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V.B.S. Blues

Album: Gold Audio 02: Stormy Weather

Episode: 35

Lesson/Theme: Sharing your faith; God's provision in tough situations.

Bible Verse: Daniel 3; Hebrews 4:12

Characters: Whit

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: July 16, 1988

Last Air Date: February 29, 2008

Description:
Ned Lewis is a nervous wreck. His sixth-grade class at Vacation Bible School is set to perform a sketch Ned wrote and directed about Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the fiery furnace. The problem is, the class isn't ready, not by a long shot. And, as he explains to Whit, the kids playing the lead characters-Mugsy Mumford, Hank Shorter, and Junior Bascomb-are the closest thing in Odyssey to gang members. Whit says things can't possibly be that bad, so Ned explains in a flashback just how disastrous the V.B.S. week has been. Mugsy, Hank, and Junior continually disrupted the class, took over the main parts of the sketch, and generally made nuisances of themselves. To make the disaster complete, the pastor told Ned how much he's looking forward to the sketch. The pastor said if it goes well, he may approve the drama program Ned's been wanting to start at the church. Talking to Whit, Ned reveals that he's mostly disappointed because his reason for doing the sketch was so the kids would learn something. Now it doesn't seem that they're gaining anything from it. Whit disputes this and tells Ned that God works in ways we can't possibly understand. Whit encourages Ned and tells him to trust in God. That night, Ned and his class perform their sketch, leaving the audience in stitches. Ned believes the whole thing flopped. To his surprise, Whit, the audience, and Pastor Williams compliment Ned on a job well done. The pastor even wants to talk more about the drama program. Best of all, Mugsy, Hank, and Junior thank Ned for letting them be in the show. They also apologize for disrupting the class during the week and ask if they can come to Ned's weekly Sunday school class. Ned says "absolutely," and he and Whit marvel at the faithfulness of the Lord.

Questions:
Why did Ned feel that the kids weren't getting anything out of his class? Ned told Whit that everything that had happened was his "fiery furnace." Can you think of a time when it seemed like you were in a "fiery furnace"? How did God help you through it? What is your favorite Old Testament story? How has it helped you?