Thank You, God

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049: Thank You, God
Season 1988
Album 03: Heroes
Aired November 19, 1988
Written by Phil Lollar
Directed by Phil Lollar
Produced by Unknown
Sound Design by Bob Luttrell
Music by Unknown
Prev: Heroes
Next: Karen (episode)

[edit] General information

Theme: Thanksgiving, Salvation, Making the best of a bad situation

Scripture: Romans 8:28 See more with this reference
Ephesians 5:20 See more with this reference

[edit] Summary

Whit tells a group of friends about how he became a Christian. When he was young, his stepmother was in a horrible accident which left her blind. Through God's love, she was able to cope and show Whit the meaning of faith.

[edit] Plot

It's Thanksgiving, and Whit has invited Connie and her mom, June, along with Tom Riley and his wife, Agnes, to Whit's End for dinner. With the Rileys is a boy named Rodney. He's without family today because his father is traveling, and his mother abandoned him when he was a small child. Before everyone sits down to eat, Whit asks them to participate in a tradition his wife started years earlier.

On each plate is a kernel of corn. Whit passes around a basket, and each person is to place their kernel in the basket and tell one thing for which they're thankful. Many of the answers are predictable-Connie and June are thankful for each other, as are Agnes and Tom, and Tom is also thankful for the time of year. But Rodney says his lack of family leaves him without anything to be thankful for. Whit disagrees. He says that as a Christian, Rodney can give thanks in all situations-even difficult ones.

To illustrate, Whit recounts, via flashback, the story of his stepmother, Fiona Donneral. She was a devout Christian woman who did her best to raise Whit after his real mother died. They lived in rural North Carolina where Whit's father was a professor at Duke University. Whit and Fiona did many things together, including ride horses.

As they rode one afternoon, Fiona's horse galloped under a tree, and she was knocked out by a low-hanging branch. When she awoke later, she had lost her sight. Young Whit was devastated. First, he'd had to deal with his natural mother's death, and now, his stepmother's blindness. But Fiona's Christian faith gave her courage and the ability to cope. She pulled both of them through the difficult times. Her faith was so great that it helped lead young Whit to Jesus-which is what his kernel represents.

Fiona's story inspires even Rodney, who decides he really does have much to be thankful for after all.

[edit] Discussion Questions

  1. What Thanksgiving traditions does your family practice?
  2. How can Christians be thankful in all situations?
  3. What does Romans 8:28 mean when it says that God works all things out for the good of those who love Him?

[edit] Cast

Characters Actors
Agnes Riley Julia Kazarian
Connie Kendall Katie Leigh
Fiona Donneral Maggie Malooly
Harold Whittaker Chuck Bolte
John Whittaker Hal Smith
John Whittaker Joseph Cammarato
June Kendall Maggie Malooly
Rodney (a) Chad Reisser
Tom Riley Walker Edmiston


[edit] Notes

  • Agnes is the only person in this show who doesn't say what she's thankful for. There's a good reason—the scene was cut from the original show. The scene was later added as a bonus to "The Pact I" when it aired.
  • This show marked AIO's one-year anniversary.

[edit] Goofs

  • In this episode, Whit says that when he was young, his family "moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where my father...taught at Duke University," Duke University is in Durham, not Raleigh.

[edit] Reviews

  • Review by: Chandler [1]

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