by Bale, Leigh
Scott Ennison believes his career choice as a forest ranger living in remote towns was partly responsible for the end of his first marriage. Even though he loved his profession, he was willing to give it up to save his marriage. Which is more important, a person’s career choice or their marriage? Do you believe Scott changing his profession choice would have made a difference in his marriage?
The apostles of Jesus included humble fishermen, a physician and a tax collector. Tax collectors were not considered very popular at that time. Did the Lord judge people based on their occupation? Or did He consider a person’s actions, heart and mind to be more important?
Melanie helped Scott after he was injured, knowing she might be ridiculed by the other ranchers in her community. Have you ever been a Good Samaritan and helped someone in need even though you feared other people might not approve? Likewise, has anyone helped you when you felt like you didn’t deserve their aid?
A woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus for judgment and He said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” How can we be more like Jesus in not judging our fellow man?
Anne was the child of a sheep rancher. Because of things her father had said and done, she hated all forest rangers. She frequently repeated labels and biases she had learned from her dad. How can we keep from transmitting our own anger and biases to our children?
Following his painful divorce, Scott turned his back on God and refused to pray. In spite of losing her husband, Melanie came to depend more on God for support. Have events in your life caused you to turn away from the Lord? Or did you draw nearer to Him in prayer? Why or why not?
During Sunday school, Melanie had taught her daughter the story of the ninety-and-nine when the Savior went to search for the one lost lamb. Later, during the range fire, the little girls went to check on their orphan lambs, to ensure they were okay. Have you ever had the opportunity to visit people who are “lost” in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Can we ever give up on these children of God?
When Donaldson’s grocery store refused to sell food to Melanie because she was tending the forest ranger’s daughter, she was forced to drive ninety miles to another town to buy food. This created an extra expense and burden on Melanie. Should she have refused to tend the ranger’s daughter? Why or why not? Have you ever had to go out of your way to help another person you esteemed your enemy?
Have you ever seen another person being treated unfairly by someone else? Did you intervene or remain silent? Why or why not?
Melanie’s house was vandalized and her child terrorized because she was associating with the new forest ranger. She decided to press charges against the vandals. Have you ever been the target of a bully? How did you react? Do you believe Melanie made the right choice to press charges against these bullies? Or do you think she should have quit tending the forest ranger’s daughter?
When the wildfire would have destroyed the homes of two ranchers who had been unkind to him, Scott continued to fight to protect their lands. When he found his own life in jeopardy, Scott turned to the Lord in prayer. Have you ever found yourself running out of options and turning to the Lord for help? Did God answer your prayer in a way you expected? Does the Lord always answer our prayers in our time frame and in the way we expect?
When Melanie believed Scott may have been killed in the wildfire, she realized how much she loved and depended on him. At that point, she did not care what Scott’s profession was. Have you ever had a defining event occur in your life that made you realize what is really important to you? Did this event change or reaffirm your priorities? If so, how?
At the end of the story, Frank Donaldson, the main rancher who has persecuted Scott and Melanie the most, approaches Scott and apologizes for what he has done. What brought about this change in Frank’s attitude? How should we deal with people who refuse to change their hard hearts? Should Scott have accepted or refused Frank’s apology? Why or why not?
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0251-1
THE FOREST RANGER’S PROMISE
Copyright © 2011 by Itzy
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