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Viva La Difference

Album: 29: Signed, Sealed & Committed

Episode: 382

Lesson/Theme: Appreciating differences in others

Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:12

Characters: Whit

Writer:

Sound Designer:

Original Air Date: November 15, 1997

Last Air Date: July 15, 2009

Description:
It's a flurry of activity at the Mulligan farm as the family has decided to take in some of the animals that have been displaced by the closure of the Connellsville Zoo. Lisa and Nick have very different styles in dealing with the animals. Lisa believes in always being more gentle, while Nick, typical of his personality, is more tough. Nick is having trouble with a baby elephant, Gus, who won't drink his milk. Lisa insists on a more motherly approach, but Nick won't have it. Tracy and Michael encourage them to try to understand how these differences make them special. Right in the middle of one of their tender moments, some of the ostriches get loose and the family scatters to capture them before they get out on the highway. One of the birds attacks Lisa, but Nick rescues her using his more forceful approach. Lisa is puzzled because she has always been so nice to the ostriches, and Nick explains that in some situations you have to be tough. Later Nick is still unable to get Gus to eat, but when Lisa treats him more gently than Nick, he starts to eat. In light of the Mulligans' pact to try never to say "no" to God, Whit asks if they would be willing to temporarily take in the children of a woman who is having surgery. They agree and later that week Jessica and Jonelle, African-American twins, show up and become another addition to the Magnificent Mulligans.

Questions:
Why did Mike Mulligan say differences between men and women are important? How did Lisa's method of dealing with animals fail with the ostrich? How did Nick's fail with the baby elephant? God gives us all different gifts. What are some gifts that he's given you?