Hoarding vs. generosity: the Sermon on the Mount on control
- What should the kingdom of Christ be doing in this trying time?
A host contrasts the political philosophy of wanting to help the needy with the first reaction to fear: hoarding for ourselves. An anecdote about a woman buying a Bondurant grocery clean out of chicken illustrates disregard for community. The hosts turn to Jesus' teaching — the Sermon on the Mount and Sermon on the Plain are about individual control: forgive, give the tunic, look at the plank in your own eye — arguing that when things feel out of control, the response should be controlling what you can (buy only what you need, wash hands, stay home) rather than commenting on the big. They note the supply chain is fine: toilet paper is machine-made and delivered with minimal human contact.
More on Community
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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Dear LFTP 2: the neighbors' piling newspapers
- Dear LFTP: at what point can we pick up our out-of-town neighbors' piling newspapers and recycle them?
Mike reads the second letter: new neighbors have been out of town for weeks and their newspapers are piling up — at what point may the writer recycle them?
From No. 595 · Trust But Verify
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Local pastors, mutual refinement, and the 'pods' joke
- What word comes after "community"?
The best pastor for you is the person in your life who can look you in the eyeballs; walk into every room expecting the other person might refine you — that only works locally.
From No. 590 · Theodore Franco
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Dear LFTP: Martha, John, and Jerry
- How should a woman in love with her ex's brother tell friends, family, and his parents?
A host reads the first Dear LFTP letter: Martha dated John for two years, then he kept living with her six months after the breakup; John is an emotionally and verbally abusive alcoholic who burned every bridge.
From No. 584 · When Vanek Was Here | Cambodia Testimony, Church Mission, Josiah Queen