in. Your kids will be uncle Buba, and then I'll I'll I'll come in and we'll hang out. We'll ask each other questions that don't really mean anything like, how's your day going? Yeah. See you. Or what's new with the family? Yeah. I mean, here they are. I've been asked that twice this week, I don't know how to respond. Mall talk with Mike Foust. What's going on with the family? I don't know. They're the same. Yeah. I mean I'm terrible with that stuff. Yeah. Mike I mean, stuff. Their hair grew three inches, I think. I don't know. Here's here's what I want you to do. I really want you to start doing that end of the year family newsletter thing. Like, I really wanna receive that from you that just says everyone is a year older.

Yeah. And that's the entire thing. Yeah. We did last year. You sent that? No. Okay. Good. Dan, this is the sad part. I would not be surprised if you sent out a family newsletter. Yeah. We did. We used to do that. This is what's going on in Dan's life. Honestly, it got kind of embarrassing. Good. I mean, because my kids, I don't wanna overbrag them, but they do a lot of good stuff. I'm like, I just I'm sitting here bragging on them. It's just like,

they just never got in trouble. They never did bad I mean, I was just like That's a valid point. As someone who grew up with both your kids, it is it is very it's very sad. I mean, they were they made parenting really easy. They were they made me look really good. My brother and I did not do that with my family. Them. Yeah. No. We I don't believe that my parents would ever say, oh, man. Trey and Troy just made us both feel great all the time, and it was never difficult. I don't wanna over brag. Crappy stuff in the Christmas letter. Like, boy, Troy was a real disappointment this year. You know what? That is exactly what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna send out a a newsletter of all the terrible things that happened. Yeah. Yeah. Buva Skidmark Ziegeldinger, did the had had Buva Skidmark Ziegeldinger. That's a reflection of how your year actually was. Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. My nickname just gets worse and worse and worse. That was terrible. There, just not for a good reason.

People saw me at the front door and went, oh, no. Is that some kind of wild animal? No. That's bupa. Alright. Alright. So it was what do I say? We're gonna do some Mike with some zingers. Thanks, Mike. Dear dear life from the path. Did you preview any that stuff? I looked at a couple of them. Okay. But no one's calling the complaint line. I'm real disappointed. I felt like last last week might kick out some Yeah. Legit complaints. I know it's this I feel like people are listening. What disc what discussion did you think was gonna flag a a narrative? I thought I I thought that ex evangelical guy would. I I thought there might be a perception that we were too hard on the guy. I felt I I I I at the time, I felt a little amped up and then I listened back to a little bit and I thought, nope, nailed it.

I mean, here's the felt pretty good about it. Here's the thing, it's like, I I mean, I can't say that I've not seen I've not experienced shades of what he's saying. Right? But, like, I instantly I feel like I turn it back around and go, god, I don't know where I've I've gone off track here but I know you're solid so help me turn this thing around. Right? Like, it's a fundamental the thing is the fundamental principle is that you to to to follow Christ at all is you have to believe that God is good. You have to believe that. Right. And if you don't believe that, then you're screwed. You're you're not you're following a non a non thing. And so, like, even when God does not heal who you thought he was gonna heal or who you wanted him, you know, even thought, who you wanted him to heal or God does not intervene where you wanted him to intervene,

that if you don't if you believe that God is good, you go, okay, you're good and you chose to stay out of this or not do what I asked and I'm gonna let that go. I'm gonna say then that was in your the your sovereign province and you decided that this was the thing and I believe you're good and so whatever decision made was good. And so help me help me see the peace in it and help me move on and follow you to other good things. And one of the things he said is he said what did he say? I'd never seen in his forty years of ministry, he'd never seen a spiritual healing or never seen anything of supernatural. And, like, boy, I just that means not only not only do you not believe that God is good as I don't think you know anybody that does. Right? Because I I can say that I've seen that in my personally, in my life. Not a ton. Handful. Maybe on on one hand, maybe. But I know enough people who believe that God is good that, like, if I add all those people together, I got so much evidence I'd be a fool not to follow this thing. Right? And so, like, I feel like if you've never seen it, then I don't think you ever believed that God was good anyway.

And if and you don't know anyone that also believed that that can believe that because you've you would heard so many tales. It's not like it's not like every story, in the Bible is, you know, the the the the the daughter being raised back up from the centurion's daughter. Right? Like, that didn't happen to everyone in Bethlehem. It didn't happen to it happened to that guy. Right? One the the one recorded time that they have it in in that era and in that six month to year period, you know, that's the story they told. And there's not the rest of, of the town going around going, well, obviously, he doesn't exist because it happened to those people. It didn't happen to me. You know, like, that story enough is to go, what a great god. He chose to intervene in this thing. That's fantastic.

And I I I don't know. I I I don't get that. Like like, we read these pointed stories in the bible and go, this should happen to me. This should be the thing that happens to me. And if you look at it even in its own context, it happened to one guy in a group of, like, 50,000. It happened to one dude. Right. It's like shaking hands with Lazarus and going, that's great but my uncle's still dead so god's not real. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Like like, if it doesn't if it doesn't I mean, I I suppose that tells you how self centered and self focused we are is to say and, actually, that's not dissociative with how we believe. Right? Like, with people's belief that they have their own reality, this is my truth, this is my reality of which may be different than yours, to the fact that you can't personally affirm it, then it seems appropriate for you to reject it as opposed to the fact that says, no, seriously, you just shook hands with that man. He stinketh, he was dead. And you're like, well, yes, but it did not happen to me personally and so it's possible that God is not working at it. So And, like, just foolish.

I mean, same is true is like and and and I'm certainly guilty of this. Right? But, like, you will you will catch something on the news where they'll say, hey, twenty thousand people were killed by rebel guerrillas and whatever. And like, that number twenty thousand doesn't it doesn't even get past my skin. It doesn't bother me one bit. I go, 20,000? That seems like a lot. That's a big number. That's wrong. Yeah. But it didn't happen to me. And so I go, 20 I mean, boy, I sound like a real jerk here. But it's true. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like, you hear the news in bed? I mean, there's people there's stories every day. Like, even even now, so far removed from the holocaust, the numbers are not staggering to my generation and especially the generations after me. They're like, these many Jews were murdered senselessly and you're like, man, it's awful. But it don't last more than ten seconds and that's sad. And so we do this. It's not like we do we we're dismissing, you know, one miracle here because it didn't happen to us and and we're not doing it to other things. We're certainly doing it to all things, you know. And so it it seems misplaced to not be able to look back on yourself with some honesty and go, hey, man. The the real deal is I'm disappointed that it did not happen to me or in front of me or for this person. And I'm guessing he probably saw it, but he didn't give credit where credit was due. Right. You know, things happen. He just thought, oh, that was a boy. I'm sure glad for doctors. Well, You know. True. And and and what the whole story of the Bible is God using his people to get things done. And so it's very easy to attribute great things to people Mhmm. You know, and miss that that God would had a hand in it somewhere. And and I'm sure that's at that point he'd go, this is where you're stretching, you know, where you're throwing things in and acting like like this. But the truth of the matter is there's I can't think of two occasions where God did something without someone else involved, where he just flat out did something. Usually, it's him using his people to accomplish something. And so some of the healings that we see are are are, you know, are through modern medicine, through a doctor who thought, maybe it's this thing, you know, and, like, completely out of nowhere or happened to pick out the one obscure text that no one's, you know, borrowed in the library for fifty years, finds this weird disease and goes, man, this this hits all the symptoms of this guy. I think we could get him some sodium and he's gonna turn right around, you know. And and and so, like, you can easily dismiss

the creation, the creator for the creation. Right? And so you could you could do that if you don't have an underlying thought process that God is good and would be faithful to do things like this anyway. So I you're right. It's it's it was sad to listen to, frankly. Although, it rung it rung some bells. Right? Like, I I can't say that I haven't been in a couple of those places before. But instead of going, god owes this to me, I go I I've stopped looking at the back of the of the scruffy, you know, Bethlehemian. You know, like, I've done this is what I've done. I've taken my eyes off the thing and I'm missing it, and it's palpable. It's palpable when you're looking left and Jesus turned right. It's it's noticeable.

So so there was a, there's a couple articles, an interesting one about, Christian service is not automatic for Christians. That a surprise to anybody? I don't know what Christian service means. Okay. So, here here's a story. Many Christians admit to having difficulty in serving others despite being called to do so in the Bible, according to a new report by LifeWay Research.

For their 2019 discipleship pathway assessment study, the Nashville, Tennessee based LifeWay found that less than half of Protestant churchgoers surveyed said they intentionally give up certain purchases so they can use that money to help others, which is like, that's not the same thing as that I don't I don't serve. It's it's specifically picking out something Lent style and saying, I'm gonna give this thing up to be able to do x y z, which I think is I I don't know. If you ask the question that way, I it it's possible that your research is skewed. Right? Because, like, let's say, if someone's tithing, right, they don't necessarily think of it as, hey, I gave up that that amount of money's worth of coffee. They're just like, I gave it. As opposed to somebody goes, you know, I'm specifically gonna give up coffee this week because I wanna give to the food bank.

Well, maybe maybe I'd I don't know what the broad thought is on on what's what's the biblical basis for serving others? What do mean? Like like if we say, hey, we found it in the bible, what are they talking about? I mean, precedents from what Jesus did,

like actually serving others. Yeah. Right. So, like, take Jesus washing the disciples' feet Sure. Who who came to serve. Right. Right. Right. So so I Love your neighbor as yourself. So I I think maybe maybe the broad brush of how they're judging service, it it's it's hard to define. Right? Did I give up money to give to something else? It's really in the nursery for an hour. Yeah. Right. Where's the that's exactly right. Did you work in the nursery? Did you go feed the homeless? You know, did you donate your clothes to a a mission instead of taking them to the goodwill or whatever, you know, like all these even the goodwill will count, you know. You know, but like,

how do you how do you quantify the guy that that was working with another man and he then the other guy broke something. And he served the guy by not throwing the blame on him and walking away. You know what saying? Like he said, look, we we had a we had a run-in, the things didn't go very well, but we'll get it fixed, boss. Right? Like, that's that's the type of sacrificial serving that Jesus did. Yeah. That's a good point. So I so that maybe to bring it home, if if Jesus were to take this same survey, he would also be a no. That's what I'm And if Jesus takes your survey and he comes and he's a no, then perhaps you're not answering Yeah. Asking the right question. Jesus, did you work at the soup kitchen? You know, I didn't make it to the soup kitchen. I didn't Did you give up eating or drinking this thing on your normal routine so that you could give money to this cause? No, I did not. No. No. I didn't do these things. Right. It's such a it's it's just so narrowly defined. You know,

the dead and heal the blind. Right. Right. Right. Does that count on your survey? No. It does not. And they say Okay. They say, Jesus, that don't staff our nursery. So, you know, turn it around. I see a dirty floor. Nobody vacuumed. So it says, they found that less than half of Protestant churchgoers surveyed said they intentionally gave up certain purchases. According to LifeWay, 41% of respondents reported agreeing to give up certain purchase so they could use the money for other people. 32% were neutral and 27% disagreed.

I don't know Is serving others only giving up purchases to give to other people? That is Quite a jump. Yeah. That is such a That's a very specific thing to request. Again, not to steal an Internet word because it makes me angry, but, like, that is such a privileged question. Right? That is it's such a privileged way of looking at service. It's just The last thing I think of is money when Yeah. Yeah. Like, there's so many other ways, like, myriads and myriads of ways that you can serve people and it doesn't require specifically like, it assumes that, like, you are spending your money on something that is intentionally or potentially frivolous and that you then are then subsequently targeting to get rid of it to put something good which I get is kind of like a check behavior we do in like, we encourage people to do is, like, hey, maybe give up that coffee and you can help save a child's life. Right? Like, you wanna sponsor a kid. That's it. Yeah. We I get we say things like that. But, like, to to call that the definition of what

service is Yeah. Is super blind. Yeah. That sniff's kinda parasitical to be honest. Like, specifically, this is how much I'm giving up, of my money and make sure that you you are checking yes on the question of I gave up personal like, certain things, in the service of the Lord. It's like, well, did did you really give anything though besides like a little bit of money to not get your your, like, swimsuit you wanted this year? Like, really? I mean, here's the I think it's okay. Right? You wanna do like, you intentionally do that, like, that's good. But, like, for that to be the standard of which, look, if you're not doing this, then maybe you're not hitting the the note of servanthood, like, that's lame.

Or if if you're giving from your abundance, you're not giving anything up. You're just adding that reminded me this is what my pope salve was going to be, but it was I don't I don't have a forum enough to call pope salve. Okay. Fair enough. But this was the story. I told you to come back. I think he even came back. Today, on the way home, I stopped by the grocery store to get some food, make some grill some food. And the gal in front of me, little old lady, she had to be in her eighties,

I was trying to pay for something and, you know, you don't pay attention because you, know, you're not like trying to be a creeper. Yeah. But she was having some struggle and then I realized like, wait, I don't think her card's working. Oh, yeah. And and I'm thinking to myself, well, I'm gonna just buy her groceries. She had like $27 of it. Yeah. Right. Like, you know, I thought, let's just buy her groceries. But then I'm like, I gotta make sure. So she tried it again and it was declined and I'm like, oh, so I get my card out. By the time I I I processed, like, without being, like, weird, like, that I I can do this. She needs help. Yeah. She got another card out and paid for it. I thought, crap. And that was really actually kinda sad that that card went through because, I really wanted to help her. Well, I could've done it. But I didn't move fast enough. Right. You you know? Because I I was, like, processing too. I thought too much about it. Well, that that wouldn't have been service, It would have been just, like, I was gonna help her. Right. Right. Mean, I wasn't thinking, well, I'll put my groceries away, I'm still gonna get my groceries. Oh, right. Right. But I'll get hers too. Paying for the person behind you in the drive through. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know. I mean It was kind of a fail but yet it was, my pope saw it was gonna be, like, well, do it. I mean Yeah, right. Just just do the Stop

thinking about it. You know, actually, Dan, I I that that has come up. We were talking about that in our as part of our our our church community is that, like, oftentimes when something comes up and something happens in the family, whatever, you go, hey, let us know if you need help. And you know what? They're not gonna do it. They don't ever let you know that they need help. Like, everyone's in a blue moon. Just just do the hell. Do it. Buy the gift card. Send the groceries. Buy the gas. Done so many things in my life because I thought about it. Yeah. Yeah. Fire it up. Send the money over. What what's the worst that could happen? Incredibly true. Oh, man. Yeah. I I and it's always like, hey. Definitely. And here's here's where I here's how this came up. There was there was someone at church whose whose parents had a had an incident where their their house burned down, and we said That's more than an incident. I don't know. It's a pretty big deal, man. Okay. A bump in the road. Oh, the house burned. We had a snafu. Fu. Fine in the ointment. The house burns down. And so we said and so, of course, you know, like, we're we're we're we're praying and we're we're talking with them and stuff and we say, hey. Look. Definitely, you know, let us know if there's anything we can do to help. They go, yeah. Definitely. I will. I'll let you know. Nothing. Didn't ever say anything. Two weeks later, they came back to church and they were just kinda sharing an update and they told a story and they said, look, boy, the there was an old church that that the parents had been at and,

full full little old ladies, like, small church, thirty, forty people and they sent cards and, like, little bits of money, like, we're talking $5, $10 or whatever. That means nothing in the grand scheme of our house burnt down. Right. Right. But she was talking about, like, my like, that her parents were just so elated to get all these warm wishes and greetings from this these 25, 30 old ladies sending little bits of money and I thought to myself, hey, man, you you didn't say they could use any help. Like, we said we we would be able to help and You said they needed $5. We had it. No one's telling me we coulda we coulda done this thing. And I thought, you know who nailed this thing? Old ladies who go Yeah. Hey. Not hey. Hey. Do you want us to send cards? They're like, hey. We're gonna mail a card, and we're gonna put $5 in it. Yeah. And we don't care if it doesn't help or if it feels awkward or whatever. Put $5 in there and we're sending it because we want to. Yep. And I thought, shoot, we've missed the boat on this thing waiting for people who need help to say they need help. If you see someone needs help, just do the help. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. I yeah. That was that was, that that something clicked in me that said, I I've I've offered to help a 100 times and I've got, like, two people say, yeah, you know, I could use some help.

Fine. I I I asked because it seemed apparent. Let's just do it. That's true. It's like you're not so far removed from all humanity that you can't take a stab on what to do. Right? Like, if a family had a that you you just know that they had a terrible Saturday night and it just went awful for them and they one of their kids was in the hospital or something. Right? And everybody's up till 3AM and they still drug themselves into church the next day, you're buying them lunch. And you're gonna show up at their house with lunch and say, here's lunch. We got this covered. Oh, no. We could've got but you didn't. And here's the lunch. And we're gonna go. We're not staying here to eat it with you. You're just gonna hang out at your own house and calm down for a minute and take a breath and eat to lunch. And we're leaving. See you. You know? And, like, there is no one in the world that goes, man, they've really inconvenienced me by bringing this lunch over and I feel terrible. They're like, this is great. I really could've used this breath. I appreciate the lunch, you know? And so you know like, I think you're the people are always worried about offending or getting in the middle of someone's of the way they run their house, you know, and you're like, man, I don't wanna interrupt them or I you know, if they already have plans with somebody blah blah blah, whatever. Like, you know, put a little bit of thought into it. People that got a ton of kids, their plans aren't very flexible. People that got one or two kids, they're a little bit more flexible. So they got, you know, they gotta they gotta cut you know, they're more likely to move and shake. So when you bring them something, bring them something they got a microwave. The 10 people with 10 kids, you bring them fresh cooked crap because they ain't going nowhere. They're eat it to home. So, you know, put a couple thoughts into it and then just get it done. I agree. That's the way to live. Yeah. Yeah. So interesting though, it it broke down. They said they noted that younger churchgoers were more likely to strongly agree to intentionally give up purchases with 22% of churchgoers age 18 to 34 saying they strongly agree versus 18% for those age 35 to 49.

So I find this interesting in light of their conversation. It's because by by the time you're 18 to 34 or you're 35 to 39, you're 49, you're having our our conversation, you're like, really? This is the definition? Because I'm doing other things. I don't Yeah. I'm not giving up something just so I can make the survey checkbox. Yeah. They said, broken down racially, Hispanics were the most likely to strongly agree at 25%. I call this survey a this is a huge nothing burger because, I mean, the strongest thing you have is 25%. And so, like, I I don't know how they don't look at this. LifeWay puts out tons of of research. I think I would look at this go, hey. We we we missed the mark here, boys. Just throw this one away. Let's start something else.

Yeah. There was nothing statistically interesting. Yeah. Hey, hey, Ben. Yeah. I'm sorry to do this. No. What? But I got something on my heart, and I feel like I got a Pope style. Okay. And I usually let you, like, introduce that, but I'm not gonna let you because I need to say this stuff. Yeah. Okay. That cool, Beans? I'm not asking Ben's permission. I don't know how feel about it. Alright. Awesome.

Hey, man. So the last two days have been rough. Okay. Okay? Really rough. But they started great yesterday, and I just now realized I totally failed in the last sixteen hours. Like, failed God. Here's why. I let the the world completely rob me of my joy in the last, like, twenty hours, and I just now realized how bad it was. So here's the deal. So yesterday, I was at, I was at family's house, and we're getting ready to do church because I had just cutting off, like, a twelve hour shift, and I was really tired.

And I started listening to some worship music with the family as we're getting ready for everything. Right? And out of nowhere, I just felt like this overwhelming feeling to start crying. And that was that was awkward for me, like, really weird. I didn't know what was going on. But I was listening to to a song that that was this weird, like, anthemic, like, circular worship song, called fill my cup. And it drove me nuts the first couple of times I heard it because it was just the same thing over and over again. Just like fill my cup, fill my cup, and stuff like that. Right? And I just didn't get it. But then yesterday, as I'm sitting there amongst family and amongst people that are just loving on me and amongst the presence of God in that place,

Like, it's just it was overwhelming. Completely overwhelming. And I started crying, and I had to go out on the on the deck to cry. And it wasn't like a sad moment. It was just like a wow. Like, I've been missing out on your joy and your peace, God, for so long. Like, when I really feel in it, it is insane and is absolutely overwhelming, and I cannot handle it. Right? And so I had that feeling. I had that moment twice. Like, I cried for ten minutes, and then I walked back inside and hung out for a bit. And And then I had to walk back outside because I started crying again. And again, it was just this overwhelming feeling of like, man, this is it. Like, this is what it's actually like, and this is what it really feels like. This is this is family. This is this is this is feeling like I'm in your spirit. Right?

And then not five hours later, after I woke back up from a nap, work started happening and got in the way. And I started getting really upset about some work stuff, and I completely lost sight of the joy and the peace that I'd had five hours prior to this. And I got so beast angry that, like, I let go of all of this. K? And I it got even worse today because, like, I I I slept last night. I woke up this morning and just continued. And I went to work, and it was awful, awful, awful, and it it it stunk. And there was a lot of stuff going on, and I've just been fuming mad all day Mhmm. And angry at at certain things. And it's literally hit me in the last ten minutes, of sitting here on the show that I wasted the last twenty hours being angry. Like, I really did. Yeah. I complete I I mean, it was it it means nothing. Like, the work stuff that I've had meant absolutely nothing. Everything got figured out.

My anger didn't change anybody. My my my being upset did not change a thing. It literally just made me in a bad mood all day. And in the last ten minutes, I just thought to myself, dad, I'm sorry. I wasted a day with you because I sat there fuming in my anger from worldly stuff and didn't remind myself that my joy and my peace comes from you. And, like the holy spirit is what what keeps me focused on being happy. And my truck tire blew like an hour ago, and

instead of getting angry about it, I'm just sitting here thinking, dad, you got it. I'm not really worried about it. It didn't take very long to figure out what happened. I'm okay. I'm alive. I'll figure out the tire, but, like, I'm just mad at myself right now for wasting that day. And and I've been sitting here listening to you guys, and I just really wanted to share that. Like,

if you're honestly trying to to walk with Jesus and spend your time doing this stuff, like, he promises you peace, and he promises you joy, and he offers this stuff. And, like, this is this is natural fruit and outpouring from a real and freeing and loving relationship with him. And because I let the world run me for less than a day, I missed down on a great day walking with my lord and sad about that. And I'm just sitting here thinking to myself, tomorrow's a new day. Very excited about that. And I wanna make sure that I choose the right actions, and I choose the right mentality to understand that today is gonna be so much better if I just decide to hang out in his hands and hang out in his rest and not be angry and not let things worry me and just spend time in his peace and in his joy. Yeah.

I like that pope style advice. Yeah. For sure. Here's the image that came when you were talking about being angry, the the the first image that came to me was a guy who just, who was so bad that he be wets his pants to show the world That did not happen. Hold on. Hold on a minute. Let it play out, boo. That's right. Let's A guy who wets his pants to show the world how angry he is. And, of course, the only guy that is negatively impacted for that expression of anger is the man sitting in urine pants.

And and, like and he's wrecked his own he's wrecked his own thing but to no consequence to anyone else around him. And so it's it's kind of that kind of thing that, like, how you express whatever's going on around you, the only person that it ruined or that it had any impact at all on was you, and then you just had to sit in wet pants Yeah. For all day. It was terrible. It was yeah. And it's it's created no value. Like and it felt the like thing that it's like, this is what I'm a do. I'm gonna express myself. I'm gonna I'm gonna get this anger out. And then, like and then what? You're the you sit in wet pants all day. Anyway, I don't know why that that's what popped into me, Pooh, was you wetting your drawers. I didn't like it at first, but I get where you're coming from, and I agree. I agree. Makes perfect sense. I agree with entirely. I'm I'm not even gonna try and set the record straight. I like that. No. Yeah. I think it's good.

No. You know you know, Booboo, I think this is strong my my kids and I were talking about this last night is is trying to move from slap your hand behavior, god, don't don't help me to not be angry, to, like, god help create in me the desire for the deeper well. Moob and I were we're talking actually talking a bit about this early this week too. Is that, like, it's it's that, like, as opposed to yes. I I think there's there's the behavior stuff, like, god calls us to faithfulness, which is like a combination of of of love and obedience. Like, it's act that's where those two things live together. They're married in faithfulness that says, I love

I love God and so I will obey God. I will obey his commands because back to what Mike was saying, because I trust that they are good and he wants what is good for me. And so but but oftentimes, I think from rudimentary state, we say, lord, I don't wanna do the things you told me not to do. Please help me to not do those things. But then that that's focuses primarily on my own effort in ability to stop doing those things. But the core the core thing that really drives behavior is the the desire to want something better. Help basically, help convince me that this thing actually isn't good. Right? Because I always reach for the things that are my choice as opposed to god's choice because in that moment, I believe it's best. I believe that, like, this momentary thing, this momentary anger, this like, whatever it is that that I have going on, the sin I'm going to choose, like, in this moment, this is this is the right. And, like, I've had it kind of floating through my mind over the last five days

and any sense of to kind of temptation or anything shows up in my life. It's just a phrase like, no, I I want the good. I want the good thing. Yeah. I I help it help it I want the deeper well. Whatever this is offering me isn't actually the best thing. Otherwise, you would offer it, like, you would offer me this this thing if it was really the best. And so, I I think of that when in relation to the stuff that you're talking about because it it ultimately causes to say, if God is offering it, if it's God's direction, then it has to be the best option. That's why he gives it to us that way. And so, at the moment, I might be able to find relief in otherwise expressing anger or, you know, like, whatever the whatever your your sin of choice is. I might be able to find relief in doing whatever short term measure that is, but what I need God to change in my heart is to strongly to desire more than anything what he has expressly laid out as good,

which is, hey, this this this this worry beyond my control is not valuable. This anger, is not righteous and it is destructive to me. I want the good. Help point me to the good here. And not only just not for me to stop, to just curtail it, not to just go, alright. I'm gonna take 10 deep breaths and not get angry, but to say, god, what is actually the good here? Point me to the actual right behavior and help me to want it so that when I'm faced with this choice, I go, boy, I could take this option, but I'm not gonna because it's crappy. Right. I want this best thing that you're offering here, and that's that's faithfulness. That's an obedience and love for god to do the things that he asked us to do because they are inherently good. Yeah. Absolutely. I think that, you know, within the last couple weeks, the the the thought process that I've had and kind of putting things through the sermon are are is is

the things that I'm putting in and the things that I'm filling myself with, like, they real? Like, are they are they real in in the in the light of, like, God's existence? Right? Like, are these things that I'm creating and they're fake? Are they things that that I'm developing and they're fake? Are they things that are coming from him and they're real? Because I can fill up the holes in my life fairly easily, but that doesn't mean it's it's the right way to do it. And that doesn't mean that it it fixes anything. And and when I choose to fill myself up, fill my cup up with things that I have, it always fails. Every single time. I cannot tell you a single time in my entire existence that Buva has filled his own cup, and I've gone, yeah. That was right. This tastes terrible. Yeah. Exactly. Right? Like, I this was good. And every single time that I've allowed God to fill my cup with the new wine, right, like that stuff, that is real and that is that is good in his eyes and in the world. And like, that's when things start happening. And I'm chained by my own stuff and and his stuff is real and free and I love that. And I love those two words. That reminds me. So that's the example I gave the kids was, like, because I because I like that that that deeper well thing. Right? Like, it's kinda ties to to living water and it says that, like, god's got this real there's a good here, a good way of living, a good way of faithfulness, and it may take a little longer to drop the bucket, but, like, it's the right thing. Right. But I said, like, you you it's the it's the difference between doing that and drinking from a puddle. And so the puddle is shallow. There's only so much water in there. It's probably dirty. Someone else has probably stepped in it. But at the moment, I dip my hand in there, I'm like, this will bring me some relief and it very well might for about a half a second and then I realized it was poisoned.

It what or or that, hey, I can it may have worked but it's dirty and it will eventually run out. And it's not the same thing as what God was offering. And so, like, in their example was that, basically, they're arguing with each other and, like, it may feel feel real good right then to be able to lash out at your sister and tell them that they suck and, like, whatever's going on around them and and and and you may feel some sense of relief for having yelled at them. But, like, what always follows? There's guilt associated with it because you're like, boy, I just I feel like I might have overreacted there and I didn't bring I didn't bring positive interactions with my sister. It was negative stuff. The deeper well of being able to, like, you know, talk through your stuff and show grace and humility and kindness to people through those things, like, I don't I don't ever have those types of conversation and then walk away going, oh, man, that feels rough. I've overhumiliated it. That's right. Too much grace on that one. Humiliated myself. Yeah. And so, like, that's that's that's the difference between drinking from that shallow puddle

and and and actually choosing the good, choosing that deeper well, the right path of obedience to what God is calling us to. And it's not that the first one it's not that the shallow one doesn't seem right for just a second. But, like, long term, that's the lie. I I guess the reason I thought of that, based upon what what you were talking about, was that's the fake. The fake is is that I thought when I reached into the puddle and I got that first taste of the water that was in there that I thought, this will satisfy, and it was a lie. It wasn't really true. It never was gonna satisfy except for I convinced myself in the moment I stuck my hand in that, like, yeah, but I'm gonna choose this thing because it's faster than going to the well. It takes way less effort, and I think it'll work. And that's that's the thing. If you say, how many times I filled my own cup? For me, it's the phrase, hey, I think this will work. I think this I think this will satisfy the thing. We can get by with this. Yeah. I don't have to do yeah, I know God said to handle it this way but, like, he doesn't quite understand the nuance on my situation and I'll handle it this way and I think it'll be fine. Bad phrases forbid. I think it'll be fine. I think it'll be a workout. Yeah. It's not true. Like, the thing god called us to the right thing because it's the right thing. I know. I think Alright. I accept that as Pope's Hovace. Okay.

I didn't know it was up for veto. Have you ever vetoed Pope's Hovace? No. Because I get to introduce it properly. Oh, I know. I took away his fun. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I mean, all he had to say was, hey, Ben. I might have seen a a pope hat in the mirror this week, and I would say, good night, man. I heard the same thing. And then I could I mean, I I I'm I'm ready. Ben, I want you to take a step back and think, was that the important part to do, or was it important to just kinda say what I felt was about? Are you saying that the introduction to pope style is the puddle? Yes. In this in in this instance, absolutely. I veto what Buva said. Yeah. I think it's very important, Ben. Yeah. He's he's tried to pharisee me, and I want He's turned on us. I'm gonna filibuster your vetoing. Okay? Buva's turned on us. I'd like to recite all of star wars a new one. He's drinking the chains. Oh, you fill your cup with chains, Buva. And now for America's fastest growing game show. Oh, buddy. Zachary

or Solomon? Mike, you gotta move. Hey. Come on over, Mike. Yeah. You can sit in between day and night. Come on over. We'll share we'll share it. We'll we'll share it here.

Is there a microphone over there? We can we can double up on the mic too. You're gonna sunny and share that microphone? Alright. Hey. You've stumbled on America's fastest growing Internet game show, Secular versus

Solomon. Oh, here. I'm thinking your boob is Mike works out. Let's go to the thrift store priest over to Mike's area. That's of my impersonation of booba. I was gonna say, is that you doing a me? Yeah. Was gonna say Creole chef. Catfish.

Alright. Here's here's the premise of the game. If you if you're unfamiliar, I'm gonna give you a sec a proverb, a bit of wisdom. And you need to tell me whether that is a secular bit of wisdom that's of the world or whether we're taking that from scripture. And when I say proverb, we're gonna go broadly. It could be some sort it could be proverbs from the book of Proverbs, could be from Ecclesiastes, It could be from Solomon. There's a chance that it's from that other guy. Few other fellows in the that are in the Proverbs book. But so anyway and if it's not if it's not biblical, then we need to figure out where this derelict wisdom is coming from, and I need you to tell me a country of origin. Dan, it has to be an actual country. Mine mine are always Yeah. Pretty national. Good luck, Bubba. Secular

Epcot Center. A Mini nations. Bubba, need to turn that camera just a bit. And, I'm not you see, I I'm not gonna be able to hear you sitting back there like that. Yeah. I'm gonna push back to Mike's. Alright. Oh, great. So we can wait half a second as you guys deal with this thing? Alright. Alright. Well, this is gonna work out. Here we go. Alright. Secular versus

stop staring at the camera like that. Secular versus Sullivan. Let's start with Buva. A night without roosters will still end. A night without roosters will still end. Secular or Solomon Buva? I'm gonna go, secular Bolivia.

Secular Bolivia, Mike. Secular Switzerland. Secular Switzerland, Dan. I don't know why that's funny. The Swiss

Dan finds the the entirety of the Swiss culture hysterical. Swiss myth, Swiss cheese, everything. Exactly. Oh, boy. Well, it's it's gonna be secular. Not Switzerland. Man, come up with your own country. Don't just knock bikes. I I I just it's it probably is. What

is it? A night without roosters? It still ends? Will still end. I'm just trying feel like you're over invested in this, Dan. I'm trying to get the wisdom from it. Dan, we've been doing this for years. Just put down a country. But this is important. Yeah, man. Don't Dan's not phoning in. He's he's like the setup to the pope style. It's the chains in the cup. Here's what I think. It's it's kind of a a nothing thing. I'm going Canada. See, what the what? The Canadians are nothing? Pretty much. So you think the Swiss are hysterical. The Canadians Canadians are are nothing. Nothing.

Make a little noise. Dan, that took you two minutes to say, oh, it's a nothing thing. Canada. It took I I couldn't land it. I finally decided it's because of Sneezy. Sweet Moses, man. It's a non sequitur. It's it's Dan finds no wisdom in it. A night without roosters will still end.

So even if there is, the normal evidence for something completing, does not mean that it's actually the end of the thing. It will otherwise end on its own. Dan says that's Canadian. The Canadians are confused and obviously don't have any wisdom. That's why they behave the way they do. You've seen their coins. It's that's that no. That's no. That's true. Nailed it. The answer is Secular, Ghana.

Yes. Gonna. Mike, you did not say gonna. I'm gonna get it right. Booba, I wet myself. He's an angry man.

I love it over here. I feel like a brand new man. Oh, no. Secular or Solomon. It's my turn. Like, I I can't take this. This.

I'm gonna sit over here all the time. This makes me happy. This is this is why I don't get to host a legit game show. I I don't have any chill. I can't handle the room. Alright. Here we go. Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boast of a gift he does not give. Solomon. Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boast of a gift he does not give. I'm gonna go with Solomon. Solomon, Dan. Yeah. I agree. Solomon. He's in with Solomon Buva. Solomon Proverbs 19. Proverbs 19. Buva, as always, unnecessarily sticks his neck out.

He said it didn't take two and a half minutes to say, it's a nothing. Canada. That's worthless. Alright. Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give that is indeed Solomon, Proverbs 25.

In a prideful boast, Bov is incorrect. I'm not gonna believe it. Wait. What's the wisdom there? Look, what else? I love in here. What's the next what's the Hold on. Hold on. So clouds and wind without rain. So things that although exist without actually producing is the man who boasts of a gift gift he does not give.

Okay. What's the yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Blowing blowing it dry like a Canadian. Wait, man. Have you changed the premise of this game to where you're going to break down this the proverb Maybe as we could pick up if it's a bit of wisdom, biblical wisdom, maybe we make sure we understand what's going on. I mean, this game show is about to take 17 times. It's crying out in the street. Someone should answer. Yep. Yeah. Don't worry. This is where Ben says, let me give you the three minute flyover version of this proverb. And then twenty minutes later, you've tied your shoes three times and wondered if your watch is still working. I don't. And Ben goes, now it's all about the Hasid.

Don't act like that. You definitely act like that. Alright. Singular Solomon. Bread bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. Secular or Solomon? Dan. I'm I'm gonna go I'm gonna go Solomon. Dan's in for Solomon. Booba.

Proverbs 15. Proverbs 15. Sticking with it, Mike. Hey, man. This is almost apropos for that conversation we had earlier about drinking from the puddle. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's right on. Right on. Yep. Which is godly wisdom. So I'm gonna go with, Solomon. And I'm gonna say I'm gonna get out Buva's big red wiffle ball bat, take a swing. And I'm gonna say Proverbs 19. Let's see. Bread gained by the sea to sweet to a man, but afterward, his mouth will be full of gravel. That is indeed Solomon.

Proverbs 20. Yeah. Man, Mike was the closest without going over. I don't even know how many times I've read my Bible. I just know these things. Alright. Here we go. Secular or Solomon, a king's wrath is a messenger of death and a wise man will appease it.

A king's wrath is a messenger of death and a wise man will appease it. Secular or Solomon? Boobah. Solomon Proverbs 11. Boobah's in for Solomon, Mike. So I'm gonna guess Solomon, but I'm I I might need further explanation here because I've thought of three scenarios right here and now that would you wouldn't want to appease even if the king was angry about it. But I'm gonna go with Solomon. Mike in for Solomon. Dan. Yes. I I concur. Solomon. Alright. Somewhere between fifteen and twenty. Oh. Oh. Range. Yes. We're bowling for for a turkey here. King's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it. That is indeed Solomon, Proverbs 16. Yes.

In your face, Canada. There it goes. It's it's in Proverbs somewhere in the entire book. Nailed it. It's in the genes. So here's the thing is what if the king's like, I don't like I don't like women,

and then he wants them all he orders them all to die. I mean, why would it say a wise man is best to appease it? I mean, I don't I think it's You know, I get in trouble. I think it's assuming that the Yeah. King is not a despot. Like, I mean It makes life easier on him. Yeah. I mean, You know, go with the flow. So, like, what are you saying? I don't like wallpaper? I mean, what kind of thing would he wanna get rid of? I don't like the bells. No more bells on cows. I'm done. It's a it's, basically, it's wise to appease a man who has the ability to otherwise, do you harm. So, like, if someone comes up and says, give me your wallet or I'll kill you, it's best to just give them a Hand it over. Yeah. Appease him. Give me your ear or I'll kill you. Name? Yeah.

And one of your kneecaps. Sure. Scalp it out. I'll just hang tight. Do what you gotta do for him. That went dark. Yeah. Hey. I'm just saying, can I can I extrapolate the whole bible from this one proverb or not? No. No. Obviously not. I haven't read that that part of proverbs very often. I apologize. Alright. Secular or Solomon, a good name is better than a nice scent. A good name is better than a nice scent. Secular or Solomon, Mike? Nope.

I just don't agree with that. I've met some real stank fellas, and I don't care what their name is because I call them stank. I can't say that sticky beard man over there. He got he got the whiff to the nasty, and then I don't even ask what his name is anymore. He's Stinky Joe, and that's how I refer to him from here on out. That's true. I I don't think I would easily be appeased if someone were to say, hey, man. That guy really stinks. Yeah. But his name is, you know, Joseph. Yeah. Right. Everyone goes, here comes Spitoon because they don't care what his name is anymore. His name is Spitoon until he cleans himself up. That that type of wisdom can only come from one place, and that's Italy. My sin for Italy. A good name is better than a nice scent, Dan. That's an Egyptian proverb. Dan says Egypt, Buva.

Secular Russia. Secular Russia. Buva infers that there's stinky but well named hey, man. I can't I read a book by a Russian not not earlier this year and, like

I mean, the Russian names are difficult. Yeah. So, I mean, I feel like if that was Russia I mean, are they difficult to Russians? No. Do Russian Russian kids grow up and they'd all like They get it. Yeah. Hey. So that goes back to my point about changing Jesus' name from Yeshua. You know I'm saying? We still call Vladimir in this country Vladimir. You what I'm saying? He's transliterated. Yeah. We don't get him over here and then call him Victor. You know I'm saying? Like, I I don't understand it. I think it happens in other countries, though. I think The United States is pretty open to say, however you say your name and your culture is how we say it. But, like, if you go I think if you go to another culture, they will try to say it how they, how they would read it. Like English? Like England? Who who did who changed it from Yeshua to Jesus? Who did it, Ben? It's a man's name. Tyndale, actually. That would have happened in Tyndale. And he's from where? Where is he from? England. Yeah. Yeah. I knew it. I mean, Tyndale did great things. Hey, man. Wasn't the whole point of, like, a lot of Ellis Island changing people's names?

Like, I'm pretty sure that happened daily. And when people came to America, they got their names changed. Yeah. So it's not an American thing to just let people be called what they wanna be called. Well, that's because you had a lazy guy at the port. But that's, I'm just saying, like I mean, regardless if it was a lazy guy at the port or not, that exactly happened. Spell. They're like, hey. My name is Rabinowitz, and, like, your new name is Thomas because we can't spell Right. We took we took your ethnic name and now oh, your dad's name's John Fine. You're John's son. Johnson. Yeah. Yeah. I I That's exactly how that happened. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I'm just saying, like, let's go with I'm not talking Ellis Island. We're talking, like, modern times. Hey. I can see you in the camera making a making a a good name is better than I sent. Russia. Secular or Solomon? The answer is secular Kenya.

I take pleasure in that you're all wrong. Wow. Dan was pretty close with Egypt, though. Apparently, he doesn't agree with me. No. I I was gonna say Zambia. Dan celebrated a five chapter swath he threw out not two questions ago with an emphatic, yes. I I was really caught on the stench of Egypt in in mummies. People stink in Egypt. No. They, I mean, they they don't really bury them. They just throw them in a stone

Yeah. Pyramid. Thousands of years ago, I think they go through regular burial processes now. No. No. No. There's always a connection. Hold on. My answers. You just said mummies. The whole thing of mummies was to make snow. They took everything out of those things so there was nothing to actually decompose flesh. And smell bad. They put them with spices. See, they tried to Yeah. Literally, they did everything they could so that it wouldn't smell bad. Now you're calling out the culture. And then they got the bad spices. Yeah. Jesus was buried that way too, man. He he stunk. Wasn't there, like, perfume to go through it? And he he's like, I waited long enough. You didn't come. I woke up. I don't think I don't think that was the point of it rising after three days. But that's why he I don't think Jesus said that. It's like, oh, man. I waited for you guys to show up, but you're terrible. Alright. I suppose it's time. But That's why he took off that napkin and folded it. He says, this smells. I can't keep whatever this

Ty had a good name, but they changed it. Somebody was dead in this thing. It would have been like a lifetime, a lifetime movie if if for the resurrection to happen, a woman had to go in and uncover Jesus' feet, very similar to Boaz. You know what I'm saying? Like, it turned out that he just got he'll wake up on his own. You just gotta get his feet all chillied up, and then and then he just gonna pop out. Alright. Secular or Solomon, Dung is no saint, but where it falls, it works miracles. Dung is no saint, but where it falls, it works miracles. Secular or Solomon. Dan? That's an India. Dan says it's he thinks he hears dung, he says India.

Buva. Secular Democratic Republic Of The Congo. Again, offensive to The Congo, Mike. Doesn't it have to be a place that actually believes in saints? That has a religion that is based in saints? I think that's The Congo. What do you mean? What's the religion of The Congo? Congolese. Can't

hear Buva. Yeah. That's because I took his microphone. There's a vibrant church there. We have a gal named Esperanza. Was gonna say, the Congolese, I believe, have some Catholic. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna go with the Congolese. Okay. But the Congo. Mike's in from Every time I go to the store, I buy Congolese rice. That is not I don't think I don't think that worked on any level. That should not be dignified. Mike

is just laughing much too hard at this. Young. What is going on over there? What's going He just he keeps he keeps repeating his joke, and it's making him laugh harder. What's I mean, what's was there CBD mist over in your side of the room, Moova? I don't understand. The triple x church Hey, man. I got a good name. Don't put no word over there. Alright. Dung is no saint,

but where it falls, it works miracles. It is indeed secular Spain. Congolese and rice. What did I say? Do not dignify that.

I'm sorry. It hit me harder the second time. Alright. Secular and you said Spain? Alright. Fine. Spain. Secular Sullivan. The simple the simple man believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. The simple man believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. Secular Solomon Buva. Solomon

Proverbs five. Proverbs five. Mike. Solomon. Dan? Solomon. Dancing with Solomon. Alright. The simple man believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps as these Solomon Proverbs 14.

I meant to say Proverbs five through 20. So Yeah. Mike Yeah. Mike, aren't you supposed to be keeping score? What's the score here? I got, 75. Dan's, 24, and Boova's hovering at, two two points in the positive. He's not doing well. I mean, that's not bad. Sometimes Boova ends up ends up James Holzhauser in this thing. He's There's still there's still room yet in the game, Ben. Okay. Alright. Speaking of which, Secular Solomon, a fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in expressing his opinion. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding understanding, but only in expressing his opinion, secular or Solomon. Mike,

that's definitely Solomon. And I'm gonna say that's, Proverbs four. Solomon, Proverbs four, Dan. Yeah. I'm I'm I'm Solomon as well. Very good. Buva. Proverbs six. Is that your opinion? Yes. Hey. You caught me.

No wisdom in that. Proverbs six through 12. A Buva takes no pleasure in understanding but only in expressing his opinion. It is Solomon. Proverbs 18. Man. Proverbs 18.

I was close. It is funny that the Hebrew for fool is is Buva. Interesting. Section Should've got a new name instead of this pretty scent. Here's what I know for a fact. If that were true, it would've come up a long time ago. Secular or Solomon, if there is a lid that does not fit, there is a lid that does. If there is a lid that does not fit, there is a lid that does. Secular or Solomon,

Boova. Secular. Pyrex. Yeah. I did it. That's right.

Headlock. You don't have to dignify that. Country of origin. Oh, fine. America. If there's a lid that does not fit, there's a lid that does. Mike I don't wanna sit over here anymore. The joy is like Oh, the joy is gone. Killed the room. Oh, man. I'm I'm gonna go with, secular and Tibet.

Secular Tibet, Dan. Can't say you have your own solid guess, Mike. It it is it is secular and, it it is, China

because they make lots of products that they've gotta connect the correct lids to. Dan, both of us failed on this one. The manufacturing in China is to the extent that lids are actual problem. But because they make so many, they'll find one. There'll be one that fits. There has to be one that fits. Exactly.

You know what? Dan's gonna be vindicated here. If there's a lid that does not fit, there is a lid that does. It is secular Japan. Oh, what? Very close. Very close. It is a false Miyagi, but it was close. A false a false Miyagi. Alright. Oh, here we go. Rounding out the game. Here we go. If secular Solomon,

if you do not strike back at him who hits you, there's no way for him to find out whether you also have hands. If you do not strike back at him who hits you, please worry about the country that needs this as a proverb. There's no way for him to find out whether you also have hands, Secular or Solomon Mike. I got I I love this situation. This sounds like a dad. You know what I'm saying? Like, how are they supposed to know you have hands, boy, unless you smack them? There's only one country that's rough and tumble like that, and that is, secular Greece. Mike says that the Greeks

hey, man. Those guys wrestled in the nude. I mean, they they might be up to something. Damn. I don't know. You can't hide hands when you're wrestling in the nude. You know your opponent has hands. I mean, you best be happy this proverb is potentially not from Greece, I guess. Yeah. I'm going secular and, I'm going with what I was gonna say earlier with Zambia because,

yeah, just because. There's a question of hands in Zambia. There there are lots of questions of of of Uva. Secular Romania. Any particular reason?

I have no idea. I expect some more intelligent guesses here, boys. If you wouldn't have asked me, it could have sounded intelligent. That's true. You wouldn't have that right. You would I've I've brought you out anti Solomon style to express yourself as a fool when you otherwise could have kept silent. Yep. I did not permit it. If you do not strike back at him who hits you, there's no way for him to find out whether you also have hands. The answer is secular Russia. Because they do chop hands off there. Yeah. Yeah. I thought that's where you were going, Dan. I mean, I I just could I was

kinda distracted by a message. It got me. And now That's fair. America's Dan is in a Romania is not that far away from Russia. I feel like I should get negative two points for that. Dan doesn't do the points. Was saying that to Mike. Yeah. Final tally is, I think I think I won with 67. Dan was a close second at four, and Booba was in the hole negative 13.

Well, that's rough, Booba. Yeah. Remember when he tried that Pyrex wink wink thing? Yeah. One of judges did not like that at all. I noticed that, Mike. Yeah. I noticed that. That's what happens when I try and fill up my own cup. I I even it. They were weeping with joy, and now they're weeping with joy. I got chains in the cup on that situation. I failed. I couldn't even put together a laugh. It just I mean I noticed that too. I was embarrassed. Everybody got quiet. It was Every once in a while, I think, This could be funny. And then I realized Boy, ain't when you ever tried the funny your autobiography, Buba? This could be funny.

No, man. The name of my autobiography is table for one, please. Oh, yeah. You said that already. I didn't I didn't find that cover. Hey. Yeah. It is. I've tested that on test audiences, and they all thought it was wonderful. Yeah. They're afraid of you. They're afraid you're I'm so afraid of me. You're gonna you're gonna hulk them if they they don't agree to your autobiography. Yeah. That's probably a valid point. Yeah. Yeah. Need to ask larger people. You know what I need? I need a larger test audience. Literally. Well, how many? No. No. I mean, physically larger. I need people People who are not physically intimidated by me going, hey. Is this an awesome name for an autobiography?

I need to ask. Respond with, please don't eat me. WWE superstars, maybe maybe a cattle ranchers. I don't know. People people were intimidating. Are you by chance a bounty hunter? Awesome. What do you think about this? I have some ideas to float by you.

Maybe a Russian who doesn't know whether you have hands or not. Alright, Mike. You got some advice on Dear Life from the Path? Let's see here. Let's give our opinions. Dear Life from the Path. Oh, no. My father has a problem with food. He has no portion control. I got you. Hey. I have a book title for you, sir. He rarely eats fruit or vegetables, never exercises, and is addicted to cigarettes.

He admits he could do better but makes no effort to improve his health. Mhmm. To be honest, dad is lazy and gluttonous. Mhmm. I'm worried he will have cardiovascular health issues in the future. That seems appropriate. I wonder what degree he will take. Realize that. Exactly what will happen. My siblings and mother share my concern. I'm a recent college graduate with a paying job, and I'm living at home temporarily to save money. I'm willing to exercise with him and can and can commit to encouraging him daily. How do I intervene without without seeming disrespectful considering I still I'm still under his roof? Well, that's a tough haul. Here's the deal, I think you've made the step, like, can offer. Yeah. But he he can't, I mean, you can't exercise on his behalf, you can't eat differently on his behalf, you can't stop smoking cigarettes because you don't smoke already. He has to wanna do it. So, like, you can create the opportunity,

but it is not your responsibility to, like, follow the man around and and disappoint. Yeah. You see, your your job here is is to be patient and loving in in receiving once he's ready,

but please don't get discouraged. It's gonna be so easy to get discouraged when when he does not respond to your advances for for walking and for doing stuff and wanting to quit and everything like that. It's it's gonna stink, and it it really has to hit him, and he has to be the one to choose it. You cannot force it and no matter what you do, it it has to be on him. Don't lose heart. It's kinda like some of that we've we've talked about some kind of addiction issues and stuff previous or even just behavioral things with people, like, they have to wanna change it. Like, you just you can't live their life on their own behalf And so, like, you can you can be there to to offer to help. You can meet them on the right path,

but it is not, you don't have to join them on the wrong one to be gracious and to be helpful. You just have to always be willing to be waiting on the right path for k. Secular says, how about putting it this way? Dad, I love you so much. I want to have you around for a long time, but I'm worried sick that you're so sedentary, your diet isn't healthy, and you smoke. You don't start doing something about these things. They're going to bite you in the butt. Please let me help you to become more active. I'd love to exercise with you if you're willing. I know it would make you feel better if you do.

How'd that how would that phrase sit, boo? I'd make him mad. Yep. But he already knows it. He knows that. Yeah. No. He's not an idiot. That that's exactly it. Like, this this dude is not surprised at what's going on with his cigarette smoking. He's not surprised at the fact that he doesn't eat any fruit and vegetables. Like, unless you are severely mentally handicapped, like, you recognize what healthy stuff is for the most part and, like, you're just making bad decisions. Yeah. You just go, uh-uh. Nope. Right. Exactly. You are you are openly choosing not to do these kind of things. Realize that there may be something emotional behind this and mental behind this that isn't going to be fixed by just saying, hey. Let's get up and walk. It's very easily could be coping mechanism with a very deep, deep hurt. Yeah. And that's one of the biggest things, especially when it's this out of whack. You'd be astonished at how often society dismisses this kind of stuff, and makes it seem like, oh, they're just lazy or, oh, they just they don't want it to help themselves and stuff like that. But there are a lot of times there's a lot of trauma behind that, and your job is to be patient, loving, and understanding.

And by no means enable them, but but be be a safe place for them with forgiveness when when they're ready. Yeah. Yeah. Segler finishes out. If your father is so addicted to nicotine that he can't quit on his own, suggest he talk to his doctor about a smoking cessation plan. You say these things with love, it should not be regarded as disrespectful. Yeah. I don't know if those smoking cessation plans are rough.

They they have these pills or whatever you can take, man, they just make you nauseous as all get out. It's I would rather smoke than take them weirdly. Don't don't imagine that it should be taken as disrespectful. It's just like they it's just probably it could be unwelcome. But that's not the same thing as, like, not respecting somebody just because you don't wanna hear it. Yeah. And you also have to recognize that their their defensive nature may make it seem like it's disrespectful because they may even say that, but that doesn't mean inherently that it is. Someone that's dealing with an addiction is a lot of the times going to be defensive, especially if they're not ready to give that addiction up because that's their safe place and you're threatening that. And so if they respond with anger, that doesn't necessarily mean you came at it wrong. They may just be touchy on that. You know, over the years, I have at times told my wife, hey,

I'm not controlling my food intake. I want you to call me on the carpet when you and I get angry every time she Oh, absolutely. It's like all of a sudden, like, oh, no. That was yesterday. Oh. Fritos are good today. Yeah. If if if you're in a spot How dare you? If you're in a spot especially of legitimate full blown addiction, even asking for accountability in the moment may be a strong point for you, but when you're weak, accountability hurts. Yeah. That's Accountability is angering.

It's it's putting you in a corner and somebody that gets cornered is apparent is gonna swing. And that's exactly what happens. I I'm gonna talk to someone tomorrow. Message from earlier. Meth came out of it and because of it and so forth and been in a pretty good spot.

Now suddenly, a meth. Oh, no. So how's that? Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. That's gonna

Yeah. So put put your put in your chemical. Meth Right. Food. Yep. It's all the same to your brain. It it they've gotta want it. They have and you can want it for them all you want and it doesn't

You know, actually your heart. It it You're peeing your own pants. That's right. Yeah. Peeing your own pants. Peeing your own it's it's where that that deeper thought, the deeper well, and the deeper truth is that you believe God is good, that the deeper well actually even exists. Yeah. Right? Because as far as you know, the puddle is all there is and you've only had puddle water. And you go, don't I know what you're saying, but this puddle refreshes me and so we're doing the puddle. Right? But, like, that's that's how that's how the the the faith gets gets built in with with a lot of the addiction curriculum is because if you don't actually believe there is a deeper well to have or you've never experienced that deeper well, then you don't have any reason to believe that the puddle ain't it. And so if the puddle's all there is, then you go, why is everyone trying to keep me from the puddle all this I should just go back to drinking. Right. This this puddle was just fine and to be honest, there's a big mountain to this, you know, supposed well that you keep talking about and I have never seen. And I'm taking your word for it, and you're gonna make me climb up this big mountain, and you're not gonna let me drink from the puddle while I'm running a mountain. And so all these things are stacked up against an addiction that goes, I tell you tell me there's great stuff at the end, I don't see it. You tell me I can't have any of the puddle while I'm climbing this terribly hard mountain that I've never had to climb before. My body's not used to it. My mind's not used to it. My heart doesn't wanna do it. And you have all these things where, like, just do this. Just do this. And then the one time I sneak down from the mountain and drink a little puddle, everybody gets meant a vegan. You know what saying? So, like, it is a legit struggle. It is a hard deal. And and and it's it's it it is really there's a lot more weight to it than I think we like to give well, maybe I should at least say I. You know, there's a lot more weight to it than I recognize some of the time. Other times, I see it clearly and recognize it for what it is and sometimes, you know, I don't. And so, yeah, without without adding a bunch of comedy into the thing, right, it really is a big hill. But there is a deeper well on the other other end. And if you don't believe that God provides a deeper well, then it makes it that much harder to even wanna go up the hill in the first place.

You feel like you could walk in and go I mean, just you're just you live there. Right? You're a college aged or whatever you go, hey, dad. We're going for a walk today? No. I don't think so. Yeah. Okay. I'll check again tomorrow. Hey, dad. How you feel about that walk today? Oh, you're going for a walk. Go away. You know, like, what you think it would go if you just warm down with your with funniness, with comedy? I I think that that is certainly a much better approach than many people are are want to do. Yeah. I think that, again, with patience, that's an important thing. You've gotta realize that this may take ten hours, it may take ten weeks, it may take ten years. When you're in that addiction fight for your life, time doesn't really

move the same way. And persistence is important from your don't give up on Alright. K. Last one. Ready? Yep. Dear life from the path. I am a 57 year old man who has been divorced for eight years.

Parenthesi, my ex wife was the one who filed. Oh. Noted. I recently reconnected with my ex wife's sister, Edith, whom I haven't seen in years. We began a friendship, which has evolved into a serious relationship. My ex is having issues with our romance and has been trying to turn friends, our grown children, and our parents against us. Mhmm. We are both single and enjoy each other's company. Is there any reason why we should not pursue the relationship because, quotes, we're upsetting my ex wife's family? Yeah. Yeah. Think there is.

Must be your girlfriend's family too. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Exactly. That's what I was gonna say. I was like, unless you guys plan on running away together to Bora Bora, you you gotta realize that that's that's the same family you're you're in a serious relationship with. Man, that's rough. Yeah. I mean, here's the it's unfortunate, that you may have found a connection but, like, that brings a whole bucket of complication.

And to and even if you feel like this initial thing is is a good idea, like, that complication will never go away and you may not have to interact with her with her family, your ex's family, you know, right now. But, like, there's gonna be holidays and there's going to be deaths and there's gonna be stuff and, like, like, you'll then that you won't get away with it. You won't get away from it, I guess, is the thing. And so, like,

I would make that decision and I mean, it's not that it keeps you from doing this but like, it I would keep that into context whether that is enough to put extensive strain on your relationship and whether it's worth it. It's funny because you get like, you you find this a lot in like high school romances, right, where like you have this group of say, six friends and they love you and have always done what's best for you. And then you want to start dating the spittoon, and all these six friends,

you feel have turned against you and don't have your best interest in heart, and they all hate this man, and you can't figure out why. And you've blinded yourself to the fact that the six people that have always cared about you have said, please don't date Splatoon. Stinks. It's a stinky man. I think this is a huge mistake. Why don't you guys love me anymore? How could you turn on me so fast? We didn't turn on you. We asked you for your betterment not to date Splatoon. And

then from your perspective, you feel like you've lost everything. But what you've done is taken everybody that's ever loved you, told them that they see the world wrong as as a commune as this cumulative group, but it's you. You're seeing the world wrong. Yeah. You're not looking at it right. And you dating your ex wife's sister is I mean, that sounds bad on paper, not even to mention practice. These are terrible. This is a terrible idea. I she filed divorce from you, which means she felt that your behavior was so abhorrent that she could no longer continue living with you and then you start dating someone else in the family. I mean, can't you see a roadblock sign from three miles away and not run into it? You know, you should have turned around two miles ago. This could be his life partner, Mike. No. It's not his life partner. It could. No. He ruined that when he dated her sister, married her sister. She ruined it by And had kids by her sister. Didn't say that. Yes, it did. All the children. The whole The grown children. This is aunt slash mom.

Literally, yes. Same. Yeah. Yeah. You know what? That's too complicated. You gotta get out of there. No. It's my aunt mama. Terrible. This isn't worth it. No. It's not worth it. It's dumb. Dumb. It's gotta be it's gotta be in the rough. Don't have to take spittoon. Alright. What's friends gonna say about this one? It's dumb, Boova. Yeah. Agreed. I'm don't act like you're selling me this advice like I'm doing it. Boova, is that your advice too? What? Run away? Oh, absolutely. No. Boova

thinks they should stick it out. No. I do not feel like we're run away, Reid. I think I think underneath all this, it the they're both angry at the wife and they're trying to get to her. That's what's that's what started the whole Interesting. They he was just annoying her and now he thinks he's in love. Yeah. They need to Oh, they agree that she stole my life and she pulled my hair so Yeah. Okay.

I think if they read forty Days of Marriage Purpose, this might work. Is there a book called that? No. What? No. Did you just make up a self help book? I feel like I could sell it right now for millions. I'm a 100% certain you could. People consider forty days to be holy. And if I say,

your best marriage yet, forty days, I could sell a thousand right now. I'm so sad that that's I feel like that's completely true. Let's just let the space gather.

Just let the air set. This show has some real high moments, and it's had some real lows. Real lows. I'm I'm willing to accept that I was the lowest. I'll be okay with that. I give a couple minutes, Boova. I Secular says,

when your wife left you, she lost the right to dictate what you should do with your life, including whom you date or even marry next. She's acting like the proverbial dog in the manger, and I sincerely hope your friends and family don't let her get away with it. Wait. That's a thing? The proverbial dog in the manger? What is that? Ben, look up that proverb with the dog in a manger. I'd really like to know about this proverbial dog in the manger. What does that do? Click Secular just totally made that up Does it actually try and sound good. Secular was lost. Does it get out of hand? What does it do? Hold on. Like the dog in the manger. Okay. Hold on. The dog in the manger. The story and metaphor of the dog in the manger derives from an old Greek fable, which has been transmitted in several different versions. Interpreted variously over the centuries, the metaphor is now used to speak of one who spitefully prevents others from having something for which one has no use.

So the ex wife is being the dog in the manger to the sister and ex husband? Yeah. Yeah. So she doesn't have any use for it for the husband anymore, but she wants to make sure no one else gets it either. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. I can see that. It's funny. At the, an alternative version of the fable was alluded to in saying one zero two of the of the gospel of Thomas. This example involves oxen rather than the horse. It says, Jesus said, woe to the pharisees for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen for neither does he eat nor does he let the oxen Anyway

hey. You've been listening to Live and Path. Appreciate you hanging out us tonight. We're gonna let you go. We will be off next week, but we'll be back in the week after. And so, you know, if you got anything you wanna get ahold of us of, give us a call on the complaint line. (515) 517-0085. That's (515) 517-0085. We will, be back in the saddle in a week or two. In the meantime, be faithful in the means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to Live

From The Path.