Now More than Ever

Something is wrong with Mandy Straussberg. She's quiet, snappish, turning down milkshakes - and she's stopped inviting her best friend Liz over. When Liz finally wrangles a sleepover, she finds a house full of cold silences, a bitter brother David, and Mandy's father sleeping on the couch... and gone before breakfast without a goodbye. Whit warns Liz against gossip and jumping to conclusions, urging her to pray and to keep loving her friend - even after Mandy calls her nosy and storms off. Then Mandy's parents call the children together and admit the truth: after months of counseling, they are separating, and Dad is leaving that very night. Heartbroken, Mandy turns at last to Liz, who can't explain the pain but promises her friend won't face it alone.

Found on A Date with Dad (and Other Calamities) Album 46 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0586 A Cheater Cheated When a scandal-hungry radio host targets the Electric Palace's shady sales tactics, Bart Rathbone must scramble to learn honest customer service before his reputation - and his job - go up in smoke.

0587 Bringing Up Dads When his daughter decides she's too grown-up for his goofy antics, an embarrassing but devoted dad goes all-out to win back her laughter.

0588 Broken-Armed and Dangerous A broken arm and a broken blender leave two guilty consciences at Whit's End learning that owning up - and letting go - are both harder than they look.

0589 The Impossible With a make-or-break deadline looming, Whit's team races to finish an invention that could bring education - and faith - to children in India's most remote villages.

0590 Three O'Clock Call When silent phone calls start arriving at exactly three o'clock each day, a boy abandoned by his father dares to hope - while a visiting orphan prays he'll discover a Father who never leaves.

0591 Switch When two kids insist that adults have it easy, a forty-eight-hour family role swap puts them in charge of the money, the meals, and the bills.

0592 Now More than Ever When her best friend suddenly turns cold and secretive, Liz sets out to uncover what's really troubling the Straussberg household - and to learn what it means to stay a faithful friend.

0593 Around the Block While Connie struggles to write her own book about Odyssey, she discovers that helping others may be the key to helping herself.

1 of 2 0594 A Time for Action A singed guidebook among his late parents' belongings sends Eugene and Whit chasing a mysterious train ticket to Africa, while young Grady learns what it really means to help someone in need.

2 of 2 0595 A Time for Action While tracing a mysterious fax to its true source, Eugene follows a trail of clues through a gas station, a homeless shelter, and a cemetery in his desperate search for his long-lost father.

0596 Cover of Darkness Twenty years after a tragedy tore them apart, Eugene Meltsner reunites with the father who believed him dead - but a shadow from their past forces their reunion into secrecy.

0597 Out of Our Hands When their parents' separation upends everything, a sister stakes her hopes on a play meant to reunite the family - while her brother plots a very different kind of response.

0598 My Favorite Thing A family's meticulously planned birthday surprise built around Mom's favorite things collides with a scheming couple, an overdue school report, and a lobster liberation at a fancy restaurant.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

David Straussberg Robbie Rist Rachel Straussberg Vanessa Marshall Stephen Straussberg Nathan Carlson

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Kathy Buchanan Writer John Fornof Writer · Director Glenn Montjoy Sound Designer · Producer Bob Hoose Producer Marshal Younger Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Liz Horton knows something is wrong with her best friend, Mandy Straussberg. For several weeks, Mandy has been unusually quiet and irritable, and she even turns down her favorite milkshake. Whit advises Liz not to force a confidence before Mandy is ready, but to remain available. Liz briefly decides that a disappointing romance must be the cause and rushes off to investigate.

Mandy denies having a crush and blames her behavior partly on an approaching history test. Liz notices a more troubling change: Mandy no longer invites her to the Straussberg home. She presses for a sleepover like the ones they used to enjoy, and Mandy reluctantly agrees.

Dinner at the Straussbergs’ house feels strained. Mandy’s parents speak carefully but without warmth, while her brother David snaps at ordinary questions and reveals that he has abandoned old friendships and will not attend the church youth retreat. Mandy insists that nothing is wrong, yet she avoids the long conversation Liz had expected and tries to end the evening early.

During the night, Liz hears a frightening rumble in the living room and discovers that Mandy’s father is sleeping on the couch. Mandy claims that his snoring has driven him there during allergy season. The following morning, he leaves without saying goodbye to his wife. Liz suspects the explanation is hiding something much more serious.

Whit cautions Liz against gossip and conclusions based on limited evidence. Married couples sometimes argue without facing a lasting crisis, but he agrees to contact Mandy’s parents and ask how they are doing. He also tells Liz that prayer is not a small or helpless response. God understands the family’s trouble even when Liz does not, and He can guide her as she tries to be a faithful friend.

Liz invites Mandy on a walk and struggles to raise the subject gently. When she finally asks whether Mandy’s parents are all right, Mandy becomes defensive. She says the family’s private life is none of Liz’s business, calls her nosy, and storms home. Liz regrets hurting her, but she still cannot believe that everything is fine.

At the Straussberg home, Whit speaks privately with Mandy’s parents. Mandy then asks David whether their mother and father are having problems. David bluntly points out that they have barely spoken for four months and that their father has been sleeping in the living room. He has stopped caring because he believes nothing the children do can matter. Mandy refuses to accept that helplessness.

The children become hopeful when their parents announce that they are going to dinner alone. Mandy assumes Whit has persuaded them to repair their relationship. Whit later tells Liz only that the couple has promised to talk. He cannot control the state of their marriage, and neither can the girls. Liz can control whether she continues loving Mandy, and Whit urges her to keep trying because her hurting friend needs her more than ever.

When their parents return early, they call Mandy and David together. They admit that their marriage has been in serious trouble and that weeks of counseling have not repaired it. Although they know marriage is meant to last, they have decided to separate. Their father will leave that very night and live in a hotel until he can find an apartment. Mandy pleads with them to keep trying, but they say the decision has been made.

Devastated and unable to understand why this is happening, Mandy turns at last to Liz. Liz has no explanation that can make the pain disappear, but she promises that Mandy will not face it alone. Whatever happens in the Straussberg family, the two friends will go through it together.