This is such a funny holiday to me, but one I enjoy. There was a pretty famous movie by the same title as well where a man relives the same day over and over. That day happens to be February 2! The idea of reliving the same day may sound great or awful depending on what that day was like. I watched a short portion of the video from Pennsylvania this morning. The gentleman speaking mentioned that this year has felt a lot like that movie in many ways, but there is hope. A new day is rising every day and we can look forward to what that day can bring. I loved that perspective as a Christian, knowing that the Lord consistently gives us new days!
I love that Adventures in Odyssey has a couple of fun episodes along this theme. Even if you don’t really think about this silly little holiday very much, it is a great day to listen to them if you have never done so! You can find both on the Adventures in Odyssey Club.
From Album 56: The Grand Design Groundhog Jay After Jay pushes Priscilla into an unexpected trip in the Room of Consequence, the two of them experience the same event over and over again.
From Album 33: Virtual Realities The Eternal Birthday Liz experiences her birthday over and over again.
Is there a day you would like to experience again?
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
We absolutely love working our way through the Adventures in Odyssey Christmas episodes! Have you listened to the Countdown to Christmas Album? If not it is the perfect place to begin! Once you are done with that one, pop back here and take a lot at a few more Christmas episodes from the Adventures in Odyssey Club to enjoy!
(I also happen to know the newest album, only available on the Adventures in Odyssey Club currently has a Christmas episode! A new episode will be featured each week from now until January 19!!!!)
Prepare for Christmas with 24 Adventures in Odyssey episodes designed to help your family understand Christmas in a new and meaningful way.
Club Season 1 All By Myself Wooton is quarantined in his house and has to find ways to entertain himself. Meanwhile, Penny tries to re-create a mountaintop experience in her faith.
Club Season 3 Un-Tech the Halls The Parkers decide to unplug their gadgets and make family memories by searching for a Christmas tree.
Club Season 5 Beyond Repair With Pastor Knox along for support, a nervous young woman finally visits the prisoner who betrayed her.
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
You may not recognize this pup below unless you have watched through the Adventures in Odyssey Animated series.
This is Sherman and he was a major part of the cartoon series created about the town of Odyssey. Although animals are not main characters in the audio series, there are a number of stand-out episodes that feature animals!
Album 08: Beyond Expectations All’s Well With Boswell When Robyn gets her first real babysitting job, it turns out to be more of an adventure than she could ever imagine!
Album 20: A Journey of Choices Pet Peeves Donna Barclay tries to cope with all the change going on in her life by adopting a stray dog.
Album 29: Signed, Sealed & Committed Viva La Difference The Mulligans take in some of the animals when the Connellsville Zoo closes down.
Album 30: Through Thick & Thin Leap of Faith The Mulligan family and their animals are threatened when heavy rains wash away a levee upriver from their farm.
Album 34: In Your Wildest Dreams The Lyin’ Tale Aubrey’s tale of being scared by a cat seems to become more life-threatening with every telling.
Sunset Bowlawater Mandy Straussberg’s goldfish narrates the story of his untimely death.
Album 43: Along for the Ride Potential Possibilities When Trent is put in the gifted class at school, he wonders if he’ll survive his first week. Meanwhile, Aubrey Shepard learns that she has a real talent with horses.
Album 44: Eugene Returns! The Invisible Dog Eugene teaches at Odyssey Middle School as a substitute. Meanwhile, Lester shows everyone his new pet–an invisible dog.
Album 51: Take It From the Top For the Birds Camilla Parker desperately wants a pet, but her family seems to suffer from the “Parker Family Pet Curse.” To prove her responsibility, Camilla takes care of a baby blue jay
Album 63: Up in the Air Crash Course When getting lessons from Connie is a disaster, Jules turns to Odyssey’s newest licensed driver Buck Oliver to teach her how to drive.
Club Season Seven Badges of Honor Lagging behind other girls in their troop, Olivia and Zoe set out to earn as many merit badges as they can.
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Are you looking for something new and engaging than the traditional episodes of Adventures in Odyssey?!? Some of my favorite and extremely different Adventures in Odyssey stories are the Passages episodes. They center around an alternative world, called Marus. Individuals from our world find themselves transported unexpectedly into a world they’ve never known, yet seems strangely familiar.
Passages: Fletcher’s Rebellion, Part 1 of 2 A woman named Alice tells an incredible story about how she and Tom Riley’s son, Timmy, traveled to another world called Marus.
We are first introduced to the Passages stories in the first two episodes of Album 34, In Your Wildest Dreams. Another extremely unique aspect of this episode is that we hear more about Tom Riley’s son, Timmy, who drowned when he was young saving another young man’s life. It is a sad story that is sometimes referenced, but until these episodes we have not really encountered Timmy.
As you listen to the story you will begin to recognized hints and shadows of stories you have heard before from Scripture. In many ways they are similar to the tales from Narnia in this. God is referred to as The Unseen One. Events, although not categorically exact, echo those from biblically historical accounts. It definitely gives a new perspective and appreciation for things you may have known for years.
Fletcher’s Rebellion parallels the story of Gideon. As you listen with your kids encourage them to try and guess what Bible passage this reflects. Help them to pick out clues and see what they notice is different.
Enter a world where ancient history comes to life . . . and faith in God becomes the adventure of a lifetime! Introducing Passages, the legendary audio series from the creators of Adventures in Odyssey. One minute, Anna and Kyle are exploring a creepy old house outside Odyssey. The next, they’re transported to the mysterious land of Marus–and caught in the middle of a dangerous conflict between a brave army general and a powerful king. Will their newfound powers be strong enough to save the rightful heir to the throne . . . and return them safely home?
The album Passages: Darien’s Rise is our next encounter with this strange world of Marus. This episode opens with Jack Allen bringing an old manuscript he found in a trunk from an estate sale to Mr. Whitaker. He asks Whit to read it and to let him know what he thinks afterwards.
Kyle and Anna, two children not previously mentioned in Odyssey, are transported to Marus through an abandoned house. Once there they are immediately thrown into a perilous adventure, once again in parallel with biblical history. Darien is a parallel to David from the Old Testament. This is a longer storyline as it takes up an entire album of 9 episodes. I loved the characters and once again the ability to pick out little bits that helped to identify which story is being represented.
If these two sagas interest you, there are also 2 collections called Passages: The Marus Manuscripts, each containing 3 books about Marus. While these stories are not Odyssey-centric, they are true to the nature of Adventures in Odyssey and might be very appealing to middle schoolers and older.
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
The central setting within Odyssey for all of the Adventures in Odyssey episodes is Whit’s End. John Avery Whitaker calls it an ice cream shop and discovery emporium. It’s filled with delicious confections (like the Wod-Fam-Choc-Sod or Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream) as well as numerous inventions.
I could recount the amazingly rich history of Whit’s End, but it’s more fun to listen! Here is a list of Whit’s End centered episodes in historical order. If I missed one comment so I can add it in!
Episode # 5-7 The Underground Railroad, Part 1-3 A stranger tells Jack the story of the Ross family, and their courageous run for freedom to escape slavery.
Album 1, Episode # 11 Recollections Whit’s best friend, Tom Riley, tells Connie the story of how Whit’s End was created amid tragic circumstances.
Adventure Club Season 7: Episodes 1 & 3 It’s all hands on deck when a series of clues appears to connect Whit’s End with a survivor of the Titanic.
Album 2, Episode # 9-10 The Case of the Secret Room, Part 1 & 2 The discovery of a secret room in Whit’s End leads Mr. Whittaker to a baffling case of robbery and murder.
Album 20, Episode # 5 -6 It Began with a Rabbit’s Foot and It Ended with a Handshake Whit tells Lucy Cunningham-Schultz about the creation of the Bible Room, and the discussion leads Katrina Shanks to a very important decision.
The Blackgaard Chronicles, Episodes #1-6 When Dr. Regis Blackgaard arrives in Odyssey with plans to build an amusement house for kids, chaos and danger aren’t far behind. What is this schemer really up to?
Album 6, Episode # 13 The Treasure of LeMonde! Robyn and Connie find a hidden attic at Whit’s End and stumble upon a forgotten mystery involving an old pipe organ, a greedy professor and “the greatest treasure.”
Album 12, Episode # 2 The Curse An “Indian Medicine Man” puts an ancient curse on Whit – and it seems to come true!
Album 18, Episode # 7 & 8 The Mysterious Stranger, Part 1 & 2 Whit is pulled into a perplexing mystery when a strange man arrives at Whit’s End and claims to have lived there as a small boy.
Album 23, Episode # 9 A Victim of Circumstance When Rodney steps through a skylight at Whit’s End and breaks his leg, the Rathbones take Jason Whittaker to court.
The Blackgaard Chronicles, Episodes #17-28 When Dr. Regis Blackgaard arrives in Odyssey with plans to build an amusement house for kids, chaos and danger aren’t far behind. What is this schemer really up to?
Episode # 12 The Treasure Room Aubrey and Lisa are determined to find out what Whit keeps in a new secret room at Whit’s End.
Album 33, Episode # 3-4 Blackgaard’s Revenge, Part 1 & 2 A virus implanted in the Imagination Station with Dr. Blackgaard’s personality surfaces and must be destroyed before it takes hold over Aubrey.
Album 34, Episode # 6 Idol Minds When Whit leaves town for a while, Eugene creates a Whit robot to keep the kids happy.
Album 36, Episode # 1 The W.E. To compete with the new Novacom Kids’ Center, Whit experiments with a massive overhaul to Whit’s End and its attractions.
Album 45, Episode # 9 Tales of a Small-Town Thug Everyone at Whit’s End is in an uproar when a former Bones of Rath gang member writes a scathing book about Odyssey.
Album 50 Episode # 1 A Capsule Comes to Town Connie narrates a documentary about the people and places in Odyssey against the backdrop of a search for a missing time capsule.
Episode # 7 The Forgotten Deed The plan to bury the new time capsule in the basement of Whit’s End causes a “separation of church and state” conflict that jeopardizes the future of the shop.
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
We are often introduced to new characters in Odyssey. One of our family’s new favorites is Jay Smouse! Here is a descriptoin of Jay directly from the Adventures in Odyssey website…
“Jay might call himself a bully, but it’s only in his own mind. He likes to torment kids with his nicknames and attitudes, but most others don’t take him seriously. He is often his own worst enemy—getting himself into crazy situations of own his own doing. He sometimes hangs out with Vance King, though even their relationship can be adversarial.”
The factor that gives us delight is the comedic nature of this character. The actor (Whit Hertford) brings a likability to a character with a bad reputation. My husband especially really likes this character. When we are traveling and we ask what everyone wants to listen to, he will frequently respond with, “Anything with Jay!”
Here are some of our favorite Jay Smouse episodes.
1. Stage FrightBarrett is excited about getting the lead role in the school play. But when his first practice is interrupted by a mysterious booming voice, Emily must investigate the “phantom of the school play.
2. How to Sink a Sub
When Katrina becomes their substitute teacher, Jay and Valerie rouse the class to revolt, even persuading Olivia to help with a plan to get Katrina fired.
3. Unbecoming JayJay schemes a way to ditch his cousin Cindy by leaving her with Barrett, but Priscilla grows jealous of the new friendship.
4. Mistaken for Good
Jay’s visit to a nursing home takes an unexpected turn when an old woman mistakes him for her grandson — and offers him money as a birthday present.
5. Groundhog Jay
After Jay pushes Priscilla into an unexpected trip in the Room of Consequence, the two of them experience the same event over and over again.
6. The Friend Formula
Riley is new to town and hoping to find some new friends. For advice, he turns to an unlikely (and unreliable) source – Jay Smouse!
7. Walk Worthy
Buddy and Jay explore what it means to live with integrity as members of a wilderness troop for boys.
There are many others, and honestly anything with Jay Smouse is good for a laugh and a lesson! Explore some of these stories and more with an Adventures in Odyssey Club membership!
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
As my daughters are growing it is so important to me to help them learn about love from godly perspectives. The Bible of course is our first resource for this. Modern media is rarely a good source. The writers and producers at Adventures in Odyssey have done a beautiful job of dealing with the topic of romance in a way that I feel edifies my daughters.
Here are some of our favorite romantic episodes.
Crushes and Attraction Album 19: Passport to Adventure Episode # 5 Truth, Trivia & ‘Trina Bart Rathbone’s TV trivia contest pits Eugene and Connie against a college student named Katrina Shanks, who seems to have captured Eugene’s heart.
Album 36: Danger Signals Episode # 2 Green Eyes & Yellow Tulips Connie falls for a Novacom employee named Robert Mitchell. Bart Rathbone protests that Novacom’s programming is immoral.
Album 49: The Sky’s The Limit Episode # 6 Wooing Wooton Wooton Bassett’s father comes to town to get his son’s help on a business deal. Meanwhile, Grady must make a decision that could cost his mom her job.
Dating and Courtship Album 29: Signed, Sealed, & Committed Episode # 1-3 For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll, Parts 1-3 Someone is getting married in Odyssey … but who? Is it John Whittaker and Margaret Faye, Eugene Meltsner and Katrina Shanks, or Jack Allen and Joanne Woodston?
Album 48: Moment of Truth Episode # 3 Prequels of Love From chicken costumes to phone scams, we hear the stories of how Bart Rathbone, Whit, and Bernard Walton met, or proposed to, their wives.
Album 50: The Best Small Town Episode # 8-9 The Triangled Web, Parts 1-2 Lucy Cunningham-Schultz becomes the center of attention when Jimmy Barclay, Curt Stevens, and Jack Davis return to Odyssey for a reunion–each young man determined to win her heart at last.
Breaking Up Album 8: Beyond Expectations Episode # 4 First Love Connie falls in love for the first time with a guy named Jeff Lewis, who turns out to be a non-Christian.
Album 24: Risks and Rewards Episode # 12 The Turning Point Eugene and Katrina’s relationship takes a surprising turn after Eugene meets Katrina’s father, Armitage Shanks.
Album 27: The Search for Whit Episode # 8 A Question About Tasha Jason Whittaker and Tasha Forbes announce that they’re getting married . . . tomorrow!
Album 36: Danger Signals Episode # 3-4 The Triangle, Parts 1-2 Jack Allen and Whit tell Connie the story of how Whit met his wife in college.
Album 41: In Hot Pursuit Episode # 10-11 Something Blue, Parts 1 and 2 When Connie gets the news that Mitch might leave for Europe in a few days, the two of them decide to get married immediately.
Weddings A few of the previous episodes also include weddings!
Album 44: Eugene Returns Episode # 11-12 For Better or for Worse, Parts 1-2 Eugene and Katrina finally plan to have a proper wedding. But the two wedding coordinators (Connie and Porcelain Shanks) engage in an epic battle of decision making.
Album 61: Without A Hitch Episode # 5-6 A Very Bassett Wedding, Parts 1-2 The Bassett and Wise families have arrived in town for Wooton and Penny’s big day, but a damaged dress, stomach pains, and an investigation into a missing ring mean that the couple’s walk to the altar will be anything but simple.
Album 67: More than Meets the Eye Episode # 6-7 Nightmares by Constance, Parts 1-2 Two days before a “Dreams by Constance” wedding, the grandmother of the bride approaches Connie with a proposal: she’ll pay her double if she breaks up the ceremony.
Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Summer is looking very, very different than any of us expected at the start of the year. One of the bright spots has continued to be The Adventures in Odyssey Club! We are excited for a new album to drop first in the club soon and have had themed listening parties for our favorite characters.
You can also click on the picture above got a fantastically fun summer activity pack! We’ve really enjoyed these resources over the last few years!
Comment below with your favorite Adventures in Odyssey character!
I love a good Bible resource book! This new title, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, from Moody Publishers intrigued me as I’ve found Messianic Prophecies to be of interest to me lately.
I love to study how the Old Testament points us forward to the coming of the Messiah. Messianic Prophecy is sadly ignored by many modern churches, some whose pastor’s have even said that the Old Testament is of no value. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Having a full understanding of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is the only way to understand our Lord. I personally think this is said because our society shuns anyone who says certain lifestyles and actions are sinful. While it is hard to stand firm on these things at times when there is so much pressure to give way, studying the prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament can help us to see that it isn’t all about us and what we want. It is in fact about an all-righteous, all-loving God who calls us to a life of obedience to Him, not because our obedience saves us, but because our obedience is an act of love for all He has done to save us.
This title is a compilation of many authors. I like the various perspectives of writing, yet all with the belief that the Scriptures are the inerrant, holy Word of God. This is a heavier read, but absolutely worth the time and effort. I personally like the chapters on the deity of the Messiah (something often called into question by those who do not believe) and the titles of the Messiah found in the Old Testament.
As amazing as it seems to have it all compiled into one book, every prophesy of Jesus Christ as the Messiah is noted and explained. I intend to take each of these passages and study them as a part of my personal time with the Lord. This would also make an excellent resource for a group Bible study on the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.
No matter what your role in church (pastor or layperson) or your reason for studying these passages (personal or group study) this is an invaluable resource with great insights into all the Old Testament has to say about the Messiah.
Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
What if my greatest disappointments Or the aching of this life Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy What if trials of this life The rain, the storms, the hardest nights Are your mercies in disguise
These words penned by Laura Story left me in tears the first time I heard them. I was at a women’s conference one weekend with ladies from all over our district. A dear international worker shared the mental health struggles her daughter was facing and that had brought them home early from the field. Then she sang this song and I was left speechless and tear-filled. At the time, I was facing my own hurts, my own health struggles, and questioning God’s goodness in it all. Yes, He had seen me through, but why in the first place?
Fast forward several years. I had the opportunity to hear Laura Story speak at another women’s conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the fall of 2018. This time it was not merely our district gathering, but women from across the nation. I had never heard her testimony nor realized the source of those beautiful lyrics. I listened as she candidly spoke about seeking God in the trials and all the ways He had taught her through her husband’s brain tumor and the after effects of the trauma from surgery.
I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this part Bible study part biography part conversation with a friend over coffee. What struck me so deeply about Laura as she spoke was the genuineness of her faith and of who she is. She is honest and raw about things that are difficult to be honest and raw about. We want to hide and say everything is well, when it is not.
In reading this beautifully crafted work Laura Story easily weaves in and out of storytelling, first her own story, then a story from Scripture. This seamless intertwining drew me into read more.
While of course our paths are different, she has struggled with many of the same questions I have. How do you walk in complete surrender when you have lost control? How do I daily surrender in the face of the unknown for one I love deeply? For Laura it was her husband. For me it is my daughter. We have many unanswered questions regarding her health. Today she is stable and living a healthy active life, but we have an understanding there is something lurking beneath the surface and we do not know when it might rear up again. There are more questions than answers and the doctors are mystified. This particular book helped me to answer, “Yes,” to the Lord in how I will choose to surrender to Him.
I highly, highly recommend this title to anyone who has ever gone through a struggle or thinks they might one day. It will be give to my children as they enter into adulthood. I plan to reread it myself when I’m once again struggling to surrender.
Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
gracefilledwriter.com 