The Guardian (45 page)

The Guardian
Discussion Questions

1. In the opening scene, Anna meets the young boy and is faced with a decision to act on faith. What situations or circumstances have you faced that have required you to act on faith?

2. When Anna is facing the decision to leave New Orleans and go to Pittsburgh, she is not yet a believer. However, God gives her the grace and mercy needed to act, which sets her on a course to meet God. In what ways has God shown you grace and mercy as you were on your way toward Him?

3. In a defining moment for Anna, she meets her parents to inform them of all she has experienced and learned about the family history, but she is met with their skeptical assertions that cause her to doubt everything. Describe how skeptical friends or family in your own life have caused times of doubt in your faith.

4. Anna felt a sense of betrayal from her parents because they had told her that her grandfather (Thomas Riley) had died when she was young. What situations or circumstances have you faced in life where you felt betrayed by someone, perhaps even close friends or loved ones? How did you deal with them?

5. Anna is told that it is her destiny to be the guardian of the scroll, and she wrestles over her ability and faith to do it. In what ways have you struggled with discovering God’s plan for you? What doubts or insecurities have you faced in trying to accomplish it?

6.
The Guardian
is less about an adventure to unlock a scroll’s secret and more about Anna’s faith journey. At what point in the story do you believe her heart began to truly open to God? What examples or evidence bring you to this conclusion?

7. From Father Vin to Jason, God knew exactly what people to put in Anna’s life and when to put them there. In what ways has God strategically placed people in your life at the right times and seasons? Discuss some examples.

8. How does Jason begin to have an effect on Anna’s life? What are the different ways? What were some of the key moments that show this?

9. Cardinal Wickham in this story is in pursuit of the scroll as he works for Satan. What has brought Wickham to this place in his life? How has Satan deceived him and used him? In what ways do some of the things Satan does still happen in how he operates in our world today?

10. Joseph McCoy finds himself catapulted into the middle of this cosmic battle because of his misguided aspirations and dreams for fame and power. Have you ever fallen into temptation like this? How can our enemy use this against us and God?

11. Anna’s last battle before achieving victory happens on the beach with Satan (who is in the form of a serpent). In this moment, Satan does his best to cause Anna to have doubt by bringing up her sinful past. In what ways does Satan still attack you by bringing up your past? How can you combat this?

12. At the end of the book, Anna finally has to walk by faith and not by sight as she enters the water and is forced to trust God completely. What times or moments in your life have you faced “faith not sight” experiences that have required you to put trust completely in God’s hands, not your own?

13. What feelings, thoughts, and emotions did the Epilogue stir in you?

14. As believers, it is easy to say to ourselves that if God called us to do something that required a complete change of direction in our life, or required us to leave behind everything that was normal for us, we would do it. But if you were put into Anna’s shoes, how do you think you would respond? If God clearly called you to make some radical change in your life, what obstacles do you foresee in your life now that would make that change difficult?

15. What lessons or “take-aways” have you learned from
The Guardian?
How can this story be used to strengthen your own faith?

Robbie would like to thank …

First of all, I would like to give glory to my Father in heaven. Through His mercy and grace, this sinful creature has found redemption that I don’t deserve, in Christ Jesus. I live to serve Him. I pray that He will be glorified in everything that I do.

I would like to thank my wife, who I also don’t deserve, who tirelessly stands beside me in all things. She is my partner in all things. That God would choose for me a woman like her to share my life with, is mind blowing. Every day! I love you, Tiffany. To my children: For whatever reason, God has blessed me with you, Cason and Hadyn. I cherish each and every moment that I get to spend with you, and I pray with every ounce of my soul that God would save you. I beg that you would never take your eyes off of Him, and that you would trust Him for everything in this life. I love you two with all my heart. To my family: Thank you to my Mom and Dad for raising me and my sister, Crystal, in a good home. Though we were never rich, we had more treasure than I can count.

Lastly, to The Journey Church: As Erik has said, it is an honor to serve you. I thank God for calling me into a life of ministry and placing me here, at this church. I love you all and am in awe of all that God has chosen to do through you for this body and His Kingdom. You are an amazing group of people, and I count it as pure joy that I get to serve alongside you and see your witness for Christ. Let’s never forget that this is His church, not ours.

Erik would like to thank …

There are so many people to recognize for their contribution to my life. First and foremost, God has been incredibly gracious to me. I am an undeserving sinner who has received the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ. I have been so captured by His grace that it is my life’s desire to love Him and live for His glory, for all my life.

Secondly, I want to thank my family. They are a tremendous encouragement and joy to my life. My wife, Katrina, is irreplaceable. She is the one God chose for me from the foundations of the world, and He chose well. My wonderful children, Kaleb and Kaleigh, are my pride and joy. They give me such pleasure in life. I love them in ways that I did not know existed. Third, I want to thank my parents, Billy and Ginger Reed, for raising me and my sister, Amber, in a loving and stable home. Thank you for working hard to support us and providing a home that was filled with wonderful memories and experiences.

Lastly, the Journey Church: What a privilege it is to serve you. We have witnessed God work in incredible ways among us, and as we seek to continue lifting Christ up, and proclaiming His Word, we will continue to see that work done. Keep clinging to Jesus. Keep your eyes fixed firmly on the Author and Perfector of our faith, and He will make your paths straight.

Robbie and Erik would like to thank …

Our agent, Literary Management Group LLC., Bruce “BRB,” Barbour, & Lavonne Stevens. WOW! What a ride! The way that we came into contact with you in the first place, only serves as more proof of God’s sovereignty. You guys have been incredible. I can only imagine that other authors are jealous of our relationship with you all. Thank you for believing in us and taking a chance.

Our Publisher, Barbour Books: When we decided that the manuscript was finished, we were only hopeful that a publisher would show a little interest and maybe give us a shot. You all have been unbelievable in your excitement and your hard work to see this book come to fruition. Your staff is top notch! And from the first moment we signed with you, you have taken us on a whirlwind of a journey. Thank you, too, for believing in us. We look forward to working with you again on our next book! Thank you, Rebecca and Mary, specifically for all you’ve done to bring
The Guardian
to life.

Our Editor, Meredith Efken, and The Fiction Fix-It Shop: This being our first published novel, we were completely ignorant of how the editing process happened. We won’t lie. We were a little scared of you before we got started! But you quickly eased our minds. You are brilliant! And this manuscript would not be the book that it is without you. You brought life where there was lull, you brought coherence where there was disjointedness, and you brought depth to Anna where she was lacking. You are amazing, and we can’t imagine having gone through this process without you. Get ready! The next one is coming!

Lastly, we would like to thank all of our extended families and friends who believed in us, encouraged us, prayed for us, and even read along as we wrote. So many of you have made the writing of this novel possible, and we are grateful to you for everything. Thank you, Michael Hyatt, for your article for new authors and the resources that you made available. This novel has been published as a result of that article. Thank you to Google. You wouldn’t believe how much of a writing tool the Internet is! Thank you to Waffle House and Starbucks. Many hours were spent in your establishments brainstorming and writing. Thank you to our best friends and coworkers, Shawn Allen, John Griffin, Kendria Spicer, Miranda Allen, Philip Organ, Shelly Baker, and Josh Waggoner. You guys make serving in ministry such a joy. Thanks for all your help in taking care of the tasks that Erik and I couldn’t, as we finished this book and got it ready for print. And finally, thank you Tom Hilpert for showing us how to even set up the template for writing in the first place.

Coming Fall 2012 from Robbie Cheuvront and Erik Reed,

The 13:
Fall
. Here’s a sneak peek of this gripping novel:

B
ecky Sayers looked at the discolored flat-screen plasma TV and silently cursed her boss. “You’d think in this world of technology, we could find a TV that wasn’t made before I was born,” she mumbled to no one. “I mean, this thing’s not even in 3-D. A rerun of
Everybody Loves Raymond
was playing—the one where Raymond fakes going to the doctor so he can play golf. She’d seen it at least four times, but it was one of her favorites.

She pushed back from her desk and stretched her legs. The switchboard had been pretty quiet so far. A few drunk-and-disorderlies and a domestic dispute. The holiday weekend usually meant a boring few days at the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department.

The green light flashed on her board. She placed the earpiece in her ear and said, “Thank you for calling the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department. This is Becky ….”

The caller made her complaint and hung up abruptly. Her neighbors were setting off illegal fireworks; could a deputy come by and take care of it? All of south Texas had experienced a horrible drought these past few months. The governor had issued a decree suspending all fireworks throughout the entire state. Residents weren’t happy, but they understood. Brushfires this time of year were common and could lead to billions of dollars in damage.

Becky keyed her microphone. “Roy, this is Becky. I need you to go out to Ms. Dobson’s farm, out on highway 83. Neighbor kids are shootin’ off firecrackers or something.”

She waited for the grumpy complaint that was sure to come. Roy hated dealing with neighborly disputes. He always tried to pawn them off on one of the other deputies. Nothing.

“Roy, this is Becky—come in.”

Nothing.

“Roy! I ain’t playing! Pick up that radio or else!” Still nothing.

She switched over to another channel. She couldn’t figure out why one of her deputies would switch channels, and she was starting to get a little worried. Roy was dependable, if nothing else. He’d never gone without answering a call while he was out in the field.