The Wall
From time to time, I'll post some things here that I wrote. The featured Wall Post is a project I did for a Prophecy class I took at the Baltimore School of the Bible (
www.bsotb.org). My assignment was to write a short script about how we know God is real. I chose to write about a little girl whose faith was challenged at school. Hope this blesses you or someone you know:
TITLE: UP THERE
FADE IN - EXT OF WILLIAMS HOME – EVENING
MARVIN WILLIAMS, age 42, emerges from his silver Toyota Prius while talking on his cell phone. As he turns to close the door, he drops his briefcase. It flies open and some of his papers are scattered.
MARVIN (leaning against the car)
Look man, I can’t tell you any more than that. I gotta go. I just dropped all of my…
MARVIN looks at the door.
WIDE SHOT – FRONT DOOR
CHERISH WILLIAMS, age 5, bolts out of the front door and jumps into her father’s arms.
CHERISH (smiling)
Daddy!
MARVIN (answering)
Cher-Cher! Hey man, talk to you later.
MARVIN puts the cell phone in his inside jacket pocket.
CHERISH (frowning)
Daddy, why is all your stuff on the ground?
MARVIN (smiling)
Because it jumped out of my suitcase!
CHERISH (giggling)
No it didn’t!
MARVIN puts CHERISH down. She begins to help him gather the papers and they enter the home.
CLOSE UP – INT OF WILLIAMS HOME – KITCHEN – DORINDA, age 40, is making dinner.
DORINDA (calling)
Hey baby, I’m in here.
CHERISH enters the kitchen first, struggling with her father’s suitcase.
MARVIN (walks over to Dorinda and kisses her)
Hey now!
DORINDA (laughs)
You so crazy actin’ – how was your day?
MARVIN (sighs and sits down at the kitchen table)
All I can say is, for the most part it is over. Now I get to enjoy my two favorite women.
CHERISH (puts her hands on her hips)
Daddy, I’m not a women.
DORINDA and MARVIN laugh.
MARVIN (with a serious face)
I’m sorry. You’re right. My little girl.
CHERISH (sits down at the table across from her father)
Daddy?
MARVIN (smiling)
Yes, Cher-Cher?
CHERISH (pauses thoughtfully, then leans forward with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her right forearm)
They laughed at me in school today.
MARVIN steals a glance at DORINDA, then looks back at CHERISH
MARVIN (serious face again)
Why?
CHERISH (tears begin to form in her eyes)
Because for show and tell, I talked about Jesus.
MARVIN walks over to CHERISH, lifts her up and sits back down with her on his lap. DORINDA leaves the kitchen.
MARVIN (in a soft voice)
What did you say?
CHERISH (softly)
I said how Jesus died and came back to life and went to Heaven. Then Josh yelled at me and said it wasn’t true.
MARVIN (in a stronger voice)
Josh is wrong, Cher.
CHERISH (lips trembling)
But everyone laughed!
MARVIN (rubs her arms as he looks in her eyes)
Yes, they did, but you have to forgive them. They don’t know any better.
CHERISH (rubbing her eyes and nodding)
Daddy?
MARVIN (softly)
Yes, Cher?
CHERISH (searching her father’s eyes)
How do you know He is up there? How do you know, for real?
MARVIN (smiling)
That’s easy!
CHERISH (excitedly)
It is?
MARVIN (sets her down so she is standing)
I’ll show you. Go upstairs and bring me your favorite game.
CHERISH runs to get the game. DORINDA enters the kitchen with a Bible and sits across from MARVIN. She places the Bible in the center of the table and smiles at him.
DORINDA (sighs and folds her arms)
Baby, our five-year-old is already being challenged about her faith. The devil is busy.
MARVIN (shaking his head)
That he is. Busy, but defeated.
DORINDA (puts her hand up to get a high five)
I know that’s right Mr. Williams!
MARVIN (returns her gesture, but locks his fingers with hers and stares in her eyes)
Lord, help us.
CHERISH enters the kitchen with the Memory game and climbs back into her father’s lap.
MARVIN (with authority in his voice and pointing to the Bible)
Cher, what is this?
CHERISH (quietly)
The Word of God.
MARVIN (points to the game)
And what is this?
CHERISH (opens the box and begins to place the cards face down on the table in front of the Bible)
Memory.
MARVIN (begins to help her spread out the cards)
Memory is a game. Do you always win?
CHERISH (frowning)
No. Sometimes you or mommy wins it.
MARVIN (smiling)
But sometimes you win too, don’t you?
CHERISH (smiling)
Yes, I like it when I win. It’s more fun.
MARVIN (shuffles the cards around)
Wouldn’t it be nice if you always won?
CHERISH (laughing while she puts her hands on top of her father’s hands)
Yes! Can I go first?
MARVIN (nodding)
Yes.
CHERISH turns over a card to reveal a picture of the front of a mailbox. Then she turns over a card that shows the back of a computer.
CHERISH (frowning, turns the cards back over)
Your turn, daddy.
MARVIN turns over one card and pauses, the card shows the front of a computer. CHERISH gasps and puts her hands over her mouth.
CHERISH (busting at the seams)
Oooooooo! Daddy you’re gonna win already!
MARVIN(seriously)
Cher, this is a game and it has rules. The Bible is not a game, but it does have rules.
CHERISH (turns to look at her father)
What rules?
MARVIN (sits back in his chair)
Remember when I told you about Adam and Eve?
CHERISH (playing with the only card he turned over)
Yes.
MARVIN (seriously)
Well God, our Father told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
CHERISH
Why?
MARVIN
Because if they did, God would be very sad and they could not be friends anymore.
CHERISH
But they ate the fruit, right Daddy?
MARVIN
Yes, they did. And because they did, they lost God as a friend. Everyone was sad – even God. It was like Adam and Eve had forgotten all about God, but God never forgot them.
CHERISH (insistently)
Daddy, are you going to turn over your other card yet?
MARVIN turns over a different card on purpose, saving the victory for CHERISH. CHERISH can hardly contain herself as she turns over the cards that show the front and back of a computer.
CHERISH (grinning and doing a little victory clap)
I got a match! I got a match, Daddy!
DORINDA claps and joins the celebration. MARVIN is still serious. He turns her little face towards his.
MARVIN
How did you do that?
CHERISH (matter-of-factly)
I remembered where it all was.
MARVIN (excitedly)
You saw the cards and you remembered where they were?
CHERISH (smiling)
Yup!
MARVIN
That’s the same thing that happened for us all on this earth. God saw each of us and remembered where we were. He remembered that we weren’t friends anymore. That is why He sent Jesus. Jesus was the only one who could make us friends with Father God again.
CHERISH (eyebrows raised)
Are you His friend?
MARVIN (smiling)
Yes. I love Jesus and He loves me right back. He’s Mommy’s friend too.
DORINDA (nodding)
He sure is.
CHERISH
Am I His friend?
MARVIN
Do you want to be?
CHERISH
Yes!
MARVIN reaches across the table to hold hands with DORINDA.
MARVIN (bowing his head)
Father, Mommy and I thank you for sending Jesus to us so that we could be friends again. Jesus, thank you for dying for our sins and rising from the dead to rescue us from sin and death. You said in your Word that if we say that we believe in you and feel it in our heart that we can be saved and be God’s friend again. Father, Cherish wants to be your friend, too. Guide her young heart.
MARVIN stops praying and begins to speak to CHERISH.
MARVIN (with tears in his eyes)
Cher, repeat after me. Lord, Jesus.
CHERISH
Lord, Jesus.
MARVIN
Come into my heart so I can be friends with God.
CHERISH
Come into my heart so I can be friends with God.
MARVIN
Amen.
CHERISH
Amen! Is He my friend now?
MARVIN
Yes, sweetheart. He is. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that He isn’t.
MARVIN and family walk outside and look up at the stars. DORINDA holds the Bible in her hands.
MARVIN (pointing to the sky)
How do I know He is up there? Because I believe the Word of God and the Word of God tells us that He is up there. Jesus did His work here and now He sits in Heaven next to Father God.
DORINDA (holding up the Bible)
And we can feel Him in our hearts. He will come back to see us again one day. He is coming back to get all of His friends so He can take them to a big party in Heaven!
CHERISH (yelling)
Ooooooo! And I get to go because I’m invited! I want Josh to come too. I am going to tell him about Jesus again. Can I take Memory to school for the next show and tell?
MARVIN (beaming with pride)
Yes baby, you sure can.
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