Adventures in Odyssey

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. Welcome to Adventures in Odyssey.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Hi there, I’m John Avery Whittaker, but you can call me Whit. My friends and I are about to set off for a time of wonder and excitement. Want to come along? We’d love to have you join us for today’s Adventure in Odyssey.

Danny: I’m going to be in the talent show.

Ed McHam: The world’s newest superstar, Danny Schmidt!

Danny: I am. Everyone says so.

Laura: That’s good, Danny.

Stephen: You have to be disciplined.

Danny: You’re going to spank me?

Stephen: Every day.

Danny: No problem.

Danny: Mr. Whittaker! Mr. Whittaker!

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Hi, Danny. Why all the excitement?

Danny: Is it true that you’re putting on a talent show in the little theater at Whit’s End?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, yes, it is. I put one on every year.

Danny: Can I be in it? Please?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): It’s okay with me, Danny, but you’ll have to get your parents’ permission first. Take this form home, have them sign it, and then bring it back to me.

Danny: Great! I’ll do it right now. Thanks, Mr. Whittaker.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Hold it. What are you going to do in the show?

Danny: It’ll be great! I’m going to play the piano.

Laura: The piano?

Danny: Yeah, I really liked it when I took those lessons and I learned stuff, too.

Laura: That was quite a while ago.

Danny: I know, but I still remember. Can I be in the show, please?

Stephen: Danny, I don’t know.

Danny: Why not?

Stephen: Because lately you’ve developed a habit of promising to do something and then not following through on it.

Danny: Like what?

Stephen: Like karate.

Laura: Gymnastics.

Stephen: Art class.

Laura: Tap dancing.

Stephen: Swimming.

Laura: Not to mention the things around the house that you promised me you’d do: feed the cat and water the plants every morning.

Stephen: Have we missed anything?

Laura: Turn off the front porch light.

Danny: I know I didn’t follow through before, but I will this time. I already have a piece picked out. It’s called "Green Leaves Are Falling." Listen.

What do you think?

Laura: That was good, Danny.

Stephen: Yes, it was.

Danny: So can I be in the talent show?

Laura: Stephen?

Stephen: The permission slip says that all participants are supposed to meet in the little theater at Whit’s End tomorrow after school. I want you to think very seriously about this, Danny. Sleep on it tonight, and if you honestly think you can handle the commitment, then you can be in the show. Understand?

Danny: Oh, yes! Thank you, thank you! Can I call Brooke and tell her?

Stephen: Sure.

Laura: Brooke?

Stephen: She’s in his class. By the way, this permission slip says one of us needs to accompany Danny to the little theater at Whit’s End. I have to work late tomorrow, so I can’t.

Laura: I’ll do it. Stephen, are you sure about this?

Stephen: Sure as I am about any other decision I make as a parent. We’ll have to wait and see. Danny’s not the most disciplined kid in the world, but who knows? Maybe this time he’ll knuckle down and practice like he’s supposed to.

Laura: Or maybe he’ll realize that he can’t handle this kind of commitment and decide not to be in the show.

Danny: I’ll be outside playing with Brooke! I’m going to be in the talent show! I’m going to be in the talent show! I’m going to be in the talent show!

Stephen: Then again, maybe not.

Ed McHam: Welcome back to Star Search. I’m Ed McHam, and up next is the challenger in our musical instrument category. Let’s welcome the piano magic of Danny Schmidt.

That was wonderful. I don’t think we even need to see the judges’ decisions. It’s obvious who the winner is: Danny Schmidt! Danny, I hope you’re ready because you’re off on a life of fame and fortune.

Danny: Fame and fortune?

Ed McHam: How about it, folks? The world’s newest superstar, Danny Schmidt!

Laura: Danny. Danny. Danny.

Danny: Huh?

Laura: I said we’re at the little theater. Are you all right?

Danny: Sure. I was just thinking.

Laura: About Star Search?

Danny: How’d you know?

Laura: You keep referring to me as Ed McHam.

Danny: Sorry.

Laura: You know, Danny, this isn’t a competition. It’s just a talent show. There aren’t any prizes and it won’t be on TV.

Danny: Yeah, I know. Come on! Wow, look at all the kids. Where’s Mr. Whittaker?

Laura: I don’t see him. Wait, there he is on the stage. Hold on tight, Danny. Excuse me. Excuse me.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): We’ll get started in just a minute. Young man, I need you to stay over there, okay? Thank you.

Danny: Mr. Whittaker!

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Hi, Danny. Hi, Laura.

Laura: This is some crowd.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): You’re telling me. There must be a hundred people here.

Laura: At least. Do you normally have this many?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): No, that’s the problem. If I give each performer only three minutes, we’ll have a five-hour show.

Danny: Wow, that’s great! What are you going to do, Whit?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Only one thing I can do. Will everyone quiet down, please? Everyone, please quiet down. Thank you.

I want to thank all of you for showing up. But quite frankly, I didn’t expect this many, and not everyone will be able to be in the show. Now, here’s what I’m going to do. This Saturday starting at 10:00 a.m., I’ll hold tryouts right here in the little theater, and from that audition, I’ll choose the best people to be in the show.

Everyone who wants to try out, please come up here and sign this sheet, and I’ll see you on Saturday. Right? Thank you all.

Danny: Does that mean me, Mr. Whittaker?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): I’m afraid so, Danny.

Danny: But you already said I could be in the show.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): I said that to lots of people, but I’m going to audition them too. You see, it’s the only way to make it fair. Excuse me.

Laura: What’s the matter, Danny?

Danny: Nothing. It’s just that tryouts are hard.

Laura: Yeah. It means that you’re going to have to practice every day if you want to make it.

Danny: Every day?

Laura: Yep. And you’ll have to be responsible and disciplined enough to practice all on your own without your dad and me telling you. Still want to do this?

Danny: Where’s the list?

Laura: Yes! School’s out. I’d better get home and practice.

Brooke: Danny! Hey, Danny!

Danny: Hi, Brooke.

Brooke: Hi. I’m glad I caught up with you. You want to play baseball?

Danny: No, I can’t. I have to practice my piano piece for the talent show tryouts.

Brooke: Why? I’ve heard you play before. You’re a shoo-in.

Danny: You really think so?

Brooke: Sure.

Danny: What’s a shoo-in?

Brooke: A sure thing.

Danny: Oh. Well, maybe. I still think I should practice, though.

Brooke: But Danny, we need you!

Danny: You do?

Brooke: Yeah, we’re playing the kids on Oak Drive. They’re tough, and you’re our best hitter.

Danny: I am?

Brooke: Everyone says so.

Danny: They do? Wow.

Brooke: You’ve got to play this, Danny. You just got to. Please?

Danny: Well, if the team needs me, I guess I can practice tomorrow. Come on, Brooke, let’s go play baseball.

Danny: Okay, time to practice.

Brooke: Danny!

Danny: Hi, Brooke.

Brooke: Great game yesterday. I told you we needed you. If you hadn’t been there, we would have lost and bad.

Danny: Well, thanks, but I can’t play baseball today.

Brooke: That’s good because we don’t need you for baseball.

Danny: You don’t?

Brooke: Nope. Today’s soccer day.

Danny: Soccer?

Brooke: We need a goalie and you’re great at that. Remember when you blocked all those shots that one time?

Danny: Well, yeah, but...

Brooke: Danny, we need you. Please?

Danny: Okay. I guess one quick game wouldn’t hurt.

Danny: Practice, practice, practice. I’ve got to practice.

Brooke: Danny!

Danny: Brooke, I can’t play baseball or soccer.

Brooke: I know. I just came by to say thanks. And I brought you something. Here.

Danny: Wow! The new Mothman comic book series!

Brooke: Yeah, and they’re really great. Look at this.

Danny: Whoa! He fights snapping turtles! Cool!

Laura: This is it, Danny. The big audition.

Danny: Uh-huh.

Laura: Are you nervous?

Danny: Uh-uh. I just wish that...

Laura: What?

Danny: Nothing.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): I’ll let you know. Danny Schmidt!

Danny: Here I go.

Laura: Have fun!

Danny: I’m Danny Schmidt and I’ll be playing "Green Leaves Are Falling." Thank you.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Thank you, Danny. I’ll let you know.

Danny: Um, okay. What could be taking so long?

Laura: Mr. Whittaker has a lot of people to go through.

Danny: I wish I could do mine again.

Laura: Everybody feels that way. You did your best, didn’t you?

Danny: Well, yeah, I guess.

Laura: You guess? You have been practicing every day, right?

Danny: Sort of.

Laura: Sort of?

Danny: Not as much as I wanted to, but I will if I get in the show.

Laura: I see. You know, Danny...

Danny: Oh, here he comes! And he has a list in his hand! Mr. Whittaker, Mr. Whittaker!

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Danny, Laura. Didn’t know you were still here.

Danny: I want to see if I made it.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, I wanted to type up the list and put it on the board.

Danny: Oh, please tell me, Mr. Whittaker, please!

Laura: We’ve been waiting for an hour. Couldn’t you just let us know now?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, all right. Danny, I think you did pretty good with your piano piece, but to be perfectly honest, it seemed like you could have used more practice.

Danny: I will practice from now on every day, I promise! In fact, I was just telling my mom about that. Right, Mom?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, I’m glad to hear that, Danny, but it’s a little too late. You made the alternates list.

Danny: Alternates?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): In case someone drops out for some reason, you’ll be given first consideration to take their place.

Laura: That’s good, Danny.

Danny: I don’t get it. Am I in the show or not?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, Danny, as it stands now, no, you’re not.

Danny: I’m not?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): No. I’m sorry.

Laura: Yeah, me too.

Stephen: So Danny didn’t make it, huh?

Laura: Well, he made the alternates list, but he didn’t get into the show. He’s really disappointed. He’s been up in his room ever since we got home, more than an hour ago.

Stephen: Poor little guy. Well, we wanted him to learn a lesson.

Laura: Yeah, but I’m not sure he has.

Stephen: What do you mean?

Laura: All the way home he kept muttering that it wasn’t fair, Mr. Whittaker said he could be in the show, he shouldn’t have had to audition. I don’t think he really thinks his lack of practice had anything to do with it, even though that’s what Whit told him. I tried to explain, but...

Stephen: I wonder who that is. Hi, folks.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Hi, Stephen. Hi, Laura. I came over to talk with Danny. Is he here?

Stephen: Yeah, he’s upstairs. Danny! Mr. Whittaker’s here and he wants to talk to you.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): You know, he looked pretty upset when he found out he didn’t make it in the show.

Laura: We were just talking about that.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, maybe I can make him feel a little better.

Danny: Mr. Whittaker?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Hi, Danny.

Danny: What’s going on?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Remember I told you that you were an alternate if someone dropped out? Well, someone has, which means you can perform in the talent show if you still want to.

Danny: Really?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Really!

Danny: Yay!

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Now, that means you have to learn your piece by heart and practice it.

Danny: I will!

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Every day.

Danny: No problem.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): For at least a half hour.

Danny: That long?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): That’s what it takes to make it great, and we want it to be great, right?

Danny: Right. Okay, I’ll do it.

Stephen: Congratulations, Danny.

Laura: You’d better get started.

Danny: Can I call Brooke first and tell her?

Laura: Well, okay, but make it quick.

Danny: I will! Thank you, Mr. Whittaker!

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): You’re welcome, Danny.

Stephen: Well, thanks, Whit. You’ve made one young man very happy.

Laura: You’re not doing this just because he was sad, are you?

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): No, I’m doing it because he was on the alternates list. I think he’ll do fine. He just needs practice. Well, I’d better be going.

Laura: I need to go to the store, so I’ll walk you out.

Stephen: Well, I need to mow the lawn, so I’ll walk both of you out.

Stephen: Danny?

Danny: Hi, Dad.

Stephen: What are you doing?

Danny: I’m waiting for Brooke.

Stephen: Brooke? Why?

Danny: Because we’re going to play some baseball.

Stephen: Baseball?

Danny: Yeah, she said the kids on Oak Drive want a rematch and our team needs me to hit for them.

Stephen: I can’t believe this.

Danny: Why? Everybody says I’m the best hitter on the team.

Stephen: Not that. Have you forgotten what happened here not ten minutes ago? Mr. Whittaker put you in the show.

Danny: I know.

Stephen: That’s a commitment, Danny. You promised him you would practice every day.

Danny: I will practice right after I play ball.

Stephen: Is that the way you practiced for the auditions?

Danny: Well, yeah.

Stephen: Doesn’t that tell you something?

Danny: What?

Stephen: You didn’t make it.

Danny: But I did! I’m in the show!

Stephen: Only because someone else bowed out. Danny, I think maybe I’d better call Mr. Whittaker and tell him that this was a mistake.

Danny: No, it’s not!

Stephen: Well, Danny, you’re acting like you don’t care about this.

Danny: I do care, really! But I also care about baseball. I don’t want to let my team down.

Stephen: What about letting Mr. Whittaker down?

Danny: I don’t want to do that either.

Stephen: Well, he’s the one you made the commitment to first.

Danny: I know, but when people want me, it’s hard for me to say no.

Stephen: You have to be disciplined, Danny.

Danny: You’re going to spank me?

Stephen: No, that’s not what I meant. Being disciplined means having self-control. It’s what we’ve talked about before: following through, deciding to do something and then doing it without letting anything distract you.

Danny: I want to do it, but it’s really hard for me.

Stephen: Well, I guess if I could show you... Nah.

Danny: What? What?

Stephen: Well, I was going to say that I could show you a surefire way to get you to practice your piano piece with no interruptions. A way handed down from generation to generation, guaranteed to work. But I don’t think I will.

Danny: Why not?

Stephen: Because I don’t think you really want to know.

Danny: I do! Show me, please!

Stephen: Well, what you need to do is use the secret keys of discipline.

Danny: The secret keys?

Stephen: Shh! Not so loud. The secret keys. Come inside with me. Sit down at the piano. Now, play the first part of your piece. Good. Now play the middle part right where you left off. Mh-hm. Now play the end. Good, good.

Danny: So what are the secret keys, Dad? You said you’d show them to me.

Stephen: I just did, Danny. The keys are right in front of you. Eighty-eight of them.

Danny: You mean the piano keys? That’s not a secret!

Stephen: Exactly. You see, the secret of discipline, Danny, is that there is no secret except to just do it. You have to make up your mind that you’re going to keep your commitment and follow through, even though it may not be easy, because Whit asked you to. And even more importantly, because God wants you to do your best in everything you do.

Brooke: Hello? The door was open.

Stephen: Hi there. Are you Brooke?

Brooke: Uh-huh.

Stephen: I’m Danny’s father.

Brooke: Oh. Hey, Danny, you ready to go?

Danny: Brooke, I can’t. I have to practice my piano piece for the talent show.

Brooke: But, Danny, we need you!

Danny: I know, but I have to be disciplined.

Brooke: Oh. I didn’t know your dad was going to spank you.

Danny: No, I mean, I made a commitment and I have to stick to it. Sorry.

Brooke: Okay, Danny. We’ll probably lose, but I don’t want to see you get a spanking. See you.

Danny: I don’t think she got it.

Stephen: No, but I’m glad you did. I know how hard that was for you, but I have to warn you, that was just the beginning. The next few weeks will be even tougher.

Danny: Tougher?

Stephen: A lot of things will come up to keep you from practicing. But you can do it, Danny. It all depends on how badly you want to be in the show.

Danny: Yeah. The show.

Guest (Male): Hey, Danny, let’s play soccer!

Danny: I can’t. I have to practice.

Guest (Male): But we need you!

Danny: Sorry!

Guest (Male): Hey, Danny, come over to my house. We’re going to have pizza.

Danny: Pizza?

Guest (Male): Yeah, all you want.

Danny: I can’t. I have to practice.

Guest (Female): Hey, Danny, did you hear? Toy World is going out of business. They’re getting rid of all their stuff. All you’ve got to do is come in and pick a toy and it’s yours.

Danny: Any toy?

Guest (Female): Any toy! Come on!

Danny: I can’t. I have to practice.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): And that was Robert Skee with his interpretive dance, "Cocoon to Butterfly." Thanks, Robert. And up next, we have a young man who’s been practicing very hard for this show. Let’s give a big hand for the piano magic of Danny Schmidt as he plays "Green Leaves Are Falling."

Laura: That was wonderful, Danny!

Stephen: It sure was, sport. You should be very proud.

Danny: Thanks.

Stephen: What’s the matter, son?

Danny: It’s just that that was it. All that work, and now it’s over.

John Avery Whittaker (Whit): Well, maybe, Danny, but another way to look at it is that you didn’t do all that work just to make you feel good, but to give something to others, right?

Danny: I guess.

Principal Hughes: Danny!

Danny: Hi, Principal Hughes.

Principal Hughes: I really enjoyed your piano piece. You played beautifully.

Danny: Thank you.

Principal Hughes: I was wondering if you’d be interested in playing at the PTA banquet in two weeks.

Danny: Really?

Principal Hughes: Yes! I’d like to show off the talent in our school. How about it?

Danny: Mom? Dad?

Laura: You can if you want to.

Stephen: Sure! Looks like you got your first gig, Danny.

Danny: Gig?

Stephen: Outside performance.

Danny: Yeah!

Stephen: I guess all that discipline can pay off after all, huh?

Danny: Yeah! And I know what I have to do.

Laura: Practice!

Chris: "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but one of power and of love and of discipline." Second Timothy 1:7. The next time you’re faced with a task and you just can’t seem to get started on it, remember this verse.

Then ask God to help you do what you’re supposed to do. Like Danny’s father said in today’s story, the only secret to discipline is just doing it.

And that’s all for today. If you ever want to write to us, we’d love to hear from you. Just send your letter to Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. In Canada, write to Box 9800, Vancouver, B.C., V6B 4G3. And don’t forget to ask how you can get a copy of today’s episode. It’s called "The Secret Keys of Discipline."

The address once again is Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. Adventures in Odyssey’s a presentation of Focus on the Family. "The Secret Keys of Discipline" was written and directed by Phil Lollar. Our production engineer was Dave Arnold, and our executive producer, Chuck Bolte. And I’m Chris, hoping you’ll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.