Luther and Belfry are two field mice that have befriended Theo, and really want to please him. They usually get mixed up in all sorts of mischief where ever they go. In this episode, Theo tries to instruct the young lads in obedience, and uses the story of Jonah to illustrate the consequences of disobedience, but also to show the many blessings that come when we obey.
Forgiveness is not an easy thing to do, especially for Luther and Belfry. Theo tries to help his little furry friends understand what it means to forgive and why it’s so important. Theo shares the parable of the “Unforgiving Servant”, and how that story is such a great example of why forgiveness is a special act of love that Christians should show one another.
Can you name all the pieces of the armor of God? In this episode, Theo gives us a lesson in what each of the pieces represents as well as how we can use them in our Christian life to fight against the enemy of our souls. In addition, we see that Luther and Belfry find themselves faced with a different kind of enemy, a sly and devious cat named Scratch.
Redemption is an ancient word from the marketplace that means "to purchase something." In this episode Theo explains how our Heavenly Father purchased lost sinners through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. Once again, Luther and Belfry run into trouble with old Scratch, but Theo "redeems" his two little friends in the nick of time with an unusual piece of money.
Luther and Belfry overhear Theo mention the phrase "born again." Curious, they listen to Theo talking about what it means to be born again spiritually. The Bible says that we are all born dead in our sins, but through our faith in Jesus Christ we are made spiritually alive...born again. Theo uses the story of Jesus and Nicodemus to explain what it means to have a spiritual new birth.
If only God could somehow make sinners righteous without violating His holy character and justice. But that’s just what He did through a process known as justification, a legal term that means, “to declare righteous.” Big word, huh? Theo makes it simple for children––and his two mischievous church mice––to understand, by telling the beautiful story of the thief on the cross, who was justified by his faith in Jesus.
All of us want to belong to a caring family, full of unconditional love, don’t we? When Theo welcomes a dog named Bumper into his home, a suspicious Luther and Belfry want him out! That is, until Bumper saves them from a life-threatening encounter with Scratch the cat! Using the beautiful and touching story seen in the Shoebox Bible Theatre, Theo illustrates the biblical teaching of adoption in the Bible, to show how God lovingly welcomes homeless sinners into His family.
In this episode we catch an insightful glimpse into Theo’s daily prayer life, which is basically an illustration of the Lord’s Prayer model to His disciples. It is important that we learn how to pray, but it is also important to learn how not to pray. We are taught both examples through the Shoebox Bible Theatre and through our humorous UPA sequences. Meanwhile, our two mice friends are faced with a problem of going without their daily cheese, and Belfry learns that we “have not because we ask not.”
In this lesson, Belfry imitates Luther’s every action, no matter how silly. Theo uses this opportunity to teach us what it means to abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is a lot like imitating him. Theo teaches us that we learn how to abide in Christ by reading the Bible, and tells how the apostle Paul suffered many difficult circumstances but remained at peace by abiding in Christ in prayer and faithfulness.
After Luther and Belfry get lost in the dark without a flashlight, Theo tells them how the Bible is like a light in the darkness. The world is spiritually dark and without a light, we’d trip over spiritual obstacles and wouldn’t know which way to walk! Theo tells the story of how King Josiah brought God’s blessing to the nation of Judah by obeying the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is different from all other books because it is God’s very Word and shows us how to live.
Do you belong to any clubs? The church is similar, but different in many ways. In this lesson, Luther and Belfry make an exclusive club, only to upset those around them (with painful results!). Theo teaches us that the church, unlike a club, is inclusive to believers from all nations, races, and ethnicities. Theo tells how the believers in early church shared their possessions, how they met together for prayer and study and fellowship, and how they affected the community in positive ways.
Luther demonstrates an “act of the flesh” as he bashes his thumb in the episode opener. More bad behavior follows as he covets Belfry’s cheese, giving Theo an opportunity to teach a lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit. He begins by illustrating some “humorous” acts of the flesh that humans often engage in, then he describes each of the spiritual fruits in the Shoebox Bible Theatre––love, joy, peace, and so on. Luther and Belfry think they’ve learned the lesson, until they try to outdo each other with acts of “kindness.”
Scratch the cat is at it again, chasing Luther and Belfry. The mice escape onto a log in the river and think they’ve escaped danger until, plunging into the water, they are pursued by an even greater danger––a monstrous fish! A nail-biting chase ensues, where it’s certain the mice are goners. In desperation they cry out for Theo to save them, which he does, and uses the occasion to teach about Salvation. In the Shoebox Bible Theatre section Theo takes us on a journey along the “Romans Road,” where we learn how to be saved.
Luther and Belfry are happily enjoying their lunch when they are surprised by a food thief––a mangy river rat named R.W. Wigglesworth, Esq. The mice don’t like river rats, because they carry...fleas! Theo tells them that they should love their neighbor, even though we may not get along with them. Yes, even rats! Using Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, he shows us who our neighbor is, and how we ought to love them as Jesus loves us. Belfry takes the lesson to heart and gives Wigglesworth some of his cheese, an act of kindness that brings two enemies together in true friendship.