For Three Dollars More

Barrett grudgingly dropped three dollars in the offering plate, and he can't see how such a tiny gift could matter - it cost him a video game, after all. Eager to test his new programming skills, Matthew puts him in the Room of Consequence and shows him a future where that one choice leaves the church in ruins, but Barrett shuts it down as pure manipulation. Connie's adventure is no better... hers blames a whole bank robbery on three missing dollars. Then Whit steps in with a future of his own: Barrett grown rich, with a landscaping empire, a huge house, and a yacht, yet never able to spare money for Thanksgiving baskets, an employee's raise, or the new community center. Meanwhile grown-up Matthew, freshly laid off but still giving, volunteers joyfully with the kids Barrett turned away. Watching his miserable future self make excuses while Matthew beams, Barrett finally sees that a willing heart can make three dollars worth far more than its price.

Found on The Grand Design Album 56 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0712 Child's Play When a childless couple agrees to babysit two energetic kids for the weekend, they discover that connecting with children takes more than careful planning.

1 of 2 0713 Something Old, Something New A bogus wedding invitation and a suspicious art deal throw Odyssey into delightful chaos as Connie battles a rumor she can't stop and two young detectives finally land a real mystery.

2 of 2 0714 Something Old, Something New An old flame's return to Odyssey - with a fiancée who looks suspiciously familiar - turns a welcome-home party into a tangle of secrets, suspicion, and second thoughts.

1 of 2 0715 The Perfect Church A boy disillusioned with his squabbling modern church travels back to the early days of Christianity, expecting to find a perfectly united congregation.

2 of 2 0716 The Perfect Church When the Imagination Station drops Matthew into the persecuted early church, he discovers that the "perfect" first Christians were anything but - and that their struggles might hold the answer to his own doubts about church.

0717 Great Expectations When a grueling school project makes Emily question her lifelong dream of becoming a judge, Whit takes her on an Imagination Station journey through the dreams - kept, changed, and abandoned - of his own life.

0718 For Three Dollars More When Barrett grumbles about putting three dollars in the offering plate, the Room of Consequence gets three very different chances to show him what his choice could really cost.

0719 The Bible Network On Kids' Radio, Connie tunes in to the Bible Network, where game shows, detective cases, and a boot camp put Scripture to the test as the ultimate source of truth.

0720 Happy Hunting Determined to engineer her own happiness, Penny throws herself into every self-help trick she can find - with painfully mixed results.

0721 The Holy Hoopster When a young basketball player's quiet courtside prayer turns him into a media sensation, he must navigate fame, team friction, and hard questions about what prayer is really for.

0722 The Lost Riddle A stuck locker yields a decades-old puzzle of riddles, hidden ink, and coded messages that leads two kids on a hunt to deliver a message meant for someone else long ago.

0723 Groundhog Jay When Jay tricks his way into a Room of Consequence program meant for someone else, he finds himself trapped reliving the same birthday party until he can figure out what the simulation is trying to teach him.

1 of 2 0724 Home Again Jason returns to Odyssey seeking secret solitude, but a well-meaning secret-keeper, a jewelry scam warning, and Eugene's uncanny resemblance to a wanted thief set everyone on a collision course.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 6 more roles

6 supporting roles

Barrett Jones Andy Pessoa Bank Teller Marshal Younger Pastor Aldin Phil Crowley Joey (a) Actor Unknown Steve (a) Keith Ferguson Bank Robber Keith Ferguson

Made by

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

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Matthew has been learning how to program the Room of Consequence and wants to test an adventure before Whit critiques it. His opportunity arrives when Barrett admits that he resents giving three dollars to church. That money had left him unable to buy a video game, and he cannot see how such a small gift could help with a pastor’s salary, a missionary, or any other large expense.

Matthew places Barrett in a future where his decision persuades everyone else to stop giving. The church becomes a ruin, its pastor is homeless, and even Katrina’s illness is blamed on the loss of Barrett’s three dollars. Barrett stops the program in disgust. The wild chain of disasters feels like emotional manipulation, not a reasonable consequence of one choice.

Connie tries to improve the lesson. Her program shows the church raising money to send disadvantaged children to Camp What-A-Nut, but falling exactly three dollars short of sending one boy. The disappointed boy grows up to rob a bank and blames his criminal life on the missing donation. Barrett rejects this adventure too, especially when the bank is about to explode.

Whit returns and learns that Matthew started the machine before they could work on it together. He explains that the Room of Consequence must present a believable possibility instead of forcing a predetermined result. Then he invites Barrett to enter once more, this time with Whit beside him as an observer.

In Whit’s future, Barrett carries his reluctance to give into adulthood. In college, he cannot spare money for Thanksgiving baskets because tuition is due. Years later, he owns a successful landscaping company and an enormous house, yet refuses to support a church community center because his business is expanding. He also delays a faithful employee’s overdue raise while displaying a photograph of his own yacht.

The community center is built without Barrett’s help. Matthew, though recently laid off, has contributed money and now volunteers with children there. One boy who had been failing in school has received tutoring, improved his grades, and become a Christian. Matthew warmly invites Barrett to help, but the older Barrett hides behind his busy schedule. Watching this future self walk away miserable while Matthew remains joyful finally reaches him.

Whit does not claim that Barrett is certain to become that man. He explains that present choices help form future character and that tithing trains a person in lifelong generosity. Everything people possess already comes from God, so giving is an act of obedience, stewardship, gratitude, and trust. God desires a willing heart more than He needs anyone’s money. Barrett realizes that his three dollars can be worth far more than its price and accepts the lesson on the third attempt.