Paws & Tales

Goose: Hey, Goose here! You probably know by now that here in the clubhouse, we have a quest each and every month. A quest is a very fun thing to do—a thing to bake with your folks, a thing to make with a friend. Sometimes it's a thing to record so you can possibly make it onto a real Paws & Tales episode.

I have it on good authority that the kids that have the most fun go to the clubhouse every month to find out what the newest quest is. You can do that, too. Just log on to pawsandtales.org and head on into the clubhouse for the latest quest and a ginormous ton of other fun stuff, too. That’s pawsandtales.org. I will see you in Wildwood!

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. Inside for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales.

Guest (Male): Howdy, and welcome to Wildwood. It's starting to get cool these days. The weather's pretty unpredictable this time of year. One thing you can always count on, though, when Gus is in town, it's going to be a good day. No one can tell a story quite like old Captain Gus.

Captain Gus: Once, there was a soldier in the army of Israel. His name was Achan. Achan lived in the time of Joshua. The nation of Israel had just come into the Promised Land after traveling in the desert for 40 years.

Stacy: Wow. I bet they were pooped.

Captain Gus: Well, the first thing the Lord told them to do was to utterly destroy the toughest city in the land, Jericho. The Lord told them that he would bring the walls down, but then they'd need to go in and finish the job. Achan knew that he was about to be involved in an actual miracle of God.

Guest (Male): Well, at the very moment that the boys were learning about Achan, Marsha and the girls were at the new library putting the final touches on the fulfillment of Marsha's dream to collect food and blankets for the needy folks of Wildwood.

Her plans started out small, but then they got bigger until they got so big, Marsha found herself giving an interview to a reporter from Frontera.

Jimmy: Now, what exactly are you calling this event?

Marsha: The "Bring Food and See the World Night."

Jimmy: I like it.

Marsha: Well, I just know that there are folks, lots of them, who have never been outside Wildwood. I thought that they would love to learn about neat things from other countries. I asked different people if they would lend us some of their things from around the world.

And if you bring some food to donate, you get to come in and see all of the wonderful stuff that we have here, like Roman artifacts and dresses from different lands and even some paintings from foreign countries. It starts tomorrow night, so make sure that you tell everybody that it starts at seven.

Jimmy: I got it. Now, Mrs. Collins is participating. Is that right?

Marsha: Yes, she has been a huge help. But the most surprising help came from—I suppose I shouldn't say it like that. Another generous helper has been Tiffany Rockler. She's bringing in her doll collection from all around the world. I hear it is just amazing.

Jimmy: That's Mr. Rockler's daughter.

Marsha: That's right. She's been very sweet to offer her collection.

Tiffany: Coming through! Excuse me, please. We're in a rush here.

Marsha: Tiffany, this is Jimmy. He's a reporter for the Frontera Gazette.

Tiffany: Truly? Well, take the carts to the glass cabinets over there.

Jimmy: So, Miss Rockler—

Tiffany: Please, just call me Tiffany. All my friends do. But would you look at all these dolls? Wow, Stacy. There must be hundreds.

Guest (Male): There are two more carts to come. There are exactly 574 dolls.

Marsha: Look at this! This is going to make the event so great.

Guest (Male): As Marsha started putting the dolls into the glass cases for display, she gazed in amazement at one doll in particular.

Marsha: Stacy, Goose, have you ever seen anything so beautiful? Her hair is like spun gold, and her eyes close when you lay her down. Tiffany, hey Tiffany, what is this doll's name?

Tiffany: Marsha, I'm in the middle of an interview here. I don't know what its name is. How am I supposed to know? Anyway, Jimmy, have a seat. So then we were on a cruise ship and—

Marsha: How could anyone have a doll like this and ever let it out of their sight?

Stacy: Are you kidding? Tiffany has all kinds of wonderful things that she could care less about. It's one of the things she does best.

Marsha: Well, I never would if she were mine. When people hear there will be beautiful things like this at the See the World event, the whole town will come. This is just amazing.

Guest (Male): Right then, Marsha realized that God was about to really bless this event. She truly felt that she was about to be a part of a miracle of God.

Captain Gus: Now, the army was getting ready to go to Jericho when Joshua gave them one last bit of instruction. He told them that all of the gold, all of the silver, and all of the articles of bronze and iron were to be placed into the treasury of the Lord. No one was to keep any of those things for themselves. None of them!

Well, the army marched around the city like they were supposed to, and the Lord pulled those walls right down, just like he said. Then the soldiers rushed in to finish off the town. After fighting for who knows how long, Achan was exhausted and stumbled into an empty house. A very nice empty house, if I do say so myself.

He was alone and tired, and there on the table, he saw a bar of pure gold. He looked around and saw a pile of silver coins, too, and a beautiful robe. So there he was, right in the middle of doing the will of God, and he was tempted by things he knew were forbidden.

Guest (Male): Well, it's getting to be about suppertime, and most of the folks helping at the library had headed home. The only ones left were Marsha, Tiffany, and the poor reporter that Tiffany would not let go of.

Jimmy: Well, that is interesting. Look, I have to meet the train now or I'll be stranded all night.

Tiffany: Oh, I'll walk over with you.

Jimmy: That would be really nice.

Tiffany: Marsha, when you get done there, just close the door to the cabinet and it'll lock. Make sure you hear it click. We don't want any of those dolls to get up and walk away, do we? Ready, Jimmy?

Jimmy: Yes, I am.

Guest (Male): Marsha was still arranging dolls in the cases. She had left the doll with the golden hair for last. She just couldn't let that doll go. There she was, in the middle of a great miracle of God, and she was tempted to take something that she knew she could never have.

Guest (Female): Hi, I'm Judah from Texas. My favorite Paws & Tales character is Stacy because she looks cute. Wait until you hear what happens next on today's episode.

Insight for Living: Good morning, Ned. Are you ready to record?

Ned the Beaver: Wait, what? Tiffany, you can’t be in the control room. Where’s Joel?

Tiffany: Tape is rolling.

Ned the Beaver: I refuse.

Tiffany: Three, two...

Ned the Beaver: This is Ned the Beaver here, beloved character from Paws & Tales, and I'm here today to tell you about *The Overcomers*, the very first Paws & Tales book ever. This amazing book starts where the audio episodes left off, and you are going to love finding out what happens next. Just log on to pawsandtales.org to get your own copy today.

Tiffany: I'm going to edit that down a bit to punch it up.

Ned the Beaver: What? I do not get edited.

Tiffany: Playing back.

Ned the Beaver: *The Overcomers*. Just log on to pawsandtales.org to get your own copy today.

Tiffany: So much better.

Ned the Beaver: Where is Joel? Oh, are those geraniums?

Tiffany: That's a wrap.

Captain Gus: Well, then Achan made a decision that would affect the course of his life, the lives of the other soldiers, and even the lives of his entire family. And it was all going to be for the worse.

You see, in his exhaustion and while he was alone—two terrible conditions to be making big decisions in—he took the gold, he took the silver, and he took the robe for himself.

Stacy: I knew he'd do it. What a knucklehead.

Captain Gus: I guess he was, Stacy, to say the very least. Well, he took the things that he couldn't even show to others and things he couldn't sell, things that he couldn't even use, and he took them home. And you know what he did? He buried them. Buried them in a hole in the floor of his tent.

Stacy: Did he get caught? I bet he was thrown in the slammer.

Captain Gus: Because Achan stole—and make no mistake here, he stole them from the Lord—God was angry. The next battle they had was this dinky little town called Ai. Nothing compared to Jericho. Well, they attacked, and the army of Israel was chased off, and 36 soldiers were killed that day.

Stacy: What was he thinking?

Captain Gus: Joshua called the whole nation together and told them that because someone took forbidden things from Jericho, God had left them. Well, without God's protection, they were in danger of being wiped out entirely by the armies of Canaan. All the while, Achan just stood there.

He said nothing. He never did repent. He just got caught. Then he said sorry. He never understood how serious his sin was until the people of Israel surrounded him and threw stones at him until he died.

CJ: Killed? Wow.

Captain Gus: Yeah, wow.

Guest (Male): Well, Marsha was the last one in the library, all tired and alone. She stood there holding that beautiful doll with the golden hair. She was being tempted something fierce, and she felt her heart ache for the want of it.

All she needed to do was to put that doll in the glass case and swing that door closed until it locked, and then she would have been fine.

Marsha: Tiffany has dolls she can't even remember. She doesn't even know your name. Well, if she won't give you the love you deserve, then I will. You are coming home with me, and I will call you Goldie, and we will be together.

Captain Gus: You know, the interesting thing about the story of Achan is that if he had just resisted the temptation to steal, in just a few days he'd have been allowed and even encouraged to take the gold and silver and to keep it or to use it or to sell it.

Stacy: How?

Captain Gus: Well, God told them that after they defeated the city of Ai, they could take anything they wanted from there. You see, God wanted to bless the army of Israel with all kinds of things, but Achan sinned and he cut himself off from the blessings that were on their way.

You know, if the Lord doesn't want you to have something, it's for a good reason, and you'd be a fool to try to get it for yourself. The point is, wait for God's blessings. Oh, look at that. Storm's coming, boys. It's going to be a big one, too, I suspect.

Guest (Male): Well, the next morning, the club was all rambling into another day of school. This was Friday, the day of Marsha's Bring Food and See the World Night. Gus was right about that storm. It was moving in, and it looked to be a wild one.

Everyone was worried about it. See, if the storm came in before the event started, no one would come and it would be a total failure. And that was just one of the things Marsha was worrying about. The boys, on the other hand, had little on their minds but Achan, and they told the whole story to the girls on the way to school.

Stacy: So he was doing this really great thing for God, and he messed it all up. Even after all that, Achan never really repented.

CJ: He got caught, and he never knew how serious his stealing was until—

Stacy: Yeah, until—

Marsha: Until what?

Stacy: Until they threw stones at him until he died.

Marsha: No.

CJ: Yes. Him, his whole family, and everything he owned.

Marsha: Really?

Stacy: I looked it up in the Bible last night. They were stoned because of his sin. How awful.

Marsha: Oh, I can't stand it! I just can't stand it!

Goose: Well, it's sad, but it was thousands of years ago, Marsha.

Marsha: No! This!

Stacy: A doll? I don't get it. That's one of Tiffany's dolls.

Marsha: I stole it!

Stacy: You stole from Tiffany? This doesn't bode well.

CJ: Why? Why did you steal it?

Marsha: I don't know! I wanted it so bad, and Tiffany doesn't care about her. And the minute I stole her, I knew I was in big trouble, and I don't know what to do. Tiffany let me use her dolls to collect food for the needy, and I stole from her. And I think I might have messed up the whole thing.

Stacy: Wow. She's Achan. She's just like Achan.

Marsha: Oh, I am Achan! Oh, I'm just like Achan! Like Achan! Wow. Double wow. But I don't want to stone Marsha! I don't want to stone you!

CJ: Goose, calm down. Knock it off. No one is going to stone anyone. Goose, enough! Once again, I stand amazed at the sheer silliness of it all.

Marsha: Well, what am I going to do?

Stacy: Well, you're going to have to go to Tiffany and tell her the truth and take your lumps.

Marsha: Haven't I suffered enough already?

Stacy: It doesn't matter if you've suffered or not. You just have to go and make this right.

Goose: How about we just quietly put the doll back? Marsha is sorry. No one needs to know.

Marsha: I can't put it back. The display case is locked. I locked it!

Stacy: Can I have your attention, please? For crying out loud, Achan!

Marsha: Achan what?

CJ: What about Achan?

Stacy: He messed up by stealing, but then he messed up again by not coming forward with it. He messed up by not repenting.

CJ: Nicely done.

Stacy: Thank you for noticing. You've got to repent to God and then to Tiffany. And we'll go with you. Yes, we will. We'll be right there. Let's try and catch Tiffany before she leaves the hotel.

Guest (Male): So the raggedy bunch scooted over to the hotel where Tiffany was living while the Rockler mansion was being built. Sure enough, just as they were going in the front door, out came Tiffany.

Tiffany: What is going on? You scared me half to death.

Marsha: Sorry.

Tiffany: What do you rabble want here?

Stacy: We have—Marsha, come on.

Marsha: Yes, yes, I have something. I'm scared, and I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed and scared.

Stacy: You can do it. We're here with you. Go on. Tiffany—

Tiffany: What is it?

Marsha: I stole one of your dolls. Here.

Tiffany: You stole one of my dolls? You stole this doll? Yes, I am so sorry. I just kind of went out of my head. You steal a doll from me, and this is the one you pick?

Have you no taste whatsoever? There are dolls in this collection that are worth hundreds of dollars, and you pick this one?

Stacy: Tiffany, you are a very complicated person.

Marsha: What are you going to do?

Tiffany: I am going to think of the worst possible thing I can to punish you. Look at her, Tiffany. She's sorry. You should just go easy on her. Bumpkins, all of you.

The worst punishment I can think of—yes, I've got it! I will tell everyone about your tragically poor taste. That's your punishment.

Marsha: Marsha! Sorry. I mean, that's just cruel, Tiffany. William, I'm late for school. Please get the limousine.

Guest (Male): Sorry, miss, but the limousine is for business purposes only. I understand there have been some abuses in the past.

Tiffany: Oh, I'll just walk then! Are you happy? Simpleton! Everyone around me is a simpleton!

Marsha: That was it? That's way better than being stoned.

Stacy: Yeah, it is. That girl gives me a headache. I can't believe it. No jail, no being arrested? She's just going to tell everyone that you have bad taste? I'd say God just protected you, Marsha.

Marsha: I know. Oh, he really did. Wow, guys, look at the sky. The storm's coming.

Stacy: Oh, it's going to ruin the event tonight. All of our hard work for nothing. Let's get to school. We're going to be late.

Guest (Female): Hi, I'm Avery from Manitoba, Canada. My favorite Paws & Tales character is Goose because she makes me laugh. Wait until you hear what happens next on today's episode.

Goose: Dear Marsha, I just finished the new Paws & Tales book, *The Overcomers*, and I loved it so much. There is a part in there where CJ skips across the water like a stone and it cracked me up. I even snorted, I laughed so much.

What? Are you playing a recording of a typewriter? I started it before I came into the studio, Joel. I am in the middle of something here.

Guest (Male): Sorry, Goose.

Goose: Joel?

Guest (Male): Yes, Goose?

Goose: Play the typewriter thing.

Guest (Male): Sorry.

Goose: There was a chapter where I was really nervous for Stacy, and oh, there are some really bad guys in there. But there are some really, really good guys like Crockett.

Marsha, you should get your own copy of *The Overcomers*, and you can do that at pawsandtales.org. Sincerely, Goose, your friend forever. Joel, you can stop the typewriter thing now.

Guest (Male): Sorry. Well, no one could explain it, but that storm just stopped moving. Didn't go away, mind you, but it just stopped a ways out at sea like it was waiting for something.

The event started right on time, and folks came from all over Wildwood to see the dolls and artifacts. And with them, they brought food and blankets. Lots and lots of food and blankets for the needy.

Stacy: Marsha, this is unbelievable.

Marsha: I know. I can't believe it myself.

Stacy: We are running out of places to store up the food. We got cans stacked up almost to the ceiling back there. And there are bags and bags of dried beans.

Goose: You should see the stack of blankets folks have brought in. Marsha, this is a miracle. No one thought it could have happened.

Stacy: Marsha thought it could. She knew all along. I'll be right back.

Guest (Male): Could I have your attention, please? Wow, is this a great night. Glad you all got here before the storm did. If you've not made it over to the very back yet, make sure you do.

There's an amazing collection of Roman weapons and artifacts. A special thanks goes to Mrs. Collins for sharing these things with us all. Then there are the dolls of the world that we have all heard so much of. Thank you, Tiffany Rockler.

Although folks are still bringing in more food and blankets, it's safe to say that there's never been such an outpouring for the needy of this town.

Goose: Coming through! Wide load! Sorry. Goose, you are tracking in mud. Oh, sorry. It's rainy outside. Oh, I'll wipe it up. Just act like I'm not here.

Guest (Male): Only we could. Never been such an outpouring for the needy. All of this because one little moose girl had a burden for the needy. Marsha Moffit, come up here. Marsha wanted to help the needy in our town. Ouch! Hot! Goose, you're causing a scene. What are you doing?

Goose: Sorry. Don't mind me.

Guest (Male): Well, anyway, we all heard about Marsha's plan, and mostly we all patted her on the head. We told her—I told her—that it was a sweet thought, but there was nothing that could be done.

She, however, had a sense that God wanted to move in our town, and she wanted to be a part of it. All of this because of the faith of a little girl. Marsha, we thank you, and the needy of Wildwood will be thanking you all winter long.

Tiffany: Well, I guess the storm is here. That's quite a storm. All right, get comfortable, everyone. Looks like we may all be here for a while. And Paw Paw Chuck, may I?

Guest (Male): Sure, Tiffany. Come on up.

Tiffany: I have just informed the kitchen staff that they are to prepare more food while we wait out the storm. Marsha, why don't you tell us how you're going to disperse all of the food and blankets you've collected?

Marsha: Disperse?

Tiffany: How will you give it all away? How do you know who gets it?

Marsha: Oh, well, I don't know. I just—well, I was only thinking about collecting food and blankets.

Tiffany: So there is no plan? There's nothing set up?

Goose: Piggy Gooseler, you're interrupting. We have a very nice event here to collect food for the needy, and you keep—what are you doing?

Goose: Sorry to interrupt. I didn't mean to. Sorry. Well, I'm just giving some blankets and some food to folks outside who are cold and hungry.

Tiffany: Could you wait for a more appropriate moment?

Marsha: There are needy folks out there?

Goose: Yeah, it's raining, it's cold. We've got stuff in here, so I just thought that—

Guest (Male): Good job, Goose. Now those folks are cold and hungry right now, and look at us. We're in here too busy to help them. All right, I've got a plan. Let's get some of those cans of food open and we'll heat them up.

Stacy: Heat them up where?

Guest (Male): How about the President's Club kitchen? I hardly see that's appropriate. All right, let's start now. Some of you fellows come with me and we'll go spread the news that there's hot food and blankets at the new library.

Marsha: Come on, guys! Let's get some of this food in the kitchen.

Tiffany: But this isn't a soup kitchen!

Guest (Male): I think it will be in about 20 minutes tops. Why not?

Marsha: I'll tell the cooks to start cooking.

Stacy: I'll get some more coffee! We need something for the young ones to drink, too.

Goose: Oh, would you just look at that? Everybody's pitching in. Captain Gus?

Tiffany: Tiffany? I must admit that this outpouring for the needy is very moving. So I have decided to donate my doll collection. Captain Gus, you can tell them out there that every little girl in Wildwood could come and pick out one of my dolls. To keep.

Captain Gus: Tiffany, that is unbelievable.

Tiffany: Consider it done. Why don't we start with the girls who helped with the event this evening? Let's open the cabinets and you can pick out a doll right now. That is so amazing. Every little girl but you, the little feet with bad taste. Oh well. It's still amazing.

Guest (Male): There was a lot that happened that night. That was the beginning of the weekly President's Club soup kitchen sponsored by the mayor and the downtown storekeepers.

It was the beginning of folks from the church making friends with those who would have never gone to church. It was also just the beginning of Marsha doing things that no one believed were possible.

Stacy: That was a great night, Marsha.

Marsha: Yeah, it really was. How do you like your new doll?

Stacy: Well, kind of a lot.

Marsha: Oh, it's okay. You can love your doll. It's okay. I love her. If I hadn't stolen that doll, Tiffany would have given her to me. If only I had waited.

Stacy: I was thinking the same thing.

Marsha: I'm just like Achan.

Stacy: No, not really. You made it right. God blessed you and everyone who came tonight, not to mention all the folks that will be fed and cared for in the future. You're not like Achan. Not anymore.

Marsha: Thanks. I need to go home and sleep for about a week.

Stacy: Me too. Let's find your mom and go home.

Marsha: I'm too tired for that. Let's just find my mom and go home. That's an even better idea. Come on, Marsha. One foot in front of the other.

Insight for Living: To order a copy of today's program, "I'm Achan All Over," just log on to pawsandtales.org. "I'm Achan All Over" was written by David Carl. Music was by Tim Hosman, and our sound designer was Eric Basil. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production.

Marsha: I am so sorry. I just kind of went out of my head. I pick—

Tiffany: Have you no taste?

Marsha: Sorry!

Tiffany: Rabble!

Marsha: Tiffany, you're complicating my life. I'm sorry. I picked this one?

Stacy: I'll pick this one!

Tiffany: I picked—

Stacy: This one!

Tiffany: I picked—

Stacy: This one!

Marsha: Achan! I'm Achan!