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Album: Gold Audio 15: A Place of Wonder

Episode: 223

Lesson/Theme: God's protection; making the most of each moment.

Bible Verse: Luke 12:16-21

Characters: Connie, Whit

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Dave Arnold

Original Air Date: March 13, 1993

Last Air Date: October 24, 2008

Description:
Connie pulls up in front of the Scheimholtz building in downtown Odyssey. She is dropping off Whit, who is scheduled to debate Cryin' Bryan Dern on the topic of Christianity vs. atheism on Dern's show. Connie doesn't want Whit to do it, she feels that Dern is just sponsoring the debate as a publicity stunt. But Whit says Dern has made some unqualified statements about the church and God that cannot go unchallenged. So Whit has decided to appear on the program. Unfortunately, Whit doesn't know that Dern has rigged himself with a wireless microphone, hoping to catch Whit making an embarrassing statement. But what nobody knows is that two thugs named Benny and Lou have planted a bomb in the basement elevator shaft! Later, when the elevator gets stuck between floors, it's Dern who ends up making a statement, revealing that he actually does believe in God. Dern begs God to help them. The timer ticks away, and the police evacuate the building. But there's no way to get Whit and Dern out in time. The countdown reaches its end, and the elevator shaft is shaken with an explosion. Whit and Dern are unharmed, except for being dizzy from a terrible smell that fills the building. The bomb was a stink bomb! Benny and Lou are caught by the police, and Cryin' Bryan Dern has to deal with the fool he's made out of himself on the radio.

Questions:
Why did Whit want to debate Bryan Dern? Why didn't Connie want Whit to go on the show? Were Lou and Benny justified in doing what they did? Why or why not? Do you think Bryan Dern really believed what he said about God before he and Whit got stuck in the elevator? What about afterward, when Bryan thought he was going to die? Explain.