Honest prayer: conversational prayer, David's justice psalms, prayer circles
Another host agrees the corporate prayer list (thankful-fors, then needs) blocks real conversation, and says his best prayers were simply talking to God as Father. The first host cites New World Son's song 'What You Wanna Do Today?' — letting God take the lead — and contrasts whitewashed modern prayer with David's Psalms, where David asks God to smite his enemies ('a man after God's own heart'), urging honesty about wanting justice versus repentance. He admits prayer circles feel performative to him — praying to the circle, waiting for 'the ender' — and says approaching God honestly, away from one's whole life, would fix his prayer life.
More on Honesty
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Dear LFTP: explaining an invisible disability
- How do I explain my invisible disability to friends who act like I'm making it up?
Mike reads a letter from a listener with polyneuropathy, seven back surgeries, and arthritis in every joint who lives in constant invisible pain and doesn't know how to explain it to friends who act like she's making it up.
From No. 585 · Split Ends | Interacting with other Denominations
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Dear LFTP: ending a friendship or ghosting the young couple
- Should I ghost an unwanted friendship or tell them honestly I want to end it?
A listener wants to end a relationship with a younger couple who guilt-tripped them into visits, now with toddlers she dislikes; her husband disagrees and wants to keep up the charade.
From No. 568 · Like Jesus
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Dear LFTP: the boyfriend's uncomfortably hard bed and couch
- How do I tell my boyfriend his expensive bed and couch are too uncomfortable to sleep on?
A host hands the advice segment to Mike ("Alright. Mike, let's give some advice") and a host reads the Dear LFTP letter: a woman in a tumultuous-but-currently-good relationship…
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Dear LFTP: the aggressively negative colleague
- Should I make excuses or be honest with a negative, aggressive friend?
Mike reads the third Dear LFTP letter: a listener reconnected with a former colleague who has become negative, aggressive, and angry — bashing family, colleagues, and service workers, and refusing to stop talking politics.
From No. 554 · The Simple Life