The Truth about Truth

Insight for Living: Welcome to the world of Paws 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.
CJ (Guest Male): Come on, CJ, jump!
Newton (Guest Male): It's too far!
CJ (Guest Male): It wasn't too far for me!
Marshall (Guest Male): [Screaming]
Insight for Living: Insight for Living is proud to present Paws and Tales.
Insight for Living: And welcome to Wildwood. It started a couple years back, and she's kept it going ever since. Today, like so many times before, Stacy is taking another basket of cookies to the newest arrival to town. She's met some interesting folk, made some wonderful new friends. And while doing this act of kindness, even had some bitter disappointments. But never has she experienced anything like the adventure she began the day she delivered a cookie basket to Alma.
Stacy (Guest Female): Hey, Sonny.
Sonny (Guest Male): Hey, Stacy, another basket?
Stacy (Guest Female): Yeah, I'm looking for Alma Zivota.
Sonny (Guest Male): Alma? Are those all the cookies you brought?
Stacy (Guest Female): Yeah, it's what I always...
Sonny (Guest Male): Never mind. She's back in room 137.
Stacy (Guest Female): Thanks, Sonny.
Insight for Living: As Stacy got near the entrance of room 137, she could tell Alma was, well, one of a kind.
Insight for Living: Stacy paused just outside of the open door, and then smelled the strong odor of mothballs.
Insight for Living: As she stepped inside, she saw that this little one-room apartment was just about filled up with, well, Alma. She was a water buffalo. And as such, she was huge. Alma was squished into the biggest wheelchair Stacy had ever seen. Even so, it could barely stand the strain.
Stacy (Guest Female): Excuse me?
Alma (Guest Female): Hola, Nina.
Stacy (Guest Female): Yes, my name is Stacy.
Alma (Guest Female): Stacy. Did you bring a gift?
Stacy (Guest Female): Well, yes, I did. It's a basket of cookies.
Alma (Guest Female): We are fast becoming good friends, you and I. Let's see what you've got there. Mama Zabata.
Stacy (Guest Female): Yes, I know. I would just like to welcome you to Wildwood.
Alma (Guest Female): You bake wonderful cookies, Stacy.
Stacy (Guest Female): Thank you.
Alma (Guest Female): That was rico. Muy rico. Now, tell me about yourself, mijita.
Stacy (Guest Female): Mijita?
Alma (Guest Female): It means little one.
Stacy (Guest Female): Oh. Well, I'm in the third grade.
Alma (Guest Female): Any brothers or sisters?
Stacy (Guest Female): Well, soon. My mom's going to have a cub in a couple months.
Alma (Guest Female): Wonderful. And what do you think of this new little addition to your family?
Stacy (Guest Female): It's good. It'll be fun. That is a beautiful blanket.
Alma (Guest Female): Gracias. It is an afghan, and I made it years ago.
Stacy (Guest Female): You made it?
Alma (Guest Female): Yes. I knit. Have you ever knit?
Stacy (Guest Female): I started knitting a potholder once with my mom. It wasn't quite square. I never finished it.
Alma (Guest Female): So, you are not looking forward to being a big sister?
Stacy (Guest Female): No. Yes, it's fine. It'll be great, really.
Stacy (Guest Female): How did you know that?
Alma (Guest Female): Truth is a powerful thing. Often it speaks even when you don't want it to.
Stacy (Guest Female): Okay, truth speaks. I don't get that at all.
Alma (Guest Female): Stacy.
Insight for Living: Well, at the same time, cross town, the rest of the club was heading around to the back of the hotel. There had been some construction done there lately, and the workers left a good-sized pile of, well, most folks would say junk. But if you're in the third grade and always looking for adventure, you'd see it as nothing less than a treasure.
Newton (Guest Male): Oh yeah. Ned, this is it.
Gus (Guest Male): Oh yeah, it's fun to me.
Marshall (Guest Male): Our possibilities are big, huge and enormous.
Gus (Guest Male): Maybe we should sweep up a little bit.
Marshall (Guest Male): Marsha!
Newton (Guest Male): CJ, a pile of scraps like this says army bunker.
CJ (Guest Male): Army bunker is good.
Gus (Guest Male): You guys, we always make an army bunker. Let's do something else.
Newton (Guest Male): I'm with Gus. Let's do a candy store.
Marshall (Guest Male): Oh, I love candy. Everyone loves candy. Who doesn't love candy? Oh, Marsha, let's make a candy store.
Newton (Guest Male): Oh, brother!
CJ (Guest Male): Quick, get in here.
Gus (Guest Male): What was that?
Marshall (Guest Male): Someone is under the junk pile.
Newton (Guest Male): Who's under the junk pile?
CJ (Guest Male): Quick, before they attack. Get in here, all of you.
Gus (Guest Male): Who are you?
Newton (Guest Male): Newton, Sergeant Newton. They're going to attack at any moment. Hurry.
CJ (Guest Male): Well, I don't want to be attacked. I'm going in.
Newton (Guest Male): Watch your head.
Gus (Guest Male): Don't. We don't know him.
Marshall (Guest Male): I bet we will soon. I'm going in.
Gus (Guest Male): Wow! He's done a lot of work down there.
Marshall (Guest Male): Oh, here I come.
CJ (Guest Male): Very nice.
Newton (Guest Male): I wanted to really fix it up, but since I only have a nickel, I decided to go with earth tones. You like it?
CJ (Guest Male): Earth tones.
Gus (Guest Male): Earth tones.
Marshall (Guest Male): So, how long have you been working on this?
Newton (Guest Male): Most of the day yesterday. My name's Newton.
CJ (Guest Male): I'm CJ.
Newton (Guest Male): This is Ned.
Marshall (Guest Male): Hi.
Newton (Guest Male): And Gus.
Marshall (Guest Male): Nice to meet you, Newton.
Newton (Guest Male): And Marsha is... Are you coming down?
Gus (Guest Male): There could be spiders down there. I'll keep a lookout.
Marshall (Guest Male): What brings you to Wildwood, Newton?
Newton (Guest Male): My dad is an engineer. He got a job in the Far East. We're from a little town in the plains, you've never heard of it.
Gus (Guest Male): How long are you here?
Newton (Guest Male): Till tomorrow night. Make sure you keep a sharp eye out. They are very sneaky.
CJ (Guest Male): So, who's attacking?
Newton (Guest Male): Who's attacking? Well, that would be the fierce and sneaky ones.
CJ (Guest Male): But what are they called?
Newton (Guest Male): What is the attacking army called? Well, you should know that, Sergeant CJ.
CJ (Guest Male): Well, I do.
Newton (Guest Male): Well, we have no time to waste here. What are they called?
CJ (Guest Male): The Antarcticans.
Newton (Guest Male): Of course. The Antarcticans.
Marshall (Guest Male): The the Antarctic Talk to you.
Newton (Guest Male): The Antarcticans.
CJ (Guest Male): From Antarctic.
Newton (Guest Male): Where else would the fierce and sneaky Antarcticans be from, I ask?
Marshall (Guest Male): It's stuffy down here. I'm going up and help Marsha.
Newton (Guest Male): Newton.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Lunchtime!
Newton (Guest Male): That's my dad. I got to go in. See you guys back here later.
Gus (Guest Male): No. I think we're going to go.
CJ (Guest Male): You bet. See you after lunch.
Stacy (Guest Female): How does truth speak exactly?
Alma (Guest Female): It is a very powerful thing. So, your parents are very busy preparing for the new little one. They have forgotten about you.
Stacy (Guest Female): No, not really. They're just excited about, you know, having a cub.
Alma (Guest Female): You ask a lot of questions. I suppose I do. A very long time ago I was a teacher. I think it is a habit I picked up.
Alma (Guest Female): So, your parents, they are distracted.
Stacy (Guest Female): Yes, that's what they are. They're distracted.
Alma (Guest Female): Oh, how very thoughtless of them.
Stacy (Guest Female): Well, not really.
Alma (Guest Female): Were they as excited when you were on the way?
Stacy (Guest Female): Well, yeah, mom knitted a bunch of stuff for me.
Alma (Guest Female): So, this is not such a bad thing then, parents being excited about a new birth?
Stacy (Guest Female): No, they're just excited and distracted. It'd be bad if they weren't. It's okay.
Alma (Guest Female): Oh, I am glad to hear that.
Stacy (Guest Female): You just did something. I just defended my parents for having another cub.
Alma (Guest Female): See, mijita, the truth that you didn't want to come out, it came out. Isn't it wonderful?
Stacy (Guest Female): But I you are tricky.
Alma (Guest Female): I could be true.
Stacy (Guest Female): I think I like you.
Alma (Guest Female): That is the best news I have heard in a long time. I like you too. I must go now. But please come back. We will get to know each other better. We will knit something together for your new addition and we will talk of truth.
Stacy (Guest Female): When can I come back?
Alma (Guest Female): Mañana. Tomorrow.
Stacy (Guest Female): Good. I'll see you mañana. Bye, Alma.
Alma (Guest Female): Bye, Stacy.
Insight for Living: Well, CJ and Newton hit it right off. They played all afternoon, and the next day being Saturday, they even got together again in the morning. The two of them were just leaving the general store, heading back to the junk pile, when it began.
CJ (Guest Male): Well, I wish this ship didn't sail tonight.
Newton (Guest Male): I know.
CJ (Guest Male): Me too.
Newton (Guest Male): Here, I bought us a treat.
CJ (Guest Male): Oh, I love root beer. I didn't see you buy these.
Newton (Guest Male): I wanted to surprise you. Not sure how we're going to get them open. Here, I got a pocket knife with a bottle opener.
CJ (Guest Male): Nice knife.
Newton (Guest Male): Thanks. One, two, three. I think someone hit my nose.
CJ (Guest Male): Here's a handkerchief.
Newton (Guest Male): I got one, thanks. You dropped your nickel.
CJ (Guest Male): You dropped your nickel.
Newton (Guest Male): Got it, thanks.
CJ (Guest Male): How did you pay for the root beer?
Newton (Guest Male): What do you mean?
CJ (Guest Male): Well, you only had a nickel and you still have it.
Newton (Guest Male): Look, I just wanted to get us a treat.
CJ (Guest Male): You, you stole these from Mr. Crawford!
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Alma (Guest Female): Muy bien, mijita, you are doing very well.
Stacy (Guest Female): Yeah, if I keep knitting at this pace, I'll have a potholder next spring.
Alma (Guest Female): Patience, Stacy. Just keep count. Knit one, purl two. Knit one, purl two. It will be done in time.
Stacy (Guest Female): Knit one, purl two.
Alma (Guest Female): Most good things require patience. But we are not going to talk about patience today. Today, we talk about truth.
Stacy (Guest Female): I thought we were knitting.
Alma (Guest Female): Today, it is about truth. Knitting will help us with truth. It helps when you are learning a spiritual thing to learn a physical thing at the same time. That is why we knit.
Stacy (Guest Female): How is truth spiritual?
Alma (Guest Female): Because truth is from God. It is a wonderful thing that he has given us.
Stacy (Guest Female): Okay.
Alma (Guest Female): God gave us truth for many reasons, but one of them is for our protection. Truth is like the handrail of a flight of stairs. It tells you, on this side is safe, the other side is not. What do you think of truth, Stacy?
Stacy (Guest Female): What do I think of it? I'm for it. I like it.
Alma (Guest Female): You like truth?
Stacy (Guest Female): I do. I like it a lot.
Alma (Guest Female): Oh, that is very, very bad.
Stacy (Guest Female): How can that be bad?
Alma (Guest Female): If you don't love truth, you might as well hate it.
Stacy (Guest Female): Why?
Alma (Guest Female): I ask the questions here. Why? Why is it as bad to like the truth as it is to hate it?
Stacy (Guest Female): I don't know.
Alma (Guest Female): How would you act if you love truth? If you thought it was a wonderful gift from God?
Stacy (Guest Female): Well, I guess I wouldn't lie.
Alma (Guest Female): Good, good.
Stacy (Guest Female): I guess I wouldn't want others to lie to me.
Alma (Guest Female): Of course not. Deception is the opposite of truth, and deception brings disaster and destruction.
CJ (Guest Male): Newton, you stole! I drank half of a stolen root beer!
Newton (Guest Male): Relax, no one will ever know they're gone. There was a whole barrel full, they'll never be missed. I took them so we could cool off. I did it for you.
CJ (Guest Male): Mr. Crawford is a friend of mine.
Newton (Guest Male): Okay, I'm sorry. I've never done anything like this before. I just saw them there, and I wanted to do a good thing for my new buddy.
CJ (Guest Male): We need to go back and tell him. Pay him back. We got to make this right.
Newton (Guest Male): What? Are you nuts? Then I'll get in trouble. I won't be able to play anymore today, and my ship is leaving tonight. Who's that going to help?
Marshall (Guest Male): Hey there, guys.
CJ (Guest Male): What?
Gus (Guest Male): Relax, CJ, it's just us.
Newton (Guest Male): Yeah, CJ, just relax.
Marshall (Guest Male): What's wrong with you?
CJ (Guest Male): Nothing.
Newton (Guest Male): Nothing. It's fine.
Gus (Guest Male): CJ, you're going to finish that root beer.
CJ (Guest Male): No.
Marshall (Guest Male): Can I have it?
CJ (Guest Male): No! What are you guys up to?
Marshall (Guest Male): I want to play candy store.
Gus (Guest Male): Me too. No more army bunker stuff.
Newton (Guest Male): Oh, brother. I was thinking about that.
Gus (Guest Male): You were?
Marshall (Guest Male): You were?
Newton (Guest Male): Yeah, I thought that if my new friends wanted to play candy store, we would need some candy.
Gus (Guest Male): Candy!
CJ (Guest Male): How did you get a bag of candy?
CJ (Guest Male): Newton, come over here.
Gus (Guest Male): What's the matter, CJ?
CJ (Guest Male): I just need a minute here.
Newton (Guest Male): CJ, relax. It's no big deal.
CJ (Guest Male): No big deal? You stole root beer. You told me that was all you took. Now you pull out a whole bag of candy. You stole and you lied.
Newton (Guest Male): Look, I only lied to you because it was already done. I couldn't undo it, and I knew you'd flip out if you knew.
CJ (Guest Male): Well, you were right.
Newton (Guest Male): That's why I couldn't tell you that. Look, it's no big deal. It's done, it's over. I wanted to share root beer with my pal and I wanted my new friends to enjoy some candy. That's all. Why can't you just accept a gift from a friend and enjoy it with me?
Gus (Guest Male): Hey guys, come on, let's get started. We're going to make a candy store.
Marshall (Guest Male): Maybe, we could sell other stuff too. Oh yeah, we could bundle up these scraps of wood. Hey, what if we sold candy and firewood?
Gus (Guest Male): I know how to make sachets from flower petals.
Marshall (Guest Male): I was just telling my mom the other day, I wish I could go just to one place to get a jawbreaker, some kindling, and a really good sachet.
Newton (Guest Male): Look at them. Don't ruin everything. Let's just go and have fun on my last day in Wildwood.
CJ (Guest Male): No more lies.
Newton (Guest Male): None. I'm done. Let's go.
CJ (Guest Male): All right. This is the end of it.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Hey there, CJ.
CJ (Guest Male): Oh. Hi, Mr. Crawford.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Hi, you kids, too.
Gus (Guest Male): Good, Mr. Crawford.
Marshall (Guest Male): We're building a candy store.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Are you now?
Marshall (Guest Male): Want to buy a jawbreaker?
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Well, that's just the thing I was coming to ask you about. Seems I'm missing some things from the store. A bunch of jawbreakers. Wanted to ask you if you knew anything about it. Newton, you know anything about it?
Newton (Guest Male): No, sir. CJ brought these jawbreakers from home. Said he's had them for some time.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Ah, is that so, CJ?
CJ (Guest Male): Well, I... Yeah, I brought them from home. Had them for a while.
Insight for Living: We'll be right back with more Paws and Tales after this.
Insight for Living: Here's what parents are saying about Paws and Tales.
Guest (Female): Paws and Tales is just really fun and we're singing along and traveling down the road. I like that it teaches a good moral lesson but not doesn't beat him over the head with it. It's still a great story. It's got wonderful sound effects. It's just fun. We interact a lot better when we listen to Paws and Tales.
Insight for Living: Bringing families together each week. Right here on Paws and Tales.
Stacy (Guest Female): So, how do I know what is truth? Does everybody just know?
Alma (Guest Female): Stacy, we are kindred spirits, you and I. Good question. No, people do not agree on what truth is. Some just make it up and do whatever they want. Then they hurt themselves and do harm to others. God is the source of truth, mijita. How can we discover what God says is truth?
Stacy (Guest Female): That would have to be the Bible.
Alma (Guest Female): Of course it is. We must begin to love the things that God loves, to hate the things that God hates. The Bible tells us what these things are. That is one of the reasons King David loved God's laws. It kept him safe. It also gave him wisdom and comfort and freedom. Psalm 119 is mostly about how much David loves God's laws, ordinances and testimonies. God's laws are truth, truth that will never change. That is a great comfort to me.
Stacy (Guest Female): It just seems kind of weird to love laws and rules. It seems like you would have more freedom if you didn't follow laws and rules.
Alma (Guest Female): Excelente. Good thought. That would be true though, if all you wanted was freedom from rules. But that is a small kind of freedom. You have the freedom to knit differently than I taught you. Go ahead.
Stacy (Guest Female): Go ahead and what?
Alma (Guest Female): Make up your own kind of knitting.
Stacy (Guest Female): I don't want to.
Alma (Guest Female): Why not? You have the freedom.
Stacy (Guest Female): Because it'll look like the last potholder I made. It'll be a disaster.
Alma (Guest Female): So, what other kind of freedom? What better kind of freedom is there to have, Stacy?
Stacy (Guest Female): I suppose freedom from doing bad things.
Alma (Guest Female): Muy bien, very good. If you do not love truth, you will give it up when you are tempted or when times get tough, and you will find yourself trapped. Do not like truth, Stacy. Love it, love God's laws.
Stacy (Guest Female): I will.
Alma (Guest Female): I need to rest now. But come back soon, Stacy. We will knit and we will talk about grace.
Stacy (Guest Female): I will. Thanks, Alma.
Alma (Guest Female): Come here, come here.
Insight for Living: Well, back at the junk pile, CJ was so confused and scared, he could hardly think straight.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): So you brought the jawbreakers from home, did you?
Newton (Guest Male): Sure, that's what he said.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Son, I'm not asking you. CJ, stop and take a breath. Think about what happened. Help me to find out the truth here.
Insight for Living: Well, CJ first felt scared and angry that Mr. Crawford was putting pressure on him. Then he thought back and he remembered that Newton had lied and stolen, and he remembered that Newton had made him feel guilty for being upset about it. Then he got angry.
CJ (Guest Male): No, I didn't.
Newton (Guest Male): CJ!
CJ (Guest Male): Newton, be quiet. No, I didn't bring them from home. Newton stole them from your store.
Newton (Guest Male): I thought we were friends.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Newton. Dinner's ready.
Newton (Guest Male): I got to go.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Hold on there, son. Is that your father?
Newton (Guest Male): Yeah.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): He's Newton's father?
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): I certainly am. Cyrus Hayes, call me Cyrus.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Cyrus, I'm Mr. Crawford. I own the general store.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Nice to meet you.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Seems your son stole from my store this afternoon.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): What? Newton, is this true?
Newton (Guest Male): It was just some candy.
CJ (Guest Male): And two root beers.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): You don't say.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): This is very unusual. Son, what were you thinking?
Newton (Guest Male): I don't know. Sorry.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Mr. Crawford, I am shocked and ashamed. We will pay you back. Double what he took. What would that be? 50 cents?
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Newton, there's a pocket knife missing too. Expensive one. Did you take it?
Newton (Guest Male): All right, have your stupid knife back.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Newton, I can't believe this. Mr. Crawford, how much is it worth?
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): A dollar.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Looks like I owe you $2.50. That's a lot of money.
Newton (Guest Male): Sorry.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): I tell you what, we'll come over to your store first thing in the morning and pay you back.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): That would be just fine.
Cyrus Hayes (Guest Male): Newton, you come with me. We need to have a very serious discussion today.
CJ (Guest Male): Mr. Crawford.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): What is it, son?
CJ (Guest Male): They won't come to your store in the morning.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): Won't they?
CJ (Guest Male): They're leaving on the ship tonight. He lied to you.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): You don't say.
CJ (Guest Male): I'm so sorry. I got all confused.
Mr. Crawford (Guest Male): That's the very nature of lies. Love truth, CJ. Hold it dear to your heart. Even fight for it if you have to. If you don't, we just saw what can happen if you don't.
CJ (Guest Male): I will, Mr. Crawford. I really will.
Male (singing in Spanish): Por favor, excuse me, un momento. Listen me, amigo, to my song. Don't take a siesta or wait till mañana, if you have to admit that you're wrong. Don't you say that the dog ate your homework, or the gum beneath your chair, I don't know who put it there. If your story is falsa, you'll be in hot salsa, so the best thing to do is to simply be clear. La verdad, la verdad, the truth is from God. This is so. So why, oh why, oh why would we ever want to lie? God says what we should do, we should always tell the truth, and we'll see. La verdad is from God, yes, the truth will set you free. Oh I ask you, do you comprende, do you see the problema with the lies? One leads to another, you'll have to take cover, but they don't make sombreros that size. So the Lord doesn't want you going loco. That is why he's made it clear as one, two, three. His ways are muy buena and meant to protection, so come on, muchachos, it's time we embrace. La verdad, la verdad, the truth is from God. This is so. So why, oh why, oh why would we ever want to lie? I don't know. God says what we should do, we should always tell the truth. And we'll see, la verdad is from God. Yes, the truth will set you free. La verdad is from God, yes, the truth will set you free. When you stand on the truth, you are standing on the solid rock. Suprema. Then you cannot be moved, and you'll have a better life. La vida buena. God will say bravo, fantastico. Because he is for us. So, my hitos and my hitas, join me and repitan this course. In a new key, of course. La verdad, la verdad, the truth is from God. This is so. So why, oh why, oh why would we ever want to lie? God says what we should do, we should always tell the truth. And we'll see, la verdad is from God. Yes, the truth will set you free. La verdad is from God, yes, the truth will set you free.
Insight for Living: To order a copy of today's program, The Truth about Truth, just log on to pawsandtails.org. The Truth about Truth was written and directed by David Carl. The song La Verdad Is From God was written by Sandy Howell and Shelly Spady. Music was by Tim Hosman, and our sound designer was Jerry Swafford. Paws and Tales is an Insight for Living production and a proud supporter of Keys for Kids Radio.
Insight for Living: Next time on Paws and Tales.
Marshall (Guest Male): I want to learn to sail as much as the next fellow. But at 8:00 in the morning?
Stacy (Guest Female): I love ships.
Guest (Male): My name's Dylan. I'm what you might call a seeker of freedom. I just go from town to town. [Coughing]
Guest (Female): Dylan, are you okay?
Insight for Living: Be sure to join us for another episode of Insight for Living's Paws and Tales.