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Part 1

Remember the Wife of Lot—Part 1

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[GLORIA PARK AT A VIEWING FOR B KIM REALTY GROUP]

“No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches.”

Oh, excuse me, I have to talk to other clients as well.

OK, thank you.

I thought I could do both, but tonight I had to make a choice.

How is it going, everyone? Are you guys doing OK?

Oh, yes, good. When is Marty going to be here? He was supposed to show me some other offerings in this building.

Yes, Marty will be here very soon, Sir. Um, would you care for another glass of wine?

Ah, no, I don’t have much time. I can’t stay long. I have another important meeting tonight. (The client takes out a Memorial Invitation from his suit jacket)

Everyone had tried to warn me. They told me to remember, to “remember the wife of Lot.”


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[TWO YEARS EARLIER -AT HOME WITH BRIAN, GLORIA, ANNA & TINA PARK]

You can do it. OK. Keep practicing, OK?

OK.

All right.

Oh, Tina, you already started the rice.

Uh-huh, I’m almost done.

Good, good.

We are going to make your grandma’s special vegetable patty today. OK. Do you want to help me?

Sure.

Hey, girls, I’m home!

Hey. Hi, Dad.

Wow, you guys are busy. Hey, Gloria, you went out in service today. How did it go?

Oh, yes, we had a really nice time. I had some nice calls over on the east side of town.

Oh, really? Yeah. Hey, you know, um, Joe?

Yeah.


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The contractor I’ve been doing accounts for all these years?

Uh-huh.

Well, I got a chance to witness to him today, and he agreed to start a study.

Wow, Dad, that’s awesome!

Oh, that’s great! I hope it works out.

Yeah, I do too. Ooh, what’s that? Ooh, this looks good.

Hey. You can wait a little bit.

I don’t know what you’re making, but I’m sure it’s really good.

Well, if you let us finish making it.

Uh, OK, all right, all right, I give up. I give up. I’m going to work on the budget.OK, so just call me when it’s ready, all right? OK.

Sure.

Oh, Tina, by the way, is your talk ready? The circuit overseer will be there, so you want it to be perfect.

It will be. But that’s not until next week anyway.

How about your schoolwork?

Already done.


What’s that?

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Hey, Dad? There’s some strange man walking into our building.

Strange man?

It’s OK, I’ll-I’ll— Let me check.

It’s OK. It’s Joe.

Joe?

Why- why is he coming here?

I didn’t tell you. Yeah, he’s going to pick up his books for the study. All right?

All right.

Joe, thanks for coming over, man. Yeah, come on in.

Hey.

Oh, if you don’t mind, can you take off your shoes? You can just put them onthe rack over here.

Serious?

Yeah. This is where we put all our shoes.

All right.

Yeah.


OK. Those are nice boots.

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Yep, thanks.

I want you to meet my family. This is, ah, this is my wife, Gloria.What’s up?

And our daughters, Tina and Anna.

Hi.

Hi.

Yep, hello.

OK. Why don’t we come into my office? Uh-huh.

All right, come on over.

OK.

All right, here’s a chair. Let’s see, let me get that for you. And you can take a seat. And, oh, before you do, can you grab the door?

Yeah.

Cozy, isn’t it?

How do you get anything done in here, man?

I mean, it’s really convenient. I mean, everything is at arm’s reach. It works;it’s good.


OK.

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So, what? Are we going to study or what?

Um, we can, if you like, but today I was just planning on giving you the book I was talking to you about, and also I wanted to give you your own copy of the Bible so you can look up the scriptures. So this is for you. Coming from my background as an accountant, it’s organized so nicely. It explains everything in such logical order. And it also helps us to see how the Bible applies to everyday topics.

Like what?

Being a diligent worker. You’re going to see, the Bible, it says that working with your hands, that’s good work too, just as long as you’re honest.

[Gloria and the girls listen at the study door]

I’m telling you, man, nobody is honest today, man, not, not even my suppliers! If I had it my way, I’d take those guys and I’d give them what they deserve.

OK. All right. Joe, look, I understand it’s not easy making a living.

No. It’s not.

But you know, many people deal with upsetting situations by applying Scriptural principles. The Bible shows us how we can find true peace and-and also how to get our emotions under control.

I can’t help it, man! I was born angry!

Joe, you’re going to learn that the Bible tells us that we have to make ourminds over. We have to “put on the new personality.”


What do you mean “new personality”? I can’t be somebody I’m not, man!

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I understand. I tell you what, why don’t we talk about this some more, youknow, when I come over to your place for the study, OK?Yeah, all right. Whatever.

All right.

So we’ll see you at your place, Joe, OK?

All right.

Do you want to have something to eat before you go?

No, I’m good. Thanks.

Thanks again for coming by and picking up the books.

OK.

OK, Joe.

All right. Be safe, man.

Bye.

I’ll see you soon.

Bye.


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[AT JOE GOMEZ’S APARTMENT WITH HIS WIFE MARY & SONS RICKY & ARTHUR]

Ah, yeah!

Boys, your dad is home. Start getting ready for dinner. OK?

Hey, boys.

Hey.

Hey, Dad. How is it going?

All right.

Hey, how’s it going?

Uh, good.

Good. How was your day?

All right.

Hey, so, what are those books?

Oh, these? Um. Those are just some books from my accountant, Brian.

Are they financial books? Because that looks like a Bible.

Yeah, yeah. Brian is a pretty religious guy. Um, you know, he’s got a nicefamily too. Anyways, so, what are we having for dinner?


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What? When did you meet his family?

Oh. I just saw them around. Yeah, he said it might be good to come over, uh, bring his wife, maybe, to meet you. And they’ve got two daughters about Ricky and Arthur’s age. Put the phone away. Come on, let’s go. Turn that game off. Let’s eat.

I made your favorite dinner.

Ooh, tacos. OK, let’s say a prayer.

Lord Jesus,—

[GLORIA’S MUM -RUBY- ON THE PHONE TO HER BROTHER – GLORIA’SUNCLE]

Ruby, you have to convince Gloria. She is your daughter. She is making me look bad. She is my niece, so the way she lives reflects on me too. She just needs to come work for my company, then she’ll be successful.

You should talk to her about that, all right?

OK, bye.

[GLORIA AT BEST FANCY NAILS WITH RUBY]

OK. Tuesday, four o’clock.

OK, see you then.

Would you like the crystal gel today?

Um, it’s OK. It’s too expensive.


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You need more money, not super rich, but just enough to have what ourrelatives have, or they’ll look down on you.Mom, we have enough money.

Maybe enough for today, but what if you get sick?

Mom, please listen to me.

OK, you’re done. You can dry.

OK.

Hasn’t Brian lost some of his clients lately? Now you have to take care of yourself. You know your uncle can help you find a good job in his real estate company.

Mom, Jehovah will take care of us as long as we trust in him.

You waste time on God, doing that “pioneering thing,” the time that you could use to make money. How will you have enough when you’re old?

Mom, please listen to me.

What? An old lady can’t give you some advice?

No, but we’ve already talked about this.

But you never listen.

I listen! Mom, I listen, but won’t you please listen to me once?

Your girls have to help. You have no sons. So they are your most important investment. You have to get them into good jobs, like your brother’s kids.


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We don’t expect our girls to provide us with money or support or anything. No.

You just don’t know what it’s like to be poor.

I know. I remember! When I was young, all I had to eat were turnips that I dug out of the cold ground! And I had to wear my sister’s shoes, with holes in them! Look at my shoes. Do you see holes in them? How do you think I got shoes with no holes, huh?

[BRIAN & GLORIA ON THE CARTS]

This is a Bible-based magazine, and Bible principles can help us to cope with any stress or anxiety we may face in the future.

My husband just lost his job, so this might help.

Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Well, please be sure to read it and also check out our website.

OK, thank you.

Have a good day.

Hey, that was good.

Yeah, that was OK.

Are you OK?

Well, Brian, I’m worried. What happened to her can happen to us too. I mean,we need a stable income, and I can get a job at my uncle’s real estate firm.

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Maybe this is an answer to our prayers. I might have to quit pioneering until I settle in to work and stuff, but just for a while, until we are financially more stable.

Gloria, we have enough. Besides, Jehovah will take care of us. He always has. We just have to trust in him.

What about our girls? They need a stable income to be pioneers. They have— They need a stable income to be pioneers. And they need to know where their next meal is coming from . . .

Gloria.

. . . and that they have enough clothes to keep them warm!

Don’t you believe that Jehovah will keep his promise to help us?

Of course! But you never know what could happen tomorrow! We don’texpect Jehovah just to drop everything we need into our laps, do we? “Money is a protection,” right? We just need to be realistic, and balanced, balanced!

Gloria, Jesus said: “Never be anxious about the next day.”

Oh, hello.

Can I just take one of these?

Yes, please do. Please be sure to visit our website for more information.

Oh, anyways, my Bible study Joe texted me earlier today.

So he’s looking forward to seeing us later at their place.

Oh! I almost forgot. What time are we supposed to be there?

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Um, right after we are done here and we take the cart back to the KingdomHall.

OK, I want to stop by home and freshen up too.

OK.

[AT JOE & MARY’S APARTMENT WITH RICKY & ARTHUR]

So you guys meet a lot of different people when you do this work?

Yes, as Jehovah’s Witnesses, we like to meet people from differentbackgrounds and cultures.

Yeah, we like to meet people from other countries, don’t we, Mary?

Yeah, we do. But we already have our own religion and traditions. They’re part of who we are. Didn’t becoming a Witness mean you had to give that all up?

Not at all. We still enjoy our traditional food, music, and clothes, and so many other things.

Yeah, so we enjoy the best parts of all cultures. We just avoid the parts thatGod disapproves of.

Like what?

Well, for example, my mother still prepares food to offer to our dead ancestors on special days.

Oh, wow.


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Yeah, I don’t think I would ever do that.

Well, it’s like with the first-century Christians, there were certain common attitudes and Jewish customs that they had to leave behind.

So, what did your family say when you changed your religion?

My mother was very upset. She’s not so angry anymore, although she doesn’t understand.

Oh, Gloria, Brian, these are our boys, Arthur and Ricky.

Oh, hi.

This is Arthur and Ricky.

Hi.

They’re amazing boys.

How’s it going?

Yeah, my boys. How are you all doing?

Good.

Yeah.

Good to meet you both.

So how old are you? I’m 16.


No, you’re not.

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Almost 16.

I’m 18.

Oh, which high school do you attend?

The one right down the street.

Oh, that’s our girls’ school too! Um, do you know Anna and Tina?

Oh, yeah, I’ve— I’ve definitely seen them around. They’re both so, uh, reallybrainy.

OK.

Let’s see.

Your girls are very lovely. I’m sure they’re very good girls.

Oh, thank you! You know, actually, they both want to be full-time Bible teachers.

Wow.

Oh, uh, by the way, you know, we wanted to invite you, all of you, uh, to the hall this Sunday. We have a special speaker.

He’s very special, yes. He’s dear to us, and we’ve known him for years.

Nice.


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Uh, I don’t know. We’ll see. Maybe. Just to check it out. But we’ll have to talkabout that.Yeah.

OK.

Yeah.

All right.

[BRIAN & GLORIA IN THE PARK]

Gloria, why did you give me that look when I said that the girls wanted to be in full-time service?

Well, I was reminded recently that the safest road is to get a good job with a good company.

Oh. Has your mom been talking to you about this again?

She’s my mom. I have to listen to her. I owe it to her. You know, my father died when my brother and I were young. And then after that, my mom had to raise us on nearly nothing. You know it very well.

Yes, I know. She was very brave. OK, but she didn’t know Jehovah. We do.Shouldn’t we be encouraging our girls to serve him full-time?

Why can’t they do both? Everyone has to work, right?

OK, but what comes first —work or Jehovah?

But you see, there are so many Witnesses that have prestigious, high-paying jobs.


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Yeah, but should we be pushing Anna and Tina to succeed in this system?

No, I’m not. I just want them to have a normal life, and who knows how long this system will last.

Oh.

And what is wrong with living comfortably in the meantime? OK, this is not a“last days” question. OK, it’s always been wrong to strive to be rich.

No, not rich, just plenty —just enough to give them peace of mind so that they can sleep soundly.

That’s exactly the opposite of what the Bible says: “Sweet is the sleep of the one serving, . . . “but the plenty belonging to the rich . . . does not permit him to sleep.”

But don’t you think they need a fallback career —just in case?

Just in case what? In case Jesus was wrong?

[AT HOME WITH THE PARK FAMILY]

So guess what?

What?

Mom is all freaked out because Ricky recognized my picture.

Yeah, that figures.

He’s cute, but Mom would never approve anyway.


Of course not! She’d say, “You’re too young, and he’s not in the truth!”

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Yeah, not just that. Their family isn’t as well-off as we are. And don’t forget the “Ooh!” factor.

Right! If Grandma heard of it, she’d go, “Ooh.”

Exactly.

Hey, girls, you know what I’ve always told you. You need to marry someone with the same standards as ours. You have to consider their family background and parents’ careers.

Mom, doesn’t the Bible say ‘marry only in the Lord,’ not ‘only in your social class’?

Yeah.

Never mind! Have you guys finished your homework yet? Anna, your finals are coming up. I don’t want you missing any more meetings than necessary.

OK?

Gloria, why should they miss any meetings? You know, putting school beforeJehovah, that’s just practice for putting work before Jehovah.

Sometimes they have to.

Those.

Oh, I like these.

Me too.


What are those? You’re not going out in your sister’s shoes.

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Why not?

Because I said so!

But these are perfect, and she doesn’t wear them anymore.

Never, never! Your grandma had to wear her sister’s shoes, and they hadholes in them!

Mom, calm down. I don’t wear them anymore.

She was so ashamed. I made up my mind to make a lot of money so no one would ever see me borrow clothes! And you’re not going to borrow them either!

[AT JOE & MARYS APARTMENT]

Hey, so are you going to go or what?

All right, I’ll go. Now will you leave me alone?

Well, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.

Well, if you don’t want me to go then I won’t.

I do. OK, I said I do. I want you to go.

So I said I’d go. I’d go, just to see.

OK.


OK, good. Good. Thank you.

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But this may be the only time.

Maybe.

Yeah, I’m going to tell you exactly what’s going to happen. It’s the same thingthat happens when I go to church. The people don’t even know that I’m there.So why go? What?

Nothing. You’ll see, you’ll see.

[AT THE KINGDOM HALL]

Hey, Brian.

Hey, Dion. Good to see you.

Good to see you too.

Hey, guys.

Meet Mary.

Pleasure to meet you.

I’m Mike.

Hey, Jule. How are you?

Good.


How are you?

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We’d like to welcome back Brother Lee Williams to deliver his final talkentitled “No One Can Slave for Two Masters.” Brother Williams, please.

Bro. Williams: There are billions of people who are enslaved without even realizing it. They unintentionally do it to themselves because they feel obligated to follow the traditions of their culture, and they put family and money ahead of God. But Jesus made it clear that, sooner or later, everyone on earth will have to choose who or what they will serve as master —either Jehovah or money and the power and prestige that goes with having it. Notice how Jesus explained this at Matthew 6:24. I invite you to open your Bibles there, Matthew 6:24. And Jesus said: “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches.” Now, how could someone be divided in loyalty like this? Well, let’s think of a Bible example: Lot and his family. Now, Lot moved his family near Sodom and then later into the city, although knowing that the men there were “wicked, gross sinners against Jehovah.” Was he seeking material security? Did he give in to pressure from his wife? Did they try to serve two masters? Well, whatever the case, we know the results. The family suffered spiritually, and they put their lives at risk. Eventually, this attitude affected Lot’s wife so much that she loved the comforts of Sodom more than Jehovah. Even while Jehovah used the angels to try to get them out of that wicked city, Lot’s wife looked back, possibly because of her attachment to her things, and she became a pillar of salt. Now, could Lot’s wife have avoided that tragic outcome? Of course! It didn’t have to end that way. No wonder Jesus madethe very direct comments at Luke 17:32 when he said: “Remember the wife of Lot.” And there is the lesson for us: We are living at a time when it is vital that we do not look back in a figurative sense. What a sobering reminder that we should put Jehovah God first and seek his approval before family, money,and things.

[Gloria is quite uncomfortable listening to the counsel and imagines herself turning into a pillar of salt]

Tell your folks I said hello, OK? OK. All right, thank you, bye-bye.

Brother Williams, that was very inspiring.


Oh, thank you, Brian. I’m glad you thought so.

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I want you to meet Joe and Mary. This is their first meeting.

Oh, nice to meet you, Joe and Mary.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Hi, Gloria.

Hi, Brother Williams.

I’ve got to tell you, all of this is so different from my church. I mean, I liked your sermon, but believe me, we’re not a family that expects to ever get rich. We never have any money for anything anyways.

Right. Just a lot of debt.

Yeah, but you know the important thing is that we can have our spiritual needs taken care of. God can take care of all the other needs. Well, I’m glad you were able to make it today. Hopefully, this won’t be your last time.

Maybe.

Thanks again, Brother Williams.

OK.

Take care.

Take care.


Bye, Gloria.

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Bye.

Hey, so thanks for coming over, man. I really appreciate the effort you made to come today.

Yeah, I mean, it was good. I enjoyed it. The speeches he gave were good. Yeah? Yeah, it was pretty nice.

Good.

So we’ll see.

What did Mary think?

Well, I don’t know. I have to check with her. Um, I mean, this is a lot different than her church.

Yeah.

So later on I’ll- I’ll get her take on it too. Yeah.

Brian! Thanks again, Brother Williams.

It was good to see you again.

I appreciate it.

And Joe, it was nice meeting you.

Yeah. All right. Bye.


Bye.

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Hey, Brian, where is Mr. Williams’ wife?

He’s a widower. Julia died a few years ago.

Oh.

But he took good care of her, right to the end.

Man, that’s sad.

Yeah.

Especially when it’s your wife. Wow.

But you know what? He’s convinced, and we’re all convinced, we’ll see her again in the new world. And you know, despite his grief, he continues his work.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

So how much does he make then?

Oh, well, he doesn’t make anything. He’s- he’s a volunteer.

A volunteer?

Yeah.


Well, how does he afford that nice car, his phone, and his suit?

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Well, the congregations cover his basic expenses.

What? The congregation? Man, it sounds to me like he’s living off othersinstead of working, like you say.

Oh, no, no, Joe! You’ve got it all wrong. He’s busy just like the rest of us. He’s- he’s busy preaching; he’s preparing, teaching, listening to us. It’s not like that.

Yeah, but, you suppose he ever asks himself, ‘Can I make it in this “real world”?’ like you and I do every day.

Joe, trust me, he knows what this world is really like. I mean, he’s in it every day, helping people. Besides, before he learned the truth, he had a prestigious career. He just doesn’t talk about it.

Man, I got to go. Uh, hey, Mary!

OK.

We try to follow Bible principles as much as we can.

Mary!

Yeah?

Are you ready to go?

I’m ready. Well, I have to go.

OK.


I’ll see you next time, OK?

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Hey, girls?

Yeah, we have to get back, OK.

Thanks again, man.

And I’ll see you next week? All right.

Bye, Mary.

Bye.

Bye, girls.

Bye, Joe.

Bye.

You know, I really enjoyed Brother Williams’ talk today.

The part where he said: ‘You cannot slave for two masters. We cannot serveGod and Riches.’ I really liked that.

Yeah, Brother Williams always gives nice talks. But aren’t there manybrothers who are successful in the world and in the truth too? How can he say you cannot do both?

But, Gloria, it wasn’t Brother Williams who said no one can slave for two masters; it was Jesus.

I know.


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But I see Witnesses who are very active in the truth and also hold down high- paying jobs, some even pioneer. That’s why you have to exert yourselves.

Gloria, Jesus said ‘to exert yourself to get in through the narrow door,’ not toserve two masters. Evidently, Lot’s wife tried to serve both.

But we live in different times though. Don’t you think our girls need to try ashard as they can?

But think of those in our own congregation who pushed their kids too far. They couldn’t do it all. They had to “take a break” from the truth so they could pursue their material goals. So far, they haven’t returned to Jehovah.

Can you guys walk any faster? I don’t want to miss my TV show.

[AT JOE & MARY’S APARTMENT WITH RICKY & ARTHUR]

So, Mom, how was your baptism?

What baptism?

Didn’t you get baptized this morning? How was it?

Yeah, was it as good as Dad said?

Yeah, I enjoyed it. Everyone was so pleasant. It’s not what I thought it would be.

Are you serious?

Yes, I’m serious. We listened to a sermon and looked up a lot of scriptures. I couldn’t even keep up! I didn’t know the Bible had so many books! But you know, now I can see why your dad is so interested.


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So, what does that mean?

Yeah, like, what happens now? Are you like ready to get baptized? Shall Ibaptize thou now?

What’s wrong with you? Stop that! You know, both of you just get up and help me clean this table. Let’s go. I told them that I would sit in the next time they came to study with your dad. I got to keep my word.

No, you don’t! You don’t owe those people anything!

Yeah, they’ll understand anyways.

Listen, that would be rude. I’m many things, but I’ve never been rude. Besides, I’m curious. Who knows what I could learn from all of this?

[GLORIA & RUBY WATCHING TV]

Advertisement: Yay! Congratulations, guys! I know this place will be the home of your dreams.

Those men are so funny!

Mom, they’re a gay couple.

So?

A year ago that shocked you.

Things change, and we need to get used to it.

Advertisement: I just closed on a huge housing contract for my client.


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You see? That’s the only way to survive. Your girls need to get big-money jobs. You have no choice. Otherwise, your sister-in-law and her family will look down on them and on you.

Mom, why are you trying to even impress them? You don’t even like thosepeople.

Never mind.

Mom? I’m starting school tomorrow.

School? You? What school?

I’m going to take real estate classes so that I can earn my own money. I want to move to a better apartment. Mom, can you please speak to Uncle for me about working for his real estate company?

Now you talk like a good daughter.

NEXT TIME ON REMEMBER THE WIFE OF LOT

What’s going on? Why are you being so serious?

I’m just trying to tell you that I love you all, and I want what’s best for us.

Gloria’s mother keeps badgering her and me to move up.

I’m just trying to make her happy.

If I make this sale today, I’ll have enough to make the down payment on the bigger apartment that I told you about, the one on the East Side.

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