Shadow Valley: Showing Mercy to Others, Part 2a

Ned Cleaver: Welcome to another episode of my personal podcast, Ned Knows. Today I'm talking to the creator of Paws & Tales, Dave Carl. Well, thanks for being with me today, Dave.
Dave Carl: It's a pleasure to be here, Ned.
Ned Cleaver: So, because I'm me, I happen to know that you have written the first-ever Paws & Tales book. Oh, tell me more about that.
Dave Carl: I'd love to. It's called The Overcomers, and reading this book will be like reading maybe five regular episodes. The club is in the middle of a big new adventure, and there are new characters we introduced.
Ned Cleaver: That's fascinating, Dave. I have it, though, by good authority that this book centers around Ned and how he saves the day for everyone.
Dave Carl: Well, no, that's not what the book is about. It is significantly about the struggle against evil that lurks high up in Wild Mountain. If anything, I'd have to say it centers around Stacy.
Ned Cleaver: What? I gave you really good notes when you were writing this. What happened to all my great ideas?
Dave Carl: Well, mostly I didn't read them. There were a lot of notes, Ned. In the book I did write, we meet Smij, a badger who really wants to become someone who will make a difference. He meets up with Crockett, a genuine overcomer, who begins to teach him how to survive in the woods and how to take care of the miners digging for gold in the tunnels of Wild Mountain.
Ned Cleaver: Ned knows what this book was supposed to be about. In those notes you did not read, Ned inherits a million dollars, but he does not let anyone know about it. He sneaks around and secretly helps those in need and uses all kinds of really neat gadgets to fight crime.
Dave Carl: I did read that part of the notes, but in this first Paws & Tales book, The Overcomers, we follow the club as they begin a new adventure and we see how Crockett battles bandits and the evil minion in only the way an overcomer can.
Ned Cleaver: Well, I did not know that you changed the whole book, Dave. This is a bitter disappointment. Well, this ends this episode of Ned Knows. Thanks for joining me, Dave Carl, who ignored all my notes. I'll see you all next time for another episode of Ned Knows. Joe, stop tape.
King Goliath: My kingdom consisted entirely of criminals, murderers, and deserters.
Dr. Labuk: I am Dr. Labuk. May I take a look at your wound?
King Goliath: How do I know that you?
Dr. Labuk: You are in great pain, aren't you?
King Goliath: It's sucking the life out of me.
Dr. Labuk: Are you fighting it?
King Goliath: I'm fighting everything all the time.
Dr. Labuk: There is something very special about you.
King Goliath: Smij, is that your first name?
Smij: No, Ciaen Smij.
King Goliath: Really? Pretty spicy name.
Smij: That's why I go by Smij. Sorry.
Minister Squeen: You are accused of physically attacking the person of the Ministry of Finance, Madam Squeen.
Smij: I did punch her in the eye, I admit that, but only after she cheated me out of my land. She lied, and then she stole everything I owned.
Minister Squeen: You have been convicted, and I condemn you to your punishment.
Smij: Which is? They are going to kill me.
King Goliath: Smij the shoemaker, as King of Shadow Valley, I pardon you.
Minister Squeen: Sire!
King Goliath: And I fine Minister Squeen all of her lands and possessions. I knew without a doubt that I had made the six most powerful animals in Shadow Valley my personal and mortal enemies.
Guest (Narrator): 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 adventures 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.
King Goliath: You, sir, will use this act of mercy to some greater good. You will help others with your new wealth.
Smij: I don't know what to say, Sire.
King Goliath: Tell Ciaen to come visit me soon.
Smij: I will, Sire. Thank you, Sire. Hail Goliath, the King of Shadow Valley!
Dr. Labuk: Sire, Minister Witten, we need to get you out of here and in a secure room. This could easily get out of hand.
King Goliath: I need all of the officials of the court to follow me now. What kind of king would set me free? This guilt-ridden man, how can it be? What kind of king would hear my plea and have mercy on someone like me?
Guest (Group): I don't deserve what I got. I've done things I should not. Yeah, and you never thought that you ever would get caught.
King Goliath: He could have thrown me in the dungeon.
Guest (Group): And said, "Off with your head!"
King Goliath: Thrown me to the lions.
Guest (Group): There you'd be pushing up dandelions.
King Goliath: But he gave me worlds of riches instead. What kind of king would set me free? Is there a trick that's up his sleeve? What kind of king shows sympathy and has mercy on someone like me?
Guest (Group): Would he have shown me mercy if I bopped someone in the nose? Or if I'd run my buggy across somebody's toes? Now we can do just what we please because he'll just set us loose. So shut the book, we're off the hook since he won't cook our goose.
King Goliath: Stop! Don't you understand? This gift is not a right. This powerful and mighty king has given me new life. I don't know why he was gracious when he had so much to lose. What king would stand in a shoemaker's shoes? Could there be a God in heaven looking down from above, one who forgave me, decided to save me, by giving me something I'm unworthy of? Through this king and his great act of love, what kind of king would set me free and take away my penalty? This kind of man I want to be, who has mercy on someone like me. This kind of king, he set me free. Who would do such a thing? He changed my life and my destiny. This kind of man, yes, I will be like the king who had mercy on me. I knew without a doubt they would try to kill me that night. Even still, for the first time since I'd come to that awful place, I felt peace inside, even over the pain of my wound. My soul had rest. I thought about the tower. I thought about the swarming of my subjects on Wild Mountain, and I knew what I needed to do. Putting on a long black cloak, I took a lantern full of fuel to the tower's base. God, I know you're there. I just hope you'll listen to a prayer from the king of sinners. Let this burn. Let this burn to the ground.
Guest (Male): Hey, what are you doing there? He set the tower on fire! The tower's on fire! Get out!
King Goliath: I turned to run into the shadows. Before I took two steps, I was looking into the angry faces of my subjects.
Guest (Male): You just set fire to our only hope of getting out of here. Kill him! Kill him!
King Goliath: They jumped me. I couldn't defend myself, and I couldn't get room to fight back. I was sure it was over. But then all those years of fighting, all of that anger and rage welled up inside of me. I felt a new strength come in. I rose up and I tossed them off like they were ragdolls. And then I ran for my life into the back alleys.
Guest (Male): He's getting away!
King Goliath: God, I need you now. Mercy. I beg for mercy. I ran aimlessly through the streets and alleys. I fell into a dark spot behind a pile of trash to catch my breath. I was a mess. I was bleeding from everywhere. I was having trouble breathing, and I was exhausted.
Rebecca: Hi friends, I'm Rebecca from Frisco, Texas. One of the many reasons I love Paws & Tales is Ned the Beaver. He just cracks me up.
Ned Cleaver: Welcome, everyone. Ned the Beaver here. I have a very sweet mom here with me today that would love to tell you what she thinks about Paws & Tales. Go ahead, ma'am, that I have never met before.
Guest (Female): I love that the kids in the club are so fun and take care of each other while they are learning about God.
Ned Cleaver: But Mom, read the whole script.
Guest (Female): And I love that Ned Cleaver character. He is my favorite.
Ned Cleaver: Better, much better. Stop slouching, Ned. Mom!
King Goliath: I was at the end of myself. I had no strength, no place to escape to, and I was hiding from my life behind a stinking pile of garbage. God, I'm done. I'm helpless. I'm sorry. I looked up across the street and saw a small unassuming sign: Dr. Labuk. I was hiding across the street from the home of Dr. Labuk.
Dr. Labuk: Coming, just a minute. Sire?
King Goliath: I could use some help.
Dr. Labuk: Come in, come in. Heaven help us all.
Guest (Male): Daddy, what is it?
Dr. Labuk: Oh my goodness. There's certainly no moving him. We'll have to treat him right here. Get my bag.
Guest (Male): Daddy, that's the king.
Dr. Labuk: Yes, it is. My bag, hurry! Oh my, oh my. Will we survive the night? Everyone wants him dead, and he shows up here. Oh my. Goliath, my king, can you hear me?
King Goliath: I'm sorry to have come here.
Dr. Labuk: No, it's quite all right.
King Goliath: It's over.
Dr. Labuk: Oh, I think you'll be just fine.
King Goliath: I don't care. I'm done. I've brought this on myself. I've turned my back on God.
Dr. Labuk: Yes, yes you have. But I'm quite sure you're not finished yet. God brought you here for a reason.
King Goliath: I'm the king of sinners. He brought me here for punishment.
Dr. Labuk: Or perhaps he brought you here to save your soul.
King Goliath: What?
Dr. Labuk: You are not the king of sinners. That is a lie you have told yourself.
King Goliath: You don't know what I've done.
Dr. Labuk: It doesn't matter how much or how badly you've sinned. Jesus Christ, you see, is the king over sin. He holds the keys and he can set you free. I am a disciple of Christ. I have been caring for wounds, but I have also been hoping and praying to care for the souls of my patients as well.
King Goliath: Isn't that dangerous?
Smij: Very dangerous. He won't listen to me, though. Won't listen to anyone.
King Goliath: Are there others?
Dr. Labuk: Yes, some. Our souls are saved. We can walk out. Some have. The rest of us stay because we are needed. But now it's you. What do you want from God?
King Goliath: I don't know. I want out of here. I want forgiveness, I suppose. I want mercy.
Dr. Labuk: God has heard our prayers.
King Goliath: I never would have thought.
Dr. Labuk: We've been praying that you would feel the need for forgiveness. We prayed those exact words.
King Goliath: So now what? How do I get him to forgive me?
Dr. Labuk: Now this may be the biggest shock for you ever.
King Goliath: Okay, go.
Dr. Labuk: Well, you simply ask him to forgive you. That's all. He has always wanted to forgive you. He was always ready. It's you that wasn't willing.
King Goliath: He dressed my wounds. Ms. Labuk fed me soup, and they told me about God's love for me. They told me about how there are many things that Christ wants to save me from. Hell, certainly, but also from my pride and anger, and any number of other things. So how do all of these things, these sins of mine, how do they suddenly not mean anything?
Dr. Labuk: They mean a great deal. They must be paid for.
King Goliath: Okay, that I can deal with. What do I have to do?
Dr. Labuk: The price has already been paid. That is why Christ died. If the price wasn't paid, you would be stuck. We all would.
King Goliath: Then what do I do?
Dr. Labuk: Believe in Christ. Believe in him and devote yourself to becoming like him.
King Goliath: It was more than I could soak in at first. He already did it. He died for me. It was so uncomplicated. But I knew it was true. Even Eva knew it was true. She was too crazy to call out to God. I determined I would not end up like her. God, forgive me. I'm the king of sinners. I want to follow you, to become like you. Whatever happens, help me to want to follow you.
Smij: Oh no!
Dr. Labuk: Who is it?
Sheila: It's Sheila. Let me in.
Dr. Labuk: Come in, quickly! What's going on here?
Sheila: It's him!
Dr. Labuk: Keep your voice down.
Sheila: That's why I came. They're searching every house. If they find him here, you will all be killed.
King Goliath: I'm going. Where can I hide?
Dr. Labuk: You are not going to hide. You are going to leave.
King Goliath: I can't.
Dr. Labuk: You need to leave the valley or you will not survive the night.
King Goliath: How?
Dr. Labuk: You go through the labyrinth.
King Goliath: I'll die.
Dr. Labuk: You won't. Now you are safe. You are not a prisoner here any longer. I had a dream. It's hard to explain. You will get through. You will survive, and you will not survive, somehow. You'll make it through if you go in humbly. You have to trust me and well, there is no other choice anyway.
King Goliath: What about you? What about the others? What about the children?
Dr. Labuk: I am supposed to stay here and do what I can. If you do not go now, you will be discovered and you will be killed. You are not the one to lead us from this dark place, but you are the one to find the one.
King Goliath: The one?
Dr. Labuk: The one who will come and lead us out to freedom.
King Goliath: The pain is worse than ever. Can you do something for it?
Dr. Labuk: No. That wound cannot be healed by a doctor, and it won't heal by itself. The only thing that will heal that kind of wound is a group, a group of Christ's disciples. Without them, you will always have that wound. They are coming down the street!
King Goliath: Is there a back door?
Dr. Labuk: There is better than that. I have a tunnel that goes to the woods. You'll have to crawl. It was made for those much smaller than you.
King Goliath: You have a tunnel?
Dr. Labuk: We disciples have a few tricks of our own. Thank you. How can I find the one who will release us and prepare him for the task? That's how. Go!
King Goliath: I crawled through the tunnel as best I could. I ran through the woods. It took longer than I thought. But finally, I found myself staring into the mouth of the labyrinth. You've got to be kidding. But Labuk said I can get through if I go in humbly.
Guest (Male): There! Someone's at the labyrinth. It's him! I knew the fool would end up here. Get him! Get him!
King Goliath: Monsters for Madam Squeen. Monsters!
Sheila: It's too late, he's gone in.
Guest (Male): I don't care if he's gone in, go in after him. He's done for, he'll die in there.
Sheila: I want him to die here. Go in and get him!
Guest (Male): Why are we listening to her anyway? She's no longer the Minister of Finance.
Sheila: Don't provoke me, you little!
Guest (Male): That's right, she's poor as a stone now. She can't hurt us.
Sheila: You insect! You haven't the imagination for the things I will do to you.
Guest (Male): Ready! Aim! Put your weapons down! Fire!
King Goliath: Okay, I can't go back. But how do I go forward? God, I've asked you to save my soul. Now I'm asking you to save the rest of me. Help me to get out of here.
Ryan: Hi, I'm Ryan from New York. My favorite Paws & Tales character is CJ because he is adventurous. Wait until you hear what happens next on today's episode.
Dave Carl: Hey there everyone, Dave Carl here. We want to put your kid on an episode of Paws & Tales saying something like this: "Hi, I'm Henry from North Carolina. If I could spend the day with CJ, I'd want to build a treehouse together." Now, we have some suggested scripts for you waiting just inside the clubhouse. We can't wait to hear what you all come up with. Record them, send them in, and we'll broadcast them to the world.
King Goliath: I stood there in the labyrinth, looking at a fork in the path. I had no idea which way to go. If I made the wrong choice, I could be lost forever. I had always done everything myself. I was the mighty Goliath. But here I was confused, scared, and wounded. I later realized I absolutely needed to be confused, scared, and wounded before I would allow myself to be saved.
Pride Voice: Goliath...
King Goliath: Then I heard my name. It was coming from the path on my left. I wasn't sure if the voice was calling to help me or destroy me. I was just as confused and twice as scared.
True Voice: Chuck...
King Goliath: Then I heard another voice from the path on the right. Now I was twice as confused but not as scared as before.
True Voice: Chuck...
King Goliath: The small voice called me by my name, my real name. No one in this place had ever heard my real name. I realized that the other voice was calling me by the name of my pride. Something out there was calling to my pride, and something else was calling to who I really was, who I was intended to be.
Pride Voice: Goliath...
King Goliath: I followed the small, true voice. Please God. I stumbled on one step after another. Let me hear you. That small voice called me on. I can be out of here. The pain from my wound was growing with each step. Help me God. I have no idea how long I was walking. I did know I was at the end. I was beyond the end. I looked up and I was out. I was walking in a meadow. I guess I'd been there for some time, but I didn't even know it. The small voice had led me out of Shadow Valley. I fell to my knees. Thank you, Father. I didn't deserve it. Thank you for saving me again. But I can't go on. I need help. I need help. Help! The next thing I knew, I was in a wagon and it was really moving.
Cindy Flint: Daddy, he's awake.
Pastor Flint: Oh, how is he?
Cindy Flint: I don't think he can take this anymore.
Pastor Flint: Well, it's another ten miles to town.
Cindy Flint: He'll never make it. He's burning up with fever.
Pastor Flint: Well, the fever's from the infection. Well, we're going to have to stop the infection or he'll die here in the wagon.
Cindy Flint: What are we going to do?
Pastor Flint: Well, let's set up camp here for the night. I've only done this once before.
Cindy Flint: Done what?
Pastor Flint: Well, I have to cut into that wound and clean it out.
Cindy Flint: Are you sure?
King Goliath: Please help me, mister.
Pastor Flint: Now hold on, son. Hold him down.
Cindy Flint: Are you kidding? Look at him. If he wants to move, he's going to move.
Pastor Flint: Now help me out here, son.
King Goliath: What happened to him?
Pastor Flint: To who?
King Goliath: To the one you did this to before.
Pastor Flint: Oh, I buried him.
Cindy Flint: Daddy, why would you tell him that?
Pastor Flint: Well, I buried him twelve years later. He died from old age.
King Goliath: Go ahead, mister.
Pastor Flint: Here, now bite down on this. Well, thank God.
Cindy Flint: Is he going to make it?
Pastor Flint: I don't know, hon. It's bad. I'm going to need bandages, and we're going to need something to feed this fellow when he wakes up. Well, where are we?
Cindy Flint: Dad?
Pastor Flint: Hey there, son. We made it. We're in Wildwood.
Cindy Flint: You should see what we got out of you.
King Goliath: What?
Pastor Flint: A piece of stone, son. I dug a dirty, sharp piece of stone out of your wound. That's what was making you so sick.
King Goliath: How did it get in there?
Pastor Flint: Here he is, Doc. I got one for you. I think you're going to be just fine.
King Goliath: Who are you?
Pastor Flint: I'm Pastor Flint, and this here's my daughter, Cindy.
King Goliath: Thanks. I knew right then that I would make it, and I knew I would never be the same again. My healing had begun.
Pastor Flint: What's your name, son?
King Goliath: I am, my name is Chuck.
Pastor Flint: Good to know you, Chuck. You just lay back and we'll get about twenty guys to help move you into Doc's office. I'm going to need some help here. Roman! Hey, Robert! You fellows come here.
Guest (Narrator): To order a copy of the Goliath Collection, Goliath: King of Shadow Valley, just log on to pawsandtales.org. Shadow Valley, Part 3, was written and directed by David Carl. The song What Kind of King was written by Sandy Howell and Shelly Spady. Music was by Tim Hosman, and our sound designer was Jerry Swofford. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production.