Adventures in Odyssey

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

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. You want to come along? We'd love to have you join us for today's adventure in Odyssey.

So you see, the interesting thing about God's will is that though He has the power to do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, He allows us to be part of His plan. You could say that we're agents of His will in our world. You got it?

Lucy: So when it comes to Eugene becoming a Christian, it's God's will that he should, and we can be agents to help it happen.

Whit: Right. And it's true not only for Eugene's salvation, but for every aspect of our lives. We're agents of God's will as we bring light into our world by showing God's love, bringing His truth. Oh, what's wrong, Lucy?

Lucy: Nothing. I just never thought about it like that.

Connie: You're thinking of something specific?

Lucy: Well, something came up at school today and I've been trying to figure out what to do. What does God want me to do?

Whit: Why don't you tell us and maybe we can help?

Lucy: Okay. Mr. Ginsmore, the new editor of the Odyssey Voice, asked me to come to his office after school.

Connie: Wait a minute, isn't the Odyssey Voice that liberal, left-wing, anybody-can-do-anything school rag?

Whit: Now, Connie.

Connie: Haven't you seen it?

Whit: Yes. They just take a different point of view than we do, that's all. Most schools allow an alternative newspaper. It doesn't mean they're liberal or left-wing.

Connie: In this case, it does.

Whit: All right, never mind. Go on with your story, Lucy.

Lucy: To be honest, I was thinking a lot of the same things that Connie just said. But they have a new sponsor now, so I figured I should find out more about them.

Whit: So what happened?

Lucy: Well, I went to his office at school. Actually, it was an art room. Did you say come in?

Alan Ginsmore: Yeah. Lucy Cunningham-Schultz.

Lucy: Lucy Schultz is fine.

Alan Ginsmore: Why the Cunningham?

Lucy: It's a long story.

Alan Ginsmore: Well, I'm Alan Ginsmore. Nice to meet you. Sit down. Oh, watch out for the papier-mâché, it's still wet.

Lucy: Should I sit over here?

Alan Ginsmore: Yeah, fine. That paint should be dry. Care for a drink or anything?

Lucy: Oh, I don't drink.

Alan Ginsmore: I meant water.

Lucy: Oh. No, thanks.

Alan Ginsmore: I won't beat around the bush, Lucy. As the new sponsor for the Odyssey Voice, I am determined to put some life back into it.

Lucy: What kind of life?

Alan Ginsmore: How many different kinds of life are there? Life, Lucy. The stuff our readers, bless all five of them, want to read about. I've read your articles for the Odyssey Owl and know that you have a reputation around the school for getting to the heart of a story.

But I also know that the sponsor of the Owl has you pigeonholed into writing bubblegum articles week after week. True?

Lucy: I thought that article about the dental dangers of bubblegum was...

Alan Ginsmore: A masterpiece, yeah. I meant bubblegum as in fluff, lightweight. Get the picture?

Lucy: I think so.

Alan Ginsmore: I think you're better than that. I think there's a mature writer buried deep inside of you that wants to be set free, free to express yourself creatively as a journalist. Am I right?

Lucy: I guess so.

Alan Ginsmore: Good, because I want you to consider joining the Voice as a roving editor. What do you say?

Lucy: A roving editor?

Alan Ginsmore: Yeah. You won't be locked into the same kind of story time and time again. You'll go where the issues are and hit them head-on. Our readers demand nothing less.

Lucy: All five of them.

Alan Ginsmore: But with you on the team, I think that number will increase tenfold.

Lucy: Only 50 people?

Alan Ginsmore: Okay, maybe more. I teach art, not math. Anyway, as you know, we're big on free speech here, so you're welcome to write whatever you want to write. I can see it now. The whole school will be reading our paper like they did back in the glory days when free speech meant something.

Lucy: When was that?

Alan Ginsmore: I don't know, sometime before I took over. What do you say, anyway?

Lucy: Can I have some time to think about it?

Alan Ginsmore: Sure. Why don't you come back and see me tomorrow and we'll talk some more?

Lucy: Okay, Mr. Ginsmore. And thanks.

Alan Ginsmore: No, Lucy, thank you.

Lucy: So I'm supposed to think about it.

Whit: And your thoughts are?

Lucy: On one hand, I think it'd be nice to do more than just write for the Owl. It's true what he said. They keep asking me to write the same kind of stories over and over. And as an editor, I think I'll be able to impact the paper for good.

Whit: Those are pluses. What are the minuses?

Lucy: The newspaper tends to be in favor of a lot of things I'm against. Sometimes they're downright anti-Christian.

Connie: But he said you could write whatever you wanted.

Lucy: Yeah.

Whit: Which means you can write from a Christian viewpoint.

Lucy: As a reporter, I'm supposed to be objective.

Connie: Yeah, right. Show me an objective reporter.

Whit: Oh, they exist, Connie.

Lucy: Anyway, the whole situation makes me nervous. But it also puts me in a position to do some good. What do you think I should do?

Connie: Or what does God want you to do?

Lucy: Yeah. See, all I ever really wanted was to be able to use my talents for God. I don't always make it, but that's what I want.

Whit: Well, your heart's in the right place, Lucy, no doubt about that. Maybe you should meet with Mr. Ginsmore again and suggest that you do an article or two as a test, just to see if you're both on the same track.

Lucy: That's a good idea. Then if it isn't right, I'll know. Thanks, Mr. Whittaker.

Whit: Sure.

Lucy: Oh, I better go home. I'll be late for dinner. I'll see you guys later.

Connie: Bye, Lucy.

Lucy: Bye.

Connie: You're so smart.

Whit: Well, I find that using a little common sense can go a long way in figuring out what God wants from us.

Connie: Yeah, but you're better at that common sense stuff than most of us. I guess I better get started too.

Whit: Started on what?

Connie: I'm an agent of God's will. I got things to do.

Whit: For instance?

Connie: I better not say.

Whit: It's a secret?

Connie: Yeah, I guess you could call me a secret agent of God's will.

Whit: Uh-oh.

Lucy: Hello, Eugene.

Eugene: Greetings, Ms. Schultz.

Lucy: What you doing?

Eugene: Attempting unsuccessfully to repair the thermostat on this freezer. I'm afraid it's, how shall we put it?

Lucy: Beyond repair?

Eugene: Nice way of putting it.

Lucy: Thanks. Well, I need to scrub this floor. You mind if I play a tape while I do?

Eugene: Not at all, providing the music is within a reasonable level of decibels.

Lucy: No problem. It's just someone talking.

Eugene: Ah, an instructional tape. Good for you, Ms. Schultz.

Lucy: Yeah, well.

Guest (Male): Now, I'm not saying that you have to kiss your brains goodbye when you become a Christian. I'm just saying that your brains, your intelligence, isn't going to get you into heaven. You want to get to heaven, you have to believe. I said believe. You have to have faith in Jesus Christ because you are saved by grace through faith.

Eugene: Ms. Schultz?

Lucy: Yes, Eugene?

Eugene: I thought you were going to play an instructional tape.

Lucy: This is instructional. It's Pastor Ben Berford's series on the steps to salvation.

Eugene: Oh, I see. Very interesting.

Lucy: You really think so?

Eugene: Yes. In fact, it's led me to a decision.

Lucy: It has?

Eugene: Yes. I believe...

Lucy: Yeah?

Eugene: I believe I'll work on this thermostat some other time, perhaps when I can concentrate a little more.

Lucy: Oh, right. Mr. Ginsmore?

Alan Ginsmore: Oh, hey, thanks for stopping in, Lucy.

Lucy: Did you get a chance to read the article?

Alan Ginsmore: Yeah, I certainly did. It was very well written and extremely balanced. All sides of the issue.

Lucy: Good.

Alan Ginsmore: Which is why it pains me to say that I won't print it.

Lucy: What? Why not?

Alan Ginsmore: I thought you were going to write an article about censorship.

Lucy: But I did.

Alan Ginsmore: Yeah, but you didn't show censorship for what it is, for the way it thwarts our freedom of speech.

Lucy: But the Citizens for Decency aren't thwarting our freedom of speech.

Alan Ginsmore: Lucy, Lucy. They're trying to take those books out of the library.

Lucy: Have you seen the books?

Alan Ginsmore: No, and I don't need to. The underlying principle is that they're trying to take books out of the library that everyone should have access to. I thought your article was going to reflect that. Of course, it isn't too late to make changes.

Lucy: But I wrote the truth, Mr. Ginsmore. I explained what the conflict was and showed both sides fairly. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do as a reporter?

Alan Ginsmore: Of course you are, but I have to think of the paper's readers.

Lucy: All five of them.

Alan Ginsmore: They expect something a little more insightful. If you can't change the article to show how important our freedom of speech is, then I can't print it.

Lucy: What about my freedom of speech? You said I could write whatever I wanted.

Alan Ginsmore: So long as it fits within the editorial guidelines of the newspaper, yes. Your article doesn't.

Lucy: So I don't really have freedom of speech.

Alan Ginsmore: Lucy, I'm glad we tried this little test article. I think we both see clearly that you're not the right person for the Voice.

Lucy: I guess not.

Alan Ginsmore: Well, thanks for trying. Hand me that blowtorch, will you?

Lucy: Sure.

Alan Ginsmore: See you, Lucy.

Lucy: Yeah, bye. Hand me that panel, will you, Eugene?

Eugene: Yes, sir.

Lucy: Hi, guys.

Whit: Hello, Lucy. You're looking chipper today.

Lucy: Thank you. I just got fired from the Odyssey Voice.

Whit: Oh, the test article didn't work out, huh?

Lucy: Nope. The Voice likes freedom of speech as long as everyone agrees with what they want said.

Whit: I see. So why are you happy?

Lucy: Because I realized that as much as I hoped God would use me on that paper, He can use me another way.

Whit: And how's that?

Lucy: By starting my own newspaper.

Whit: Really?

Lucy: I've thought about it, Mr. Whittaker, and I think it would be good to have a newspaper dedicated to the truth.

Whit: Now, there is a radical idea.

Lucy: In fact, I think I'm going to start a truth group. We'll work together to expose distortions of the truth wherever we find it.

Whit: That sounds like a tall order.

Lucy: But do you think it's a good idea?

Whit: As a matter of fact, I do.

Lucy: Good, because I thought you might sponsor it.

Whit: Oh, you did, huh?

Lucy: Yeah. I figured we could be agents of God's will together.

Whit: Together. Lucy, that's the best way to do it.

Lucy: Great. I've written out some ideas about it. Do you have a minute?

Whit: I sure do. Let's see what you've got.

Chris: Like Connie, I know a lot of us are anxious for friends and loved ones to become believers in Jesus. Sometimes it's frustrating because we want to make them believe, but we can't. The most we can do is to be a good example of His love, behaving as a Christian should. And we should pray for them.

We need to remember that as much as we want people we care about to know Jesus, God wants it even more. He desires that everyone would know Him. In the meantime, we have to be patient.

Thanks for listening and for writing to us. We get a lot of wonderful mail from our listeners. Your compliments, ideas, and suggestions are always welcome. Our address is Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. Or in Canada, write to Box 9800, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4G3.

Don't forget to ask how you can get a copy of today's episode. It's called Thy Will Be Done. The address again is Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995.

Adventures in Odyssey is a presentation of Focus on the Family. Thy Will Be Done was written and directed by Paul McCusker. Our production engineer was Bob Luttrell, and our executive producer, Chuck Bolte. And I'm Chris, hoping you'll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.