A Cage Called Freedom

Insight for Living: Welcome to the world of Paws and Tales.
Captain Gus: Wildwood Mountain can be a pretty dangerous place. Stay on the trails and stick with me. There's adventures to be had there too.
CJ: Come on, CJ, jump.
Ned: It's too far.
Malty: It wasn't too far for me.
CJ: Whoa!
Insight for Living: Insight for Living is proud to present Paws and Tales.
Captain Gus: Howdy and welcome to Wildwood. It's finally here. They've been waiting and counting down the days for months and it's here. Today is the first day of summer.
Captain Gus: Now on top of all the adventures and excitement that just naturally comes with summer, today is particularly exciting. You see, Miss Harbor asked him and old Captain Gus agreed to teach sailing to as many of her students as her willin'. That is the reason CJ and Ned are trudging along, heading to the beach of Tranquility Bay on this, the first day of summer.
Ned: Now, I want to learn to sail as much as the next fella, but at 8:00 in the morning? On the first day of summer?
Malty: Well, the ocean will still be here at 10 o'clock.
CJ: I think so.
Ned: My point exactly.
Malty: Oh, look at those clipper ships.
CJ: I love ships. I especially love huge clipper ships that have sailed around the world.
Malty: Oh. Which one do you think is ours?
CJ: Well, knowing Captain Gus, it's the biggest and fastest one of them all.
Malty: Oh, do you think it's that one? The Continental?
CJ: I bet it is, the Continental.
Malty: Wow, I feel all salty and sailorish just looking at it.
Ned: Her, looking at her. They call ships her.
CJ: I bet she's been around the world. I bet she's been in hurricanes and and even outrun pirates.
Malty: Yeah, pirates. Oh, I can't wait to set sail and steal her out to the foamy sea.
Captain Gus: Hey there, fellas, morning to you.
Ned: Morning, Captain Gus.
CJ: Morning, Captain Gus. Shiver me timbers.
Ned: What?
Malty: What?
CJ: It's sailor talk. You know, shiver me timbers?
Captain Gus: In all my years of sailing, I've never heard anyone say that.
CJ: Well, that's embarrassing.
Malty: Yeah, I'd love the Continental, Gus.
Captain Gus: Oh, do you now?
CJ: Nice transition, Ned.
Ned: I try to help when I can.
Malty: I bet she's been around the world. Even outrun pirates.
Captain Gus: Ah, that she has. Not another liker on this part of the globe.
CJ: I can't wait to stand at the helm and drive her into the wind.
Captain Gus: Well, CJ, you don't drive a ship, you see. You steer a ship.
Ned: Drive the ship.
Malty: Really, CJ?
CJ: Ned.
Captain Gus: And we won't be boarding the Continental at all.
CJ: I thought you were going to teach us to sail.
Captain Gus: Oh, I am. We're going to start in this.
Ned: That?
Malty: In that?
Captain Gus: Yep, it's a dinghy.
Malty: A dinghy?
Ned: Captain Gus, I would like to make a few observations. One, this dinghy is sitting on the sand. And secondly, there's a huge hole in the dinghy that is sitting on the sand. And thirdly, I can barely bring myself to say the word dinghy.
Captain Gus: Excellent observations, Ned. We're just going to start here, learning some basics. And you'll get used to the word in no time.
CJ: We're just going to start here and practice. Then we'll do some real sailing.
Ned: Thanks for clearing that up, CJ.
Captain Gus: Well, once we get some of the basics out of the way, we'll board that dinghy over there.
Ned: Oh, good. Another dinghy.
CJ: That's as good a dinghy as I have ever seen.
Captain Gus: You didn't think I was going to teach you to sail on a cutter, did you?
Malty: Truth?
Ned: Truth?
CJ: No, how silly would you have to be to think that?
Ned: Hey, Malty, Old Benny's gonna teach us on the Continental.
Malty: I bet he will. I love big ships. Means just being here makes me feel all sailorish.
Captain Gus: Welcome, fellas.
Ned: Hey, Captain Gus.
Malty: Morning, Captain Gus.
CJ: Morning, Captain Gus.
Ned: Is that supposed to be sailor talk?
CJ: Uh, yes, it is. Everybody knows that.
Malty: Oh, good. All three of you are here. This is certainly a surprise.
Ned: Morning, CJ. Hey, if you're gonna sail, shouldn't you be wearing a patch over your bad eye?
Malty: Good one.
Captain Gus: That's enough. Barnacle brain.
Ned: Barnacle brain.
Malty: Yeah, that kind of backfired, didn't it?
CJ: Thanks anyway, Ned.
Malty: It's 8:00 on the first day of summer. I haven't even warmed up yet.
Captain Gus: All right, fellas, okay, that's enough. Everyone gather around the dinghy now, and we'll get started.
Ned: But it's on the sand. And there's a hole in it.
Captain Gus: We'll start out here on the basics, and then we'll move on to that dinghy over there.
CJ: You didn't think we'd sail the Continental, did you?
Ned: Well, sort of.
Malty: I am bitterly disappointed. I'm sorry. I think I need some alone time.
Insight for Living: Back in town, Papa Chuck is working away again in the Collins mansion. As is typical, he is trying to do a job by himself that should be done by two or more. Today he is going to get some help, but this day will not end up anything like he imagined. Sometimes God has bigger plans than we do. That's one good reason to be ready at all times to do God's work.
Papa Chuck: Okay, just stay right there until I get this nail in. Oh, that's just great.
Dylan: Hello there, Papa Chuck.
Papa Chuck: Yeah, what can I do for you?
Dylan: My name's Dylan, and some folks at the general store said you might be in the market for some help today.
Papa Chuck: As a matter of fact, I just might. You in construction?
Dylan: Yeah, I'm in construction. And I'm in cooking and gardening and about anything else folks will pay a fair wage for. Uh.
Papa Chuck: Well, today I only need your construction skills.
Dylan: They are at your command.
Papa Chuck: Let's start by getting this length of molding up. Just grab that end and hold it up until.
Dylan: Got it. Go ahead.
Papa Chuck: You okay?
Dylan: I'm fine.
Papa Chuck: One second longer.
Dylan: Got it. Huh. The nail's flush and you didn't even touch the wood. I'm guessing this is not your first time swinging a hammer.
Papa Chuck: It's not. I've driven a nail or two in my time. Where are you from?
Dylan: Oh, everywhere and nowhere. I am what you might call a seeker of freedom. I just go from town to town. I- You ready for this one?
Papa Chuck: Yep, okay, here we go.
Dylan: I sort of make up my own rules and go wherever the wind may blow.
Papa Chuck: Sounds like. You've had some adventures.
Dylan: That is actually the goal of my life. I've been in swamps and on mountaintops, I've sailed the seas and nearly died from thirst in the desert.
Dylan: Freedom is what life is all about. I mean, no offense, friend, but yours is a life of have-tos. I've lived a grand life of doing only what I want.
Papa Chuck: No offense taken. Ready and lift. You have a flaw though in your point of view.
Dylan: Really, what is that?
Papa Chuck: You assume that I'm not doing what I want to do. I'm freely pursuing the ability to be an excellent craftsman. And I've chosen the freedom to practice my craft for years. Now I have the freedom to drive a finish nail flush without touching the surface of the wood.
Papa Chuck: That's a freedom that you don't have.
Dylan: You, my friend, are a worthy adversary.
Papa Chuck: And you, my friend, get ready and lift.
Captain Gus: All right fellas, now that we've got that covered, it's time to hoist the sail. Now in this bag is our sail. You, I want you to start pulling it out and as it comes out, you all step in and help. Good. Oh, if we're not careful, it'll be a tangled mess.
Malty: Hey, look what I found.
CJ: Hey, put that stick down and help me with this.
Malty: It's not a stick. It's my hook. Shiver me timbers.
CJ: Malty, no sailor ever says that.
Malty: Please.
Ned: Help me. This is heavy.
Captain Gus: Handle it carefully. Now, if your canvas gets damaged, you may never be able to sail back home.
Ned: Malty, quit messing around and give me a hand.
Malty: All right, I can't give you a hand, but I can give you a hook.
Ned: Malty, what.
CJ: Whoa, stop.
Captain Gus: Stop.
CJ: Oh, Malty.
Ned: This is bad.
Insight for Living: Don't go away, there's more Paws and Tales coming right up. With everything else you have to do today, how do you find time, as the Bible says, to train up your child in the way he should go? Let Paws and Tales help. Each Paws and Tales episode teaches an important biblical concept in a fun and memorable way. And you'll have a perfect opportunity to use each story as a springboard for speaking directly to the heart of your child. Visit pawandtales.org for ministry resources that can help you build godly kids. That's pawandtales.org.
Insight for Living: The day had taken on a little less of an air of adventure than the boys had planned on. And now they were all sitting on the edge of the dinghy that is sitting in the sand with a big hole in its hull, while they sewed up the torn canvas.
Malty: Ow. My finger's bleeding.
Ned: When are we going to actually sail? This is boring.
CJ: I thought we were going to be skimming across the water by now, but here we are, sewing.
Captain Gus: I like sewing. Sewing something that's ripped is not unlike building a bridge or repairing a broken relationship. By sewing, I feel like we're helping to make the world just a little bit better than it was before.
CJ: What is wrong with you?
Captain Gus: What? CJ, help me here.
CJ: Oh, well, I.
Malty: He means that you are a nutball and should not be permitted to speak out loud anymore.
Ned: Well, I didn't really mean that.
Malty: I second Malty's statement.
Captain Gus: Oh, stop your bickering.
CJ: Whatever happened to the carefree days of summer? We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves, doing whatever we want.
Malty: Yeah, summer is about freedom and playing.
Captain Gus: So, what you're wanting is freedom, is it?
CJ: Yeah.
Malty: Yeah.
Captain Gus: There is the freedom to choose the pleasure of the day. And then there's the freedom to be disciplined and to work hard to learn a thing that'll give you a different kind of freedom, a better kind. To play all the time, to just go after the pleasures of the day, might feel good at the time.
Malty: I remember it fondly.
Captain Gus: But fellas, every day, every minute of every day you are building who you're going to be. If you're lazy and selfish all the time, well, you'll wake up one day to find that you've turned into something you never wanted to be.
Papa Chuck: All right, Dylan, cut this just proud of the line.
Dylan: Cut it a little bit long. I know. Some folks have called me selfish and lazy, but I don't have time for those sour folks who don't have the courage to go after life on their own terms. Oh.
Papa Chuck: Dylan, are you okay?
Dylan: Uh, yeah. It just happens sometimes.
Papa Chuck: Sit down and catch your breath. This is not just a cold. You need to get that looked at.
Dylan: Done that.
Papa Chuck: What did they say?
Dylan: Consumption.
Papa Chuck: Really?
Dylan: It's true. I have not much time left.
Papa Chuck: Well, what are you doing here? You need to be with your family.
Dylan: And loved ones?
Papa Chuck: Yeah.
Dylan: You see, the downside of the kind of life I've lived is that I don't have any loved ones, family or otherwise. Sometime ago, I realized that to be free, to do the things I want to do and go to the places I want to go. I couldn't have all the normal good things in life. Alas, I am alone in this world.
Papa Chuck: No, no, you're not. I'm here. You're not alone.
Dylan: I'm, I'm in your way. Keeping you from finishing your job. You should just be sending me on my way.
Papa Chuck: But you see, I have so much freedom, I don't have to do that.
Dylan: And just what does that mean?
Papa Chuck: Dylan, I'm a Christian. Because of that, I have the freedom to not be selfish. I'll finish this job another time. I'm getting you to Doc Lowell.
Dylan: I would absolutely send you on your way.
Papa Chuck: I guess you don't have as much freedom as I do. Lean on me.
Dylan: I never wanted to become this pathetic, self-centered wretch that no one cares about. It just, it just happened. Ah.
Insight for Living: Well, Gus finally repaired the torn canvas, and the boys finally made it into the dinghy that was actually in the water. Then things got interesting.
Captain Gus: Now sit still. There's no keel on this boat. If you keep wiggling and moving around this much, some of you are going to go right overboard, over the side for sure. Now, face the bow.
CJ: Bow?
Malty: Why certainly. Thank you all for the applause.
Ned: Sit down.
Malty: You told me to bow, I'm bowing.
Ned: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
CJ: Knucklehead overboard.
Ned: Save me, save me.
Malty: Or, I suppose, if the water is only three feet deep, I could just stand up.
CJ: Oh no, I'm getting blown by a hurricane. Help.
Captain Gus: All hands on deck. Get into rescue operations.
Ned: Oh, save you.
CJ: Here I come.
Malty: Ah!
Ned: Out of the face.
CJ: Ah!
CJ: Sorry, Captain Gus.
Captain Gus: This couldn't be harder with a bunch of monkeys. Get back in the boat.
CJ: Sorry, Captain Gus. But this is not.
Captain Gus: I know, I know. The first day of summer, I guess.
CJ: Yeah, this is hard and a lot of work. We just wanted to swim a little, you know, cool off.
Ned: Why can't we shove off and go sailing? Why can't we just go wherever the wind blows?
Captain Gus: Go wherever the wind blows?
CJ: Yeah, that sounds fun.
Malty: Let's do that.
Ned: Sounds good to me.
CJ: I'm just gonna stay quiet on this one.
Captain Gus: Sailing a ship is just about 100% not going where the wind blows. Sailing, especially a ship like the Continental, is about deciding where you want to end up. Say, Tahiti.
Malty: Oh, that sounds lovely. Let's go there.
Captain Gus: A sailor plots a course, he studies the wind, and he uses it to get him to Tahiti, even if the wind is blowing in the opposite direction.
Ned: You're kidding. How can you sail against the wind?
Captain Gus: It's called tacking. Now if you let your ship just go wherever the wind blows, you're going to end up either crashed into a reef or starved to death on the open sea. A sailor wants to get to the end of his journey more than he wants to sleep or play or go swimming. When he gets there, he'll be able to do all of those things on top of having the thrill of sailing the open sea.
Captain Gus: Now, are you ready to continue our lesson?
CJ: Yes, Captain Gus.
Malty: Aye, Captain.
Ned: What? Sailor say that?
Captain Gus: And the rest of you fellas?
CJ: I would love to go to Tahiti.
Ned: Me too. But I think it would be easier to just, you know, buy a ticket.
Malty: That's a good one.
CJ: You, sir, are guilty of mutiny. Pie treason and poor comic timing.
Malty: Really? I thought my timing was pretty good.
Ned: You scoundrel. Now you must walk the plank.
Captain Gus: Ned, sit down, you're rocking the boat.
CJ: Yeah, Ned. Walk the plank.
Ned: What's with the plank anyway? I know how to swim, so why is the plank so bad?
CJ: Because you get eaten by sharks.
Malty: And you too.
Ned: You.
CJ: And me too.
Malty: No more sailing lessons for me. I'm just gonna swim to Tahiti.
CJ: Swim, my good friend. Tahiti is south.
Ned: Goodbye, Captain Gus. Thanks for trying.
Malty: Bye, see you later.
Captain Gus: Wait a minute.
Ned: What?
Malty: We all ate lunch at least 20 minutes ago. We get cramps.
Captain Gus: What is wrong with you?
CJ: We'll probably be eaten by sharks anyway.
Ned: Yeah, so quit warring.
Malty: Hey, what happens if a shark goes swimming right after he eats?
Captain Gus: You can't be serious.
Malty: I'm serious.
CJ: Malty, you are not normal.
Malty: Define normal.
Dylan: I'm fine, I'm fine. I just lost my breath is all.
Papa Chuck: Dylan, are you okay?
Dylan: I'm fine, fine enough. I refused to die from falling off a step ladder. I fell three times that far when I got pushed off an icy cliff in the Yukon. Uh.
Papa Chuck: I bet you climbed out all by yourself.
Dylan: I, it took me two days, but I got out and walked 10 miles to the nearest town at night. I nearly froze myself stiff.
Papa Chuck: You're about to die, Dylan. You don't want to do that alone. Let's head over to my house and get you settled in. I'll call Doc Lowell. We have some serious talking to do about heaven and hell and Jesus and where you're headed after you die.
Dylan: Look, look, I, I know you mean well, but that sounds like, it sounds, it sounds sad and barren and like a lot of work. I want my last days and hours to be out in the sunshine and rain, enjoying what little time I've left. All we really have in life after all are the pleasures of the day.
Papa Chuck: You are more wrong than you can imagine. There is an eternity ahead of you far better than anything you've ever imagined. If you would just.
Dylan: The funny thing is, I know it, I know all of that stuff. But that's just the way I am. I've always been my own man. I'll figure something out when I get to the pearly gates. But, for now.
Papa Chuck: Dylan, without Christ, you won't get anywhere near those pearly gates. You've got to take care of things now.
Dylan: Well, I can see that I've outstayed my welcome. Thanks for all you've done and for all you've tried to do for me. You're possibly the finest person I've ever met, but I can feel the wind blowing, and I got to be off. Thanks again for everything.
Papa Chuck: Oh.
Ned: No more drills, Gus. I'm pooped.
CJ: I am too.
Captain Gus: You fellas know that before you can really sail, there are things to learn, things to practice and get good at.
CJ: Yes, but it's harder than I thought. Maybe I'm not cut out for the sea.
Captain Gus: Boys, can you stay clear of the boom?
CJ: Yes, sir.
Ned: Yes, sir.
Captain Gus: Can you secure a line?
CJ: Yes, sir.
Ned: Yes, sir.
Captain Gus: Hoist the sail.
CJ: Yes, sir.
Ned: Yes, sir.
Captain Gus: That's not a question. That's an order. Hoist the sail.
Malty: We're going out?
Ned: Are we gonna sail?
Captain Gus: Not unless you hoist the sail. Let's get the lad out, men.
CJ: We're going to hoist the sail.
Malty: Hoisting, sir.
Captain Gus: Tie it off, Ned.
Ned: Aye, aye, Captain.
CJ: Whoa, did you feel that?
Malty: Look at us. We're moving.
Captain Gus: Coming about, boys.
CJ: Whoa, look at us go.
Captain Gus: CJ. You want to steer?
CJ: Yes, sir.
Captain Gus: All right then. Take the helm.
CJ: Yeah.
Malty: I know.
Ned: You at the helm.
Captain Gus: Let it out just a little, Ned.
Ned: All right, sir.
Malty: Whoa, did you feel that? We are flying.
CJ: Whoa, this is the best.
Ned: I feel so.
Captain Gus: Free?
Ned: Yeah.
Malty: Whee!
CJ: I never felt like this before.
Malty: Ha ha ha.
Captain Gus: Oh, you worked for it, boys. You gave up one kind of freedom for another, better kind. There's a life lesson to be had here, boys. Learn it well. Come about.
CJ: Come about.
Malty: Woo hoo.
Ned: Woo hoo.
Insight for Living: Sail on.
Music: (Song plays)
Music: I was living for the moment, always took the easy way. But it never seemed to get me past the shore. Then I started looking forward, made a plan and worked toward it. Now I'm flying cross the breakers and I hear the oceans roar. Sailing free, I know where I'm going. 'Cause God's with me, I'm not drifting wherever the wind is blowing. I've charted the course. It's full speed ahead. Now I know what it means to be sailing free.
Music: You can spend your whole life running from the love God's about. Thinking life will ask too much of you each day and away. But you'll know when you start giving that a life of love is worth living. 'Cause there's nothing like the feeling when you give yourself away. Sailing free, I know where I'm going. 'Cause God's with me, I'm not drifting wherever the wind is blowing. I've charted the course. It's full speed ahead. Now I know what it means to be sailing free. 'Cause joy waits for me wherever he leads. And that's what it means to be sailing free. I'm sailing free, I know what it means to be sailing free. I'm sailing free, now I know what it means to be sailing free.
Insight for Living: To order a copy of today's program, A Cage Called Freedom, just log on to pawandtales.org. A Cage Called Freedom was written and directed by David Carl. The song, Sailin' Free, was written by Sandy Howell and Bob Sobol. Music was by Tim Holsman, 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. On the next Paws and Tales, we just finished a fortress here. We need to roar. Roar. You hit flush. Please let me explain. Do you not know who your daughter has married? I do, but this grizzly is Goliath. Be sure to join us for another episode of Insight for Living's Paws and Tales.