Idol Minds

Whit is away in Chicago for two weeks, and David and Mandy refuse to take their big questions to anyone else - not even Connie. So Eugene builds a computer that answers in Whit's own recorded voice, and soon the whole gang is hooked, even Connie. But a voice isn't enough... next comes a giant poster, then Whit's sweater, coffee cup, and tools piled around it like a shrine. When Eugene stays up all night building an animatronic Whit, the kids crowd around the machine - and don't even notice when the real Whit walks in the door. Stunned by what he sees, Whit pulls the plug and sends everyone home to read the story of the golden calf. Eugene and Connie discover they've built an idol out of missing a friend, and that the place they gave it belongs to God alone.

Found on In Your Wildest Dreams Album 34 · 17 episodes

The run See every episode

0437b The Long Way Home Desperate to escape her family's new home for a day of fun, a girl works odd jobs all week to earn her way onto a church youth group trip.

0438a The Lyin' Tale A trip to the dumpster leaves Aubrey with a scratch, a crowd of curious kids, and a story that keeps getting bigger every time she tells it.

0438b The Telltale Cat When Mandy's new cat makes David Straussberg's life miserable, his desperate scheme to get rid of it comes back to haunt him.

0439 B-TV: Grace A free downtown lunch giveaway sparks a B-TV broadcast about grace - God's undeserved favor - told through Scripture, comedy, and the story of a farmer's son who trades his inheritance for Hollywood dreams.

0440 I Slap Floor When two kids ask why Whit is home recovering from Odyssey's strangest week ever, Bernard spins a tale of a mysterious returning visitor and a town where everyone suddenly starts acting like their opposite.

0441a What Do You Think? Desperate to know what people really think of her, a girl uses one of Whit's inventions to hear the private thoughts behind everyone's polite words.

0441b Idol Minds While Whit is away for two weeks, the kids of Odyssey turn to Eugene's technology to fill the void - with results no one anticipates.

0442a Two Roads Two boys from the same neighborhood face the same spilled-candy temptation in a school cafeteria - and Whit follows the very different roads their choices set them on.

0442b Sticks and Stones When a former classmate he once tormented returns to Odyssey as a potential business rival, Bart Rathbone launches a scheme to drive him out of town before old scores can be settled.

0443 Changing Rodney A gifted young student sets out to reform the school bully with relentless kindness - and learns that changing a heart is harder than acing any test.

0444a Career Moves A middle schooler's career-fair internship at the Electric Palace teaches him Bart Rathbone's sales tricks - until a customer's return puts his conscience to the test.

0444b The Bad Guy When a notorious troublemaker from his past arrives in Odyssey claiming to be a changed man, a skeptical Nick Mulligan sets out to prove the transformation is too good to be true.

0444c Bethany's Flood When a flooded bathroom coincides with the story of Noah's ark, young Bethany's imagination sets sail on a wildly mixed-up voyage that teaches her about trust and obedience.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 1 more roles

1 supporting role

David Straussberg Jeff Ellison

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Charlie Richards Writer Phil Lollar Director · Producer Duane Harms Sound Designer · Producer Al Janssen Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 1 min

David and Mandy have important questions that they are saving for Whit, but he is spending two weeks at a Bible warehouse in Chicago. They dismiss Connie’s offers of advice and insist that no one else can replace him. Eugene decides that technology can solve the problem.

Using thousands of recorded responses, Eugene creates a computer program that answers questions in Whit’s voice. Its replies are not always accurate, and it sometimes confuses names, but the children are delighted. Connie initially feels overlooked, then begins arriving early so she can consult the computer herself.

The recorded voice soon seems insufficient. Mandy asks for a picture of Whit, so Eugene places a large poster beside the computer. The children gather Whit’s sweater, coffee cup, apron, and tools around the image, but even these physical reminders do not satisfy them. They want something they can touch and hug.

Eugene works through the night and unveils an animatronic Whit. The children crowd around the moving figure and ignore the real Whit when he unexpectedly returns. Disturbed by the imitation and their obsession with it, Whit unplugs the machine and sends everyone home to read Exodus 32.

The account of the golden calf makes the problem clear to Eugene and Connie. In missing Whit, they have created an image, surrounded it with meaningful objects, and allowed it to take a place of devotion that belongs only to God. Whit tells them not merely to apologize to him but to seek God’s forgiveness. Even Eugene’s proposed animatronic golden calf for a Moses display is wisely abandoned.