True Calling

#555: “True Calling”

 General   Crew   Links 

Paired with

[[{{{split}}}|“{{{split}}}”]]

Airdate

November 20, 2004

Last aired

March 18, 2024 ↓

• March 18, 2024
  
• February 2, 2021
  
• February 20, 2018
  
• May 13, 2017
  
• April 27, 2015
  
• August 13, 2012
  
• March 16, 2010
  
• September 19, 2007
  
• June 21, 2005
  
• November 20, 2004
  

Original Release Date

{{{rel_date}}}

Date Recorded

{{{rec_date}}}

Recorded at

[[{{{rec_location}}}]]

Album

43: Along for the Ride

Album

43: Along for the Ride ↓

• 43: Along for the Ride
• Get in the Show! 2017

Cassette No.

{{{cassette}}}

Intro

Normal

Intros

Click to show or hide ↓

• Normal
• Character (Whit)
• Previews

Wraps

Narration

Wraps

Click to show or hide ↓

• Narration
• Normal

Theme

Fear

Genre

[[:Category:{{{genre}}} Episodes| {{{genre}}}]]

Scripture

Numbers 14:1-45

¹That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.

²All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! ³Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" ⁴And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." ⁵Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. ⁶Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." ¹⁰But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. ¹¹The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? ¹²I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." ¹³Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. ¹⁴And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, ¹⁶'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.' ¹⁷"Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ¹⁸'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' ¹⁹In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now." ²⁰The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. ²¹Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, ²²not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-- ²³not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. ²⁴But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. ²⁵Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea." ²⁶The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ²⁷"How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. ²⁸So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: ²⁹In this desert your bodies will fall--every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. ³⁰Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ³¹As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. ³²But you--your bodies will fall in this desert. ³³Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. ³⁴For forty years--one year for each of the forty days you explored the land--you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.' ³⁵I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die." ³⁶So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it-- ³⁷these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. ³⁸Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. ³⁹When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. ⁴⁰Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the LORD promised." ⁴¹But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the Lord's command? This will not succeed! ⁴²Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, ⁴³for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword." ⁴⁴Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from the camp.

⁴⁵Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

Songs Included

[[{{{song}}}]]

Inventions Used

[[{{{invention}}}]]

Featured Charity

[[{{{charity}}}]]

Short Used

[[{{{short}}}]]

Spanish Name

{{{spanish_name}}}

Spanish Airdate

Soundtrack length

{{{soundtrack}}}

Previous title

“{{{name2}}}”

Host

Chris Anthony

Written by

Bob Hoose

Directed by

Bob Hoose

Produced by

Marshal Younger
Allen Hurley
Bob Hoose

Executive Producer

Paul McCusker

Post-Production by

Allen Hurley

Production Assistant

[[{{{production_assistant}}}]]

Engineered by

Allen Hurley

Music by

John Campbell

Songs by

Unknown

Purchase episode

Buy from US (FOTF)
Buy from US (CBD)
Buy from Canada
Buy from Amazon
Buy from iTunes

Other websites

Official Site
AIOHQ
Odyssey Library
Odyssey Scoop
Soda Fountain

Promo

Sample

Call Me if You Care

True Calling

And That's the Truth

“True Calling” is episode #555 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Bob Hoose, and originally aired on November 20, 2004.

Summary

Liz Horton tries to persuade Irving and Solly, two men from Odyssey Retirement Home, to come out of retirement to perform a magic act.

Plot

What do a bad guidance counselor, a girl with big dreams and an outdated magician act have in common? They can all get easily discouraged and worry too much.

In this episode, Mandy Straussberg is discouraged by the substitute guidance counselor. He tells her she can never accomplish her dreams and is crazy to even try. His mother once told him he couldn’t do what he wanted, either, and that he needed to find something more sensible to pursue. For this reason, he got into counseling, even though he is really bad at it.

On the other hand, a team of magicians who were famous in their day are hired to be the entertainment at the school’s end of the year assembly. They back out right before the show because they fear they are too old to perform for the kids. Mr. Whittaker has them talk to Mandy to tell her she should quit writing. They disagree and say that if writing is what she is meant for, then a writer is what she will be! This causes them to realize they are being silly as well and the show goes on as planned! Listen in as the magic troupe of Mendelsohn & Greenfarb give us a lesson in overcoming fear to accomplish and the fulfillment found in following your dreams.

This plot section is too short and should be expanded. »

Discussion Questions

There are no discussion questions listed for this episode. »

Cast

Role	Voice Actor
Mr. Douglas	Corey Burton
Irving Greenfarb	Corey Burton
John Whittaker	Paul Herlinger
Liz Horton	Lauren Schaffel
Mandy Straussberg	Aria Curzon
Solly Mendelson	Hamilton Camp

Notes

• Mandy Straussberg mentions she is fourteen in this episode, though later in #597: “Out of Our Hands” she would state that she is twelve.
• Mr. Douglas states in this episode that he is substituting for a Mrs. Buchanan. Kathy Buchanan wrote several episodes in this album, but Bob Hoose only wrote one: this episode, and he wrote it singlehandedly. Mr. Douglas's line could be a reference to this fact.
• This is the second episode to feature an aptitude test that gives poor results — the first being #351: “What Are You Gonna Do with Your Life?”.
• Solly and Irving mention during this episode that they performed at The Palace, a famous vaudeville theater in New York City.

Quotes

Solly Mendelson: The early bird gets the worm...
Irving Greenfarb: ... but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese!

---

Irving Greenfarb: Mr. Mendelson, I just bought a new hearing aid! It cost me $4,000, but it's the latest technology!
Solly Mendelson: Really? What kind is it?
Irving Greenfarb: 12:30