W-O-R-R-Y

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. The gang in Odyssey is 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.
Erica: I've got class pictures on Friday. I've never had a decent picture in my life.
Sam: I'm not very good at spelling.
Kim: What are you worried about?
Erica: Can water give you pimples? What do you think? I'm doomed. D-O-O-M-E-D. Doomed.
Mary Ann: So, how much you want off the bangs, sweetheart?
Erica: Just a little bit.
Mary Ann: Gotcha.
Erica: You know, I'd really like to be able to look in the mirror while you do this. Could you turn my chair around so I can?
Mary Ann: How come? Don't you trust me? Makes me nervous, people watching everything I do. Now don't you worry. Haven't cut anybody's head off so far.
Erica: I'm not worried about that. I just want my hair to look perfect.
Mary Ann: Perfect?
Erica: Yeah, I've got class pictures on Friday. I've never had a decent picture in my life. You should see all my school yearbooks. It's really embarrassing.
Guest (Female): Hi, could we turn a different radio station on? This music is putting me to sleep.
Erica: My fourth-grade picture looks like I swallowed a chipmunk. Fifth grade, my ears stuck out.
Mary Ann: Bye-bye, Norma. You look gorgeous, girl. I told you Mary Ann would do you up right. You come on back now.
Erica: Sixth grade, I had a cold and you could have put a load of groceries in the bags under my eyes. Not too much off the top.
Mary Ann: Gotcha.
Guest (Female): Hey, Judy, you been using that new mousse?
Judy: Sure have.
Guest (Female): You even watching her cutting? I haven't seen your hair move all day today.
Erica: I think that's enough off the top.
Mary Ann: Gotcha.
Guest (Female): Now, I was just asking because the mousse I'm using now, it makes my scalp itchy.
Judy: Excuse me, honey. Let me borrow some of that later, will you?
Mary Ann: Ma'am? All righty, you're all done.
Erica: Really?
Mary Ann: You bet. You ready to look at it?
Erica: Sure.
Mary Ann: Alrighty then, you watch your feet while I spin you around. What do you think?
Kim: Sam, over here. Hi, Sam. You're doing the Academic Olympics?
Sam: Yeah, a couple of my teachers are giving extra credit for it.
Kim: I just heard somebody talking over there. They were hoping you wouldn't show up today.
Sam: Why?
Kim: Well, since you won last year.
Sam: That doesn't make a difference. I heard the subjects are completely different this year.
Kim: Give me a break, Sam. You know you're the smartest one in the room.
Mrs. Hodges: Okay, everyone, let's get started. Oh, this is great, so many people trying out this year. Welcome. Let me introduce myself. I'm Mrs. Hodges, and I'll be the sponsor for the Academic Olympics again this year. I recognize most of you, but for you who are new, let me explain the rules. In the next seven days, you will be taking seven tests, all from different subjects. The subjects range from math, history—well, here, John, will you pass these out, please? Coming around to you will be a list of rules, test subjects, and prizes. I'm sure you're all aware that the grand prize this year is a $1,000 savings bond. You'll also get your picture in the newspaper and various other things. You can read all about that on this sheet I'm passing out. Now, the questions are of all types: multiple choice, true-false.
Kim: What is it, Sam? Are you okay?
Mrs. Hodges: Essay, fill in the blank, matching. Some parts will be.
Sam: This can't be right.
Kim: Why?
Sam: Mrs. Hodges?
Mrs. Hodges: Yes, Sam?
Sam: I'm sorry to interrupt, but the last subject is really going to be spelling?
Mrs. Hodges: Yes, actually a spelling bee.
Sam: A spelling bee?
Mrs. Hodges: That's right. And it'll be held as an assembly. You'll be tested in front of the school. That just goes to show how very much the students will enjoy this part. There will be a lot of important.
Kim: Sam, what's the matter? What's wrong with the spelling bee?
Sam: I'm a terrible speller.
Chris: Are you looking for stories that inspire, entertain, and ignite your imagination? Check out Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family. Along the way, you'll meet our friends John Avery Whittaker, Connie Kendall, Eugene Meltsner, and Wooton Bassett in a world where faith, fun, and family are exciting pieces of every adventure. Whether you're solving mysteries, learning life lessons, or just having a great laugh, Adventures in Odyssey brings biblical values to every episode.
Sam: Mrs. Hodges, is spelling definitely going to be one of the subjects?
Mrs. Hodges: Well, yes.
Sam: There's no chance of it being changed?
Mrs. Hodges: No, I'm afraid not. What exactly is the problem, Sam?
Sam: I just, I'm not very good at spelling.
Mrs. Hodges: Well, I don't know what to tell you, Sam, except what I tell everyone else I teach.
Sam: What's that?
Mrs. Hodges: Study.
Whit: Hi, Erica.
Erica: Hi, Mr. Allen.
Whit: That's quite a hat there. You going hunting?
Erica: It's my dad's. It's the only one I could find that would cover up my entire head.
Whit: Your entire head? Why?
Erica: Mr. Allen, I got the worst haircut in the history of the world today.
Whit: Not what you wanted, huh?
Erica: It's a lot worse than that. You want to see it?
Whit: Well, okay.
Erica: I'll show it to you. Here.
Whit: Well, you know, I think you could probably work with it. Push it up a little over here and comb this back and you could. You know, hats are nice, too.
Erica: Yeah, but I can't wear a hat on picture day.
Whit: Picture day?
Erica: It's this Friday. I'm going to have another terrible picture in the yearbook.
Whit: Have you had this happen before?
Erica: Every year. There's been something goofy about my pictures ever since the first grade.
Whit: Well, Erica, it's natural for us to want our picture to be perfect, but.
Erica: I don't care if it's perfect. I just want to look one normal for once. I guess I can forget that. I'm just going to stay here for a while. I'll go sit by Sam over there. Bye, Mr. Allen.
Whit: See ya.
Sam: Only three trillion more words to go.
Erica: Hi, Sam.
Sam: Hi, Erica. Nice hat. I'm studying for a spelling test. So far, I know abacus, aardvark, and alilee. It's a Hawaiian shrub.
Erica: You're reading the dictionary to study for a spelling test?
Sam: How else do you study for one?
Erica: I don't know, but it'll probably take you until Christmas just to get through the A's.
Sam: You're right. What am I doing? I'm going to fail.
Erica: Well, maybe you'll get lucky and they'll ask you a word you know.
Sam: Mr. Allen says there's no such thing as luck. Everything good comes from God. Hey, maybe that's it. Maybe the only thing I can do is pray.
Erica: Couldn't hurt.
Sam: That's it. God's the one who can get me out of this. Excuse me, Erica, I need to pray now.
Erica: I've got something I could pray about, too. Not that God can do anything about it, but I guess I could try. Can I join you?
Sam: Sure. I'll go first. Dear Lord, I can't spell.
Erica's Mom: Now come on, don't you have homework to do?
Erica: I don't want to do my homework.
Erica's Mom: Moping isn't going to make your hair grow out any faster.
Erica: I know.
Erica's Mom: Why don't you go eat the rest of your dinner? You're not moving.
Erica: I know.
Erica's Mom: All right, that's it. Come over here.
Erica: What?
Erica's Mom: Sit here in front of the mirror. I'm going to do something with your hair.
Erica: Mom, it's no use.
Erica's Mom: Just sit. There's got to be something we can do with it.
Erica: Cut it off and throw it in the garbage?
Erica's Mom: We're not giving up that easily.
Erica: Oh, Mom, forget it. Face it, I'm the yearbook geek. Erica Clark. They'll probably put my picture on the Geek of the Year page and the cover model for Geek Magazine.
Erica's Mom: Now that's not doing you any good. Turn your head a little.
Erica: What am I going to do, Mom? People 10 years from now are going to see this yearbook and think I really looked like this.
Erica's Mom: Okay, now. You'll have to use your imagination here, but if we found a bow and put it in here and push this up a little, we could maybe cover this up and it would look something like this. What do you think?
Erica: Mom, it looks great.
Erica's Mom: Thanks.
Erica: It looks better than it did before the haircut. How did you do that?
Erica's Mom: I'm a mom. It's what I do.
Erica: I cannot believe this. My hair looks great. Oh, thanks, Mom. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Sam: Where's the bus? I need to lie down.
Kim: Sam, what's your problem?
Sam: I didn't get any sleep last night.
Kim: Why?
Sam: I sat up all night thinking about the spelling bee.
Kim: That's three days away. You're already worried about it?
Sam: It's like I can't spell anything anymore. On my homework yesterday, I spelled my name with two L's. I'm going crazy.
Kim: Your name doesn't have an L in it.
Sam: See, that's my point. I'm going crazy.
Kim: You know, you may be worrying for nothing. You may not even have to do the spelling bee.
Sam: What do you mean?
Kim: We've taken four tests so far, right?
Sam: Yeah.
Kim: And you're in first place, right?
Sam: Yeah.
Kim: By how many points?
Sam: Four.
Kim: So if you do really well on the next two tests, you may be so far ahead you won't even have to show up for the spelling bee.
Sam: Yeah. And you know what? The next two tests are world history and geography. I'm great at those.
Kim: Looks like you might get out of it.
Sam: Wow, you're right. Thanks, Kim.
Sam: Erica, I thought we were going on a bike ride. Why are we stopping here?
Erica: I wanted to go into Whit's End to see Mr. Allen. Oh, there he is. Hi, Mr. Allen.
Sam: Hi, Mr. Allen.
Whit: Oh, hi, Sam, Erica. Nice day for a bike ride, huh?
Erica: Yep. Mr. Allen?
Whit: Yes, Erica.
Erica: You didn't notice.
Whit: I didn't notice—oh, your hair.
Erica: My mom did it. Looks pretty good, huh?
Whit: It's beautiful. I think you're going to have a nice picture after all.
Erica: You bet I am. Finally. And you know what?
Whit: What?
Erica: I prayed about it.
Whit: About your hair?
Erica: Yeah, the day I got my hair cut, I prayed with Sam that God would help everything be okay, and it worked. He must be listening, huh?
Whit: He sure is.
Sam: Yeah, and I prayed about the spelling bee, too. And now it looks like I may not have to be in it.
Whit: Well, sounds like everything worked out for both of you.
Erica: It sure did. We'll see ya.
Whit: Okay, be sure to put your helmet on.
Erica: I will.
Sam: Bye, Mr. Allen.
Erica: I'll race you to the soccer field.
Sam: You got it. All right, ready, get set, go!
Erica: And he takes the early lead!
Sam: No fair, you've got a better bike.
Erica: Into the home stretch and Sam joins the win again. What a race! Where are you going?
Sam: I can't stop. My brakes!
Erica: Erica!
Sam: Erica, are you okay?
Erica: Yeah.
Sam: Let me help you up.
Erica: I got it.
Sam: Wow, lucky thing you were wearing a helmet.
Erica: Yeah, my brakes went out. Wait a minute, there's blood on my hand. Where's the blood coming from?
Sam: Oh, your face. You scratched your face.
Erica: Is it noticeable?
Sam: Just along the cheek.
Erica: But my pictures are tomorrow!
Chris: The stories we hear help shape who we are. The right stories teach us to be brave, to be kind to others, to be godly people. These are the kinds of stories your children hear with each episode of Adventures in Odyssey audio dramas. And your kids can hear as many great stories as they want with an Adventures in Odyssey Club membership. When you join the club, you'll get access to over 1,000 faith-building episodes, including episodes you can only hear as a member. You'll get access to devotions, games, comics, and other fun activities. Keep giving them stories that will live in their hearts forever. Teach them to be wise like Whit, to be compassionate like Connie, to hold on to the biblical values they learn even when you're not there to remind them. Try a membership for 14 days to see if it's right for your family. Go to adventuresinodyssey.com to start your free trial. That's adventuresinodyssey.com. Want to contact us about the episodes 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.
Sam: When did you say she was posting the scores?
Kim: 2:00.
Sam: What time is it now?
Kim: 1:58.
Sam: So, how high does your score have to be?
Kim: If I beat the guy in second by 10 points or more, I don't have to do the spelling bee.
Sam: Who's in second?
Kim: Scott Mason. I hear he's terrible at geography, so I may have a shot.
Mrs. Hodges: Oh, I didn't expect anybody to be waiting for me. A little anxious, Sam?
Sam: I guess so.
Mrs. Hodges: Well, I won't make you wait any longer. I have the scores right here. Let me know if you have any questions before the spelling bee tomorrow.
Sam: Thanks, Mrs. Hodges. Johnson, Johnson. Oh no.
Kim: What is it? You're not far enough ahead?
Sam: No. In fact, I'm tied for first with you.
Kim: Really?
Sam: Yes, and everybody else is way down the list.
Kim: Whoa, guess I'm better at geography than I thought.
Sam: Guess you are.
Kim: This is great. All I have to do to win is spell better than you, and you can't even spell your name three days ago.
Sam: Thanks a lot.
Kim: Oh, sorry about that.
Sam: I'm doomed. D-O-O-M-E-D. Doomed.
Kim: Oh brother, this will be great.
Sam: Yeah, great.
Photographer: Okay, look over my left shoulder here and smile. Very good. Okay, who's next?
Erica: Me.
Photographer: Do you have your papers?
Erica: Right here.
Photographer: Erica Clark. Okay, Erica, hop onto the stool if you would. Good. Now look over my left shoulder here and turn your head toward the camera a little. Turn your head toward the camera. Erica.
Erica: Yes?
Photographer: Turn your head this way. I'm only seeing one side of your face.
Erica: Okay.
Photographer: No, you've turned your head right before it flashed. Please just keep your head still, all right? Let's try it again. Ready? What are you doing?
Erica: I'm posing.
Photographer: Put your hand down.
Erica: What?
Photographer: Take your hand away from your face.
Erica: I like this pose. It's like I'm thinking, kind of.
Photographer: No.
Erica: It's a different look.
Photographer: You're not a supermodel. This is a school picture.
Erica: How about both hands resting my chin on my hands like this? Isn't that cute?
Photographer: Not particularly, no.
Erica: It's the cute little puppy dog look.
Photographer: I've never seen a dog do that. Why can't I take my picture the way I want to? Listen, there are 40 kids behind you waiting to get their picture taken. Now I'm going to come over there and place you in the position I want you in. I don't want you to move. Okay, put your hands in your lap like this. Oh, I see you've got a scratch on your face, huh?
Erica: Yeah.
Photographer: It's not that noticeable.
Erica: It's noticeable enough.
Photographer: I'll tell you what. You don't have to do this today if you don't want to. I'm coming back next week for retakes.
Erica: Really?
Photographer: Sure. Maybe the scratch will be healed up by then.
Erica: Yeah, that's great. Thanks.
Photographer: No problem. Next!
Erica: Thank you, God.
Whit: Yes, Sam. Can I get you something?
Sam: No, but do you know what the weather's going to be like tomorrow?
Whit: I haven't seen a forecast.
Sam: You think there might be an earthquake or anything?
Whit: Well, I would tend to doubt it. Why?
Sam: I just keep praying that something like that will happen.
Whit: Something like what?
Sam: Oh, an earthquake or a hurricane or, I don't know, anything to get me out of the spelling bee tomorrow.
Whit: I don't think any of those things are going to happen tomorrow, Sam.
Sam: I've got a better chance of a snowstorm happening than me actually spelling a word right.
Whit: I see. Well, praying for a snowstorm is probably not going to do you any good, but then again, neither will worrying about it.
Sam: Don't have anything else to do.
Whit: Oh, I disagree.
Sam: What do you mean?
Whit: Instead of sitting there worrying yourself to death, why don't you do something that'll give you some confidence?
Sam: Like what?
Whit: Practice.
Sam: I tried that. How do you practice spelling?
Whit: Well, you simply do it. Most of the battle with spelling is just concentrating and picturing the word in your mind. Here, I'll help you. I'll give you some words and I want you to try to spell them just like you will on stage tomorrow. Here, we'll start off with a short one. Spell field.
Sam: Field. F-E-I-L-D.
Whit: Okay, here's a general spelling rule you should know. I before E, except after C.
Sam: I before E, except after C.
Whit: Right, now try again. Spell field.
Sam: F-I-E-L-D.
Whit: Very good.
Erica: Hi, Sam. Hi, Mr. Allen.
Sam: Hi, Erica.
Whit: Hi, Erica. You look like you've been exercising.
Erica: No, I just walked all the way here.
Sam: I thought you said your dad fixed your bike.
Erica: He did. I'm not riding that thing until after pictures. I've got to keep my face scratch-free until Thursday.
Whit: Here's some water for you.
Erica: Thanks. Oh, could you take out the straw for me, please? Those things are sharp. Don't want to scratch my face.
Whit: Sure.
Erica: Thanks. Can water give you pimples?
Whit: I don't think so, no.
Erica: Well, good.
Whit: What's this all about, Erica? You're not nervous, are you?
Erica: I'm a wreck. I keep thinking I'm going to get this huge zit on the end of my nose, or I'm going to get the chickenpox, or a passing car is going to fling up a rock and hit me in the face or something.
Whit: I don't understand. You're still praying about this, right?
Erica: Uh-huh.
Whit: Then what are you worried about? You're doing all you can. You're praying and you're being careful. So far it's worked out well. Why torture yourself worrying about imaginary disasters?
Erica: Well, it's hard not to.
Whit: I know it is, but it won't help fretting over something that's pretty much out of your control. I mean, if a stone gets kicked up by a car and hits your face, no amount of worrying is going to prevent it. Have faith. Stop worrying and let God take care of it however he wants to. And you know what else, Erica?
Erica: What?
Whit: Even if your pictures don't turn out the way you want them to, it's not the end of the world. God will help you through that as well.
Sam: Now wait a minute, wait a minute. I don't understand something, Mr. Allen.
Whit: What's that?
Sam: Well, you told me to stop worrying and practice my spelling. Well, you told her to stop worrying and just let God handle it. Why do I have to work, but she doesn't?
Whit: Oh, Sam, there's a difference between your situation and hers. She has no control over her situation, but you do. You see, when it's out of your control, the Bible says that you cannot add time to your life by worrying about it. But when we can do something to help our circumstances, it's wrong to just say we're letting God take care of everything and then do nothing. Get to work.
Sam: Yeah, I see the difference.
Whit: Good. So shall we?
Sam: What?
Whit: Get to work.
Sam: Oh, sure. Go ahead.
Whit: Okay. Spell oh, what's a good word?
Erica: I got one. Chocolate.
Whit: Oh, that's a good one, yes. Okay, Sam, spell chocolate. And don't look at the sign.
Sam: Okay. Chocolate. C-H-O-C-O-L—
Whit: Picture it in your mind.
Sam: C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E.
Whit: Very good.
Mrs. Hodges: And that marks the end of the Academic Olympics. Let's hear it for all our competitors. Lots of difficult words to spell, but you all did very well. We wish we could give you all trophies. You certainly deserve it for all your hard work. But this trophy goes to the winner of this year's Academic Olympics, Kim Peterson. Congratulations, Kim.
Kim: Thanks.
Mrs. Hodges: Yeah, Kim, congratulations. You deserve it.
Kim: You were great, too.
Sam: Yeah, third place isn't too bad. At least for someone who couldn't even spell his own name three days ago. What'd you do last night, read the dictionary?
Kim: Nah, I just stopped worrying.
Whit: Erica, you look excited.
Erica: I got my pictures back.
Whit: How'd they turn out?
Erica: I haven't looked yet. I've got them right here.
Whit: So are you going to open them here?
Erica: I think so. Well, maybe you should.
Whit: A little nervous, are we?
Erica: In a way, but you were right. No matter what these pictures look like, I'll be okay. I'm not worried about it.
Whit: Well, that sounds like a good attitude. Go ahead, open it up. Oh, dear.
Erica: What? What is it?
Whit: Nothing. I'm sorry, I'm joking. They look fine.
Erica: It's a good picture. I look normal, I look normal! I'm not a geek. Hey, you want to look at my pictures? I'm glad you weren't worried about it.
Chris: In Matthew chapter 6, verse 26, Jesus tells us to look at the birds of the air. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your Heavenly Father feeds them. And you know you're worth much more than the birds. Most of us are a lot like Erica in today's adventure. We worry about things that are out of our control, but we are God's most precious creation, and he will take care of us and protect us. Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these other things you need will be given to you. So don't worry about tomorrow, just trust in God. Well, that's all for now. If you ever want to write to us, just send your card or letter to Adventures in Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. Or in Canada write to Box 9800, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4G3. And don't forget to ask about how you can get your own copy of today's episode. It's called W-O-R-R-Y. That address once again is Adventures in Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. Adventures in Odyssey is a presentation of Focus on the Family. W-O-R-R-Y was written by Marshall Younger and directed by Phil Lollar. Our production engineer was Bob Luttrell, and our executive producer was Chuck Bolte. And I'm Chris, hoping you'll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.