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The Tangled Web

Album: Gold Audio 01: The Adventure Begins

Episode: 12

Lesson/Theme: Lying.

Bible Verse: Proverbs 12:22

Characters: Connie, Whit

Writer: Phil Lollar

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: February 6, 1988

Last Air Date: February 18, 2008

Description:
Connie's friend Debbie has gotten tickets to the hottest concert of the year-a concert Connie is sure her mother wouldn't want her to attend. In order to go, Connie deceives her mother into thinking she is just spending the night at Debbie's. Next, Connie works at trying to persuade Whit to let her take the afternoon off. Whit appears, carrying a box of manuscripts-old stories he's written that he thinks the kids might enjoy reading. Connie makes her request. Whit says "yes"-if they finish cataloguing the manuscripts. They dig into the box, and Connie comes across a story called "The Tangled Web." Whit asks her to read it aloud. It's a tale about a youngster named Jeremy, whose mother asks him to go to the store for her after school. Jeremy doesn't want to go to the store-he'd rather go to Whit's End to get free ice cream and see a display on how movie cameras work. Rather than miss out on fun at Whit's End, Jeremy decides to do both. But somewhere along the way, he loses the money his mother gave him. When she questions him about it, Jeremy panics and says someone took the money. Mom interprets this to mean that someone stole it, and Jeremy picks up on this theme. He concocts a wild tale about a teenaged thug who pushed him into an alley and threatened to hurt Jeremy unless he handed over the cash. Mom is horrified and takes action. Soon the police force is out looking for the thug, and the school board, town council, and mayor are singing Jeremy's praises. The mayor even decides to honor the youngster for bravery! Jeremy realizes that his lie has gotten way out of hand. When it's time to receive his award, though, he steps nervously to the podium . . . and graciously accepts it! Connie is dumbstruck-the kid got away with it! But Whit points out that he really didn't. Jeremy's lie would haunt him for the rest of his life-just like Connie's lie will haunt her if she goes through with it. Whit leaves Connie to think about this. She sighs . . . then reluctantly calls her mom.

Questions:
Connie believed that half-truths aren't really lies. Why was Connie wrong? Have you ever lied like Jeremy did? Like Connie did? If so, how did it affect you? Why does God hate lying so much?