Nest of Sparrows

1. Talk about Wade Sullivan's qualifications to take on the task of raising three small children after their mother's death. Do you believe he was qualified? Do you think it made a difference that he was not related to the children? That he was a single man? That his job took him away from the children for many hours each day?2. What mistakes did Wade make with the children? How do you think these might affect the children over a long period of time? What could Wade have done differently? Discuss I Peter 4:8, in light of Wade's situation: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."3. Traumatic experiences from her childhood shaped Dee Thackery's future in a positive way, even eventually directing her to a rewarding career. Can you look back on your own past and see how God used painful or tragic events to shape your personality and future for the good? If not, explore the reasons why? What makes the difference between a tragedy being used for good in one's life, or being the cause of ongoing pain and bitterness?4. How does the concept of Romans 8:28 (...all things work together for good to those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.) apply to the events in Dee's life? In Wade's? Sophie's? What about in Starr's life? Can Romans 8:28 apply even when "all things" includes death?5. Did you approve or disapprove of the way Dee and Wade handled the social services policy that forbade them to have social contact with each other? Were there other solutions to their dilemma that they could have used?6. What is your opinion of the social workers' code of ethics, which prohibits a social worker from having a relationship with a client?7. How would you have felt if Dee had quit her job and forfeited her social work license in order to be with Wade? Do you think it would have been ethical for her to do so? Would it have compromised her own calling in life?8. If you were the judge, and knew only the facts Judge Paxton knew in the story, how would you have ruled on this case? What experiences in your life helped you form that judgment? Are your reasons for such a judgment fair? Discuss the social services philosophy of family preservation, where the ultimate goal is to keep children with their biological parents or relatives whenever possible.9. If you were in Wade's shoes and feared or even suspected that children you loved were being abused, would you do anything differently than Wade did? Under what circumstances should a person break the law to protect the life or health of another person? Did Wade do enough? What might have been the ramifications had he been more aggressive in trying to get the children back?10. Discuss Sophie's role in this story. How did her struggles and secret sins affect Wade and the children? How did they affect Starr? Think about the private struggles and moral failures in your own life. How have theyor how might theyaffect the lives of those you love or those you have contact with? How far does our responsibility and accountability to the other people in our lives extend?Raney, Deborah is the author of 'Nest of Sparrows', published 2004 under ISBN 9781578565788 and ISBN 1578565782.