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The Big Deal, I

Album: 35: The Big Picture

Episode: 449

Lesson/Theme: Standing up for what you believe

Bible Verse: Matthew 14:1-12

Characters: Whit

Writer: John Fornof

Sound Designer: Rob Jorgensen

Original Air Date: September 30, 2000

Last Air Date: October 5, 2009

Description:
Just as Ben Shepard gets off the phone, his daughter Aubrey practically dances through the front door to tell him that she has gotten the lead role in a show at a local playhouse. Ben has to tell her the bad news that, because of the play attacks Christianity, she can't be in the show and the two of them have resigned from the playhouse board. Depressed, Aubrey takes a walk through the park where she stumbles upon Mr. Whittaker swinging! He invites her to swing along with him, and she tells him her problem. Whit listens carefully and then takes her back to Whit's End to "meet" someone. When Whit shows her what he has in mind, Aubrey isn't sure if she's ready to take another Imagination Station adventure. After a little convincing, she finally decides to take another ride in it. However, once she gets started she isn't so sure she made the right decision. She lands right in the middle of a river! A young man named Micah rescues her and in the process she sees a man named John the Baptist preaching in the river. He is talking about the sinful things that King Herod is doing and Aubrey wonders if he is the man she's supposed to meet, since he's standing up to authority. That evening, Micah tries to take Aubrey to John's camp, but they get lost along the way and are nearly attacked by a leopard. They are saved by a loud voice from the rocks. It's John! The three of them go back to John's cave where Micah stands guard. Aubrey is just telling John how "cool" it was that he was standing up against Herod when soldiers storm John's cave, arresting all three of them. At the jail, a guard named Jarus reluctantly lets Micah and Aubrey go. Just before Micah goes, however, John gives him special instructions to find the "teacher" traveling around the country to see if he is who John thinks he is. Aubrey and Micah quickly depart in search of this special man. The story continues in part II...

Questions:
Why was Aubrey so angry at her parents when they said she couldn't be in the show? Why do you think that Micah wanted so much to be John's disciple? John the Baptist had to stand up to Herod and tell him what he was doing was wrong. Why did he say he stood up to him? Can you think of any times when someone today might have to stand up to the authorities?