Paws & Tales

Host: Welcome to the world of Paws & Tales.

Ezra: Wild Mountain can be a pretty dangerous place. You stay on the trails and stick with me. There's adventures to be had there too.

Guest (Female) Stacy: Come on, CJ, jump!

Guest (Male) Ned: It's too far!

Guest (Female) Stacy: It wasn't too far for me!

Guest (Male) CJ: Ah!

Host: Insight for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales.

Ezra: Howdy, and welcome to Wildwood. We have had some interesting visitors in Wildwood in the past, but none like this. Ezra has come down out of the mountains.

Ezra: Being a friend to Papa Chucks from the early days, that makes him a pretty interesting character in and of itself. But what makes him a truly one-of-a-kind interesting visitor is that he has brought down with him nearly 200 sheep.

Ezra: Old Ezra is a sheepdog who needs a little help.

Guest (Male) Ned: So, where are all these sheep?

Guest (Female) Stacy: Just east of Town-A-Ways. Papa Chuck says we'll get paid.

Guest (Male) Goose: I like the sound of that.

Guest (Female) Stacy: I think it'll be fun playing with a sheep for a day.

Guest (Male) CJ: Ezra, that's the shepherd's name. Ezra is sort of sick, I guess. Doc Lola's sending him to Frontera for some kind of treatment. It'll only take one day and he needs some help with his sheep.

Guest (Female) Stacy: We're shepherds, just like David from the Bible.

Guest (Male) Ned: We could make slings like David used on the lion!

Guest (Female) Stacy: Yes, slings!

Guest (Male) Goose: I'm going to make a big sticky thing with a hook on the end. Oh, like in the Christmas pageant.

Guest (Female) Stacy: How much is he going to pay? What does a shepherd do? Sit and watch sheep? Sounds like any goofball could do that.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Hey, we could name them and teach them tricks.

Guest (Male) Goose: It'll be so fun to be a shepherd. Do you think that there will be some of those little black sheep?

Guest (Female) Barsha: Oh, that would be so cute.

Guest (Male) Ned: No, I think that pretty much their fleece will be white as snow.

Guest (Female) Stacy: Yeah? Well, they'll be cute anyway.

Guest (Male) CJ: I'm not sure, but they may very well follow you everywhere you go.

Guest (Male) Goose: You think?

Guest (Male) Ned: They just might follow you to school one day.

Guest (Male) Goose: Oh, that will be so fun!

Guest (Male) CJ: But that would be totally against the rules.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Oh yeah, I guess it would.

Guest (Female) Stacy: You guys, leave her alone.

Guest (Male) CJ: Well, Papa Chuck told him we were good helpers. We're supposed to meet up with Ezra after school for some shepherd training. And then tomorrow, he'll go to Frontera and we'll be the shepherds!

Guest (Male) Goose: What?!

Host: So it was Friday afternoon and the club was on their way to becoming shepherds. Goose had indeed made a sticky thing with a hook on the end. Ned and CJ had made slings out of yarn and cloth. And Stacy had musical plans for the sheep.

Guest (Male) CJ: That's not going to help.

Guest (Female) Stacy: It is too. Music calms the sheep.

Guest (Male) Ned: I didn't find that very calming.

Guest (Male) Goose: Didn't calm me.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Stacy!

Guest (Female) Stacy: I'm learning, okay?

Guest (Male) CJ: Oh.

Guest (Male) CJ: Goose, you almost hit me with that stick!

Guest (Male) Goose: Sorry.

Guest (Male) Ned: I'm not sure how the sling thing works. How do you aim?

Guest (Male) CJ: I was thinking the same thing. I bet Ezra will know. He's been a shepherd for years.

Guest (Male) Ned: Hey, guys!

Guest (Male) CJ: Ow, Goose, watch it!

Guest (Male) Goose: Sorry.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Hey, watch it!

Guest (Male) Ned: Goose, hold it up straight!

Guest (Male) Goose: Sorry.

Guest (Female) Stacy: Watch your head!

Guest (Male) CJ: No!

Guest (Male) Goose: Sorry.

Guest (Male) Goose: Done with the stick thing.

Host: We'll be right back with more Paws & Tales after this. Paws & Tales presents Songs from Wildwood 2 & 3.

Guest (Male) Ned: Hey!

Guest (Male) CJ: Yeah, hey, did you hear that?

Guest (Female) Barsha: Sheep!

Guest (Male) Goose: Let's go!

Ezra: Stop!

Guest (Male) CJ: What? What did we do?

Ezra: Come quietly.

Guest (Male) Ned: That was pretty rude.

Guest (Male) CJ: Yeah.

Ezra: Are you the kids that Papa Chuck told me about?

Guest (Male) CJ: We sure are.

Ezra: Good. The first thing you need to learn about sheep is that they're very, very timid.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Oh, I didn't know that.

Ezra: Any sudden loud noise could send them running in a panic. They might even trample the young lambs or even run off a cliff.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Yikes.

Guest (Male) CJ: Yeah, yikes. Okay, no sudden noises.

Guest (Female) Stacy: Hello, sir. My name's Stacy. Whoa! What is that smell?

Ezra: That would be the smell of about 200 sheep. Caring for sheep is not for everyone. You got to have it in your blood.

Guest (Male) Goose: Oh, I had no idea sheep smell. Oh, that is bad.

Ezra: Well, Papa Chuck described all of you to me. You would be Goose.

Guest (Male) Goose: Yep.

Ezra: You must be Ned.

Guest (Male) Ned: Uh-huh.

Ezra: And CJ.

Guest (Male) CJ: Yes, sir.

Ezra: You'll get used to the smell.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Hi, I'm Barsha. I don't have fleas like the snow, do they?

Ezra: Well, they do, Barsha, but only after their wool is sheared and washed. While it's on them, it's pretty oily. Dust and dirt stick to them pretty good. Makes them look, well, not quite snowy. You can't hold your noses all day, you know.

Guest (Female) Barsha: I know. You know, I don't think that I'm shepherd material.

Guest (Female) Stacy: I want to play my flute and calm the sheep.

Guest (Male) CJ: Stacy, don't. If you play, I'm pretty sure the whole flock will run off a cliff.

Guest (Female) Stacy: Very funny.

Ezra: I consider it myself.

Guest (Female) Barsha: I'm sorry, Mr. Ezra, but I just can't do this.

Guest (Male) Goose: Me too, sir.

Guest (Female) Stacy: I, I sort of

Ezra: Feel free to go, girls.

Guest (Female) Barsha: Okay, goodbye.

Guest (Male) CJ: I'll stay.

Ezra: Glad to have you, CJ. Ned?

Guest (Male) Ned: Um, well, how much do you pay?

Ezra: $5 a day.

Guest (Male) Ned: Oh. Well, I believe shepherding is in my blood after all. Can you tell us how to use a sling?

Ezra: I've only tried it a couple of times myself. All I know about it is to use small stones and keep your arm straight.

Guest (Male) CJ: Why?

Ezra: Well, because. Oh no.

Guest (Male) CJ: What?

Guest (Male) Ned: Where's it going?

Guest (Male) CJ: Beats me. Let's go.

Guest (Male) Ned: Whoa! He just knocked that sheep over. That doesn't seem very shepherd-like.

Guest (Male) CJ: What are you doing?

Ezra: She's choking on burrweeds.

Guest (Male) CJ: What do we do?

Ezra: I got to get it out.

Guest (Male) Ned: How are you going to get it out without sticking your hand down her throat?

Ezra: Come on, girl. Open up, open up.

Guest (Male) CJ: You're not really going to Oh, okay. That is really sick.

Ezra: There you go, girl. It's okay now.

Guest (Male) Ned: Shepherds do stuff like that?

Ezra: On occasion.

Guest (Male) Ned: Hey, it's starting to rain. We better get inside somewhere.

Ezra: Well, in my wagon, you'll find a couple of ponchos you can put on.

Guest (Male) CJ: You mean, we're staying out in the rain?

Ezra: A shepherd never leaves his sheep alone, CJ.

Guest (Male) CJ: No, of course not.

Guest (Male) Ned: $5 a day. $5 a day. $5 a day.

Host: The sun was beginning to set and Ezra was not back, so CJ and Ned prepared as best they could for another attack from the wolf bandits.

Guest (Male) Ned: Okay, see that little bush over there?

Guest (Male) CJ: Yeah.

Guest (Male) Ned: Watch it. Ow.

Guest (Male) CJ: Not quite.

Guest (Male) Ned: Hey, it's better than before. At least the stone is going in front of me now.

Guest (Male) CJ: I'm not doing any better. I think we might be ready for another wolf attack, say, middle of spring.

Guest (Male) Ned: I'm telling you, the smell of these sheep is unbelievable.

Guest (Male) CJ: Oh, it's not so bad. Is it, Oscar? It's not so bad.

Guest (Male) Ned: Hey, what happened to you? When did you get all shepherdized?

Guest (Male) CJ: I've been thinking since the attack this morning. This shepherd thing is really hard. A shepherd could only be a shepherd if he really, really loved his sheep.

Guest (Male) Ned: Okay.

Guest (Male) CJ: God is the good shepherd. The best shepherd ever. He loves us even when we do stuff that's bad for us and we know it. He protects us from stuff we don't even know is dangerous. Just like when I keep the flock away from the cliff.

Guest (Male) CJ: I even think that when things are going really wrong and it feels like God has grabbed me by the throat and I get all angry with him, maybe at those times he's really saving me from something as bad as poison weeds.

Guest (Male) Ned: You got all that today?

Guest (Male) CJ: Hey, being a shepherd gives a fellow lots of time to think.

Guest (Male) Ned: I guess.

Guest (Male) CJ: Hey, did you hear that?

Guest (Male) Ned: Yep.

Guest (Male) CJ: I hear they come. Get ready. Small stones, keep your arm straight.

Guest (Male) Ned: Ow, ow! Ow! Stop! Don't make another move.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Hey, what's this?

Guest (Male) CJ: This is our flock. You better just turn around and slunk off into the woods or you will taste the steel of my sword.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Uh, taste the what? steel of your sword?

Guest (Male) CJ: It's from a comic book I just read. I'm a little nervous, okay? Why don't you take a crack at it?

Guest (Male) Ned: You, you will feel the smack from our sling stones!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Oh, that was embarrassing.

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: What's a sling stone?

Guest (Male) CJ: Get out of here or you'll be sorry!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Uh-huh, uh-huh, better, short and to the point. I'm hungry. And you two are not going to stop me from What? What's that?

Guest (Male) Ned: It's my sling! And you're going to have a stone right in the side of your head!

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: I doubt it. Hey, I think I'll get the big fat sheep over there. Come here, big fat sheep.

Guest (Male) Ned: Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: What?

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: Hey, he hit me in the head with a stone. A really small one.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: It wasn't him, he's still over there swinging that thing.

Guest (Male) Ned: It's a rapid fire sling!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Did you do that?

Guest (Male) CJ: I did not!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: That's enough. Let's get some sheep. Ow! Hey! Where they come from?

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: It's you, Mean Old Wolfy!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Attack! What they come for? We control them.

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: Look at them run! Look at them run!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Stop them!

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: Take that! Look at them run!

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: Hey, hey, you said this would be easy. Yeah, I'm gonna hit him out of here.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Ow! Ouch!

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: No, for me. Ow! Ouch! Oh!

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: I want to hit him hard.

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: Look at him run!

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Give it to him!

Guest (Male) CJ: I've never been happier to see you guys.

Guest (Male) Ned: I've never been happy to see you guys.

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: That was fun.

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: That was more fun than chasing sheep.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Oops. Do you ever think before you talk?

Guest (Male) CJ: You came to chase off my flock.

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: Hey, relax, Cyclops. Thumping on wolves is much more fun anyway.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Did you see him run?

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: Oh, I think I threw out my arm.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: And what did I tell you? Before you throw hard, you always need to warm up.

Guest (Male) CJ: Well, thanks anyway. We couldn't have stopped him without you.

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: Oh yeah, well, remember, geese are like always appropriate.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Yeah!

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: And flowers are the best way to express your feelings.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Really? You want flowers?

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: Oh, you goofball, it was a joke.

Guest (Male) Wolf 3: Hey, let's go.

Guest (Male) Wolf 1: Are people supposed to laugh at a joke? I think they are.

Guest (Male) Wolf 2: One of these days I am going to knock you so hard.

Guest (Male) CJ: Ned, we stood up to the wolves. We kept our arm straight and we stood.

Guest (Male) Ned: Wow.

Guest (Male) CJ: Today, we were good shepherds.

Guest (Male) Ned: Yeah, we were. I want tomorrow off. I'm pooped.

Guest (Male) CJ: Me too. This is really hard.

Host: CJ and Ned learned a lot that day. Most importantly, though, CJ learned a little more about God. He learned that when the Bible says, "The Lord is my shepherd," it means that God never gets tired of caring for us, of protecting us.

Host: CJ also learned that just like it was for Oscar, there is no better, safer place for a sheep to be than as close as he can get to the good shepherd.

Guest (Male) CJ (Singing): When I was a shepherd, all I thought at first was, this is not for me.

Taking care of sheep as dumb as rocks, that smell like burned up herbal tea.

And with their choking on the grass and their fear of every noise, I wanted to go home because there at least I had some toys.

They're always wandering off and they are always into trouble every day.

Caught in thickets and in ditches. If it weren't for me, they'd never find their way.

But when I looked at their sweet faces, I saw familiar traces, and that's when I was suddenly aware.

That though I am a cub, I really am a sheep and Jesus cares.

I'm wandering, roaming, believing I know my own way.

But Jesus, my shepherd, he keeps me from going astray, guiding me day after day.

He knows me by name, yes, he knows every little hair that's on my head.

He is wide awake when I'm asleep and dreaming, tightly tucked in bed.

And when I'm feeling lost and lonely, as if I'm on my only, I call to him and he is always there.

So although I am a cub, I'm glad that I'm a sheep and Jesus cares.

He's watching, guarding, protecting me in every way.

Jesus, my shepherd, he keeps me from going astray, guiding me day after day.

Guest (Male) CJ (Spoken): The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Guest (Male) CJ (Singing): Waiting, listening, he tenderly shows me the way.

Jesus, my shepherd, he keeps me from going astray.

Watching, guarding, protecting me in every way.

Jesus, my shepherd, he keeps me from going astray.

Loving me day after day.

Host: To order a copy of today's program, "The Good Shepherd," just log on to pawsandtales.org. "The Good Shepherd" was written and directed by David Carl. The song "The Shepherd" was written by Sandy Howell and Mark Edward Lewis. Music was by Tim Hoshman. And our sound designer was Eric Basel. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production.

Host: On the next Paws & Tales.

Guest (Male) Ned: Sir?

Guest (Male) CJ: What are you doing?

Ezra: Starting to lay out a path.

Guest (Male) CJ: A path for what?

Ezra: For the railroad track.

Guest (Male) Ned: Where is it going to go?

Ezra: Right here.

Guest (Male) CJ: Right through our fort!

Ezra: Well, yeah.

Guest (Male) Ned: But Mr. Rockler said this wouldn't happen!

Ezra: We got orders here to grade it on Monday.

Host: Be sure to join us for another episode of Insight for Living's Paws & Tales.