Theme: God’s offer of grace is a standing offer. (Romans 6:12-14)

Length: 3-4 minutes
Characters: Mark & Janet Campbell
Scene/Props: A kitchen with table and chairs. You also need a portable phone, a laundry basket full of clothes, a notepad and pen, stapler, paper clips and whiteout.

Synopsis: Recently laid off of work, Mark calls his contacts in search of a new a new job. But the market is tough and the outlook grim. When all seems hopeless he finally returns to the standing offer made years ago by his father to join the family business.

Excerpt:

(LIGHTS UP on MARK who paces near the table, speaking on the phone. He is driven by a sense of frustration and urgency, but puts on an outward appearance of congeniality).

MARK: Greg, how’s it going? Mark Campbell. Heard the news, huh? Yeah, thanks. Not bad. I’m putting out feelers right now…shaking a few trees…you know. I’ve got some leads. No, I’m fine. Really. Say, what’s the hiring outlook for your company? Yeah. I see. No, I understand, it’s okay. If anything changes, give me a call. Sure, you too. Okay. Bye.

(He hangs up the phone, sits at the table with a worried frown and scribbles on a pad of paper. His wife, JANET, enters with a laundry basket of clothes. She drops the basket on the table and starts to fold.)

JANET: Any luck?

(Mark looks up, sighs, leans back in the chair and stretches.)

MARK: Absolutely. Anytime half your prospects aren’t in meetings you’re doing great. Sure seems different sitting on this end of the phone line.

(Janet pulls a large sweatshirt out of the basket and stretches it out by the arms.)

JANET: I bought this sweatshirt six months ago and Kevin, our teenage son with the incredible appetite, is already outgrowing it. I’m at grocery store so often they all know my first name.

MARK: See if they’ll hire you.

JANET: I spend even more time chauffeuring kids around so I was thinking of going for a taxi driver. They get tips.