Adventures in Odyssey

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

John Avery Whittaker: Oh, hi there. I'm John Avery Whittaker, but you can call me Whit. We were just getting ready for a time of wonder, excitement, and discovery. You care to join us? You never know what'll happen next when you have an adventure in Odyssey.

George: Donna, would you pass the potatoes, please?

Donna: Sure, Dad.

George: Thanks. So, what kind of day did everybody have? Mary?

Mary: Well, I had a meeting downtown this afternoon. The Odyssey Women's Committee wants to raise money for the new orphanage. I saw you, Jimmy.

Jimmy: At the orphanage?

Mary: Downtown. Collins Shoe Store.

Donna: Jimmy was shopping for shoes?

Jimmy: I was just browsing. They're having a sale on some tennis shoes I want to buy.

George: What's wrong with the ones you have?

Jimmy: Nothing. They're just plain, that's all. I was thinking of buying a pair of Jordos.

George: Jordos? You mean those shoes that inflate into a life raft or something like that?

Jimmy: Yeah. They're cool, huh?

George: Well, if cool means outrageously priced, yes.

Jimmy: They're on sale right now.

George: Really? How much?

Jimmy: $125.

George: What? You're kidding me. For a pair of tennis shoes?

Jimmy: Well, they're normally $150 and I like them. I've been saving my allowance and budgeting for them and all that.

George: Jimmy, you can't be serious. $125? I got you a wonderful pair at Save-Mart for only $25.

Jimmy: Yeah, I know. Save-Mart Super Flyers. My gym class got a big laugh over that.

Mary: They're good shoes.

Jimmy: But they're embarrassing, Mom. Nobody wears those things.

Mary: Why not? Just because they don't have some name on them?

George: Son, I think the problem here is that we don't understand why you have to pay $125 for a pair of name-brand shoes when you can get a pair just as good for less.

Jimmy: Yeah, sure. Forget I brought it up.

George: Well, doesn't that make sense to you?

Jimmy: Yeah. It's no big deal.

Donna: We had an interesting conversation at school today.

George: Really?

Donna: Yeah, we were talking civics about priorities and what's important to us. Mrs. Plowman asked us a question. If our house was on fire and we knew the family was safe and could rescue one thing before the house burned down, what would it be?

George: What did you say?

Donna: I said I'd grab my scrapbook. You know, I call it my scrapbook, but it really has my diary in it and some pictures and stuff that's important to me. What would you grab, Mom?

Mary: That's a hard one. I think I'd have to choose between my mother's recipe box and the Bible my grandfather gave me. Could I keep them both together and count them as one?

Donna: Okay by me. What about you, Jimmy? What would you say?

Jimmy: My Save-Mart Super Flyer tennis shoes.

George: Jimmy.

Jimmy: I don't know, my baseball glove, I guess. Maybe my cap too. Oh, and my tape collection. Or maybe my...

Donna: Just one thing, Jimmy.

Jimmy: The glove then. It has Reggie Jackson's autograph on it. Remember when he was at Lightning Livingstone's? What would you take, Dad?

George: Well, it's something I haven't thought about in such a long time, but I have a box of books up in the attic that I'd like to save.

Donna: Box of books?

George: Yeah, books I read when I was a kid. Arabian Nights, Peter Pan, Biggles the Flying Ace. I'll bet it's been 10 years since I looked at them. I wonder where they are.

Mary: You know how cluttered the attic is, George. They could be anywhere.

George: Maybe I'll go look for them.

Donna: It was just a question, Dad. You don't have to go.

George: No, I want to. Some of them are probably valuable now. I should have them down here on the bookshelves where they belong.

Donna: But you probably won't be able to find them in all that mess.

George: No harm in trying, Donna. Mary, you want to help?

Mary: Sure. I think it's your turn for the dishes, kids.

Jimmy: Oh, boy. I'm looking forward to that.

Mary: You weren't kidding. This place is a wreck.

George: Do you remember what the box looked like?

Mary: Like all the other boxes. I guess I'll have to take them one at a time. How about you?

George: I'm in. You start on that side and I'll take this side. Those books have got to be around here somewhere. Lamp shades, an old electric mixer. I can't believe we have so much junk. Is there a reason we kept it all?

Mary: You, George. You're a pack rat. You won't get rid of anything.

George: Well, maybe it's time we did.

Mary: Really? You know, that gives me an idea. The women's committee wants to raise money for the orphanage. Maybe we could have a giant attic sale.

George: Who would want this stuff?

Mary: You never know. What do you think, next Saturday? It'll give us a whole week to get ready.

George: I guess so, as long as I can find those books.

John Avery Whittaker: Hi, Jimmy, Donna. What can I do for you two?

Jimmy: We'd like to hang up a poster about our attic sale this Saturday.

Donna: It's to raise money for the orphanage. Mom and Dad have been cleaning out the attic all week and there's a bunch of stuff they want to get rid of.

John Avery Whittaker: Well, if you give me the poster, I'll hang it up on the bulletin board near the little theater. Okay?

Donna: Great.

John Avery Whittaker: By the way, Jimmy, did you ever get your new tennis shoes? What do you call them, Jackos?

Jimmy: Jordos. No, not yet.

John Avery Whittaker: Oh.

Lawrence: There you are, Jimmy. I was looking all over for you.

Jimmy: Really? How come?

Lawrence: I wanted to see your new jacket.

Jimmy: My new jacket? Oh, it's not my new jacket. It's...

Lawrence: I heard some of the kids talking about it. It looks cool.

Jimmy: You're pulling my leg.

Lawrence: I'm serious. Wow, I want to get one. It looks really cool.

John Avery Whittaker: Yeah.

Donna: Excuse me for breaking up this meeting of your fan club. Jimmy, we have to get these posters up.

Jimmy: Yeah, yeah.

John Avery Whittaker: See you later.

Donna: Bye.

Lawrence: Don't you think that was a cool jacket, Mr. Whittaker?

John Avery Whittaker: Yeah, very cool.

Donna: I think Lawrence wants to be just like you when he grows up.

Jimmy: Oh, you're funny. Now, how many posters do we have left?

Donna: Two. I'll be glad when Mom and Dad get through this phase, especially looking for that box of books.

Jimmy: What's with you and that box of books? I mean, you've been acting weird about it ever since it came up.

Donna: Because Dad will never find them. You should know better than anyone.

Jimmy: I should?

Donna: Yeah. Come on, quit playing games with me.

Jimmy: Donna, I don't know what you're talking about.

Donna: You're kidding. You really don't remember?

Jimmy: No, I have no idea. Give me a clue.

Donna: How about this for a clue? Dad won't find his box of books because you destroyed them.

Guest (Male): Hey parents, for almost 40 years, Adventures in Odyssey has been helping kids like yours form relationships with Christ. Now, the animated Adventures in Odyssey film, Journey into the Impossible, will reach a new generation of families. But we need your help to finish the film and launch it in theaters. Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar before May 1st. See the trailer and donate today at focusonthefamily.com/impossible. That's focusonthefamily.com/impossible.

Guest (Male): In Album 79, 11th Hour, it's the critical moment.

Guest (Male Voice 2): Hardship, obstacles to overcome, risk of failure.

Guest (Female Voice): I just can't shake this feeling that something is wrong.

Guest (Male Voice 3): It was just an accident.

Guest (Male Voice 2): Accident!

Guest (Female Voice 2): It isn't safe!

Guest (Male Voice 4): We can't pretend that all this isn't real.

Guest (Female Voice): Jules! Jules!

Guest (Male Voice 5): Album 79, 11th Hour, now on the club, CD, and download. Find out more at adventuresinodyssey.com.

Chris: Want to contact us about the episode you're hearing? Visit our website at adventuresinodyssey.com or talk to someone at Focus on the Family. Call 1-800-A-FAMILY with a parent's permission, of course. We always love hearing from you.

Jimmy: Oh man, oh man, oh man.

Donna: Will you cut it out?

Jimmy: Oh man, we're in for it. I can't believe you forgot. Oh man, oh man, oh man.

Donna: Jimmy.

Jimmy: Oh, what are we going to do, Donna? We have to tell him.

Donna: I know, I know. I've been waiting for the right moment.

Jimmy: The right moment? Donna, Dad spent hours looking for that box. He'll kill us when he finds out that we knew all along where it was, or where it wasn't. Why didn't you say something?

Donna: Because he was so excited. I didn't want to disappoint him.

Jimmy: Whereas waiting all week will endear you to his heart. Good thinking.

Donna: I thought he'd give up.

Jimmy: Dad give up when he's determined to find something? Where have you been for the last 15 years?

Donna: All right, all right. My mistake. What are we going to do?

Jimmy: We have to tell him.

Donna: I know. When are you going to do it?

Jimmy: Me? No way.

Donna: All right, we'll both tell him.

Jimmy: Right. When?

Donna: At the right moment.

Jimmy: When's that?

Donna: A month after I move away to college.

Jimmy: Good idea.

George: Wait a minute, Mary. What are you doing with that Wiffle ball set?

Mary: I'm putting it in the "to sell" stack.

George: You can't do that. I want to keep it.

Mary: George, it's a plastic ball and bat that look like they've been through a meat grinder.

George: Well, they were chewed up by Sparky. I loved that dog. It's the only reminder I have of him.

Mary: George, this isn't going to work. You won't let me get rid of anything.

George: Well, you can get rid of that stuff over there.

Mary: All my stuff?

George: Sure.

Mary: And what are you going to do with all of your boxes? Pile them up for another 10 years? Maybe open a museum.

George: Sarcasm doesn't help anything, Mary.

Mary: We're doing this sale to help the orphanage and clean out the attic. You said you were all for it.

George: I am. I just don't want to lose a lot of these things.

Mary: That's the point, George. They're just things. They're dusty, rusty, moth-eaten things. Some of them have value and others don't. We'll probably have to give away more than we'll sell. But there's no sense in cluttering up the attic for years on end with things that we rarely ever look at. We have to let go sometime, George.

George: Of course we do. But that doesn't mean we have to get rid of everything.

Mary: I'm not saying to get rid of everything. I just think we should come up with some kind of a rule about what we keep and what we sell.

George: A rule, huh? Okay, well, how about anything that has sentimental value for me we keep, and your stuff can go?

Mary: Try again. How about, okay, if we were the nation of Israel leaving Egypt, what would we take with us?

George: The nation of Israel? Sheep, cows, loincloths? What does that have to do...

Mary: I'm just trying to come up with an idea.

George: Well, anytime something important happened to the nation of Israel, God had them set up altars as milestones to remember it by.

Mary: So let's keep only those things that represent a milestone for our family.

George: That's a wonderful idea. Well, I guess this Wiffle ball set can go then.

Mary: No, wait a minute.

George: George, be reasonable.

Mary: Let go of the bat, George.

George: But Sparky was a milestone in my life.

Mary: We all loved Sparky. Sparky's memory will live in our hearts.

George: But this bat will help me remember forever!

Mary: George! George! Are you all right? Oh dear, let me help you up.

George: Thanks. Good thing for me I hit the floor with my head. Wait a minute. What's this?

Mary: What?

George: Here in the floorboard.

Mary: A piece of paper.

George: It's not just a piece of paper, Mary. It's a page from one of my books.

Donna: Mom, Dad, are you coming?

George: We're coming.

Donna: Okay, Jimmy, when you tell them, you have to be...

Jimmy: What? I'm not telling them. You tell them.

Donna: Why me?

Jimmy: Because I don't remember it.

Donna: But Jimmy...

George: Hi kids, I'm glad you're home. Did you get the posters hung up?

Donna: All of them.

George: Good. Now about the sale tomorrow. It starts at 9:00, but you can be sure people will show up earlier than that to try and get some bargains. And they won't be disappointed, I'll tell you, when they get a look at some of those old clothes and my latest discovery about my box of books.

Donna: What box of books?

George: My box of books. You know, I knew it was just a matter of time before something would turn up.

Jimmy: You found them?

Donna: How could you find your box of books, Dad?

George: Well, actually, it's what I found out about them that's most important.

Donna: What did you find out about them?

George: Well, I found out that they're not as important as I thought they were. You know, I've been thinking about that question of yours, Donna. What would I rescue if the house caught fire? The truth is, as long as you three were safe, there's not much else of any lasting value. You're all that matters to me.

Mary: That was beautiful, George. Just like those love letters you don't write to me anymore.

George: Thanks, Mary.

Jimmy: So that's what you found?

George: That and this. A page from my Lone Ranger book. I found it stuck in the attic floorboard. Curiously enough, it's covered in green crayon. Is there something the two of you wanted to tell me?

Jimmy: Oh man, oh man, oh man.

Donna: Quiet, Jimmy. I'm sorry, Dad. I should have told you sooner. You see, when I was a little kid, while Mom was putting some junk in the attic and left the door open.

Mary: Oh, I'm going to get the blame for this?

Donna: No, it's my fault. You had to run next door to the Humphreys and asked me to watch Jimmy. It was just for a minute or two, but I wasn't paying attention. The next thing I knew, Jimmy was up in the attic ripping out pages of your books and coloring on them. I panicked and I hid all the books under my bed. Well, after a couple of weeks when nobody said anything about them, I made Jimmy help me smuggle them out and threw them away in Mr. Humphrey's trash can.

Jimmy: I would like to go on record and say that I don't remember any of this.

Donna: Well, I forgot about it too until I brought up that question the other night. I'm really sorry, Dad. I should have told you, but well, you know.

George: I understand, Donna. At least the mystery is solved and thank you for eventually owning up to what happened. Though, don't ever wait so long to confess again.

Donna: Okay, Dad. Thanks.

George: All right, troops. Now that we have cleared this all up, it's time for the last great attic attack! Charge!

John Avery Whittaker: Well, George, I think your attic sale has been quite a success.

George: Yeah, the turnout has been a nice surprise. I see you've done a little shopping yourself.

John Avery Whittaker: Oh, I picked up just a few things. You sure you want to sell some of this stuff?

George: Don't tempt me. Excuse me just a minute. Jimmy! Jimmy!

Jimmy: Yeah, Dad?

George: The leather jacket. What about it? You've got to put it on the rack. It's part of the sale.

Jimmy: You're kidding.

George: It's for the orphanage.

Jimmy: No way. Do you know how popular this thing is? I mean, the kids at school are going crazy over it. It's the biggest thing since soft spread butter.

George: A new trend, huh? Well, that means I can charge more for it.

Jimmy: Dad, you can't sell it.

George: Oh yes, I can.

Jimmy: Then I'll buy it. Really? Yeah. How much do you want for it?

George: Well, I think $125 will do the job.

Jimmy: Dad!

George: Hey, we're trying to raise money for the orphanage. Take it or leave it.

Jimmy: Oh, I'll take it.

George: Sold to the young man in the Save-Mart Super Flyers.

Jimmy: Yeah, I know. Don't remind me.

Chris: I think the whole Barclay family learned an important lesson today about placing too much importance on things that don't last. Jesus said it best in Matthew 6:19. Don't pile up treasures on earth where moth and rust can spoil them and thieves can break in and steal. But keep your treasure in heaven where there is neither moth nor rust to spoil it and nobody can break in and steal. For wherever your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart will be there too.

We're glad you spent this time with us today. If you ever want to write to us, 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 Treasures of the Heart. That's the name of today's adventure. That address again is Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995.

Adventures in Odyssey is a presentation of Focus on the Family. Treasures of the Heart was written by Paul McCusker and Jeff Kohler, and was directed by Paul McCusker. Our production engineer was Dave Arnold, and Chuck Bolte is our executive producer. And I'm Chris, hoping you'll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.