Eye of the Tiger

Insight for Living: 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 us today, Dave.
Dave Carl: It’s a pleasure to be here, Ned.
Insight for Living: So, because I’m me, I happen to know that you have written the first ever Paws & Tales book! 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 introduced.
Insight for Living: 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.
Insight for Living: 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 Smidge, a badger who really wants to become someone who will make a difference. And 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.
Insight for Living: 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.
Insight for Living: 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. Don’t stop tape. 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 adventure to be had there too. Insight for Living is proud to present Paws & Tales. Howdy and welcome to Wildwood. Everyone has their favorite time of the year. Stacy loves the fall with the turning of the leaves. Goos likes spring because that’s when the flowers all pop up. Marsha, she loves it best this time of year when the fancy of young moose girls turns to spelling bees.
Miss Harbor: All right class, settle please. Once again it is time to begin preparations for the regional spelling bee. We’ll have the class competition on Friday, and the top two winners will go to Cucamonga for the regional.
Goos: Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!
Stacy: Is Marsha the local favorite?
Goos: You bet she is. Marsha is the queen bee of spelling bees.
Stacy: Oh, Goos.
Goos: It’s true. Marsha won the regionals last year. She’s the best speller in Wildwood.
Stacy: The whole region.
Marsha: How wonderful for you. It was a group effort, really.
Miss Harbor: All right class, let’s start. Who would like to be first? Marsha?
Marsha: Okay.
Miss Harbor: Who would like to compete with Marsha? Ned?
Ned: Thank you, no. When it comes to humiliation, I can wait.
Miss Harbor: Someone else. Lily? Sammy?
Sammy: I will, Miss Harbor.
Miss Harbor: Oh, good. Marsha and Tiffany then.
Goos: Marsha, Marsha!
Miss Harbor: CJ, that’ll be enough.
Goos: Sorry.
Miss Harbor: Are you girls ready?
Marsha: Yes, ma’am.
Tiffany: Yes, I am.
Ned: Go easy on her, Marsha.
Miss Harbor: The first word is redwood. Marsha?
Marsha: R-E-D-W-O-O-D. Redwood.
Miss Harbor: Excellent, Marsha. Tiffany, your word is galaxy.
Marsha: Really?
Tiffany: Marsha, don’t help her.
Miss Harbor: Class. Tiffany, galaxy.
Tiffany: G-A-L-A-X-Y. Galaxy.
Miss Harbor: Good for you. Marsha, your word is dollars.
Marsha: D-O-L-L-A-R-S. Dollars.
Miss Harbor: Tiffany, your word is presence.
Tiffany: Well, can I ask a question?
Ned: I know, clues.
Miss Harbor: Tiffany, what is it?
Tiffany: Is the word presence, your presence is requested?
Marsha: She’s stalling.
Miss Harbor: Tiffany, good question.
Tiffany: Because then it would be P-R-E-S-E-N-C-E. If it was like Christmas presents, it would be P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S. If it was the town of Wildwood presents, then it would be...
Miss Harbor: Thank you, Tiffany.
Goos: What’d she say? I wasn’t listening, what’d she say?
Ned: I say we got another speller in the room.
Miss Harbor: Very good, Tiffany.
Tiffany: Thank you.
Goos: Wow. I guess you’ve done this before.
Tiffany: A couple of times.
Goos: Have you won something like the regionals?
Tiffany: No, not the regionals. I won the Southern Tri-State Championship, and I was the Eastern Seaboard spelling runner-up.
Goos: Runner-up is second place, right?
Tiffany: I’m very impressed.
Goos: I’m sorry, what did she win second place in? I was busy thinking.
Tiffany: Oh, and I won the honorable mention in a spelling bee while we were overseas, but that doesn’t count.
Goos: What is honorable mention?
Stacy: Usually it means fourth place.
Goos: Fourth place. I wouldn’t go around advertising that one.
Ned: Why doesn’t it count? Fourth place is pretty good.
Tiffany: Well, it really doesn’t count because it was in French.
Ned: French? Like another language, French?
Stacy: So you see, it really isn’t the same thing at all.
Miss Harbor: Well, it looks like we might just have a great couple of spellers for the regional championship.
Marsha: That’s great.
Insight for Living: Well, Tiffany was once again the talk of the town. The only difference is that this time all the talk was good. Her father, Mr. Rockler, is the richest man to ever set foot in Wildwood, and Tiffany is determined to remind folks of that fact as often as she can. After school, CJ and Ned were sitting on the floor of the general store looking through Mr. Crawford’s catalog of toys.
Ned: Oh, look at this. You fill it with air and jump on it like a trampoline.
CJ: Let me see.
Ned: Don’t take it, just look at it.
CJ: I can’t see.
Guest (Male): Hey there, kids.
Ned: Hello, Mr. Crawford.
CJ: Afternoon, Mr. Crawford.
Tiffany: Ned, say something in French.
CJ: Merci beaucoup.
Ned: It sounds like you’re singing a song.
CJ: It’s a very beautiful language. Look at this material. Don’t they get anything nice here ever? Is that where your mother is, in France?
CJ: What?
Tiffany: I was just wondering about where your mother is.
CJ: Don’t you ever, don’t you ever talk about my mother. Do you understand? You little bumpkin, you don’t know anything!
Tiffany: I just wondered.
CJ: If I ever hear you or anyone talking about, you will rue the day. This town is full of nothing but grosses and bumpkins.
Ned: Well, that was interesting. Rue the day. Oh, I like it. Rue the day. Yeah, I’m going to start working that into conversation.
CJ: Rue the day? How you going to work that into conversation? I’m not done with that page, turn it back. She is the meanest thing I’ve ever seen. You think she’s misunderstood?
Ned: I think she’s mean and spiteful.
CJ: Yeah, me too. I’m not done with that page, give me the catalog.
Ned: You do that again and you will rue the day.
CJ: Not bad.
Ned: Thank you. Oh wow, look at the fishing poles. Very nice.
CJ: I’m kind of a bamboo pole guy. All that fancy stuff won’t impress the fish one bit.
Ned: That mean girl is going to be our new spelling bee champion, isn’t she?
CJ: She probably will.
Ned: Then we will rue the day.
CJ: Nicely done.
Ned: Thanks.
Guest (Male): Hi, I’m Milo from Michigan. I love listening to Paws & Tales when I’m getting ready for bed at night. Oh, and my parents listen too.
Insight for Living: Welcome everyone! Nutthe Beaver here, beloved star of Paws & Tales. We have some parents with me today that would love to tell you what they think about the fun, the biblical teaching, and the music of Paws & Tales. Go right ahead please.
Guest (Female): Well, I love that Paws & Tales is fun for kids and parents. I kind of expect my kids learn from the episodes, but so do we.
Insight for Living: Very nice. And you sir, you’re next.
Guest (Male): I love that some of the episodes are telling the Bible stories. My kids totally know the story of Esther now because of Paws & Tales.
Insight for Living: Yes, yes, so good to hear. Now you ma’am, that I have never met before.
Guest (Female): Well, I love that the kids in the club are so fun and take care of each other while they’re all learning about God.
Ned: Mom, read the whole script.
Guest (Female): And I love that Ned Cleaver character. He is my favorite.
Ned: Better, much better.
Guest (Female): Stop slouching, Ned.
Ned: Mom!
Guest (Female): You’re slouching.
Ned: Mom, stop.
Insight for Living: Well, the preparations for the spelling bee began. The club was all doing their best so that Marsha would be the next champion.
Marsha: Interplanetary.
Ned: You can’t say it like that.
Marsha: Like what?
Ned: Like you’re trying to give her clues.
Marsha: I was not. I-N-T-E-R-P-L-A-N-E-T-A-R-Y. Interplanetary.
CJ: Whoa, I can’t even say that, let alone spell it.
Stacy: Another one!
Goos: Okay, okay, let’s see. Relax now before the next round.
Ned: Next round?
Goos: If they come in fast, give it to them slow. You choose the pace. Don’t let them rattle you. It’s your spelling bee. You’re in control.
Ned: Goos, you’re taking this a little too far.
Marsha: Right. I am in control. It’s my spelling bee.
Goos: Automobile.
Ned: Automobile? That’s what you give her? Automobile?
Stacy: Yeah.
Goos: You insult us. You are wasting our time with words like that. Anyone can spell automobile. I want some focus here, people! This is the championship we’re talking about! This is the kind of thing that will distract her and make her lose her focus! We need to look at the goal and keep our eye on that! Hey look, something shiny out there in the grass. Or maybe it’s a little bit of...
Ned: Okay, sometimes she worries me. Automobile.
Marsha: A-U-T-O-M-O-B-I-L-E. Automobile.
Insight for Living: While the club was working on Marsha, there were preparations going on for Tiffany as well, but preparations of another sort entirely.
Guest (Male): Okay Tiffany, let’s go through this list of words. Let me look at your list.
Tiffany: Never mind this. I know them.
Guest (Male): You know them all?
Tiffany: Yes. Is he here yet?
Guest (Male): I believe Mr. Soto has arrived, miss.
Tiffany: You will send him up directly.
Guest (Male): Yes, miss.
Tiffany: Mr. Soto... I cannot believe it. You hired a spelling coach?
Guest (Male): Hardly. I hired a detective.
Tiffany: Why would you do that?
Guest (Male): My father calls it having the eye of the tiger. It’s when you want something bad. You never go after something you want with only one plan. You need to attack from at least two directions at once.
Tiffany: We are still talking about a spelling bee, right?
Guest (Male): Yes. I am without question the superior speller in this dreadful little hamlet. That is my first weapon.
Tiffany: Your first spelling bee weapon?
Guest (Male): Yes. My second is intimidation. I will scare them with my very presence. You know, make them feel like they have no right to even be competing with me.
Tiffany: Intimidation is your second weapon.
Guest (Male): Good, you’re keeping up. My third, if the first two are not enough, is background information. Mr. Soto will go out and dig up things about the kids who I will be competing against. Bad stuff. Hopefully embarrassing things. Things that I can whisper in their ears just before they go on stage to spell. I want them thinking about how their most embarrassing moment will be displayed for all the world to see if they win. It’s how those of us who win, well, win. You can leave nothing to chance. I want this. I take no prisoners. I will win at all costs. I will succeed.
Tiffany: Tiffany, that’s just creepy. Mr. Soto, miss.
Guest (Male): Wonderful. Send him in.
Insight for Living: Well, the day of the regional spelling bee arrived. Most of Wildwood had come on the train to Cucamonga for the big day. The competition between Tiffany and Marsha had whipped up a frenzy of excitement in town.
Miss Harbor: All right now, is there anything that I can do for either of you?
Marsha: Not at the moment, Miss Harbor.
Tiffany: No, ma’am.
Miss Harbor: Okay, well you let me know if there is. You’re making me nervous. Sorry. Okay, I’m just going to go sit down now.
Marsha: Tiffany?
Tiffany: Yes, Marsha?
Marsha: Are you nervous?
Tiffany: I would be if there was any chance of one of these bumpkins being able to keep up with me, but there’s not. And I’m not.
Marsha: Oh, good. Who are they?
Tiffany: Oh, they are the rest of the spellers.
Marsha: Who’s the girl?
Tiffany: That’s Gabby. She’s from Modesty. She was runner-up last year and is perhaps the only one who’s tough enough to stand a chance.
Marsha: I thought that no one stood a chance.
Tiffany: Gabby, what a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tiffany Rockler. I was wondering if we could just get to know each other a bit.
Ned: Marsha!
Stacy: Stacy, Ned! Oh, I’m so glad to see you guys. So how’s it going?
Marsha: I don’t know if I can stand it, I’m so scared.
Stacy: You’ll do great. Just relax. You’re ready.
Marsha: Is that Gabby?
Ned: Yeah. What kind of mess so upset?
Tiffany: Oh, hello you two. Did you see what happened to Gabby? Yes, pity she broke down like that. And just before she’s up to spell. Is that raccoon over there Shadow McMillan?
Ned: Yes, he’s from Harmony. The town’s best hope for a champion.
Tiffany: Excuse me. I believe I’ll go say hello.
Ned: She looks like a snake just before she strikes. She’s doing something. Everybody’s scared of her.
Stacy: Never mind her. You’re prepared and you’re going to win it for Wildwood.
Marsha: Oh, I really, really want to.
Ned: I’m going to go look around. Good luck, Marsha. See you.
Guest (Male): N-A-B-L-Y. Unquestionably. All right, that is correct! Well, that concludes the second round. And when we return, we’ll have our two finalists, Tiffany Rockler and Marsha Moffett, both from Wildwood. And they’re going to pair off to determine who is this year’s regional spelling bee champion. We’ll take a break and recommence in 10 minutes.
Miss Harbor: Marsha, Tiffany, you are both doing wonderfully. Oh, this is so exciting.
Tiffany: I know, I know.
Miss Harbor: Marsha, how do you feel?
Marsha: Well, I’m just surprised I made it this far.
Tiffany: As am I.
Miss Harbor: Well, I’m not. Now you just relax, both of you. Oh, Mayor Boggs! Mayor Boggs!
Tiffany: You’ve done well, Marsha. I underestimated you.
Marsha: Thanks.
Tiffany: I wanted to chat with you before... Marsha, come here now.
Stacy: Marsha, listen to me.
Marsha: What’s wrong?
Stacy: Tiffany has been going around to all the spellers and saying terrible things to them. Things that will scare them or embarrass them, upset them, whatever to make them lose.
Marsha: Well, that explains a lot. We gotta tell Miss Harbor.
Stacy: She’s not cheating. There aren’t rules for this kind of meanness. Who would have thought someone would do something like this just to win a spelling bee? Do not let her talk to you. She’ll make you angry or embarrassed.
Marsha: Of course she would. The only reason she hasn’t done it yet is that she didn’t think I’d get this far. She’ll try to embarrass me. Oh, she knows all about all the things I’ve knocked over, all the times I’ve slipped on the ice, all the times...
Ned: Enough! You can’t let her win this way. You need to get tough.
Stacy: Hey, I’ve got it. CJ’s going to keep Tiffany occupied long enough for me to tell you.
Ned: What’s going on?
Stacy: I know how you can win. I know how you can beat Tiffany.
Marsha: Her mother’s here?
Ned: No, she isn’t. Who knows where she is? All you have to do is say anything about her mother, and she’ll flip her lid. She’ll go nuts. She won’t be able to spell her own name.
Marsha: That’s the meanest thing I think I’ve ever heard.
Ned: I know. Oh, you mean like that bad.
Stacy: Ned, that’s cruel.
Ned: It’s exactly what she’s been doing to everyone else. I say give her a bit of her own medicine.
Miss Harbor: All right, all right, everyone out into the seats now. We’re getting ready to begin again.
Ned: You know what to do, Marsha.
Marsha: Ned, I don’t know. Miss Harbor, how important is it to win?
Miss Harbor: Well, I’m not sure I understand the question.
Marsha: I can win. I think you can win. No, I mean I can win if I do something that is really mean. Something that will only hurt a very mean person. If I do this thing, I will win today.
Miss Harbor: I see. How important is it to win? Sit down, Marsha. It’s good to win. It’s good to try your best. It’s good to be tough. But it’s a very bad thing to win if you have to cheat.
Marsha: Oh, I don’t have to cheat. I just have to be really mean.
Miss Harbor: What would Jesus think of your being really mean in order to win?
Marsha: Well, she doesn’t worry about that. She’s been terrible to everyone and she might win. Is that what Jesus wants?
Miss Harbor: He doesn’t want you to win if you have to act like her.
Marsha: What would happen if I did?
Miss Harbor: Oh, I don’t know. You might win the championship and lose the respect of your friends. You might win first prize and be miserable because you didn’t win it without hurting someone, even if they are very mean themselves. Do it right, Marsha. You might win and you might not. But most of all, you want to make God smile.
Marsha: Yes, you do. Where did you hear that?
Miss Harbor: Papa Chuck.
Marsha: Papa Chuck.
Tiffany: They’re ready.
Miss Harbor: You all right?
Marsha: I think so.
Ned: Marsha, make him smile.
Tiffany: Marsha, this is a big moment for both of us. I certainly hope you don’t do anything to, well, embarrass yourself like you did last spring.
Ned: And when Marsha spelled conciliatory, I thought I was going to go through the roof! I was so nervous for her, I chewed my nails to the nub. Mom’s going to scream. Oh, here she comes. Marsha!
Stacy: We are so proud of you, Marsha.
Miss Harbor: Oh, shh everyone, here they come.
Guest (Male): And now I am proud to introduce you to this year’s regional spelling bee champion, Tiffany Rockler.
Tiffany: Thank you. Thank you all. I am very honored to have won this for the town of Wildwood. Miss Harbor, where’s my father?
Miss Harbor: He saw you win, but had to rush off. It was an emergency. He was very proud, though.
Tiffany: I would especially like to thank my teacher, Miss... Oh, here, Tiffany. There you are. And I would like to thank all the tutors who prepared me over the years, and mostly for my father, who is my constant source of inspiration and guidance. Thank you all.
Miss Harbor: She is the spelling bee champion, but you Marsha, you are the big winner today. You made God smile.
Marsha: Thanks.
Stacy: She was very, very good.
Ned: You did great. I knew you were good, Marsha, but I didn’t know you were that good. Anybody got Band-Aids? My fingers are...
Stacy: Tiffany wins another one. She didn’t need to do all of that mean stuff. She’s great.
Miss Harbor: I’m very proud of you, Marsha. We all are.
Marsha: Thanks, Miss Harbor. Hey, there’s my mom!
Ned: Hey, there’s our parents! Train’s leaving, let’s go home. I want to do what’s right from A to Z. I want to live the Father’s way, you see. But I must do much more than simply say these things I know. I’ve got to let it show. So let my life spell out His love. To Him be true in all I do. I want to be a light for the Lord above, so let my life spell out His love. How do you spell out His love? I just remembered. I shouldn’t be put first, but come after U, as in Louisiana. Yeah, except it’s not a lesson you learn from the dictionary. You have a way to know what’s right, no doubt. Why? Because we have God’s word, it’s all spelled out. So when I’m tempted, I’ll just say, N-O. No how, no way. And to God, I’ll say, O-K. OK! So let my life spell out His love. To Him be true in all I do. I want to be a light for the Lord above, so let my life spell out His love. I want to be a good example with a heart that’s always kind and pure. For my Lord has a reward, so I’ll live by His holy word. The B-I-B-L-E. So let my life spell out His love. To Him be true in all I do. I want to be a light for the Lord above, so let my life spell out His love. Oh, let my life spell out His love. Oh, let my life spell out His love.
Insight for Living: To order a copy of today’s program, Eye of the Tiger, just log on at pawsandtales.org. Eye of the Tiger was written and directed by David Carl. The song, Spell Out His Love, was written by Sandy Howell. Music was by John Campbell and our sound designer was Jerry Spofford. Paws & Tales is an Insight for Living production.