Decisions, Decisions
The Situation
It is Sunday morning at 9:05am. You are early for Zone, but you decide to go on into the room and see if anyone else is hanging out yet. As you walk in, the cool blast of the air conditioner welcomes you and Tim, one of the students your age, greets you from across the room. He had been playing video games but he sets down the controller and asks if you want to play ping-pong. Without hesitating you decide that it is a good suggestion, so Tim hands you a paddle and takes his place on the opposite side of the net from you. As you play, Tim asks you if you are excited for your first day of school and the two of you banter back and forth for the next few moments about how great the summer was, and which lunch will be the greatest lunch period and which teachers to avoid.
Just then Tim hits the ping-pong ball over your head. You turn and watch as the ball scurries across the orange carpet, and disappears underneath the closet door. You had never noticed that closet before and as you walk up to open it and retrieve the ball, you wonder what different things might be in this mysterious closet. The door squeaks open and you struggle for a second to find the light switch. As light floods the once dark room, your eyes focus on an object next to the runaway ping-pong ball. At first you think that it is someone’s credit card, but as you stoop to pick it up you realize that it is a gift card of some sort. “Whoa!” Tim exclaims, looking over your shoulder and realizing what the object is before you can. Tim’s excitement helps you realize what you are holding. This gift card is a pass for one person and a guest to see an unlimited amount of movies, anytime they want for the entire year! You have never seen something so cool, or found something that cool, in your entire life. Both Tim and yourself cannot make a sound for the longest time. Then you realize that you need to make a decision. Should you…A) Tell the Youth Pastor about the gift card, knowing full well that he probably won’t let you keep the card. Or…B) Keep the card a secret between just you and Tim….you know, at least for a little while.
Decision #1
A. Tell the Youth Pastor about the gift card, knowing full well that he probably won’t let you keep the card.
You and Tim decide that the best thing to do would be to turn the card into the Youth Pastor. After all it is the right thing to do. However, later in the morning, you learn that the Youth Pastor is out sick and won’t be around all day. You and Tim decide to hold onto the card until Wednesday night; this is something you really should give to the Pastor directly. After church, your family decides to go out to eat at Chipotle, your favorite. As you are finishing up your burrito, you see Tim and his family eating across the restaurant. Tim comes up to you and proposes an idea. He says that since the two of you won’t be able to turn in the gift card until Wednesday, what if the two of you were to use the gift card later that afternoon to see a movie. Nobody would know, and the card is unlimited and it won’t take any value from the card. Tim’s logic was pretty good, but you were still faced with a decision. Should you….C) Take Tim up on his offer to use the gift card to see a movie that afternoon….or D) Tell Tim that it isn’t a good idea and the two of you should not mess with the gift card until you talk to the Youth Pastor.
Decision #1
B) Keep the card a secret between just you and Tim….you know, at least for a little while.
If the card is lost, then no one would know that you have it. So why shouldn’t you keep it for a while and then turn it in, right? You still aren’t quite sure about this, but Tim is very convincing. After church, your family decides to go out to eat at Chipotle, your favorite. As you are finishing up your burrito, you see Tim and his family eating across the restaurant. Tim comes up to you and proposes an idea. He says that since the two of you have in your possession a gift card that will allow you to see free movies, why not take advantage of it for the next few days. Nobody would know, and the card is unlimited and it won’t take any value from the card. Tim’s logic was pretty good. You ask your parents if they can take you and Tim to the movies. They say that they are fine with it, so they give you and Tim a ride over to the movie theatre. They even give you enough money to pay for the movie and get some snacks. As you walk up to the ticket counter, you realize that the movie you want to go to doesn’t start for half an hour. Tim suggests going next door to the store and spending the money your parents gave you, since you have a free movie pass anyways. Once again you have a decision to make. Should you…E) Tell Tim no, spend your parents money at the movie and leave the gift card in your pocket…or F) Agree with Tim and walk over to the store to spend your parents money that was intended for the movies.
Decision #2
C) Take Tim up on his offer to use the gift card to see a movie that afternoon.
Alright, you think, it might not hurt to use the gift card to see a movie before you turn it in, I mean after all, shouldn’t you be rewarded for your great find? Tim’s parents offer to take the two of you to the movies, and they even give both of you money for you movie tickets. Now you are starting to feel a little bit guilty. Up until this point, you didn’t even need the gift card you found; the gift card that belongs to someone else. As the two of you go to buy your tickets, you realize that there is still a half an hour before your movie, and Tim’s parents have already left after dropping the two of you off. Tim has an idea. You can go play the arcade games in the movie theatre with the money Tim’s parents gave you; the gift card can pay for the movie tickets like they originally planned. No one has to know and it would look more suspicious if they returned from the movies with extra money, after all. As you think this suggestion over, you walk over to the glass doors to pier in at the video games. Just then you see two of your friends from church, Susie and Emily playing the arcade games. It would be really fun, after all, it isn’t very often that you have extra money for arcade games. And Emily and Susie are two of your best friends from the youth group. The decision is yours. Should you…G) Use the gift card for your movie tickets and spend Tim’s parents’ money on arcade games…or H) Tell Tim that you really should spend the money on what it was intended. After all you agreed to turn in the gift card to the Youth Pastor.
Decision #2
D) Tell Tim that it isn’t a good idea and the two of you should not mess with the gift card until you talk to the Youth Pastor.
You realize that by using the gift card you are using someone else’s property without asking. Maybe no one will find out, but you and Tim would know, so you decide that no matter how tempting it is, you should not use the gift card. Tim doesn’t seem to agree with you at first, but after a while he too thinks that doing the right thing is important. So you decide to tell your parents about the card, so that the temptation doesn’t become too great. Your parents tell you how proud of you they are for not spending the gift card. The plan is to have your parent’s hold onto the card until you get it back to the Youth Pastor. Wednesday night comes and you decide to go to youth group a little bit early to meet with the Youth Pastor about the card. When you are done telling the Pastor about the find and what you did with it, he tells you that he is very proud of you for turning in the card. He says that he has been looking for the gift card everywhere, that it belongs to a kid in the church who had terminal cancer. The movie theatre had made the special gift card just for him, because the kid loves movies and they wanted him to have something special during his illness. The Youth Pastor went on to say that if you had tried to use the card, it wouldn’t work because when they scan the card they check for an ID. If someone tried to use the gift card, the youth pastor said that they would be in big trouble with the theatre. Your youth pastor asks you if anyone else knew about the card, because he wanted to thank everyone involved for returning the card. What do you do? I) Tell the pastor that Tim knew about it, but he constantly was trying to get you to use the gift card and he probably shouldn’t get any kind of a reward for his actions….or J) Tell the pastor that Tim also had found the card with you and together you had decided to turn the card in to the pastor.
Decision #2
E) Tell Tim no, spend your parents money at the movie and leave the gift card in your pocket.
You decide that God is giving you a second chance to do the right thing. You keep the gift card in your pocket and you buy your tickets for the movie with the money your parents gave you. After the movie, you decide to call your youth pastor and tell him about the gift card. You explain how you at first choice to keep the find a secret, but at the movies you decided to do the right thing. Your pastor is disappointed that you wanted to keep something so valuable a secret at first, but he’s proud you for ultimately making the right choice. The gift card belongs to a kid at the church who is dying of cancer, and the gift card was the theatre’s way of encouraging him, since he wants to be a movie producer when he grows up. If you had tried to use the card, you would have been in big trouble with the theatre. The theatre always asks for an id when the gift card is used. He tells you that like everything else in life, there are consequences for your actions, and at first you didn’t tell the truth. He asks you if anyone else was involved in finding the card or if you found it by yourself. Once again you have a choice to make. Should you…K) Tell the pastor that Tim also knew about the card and was helping you make decisions from the very beginning….or L) Take whatever the punishment is alone, because there is no need for both you and Tim to be in trouble; besides friends don’t rat each other out.
Decision #2
F) Agree with Tim and walk over to the store to spend your parents money that was intended for the movies.
The store has a sale on video games and both you and Tim are able to buy a game for your DS with the money that your parents gave you for the movie. After you buy the video games, you walk back to the movies to buy your tickets. Tim needs to use the restroom, so he asks you to get the tickets. As you approach the ticket window, you tell the attendant which movie you want to see and you slap down the shinny gift card. The attendant takes the card and swipes it through the computer. He asks to see your I.D. and you realize that you left it in your parent’s car. You realize that things are not going well at this point. The attendant then asks you if you are Carl Thompson. Quickly, you realize that Carl Thompson must be the owner of the gift card. You don’t have any proof that you are Carl Thompson, but you also don’t have any proof that you aren’t Carl Thompson. The attendant doesn’t seem too concerned, it appears that he is simply doing his job and he needs to confirm that the card belongs to this Carl guy. Tim overhears what is happening, but decides to stand back and wait to see what you will do. The choice is yours and yours alone. Should you…M) admit that you are not Carl Thompson and you found the gift card on the ground….or N) Claim to be Carl Thompson, what is the worst that could happen after all? The employee just wants you to say yes so he can go about the rest of his life.
Decision #3
G) Use the gift card for your movie tickets and spend Tim’s parents’ money on arcade games.
Susie and Emily are good friends and it isn’t everyday that you get to spend money at an arcade; so you agree to spend the money Tim’s parents gave you and Tim at the arcade. You have an amazing time at the arcade playing games like “Dance, Dance, Revolution” and “Guitar Hero.” Tim tells Susie and Emily about the gift card, and you start to get nervous that you are going to get in trouble. Nervously you remind Tim that you are late to your movie and you say your good byes to Emily and Susie. Tim says that he will get the tickets and that you should wait by the arcade and see if you still have enough money left for popcorn. As you count the money in your pocket, you hear a commotion by the ticket counter. Three security guards have approached the window wear Tim is getting your tickets. The employees look really upset and the security guards start to lead Tim to the manager’s office. How could something like this happen? One second you are going to church and the next one of your friends is being kind of arrested! Just then, Tim points at you and you realize that Tim told the security guards that the two of you were together.
The manager closes the door and starts to explain that the gift card that the two of you found belongs to a boy who has cancer named Carl Thompson. Carl is a very special kid who wants to be a movie producer when he grows up. He has cancer and is not expected to live much longer. The manager goes on to say that you and Tim should have turned the card in to the authorities. Tim said that he was Carl at the ticket counter and because of his deception, the two of you are not allowed back in the movie theatre for the entire semester. If you and Tim have learned your lesson after that period of time you would be allowed to come back to the theater.
This seems like a harsh punishment, but you suppose it could have been worse. Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
H) Tell Tim that you really should spend the money on what it was intended. After all you agreed to turn in the gift card to the Youth Pastor.
Tim calls you a baby and takes his parents money and spends half on the arcade for himself and half on a movie for himself. He leaves you by yourself outside of the movie theatre, with nothing but the gift card in your pocket. What a friend Tim turned out to be!? Now you can’t even go to the movie. At least you know you did the right thing. You never thought that the gift card would be so tempting, even after you agreed to do the right thing in the first place! Temptation just got stronger the longer the card was in your possession. You call your parents and tell them about the situation and about the gift card. You learn later that the card belonged to a kid from your church who has cancer, Carl Thompson. Apparently the gift card was a gift to him from the theater. How horrible would it have been if you let Tim talk you in to spending Carl’s present? You could have gotten into loads of trouble.
Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
I) Tell the pastor that Tim knew about it, but he constantly was trying to get you to use the gift card and he probably shouldn’t get any kind of a reward for his actions.
Your pastor explains to you that sometimes making the right decision, the decision that God wants you to make means doing the unpopular thing. Even though Tim gave you a hard time, he can tell that it was your decision to make from the very beginning. Because Tim was so difficult, the pastor doesn’t think that he will appreciate the reward he has in store for you. The “reward” is a chance to meet Carl, the boy who owns the gift card. He wants you to come with him to visit him and bring him lunch three times a week. You think this is a great idea. Carl Thompson is extremely grateful that he got his gift card back. He wants to be a movie director someday and he tells you all about his favorite movies. Carl becomes a really good friend, and even though he is much younger than you, you learn a great deal about life and about Jesus’ love for you through Carl’s life.
You may not have met Carl, and you may not have learned the valuable lessons you learned that week if it wasn’t for that morning in the Zone room. Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
J) Tell the pastor that Tim also had found the card with you and together you had decided to turn the card in to the pastor.
Your pastor explains to you that sometimes making the right decision, means sacrificing the thing that looks most appealing. Because the two of you made the right decision, he has a reward for both of you. The “reward” is a chance to meet Carl, the boy who owns the gift card. He wants you and Tim to come with him to visit him and bring him lunch three times a week. You think this is a great idea. Carl Thompson is extremely grateful that he got his gift card back. He wants to be a movie director someday and he tells you all about his favorite movies. Carl becomes a really good friend to both you and Tim, and even though he is much younger than you, you learn a great deal about life and about Jesus’ love for you through Carl’s life. Carl even got the movie theatre to change the gift card from “one free person and a guest,” to “one free person and two guests,” so that You, Carl and Tim can go to the movies anytime you want.
You may not have met Carl, and you may not have learned the valuable lessons you learned that week if it wasn’t for that morning in the Zone room. Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
K) Tell the pastor that Tim also knew about the card and was helping you make decisions from the very beginning.
At first, Tim is really mad at you for ratting on him to youth pastor. After a while, he cools down and realizes that it was half his fault that you were being punished. As you report to the pastor’s office, he fills you in on what your “punishment” is. He is asking you and Tim to meet him after school three days a week, to cook dinner for a boy named Carl Thompson, who owned the gift card that you found. . Carl Thompson is extremely grateful that he got his gift card back. He wants to be a movie director someday and he tells you all about his favorite movies. Carl becomes a really good friend to both you and Tim, and even though he is much younger than you, you learn a great deal about life and about Jesus’ love for you through Carl’s life. Carl even got the movie theatre to change the gift card from “one free person and a guest,” to “one free person and two guests,” so that You, Carl and Tim can go to the movies anytime you want.
You may not have met Carl, and you may not have learned the valuable lessons you learned that week if it wasn’t for that morning in the Zone room. Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
L) Take whatever the punishment is alone, because there is no need for both you and Tim to be in trouble; besides friends don’t rat each other out.
As you report to the pastor’s office, he fills you in on what your “punishment” is. He is asking you to meet him after school three days a week, to cook dinner for a boy named Carl Thompson, who owned the gift card that you found. . Carl Thompson is extremely grateful that he got his gift card back. He wants to be a movie director someday and he tells you all about his favorite movies. You realize that Tim might want to meet Carl. One day you bring Tim with you to visit Carl and you explain how Tim helped you find the gift card also. Carl becomes a really good friend to both you and Tim, and even though he is much younger than you, you learn a great deal about life and about Jesus’ love for you through Carl’s life. Carl even got the movie theatre to change the gift card from “one free person and a guest,” to “one free person and two guests,” so that You, Carl and Tim can go to the movies anytime you want.
You may not have met Carl, and you may not have learned the valuable lessons you learned that week if it wasn’t for that morning in the Zone room. Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
M) Admit that you are not Carl Thompson and you found the gift card on the ground.
As soon as you say those words, the employee asks you to follow him. He leads you down a long hallway and to his manager’s office. The manager has you sit down and he explains that the Carl Thompson is a little boy that has cancer and the gift card that you found is a special card made especially for him to see movies. The manager would hate for someone to take advantage of Carl, so he is very proud of the fact that you admitted that you are not Carl. It would have been so easy just to say yes. Free movies are a very tempting offer. Because of your honesty, the manager is giving you a pass to see one free movie with a guest.
As you leave the managers office, you find Tim and tell him everything that happened. You are ashamed that you kept the gift card and didn’t turn it in right away, but you didn’t lie about being Carl, and that was the right decision. You also decide that you should tell your youth pastor what happened. He was disappointed in you but happy that you eventually did the right thing. You even got to meet Carl once. He seems like a really cool kid.
Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
Decision #3
N) Claim to be Carl Thompson, what is the worst that could happen after all? The employee just wants you to say yes so he can go about the rest of his life.
As soon as you say that you are Carl Thompson, the employee’s demeanor changes instantaneously. He calls for security and two large men escort you briskly to the manager’s office. A few moments pass, and a know comes on the door. The door opened and there stood Tim. Tim admits that he was with me and takes his seat.
The manager closes the door and starts to explain that the gift card that the two of you found belongs to a boy who has cancer named Carl Thompson. Carl is a very special kid who wants to be a movie producer when he grows up. He has cancer and is not expected to live much longer. The manager goes on to say that you and Tim should have turned the card in to the authorities. Saying that you are someone else is very serious business. When you said that you were Carl at the ticket counter you lied and because of your deception, the two of you are not allowed back in the movie theatre for the entire semester. If you and Tim have learned your lesson after that period of time you would be allowed to come back to the theater.
This seems like a harsh punishment, but you suppose it could have been worse. Who would have known that so much excitement could come from finding something in a random closet at church? You have definitely learned your lesson about how important the decisions you make everyday are. God wants you to make godly decisions that reflect the fact that you follow Jesus. That was a story you will never forget!
The End.
