Dear LFTP: the neighbor Tim and boundaries without guilt
- How can I end the friendship with my difficult neighbor Tim without sending him into a spiral?
Mike reads a letter from a self-described clean-freak friend of a hoarding, narcissistic, government-program neighbor named Tim: how to end the friendship without sending Tim into a spiral. The hosts push back — Tim is trying, the writer sounds judgmental — and advise boundaries, not severance: decide what you can offer, be generous without letting Tim drive your life. Secular answers that friendship must be reciprocal; the hosts say reciprocity leaves no room for generosity.
Clips from this
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How many reciprocal friendships do you actually have?
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More on Generosity
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Dear LFTP: the $4,200 loan that never came back
- How do I get past the sadness over the $4,200 loan my friend never repaid — do I just let it go?
The final Dear LFTP letter: a year ago a supposed friend asked to borrow money — her husband had left the country to renew his visa, her car was repossessed, she had no way to get to work.
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Dear LFTP: the $600 lawnmower and buying them a mower
- My nephew's wife took my $600, lied about it, and is avoiding me. Should I say something or let it go?
Mike reads a letter from someone who gave a nephew's wife $600 for a self-propelled lawnmower; she spent it, never bought the mower, and now avoids them.
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Dear LFTP: the $99 birthday bill and "Jesus always pays"
- Was it wrong to be taken aback when I was expected to split the cost of a friend's birthday dinner?
Mike reads a letter from a man invited to a friend's birthday dinner at a popular restaurant: after the birthday boy excused himself, the waiter presented the bill and the nine…
From No. 580 · Not Sure | Old Testament Law, Holy Spirit Guidance, Christian Discernment
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Dear LFTP: the birthday bill
- Is it unreasonable to resent always paying the family birthday bills?
A woman asks if she is unreasonable for resenting the $500-$1,000 birthday bills she always covers for her younger sister, whose husband never helps.
From No. 563 · Raptors and Heifers