Snapshots

Without realizing it, the snapshots revealed a change in the lives of each of them when they became followers of Christ. They begin to reflect on what God did in their lives to bring such a change and how that has effected the lives of all the family. In scene three, another generation passes and we see that same young couple from the beginning now as great-grandparents, and the children from the earlier scenes as parents and grandparents. As they recall the family that had the most influence in their lives years before to bring them to Christ, we are also hearing how the younger generation is reaching out to others in the same influencial way. Make-up is needed to age a few of the actors between scenes.

Cast of 12 plus extras. (4 women, 2 men, 6 children – at least 1 boy and 2 girls) About 30 mins.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

REBEKAH: Starts out as a young mother, unsaved, then she is a godly grandmother and finally a great-grandmother.

BRIAN: Rebekah’s husband who starts out unsaved, not connected with his family and ends as a godly old man.

TAYLOR: The adult son who is a father and then finally a grandfather in the last scene.

LISA: Taylor’s wife, who like him ages to a grandparent.

YOUNG ANGELA: Taylor and Lisa’s young daughter.

ANGELA: Same Angela, now an adult and a mother.

YOUNG TAYLOR: Taylor as a child

TAMARA: Taylor’s sister

TAMMY: Tamara as a young grandmother many years later.

SKYE: Angela’s child

TANNER: Angela’s child

SAWYER: Tammy’s grandchild

Excerpt:

YOUNG ANGELA
What’s this big book?
REBEKAH
That’s my photo album.
YOUNG ANGELA
Can we look at it?
REBEKAH
Sure! Let me hold it and turn the pages and you come sit next to me.
(She gets the album and they get set to look at it)
YOUNG ANGELA
Who are these people?
REBEKAH
That is me and that is your grandpa.
YOUNG ANGELA
Really? Wow! You look really different. Is this your wedding?
REBEKAH
Yes. That was a long time ago. I have gotten a lot older.
YOUNG ANGELA
Boy! I’ll say! (They continue to turn the pages) Who are these children?
REBEKAH
This is your father. And this is your Aunt Tammy.
YOUNG ANGELA
These are funny pictures! Everybody looks so strange.
REBEKAH
Really?
YOUNG ANGELA
Who is this woman? She seems so sad.
REBEKAH
That is my mother, your great grandmother. She passed away a few years ago. Do you remember her?
YOUNG ANGELA
No, not really. Why is she so sad?
REBEKAH
It was her birthday. Birthdays made her sad.
YOUNG ANGELA
Birthdays made her sad? I love birthdays! Birthdays make me happy!
REBEKAH
Yes. That’s the way it should be.
YOUNG ANGELA
Everyone in this picture looks sad. Even you and my dad and Aunt Tammy.
REBEKAH
Well we didn’t have a lot to be happy about in those days.
YOUNG ANGELA
How come?
REBEKAH
Oh…we were just busy doing what we thought we should do to be happy…or have fun or whatever. But we really weren’t. There was just something missing.
YOUNG ANGELA
Where is Grandpa? He’s missing from this picture. Did he take the picture?
REBEKAH
He wasn’t there. He didn’t like going to family gatherings back in those days.
YOUNG ANGELA
He likes to now, doesn’t he?
REBEKAH
Oh yes. Things changed for the better. Here, just turn a few more pages and you should see some happier pictures.
YOUNG ANGELA
Is that my dad? He looks really happy there!
REBEKAH
Yes, he was! He joined a bible club at church and he had won an award for memorizing the most verses.
YOUNG ANGELA
I should ask him if he can still remember those verses! He could say them for me.
REBEKAH
Yes! You should do that! Let me know what he says.
YOUNG ANGELA
(She keeps turning the pages back and forth looking at the former pages)
This is amazing! Look at the difference! You seem like different people from this page to this page. Nobody is sad anymore in these pictures!
REBEKAH
There is a good reason for that, Angela.
YOUNG ANGELA
Tell me! I want to know!
Lisa enters the room
LISA
Here you are. What are you doing?
YOUNG ANGELA
Hi Mom. We’re looking at Grandma’s picture book.
LISA
The famous photo album. I remember looking at that once.
YOUNG ANGELA
Grandma was just going to tell me how come the pictures got happier from this page to this page!
LISA
The pictures got happier?
REBEKAH
I was just about to explain. Do you have time?
LISA
Sure. We’re in no hurry. Taylor is meeting me here. I just talked to him on his cell. But you have me curious now. I want to hear how the pictures got happier.
YOUNG ANGELA
Well, it’s not really the pictures that are happier, but the people IN the pictures!
LISA
You don’t say.
REBEKAH
Well, this is the reason. Our family didn’t know the Lord back when all these early pictures were taken. None of us were Christians.
YOUNG ANGELA
You mean, you didn’t know who Jesus was?
REBEKAH
Right. We really didn’t. We had heard of Him, but we didn’t know Him as our Savior.
YOUNG ANGELA
Really? So you were lost? Like all the lost people in the world? And my dad was lost? And Grandpa? And Aunt Tammy?
REBEKAH
That’s right. We were just like all the lost people in the world.
YOUNG ANGELA
Did somebody tell you about Jesus?
REBEKAH
Eventually, yes. I’m sure you know this part, Lisa.
LISA
I’m not sure I do. Taylor told me that your family didn’t used to be Christians, but I don’t think I ever heard how it happened.
REBEKAH
No kidding! Well, how exciting to be able to tell both of you this wonderful story. It all started with a little boy named Chad.
LISA
Chad Wilkinson? Taylor’s friend?
REBEKAH
He’s the one. His dad was your father’s soccer coach. Bob used to pray before all the games. Well, my husband was very upset about that, and he decided to have a talk with Bob Wilkinson. I wasn’t there, and I don’t know exactly what they talked about, but things were different after that. Somehow, he got through to your grandfather, and he decided to let go of the whole prayer issue. Bob Wilkinson was such a nice man, that he just won your grandfather over.
LISA
So what does this have to do with Chad?
REBEKAH
Chad kept inviting Taylor to church and we would always tell him that he couldn’t go because we didn’t want them to try to brainwash him or something.
YOUNG ANGELA
Brainwash? What is that?
LISA
It means that they thought the Christians could talk him into becoming one, too. And he would change and would start thinking differently, as though his brain had gotten washed out. So, that makes the expression, brainwashed.
YOUNG ANGELA
But that would be a good thing!
LISA
Yeah, it would. But becoming a Christian is not really something that happens in your brain, it’s something that happens in your heart.