Good Business

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[[Category:Episodes with theme of {{{theme}}}|081]]

[[Category:{{{scripture}}}|081]]

[edit] General information

Theme: Honesty, A worker is worth their wages

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 See more with this reference

[edit] Summary

Robyn tries to start a business mowing lawns, but finds that it is too difficult to do by herself. After hiring several employees, she deals with labor problems.

[edit] Plot

Robyn wants money-lots of it. The trouble is, she doesn't want to work for it. Her dad proposes that she get a paper route, which she tries. Unfortunately, she can't seem to handle getting up early enough to deliver the papers on time. One of her customers, Mrs. Maddux, suggests Robyn move into a different line of work and offers her $10 to mow the lawn. Robyn jumps at the opportunity, and when she's finished, Mrs. Maddux's next-door neighbor also hires Robyn to clip his yard. Robyn knows a good thing when she sees it. She decides to start Robyn's Rotor Company, a gardening service.

Business is good-too good, as it turns out. Robyn is so booked up with lawns to mow, she doesn't have time to spend or enjoy any of the money she is making. She relates this to Jack and Oscar on one of her rare afternoons off, and they say they wish they had her problem-they can't seem to find work anywhere. Another lightbulb goes off in Robyn's head, and she immediately hires the two boys for $5 per lawn.

The business works like a charm-Jack and Oscar do all the work, while Robyn takes phone calls and rakes in the money. But after a few days of this, Jack and Oscar wise up. They demand more pay and threaten to go on strike if they don't get a raise. When nothing happens, Jack and Oscar hit the picket line. Robyn is back where she started. She wants to fold the business completely, but her father won't allow it. They discuss what went wrong, and Robyn learns that she shouldn't try to get something for nothing. An honest day's work must merit an honest day's pay. Robyn meets again with Jack and Oscar and tells them they can have the whole $10 for their work. After all, "a worker must be worthy of [his] wages."

[edit] Discussion Questions

1. Robyn wanted to make money without working for it. Is that wrong?
   1. Why or why not?
2. Do you think Robyn paid Jack and Oscar fairly at first? Explain.
3. That does Jesus say about the love of money?

[edit] Cast

Characters	Actors
Mr. Benson (a)	Dave Arnold
Dale Jacobs	Phil Lollar
Jack Davis	Donald Long
Mrs. Maddux	Linda Gregory
Oscar Peterson	Joseph Cammarato
Robyn Jacobs	Sage Bolte

[edit] Notes

• When this episode originally aired, AIO received so much negative mail about how many listeners construed it as Communist, (citing lines where Dale tells Robyn that the best wage comes from an honest days work, saying that Paul McCusker meant that everything should be equal, with no managers, or people making money from their business, rather than his original intent of going after the mentality that 'I should get money without working for it') that the staff re-recorded several lines for the album release.

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