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

You're listening to live from the path. We're donating from the Pathway Studios here in Johnston Proper. Spanish of a word. You're oh, son. Let me a Spanish translation. Well, here's the deal. So I like was I was I missed last week because I was out of town working. Yeah. And the place that I was working at was in El Paso, Texas. Oh. And right across the street from the place I was working was a drive in adult theater. Oh, good. And I thought Drive in. Like a like a big outside Yeah. Yeah. No kidding. Yeah. Big outside like a like a drive in movie theater. Right? Like, except for it's an adult theater. Oh, man. And it's like it says a drive in adult theater. We open at whatever this time, and we sell cigarettes. I'm like, oh, I guess the drive in adult business is not enough that you gotta sell smokes to. So, anyway, I like, I I I'm I'm like, man, why why is this stuff? I mean, honestly, it's like out in the open. You're like, this is weird. Yeah. I don't even know how you're keeping kids from peering over here or whatever. And, like, I'll be hot dog that the Del Sol church didn't build a building right next to it. I'm like, I love these guys.

But you think you think that one came second? Oh, for sure. This drive in adult theater looks like it's been there since the seventies, and Del Sol looks like they had a building up for five, ten years. Okay. Nice. Yeah. So so, like, they did. And and and the reason I know that is because they're both Pokestops. And so so if you're out there catching the Pokemons, you can which I didn't pay attention to, by the way. So, like, you spin the disc and you get, like, gifts or whatever if you're playing the Pokemons, and churches always have them. And then so the Del Sol church had one, and then so did the adult movie theater. And so I wasn't paying attention and spun that one. And so now I have, like, a gift from the Del Sol or from the adult movie theater that I gotta make sure I don't send anybody. So it's be real awkward. Yeah.

That is I don't know anything about this this Poke business. Oh, the Pokemon GO? Yeah. Here's the thing. This is I'm always trying to find a way that, like, I can interact with, like, kids in our youth group or, like, we have some younger the girls have some younger cousins or whatever. And, like, it's just a way to, like, touch points. Right? Like, hey. We're you know, we're whatever. I'll trade you this thing or, you know, whatever. And so we we started doing it. My wife and I started doing it, I don't know, two, three months ago or whatever. And, like, you just it works on your phone and you go out in the wilds and, this rando Pokemon will show up and you catch them and, you know, and you can stop. The more you walk, the more points you get, and the, like, the more places you go, you spin the they have, a disc at at, like all churches have them. And then you get gifts and more balls to catch more Pokemon and whatever. And you can trade them with friends, and you send gifts to friends and whatever. And so, like, that's how we've been keeping you know, we touch our, we play with our own kids, and then we play with their cousins, and then a couple kids from our youth group and whatever. It's it's just kinda fun and silly and whatever. Yeah. But, like, it's kinda fun and addicting.

And so I've started playing it without And and there I am down there working, you know, like, two days away from my own house catching Pokemon in El Paso, Texas. I mean, that seems like a real manly thing to Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. But then I get to they and they give they've given it up. This game's been around for, like, I don't know, ten years now. Yeah. I did it a while back for a while. Yeah. Same for the same reason. Oh, it's kinda fun, you know, and but but then, like, now you're just the the 40 year old guy doing it. Yeah. And That's creepy. And it's it's kinda At the adult bookstore. At by the adult bookstore. By the adult movie drive in or whatever. You know?

That's funky. Alright. Hey. Alright. You're listening to life from the path. Here's what we got going on the show tonight. We do have some news that we're gonna catch up on. Couple interesting, pics in the news. There was a, somebody turned to meet, to to follow Jesus from their Muslim family, and they, sprayed acid acid on them. Who keeps acid around? I don't know. I don't know. I'd have to go source some. Like, I'd have to be under the expectation it was gonna happen. Also, there's kind of a cool,

they found, like, a really old Hebrew tablet known as the curse tablet. Yeah. But it's really awesome, because it it mentions the personal name of Yahweh Mhmm. And it dates back much farther than, there's a lot of there's a modern modern

I I I don't wanna call it all, like like, liberal theology, but like modern thought has believed that, say, the Old Testament wasn't written when it purports to have been written. That, like, almost all of it would have been, written and collected in, you know, later later on kind of the time of Daniel, as an example, or maybe even in the five to 800, time frame. So, like, around the time of exile. Basically, once they start to go into exile, they're like, crap. We better write some stuff down.

And, like, that doesn't marry up with a lot of how scripture is presenting itself, but there was not a lot of, scriptural evidence, things outside of the Bible or the stuff outside of the Bible that would otherwise validate an an older type. Yep. Yeah. And this actually is a pretty big find, because I I it it allows it that the, Jewish people

were writing down the personal name of Yahweh on something that was dated much earlier than when the purported kinda newer the new old sorry. The newer timeline of the Old Testament might represent. So so do do they run into into problems?

Because, like, sometimes the the same folks will date things by either carbon dating or potassium dating or something. Right? Yeah. And they'll say, well, the Earth is actually 50,000,000,000 years old. And we go, no. That can't be true. But then we'll say, but the the way that you've dated this tablet, we will accept. The most, especially,

like, young earth creationists would would niche that out. What's the what's the young earth creationist? Someone who believes that, like, the Earth is like, if you the the most literal reading of Genesis would give you, say, that humans probably have been around pre 6,000 BC or a little bit later, and that the Earth was formed at that same time. And so the Earth is no more than, you know, roughly eight, ten thousand year 8,000 years old. So and so versus old Earth creationists who say, like, God God definitely created. There was not anything like evolution or whatever. But, like, he created at a point in time of which then the earth was created mature. And so you didn't have to wait a million years for oil to show up in the ground. The the lord created the earth of which all the process as were were aged

when they were done. I think I'm one of those people. Yeah. I mean, I could certainly not be I mean, why would you think God couldn't do that? Yeah. Like, if it's Yeah. I mean, it's not like he puts an earth together and goes, oh, shucks. I didn't plan on this. Right. Right? Like, knew the sediment and the whatevers and what he knew all that was gonna happen. He's like, I'm just gonna put it in there as if it's ready to go. Yeah. Yeah. So, so anyway, but a young earth creationist, certainly would would say, that, like, it was such a kind of a cataclysmic event that, the carbon dating can't be trusted. Right? Like, whatever the situation was when it occurred.

Oh, okay. Which I suppose is it could be reasonable as well. Yeah. Again, mean, it's the same it's the same explanation that essentially, you know, to to say it was created mature. And that that's that's one of the things that gets dicey about the creation work is that, like, I mean, again, not only was was nobody there, and there's no particular evidence that validates, like, any particular perspective on it outside of the narrative that the Bible is giving you, assuming that's the narrative that the Bible's actually trying to explain. But, like, in addition, because you're saying there's a first cause, there's a god stepping in and doing something that is outside of the natural laws of which the earth is otherwise bound, then, like, none of the ways in which you measure the natural laws would it'd be effective.

Well, right. And none of the natural laws existed before he stepped in. Right? Because there wouldn't have been any natural laws. The natural laws are whatever he said they were. Right. Now now from if you're an atheist, you go, like, boy, you can put anything in that bucket. Like, anything that can't be explained, you'd be like, well, I mean, God did it, which, I mean, I've seen Christians do, and you're like, no. No. He he he probably didn't do that. And so, like, it's just a it's a weird it's a weird place because this can be totally true, but, like, there's all kinds of weird stuff people could put put underneath it that wouldn't be right. They could abuse that that thought as well or be lazy with it. So, anyway, actually, let's just, let's read this one first. So biblical researchers say they have decoded an ancient Hebrew inscription known as a curse tablet that predates by centuries any known Hebrew inscription from ancient Israel. The inscription was found on Mount Ebal, the mountain of the curse mentioned in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua eight. Hold on. We got I'll look it up while you're doing it. A cursed this is the this is what it reads. Cursed, cursed, cursed, cursed by the God of Yahweh. You will die cursed. Cursed. You will surely die. Cursed by Yahweh. Cursed. Cursed. Cursed. Wow. Read the earliest proto alphabetic Hebrew text recovered on a small folded lead tablet. The associates for biblical research announced at a press conference at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, Texas on Thursday. I believe the amulet dates to the late bronze, two age or as early as 1,400 BC.

He added this is earlier than many skeptics believe the Bible existed, making this the earliest appearance of the word Yahweh in Israel, and it was found at a covenant site. The implications are enormous and will reverberate for many years to come. This is a big deal. The amulet, known as the Defixio or curse tablet, came to light in December 2019 when Stripling, also the director of the Archaeological Studies Institute at the Bible seminary, went with his team to wet sift the discarded material from excavations conducted in 1982 to 1989 in West Bank. The amulet and its inscriptions do not predate the Bible, Stripling said. We believe it coincides with the biblical events. We talk about versimilitude,

a consistency between what we read in the text and what we find in the material culture. If the text were true, this is what you would anticipate finding, and indeed, it is what we found. Wait. So if I understood that right, these guys sifted through stuff like they did, what, construction or something? It wasn't like other archaeologists archaeologists. No. Yeah. There were there were archaeologists. So the the excavations were conducted by the late Haifa University archaeology professor Adam Zertol who discovered the altar of Joshua on Mount Ebal near the city of Nablus in the West Bank. And he he did so he was doing archaeological work between 1982 and 1989 in the West Bank. And then, like Discarded stuff. Discarded stuff, and these guys went back sifting through. He's feeling silly right now. Yeah. Well, he's dead. We missed the big one. Well, I mean, you know Yeah. You threw out the curse tablet.

Oh. I wonder I mean, it took him how many years? Three years to decipher it? Like, they're almost all one word in there, like, nine times. Yeah. They right. I mean, I suppose once you unlock the pattern, you're like, cursed. Cursed. Cursed. Yeah. Yeah. Yahweh. Thumbest. Halphur University professor Gershon Galil told the Times of Israel, this is a text you find only every one thousand years.

Some have raised concerns about the claims with one unnamed academic telling the Times of Israel the fact that they are publishing it on the news before being published scientifically is a bit off. Okay. Let's see here. According to the Bible, Mount Ebal was the mountain from which the curses were called out for those who broke God's law when the children of Israel made a covenant with God before entering the land of Israel. Deuteronomy eleven twenty nine reads, when the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings and on Mount Ebal the curses. So, like, this was, I believe this is the setup where, like, you you there's a picture in what book was it, Joshua? Where, like, what somebody would there was a group of people on Gerizim and then a group of people on Ebal, and then, they would talk back to each other. Is that right, Dan? Kinda chant back and forth. Yeah.

Listen. Yeah. Deuteronomy two twenty seven kinda. It's yeah. It's where everybody responds. Like, they call out a curse, and then and then everybody goes, Absolutely. Yeah. Hold on. I got it in the message, though. That's probably not legit. Hold on. I didn't mean that.

Cursed yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, basically, Deuteronomy 27 has says, look. When you when you cross over the Jordan, you're gonna build this on Mount Ebal and cover it in plaster. And then, yeah, curses for Mount Ebal. Then Moses says, keep silence. The hero, Israel, this day you've become the people of the lord your god. You shall therefore obey the voice of the lord your god, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today. And then he starts yelling curses. Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the lord, a thing might by made by the hands of a craftsman and sets it up in secret, and all the people shall answer and say, amen. Yeah. And then he goes on to curse a bunch, and everyone's like, yeah. Agree. And that's what the that's what the tablet was and where it was found. Except what wrote the curses down. What was the exact curse from the tablet? It it didn't say for what. It just said curse. Curse. It's just a small piece. Yeah. Yeah. Cursed by Yahweh god. Curse. Curse. Curse. Yeah. Moses was talking too fast, and he only got the curse curse. Yeah. That's super interesting. You wonder, yeah, who who was holding that thing at some point. You know? Like, who had that? That's just kinda Yeah. All kinds of people. Like Yeah. Yeah. And it's crazy for it to survive the the previous excavation.

Yeah. What was what was in that oil? Like, a couple inches or something? Or it was a pretty small Yeah. It wasn't much. Was Two centimeter. A couple centimeters maybe. Is that it? Like, I I I didn't quite get a I didn't quite get a good when they said a folded Yeah. Tablet,

like, they didn't have a good picture of it in this particular article. So Yeah. Anyway Well, I'm reading that too and thinking, what? What? What do you mean? Folding. Wow. Anyway, it's it's it's a real I'd like I I remember re I read an article on this earlier in the week, and it said, it kinda made the same claims. Like, this is a landmark discovery. I'm like, I don't I'm not quite sure I understand why. But now I I get it. There it's validating. It it puts the language back a bit farther.

Yeah. And so so then starts to to frame in at least, a right probably a more consistent understanding if, with when the scriptures were written or that they were writing things down and the the name Yahweh was referenced there. Mhmm. And so, like, it does mean a lot for how you interpret, some of the dating of the Old Testament, especially in light of modern scholarship, which tends modern scholarship tends to wanna push everything out. It's it wants to push, the stuff later that happened in the Old Testament, and then it wants to push a lot of the New Testament stuff to happening later as well. Because, like, some of that just gives you room to say, well, then maybe it was jacked with, as an example. And so, like, I don't know if you're if you're it's it's a win for the, conservative dating folk in the Old Testament. Mhmm. Yep. And so anyway, that was a cool one. There was a, let's go let's go to that. So radical Muslims in Eastern Uganda sprayed acid on their family members during an argument over their conversion from Islam to Christianity and were told you deserve death. The family survived but remained in the hospital after their after being treated for burns. You know, I the old the reason I read these stories,

is because I I I do feel like, we just need reminded of that sometimes. That, like, so some of the things that the the prayers that are going on in scripture and some of the burdens that the church is carrying as a whole, like, because we're not seeing a lot of these things, it just feels so distant. But, like, there's some family somewhere, someone who met Jesus and, like, knew this could be knew this could happen. Right. Like, they they knew this would be the case, and yet, not only did they still turn to follow Jesus, but they still told their family. Mhmm. And, like, I I adjust there's always in the back of my mind that, like, I am scared to death that I'm a coward. And just and because of where I live, it's just not been revealed.

That that that something like that would be enough. It's like, you're like, this is certain. Hey, man. If you go in here, they could throw acid on you, and you go, I'm gonna go in anyway. I think that's where where maybe sometimes we we do really weird things in America be because we're trying to be courageous, and we don't have a need to be. Yes. So we're like, well, yeah, but I wore that T shirt that said, yeah, Turner Byrne. You know? Well, you just became a jerk. You know? Yeah. Right. Or I said something really rude. I stood on the street corner with a sign and called people names, and it's like, well, yeah. Yeah. It's trying to force it out in places because we're so comfortable, and we wanna identify with the risk. Yeah. We end doing stuff like that. So I was thinking about this earlier this week. I I don't know. I was reading some kind of scandal scandal article or some kind, and it was about, Chris Pratt who goes to a fairly big church,

and, he got railed on the Internet because his church preaches, you know, they're homophobic and, you know, they whatever. And, and so, like, a gal had got on there and say, it's time to put an end to this dangerous

practice. It leads to, alienation and suicides, and we're you need to be done with this. You know? And, like, for a for a hot second, I stood back, and I I was just thinking about it. And I'm like, I do this.

I I do tell people this. Right? And, like, there's a possibility that within their, their mindset of how they're taking in information that they are so broken because you said the thing that they're doing is not the thing to do, you know, that they make some very, very poor decisions. And and so, like,

where I don't think we're running into the risk in America of, like, people spraying you with acid, you know, like, it does I did step back for a little bit and go, the person that's saying, look, this leads to this and this and this and this, I know that's not true. Right? The things that they're saying like like, you're you're bringing people into what god has designed for them does not actually lead to that. It's a broken world and a mistrust of the god that created them and a culture that has bred into them,

certain things that just aren't flat out true. You know? But could you be the tail end catalyst? You know, that said a thing, a true thing, and and it it they took that as, well, I guess that's that's it. I can't live in this life anymore, you know. And, like, you are wielding,

you know, that type of information. And and, like, I I guess I just thought of it as in I'm not really worried about, getting sprayed with acid to my own detriment. Yeah. Right? But but I I was really concerned for the day that's like, I better believe this. I better believe that God is true and holy and right and good, and that he is in the middle of all the things that I'm saying. Because on my own, I don't want this kind of power. I don't want that kind of influence over people, and I don't want the ability

for someone to think something so poorly. You know what I'm saying? And so, like, it's it's a it's a different problem. You know? You know? And maybe I maybe I I pine I pine for the the straight up physical and emotional meeting of a truth that the Muslims are willing to embrace. Right? And so they're like, we'll just spray you with acid. That seems like the rightful outcome for a decision that you made. Like, at least it's out on the table and not some kind of mystical feeling based,

you know. I I I in fact, even when I was out I was I was out of town working and I spent most of the most of the time listening to, like, nineties rock with a with a guy I was working with, you know. And, like, I grew up on the stuff. And the more I listened to it this week, the more I thought, what a bunch of whiners. I mean, honestly, like, they're all like, their songs are always named something super heavy or super something that you can't write put your your finger on because it's mystical and hard to understand and and enveloped in feelings. And I'm like, you guys need a regular job swinging a ranch or something. Maybe you wouldn't feel this way if you didn't you couldn't be consumed by your feelings all day Yeah. And that's how you made money. You your whole entire professional career was was based on like this pining or weird depression and and and all bold into one and then you all you did was whine about it your whole life. Well, no wonder you're bummed out. Yeah. Right? How's that working out for you? You know? You hate it. You're just not willing to admit it. So anyway, it's

just in comparison to, like, I'm I'm not worried about people, like, physically attacking us or, like, you know, people putting us to our death. I am concerned that, like, in our current state of culture with feelings having taking priority over everything, the the the power of your words are I don't know. They're they're big. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No doubt. So, like, the story the story is kind of interesting because the question is how do they,

how do they come to meet Jesus? It says reports surfaced, oh, excuse me. One of the victims, said they converted to Christianity when a pastor visited their home and shared the gospel on February 17. Now that's another dangerous thing to do. Not only gonna tell the tell your family, but, like, you're the guy knocking on doors going, hey. I think I was see if you guys wanna hear about Jesus. I don't know whether this acid thing extends to that guy, but I can't imagine it wouldn't. Yeah. You could have gotten the acid straight straight away. Yeah. Yeah. That guy's that pastor something else. Anyway,

it says, when the relatives came when the pastor visited their home and shared the gospel. When the relatives came to know about their conversion, they called them for a meeting with other clan members on March 8. During the meeting, we were asked about our salvation, and we affirmed to them that we had believed in Jesus and converted to Christianity. They told us to renounce Jesus, but we stood by the newly founded faith in Jesus. When we refused to recant our faith in Jesus, my father, a Rajabu, recited some Koranic verses, and after they that, they forcefully started beating us with sticks as prescribed in the Koran, claiming that we were apostates. As this was not enough, my father went inside the room and picked up a bottle of acid and began spraying it on us while the group started shouting, Allah Akbar, you deserve death, and then disowned us.

The three victims didn't realize initially that they'd been sprayed with acid. But as we were fleeing for our lives, we started feeling some serious itching that continued till the pain intensified. A nearby Christian neighbor called the pastor who arrived immediately and took us to the hospital in Bali, but our daughter was seriously affected and was referred to a hospital in Xinjiang. On March 9, their home was burned to the ground. Four days later in a separate incident, radical Muslim villagers attacked a former mosque leader identified as Swala Malongo of Bugobi for putting his faith in Christ after being evangelized by a pastor in January.

It was around 8AM when four Muslims stopped me and began asking me so many questions regarding Christianity, but I did not respond. Then the men started beating me up with blows and sticks, but thank God when they saw some people approaching, they fled away. Malongo suffered deep head wounds and his wrist was broken. The radical Muslims then killed goats and chickens that were owned by the pastor who had led Malongo to Christ. Let's see here. Over the two over looks like this is kinda common. Of the over 200 acid attack survivors with whom I've worked with in Uganda, only twenty percent of the perpetrators were charged or had any legal consequences. Is is acid that common? Do people just have it? I suppose when it's part of your your faith expression.

Yeah. I mean, is it? Is that like a common Muslim faith expression to have acid around in case an apostate come by? I don't know. Boy. I mean, bless bless them fellas out there.

Yeah. Again and remember, like, there's a Christian that Christian pastor lived down the street down the way. That that is kind that that was the part that kinda stuck out like our Christian neighbor. And, like, I like, they're they're not after him. So is it

Oh, he's apostate already. And we don't do that. Like like, if people leave the Christian faith, like, we don't beat them or or, like, call them names or something. About them behind their back. Right. We just we just gossip about them. You say, man, that was a bad choice. Local breakfast. You know, we're yeah. So, like, is our reaction do we not hold it? Do we not find it to do any good? I guess, is that is that the outcome? Like, it's just like with the Jehovah's Witness. We're like, well, at least they're getting out there doing stuff. You know? I mean, like, you could at least appreciate that that they're doing some work. And so, like, do we take people leaving the faith or or no longer, you know, prescribing Christianity?

And we go, well, I mean, it's their choice. They have to deal with It's on faith, though. I mean, Christianity is based on faith, and Yeah. Intimidation does does not create faith. Right. Not coercion. It's fear. Yeah. Right. So it's it's a whole different base that we're coming from. Yeah. It'd be like Jesus looking out at someone going and saying, you know, you know, Ted, do you love me? He says, no. But I'm afraid scared to death of my neighbor. Right. So I'm here. Can I live with you? Yeah. Like yeah. Right. That is Like when the guy says, I would love to follow you, but I would like to go bury my father first, and Jesus beats him with a stick and says, wrong answer. You

fickle Jews. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Boy. Anyway, I'd like to again, folks to be folks to be praying for. There's there's people who it is no, the the consequences of me going, yes. I love I love Jesus are very minimal here.

I remember reading a friend's post in in a group once about I think it's in India where where they're they're training all these preachers, and they know they're only gonna last so long because they're gonna die. Yeah. It's not like they're gonna get discouraged and, you know, become a baker. They're gonna die. And I just like, wow. I mean, there's so many things to think through on that. Like, if you're the one teaching

the guy who's gonna go out and die, it's like, well I mean, it's just you just do what you do. You just do it. It's it's it's just you're just making disciples where where we're doing it. But you think, man, I'm sending you to your death. Yeah. I mean, there's a heaviness on the teacher as well, I would think. You know? I think that yeah. Like the same thing we were just talking about. Right? Like, it just you do wield an amazing responsibility,

and, like, I think it's probably just good to be humbled about it every once in a while and realize the things that you're saying, especially in that culture. Uh-huh. Right? Like, that guy's out doing god's work knowing full well that, like, he might he might not even putting himself in danger, but he's putting the people that he's telling all this information to. And, like, for that not to bother you more, most people are like, you know what? Beat me, hit me, hurt me. I I I'm in the This happens. Yeah. Right? But, like, you get away scot free after you told the guy the gospel and he accepted it, and he dies. You family and his children and his goats. Right. Right. And and you get to and you live on to to keep preaching the gospel, and you're like, god has to be in this because otherwise, I I can't take this. You know? Yeah. It's interesting. Like, we're just talking before the show started. So, you know, like, as as new couples, you know, show up to your church, like, can you look them in the eye and go, boy, I wanna introduce them to Jesus. And then now think of by by them agreeing to it or believing you,

they are put at risk. Their life is in danger. Yeah. Right. What is it? What a deal. I I a few weeks ago, just randomly, I I was thinking about this this house church I visited in China in 1994. Yeah. And maybe I talked about this. I can't remember because

it was fresh on my mind. But I and I thought, man, I I I could remember the guy. I could hear his voice and everything. And then I I thought, I'm just gonna Google his name and look on the YouTube. And and there were there's a video of him, like, within two years of when I was there talking. And it's he's in his house church, and you can I I thought, man, I was in that room? I I know exactly where he's at. Yeah. And it was just so cool. And same thing, like, he he had spent over twenty years in hard labor. He knew his people were being persecuted. Some would end up in jail. You just never know. But he they just keep doing it. They just it's like, I'm not gonna stop. You you know, he was, like, all excited. The Chinese government did not intimidate him in the least. Right. But God was like he was very impressed with God. And I think, okay. I I got none of that. I mean Right. I mean, I got it, you know, in my faith, but it's like I've never had to I've never had to test that. Right. You know? Yeah. Right. Well and and, I mean,

it's maybe it's just in comparison to our American culture, but, like, sometimes we get it up in arms over a small squabble within the the congregation. You know? Like, some guys like, I don't agree with the blah blah blah. You got the wrong toilet paper? Yeah. Yeah. Right. Something stupid or, like, I don't even I don't like this teaching series that you're doing. And you're like, oh, maybe he's right. Then your stomach hurts a little, and you're like, I don't know. Maybe he is right. I don't know. And, like, this guy's out there just, I mean, dealing in life and death situations, but also watching the power of of gospel transition. Right? Like, people don't decide just to put them themselves in ultimate risk merely because of your suave words. Right? The gospel's never done that. You know, like, it it it is always the presence of the holy spirit and the words of someone who who follows Jesus already that puts those two together. And so know that, like, maybe that's the only comforting part here is to know that, like, the Holy Spirit does the moving. You're like, your job is to do what what God has asked you to do when he's asked you to do it. And the holy spirit is is the one moving and shaking, and they're getting all of their rewards. This this world's the stuff we have to offer is paltry and and not impressive. Next, next story, reverend Cedric Alexander, a retired pastor with the African Methodist Episcopal Church Incorporated,

has filed a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the denomination lost some 70% or nearly $100,000,000 from its retirement plan through foolish and risky investments, which have hurt about 5,000 participants financially. The document alleges that Jerome Harris, the former executive director of the denomination's department of retirement services okay. There's one guy who works in this department of retirement services, was given sole authority to invest tens of millions Oh, boy. Of AMEC clergies and other church servants retirement savings in a questionable and potentially unlawful purchase of undeveloped land in Florida,

a promissory note to an Illinois installer of solar panels, and an even more foolish investment in a now nonexistent capital venture outfit. Yikes. Was it, like, investing in all kinds of woke stuff or something? Like No. I think they're just They're just stupid. Yeah. They're just bad investments. Yeah.

Like, he bought development land in Florida that no one else had purchased and built on. I assume assuming that it was gonna, you know, appreciate Disney. Yeah. A promissory note to an ill like a loan to an Illinois installer of solar panels

and investment in nonexistent capital venture out there. It doesn't even sound like fraud. It just sounds like idiocy. Yes. That's that's what I'm saying. Yeah. I don't think the guy like, it'd be different. I I first thought this guy has stolen a $100,000,000, and he and he bought an RV with it or whatever you do. Yeah. But, no, he's just just so stupidly invested this money that it has costs he lost a $100,000,000 in retirement plan. And while all this was happening, church officials kept reporting to the plan's beneficiaries that the retirement funds were safely flourishing as investments in annuities from Symmetra Financial. Now how is that possible? I don't know. So they'd have to be making up the numbers. Like, I mean, are they now here's the thing. Do you put one guy in to count the money and then you ask the same guy how it's doing? Because maybe that's what they did. They just said, hey, Jerome. How are things going? He's like, we're flourishing in the annuities at Symmetra Financial. Yeah. As long as I don't send them out a whole dollar amount and I put some cents back there, this looks legit. It says the suit is about a complete and total abrogation of these fiduciary responsibilities by the defendants resulting in numerous breaches of duty and resulting in a single unmonitored individual,

defended Harris. Now so I I guess here's the question. So so the church decides we're gonna do something or other. And and church communities are limited by whoever happens to be around.

Right? And so sometimes the guy who runs the finance ministry, like I mean, you try to get a reasonable dude, but it's gotta be some you know, it could be the guy who said, well, I took an accounting class when I was in high school or whatever, and he's the closest thing you got. Or the guy who runs the you know, who's the who's the janitor or the guy who's weren't on building maintenance. Like, there's no guarantee that he's qualified. He's who's around. Who's the closest thing you have. And so, like, I is the church doing itself a disservice

by, I don't know, farming out certain things within your church organization when when you just don't have you don't have the right guy. It's alright to go, you know what? We're gonna pay we're gonna pay the secular world. The moguls are gonna do it. Yeah. You know, some churches should consider doing that with their sound ministry. Yeah. Right? Right. Like like you go to churches and, you know, they're like, the band is rocking, and you would never know it because the sound is so horrible. And they're like, because Phil is the only guy that ever agreed to do it, and now he's got the board all taped off like a madman. And they're like, Phil stinks at this. Yeah. Right? So it's okay to go, maybe we should just pay somebody. Yeah. Like, $50 or something. I don't know. Yeah. I just I mean, maybe that wasn't the case, but, like, how do you end up with one dude?

How do you end up with one guy? That's it. Yeah. Who's responsible for all this stuff? And then no one goes, hey. Maybe we better check on Jerome. I'm not sure he's skilled in this area. Yeah. I mean, like I said, he it doesn't sound like he's purposely fraudulating. He's probably in way over his head and be like, hey. I don't know. I was reading a blog, and it said you should buy undeveloped land. This is great. Yeah. This'll this'll be the best investment ever. Yeah. Yeah. That that that'd be me. I mean, I'd be I'd be, like, the the worst guy to to manage something like that, and I'd be, like, making everybody go into poverty. And I was like, I'm sorry. It sounded so good. Yeah. It looks so shiny. And who do you blame? You blame them both, the guy that asked him and the guy that didn't say no. Yeah. Like, no. I'm not qualified for this. There's, a lot of people who weren't, like, maybe reading reports.

They, like, give reports on this stuff? Yeah. Unless he was straight up, like, phoning them in. Like, how could how could no one notice? You know, like, if they're kicking out financial statements, like, either he's making them at home in a PDF editor or don't know. I mean, like, I get all these little reports all the time, and I, like, half the time, I don't I don't know. I wouldn't have a clue this and but once in while, actually look at it and go, oh, look. Yeah. Good. Yeah. But this is happening. Yeah. This is up. Boy, this is this is well, okay. We're not gonna go into any additional detail. This

yeah. I the the more you get into this though, it does it's just straight up in confidence. It's not although it did say it was claimed that at the January 31 meeting, the office of the executive director of the AME's Department of Retirement Services had been emptied with nothing in the office cabinets but empty files and paper clips. Oh, so he took a run for it. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Does sound like it. Okay. Finally, let's let's do one more thing, and then we'll do some advice. So just just oh, wait. Where'd it go? There we go. Yeah. So

I I you figured this was coming. If Christians, wants to know what's going to happen in the future, they only need look to the book, they only need to look to the bible. God is impeccably perfect in his prophetic announcements, said pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.

The Bible is full of prophecy. The Bible is God's prophetic syllabus, giving us an outline of things to come, he added. And, walking before walking the congregation through the Bible's prophetic calendar. In Matthew twenty four three, Jesus' disciples asked him to reveal the signs of his second coming, and he replied, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There'll be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Evans cautioned, however, that God has not given anyone the knowledge of when Jesus will return. I'm not saying that what we are seeing today is proof positive that Jesus is coming tomorrow. He added, what I'm saying is it could be. Now that's not relevant to anything happening. Delving into the Bible to discuss the signs to be on the lookout for over the next seven years, Evans said to watch Russia, countries in The Middle East and the rising conflict over oil.

I mean, you could have done that with a blindfold and the TV off. They were they were telling me that in the eighties. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Mhmm. Like, Reagan could have made the same prediction. Yeah. Oil, he stressed, will be a dominant issue in the coming years, which will bring Russia and The Middle East into conflict before Jesus' return. The 70 year old 72 year old pastor said he predicts that a conflict over oil between Russia and Middle Eastern nations will reach its fullest expression during a series of seven years. In the final days, he said, a war will break out against Israel. You think you got high gas prices now? You ain't seen nothing yet, Evans declared. Oil will become the dominant issue. And with oil being the issue and The Middle East being in conflict with the oil bearing nations and Russia coming down from the North, there will be a coming together of the Middle East of Europe of Russia. The Bible says God is going to arrange for them to collect themselves against Israel. Why

why would all they why would all of them have a problem with Israel though? Like, based on the thing that he set up, the oil all the oiled nations, instead of fighting amongst each other, they band together and attack the democratic state of Israel for unknown reasons. Okay. I'm I'm I'm digging it so far. He says, Israel was chosen by God to bring the living word and the written word, Evans emphasized, declaring that God knew before time that Israel would be the nation that would give birth to the Messiah.

I mean I mean, yes and no. It's not the nation state of Israel. 1948 Israel's state was not that's not the lineage of the Messiah. The lineage of the Messiah was the people. Right. Goodness me. The 10 commandments would also come out of the land, and the scriptures would be birthed through the Jews. Everything

revolves around the place of Israel. When Jesus Christ comes back, he's coming back to Jerusalem, and he's coming back with us. Jesus Christ is coming back at the end of the tribulation with the saints who've already been raptured. Every eye will see him. None of this will happen without God's orchestration. They may not know it now. They may not believe it now. They may not acknowledge it now. But on that day, there'll be no question that that's the day of the Lord, he said. The church clock began. God has established his church. Jesus has established his church. People are being made one to Christ, and those who accept Christ become part of his church age. The church age comes to a conclusion at the rapture. The reason why it's not the end yet is there's an event that will take place before the end time clock gets punched, and that event is called the rapture. Okay. So, I mean, if you had to say

where this is has missed the target the most, what what would you say? Here's the thing. Because, like, people people still get caught up in this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. People still get led astray here. So, like like, we're laughing kind of over the like, some of the ties and the ridiculous things, but, like, there's legit dudes who love Jesus that read Revelation and hear the same thing he hears. I think they miss kingdom.

They misunderstand where the kingdom who the kingdom is. Is Israel, or is it the people of God in the church? That changes everything. Right? And maybe also the definition of Israel as the Bible purports it. Yeah. Yeah. And Yeah. Right. Paul Paul

Paul speaks of Israel, as not just well, not just the physical lineage descendants from Israel, the man,

and the and the progeny there forth. It's basically all who all who follow Jesus are Israel. That's Paul's redefinition. Branch. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. And also, like like, let's say that you even wanna live in a in a reality that says it's the boundaried, you know, state of Israel.

It was different when the book of Revelation was written. The boundaried state of Israel is not the exact same boundaries that we're today, and they went through a 100 iterations between now and then. And so to say that, like, because I'm reading it, then this is now the boundary state of Israel of which the bible intended, you have to realize that that you're you're basically reading your reality into a very old text. Yeah. Right? And so I it's it's it's just interesting. Like, I I think almost everything he said,

there's good biblical solid biblical arguments against some of the things that he's that he's pumping out. But the reason to bring it up now is because it's topical, and it gets people fired up. And like almost the the coercion part that says, hey. Look what's going on with Russia and Ukraine. This could be the end of the rapture and blah blah blah blah blah blah. And like and notice his point was is like, it really isn't the end times until we're involved. Like, until until we get in Well, until we're until we're taken out. Right. Right. Which which also is not the trajectory of scripture. Like, when there's trouble, God's people are generally supposed to be running in.

The rapture has us going out. And and like, I mean, if you like, no joke. If if if this is something where what he's saying makes sense to you, like Matthew 24, I think the part he's talking about is not talking about Jesus' return. That's continuing to talk about the destruction of the temple in context. And so, like, there's a split in Matthew twenty four twenty five. Part, he's talking about his the destruction of the temple. Part, he's talking about his second coming. The revelation is it's not reading it correctly to

and this goes back to the understanding of kingdom. If you think of kingdom as something that has to happen way in the future, then you read revelation that way. If you trust that when Jesus says the kingdom has arrived, because he does, and and and John pre precedes that and says the kingdom is near, talking about Jesus Yep. Then that then what they're talking about in Revelation has a current relevancy to them.

And so it is a broad picture that describes kind of a a reality over time, not necessarily in the future alone. It's it's something that has been true for, that expresses itself in different ways amongst time, but otherwise is a reality that has been true of all for the most part of all time. And so, and I suppose in that same vein, like like, the book of Revelation has to mean something to the people that were that it was written to.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's not like it's not like John is is writing this letter bothering to do it, you know, from this island, from Patmos to these churches in Asia Minor, because they wanna give a heads up on on Russian need for oil and this and the skirmish in Ukraine. Right.

Like, they don't okay. Thanks. Like and these are people who are being like, the they're seeing persecution at this time. Mhmm. And John is encouraging them by going, yeah, but there'll be a war over oil. Yeah. Not real. It's just that's it's not a as a pastor, you wouldn't do that. Wouldn't make any sense to and it doesn't benefit them. And frankly, I'm not sure it benefits us. How many people have read that and said, hey. I think it's over this, and it wasn't. But every war every war that comes up, people go, just the birth pains. Every tornado. Good things. Yeah. Earthquake. Yeah. It's and here's the thing. It's like you can cover a lot of ground with rumors of wars. Right? There's wars and rumors of wars. Well, that that's all the time. Pretty much every minute of every every day in entire history, there's either been a war or a rumor what that one might be going on somewhere in the world. You know? Yeah. Exactly right. Okay. You're listening live from the Path. Thanks for hanging out with us, so far tonight. If you got any feedback for us, you can call the Bob

live from the Path complaint line, (515) 517-0085. That's call or text (515) 517-0085. I ran into Bob Eisenhower, last week. Have I was at happened to be working at a coffee shop, and he was sitting over next to me and recognized my voice and came over and we talked. And, I had casually mentioned, we're just talking about going to that coffee shop or whatever, and,

we two were talking about the banana bar at this, at this coffee shop because this really is fantastic. And, I I anyway Banana bar? Yeah. Like a like a pumpkin bar type of thing, but instead it's like Oh, it's like a potato bar. Yeah. I'm put a banana. You put on a banana?

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Like a like a dessert. I just put an apricot on there. I don't know. Great. With some butterscotch. Anyway, I went back to work, and not, ten minutes later, the waitress shows up with the banana bar, and and Eisenhower has disappeared and had one sent over Oh. Like a real suave. He is. Dog on that guy. Oh, he's great. He's so awesome. That's why he's the sponsor. Yeah. He is. That's right. He gets the compete line for that beauty right there.

Okay. Mike, what do let's hand out some advice. Dear, life from the path. My husband and I have two elementary aged children. My mother occasionally babysits for us and freely volunteers to do so. If we sometimes hire sitters, she seems offended. However, she insists she must watch the children in our home, never hers. While we appreciate her time, it would be lovely to drop the children off at her home occasionally rather than have to leave our house if we want a date night. I have made gentle suggestions, which she invariably declines.

I should mention the condition of her home is borderline hoarder status. We have offered to sort things with her and even hire a company to help remove anything she could she could part with. Her house is starting to smell funny, and it's definitely not very clean. I'm at a loss about why she won't address this. It's not a time issue. She's retired. I suspect she's deliberately making the house unwelcoming to avoid having anyone over, including her grandchildren. Wow. Think about yourself much? When she when she babysits at her house, she sets a very early end time, 9PM, and then complains about how tired she is and gets a bit martyr ish, although she has told me on many other occasions that she enjoys our kids and that they are, quotes, easy to watch. I can't help but feel this issue might be resolved at her house. Am I unreasonable, or do you have other suggestions?

What? I okay. He he basically boarded a plane, and then midair, he jumped to a different plane and then headed off to a different direction. Yeah. So if I could suss it out a little bit, let's see if we get the gist of it, is, the grandma offers to watch the kids sometimes, but she insists it's over at their house. Yeah. And the guy doesn't like it. He goes, it sure would be nice if we could drive the kids out to grandma's house and leave them there, which I don't quite understand. Except it's unsanitary, and I don't want my children there. And then, yeah, then he goes to explain that she's basically a hoarder with a dirty home, which pretty much excuses why grandma wouldn't want them over there in the first place. But then he continues to rail on about how she sets an early bedtime, like like, they have to be home from date night by 9PM,

and that she really enjoys watching the kids. It's not really that big of a deal, but she's just not interested in having the kids over at her place. Yeah. So hire a different babysitter on the nights you wanna stay out longer, and you can mix it around. Mix it up. Yeah. He's basically asking whether he's unreasonable. Am I unreasonable, or do you have other suggestions? Yeah. Hire hire other babysitters once in a while. Let let grandma have some grandma time. That's cool.

Plan that on not long date nights. And once in a while, you gotta have your long date night that goes late into the night or whatever whatever you're doing. Bring in someone else. Yeah. What what sounds weird to me is,

hey. I appreciate that you watch my kids for free and that you like doing it, but I also want to put them I wanna drop them at your house, and and and this is gonna be a deal. It's gonna be a line in the sand for me that I get to leave my own house to drop the kids off at yours and then pick them up on the way home. I don't know anybody that would want to do that. I would rather have people at my house so that by the time I get home, the kids are already in bed like when they were supposed to be. Yeah. And I don't have to drag them in the car and wake them back up again and make it a deal, and they're already in bed, which means that, my wife and I can just go to bed too. Like, we don't have to go roast the kids up and rewake them up and make sure they pee and all that jazz. Right? All the hard stuff's done. So I I don't understand, like, I'm tired of having you babysit these kids at my home. It's weird. Yeah. I don't yeah. I I think he's being no reason. Like, it's yeah. It's unclear why he's motivated to have to wanna take the kids over to her house.

Like, he's being put out to house his own children. Yeah. And if and and I think Dan's right. Like, you know, if grandma don't like staying up super late, then, yeah, on the nights that you're like, look, we're we're gonna hit the town, then, yeah, hire somebody else. And if grandma goes, oh, I really wish it was me. He's like, ma, I know you go to bed early. You know? And we're we we had to stay out late tonight, so, you know, no big deal. I I everyone seems mystified by this problem. This difficult.

I don't understand why we're having such a hard time here. This is a real weird operation going on here. Alright. Secular says, you aren't being unreasonable. Oh, for heaven's sakes. I would describe your attitude as entitled. Your mother is also entitled. She's entitled to set the time and place in which she will be forming this free service for you. If your date will extend beyond the time your mom has quotes available, you have to hire someone else, and she will have to accept it. PS, continue to press your mom about the issue of her hoarding because it may be a symptom of a larger problem. Okay. No one invited you into that realm, secular. You stay where you're put.

Stay in your lane. Okay. Secondly, dear life from the path. My partner, quotes Josh, is a musician who insists on still practicing with the band even though he doesn't have any gigs. We have two fragile family members who would die if they got COVID nineteen, so we have tried to avoid any risks.

Yet he still does band practice with people outside our household. The bandmates are not careful like we are, and one even has weekly gigs with another band, exclamation point. I want to ask Josh to stop band practice altogether, but I'm afraid he will resent me, fly off the handle, and ultimately end our relationship. I wish I didn't have to worry and ask this stuff, but he keeps putting himself in situations that violate everything we have worked so hard to accomplish. Why is it so hard for him to give up in person practice? Why can't he put everybody's safety first? I'm so conflicted. What do I do? Girlfriend, incidentally.

Yeah. I guess I yeah. Don't know. Didn't she say we have family members? Yes. But they're not married. Yeah. Right. So it sounds like they live in this it's boyfriend, girlfriend live in the same home. Most likely, have older folks that are in their extended families. That live they do they live in the house? No. Oh. No. Well, then

No. Yeah. I mean, you might be you might be overreacting on this thing. Yeah. I mean, are are they I mean, I here's the there's there's two questions. One

is is actually more relevant than the other, but we tend to care about the second one. We tend to care about number two, which is is are they being hypocritical? Are you a hypocrite? Like, are you upset that he's going like, have you locked down are you being consistent? Have you locked down everything else and it's only the practice that you're worried about? Right. But but to be honest, like, even if you were or were not a hypocrite, it doesn't it doesn't solve the the question. The core question is is that, like, are you is this a reasonable ask to do this? Is it necessary to lock down in the way that you are? Is this guy being stubborn or actually he's more realistic and you're being you're overdoing it? That's really what we'd like to know. And frankly, the the the bugaboo here is that this could could just come down to opinion.

You very well could. I like, you're protecting the right type of things. It's totally okay to be concerned about these people that are around you. Whether the risks that this because because it was weird how she framed it because she said, he's practicing even though he doesn't have any gigs. Wouldn't the fact that he had gigs make this worse for the thing that you're bothered with? Yeah. And the guy that he is practicing with does have gigs. So he goes out into the world and does this is this is the problem with having a completely fear based approach.

Like, if you believe all this to be true, if the number one thing on your list and his list, if you both agree that, like, COVID nineteen is to be avoided at all costs and the best route for our family is to lock down, then him having practices with people outside of that, I'm assuming without a mask on or vaccination or whatever, you would help mitigate that situation in your mind, then, yeah,

I could see how you feel betrayed here. Right? Like, if you both agreed that, like, this is what we're going to do, we both feel the same way. What it sounds like to me is he doesn't actually feel the same way as you, and that's what actually what you're upset about is you are very worried about the effects of of the virus, and he is a little bit more laissez faire about it. And you're upset at him because it feels like he doesn't care about the things that you care about. And so that's a much different problem than him just merely having band practice, I think. It did it sounds like he has acquiesced to everything you've asked, but this thing, he's not willing. He's not he's just not willing to put it on the table because it does not make sense to say we need to avoid being exposed to other people at all cost in case of COVID transmission

and then for him to go ahead and have band practice with people who are out free roaming the world and and licking others. Right. Right? So, like, that seems disingenuous. So either he doesn't believe the same thing that you do, and he's he's just been trying to be nice and and and join you in the thing that you're concerned with. And now you've come to a crosswords where he doesn't actually feel that way. Yeah. And it's obvious in his actions. This is where actions are speaking way way louder than words here. Mhmm. So I I don't I don't think we can actually talk to whether you're overreacting or underreacting or whatever. It seems like we've just said

you guys have to agree on something this in this big in your life. Right? Deciding whether you get to go out and be in the world or you have to clamp down and quarantine, you really have to agree with somebody on that that you live with. There's no compromise. Right. It has to be one or the other. Whatever decision you've come to in your house or whatever is best for your household because of whatever situations, the two of you who live in the house have to agree, and that's pretty much the long and short of it. And it sounds like you don't.

So you might have to sever your living together arrangements. Yeah. I mean, that's extreme enough that, like, when he says, you know, if I if I don't, if we don't agree on this thing, he might leave. He may have to, because you've not left any particular room for compromise in here. Mhmm. Like, you've you've set it up in such a way, right right or wrong, that, like, either you're willing to completely lock down and we're together, or you're in a violation of my trust and an over round jerk face, and we should be a part. Yeah. Because you can't say, I believe lockdown is the greatest is is what we should do. It's the most responsible thing, and that's what we're gonna do. And then go, it's not my problem whether those guys go out and about. I'm just having practice with them. You know full well they're going out and about. And so you can't actually believe the thing that you're saying. You know, you can't that's that's way too narrow of a view. And so,

yeah, like I said, I I don't know. I I I whether we agree or disagree on whatever decisions they've made, they do have to make them together, and he is violating that. That is true. And so I think probably the best result for you is to say, we need we need to not live together either until the threat of the cove passes, or we've confined, some ground in which we both agree on how life should be lived. Yeah. Especially because you're boyfriend and girlfriend. You you are totally you shouldn't be doing this anyway. And, these are the type of things,

that will come out of that. Yeah. Secular says, if you are deeply worried about the safety of your medically fragile relatives as you have stated, you should end the relationship. Josh may need to practice with his bandmates so they don't replace him. He cannot be responsible for their behavior, and for you to expect him to be is unrealistic. Now I agree with that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Although he he is responsible for their behavior because he knows that they're not quarantining like you are. Yeah. I mean, he's responsible for his association with them. Like, he Sure. Yeah. He's yeah. Let's do one more. Okay. One more.

I gotta I gotta make sure it's a good one. No. No selfish bride. We're not talking about that. That one seems lame. It's just no. Sorry. I didn't have a third one ready to go. My wife's fight with cancer. No. Aversion to pets. Yeah. Pet aversion. That's what we want. Dear life from the path. My boyfriend and I have gotten engaged, we are being married in a year or so. Everything about him is wonderful, and I'm excited to share my life with him except for one worry.

I have been an animal lover my entire life. After living with him this past year with my two cats, I have slowly come to the realization that he absolutely loathes the idea of pets. Besides my inability to understand this, he has never had a bad past experience with an animal. It makes me question his compassion or lack thereof for all things living. Should this be a red flag worthy of reconsidering our engagement? Well,

he's been cohabitating with her and her cats. Yeah. I mean, so I guess he's compromised a little bit his hatred.

I guess you have to decide how important it really is to you. I I it may might you might be incompatible. But I mean, is if he doesn't love them the way you love them, is that the requirement? Yeah. You need to give him a little grace there. It's like If he tolerates if he tolerates them, like, he doesn't kick them, and he feeds them if they need food or whatever. Like, but he doesn't just sit with a big Cuddle with them. Beaming smile on his face, petting them, scratching their ears, and knowing they're picadillos.

Right? Like Yeah. Yeah. If that's not him, is can you be okay with that? Right. I mean, may maybe you don't like, you know, cars like he does or Yeah. Whatever his thing is. Or action movies Yeah. Or sweatpants.

I mean Or I mean, this is basically your whole marriage coming up. Right? Like Right. Right. There's just gonna be things that, like, he he doesn't he's not trying to stop you from doing it. He's allowing you to have pets and not saying this is a deal ender for me. But you're basically saying if he doesn't love pets the way that I do, then I think I I don't know if I'm compatible with him. I'd feel like that's a really narrow, really narrow thought process. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And you really have to decide how

important is that to you. I mean, it's it it might be a deal breaker. It wouldn't be for me. Mean, I I'd just be like, okay. I guess we're not doing cats. Yeah. But but that's that's me. I like cats, but it's not gonna be the deal breaker for me. But but but if it really, really, really is important to her, then then she has to really weigh that. I mean I mean, did we say did we say sorry. I I was doing some technical problems.

To just ask him? Yeah. Well, it seems like they've had the conversation. How does she know he really doesn't like him? Well, I mean, can you say, look, man. I'm not giving up to cats. Is this a deal breaker for you or what? I mean And I want another one when they're gone. You think in the fact that, like, a guy doesn't like animals, then it should be called into question his compassion or lack thereof for all things living? That's a real nuts and granola thing to say. No. In fact, she should say that to him so he knows what he's getting into. Yeah.

Yeah. I think you hate all of life. Right. Because I don't like cats or I don't like your two cats or one cat or I mean, there there's a there's a real difference between a guy that's like, hey. Would you feed a starving cat in the road? Sure. Would you adopt them in your house? No. No. I don't want them here. Right? Like, there's all kinds of good I want for other people and other living things that I don't necessarily

want living with me all the time. I don't want an animal pooping in my house. You know, I don't I mean, it's got a little sandbox. Great. But I don't wanna change it. Right. And I don't know that he he owes you an explanation of a past trauma with pets Yeah. To explain it. Some people just don't want the added responsibility of pets. Right. Right. Yeah. I mean, there's there's practical advice here too. Right? Like, if you have pets, that means you're tied to your house. You gotta go back home and feed them. You gotta let them out, or you gotta find someone to do it if you ever wanna go out of town. Right. That's not a hatred for pets. That's I just don't want the extra hassle. Yeah. Yeah. So I I I don't know. I it feels like you might be really over over cranking here or you're just very young. Yeah. Yeah. I yeah. I think I think I would be real careful if I were this guy. Like, because either either she really feels this way, and I I don't know. That seems like a that might be lightning rod in this junior relationship. Or two, she doesn't feel this way, but she's really overblowing it to try to guilt you into doing something you don't wanna do, and you don't wanna be anywhere near that either. Yeah. Yeah. I I mean, I don't like,

decorations. I don't like flowers and, small things on shelves. I just don't like it. If it was up to me, we would have zero of those. Yeah. Right. My wife likes them. They they require responsibility. You have to dust them, and sometimes they break, and sometimes we gotta get more. And and if it like, I would literally go my whole life with having zero decorations in my whole house. Is that enough for me to go my wife and I are incompatible. Right. If if I don't love decorations the way she does, there's no possible way beautiful. We can live together. That's right. I don't appreciate art or or or random things from swap meets or whatever. You know I'm saying? Like, it's ridiculous.

It's ridiculous. Yeah. Agreed. Okay. Secular says, so her question was, should this be a red flag worthy of reconsidering our engagement? Secular says, perhaps. Not everyone is an animal lover, but it's usually because they haven't had pets or been exposed to them. I disagree. Yeah. Yeah.

Does not mean they lack compassion for all things living. It simply means they haven't interacted with different species. However, you say your fiance absolutely loathes pets. If you plan to have animals in your household in the future, you must have some serious discussions about it and lay your cards on the table. If you don't deal with this now, it could be a deal breaker in the future. Yeah. After seven years of marriage, I go, you know what? These pets, I can't deal with this anymore. End of the line. You're all out. I see that we have children and have memories and an increasing bond of through responsibility and shared experiences,

but that cat, no longer. I have no compassion on parakeets or any like animal. I mean, here's the thing. Are we really ranking pets as more important than a human? Are we saying that, like, everything that like, you've agreed to marry the man. You've seen enough in him and your future and gone, yes. We will spend our lives together as one except for when this pet situation comes up. Are you willing to get rid of the pets on his behalf as much as as you're asking him to be willing to take the pets in? Yeah. Because it seems like a really one-sided argument here. Yeah. I think she's shining it on.

I think he probably do I think he would prefer not to have the pet, but he hasn't left yet. You know what saying? Like, we're we're we have every opportunity to bail, and he's not done it in the presence of these cats. I it sounds if it just feels like she's over overrepresenting as an attempt to make herself look great. Because, like, he's cartoonishly hateful of animals.

Yeah. Yep. Agreed. Alright. You're listening to live from the Path. Thanks for hanging out with us so far tonight. I can't remember. Did we get the did we get the secular advice? Yeah. Okay. I

don't think we have anything else going on. We're gonna cut you loose. If you got any feedback for us on the show, you can always use that, email [email protected] or the complaint line, (515) 517-0085. The Bob Eisenhower Life from the Path complaint line. Call or text (515) 517-0085. We do thank you so much for hanging out with us tonight,

and, we will see you next time. In the meantime, be faithful to means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to Live From The Path.