Paws & Tales

Goos: Hey everyone! Goos here for Paws & Tales. I think it's time for you to become famous and I have just the plan to get it all rolling. Pop over to pawsandtales.org and download one of the radio scripts we have there.

Record yourself on your parents' phone reading it like you're a real actor. We have several scripts for you to choose from. Then, just have your parents go to pawsandtales.org and head on into the clubhouse and upload it there. We'll use some of them inside an actual episode. So, record it serious or record it silly. We're going to love it either way. Get your radio script at pawsandtales.org and let's start your new career as a radio announcer to the world.

Guest (Male): Previously on Paws & Tales.

Goos: So, what does this factory make?

Alex: Candy.

Stacey: Whoa, is that it?

Alex: That's it. My factory and my home.

Guest (Male): This place is brimming with potential.

Alma: There are folks out there who are cold and hungry and they really need a hug from God.

Guest (Male): Take the risk, amigos. Do not settle for the small things. Want more of God and He will show you more than you can imagine.

Insight for Living: Welcome to the world of Paws & Tales. Wild Mountain can be a pretty dangerous place. If you stay on the trails and stick with me, there's adventures to be had there too. Insight for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales.

Guest (Male): Well, Stacey and Marsha met up with Goos and told her everything that they'd learned from Alma that morning. So it was with an abundance of youthful enthusiasm that they pushed Alma in her wheelchair from the cafe back to the Shady Days rest home. It was there that they started forming their plans.

Alma: You girls make your plans and I will knit.

Goos: This is so exciting! Do you really think God will do something?

Stacey: I do. If we do the right thing for the right reason, I think He will.

Goos: Okay. How about we try to build a new home for some needy family in town?

Stacey: Okay, that scares me.

Goos: Well, I'm scared. But isn't God big enough to build a house?

Stacey: He is, but we're kind of just starting out here. Maybe we should experiment with something a little smaller.

Goos: How about soup?

Stacey: Soup?

Goos: Well, everybody likes soup. A bowl of hot soup is like a warm hug. Let's make soup.

Stacey: I like soup. My mom makes the best potato cheese soup in the world.

Goos: We could make sign-up sheets. Hey Alma, do you have paper and colored pencils?

Alma: I have paper and regular pencils only.

Stacey: Well, maybe we can decide what we want and make them at home tonight.

Alma: I will get them.

Goos: We could each make a sign-up sheet and have four or five lines on it for four or five families to sign up on.

Marsha: And bread.

Stacey: And bread?

Marsha: Well, you can't have soup without bread. I think it's a law.

Goos: Soup and bread. Oh, good.

Stacey: All right, I sure don't want to break any laws. So what do we call this?

Goos: Do we need to call it anything?

Marsha: Oh, it would be good to call it something. Oh, how about the Marsha, Stacey, and Goos Super Supper? But we spell super like S-O-U-P-E-R.

Goos: That is so clever! You are very clever, Marsha.

Stacey: Why not the Stacey, Marsha, and Goos Super Supper?

Marsha: That would be fine. I just thought that—I don't care who goes first.

Alma: Here you are. Is there a sharpener in the box somewhere? It sounds like you are making big plans.

Stacey: We are. We are going to make sign-up sheets for families to get a free supper. We're going to call it the Stacey, Marsha, and Goos Super Supper.

Goos: But we are going to spell super S-O-U-P-E-R. Isn't that clever?

Alma: It is. Can I ask a question?

Stacey: Sure.

Alma: Who is this for?

Stacey: Who is it for?

Alma: Who are you doing this for?

Goos: Well, the needy families, of course.

Alma: I am sorry, Goos, but that is the wrong answer.

Goos: It is?

Alma: If you are doing this just to serve others, you will soon dry up. Some will not thank you. Some will take advantage of you. And some will even try to stop you.

Goos: No one is that mean. Are they?

Alma: That is just the way some people are. Don't try to serve others. Try to become like Christ. Now, part of doing that is to serve others, but the difference is that now you won't be working alone.

You will be working with Christ. He will be guiding you, giving you power, and He will be dipping into the treasures of heaven on your behalf. Become like Christ and everyone around you will be blessed. That is the way to honor God. That is the way to serve others.

Stacey: Okay, we want to be like Jesus.

Goos: Yeah, like Jesus.

Alma: Muy bien. I have another question for you. If you are doing this to be like Jesus, why are your names on the sign-up sheet?

Marsha: Ouch.

Goos: Yeah, we're going to need a new name.

Stacey: Yep, yep, we are going to need a new name. Will that work for everyone?

Marsha: I like it.

Goos: I think it's great.

Stacey: Should we wake her up?

Goos: Yeah, she won't mind. Alma, Alma, we have a new name.

Alma: See? I was just—what is the new name?

Goos: We're going to call it the Hug from God Supper.

Alma: Oh, I like it very much.

Goos: This is what we have so far. If you would like to get a Hug from God Supper of homemade soup and bread, just sign your name on one of the lines below. This sheet will be collected at 2:00 Sunday afternoon. By 6:00 on Sunday night, a servant of God will deliver you your meal. Please bless me by letting me show you God's love.

Alma: I think it's beautiful.

Goos: It'll be very fun to make them up. That's my favorite thing, drawing and decorating and—

Alma: So you will post them up before church?

Stacey: Yep, we've each picked out our spots. Oh, this is so exciting! Let's go get started.

Alma: Amigas, you're forgetting something.

Stacey: Really? What?

Alma: If this is a hug from God and not from you, perhaps you should ask Him to share His love through you.

Goos: Whoopsie. We'd better pray.

Stacey: Oh, sure. Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to do what You want and in the way You want to do it. And please, Father, do more than we can even imagine. In Jesus' name, amen.

Alma: Amen. It has been a wonderful afternoon with you girls.

Stacey: Bye, Alma!

Goos: We'll see you at church!

Stacey: Adios, Alma!

Alma: Adios, Stacey. Goodbye, girls. Oh, Lord, please do more than they can even imagine.

Guest (Male): So that night, the girls all went home and each of them created a beautiful Hug from God Supper sign-up sheet with four spaces to sign on. In the morning, they each tacked them up.

Stacey's went outside of the church itself. Marsha's went outside the general store. And Goos put hers up outside the pharmacy. It was after church and with great anticipation that they wandered down Main Street that next day.

Anticipation to see if anyone had signed up. Anticipation to see if all four lines had been filled. And anticipation to see if their desire to explore and experiment with their faith would, well, to see if it would work.

Stacey: My mom said to not start the soup until we knew how many signed up.

Marsha: I wish I had thought of that. I've got a great big pot boiling away right now.

Goos: I have all my stuff ready, chopped up and all, but it's not cooking yet. Oh, this is so exciting! Okay, I see mine. Is there a name on it? Is it full?

Stacey: I can't see it from here. I think so. Where did you put yours, Marsha?

Marsha: The general store. Well, you knew that. Well, then what's that on the post office?

Stacey: If you would like to get a Hug from God Supper of homemade soup—who made this? It has ten lines on it and it's all filled up.

Marsha: I sure didn't.

Goos: Don't look at me. Oh, oopsie.

Stacey: No, don't say oopsie.

Marsha: What does oopsie mean? I don't want to hear oopsie. What does that mean?

Goos: Well, I just had such a good time making my sign-up sheet.

Stacey: I'm waiting for an oopsie.

Goos: My sisters joined in. They made their own.

Stacey: They weren't supposed to put them up.

Goos: Well, they did. And all over town.

Stacey: How many did they make?

Goos: Oh, not very many. Bless my brothers, they did. Oopsie.

Stacey: Oh, no.

Goos: There's another one on the firehouse.

Stacey: I see two on the hotel. Ten lines, all filled up!

Goos: There's one, two, three more! That's 60 or 70 meals! We can't do that. This is a disaster!

Guest (Male): Well, after a long night of reading the manual for the big lathe, the machine that can make ten rake handles at one time, Alex was ready to start the new day by giving her a try.

Alex: Okay now, stand back, boys. This thing hasn't run for 37 years. There's no telling what might happen.

Guest (Male): What if it blows up? Oh, that would be so bad. Should I go get my dad?

Alex: No, he's working back there in the manager's office. If this works, then I'll get him. All right, I've dripped oil on the gears, checked the fuses, and closed the hood. Here it goes.

Guest (Male): Alex, is it supposed to do that?

Alex: I don't think so. Get back! It's going to blow! It's going to blow!

Guest (Male): I'm Ned the Beaver, star of Paws & Tales. Now, I want to surprise Papa Chuck with some photos of you. So parents, take a photo of your kids listening to Paws & Tales. They can be funny photos, kooky pictures, snuggled into the pillows, wherever your child listens. And I will have them posted on the wall of the clubhouse for all to see. Don't you want to be a part of the clubhouse wall? Of course you do. So just go to pawsandtales.org and send in those pictures.

Alex: You two, get behind something.

Guest (Female): Alex, get away from it! Is everyone okay?

Guest (Male): I'm good.

Guest (Female): I'm fine.

Alex: Whoa, that was close. That's it. I'm way in over my head here and there's no shore in sight. This isn't a blessing from God, it's a punishment for being dissatisfied and wanting more. Alex, Alex!

Guest (Male): We're over here! Everything's fine. Everyone is fine. Mostly. Alex, you won't believe what I just found.

Alex: Nothing. I don't want to hear about any more potential. Can't you see I am drowning here? It's over. You have everything. Whatever you found, you can have, okay? Unless it's $100,000, I don't want to hear about it.

Guest (Male): I found $1,427,312.

Alex: What?

Guest (Male): Really? Can I keep it?

Alex: What do you mean you found it?

Guest (Male): There is another bank account. You only knew about the president's account.

Alex: Which has nothing in it.

Guest (Male): I found the books for the manager's account. Money they used for hiring workers, to repair broken machines, to buy supplies. Whatever is needed, here are the resources to get them. Almost a million and a half dollars. There's going to be interest on top of that. You may have several million by now.

Alex: It was here all the time.

Guest (Male): And your uncle never knew. That's kind of embarrassing.

Alex: I would have lived out all my pathetic little life and never known that was there. I never would have known without you.

Guest (Male): You can't bear the weight of a great blessing alone. That's why God gave us each other.

Alex: What does this mean? I can't get my mind to think straight. Maybe I could go home. Maybe I could just get away from here.

Guest (Male): Hello in there! Anybody in here? We're back here. Are you the new owner?

Guest (Male): No, this is the new owner. What can I do for you, old timer?

Guest (Male): We heard the factory whistle blow.

Alex: Oh, yeah, we kind of accidentally did that.

Guest (Female): Sorry about that.

Guest (Male): I heard it all my life. Heard it when we'd start and heard it when we'd quit. And then it stopped. I ain't heard that whistle for nearly 40 years.

Alex: The factory whistle. Did you work here?

Guest (Male): We all did. The old ones, anyways. It's like coming home, being in here after all these years.

Alex: Okay, we need a plan.

Goos: We need a million dollars. We're in an army to cook all of those meals. I just wanted to serve God by serving folks who could use a hug. And now they're all going to be expecting a hot meal and they're not going to prepare dinner because we were supposed to bring it. And now instead of helping people, we're going to make a lot of hungry people very upset. We're going to kind of make God look bad.

Stacey: Well, we can't just sit here and complain. We need to get those sign-up sheets and go to each and every house and tell them that we messed up, but they'll get their supper next week or the week after that.

Marsha: We'd better get started so they have time to get their own supper ready. This is going to be so embarrassing. Oh, I should have just kept quiet and been happy with the way things were. I think this is my punishment for wanting more.

Stacey: Where are they?

Marsha: Where's what?

Stacey: The sign-up sheet, it's gone! No, this can't be happening! This one's gone too!

Marsha: Someone took them all! Except the ones we made. They're all gone!

Stacey: Who would be mean enough to do something like this? Hugh McClow, you have gone too far!

Guest (Male): This fellow over there worked the big lathe and I worked the sawmill.

Guest (Male): We found the sawmill.

Guest (Male): Oh, it's a good one. Nothing like the smell of fresh cut lumber.

Alex: What have you been doing all this time?

Guest (Male): You mean since the last owner came and shut everything down and sent us all packing? Nothing much. There's not much other work to do around here. This whole town grew up around the factory. When it closed, we just tried to scratch out a living. Did you know the cold-hearted old coot?

Alex: He was my uncle.

Guest (Male): Sorry. No offense taken.

Alex: No, I mean I'm sorry he was your uncle. He was self-centered and heartless. No one deserves an uncle like that. You're right, he was. But mostly he was scared. He had a lot of fear.

Guest (Male): Well, his personal fear sent a whole generation of villagers into the poorhouse. What's that? Looks like Smitty is bringing the big lathe back to life. No, no, no, no! It's going to blow up! Turn it off! Get down, everybody! It's going to blow up! Run!

Ned: Welcome everyone to my new podcast, Ned Knows. Today my guest is my good friend Goos.

Goos: I'm not really sure what that meant, but I love Paws & Tales because it's funny and really deep. Some things are only deep and not very funny.

Ned: Yeah, we get it. Paws & Tales is both.

Goos: It is indeed. Funny and deep, I know. Wow, Ned really does know.

Alex: Turn it off! Run! I can't hear you! Run for your lives! Why? You okay, pal? What happened? How did you do that? It was about to blow.

Guest (Male): Oh, that was nothing. Old Louise here, she always punches and grinds that way when I start her up in the morning. I just pour a quart of oil into a gearbox and she gets down right pleasant. My wife is the same way until she gets her morning coffee.

Alex: Well, that wasn't in the manual.

Guest (Male): Oh, I bet not. That's the kind of thing you learn as you go.

Alex: So you remember how to make rake handles?

Guest (Male): Sure. Most any kind of tool handle. And occasionally after work, I used to even make a few baseball bats for whatever folks might be interested in such things.

Goos: Oh, me! Me! Me! I'm interested! I'm super interested!

Alex: They know. They know how to operate the machines. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be back in the good old days. You want a job? Now don't be fooling. I'm not fooling. I really, really need you.

Guest (Male): Well, there's nothing I'd like better.

Alma: Slow down, amigas, slow down. Are you sure Hugh took the sign-up sheets?

Stacey: Not really, but it had to be him or one of his gang. It's not just that. Everything went wrong. I wanted to do a good thing, but now everything is worse off than before. Even after we prayed.

Goos: Should we get home and start making soup for the names on our lists?

Stacey: No, we just need to take care of this whole mess. Doing a few suppers won't solve our problem here.

Goos: I've been trying to think of something positive to say, but this is a real mess.

Alma: Listen to me, girls. You said you wanted to experiment, to discover what God would do, to discover what your job was in all of this. So, what have you learned from your experiment?

Stacey: Nothing. No, not nothing. I learned to not experiment, to not explore, because it will go bad. I am angry and embarrassed and I just want to go home.

Goos: You could have a nice bowl of soup.

Stacey: No, I hate soup!

Goos: Oh, sorry. I have some fresh bread you could chew. Just don't—oh, yeah, sorry.

Alma: If you were in this alone, only serving others, then you would have perhaps failed. But you were not alone. You did it with the right motive and in the right way. You were in the act of becoming like Christ and that is beautiful.

Stacey: All I can think of is to start going around and asking door-to-door if they signed up or know anyone who did.

Alma: It is not easy becoming like Christ, but it is always worthwhile. Don't stop too soon, mi hijita.

Goos: If we have to apologize to the whole town, I guess we'd better get started. Let's start at Mrs. Hyman's house. This is so impossible. It feels like we're about to start bailing water out of the ocean. Excuse me, Mrs. Hyman. What you doing with the wagon?

Guest (Female): Hey Goos, I've got some soup. It's a Hug from God.

Stacey: What? Who gave you soup?

Guest (Female): No one. I made it. I made soup and bread just like the sign-up sheet suggested. And now I'm making my deliveries. This is so much fun. It really is a blessing.

Goos: I'm confused. Oh, there's another one. Excuse me, excuse me, Miss Burke. Are you delivering Hugs from God?

Guest (Female): I sure am. And I'm almost done too.

Marsha: Why are you doing it?

Guest (Female): I found these darling sign-up sheets in the back of the church. I thought it was a lovely idea. So I took one and my neighbors signed up.

Stacey: Wow.

Guest (Female): I was lucky to get one. They were getting snapped up right and left.

Stacey: Wow! So all of those people who were going to be angry about not getting their hug, they got hugged after all. And the ladies who took those sign-up sheets, they got hugged too. Oh, and so did we! Got to go, girls. Bye!

Goos: All kinds of folks are getting hugs from God. And we didn't even make soup. We didn't even make most of the sign-up sheets. We didn't do it alone. Jesus was helping. We were helping Jesus. Alma was right! Alma! We've got to tell Alma! Wait for me! Everyone is getting hugs from God!

Guest (Male): Well, the girls were more courageous from that point on. Their souls grew stronger because they had pure motives and they were willing to take some risks.

The same happened for Alex. He hired everyone who had worked in the factory before and they took care of the machines and they taught the younger ones to do the same. Alex, the blessing that he thought was a curse, well, it became a blessing for him and for everyone else in the village.

He got to do what he does best, taking care of the people who work for him. The whole town benefited, both from the new jobs and from the things that the factory made. It boils down to the fact that because some folks were willing to risk an experiment with their faith, a lot of folks got hugged by God.

Insight for Living: Life is fast, but God is faster. The sky is vast, but God is vaster. Every's near, but God is nearer. Water's clear, but the truth is clearer. He's the one who made us all. God is big, so why make small? Look above, you will see. God can do abundantly. Far beyond all we dream. God can do abundantly.

How great the works of our creator. His plans for us are even greater. So lean on Him and don't be doubting. By His power, you'll move a mountain. Trust the one who made us all. God is big, so why make small? Look above, you will see. God can do abundantly. Far beyond all we dream. God can do abundantly.

God can do abundantly. Yes, God can work through you and me. God can do abundantly. Ephesians 3 says, now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory.

Look above, you will see. God can do abundantly. Far beyond all we dream. God can do abundantly. God can do abundantly. Yes, God can work through you and me. God can do abundantly. Yes, God can work through you and me. God can do abundantly.

Insight for Living: To order a copy of today's program, Let There Be More, Part 2, just visit us online at pawsandtales.org. Let There Be More, Part 2 was written and directed by David Carl. The song, God Can Do Abundantly, was written by Sandy Howell and Bob Sober. Music was by Tim Hosman and our sound designer was Jerry Swafford. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production and a proud supporter of Keys for Kids Radio.