Some Christians think that in an end-times Rapture event, young children automatically go to Heaven.[1. Background photo by David Moum on Unsplash.] But what about older kids? Such as teen rebels who disobey parents, won’t go to church, and reject Jesus? Left Behind: The Kids explored the exploits of the Young Tribulation Force, and was adapted for its own fantastic dramatic audio series by today’s guest: Darby Kern.

Episode sponsors

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2. Enclave Publishing: The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes
   
3. The Katrosi Revolution series by Jamie Foley
   
4. Lorehaven Open World at Realm Makers
   

Mission update

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• Lorehaven reviews: The Nightmare Virus
  
• Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild
  

Introducing guest Darby Kern

Darby Kern, the creator of The Jake Muller Adventures, has been a restaurant manager, a medical writer, an occupational health coordinator, a pharmacist, and a soda-jerk. Now he is an award-winning filmmaker and the writer of hundreds of radio dramas including Left Behind: The Kids, Left Behind: The Rising, Kid’s Corner (Back To God), Lamplighter Theatre, and Heirloom Audio’s The Extraordinary Adventures of G. A. Henty. He is the writer of several stories and dramas for the Abide App.

He lives in Titletown, USA where he works as a freelance writer.

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• DarbyKern.com
  
• JakeMullerAdventures.com
  

1. What led you to faith, imagination, and LB?

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• Origin story: from church to comics, from eschatology to aliens
  
• First steps into the worlds of audio drama, then writing for drama
  
• How to connect with a fledgling studio and play in the sandbox
  

2. Turning forty books into 72 audio episodes

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• The auditions of casting for older kids and teens left behind
  
• The challenges of adaptation for dialogue, subplots, conversions, action
  
• The trials of speed-running the Tribulation (especially books 13–40)
  

Darby Kern adapted the 48-volume YA books for the 72-episode Left Behind: The Kids audio drama series from GapDigital studios.

3. Post: From Glorious Appearing to alien intrusions

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• Everything sad comes untrue when Jesus returns to renew all things.
  
• How did you, Todd, and the crew adapt this version of blessed hope?
  
• From there, how did it go with the spooktacular, underrated The Rising?
  
• Where then has your work taken you, most lately with Jake Muller?
  
• Since we spoke, what’s new with Jake and his paranormal investigations?
  
• Which creatures will Jake next encounter in sterling cinematic audio?
  

Com station

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• How do you prepare for a wicked world, tribulation or otherwise?
  

Next on Fantastical Truth

Twenty years ago, two authors, one publisher, twelve action thriller novels, and forty teen spinoff books came to a grand finale with the fictionalized return of Jesus Christ to Earth. One of those top authors, marriage and prophecy teacher Tim LaHaye, has since passed to his eternal rest. The other author who’s written hundreds of novels, Jerry B. Jenkins, is still working! And next week, Jenkins joins our studio to explore the Left Behind legacy.