Paws & Tales

Ned: Oh Dave, I've had another flash of genius.

Dave: Really, Ned? First the bread de-cruster, and another one, too. This is going to be a very big day for you.

Ned: Yeah, the de-cruster is still in development, so that doesn't really count. No, I'm thinking it would be just a little bit of Christmas magic if we put a Paws & Tales ball cap, a Paws & Tales t-shirt, a Paws & Tales pen made from a branch of a tree...

Dave: How about adding a Paws & Tales activity book?

Ned: Please don't interrupt me. I'm in the genius zone. And then we put a Paws & Tales activity book, too, and we put it all in a fashionable drawstring backpack. And then we call it, Joel, drumroll please...

Joel: I have no drumroll, Ned.

Ned: And then we call it the Paws & Tales Christmas Cornucopia Bag of Happiness.

Joel: That's the swag bag, Ned. All ready to go in the warehouse. We planned that some time ago. The Paws & Tales swag bag.

Ned: Well, way to take my idea and run with it, fellas. Good work. Just zip on over everybody to pawsandtales.org and get your Ned's Genius Idea swag bag. Oh, stop tape.

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 adventure to be had there, too.

Come on, CJ, jump! It's too far! It wasn't too far for me! Insight for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales.

Narrator: It's a beautiful afternoon in Wildwood. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and over in the fortress, CJ is begging.

CJ: Come on, Stacy!

Narrator: As I'm sure you know, the fortress is the clubhouse Stacy and CJ and some of the other youngsters at Wildwood have made for themselves. It also happens to be where Stacy is showing CJ her new Hurdy-Gurdy top, which is the object of CJ's begging.

CJ: Please!

Stacy: In a minute.

Narrator: A Hurdy-Gurdy top is lined with little switches called keys. You set the keys in a certain way, spin it just right, and it plays a tune. Stacy has been playing with it all morning without letting CJ have a try, which is why CJ is begging.

CJ: Stacy, come on! Whatever happened to sharing?

Stacy: Whatever happened to patience?

CJ: I have been patient all morning while you've been hogging it.

Stacy: Hogging? It's my top. I worked hard for it.

CJ: I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just want to play with it like you said I could.

Stacy: And you will.

CJ: When?

Stacy: Soon. All right, all right. The next spin is yours.

CJ: Finally! Oh wait, no it isn't.

Stacy: I didn't realize it was so late. I've got to get started on my paper route. Sorry.

CJ: Can't you just leave it here and let me play with it for a while?

Stacy: I don't think so.

CJ: This isn't fair, Stacy. You promised!

Stacy: I know, but...

CJ: I won't hurt it! And I'll take it to your house as soon as I'm done. It'll be there when you're through with your paper route. Please?

Stacy: Okay.

CJ: Yes!

Stacy: Here you go.

CJ: Thank you, thank you!

Stacy: Now be careful with it.

CJ: I will.

Stacy: And don't spin it too fast.

CJ: I won't.

Stacy: CJ? I will be very unhappy if something happens to my Hurdy-Gurdy top. Understand?

CJ: Yeah, I understand. I'll be careful with it. I promise. Stacy, you're going to be late.

Stacy: All right, all right, I'm going.

CJ: Ha! At last!

Narrator: CJ spent the next couple of hours playing with the top. He had a great time and soon became an expert. He found that by spinning it at different speeds, he could make the tune play at different speeds. Very fun! All in all, they had a real nice time and he kept his word, too.

CJ: Stacy's going to be home soon. I've got to get the top over to her house. All right, let's see what this baby can really do. Go, go, go, go!

Narrator: Before he even knew it was happening, the top spun out of control and skittered out the door and over the edge of the fortress rock.

CJ: Whoa, wait, no! Oh no, no, no, no, no! Come on, come on! I broke it.

Eli: Hi, I'm Eli from Virginia. I love to listen to Paws & Tales when I'm getting ready for bed at night. And my parents listen too.

Stacy: Hey everyone, Stacy here from Paws & Tales. What if you could help kids around the world hear about the great love of God for His children? We do it in a fun way that is full of music, laughter, and storytelling that makes kids want to listen.

This is exactly what we do here at Paws & Tales. To help out with a donation of any size, just jump over to pawsandtales.org and click the donate button. Thank you so much for the help.

Narrator: CJ was mortified and panic-stricken. He'd broken Stacy's Hurdy-Gurdy top through his own carelessness, and after she'd asked him to be careful with it.

CJ: What am I going to do? What am I going to do?

Conscience: Tell Stacy the truth.

CJ: Who said that? Papa Chuck?

Conscience: No, I'm your conscience. I only sound like Papa Chuck. And you're trying to change the subject.

CJ: What subject?

Conscience: Tell Stacy the truth about what happened.

CJ: But...

Conscience: No buts. It's the right thing to do and you know it.

Timothy Owl (Brain): Says who?

CJ: Who's that? Timothy Owl? Are you my conscience too?

Timothy Owl (Brain): Let's just say I'm a part of your brain that wants to keep you safe. And you won't be safe if you tell Stacy what really happened.

CJ: That's true.

Conscience: Nonsense. You act like Stacy has no self-control.

CJ: That's about the size of it, especially when she's mad.

Timothy Owl (Brain): Which she will be if you tell her what you did. Remember what she said before she left?

CJ: Yeah, she'll be very unhappy if something happens to her Hurdy-Gurdy top.

Timothy Owl (Brain): Exactly! Now, CJ, you don't want Stacy to be unhappy, do you?

CJ: No. So what do I do?

Conscience: Tell the truth!

Timothy Owl (Brain): Be quiet! What you need to do, CJ, is hide the top.

CJ: Hide it?

Timothy Owl (Brain): That's right, hide it.

CJ: But what about Stacy?

Timothy Owl (Brain): Just tell her it was stolen.

CJ: Stolen? Sure! She can't blame you for that.

CJ: No, she can't. This might just work.

Timothy Owl (Brain): Of course it'll work. Stacy will be sad for a while, but at least she won't be mad at you.

CJ: Yeah. Okay, I'll hide it. And I know the perfect place.

Narrator: CJ hid the top in a hole near the fortress and, thinking his troubles were over, went to talk to Stacy.

Stacy: Stolen?

CJ: Yeah.

Stacy: How? Who? When? Details! Give me details!

CJ: I was leaving the fortress and someone jumped me from behind. He knocked me down and grabbed the top and ran off.

Stacy: I can't believe this!

CJ: It all happened so fast. I didn't get a good look at who did it.

Stacy: I suspect Hugh, if he wasn't out of town. Are you okay?

CJ: Yeah, just a little, you know.

Stacy: So what are you going to do?

CJ: There's not much I can do, is there?

Stacy: No, I guess not. Look, I'm really sorry about this.

CJ: Don't be. It's not your fault. I've got to get cleaned up for dinner. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Stacy: Okay, see ya.

Conscience: CJ, that was a terrible thing to do!

Timothy Owl (Brain): Oh, be quiet. Don't listen to him. CJ, you did just great.

CJ: Yeah, great.

Narrator: CJ went home, sad at what he did, but relieved that he'd gotten away with it. Or did he? That night CJ had the worst dream he'd ever had.

CJ: No! Stop! Leave me alone! Don't! Don't! Stay away! He's back! Ah! A dream. Just a dream. Pull yourself together, CJ. Just don't think about it. Yeah, that's it. Out of sight, out of mind.

Narrator: But that was a whole lot easier said than done. Next morning, the house was empty when CJ came downstairs for breakfast. His dad had gone to work and his mom had an errand to run, leaving him with a hot breakfast and a note to stop at the general store on his way to school and buy an apple to round out his lunch.

Mr. Crawford: That it, CJ?

CJ: Yes, sir, Mr. Crawford.

Mr. Crawford: All righty. Say, you okay?

CJ: I'm kind of tired. I didn't get much sleep last night.

Mr. Crawford: Oh, I know how that is. You know what helps me? Music! Oh hey, speaking of music, I got something here you'll like.

CJ: Huh?

Mr. Crawford: It's a Hurdy-Gurdy top! See, you spin it and it...

CJ: I know what it is! Where'd you get it?

Mr. Crawford: I sell them. Just got in a big shipment. Hey, they're all the rage, you know. Can I sell you one?

CJ: No! No!

Mr. Crawford: Wait! Hey, what about your apple? Strange.

Narrator: CJ ran as fast as he could to the school, bolted inside the doors, and plopped down at his desk.

CJ: Never thought I'd hear myself say this, but boy, am I glad to be here. This is the one place in town where there won't be any Hurdy-Gurdies.

Narrator: And he was right, until science, when she started talking about...

Teacher: Centrifugal force. CJ, please read its definition in your science book.

CJ: Yes, ma'am. Centrifugal force is the component of apparent force on a body of curvilinear motion as observed from that body that is directed away from the center of curvature or axis of rotation.

Teacher: Thank you, CJ. Now, what that means in plain English is simply the force that pushes away from the center of a spinning object.

CJ: Spinning object? No!

Teacher: And I can't think of a better example of a spinning object than this new Hurdy-Gurdy top. Watch.

CJ: No! Don't spin it!

Narrator: CJ had to put up with that tune through a solid hour of science. He thought he'd go crazy. Finally, lunchtime rolled around.

CJ: At last, I'm going to find a nice quiet tree to sit under and eat my lunch.

Narrator: But when he stepped outside...

CJ: No!

Narrator: Hurdy-Gurdy tops as far as the eye could see. Nearly all the kids had one, and they were spinning them as fast as they could. After school, CJ took off like a cheetah for what he thought would be his last refuge from the Hurdy-Gurdies: Papa Chuck's workshop.

Papa Chuck: Whoa, CJ, what's the problem?

CJ: Problem? What makes you think there's a problem? No problems here.

Papa Chuck: I see.

CJ: Papa Chuck, is there anything around here that I can help you with? Fix or something? Anything?

Papa Chuck: You can plane a quarter of an inch off that board for me.

CJ: Planing! I'm a great planer. Love the planing.

CJ: Ah! What are you doing?

Papa Chuck: What?

CJ: That tune! Why are you humming that tune?

Papa Chuck: Oh, the kids have been playing with those tops around town so much, I guess I picked it up.

CJ: Well, stop it! Please!

Papa Chuck: All right, CJ. You've been acting real strange ever since you came in here. I want to know what's going on.

Stacy: There you are, CJ! I've been looking all over for you.

CJ: Why?

Stacy: I've made a decision. I'm not going to let whoever took my Hurdy-Gurdy top get away with it.

Papa Chuck: Wait a minute, Stacy. Somebody took your Hurdy-Gurdy?

Stacy: Yeah, they jumped CJ yesterday and took it from him.

Papa Chuck: Is that a fact?

Stacy: Yep! But they're not going to get away with it. I've hired some help.

CJ: Help? Who?

Sherlock Gooz: Just call me Sherlock Gooz!

Gooz: It's almost Christmas!

Dave: It is, Gooz. I love this time of year. The music, the cooler weather...

Gooz: And Jesus, Dave!

Dave: Yes, of course. It is all about Jesus.

Gooz: And the best way to keep that top of mind is to listen to the Paws & Tales Christmas episodes. They're coming out soon! Or you could just hop over to pawsandtales.org and listen to them today!

Joey: Hi, I'm Joey from Virginia. My favorite Paws & Tales character is CJ because I like red. Wait to hear what happens next on today's episode.

Sherlock Gooz: Gooz? Sherlock Gooz? Since when are you a detective?

Gooz: Since Stacy asked me to be.

CJ: You asked her to be a detective?

Stacy: The detective part was her idea. But I did ask her to help find who took my Hurdy-Gurdy top. She is good at finding things.

Gooz: Not just good, I'm the best! Nobody's better at finding things than me. Where's my notebook?

CJ: Stacy, is this really necessary?

Stacy: Yes! I want to find my top. I worked hard for it. I want justice.

Gooz: Where's my notebook?

Papa Chuck: Stacy's right, CJ. We need to find out the truth here.

Gooz: Where's my notebook?

Papa Chuck: I don't want to get in the way of your investigation, Sherlock, but I think the best way to solve this is to go back to the scene of the crime.

CJ: Why should we go there?

Papa Chuck: To find clues, of course. Unless there's some reason you think we shouldn't, CJ.

CJ: No.

Papa Chuck: What do you think, Sherlock?

Gooz: Normally, we in the detective game don't like taking suggestions from amateurs. But since I don't have any other clues and I can't find my notebook, sure! Let's go!

Gooz: Are you sure this is where you were jumped, CJ?

CJ: Yeah, I think so. Why?

Gooz: There's only one set of footprints. That can only mean one thing.

CJ: What?

Gooz: CJ was jumped by the long-billed frou-frou bird.

CJ: A what?

Stacy: A what?

Gooz: It makes sense. The frou-frou loves music and never touches the ground. It's also very rare. If we can get a feather from it, we'll be rich! Frou-frou! Oh, frou-frou!

CJ: Gooz, come back here!

Papa Chuck: With all due respect to Sherlock Stacy, I think there's another explanation. Isn't that right, CJ?

CJ: Why ask me?

Papa Chuck: It's time you told the truth.

CJ: I can't, Papa Chuck. If I do, Stacy will never forgive me.

Stacy: Forgive you for what? Nothing?

CJ: For breaking your Hurdy-Gurdy top.

Stacy: What?

CJ: I broke your top. I spun it too fast and it flew out the door and hit the rock. So I hid it in this hole.

Stacy: My Hurdy-Gurdy!

Papa Chuck: Let me see this, CJ.

CJ: Stacy, I...

Stacy: What was the last thing I told you, huh? Don't spin it too fast! Isn't that the last thing I told you? And be careful with it. I also said that, right? I mean, I remember those words coming out of my mouth!

CJ: Stacy, I'm so, so sorry. Please, please forgive me.

Stacy: Forgive? If you think for one minute that I'm going to forgive you for this, then... My Hurdy-Gurdy! You fixed it?

Papa Chuck: Yep. A couple of the keys were out of place. That's all. I just put them back.

Stacy: Thank you, Papa Chuck!

Papa Chuck: Glad to do it, Stacy, especially since I'm not sure I wanted to hear what you were going to say to CJ about forgiving him.

Stacy: Well...

Papa Chuck: Unless you were going to say you do forgive CJ. Because even though he shouldn't have hidden the top and should have told the truth from the beginning, he did finally tell the truth and ask forgiveness.

And you know from the Bible that when someone asks for your forgiveness, you need to forgive them. Is that what you were going to say, Stacy?

Stacy: Well, it wasn't at first, but it is now.

Papa Chuck: Well?

Stacy: I forgive you, CJ.

CJ: Thanks, Stacy.

Stacy: But don't you think that he should be punished, Papa Chuck?

CJ: I really should.

Papa Chuck: Stacy, you got your top back and it's working like new. No real harm done. And CJ, if you'd seen the look on your face when you came into the workshop, I think you'd agree you've punished yourself enough.

I'm guessing this hasn't been the best of days for you, has it?

CJ: No. It's like everywhere I went, there was a Hurdy-Gurdy top reminding me of what I did wrong. It was terrible. I kept thinking someone was going to find out.

Papa Chuck: Usually somebody does, CJ. You can't hide wrongdoing. That's in the Bible, too. Numbers 32:23. Be sure your sin will find you out.

CJ: It found me out all right. From now on, I'm always going to come clean. It's a lot easier that way.

Papa Chuck: Good. Now I think we better go find Gooz before she chases a frou-frou into the next county.

CJ: I really am sorry, Stace.

Stacy: I know, CJ. It's okay.

CJ: Think I could play with your top for a while?

Stacy: Don't push it.

Guest (Male): Telling the truth is what you should do for sure. Because telling a lie usually leads to telling some more. Don't get caught in the trap of having to take three steps back to remember what you said you said while your face is turning tomato red.

So tell it like it is. Don't make up phony stories about why you didn't do what you were supposed to. Do yourself a favor and confess when you mess up. Then you can leave the rest up to the Lord. So tell it like it is and you can leave the rest up to the Lord.

It's hard to admit when you've made a mistake, it's true. But there's no other way to be forgiven until you do. Don't blame somebody else for something you did all by yourself.

So like an ocean spray from a whale's spout, take a great big breath and let the truth come out. And tell it like it is. Don't make up phony stories about why you didn't do what you were supposed to.

Do yourself a favor and confess when you mess up. Then you can leave the rest up to the Lord. So tell it like it is and you can leave the rest up to the Lord.

Well, the Book of Numbers says your sin will find you out. That much we know is true. So admit it, say you did it, and ask God to forgive it, and that's exactly what He'll do.

Don't get caught in the trap of having to take three steps back to remember what you said you said while your face is turning tomato red. So tell it like it is.

Don't make up phony stories about why you didn't do what you were supposed to. Do yourself a favor and confess when you mess up. Then you can leave the rest up to the Lord.

So tell it like it is. You'll be blessed because you did. Just tell it like it is and you won't have to worry anymore. Tell it like it is and you can leave the rest up to the Lord. You can leave the rest up to the Lord.

Insight for Living: A Conscious Effort was written by Phil Lollar and directed by David Carl. The song Tell It Like It Is was written by Sandy Howell and Matt McGuire. Music was by Tim Hosman and our sound designer was Jerry Swafford. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production.