The Cast & Sets
Fake Students
You will notice the many colorful characters in the videos. All of the children are based off of characters of many of the children I have taught throughout the years. For instance, all teachers have a Philbert in their class who obsesses over videos games - I have been blessed with many Phiberts throughout the years. Chipper is based on the typical happy-go-lucky prankster. Angel is the only unrealistic character. My wife Rebecca said I needed to add a girl to the classroom, so I asked myself, "what would the perfect student be like?" Thus, the character "Angel" was created. She is quiet, always engaged, but never the center of attention. The only real children in the episodes are my children because they are always asking me to be in the videos.
Real People
Unlike the children - all the adults are real. When I originally created this series I was going to make up a main character - but I thought it would be simpler and more authentic to base each episode on real events. So, I used myself as the main character because I did not need to act or look for my character's motivation - I simply based each episode on events that happened in my life.
My Family
All of my family members in the series you see are real too. My Parents - Dr. Ken Burge Sr (Dallas theological seminary & author of the F.I.R.E Biblical Commentary & Hermeneutic Series) and my mom Kimberly Burge make an occasional appearance. Her grandchildren all call her Mima - so in each episode she creates a recipe for the class (you can find them at the download page.) My lovely wife Rebecca who helps me with the voice acting also appears in many episodes. I consult with her on nearly every aspect of this series! My eldest daughter Vera (three years old) voices her character and my other children will appear in later seasons. My brothers appear as well - Joshua Burge (Strategy & Investments Director at a major nonprofit) and Dr. Dan Burge (Roll Tide) who is the author of A Failed Vision of Empire: The Collapse of Manifest Destiny, 1845–1872
My Church Family
Mr. Nathan was my Sunday School teacher as a child and has faithfully served Colmar Manor Bible Church for as long as I can remember. I had the honor to teach his children. As you can tell - he has a great sense of humor and is awesome to work with. I have the privilege of serving along side him every week. Mr. Steven came to church as a little boy and came to my free guitar class. I have spent so much time with him that I have lost count - he is now a deacon at the church and faithfully serves. Mike and Major also make cameos - they came through the youth group too and have spent countless hours at my house - eating my food.
Real Sets & Real Stories
Almost all of the sets you see in the series are based off real locations and places. The only fake locations are the shops which are located next to the church (as seen at the beginning of each episode.) The church is in a residential area so I wanted to respect the town residents thus I created the shops. However, all the scenes at the church are real - and so are the depictions of my house. Most of the stories are true too (I say about 90%) and are based on real events that happened in my life. Thankfully, I was never attack by a crazy Christmas tree topper as seen in episode #7 - Joseph & The Angel. As a disclaimer, Mr. Nathan's car was not harmed in the creation of these videos. I feel that using mostly true stories make each episode more authentic and relatable to those watching.