THE
SEVEN DEADLY SINS GO WEST
BRONCO BUSTIN’
By Bob Allen
“He that is
slothful in his work
is brother to him
that is a great waster.”
Proverbs 18:9
“Not slothful in
business”
Romans 12:11
Deadly Sin: Sloth
CHARACTERS
Rocky Rhodes, – A true-blue, rootin’-tootin’ Western cowboy.
Teddy Knight - One LAZY rancher.
SCENE
THE FRONT
YARD OF TEDDY KNIGHT’S CATTLE RANCH. TWO
RECLINING LAWN CHAIRS SIT SIDE BY SIDE.
IN ONE OF THEM TEDDY LAYS BACK, ICE TEA GLASS IN HAND. HE IS TIED TO THE CHAIR BY SEVERAL LENGTHS OF
ROPE. THE OTHER CHAIR IS EMPTY. ROCKY ENTERS CARRYING A LARIAT.
ROCKY: Mr.
Knight?
TEDDY: Teddy’s
the name. Bronco bustin’s the game. Have a seat.
(HE
POINTS AT THE OTHER LOUNGE CHAIR.)
ROCKY: (SITS
ON THE EDGE OF THE CHAIR CAREFULLY SO AS NOT TO TIP IT OVER, BUT TRIES NOT TO
LAY BACK.) Got a wild one, eh?
TEDDY: That’s
what they keep telling me. No one has
been able to tame him. Not even me.
And I’m the best in the business.
ROCKY: Have
you tried horse whispering?
TEDDY: No,
just yelling. I haven’t been able to get
loose from these ropes and
close enough to whisper.
ROCKY: (STANDS) So you want me to untie you?
TEDDY: Don’t
you dare touch my ropes. Do you know how
hard it is to tie
yourself up and then slide the knots around behind your back so you can’t reach
them? Why, it took me most of the morning.
ROCKY: But
if I helped…
TEDDY: Then
what would I do all afternoon? It will
take me until quittin’ time
to slide the knots back around so I can undo them. But I’ll get started
as soon as I finish my iced tea. Care
for a glass?
ROCKY: No
thanks. (PAUSE) So how long you been bustin’ broncs?
TEDDY: All
my life. I was just a little cowpoke
when Daddy said, “Teddy, I want you to become the best bronco
buster this side of the Rocky Mountains.” That was the same day I bought my first lawn
chair.
ROCKY: (WALKS
AROUND TEDDY’S LAWN CHAIR AS IF LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.) Did I miss something here?
TEDDY: Not
at all. If you can’t break in a lawn
chair you can’t break in a bronco.
ROCKY: Really? I haven’t seen too many bucking lawn chairs.
TEDDY: Just
like everything else in life. Have to
start small. Savor your victories. Discover your strengths. Eliminate your weaknesses.
ROCKY: So
do you always start bustin’ broncos from here in your lawn chair?
TEDDY: Every
working day for fifteen years. On my
days off I forgo the rope.
ROCKY: I
don’t think I can wait fifteen years.
I’ll just head over to the corral with my lariat and see if we
can tame this one a little faster than
that. (PICKS UP HIS ROPE AND STARTS TO
LEAVE.)
TEDDY: (REACHES OUT TO STOP HIM AND TIPS
THE LAWN CHAIR OVER, BUT MANAGES TO GRAB
ROCKY BY THE ANKLE.) No, please.
Don’t do that. Don’t take away my
greatest
pleasure in life, my incentive to live.
All I have ever wanted
to do is bust broncos. Would you rob me
of that satisfaction?
ROCKY: (GRABBING
HIS OWN LEG AND TUGGING TO GET LOOSE. HE BEGINS
PULLING THE LAWN CHAIR AND TEDDY BEHIND
HIM.) But you don’t bust broncos.
TEDDY: I
want to. I stay awake nights just
thinking about how much fun it would be. I just can’t get out of this chair. I’m afraid I’ll die here.
ROCKY: (PULLS
LOOSE AND GOES BEHIND THE CHAIR WHERE THE KNOTS ARE TIED.) Then let me untie the ropes.
TEDDY: (ROLLING
THE CHAIR AWAY FROM ROCKY SO THAT HE GETS EVEN MORE BOUND UP IN THE ROPES
AND THE COLLAPSING
CHAIR.) No. Don’t touch those ropes. What if there’s
a mountain lion between here and the corral?
ROCKY: Seriously?
TEDDY: What
if the horse doesn’t like me?
ROCKY: Like
you? While you are breaking him?
TEDDY:
What if one of the ranch hands laughs?
What if I don’t measure up
to Daddy’s expectations? Just leave me
alone.
ROCKY: (GIVES
UP TRYING TO UNTIE THE ROPES.) All
right. Have it
your way. I’ll just head down to the
corral and see what I can do to
tame this wild beast of yours.
TEDDY: (FINALLY
SUCCEEDING IN RIGHTING HIMSELF AND THE CHAIR.) See what I told you? It works every time.
ROCKY: What
works every time?
TEDDY: I
just stay here in my chair and every time the bronco gets busted. I’m
the greatest bronco buster this side of the Rockies,
just like my Daddy
said.
ROCKY: If
that’s success, I’d hate to see a failure.
THE END
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Why is sloth considered a deadly sin?
- Does sloth affect other people, or could it be considered a victimless crime?
- How is sloth different from simple laziness?
- Does laziness always lead to sloth?
- How can a person become aware of participation in slothful behavior?
- What is the best way to deal with the temptation to be slothful?
- Why does Proverbs 18:9 compare slothfulness to wastefulness?
- Why do slothful people work so hard to avoid work?
- Is the fear of failure an adequate explanation for being slothful?
- Do you think the desire to get others to do something you don’t want to do provides an adequate motive for slothful behavior?
- How does the warning of Romans 12:11 provide a path to victory over the sin of sloth?
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