Family, Relationships, Mother's Day. 3 Females. In this sketch, we are reminded of the bond of love and depth of the emotional connection between family members. Heather is frustrated about having to spend the day caring for her grandmother. When Grandma starts singing a very familiar tune, though, Heather calls for her mother and the women share a touching moment.
Depression, Prayer, Family Crisis. 1 Female, 1 Male, 2 Teens. Doug’s struggle with depression keeps him from going to one of his son’s important basketball games and his wife confronts him. He tries to give her insight into how he’s feeling and admits that he’s “paralyzed” by it. Even his prayers don’t seem to help.
decision making, God's Will, Job Satisfaction, risk taking, Fear. 3 Male, 2 Female (some characters not specific gender). In this sketch, Don is trying to make a decision about a new job with the help of many various voices in his head. A mother, a motivator, a calculator, and a superstitious voice all proffer different kinds of advice all at once and Don struggles to make any decision at all.
Easter, Love Vs. Selfishness, Character, Serving Others. 5 Males, 2 Females, 2 Children. Mini-skits compare and contrast three areas of family, work, and church. Through these skits, we see the crass difference of living in love and mutual respect and selfish living.
Leadership, Worship Teams, Control, Power, Conflict. 4 Male, 2 Female. Pastor Howitzer drops by to give his input at a church Programming/Worship team's weekly evaluation. What starts as a friendly communication becomes a discouraging expression of the pastor's desire for the team. If they're going to work in the vineyard, he wants grapes, not lemons!
Topics: Community, Dating and the Internet, Authenticity, Loneliness. Character: 1 Male. A sketch about community begins as Jim comes home to an empty apartment and turns on his computer for companionship. As a date cancels their outing and various chat room friends fail to deliver the connection Jim desires, he turns to a website for lonely people and an internet creation, "Bob the Internet Friend." Bob's valiant attempt to converse with Jim ends with Jim hugging his computer and erasing all his files.
Topics: Leadership, Pride, Truth-Telling, Humility. Characters: 1 Male, 1 Female. The Elder meeting is about whether or not Pastor Greg should be fired. He waits outside the meeting room and tries to elicit empathy from Marge, his secretary. Marge is compassionate, but shares her own truthful words. The words she speaks and task she gives him break his attitude of pride.
Christmas, Family Conflict, Hardship, Unemployment. 3 Males (2 teens or pre-teens), 1 Female. The stress that the holidays can put on a family is readily apparent in this skit about Vic, who has been out of work for six months. Jodie wants to put up a tree to celebrate a holiday they can barely afford, the kids are upset about the lack of presents, and they want to eat something other than macaroni and cheese for once. The family must deal with doubt, frustration, and stress as they try to find hope during this trying time.
Father's Day, Parenting, Family Conflict. 2 Males. The father/son relationship is put on trial in this sketch as a father confronts the toughest issues that come with a teenage son. Inability to communicate effectively, masking of feelings, and expressing love are all challenges solved through sensitivity and patience and the love of a father for his son.
Marriage Demands, Family Conflict, Communication, Intimacy. 1 Male, 1 Female. In this sketch, Paul and Liz are beginning to see a rift in their marriage as the constant demands of kids, work, and life in general are leaving little time for communication between the two. Liz has shut down because of the lack of attention of Paul, and so Paul takes a step in the right direction by admitting his fear that this road could lead to divorce.