So as by Fire: A Play in One Act

Josh is the youngest of four with two older sisters and an older brother. He is a committed Christian working as a firefighter in the suburbs. Christmas Eve has come, and Josh has returned home to spend the evening with his family, celebrating the birth of his Savior only to face ridicule. Trying to calm the situation, Josh's father and mother step in and try to control the dialogue, but they, too, secretly harbor deep feelings of their own. At the core of the divisiveness overshadowing the family is Josh's decision to set aside a potential career as a professional athlete for a more selfless and sacrificial career.

Jake is the oldest of the four and a well-to-do accountant who recently went through a divorce. Adam, Jake's son, was allowed to come to the gathering and is a bright spot in the whole affair for Josh. Next in line is Sabrina. She is a graphics designer and currently lives with her boyfriend, enjoying a free-spirited and immoral life. Melody is the closest in age to Josh and still lives at home. Barely finishing high school a few years ago, she struggles to find direction in her life. Josh suspects that Melody has turned to drugs as a means of escape, but Josh's mother and father refuse to believe it. Having spent the last couple of years working part time in a Quick Mart, Melody has grown depressed and distant from all in the family. At one time, she had aspirations to become a writer, but hopelessness has consumed her dreams.

Josh's mother and father are retired and have been for several years. Both have at one point in their lives professed Christ as their Savior, but apathy has taken the place of a life filled with faith for many years. Josh's mother has recently begun to reach back toward her faith, but the years of neglect have made it difficult to escape her present state. Dad's faith is stagnant at best, and he has lost any love for the Savior that he may have once had. Simply bidding his time, Josh's father waits for the inevitable.