Forgive Us as We Forgive

Ernie Myers is out of prison after two years, and Whit, his wife Julie, and the kids have thrown him a welcome-home party to prove it's a fresh start. But his son Eric wants nothing to do with him - not his help fixing a broken bike, not his bedtime stories for little Brooke, and definitely not his new job as janitor at Eric's own school. When Rodney Rathbone's "jailbird" taunts spark a shoving match, Eric's resentment boils over into a shout: leave me alone. Then Eric breaks a saw blade at Whit's End and apologizes... and Whit refuses to accept it. Being polite, Whit says, is not the same as forgiving - and everyone has given Ernie a second chance except his own son. That night Eric drags his broken bike up the stairs and quietly asks his dad to teach him those machine-shop tricks after all, and father and son agree that if they're careful, they can fix everything - and they both know they're talking about more than the bike.

Found on On Earth as it is in Heaven Album 17 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0229 The Marriage Feast When every noble in the kingdom snubs the prince's wedding, a king's invitation goes out to anyone who will come - but accepting it isn't as simple as showing up.

0230 Our Father A lonely boy with a runaway imagination goes looking for someone to fill his absent father's shoes - and nearly finds it in all the wrong places.

0231 Hallowed Be Thy Name When Whit unveils his new Bible-research computer at Whit's End, Connie discovers that God has far more names than she ever imagined - and that each one tells a story.

0232 Thy Kingdom Come While producing a radio dramatization of Jesus' parables about the kingdom of heaven, Whit and Connie try to reach Eugene, who has been avoiding everyone since a haunting experience in the Imagination Station.

0233 Thy Will Be Done When a free-speech newspaper job and a covert conversion campaign both test what it means to do God's will, Lucy and Connie learn that being God's agents isn't about clever schemes.

0234 Our Daily Bread When a devoted family man loses his job for the first time in his life, his family rallies to keep the household afloat - but what he really needs may not be a paycheck.

0235 Forgive Us as We Forgive When Ernie Myers comes home after two years in prison, his family throws a joyful welcome - but his son Eric is finding it far harder to open his heart than to hang a banner.

0236 Into Temptation Jimmy's birthday-money showdown over a coveted video game leads him into Whit's newest invention - a room that shows not the past, but the consequences of the choices you're about to make.

0237 Deliver us from Evil When Whit's Bible research machine breaks down, Bernard and Eugene form an unlikely storytelling duo to help Marsha with her report on one of history's most fantastic rescues.

0238 For Thine is the Kingdom A young ballerina's dreams are put to the test when a moment of carelessness on her bike changes everything she thought her future would be.

0239 The Power A student's suspicion about impossibly perfect test scores uncovers a classmate's secret grip on the entire school.

0240 And the Glory When Odyssey's star pitcher is sidelined during the playoffs, he must coach a terrified nobody into a hero - while a pair of kid broadcasters learn that the spotlight can be a dangerous thing to share.

0241 Forever... Amen A boy eagerly awaiting the birth of his baby brother has his excitement poisoned by doubt just before his family's world is turned upside down.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 6 more roles

6 supporting roles

Brooke Myers Amber Arnold Principal Skinner J.P. Sloane Eric Myers Joe Dammann Julie Myers Donna Christie Jailer Walker Edmiston Ernie Myers Joe Campanella

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Phil Lollar Writer · Director Dave Arnold Sound Designer · Producer Paul McCusker Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

After two years in prison, Ernie Myers walks out a free man. The jailer reminds him that as long as he keeps the conditions of his parole he can stay free, and Ernie's wife Julie is waiting to drive him home. Ernie admits he is shaking - he knows he has a lot to make up for - but Julie tells him that as far as she is concerned, they are starting with a clean slate. Back at the apartment, Whit, Tom Riley, and the children have decorated for a welcome-home party, and little Brooke has written her daddy a poem. Only Eric seems quiet, and he brushes off Whit's gentle warning that things might not get back to normal right away.

At the party, Whit offers Ernie a job at Whit's End until something better comes along. Eric peppers the idea with doubtful questions, but Ernie accepts, and at dinner he thanks God for forgiveness and grace. The cracks show quickly. Eric bristles when his father takes over reading Brooke's bedtime story, a job Eric has handled for two years. At Whit's End, where Eric keeps snapping hacksaw blades trying to cut a rusted bolt on his bike, he coldly refuses Ernie's offer to share tricks he learned in the prison machine shop. Whit encourages the discouraged Ernie to build a new normal for his family, with God's help.

Then things get worse. Rodney Rathbone taunts Eric about his jailbird father, the two boys end up shoving, and in Principal Skinner's office Eric makes a horrifying discovery: the new job Tom arranged for Ernie is school janitor - at Eric's own school. At lunch, Eric's resentment boils over. Ernie explains that he does not want his old high-powered job back, because that kind of power is what tempted him into trouble, but Eric shouts that he has had to do his father's job for two years and wants nothing from him except to be left alone.

Back at Whit's End, Eric breaks yet another saw blade, apologizes, and asks for one more - and Whit refuses to accept the apology. Stunned, Eric protests, and Whit makes his point: that is exactly how Eric has been treating his father. Polite is not the same as forgiving. Whit reminds Eric how it felt when everyone wrongly believed he had stolen the soccer team's money, and how good it felt to be given a second chance. Nearly everyone, even the state, has given Ernie a second chance - everyone except Eric. And the biggest reason to forgive, Whit says, is that Eric himself has been forgiven, just as Jesus forgives everyone who asks.

That evening, while Ernie despairs of ever winning his son back, Eric comes dragging his broken bike up the stairs - the wheel has come off again. Quietly, he asks his dad to show him those machine-shop tricks after all. Ernie suggests that if they are both very careful, they can fix everything without any more damage, and both of them know they are talking about more than the bike. Eric agrees. He would sure like that too - Dad.