Express Salvation

The Perkins family hasn't heard from Dad in four days - his longest silence since shipping overseas - and Mom is falling apart, scrubbing the house at all hours and jumping at every phone that rings. Wyatt and Bridget coax their exhausted mother to church, hoping friends can pray her through the waiting. But when Wooton's Sunday school lesson lists the blessings God gives believers, Wyatt hatches a desperate plan: if he becomes a Christian right this minute, maybe God will keep his dad safe. "Give me the express salvation!" he demands - and when Wooton insists they talk first, Wyatt bolts off, sure someone is standing between him and God. Meanwhile Carla confesses to the women's class that this separation might be the one that breaks her, and that everyone else seems to have the one thing she doesn't: peace. By the time the invitation hymn begins, mother and son each discover the real reason to walk the aisle, and hand in hand they give their lives to Jesus... just as the phone finally rings with news that Dad is safe - and coming home for good.

Found on Club Season 11 - Part 2 Album 77½ · 6 episodes

The run See every episode

0992 Unmanageable A teen singer chasing her band's big break starts to wonder whether her bandmates' "harmless" schemes - and her sister's heavy-handed faith - are shaping her more than she thinks.

0993 Facing the Music A surprise week-long visit from her boyfriend should be the highlight of Jules Kendall's big performance week, but the secrets piling up around her band threaten to unravel everything she cares about.

0994 The Hero's Laundry When a news reporter profiles Odyssey's most accomplished family for his "Difference Makers" series, an intern must figure out what to do about the one unremarkable son who doesn't seem to fit the story.

0995 Worth Her Wage A hardworking burger joint employee facing a broken-down car and a denied raise must decide what her integrity is worth when temptation opens the cash register.

0996 Drake and the Heart Drive When two students vanish from a futuristic high school, a detective's adopted daughter goes undercover to crack the case her father can't - but her biggest secret may be the key to everything.

0997 You Dirty Rat While Whit is away, Connie's determination to rid Whit's End of a surprisingly clever rat collides with her roommate's sudden, mysterious campaign for mercy.

0998 Express Salvation With her Marine husband silent overseas and the waiting wearing her down, a frightened mother lets her kids talk her into church - where a Sunday of hard questions changes more than anyone expects.

0999 Not the Same A Marine dad returns home from deployment to find his family has changed in ways he didn't expect - and his son must figure out what faith means when it seems to divide the house.

1 of 2 1000 Kris-Crossed When a shy student from a rival school accuses Emily of bullying, her friends discover that clearing her name may be harder than proving the truth.

2 of 2 1001 Kris-Crossed When a talented young actress's accusation costs Emily her presidency and threatens expulsion, the young detective and her friends must untangle two seemingly unrelated crimes to clear her name.

1 of 3 1002 Better Buck Next Time A fresh start in a new town gives an injured teen a shot at football, faith, and friendship - but every open door seems to come at someone else's expense.

2 of 3 1003 Better Buck Next Time A teen football star's fresh start unravels when his sealed criminal past goes public and someone in town seems determined to use it against him.

3 of 3 1004 Better Buck Next Time Suspended for a crime he didn't commit, Buck must choose between clearing his name and protecting the troubled kid he mentors.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 1 more roles

1 supporting role

Shelly Pulaski Amy Davidson

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer · Director Luke Guenot Sound Designer Nathan Jones Sound Designer Nathan Hoobler Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

The Perkins family is on edge. Wyatt's and Bridget's dad, Ron, is serving overseas with the military, and he missed a scheduled phone call four days ago - the longest the family has ever gone without hearing from him. Their mom, Carla, copes by cleaning the house from top to bottom, barely eating or sleeping, and jumping every time she thinks she hears a phone. She even snaps at a telemarketer and burns the pancakes, and Bridget and Wyatt grow more and more worried about her.

At Whit's End, Wyatt pores over Middle East weather reports, hoping a sandstorm explains the silence. Wooton tries to cheer him up, and Connie asks how Carla is holding up. When Wyatt admits his mom is "freaking out," they suggest inviting her to church, where friends can encourage her and pray for her. Back home, Bridget and Wyatt gently talk their exhausted mother into going.

At church, Carla joins Connie's women's class while Wyatt heads to Wooton's Sunday school class. Wooton performs a magic trick, turning an ordinary rock into a flower to illustrate how anyone in Christ becomes a new creation, and he lists the many blessings God gives those who follow Jesus. That gets Wyatt thinking - but in the wrong direction. Afterward he asks Wooton whether, if he became a Christian right now, God might reward him by keeping his dad safe. Wooton explains that following Jesus is about love and service, not about getting things from God, but Wyatt is in no mood for a lesson. He demands to be saved on the spot - "Give me the express salvation" - and when Wooton insists they talk first, Wyatt bolts down the hall to Mr. Whittaker, breathlessly claiming a man is trying to keep him from becoming a Christian. Whit calms him down and invites him to listen to the morning's sermon first.

Meanwhile, in the women's class, a woman named Shelly shares that her father was just diagnosed with cancer, and how praying with him has brought them closer to each other and to God. Carla opens up, too. She admits that this separation feels different, that her children have started taking care of her, and that the waiting "might be the one that breaks me." She confesses that the others have something she doesn't: peace. The women assure her they aren't stronger than she is, and Connie leads them in prayer.

In the service, Whit preaches about how Jesus changes lives - Peter the fisherman, Saul the persecutor, Zacchaeus the greedy tax collector - and asks what fears and misplaced trust hold people back. As the invitation hymn begins, Wyatt notices his mother is shaken, and they discover they both want to go forward. Carla worries she's just caught up in emotion, but Wyatt points out something remarkable: for the first time since Dad went silent, she turned her phone's ringer off. God is already changing her. Carla realizes she has spent her life putting her faith in her husband, the Marines, and herself, and it's time to put it in God. Hand in hand, mother and son walk the aisle, and with Wooton they pray to repent and give their lives to Jesus - Wyatt adding, "Ditto everything my mom said." Wooton joyfully welcomes them both to God's family.

Then Bridget bursts in with the phone: it's Dad! Carla thanks God through happy tears as Ron shares stunning news - he's coming home, and not just for a visit, but for good. The celebration pauses on one puzzled question: why are they sending him home for good?