A New Era

Leonard Meltsner's long-buried secret is finally out: years ago, selfish ambition drove him to reject his unborn child and break Thelma's heart. Eugene is stunned to learn why he always felt like an outsider in his own family - and forgives his father anyway, freely, the way God forgave him. That gift of grace does what years of suffering never could, and Leonard asks for the faith his son has found. Then troubling word arrives from Africa: a friend has gone silent, and someone must go at once. Eugene and Katrina are ready to give up everything in Odyssey... but it's Leonard who steps forward, taking his younger son back to the African village that still remembers him. Father and son part once more, this time not in sorrow but in shared faith.

Found on The Sky's the Limit Album 49 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0615 Only By His Grace A hopeful daughter piles on good deeds and prayers to keep her family together, while Grady's over-eager helpfulness at Whit's End spirals into disaster.

1 of 3 0616 The Other Side of the Glass A mysterious hidden symbol - Power Boy's secret call for help - starts appearing in brand-new windows all over town, and Bernard, Wooton, and the Whit's End crew set out to discover who put it there and why.

2 of 3 0617 The Other Side of the Glass A hidden cry for help etched in glass pulls Bernard, Wooton, and Whit into a late-night investigation of the powerful Seawright factory.

3 of 3 0618 The Other Side of the Glass A midnight stakeout at a secretive factory forces Wooton and his friends to decide whether trusting a mysterious boy's cry for help is worth risking the livelihoods of an entire neighborhood.

1 of 3 0619 A New Era With his long ordeal finally behind him, Eugene's father settles into a peaceful new life in Odyssey - until a hidden illness and an urgent plea from a distant village upend everything.

2 of 3 0620 A New Era As Eugene recovers from donating a kidney to his father, he and Katrina wrestle with whether a plea from Africa is God's call or a distraction from the ministry they already love.

3 of 3 0621 A New Era Long-buried family secrets come to light as Leonard finally faces the truth about his past, and an urgent crisis abroad demands a decision no one expected.

0622 B-TV: Temptation When B-TV explores why smart people fall for bad choices, the story of history's wisest king shows that wisdom alone is no shield against temptation.

0623 Buddy Guard When Grady hires a bodyguard to stop a park bully and a radio host discovers his on-air complaints can strong-arm people into paying up, both learn how quickly protection turns into power.

0624 Wooing Wooton When Wooton's estranged father suddenly invites him back into the family fold, meeting a woman who shares his quirky passions forces him to weigh what he wants most against what he believes.

0625 Something Significant When Trent balks at being assigned to set up chairs instead of acting in a church play, Whit sends him on an Imagination Station journey to discover what makes a task truly important.

1 of 2 0626 Life, in the Third Person Feeling invisible in her fractured family, Mandy tries to outrun her parents' separation on her bicycle - but some things can't be escaped.

2 of 2 0627 Life, in the Third Person While a broken leg lands Mandy in the hospital, her fractured family is forced to stop hiding from the hard conversations they've been avoiding.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

Doc Morton Diane Michelle Aman Paunita Nichols Thelma Meltsner Salli Saffioti

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Nathan Hoobler Writer · Director Marshal Younger Writer · Director · Producer GAP Digital Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Joanne tells Leonard that she met Thelma more than twenty-five years ago at a Christian pregnancy center in Chicago. After leaving Leonard, Thelma stayed there for a time. Joanne remembers showing her the unborn baby's heartbeat and urging her to let Leonard see it too. Thelma still loved her husband, and the child's familiar thoughtful gesture helped soften her heart toward reconciliation.

Leonard realizes that Joanne helped save both his marriage and Eugene's life. More importantly, he sees that God worked through her. He can no longer hide behind the hope that Eugene has forgotten their early family troubles, so he finally tells his son the truth: selfish ambition once led him to reject the pregnancy and wound Thelma deeply.

Leonard also shares a later memory from captivity. When despair drove him to risk their secret escape tunnel, Thelma revealed that she was expecting another child. This time Leonard greeted the news with hope and joy. His years with Eugene had taught him how precious fatherhood was, even though he had failed to show Eugene that truth when it mattered most.

Eugene is hurt to understand why he sometimes felt like an outsider in his own family, but he forgives Leonard without hesitation. Leonard protests that he does not deserve forgiveness. Eugene explains that forgiveness is a gift: God's grace has forgiven him, so he must extend that grace to someone who has wronged him.

The kindness Leonard has received forces him to reconsider the God he has blamed for his suffering. Christians have helped preserve his marriage, protect both his sons, and save his own life. He sees in Eugene a goodness that cannot have come from Leonard alone and says he wants the same relationship with God that Eugene has. Overjoyed, Eugene begins explaining the Christian faith to his father.

Their celebration is interrupted by troubling news. Aman has stopped answering calls, and Eugene and Katrina decide that someone must act immediately. They are willing to leave their successful work in Odyssey and move to Africa indefinitely, even though they still do not feel personally called there. Whit reveals that the qualified missionary, Evan Antero, wants to go but still needs a familiar person to help the Ashantis trust him.

Leonard offers an unexpected answer. The Ashantis remember him, Evan can provide mature spiritual guidance, and Leonard now wants to spend his remaining years serving others. Returning would also let him complete the work he and Thelma began. Everett can accompany him, giving father and son the time together that captivity has denied them.

The family prays over the decision. By the time Leonard and Everett prepare to leave with Evan, everyone recognizes a plan none of them could have designed: Eugene and Katrina can remain with the ministry God has given them in Odyssey, while the newly believing Leonard returns to people he has never forgotten. Eugene is sad to part from his father again, but this farewell is different. Their shared faith has brought them closer, and Eugene sends Leonard toward Africa with confidence that God will use him there.