Paws & Tales

Gooze: 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 Pause and Tales episode. I have it by good authority that the kids that have the most fun go to the clubhouse every month to find out what the newest quest is. And you can do that, too. Just log onto pause and tales.org and head on into the clubhouse for the latest quest and a ginormous ton of other fun stuff, too.

That's pause and tales.org. I will see you in Wildwood.

Announcer: Previously on Pause and Tales.

Guest (Male): So, what does this factory make?

Guest (Female): Candy.

Guest (Male): Whoa, is that it?

Guest (Male): That's it. My factory and my home.

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

Guest (Female): There are folks out there who are cold and hungry and they really need a hug from God.

Alma: Take the risk, amigas. Do not sell for the small things. One more of God and he will show you more than you can imagine.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the world of Pause and 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.

Staci: Come on, CJ, jump.

Marsha: It's too far.

Staci: It wasn't too far for me.

Narrator: Insight for Living is proud to present Pause and Tales. Well, Stacy and Marsha met up with Gooze 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 and 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.

Gooze: This is so exciting. Do you really think God will will do something?

Staci: I do. If we do the right thing for the right reason, I think he will.

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

Staci: Okay, that scares me.

Gooze: Well, I'm scared.

Marsha: But isn't God big enough to build a house?

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

Gooze: How about soup?

Marsha: Soup?

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

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

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

Alma: I have papers and regular pencils only.

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

Alma: I will get them.

Gooze: 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.

Staci: And bread?

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

Gooze: Soup and bread. Oh, God.

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

Marsha: Do we need to call it anything? Oh, it would be good to call it something. Oh, how about the Marsha, Stacy, and Gooze super supper? But we spell super like s o u

Staci: No, like s o u p e r.

Gooze: That is so clever. You are very clever, Marsha.

Staci: Why not the Stacy, Marsha, and Gooze super supper?

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

Alma: Here you are. There is a sharpener in the box somewhere. Hmm, it sounds like you are making big plans.

Marsha: We are. We are going to make sign-up sheets for families to get a free supper. We're going to call it the Stacy, Marsha, and Gooze super supper.

Gooze: But we are going to spell super s o u p e r. Oh, isn't that clever?

Alma: It is. Can I ask a question?

Staci: Sure.

Alma: Who is this for?

Marsha: Who is it for?

Alma: Who are you doing this for?

Gooze: Well, the needy families, of course.

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

Gooze: 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.

Marsha: 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.

Staci: Okay, we want to be like Jesus.

Marsha: Yeah, like Jesus.

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

Staci: Ouch.

Marsha: So, um yeah, we're going to need a new name.

Gooze: Yappy yup, we are going to need a new name.

Staci: Will that work for everyone?

Marsha: I like it.

Gooze: I think it's great. Should we wake her up?

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

Alma: See, I was just a What is the new name?

Marsha: We're going to call it the hug from God supper.

Alma: Oh, I like it very much.

Gooze: 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.

Gooze: Well, 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?

Staci: Yep, we've each picked out our spots.

Marsha: Oh, this is so exciting. Let's go get started.

Alma: Amigas, you're forgetting something.

Staci: Really?

Marsha: What?

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

Gooze: Oopsy, we'd better pray.

Marsha: 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.

Staci: Amen.

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

Gooze: Bye, Alma. Maybe we'll see you at church.

Staci: Are you, Alma?

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

Narrator: 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. Stacy's went outside the church itself. Marsha's went outside the general store and Gooze 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.

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

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

Gooze: I have all my stuff ready, chopped up and all, but it's not cooking yet. Oh, this is so exciting.

Staci: Okay, I see mine. Is there a name on it? Is it full?

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

Staci: The general store. Well, you knew that.

Marsha: Well, then what's that on the post office?

Staci: If you like to get a hug from God supper of homemade soup

Marsha: Who made this? It has 10 lines on it and it's all filled up.

Gooze: I sure didn't. Don't look at me. Oh, oh, oopsy.

Staci: No, don't don't say oopsy.

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

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

Staci: I'm waiting for an oopsy.

Gooze: My sisters joined in. They helped you

Staci: oopsy. They made their own.

Gooze: Well, it was just for fun. They weren't supposed to to put them up.

Staci: Oh, they did in all over town.

Gooze: How many did they make? Oh, not very many. Bless them my brothers did. Oopsy.

Staci: Oh, no. There's there's another one on the fire house.

Marsha: I see two on the hotel. 10 lines all filled up.

Gooze: There's one, two, three more.

Staci: That's 60 or 70 meals. We can't do that. This is a disaster.

Narrator: Well, after a long night of reading the manual for the big lathe, the machine that can make 10 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?

Alex: Oh, that that would be so bad.

Staci: 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.

Staci: Alex, is this supposed to do that?

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

Staci: Run.

Mariana Robertson: Hi everyone, my name is Mariana Robertson. I am 7 years old. I listen to Pause and Tales when I go anywhere in the car. You should, too. Bye-bye.

Manny: So, are you Joel? I'm Tiffany's agent.

Joel: Really? I I didn't know

Manny: When she gets here, she needs the script.

Joel: Sure, right here.

Manny: And a spray of geraniums.

Joel: Excuse me?

Tiffany Rockler: Greetings, support staff. I 'm ready to go. Is tape rolling? Good. Is this the script? I may ad-lib a bit. I am Tiffany Rockler from Wildwood. I have come to encourage you all to get a copy of the very first Pause and Tales book ever, The Overcomers. How was that?

Manny: Oh, so inspiring, Ms. Tiffany.

Joel: Uh, just stick to the script, please.

Tiffany Rockler: The Overcomers is a wonderful continuation of the grand story of Pause and Tales. This is better. A continuation of the original story arc. How's that?

Manny: Oh, I have chills, goosebumps.

Joel: I don't know. Story arc is too technical. Please stick to the script.

Tiffany Rockler: To get a copy of your own, just log onto pause and tales.org. You are going to love all the adventure, the fun, and the great teaching that Pause and Tales is famous for. Wait. Manny, where are my geraniums? There are supposed to be geraniums in here.

Manny: Oh, to something, to something.

Joel: Stopping tape. You two get behind something.

Staci: Alma, don't get away from it.

Joel: Is everyone okay?

Staci: I'm good.

Marsha: Fine.

Staci: Whoa.

Marsha: Oh, that was close.

Joel: That's it. I'm weighing over my head here and there's no shore in sight. This is no blessing from God. It's a punishment for being dissatisfied and wanting more. Alex. Alex.

Narrator: We're over here. Everything's fine. Everyone is fine. Mostly.

Joel: 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.

Joel: You have everything. Whatever you found, you can have. Okay? Unless it's $100,000, I don't want to hear about it.

Alex: I found $1,427,312.

Tiffany Rockler: What?

Marsha: Really?

Alex: Can I keep it?

Joel: What do you mean you found it?

Alex: There is another bank account.

Joel: You only knew about the president's account.

Alex: Which has nothing in it.

Joel: 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.

Narrator: And your uncle never knew. Huh, 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.

Joel: 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 I can't get my mind to think straight. Maybe I could go home. Maybe maybe I could just get away from here.

Guest (Male): Hello in there.

Guest (Female): Anybody in here?

Alex: We're back here. Are you the new owner?

Joel: No, this is the new owner.

Alex: What can I do for you, old timer?

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

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

Tiffany Rockler: Sorry about that.

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

Joel: The factory whistle. Did you work here?

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

Staci: Colonel K, we need a plan.

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

Staci: We're going to kind of make God look bad.

Marsha: 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.

Staci: We better get started so they have time to get their own supper ready.

Marsha: Oh, 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.

Staci: Where are they?

Marsha: Where's what?

Staci: The sign-up sheet, it's gone.

Marsha: No. No, this can't be happening. This one's gone, too.

Gooze: Someone took them all except the ones we made. Oh, they're all gone.

Staci: Who would be mean enough to do something like this?

Gooze: Colonel McLaw.

Staci: Colonel How are we going to know who to apologize to?

Gooze: Colonel Colonel McLaw, you have gone too far.

Guest (Male): Ms. Manny over there worked the big lathe. I worked the saw mill.

Guest (Female): We found the saw mill.

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. And 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.

Alex: No offense taken.

Guest (Male): No, I I mean I'm sorry it was your uncle. He was self-centered and heartless. No one deserves an uncle like that.

Alex: 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 poor house.

Alex: What's that?

Guest (Male): Looks like Minnie is bringing the big lathe back to life.

Alex: No, no, no, no, no. It's going to blow up. Turn it off. Get down, everybody. It's going to blow up. Run.

Araya Sunshine: Hi, I'm Araya Sunshine from North Carolina. You know what I like listening to the most? Pause and Tales, of course. There is more Pause and Tales coming right up.

Tiffany Rockler: Hello, lovely listeners. Tiffany Rockler from Pause and Tales here to tell you all about the very new and very fashionable t-shirts now on sale in our store. We have a wonderful Tiffany Rockler shirt with lovely details.

Gooze: Oh, Tiffany uh that's not true.

Tiffany Rockler: Ned, what are you talking about? Of course it's true. If I said it, then it is true.

Gooze: You see, we we we do have new t-shirts.

Tiffany Rockler: Of course we do.

Gooze: Really nice ones that you should go online at pauseand tales.org to see them.

Tiffany Rockler: All of our listeners should do that.

Gooze: Yeah, there are Gooze shirts. Oh, so cute. And there are Ned shirts.

Tiffany Rockler: Go on.

Gooze: No Tiffany shirts yet. It's just that Gooze shirt.

Marsha: Yeah, really nice ones, too.

Tiffany Rockler: And Ned shirt, but no Tiffany shirts.

Gooze: Oh boy, here it comes. Goodbye, everybody.

Marsha: You all will rue the day.

Guest (Male): Turn it off. What? Can't hear you.

Guest (Female): Run for your life.

Guest (Male): Run.

Guest (Female): You okay, pal?

Alex: What happened? How did you do that? It was about to blow.

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

Alex: Well, that 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.

Gooze: Oh, me me me. I'm interested. I'm interested. I'm super interested.

Alex: They know. They know how to operate the machines.

Guest (Male): Oh, what I wouldn't give to be back in the good old days.

Alex: You want a job?

Guest (Male): And now now don't be fooling.

Alex: 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 you took the sign-up sheets?

Guest (Female): Not really, but it had to be him or one of his gang.

Marsha: 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.

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

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

Marsha: 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?

Marsha: Nothing. No, 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.

Gooze: You could have a nice bowl of soup.

Marsha: Oh, I hate soup.

Gooze: Oh, sorry. Well, I have some fresh bread you could choose. Just don't

Marsha: 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.

Staci: 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, mijita.

Staci: If we have to apologize to the whole town, I guess we better get started. Let's start at Ms. Hyman's house. This is so impossible.

Marsha: It feels like we're about to start bailing water out of the ocean.

Gooze: Excuse me, Ms. Hyman. What you doing with the wagon?

Narrator: Hey, Gooze, I've got some soup. It's a hug from God.

Gooze: What? Who gave you soup?

Narrator: 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.

Staci: I'm confused.

Marsha: There there's another one. Excuse me. Excuse me, Ms. Burke. Are you delivering hugs from God?

Ms. Burke: I sure am and I' 'm almost done, too.

Marsha: Why are you doing it?

Ms. Burke: 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.

Marsha: I was lucky to get one. They were getting snapped up right and left.

Ms. Burke: Wow.

Marsha: 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. And so did we.

Ms. Burke: Got to go, girls. Bye.

Gooze: All kinds of folks are getting hugs from God. But we didn't even make soup. We didn't even make most of the sign-up sheets.

Staci: We didn't do it alone. Jesus was helping. We were helping Jesus.

Gooze: Alma was right.

Marsha: Alma.

Staci: We didn't tell Alma.

Gooze: Stacy's got to get a hug from God, so we till she hears.

Marsha: Hey, hey, slow down. Wait for me.

Gooze: Everyone is getting hugs from God.

Narrator: 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 and experiment with their faith, a lot of folks got hugged by God.

Singer: Light is fast, but God is faster. The sky is fast, but God is faster. Air is near, but God is nearer. Water is clear, but the truth is clearer. He's the one who made us all. God is big, so I think 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 I think small.

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

Yes, God can God can God can work through you and me. God can God can do abundantly.

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