Ranger Bill, Warrior of the Woodland.
Struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, showing rare courage in
the face of disaster.
In the air.
On horseback.
Or in a screaming squad car.
Ranger Bill, his mind alert, a ready smile, unswerving, loyal to his mission.
And all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done.
And so we can see from this account that miracles are quite different from the usual idea.
A so-called miracle that does not bring specific glory to God can be questioned as to whether
it's actually a miracle at all.
But most important, I think, is the fact that God has and still does reveal himself to men
by means of miracles.
He shows himself alive, powerful, and concerned.
And let us pray.
Amen.
That would save everybody a lot of worry, especially Stumpy.
No thanks, Bill. I'm expected home today. You don't have to walk with me, Henry.
I was just kidding, Fred. You fellas run along.
If Henry don't show up right away, I'll snitch a bite here and there to keep going until we do eat.
Come on, Fred. If Stumpy snitches a bite here and there, by the time the afternoon gets too old, there won't be any bites left.
Bye now.
See you later.
So long, Chuddy.
Oh, thank you. Nice to see you.
Good morning, Henry. Good morning, Fred.
Good morning, Pastor. That sure was a good message.
I haven't thought much about miracles for a while.
Well, I'm glad you thought about them this morning.
I had to. It was either that or go to sleep.
Well, for some people, I'm afraid staying awake would be a miracle in itself.
We'll see you again, Pastor.
Good. You come again, too, Fred. Glad to see you here.
Sure.
What's the matter, Fred?
Huh?
I said, what's the matter? You haven't said two sentences since the service ended.
I have, so?
Okay, three then. I still say, what's the matter?
You really believe in miracles, don't you, Henry?
Oh, so that's it.
I just... well, I just can't buy it.
You know what we learn in school, Henry. Like in physics class or biology.
We learn about how things take place in nature.
Boy, Fred, it's times like this I wish you were a Christian.
I know you'd see things differently.
I figured you'd say something like that.
But, Henry, I just don't even want to be a Christian if I have to believe a lot of things that just can't happen.
Well, I don't think you can say that miracles can't happen, Fred.
And I don't think you can say that they can.
Well, I think there's one thing you're forgetting.
What's that?
Well, like you said, in class we learn how things take place in nature.
But we don't learn why.
We Christians believe everything that happens fits into an overall plan of God.
Well, he could easily make things happen differently than we're used to having them happen, couldn't he?
Well...
You see, Fred, because God made everything the way it is, he has complete control over it.
And if he wants to get something done, he can go about it in almost any way he wants.
It may seem like a miracle to us, but to him it's just another way of doing something.
Maybe. But to believe like that, you have to believe that there really is a God who's alive and doing things.
I think it's harder not to believe in God.
What do you mean?
Well, if you don't believe in him, how do you even explain how normal everyday nature got here in the first place?
What time do you fellas think you'll be back, pal?
Oh, I don't think we'll stay out much more in dusk, Bill.
We're just going to hike and eat lunch and dinner in the woods.
You going out of that, uh, Freddy feller again, Henry?
Yeah, that's right, Stumpy.
How are your talks with him going, pal?
I'm really surprised, Bill. No kidding.
Sometimes I just want to know how he's doing.
Well, I'm sure he's doing fine.
I'm really surprised, Bill. No kidding. Sometimes I just come right out and tell him he's wrong.
Instead of telling me to go jump in the lake, he, well, he comes on hikes and things with me.
I know he's interested in Christianity, but I just haven't been able to find the one thing that'll do the trick.
Well, this might be a good time to remember that it's the job of God's Holy Spirit to bring a man to Christ.
I hope you aren't trying to do his work.
Boy, sometimes it's hard to tell, Bill.
You get so carried away with all the questions you ask that, you know, it's hard to keep turning it over to God.
I know, pal. That's why it's important to go into these conversations depending on God.
Yeah, I can see that.
We aren't trying to win arguments, Henry. We're trying to win souls.
And that's why it's all important to make sure that...
Hi. All set to go?
Well, hi, Fred. Sure. That's my stuff all piled there by the door.
Well, let's get going then.
Right with you. Thanks, Bill. I'll remember what you said.
That's all right, Henry. I'll be praying about it here.
Swell.
I hope you have a compass or something.
You ain't worried about getting lost, are you, Fred?
Well, it could happen.
In them woods?
Haven't you ever been lost in the woods around here, Stumpy?
Never.
Ahem. Ahem.
Well, I admit that I've been confused for a day or two, but never lost.
Come on, Fred. We've got lots of ground to cover.
So long, Bill, Stumpy.
Take it easy, fellas.
Bye.
I'll get it.
Ranger Station, Bill Jefferson speaking.
Well, hello, Pete. I haven't heard from you in a long time.
How are things up there in the central city area?
Uh-huh.
Is that so? Does it look bad?
Oh, well, that's good.
Oh, sure, Pete. Thanks a lot.
There aren't too many hikers or campers out in the woods this time of year,
so it'll be easy to pass on the warning to them.
When do you think you'll have it under control?
Mm-hmm. Well, I guess it would be all right.
Well, fine, Pete. If there's anything we can do down here, just give us a call.
Okay.
Right. Thanks for calling, Pete. We'll get on it right away.
Goodbye now.
What was that all about?
That was Pete Boris up in Central City.
Well, that much you had all figured out.
Is something wrong up there?
Nothing that'll cause us any worry, Stumpy.
One of the smaller hydroelectric dams is burst and is sending us a little more water than we're used to having.
Down the Shady River?
No, this flood will be coming the back way.
But the way Pete described it, only the lowest of the low areas will be at all affected.
Gullies between here and Central City should catch it all.
Then all we'll have is a few extra lakes for a while, huh?
That's about it, old timer. And small ones at that.
I'll send a general warning to all our men in the towers and in the cars.
I don't think there are any campers in the area to worry about.
Yeah, except for Henry and Fred.
That's right. I'd forgotten about them.
Oh, but they were heading northwest toward the hills.
They should be well out of reach of the floodwaters before they reach this area.
They look all the same. Maybe somebody ought to warn them.
Well, they should pass by Tower Nine.
I'll tell Will to keep his eyes peeled for them and give them a special warning when they come by.
Maybe I'm just getting funny in my old age, Bill, but...
Okay, old timer. If you want to ride out after them and make sure they get the news, go ahead.
I can understand your concern, all right.
It really won't take too long, Bill. I'll be back soon as I can make it.
When you said we wouldn't take the well-marked trails, you weren't just kidding.
Don't tell me this is too rough for you, Fred.
I won't tell you, but I'm starting to think it.
You really want to stop and rest a minute?
That might be a good idea.
Yeah, and now that you mention it, I could use a minute of sitting down myself.
Oh, boy.
You sure seem to know your way around in these woods, Henry.
Oh, it isn't that. I mean, I've never been through here before.
How do you know we aren't lost or confused, like Stumpy said?
Well, because we know what time it is and where the sun is.
As long as we know those two things, we may not know exactly where we are,
but we know which way to go to get somewhere.
I guess that's a little bit comforting.
It's the best I can do.
Hey, what was Bill talking about when I first came to the ranger station to get you?
What do you mean? I don't remember.
Well, he said he'd be praying about something for you.
Oh, yeah.
What good does it do to pray anyhow?
I mean, I can see at church when the pastor prays
how it gets everybody thinking about holy things,
but what good does it do for Bill to pray back there for something about you?
Well, see, Fred, this is a lot like what we were talking about Sunday.
You mean about miracles?
Yeah, that's right.
I mean, again we come to the idea that God can actually do something today,
and the Bible says that if we ask anything within His will
and if He thinks it's what we need, He'll do it.
That's hard to believe, Henry.
I mean, everything happens as a result of something else,
like we learn at school.
Well, that's true, Fred, but that doesn't leave God out.
I mean, many things happen because of what we call natural causes,
and many things happen because of supernatural causes.
When you come right down to it, even the natural cause came because of supernatural causes.
You always come back to that, don't you?
Not because I try to.
It's just the way things are, Fred.
I think if I could just see one example of what we're talking about,
prayer, miracles, you know.
The Bible is full of examples.
But I didn't see them.
Well, you didn't see even half the stuff we learn about in school either,
but you believe that.
Boy, there's no getting around you, is there, Henry?
I really believe what I'm telling you, Fred,
and I really believe that it's mighty important for a fellow to be a Christian.
If only I could see one thing that God did.
I mean, like a miracle.
Well, I'm not going to push you, Fred.
Like Bill says, all I can do is tell you what I think and believe.
It's up to God to bring you to Himself.
That gives a guy a creepy feeling.
Well, ready to start out again?
We ought to get up into the hills before lunch.
Well, I guess I can get my old bones started in one direction again.
You sound just like Stumpy.
Do I? You young whipper snapper?
Hey, you'll have to do that for him sometime.
Oh, sure.
Come on, let's go.
Well, you have to kind of watch your step through here, Fred.
Why's that?
Well, there's some pretty deep gullies around here.
We clean them out every spring so they don't become fire traps.
And some are deep enough, you have to use ropes to get down and up again.
Wow, how deep are they?
Oh, the deepest isn't more than 20 feet.
It's just that you can't climb out.
The sides are steep and slippery.
I haven't seen anything like that around here.
Well, this time of year they're pretty well overgrown.
They're hard to see.
Well, don't worry.
Old eagle-eyed Fred will lead this troop straight through without a single man lost.
Yeah, well, just the same.
We better take it slow.
I told you, don't worry.
Old eagle-eyed Fred'll...
Hey!
Hey, Fred!
Fred!
Are you okay?
I don't know.
I hurt my leg when I fell.
Can you make it down here, Henry?
I...
Well, I think so.
Looks like it shouldn't be too hard to climb down.
I'll be right with you, Fred.
Don't move.
Boy, you did more than you could ever imagine.
You did more than you could ever imagine.
Boy, you did more than hurt your leg, Fred.
I think you broke it.
That's what I was afraid of.
What are we gonna do?
I don't know.
I can't climb up out of here carrying you.
But we have to get help.
Me and my fooling around.
I didn't see this gully at all.
We've got to let somebody know where we are.
Hey, that's it.
What?
The only person who's even near enough to get
would be the ranger in the nearest tower out here.
You're gonna leave me here?
I don't have to.
If we start a small fire,
he'll know something's up and come to investigate.
When he gets here, we'll be a couple of baked potatoes.
No, no, not that big a fire.
Just a small one, but as smoky as possible.
Hey, I'll get some damp leaves and stuff together.
Boy, my leg sure hurts.
Don't worry, Fred.
As soon as whoever's in that tower spots the fire,
he'll either be here himself or send someone to investigate.
This is a pretty deep gully, Henry.
How are they going to get me out?
I don't know.
Maybe up away there's a place to climb out more easily.
This gully is one of those that run close to a mile long.
Almost sounds like a river bed, Ray.
Yeah, that's what it is in the spring.
What?
Don't worry now.
That's just in the spring when the snow melts and the hills,
and it rains a lot.
All these gullies along here fill up.
That's why Naughty Pine doesn't get worse than it does by the water.
There isn't any chance of this thing filling up while we're here, then, is there?
Well, not unless we stay till spring.
Stop worrying, Fred.
I'll get this fire started, and we'll be out of here in a minute.
Time for lunch.
TOWER 9
TOWER 9, Johnson speaking.
Will, this is Bill.
I don't know why that always sounds so funny.
What can I do for you?
I'm calling all the towers in the northern and the south.
Seems a small dam has burst up around Central City, sending some water our way.
Oh, that's all?
The way it was described to me, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Probably fill in the gullies, but they should be able to handle the extra load.
I'll keep my eyes open, Bill.
As far as I know, there isn't even a stray hunter wandering around down there.
They stay away from those gullies anyway.
You haven't seen Henry and a friend of his out there in the mountains, have you?
I think they were coming out in your area.
No, haven't seen them yet.
They went by, they didn't say hello.
Well, if you do see them, tell them about the coming flood, warn them to stay clear of the gullies.
Will do, Bill. I... Hey, wait a minute.
What's the matter?
I'm not sure, Bill. Looks like smoke.
Just a thin stream of it coming up from over in the valley.
I didn't know anyone was there.
That might be Henry and Fred.
But it's pretty early to stop for lunch.
No, it's more than that, Bill.
What do you mean?
Well, if that is Henry and his friend, they've picked the wrong place to even pause.
What are you trying to say, Will?
That smoke, Bill, is rising up out of Half Mile Gully.
And if that water is headed this way from Central City,
Half Mile Gully is doomed to become Half Mile Lake.
Whoa, there, boy.
Hello, Will. Are you up there?
Hello. Is that you, Stumpy?
Have you seen Henry and another young whippersnapper out this way?
The trail leads right here toward the valley.
I don't know if it's them or not,
but somebody's got a fire going in Half Mile Gully.
In Half Mile? Oh, no.
I'm going to have a look.
I think you'll be too late, Stumpy.
What do you mean?
I can see the water from that busted dam starting to enter the valley.
By the time you could get there,
there won't be any Half Mile Gully to investigate.
Do you think they've seen the fire by now, Henry?
I hope so, Fred. All we can do is wait.
I guess so.
Henry? Huh?
Do you think God did this to me because I won't believe in him?
That's a funny question, Fred.
Why? What do you mean?
Well, it sounds to me like you do believe in him.
At least that he would do this to you.
What do you think? Did he do this to me?
Oh, I can't say. God doesn't usually...
Hey, listen. You hear something?
Is someone coming? No, no. Listen.
It sounds like a kind of roar. Don't you hear it?
Yeah, I hear it. What is it?
I don't know. Sounds pretty big.
Like a landslider or a flood.
What?
I don't know what it is, Fred,
but I sure don't like the sound of it.
It sounds like it's coming from the north end of the valley
and getting closer all the time.
Bill, this is terrible.
Just standing up here watching the whole thing happen.
Unless something happens soon,
every gully in the valley will be full, including Half Mile.
There isn't a thing any of us can do, Will, except pray.
Well, then do pray, Bill. Pray for a miracle.
Father in heaven, we're helpless. We're always helpless.
But it's only at times like this that we realize it.
Oh, God, we would pray for Henry and Fred's lives.
We would ask that they be delivered out of that valley somehow.
Some seemingly impossible way.
And yet we must submit to your willingness.
If you have some greater purpose in their loss,
we ask for understanding and help in accepting it.
Our father, we ask that somehow you will save those fellows down there.
There's nothing we can do.
Please show your strength and bring them out safely.
But whatever happens, help us to know that...
that thy will has been done.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Easy, boy.
You know there's something to be scared of too, don't you?
Well, Lord, I thought I could get over there in time.
That water's running faster than I can.
It's all in your hands now.
I've seen you do some pretty thrilling things in my lifetime.
So I know you can.
We'd all like to see Henry and Fred safe at your will.
If it ain't, Lord, well, help us to swallow real hard
and accept your judgment in this.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Hello.
Hello, Will. Are you still there?
What was that sound? What was that crash I heard?
I can hardly believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes.
Will somebody tell me what's going on out there?
It was God, Bill. As sure as I'm standing here, it was God.
What was God? What happened, Will?
They'll say it was just all the water rushing in that did it.
That's the way they'll explain it away. But it was God.
Will, please!
A landslide, Bill, up at the north end of the valley.
Both sides of the slope just fell together,
making the best natural dam I've ever seen.
The water stopped, Bill. The water stopped!
Praise God.
I never saw anything like it.
At the very minute we were praying.
They'll say all the water rushing in just loosened those slopes.
But I know it was God, Bill. I saw it.
I know. It was the Lord all right, Will.
Bill, I was too carried away to notice this at first, but...
What is it, Will?
Well, that landslide. It stopped the water all right,
but that's not all that it stopped.
Bill, the smoke that was coming up out of Half Mile Gully.
That stopped, too.
The fire is out?
That's the way it looks.
There's only one reason I can think of for that.
I can't make it out from here,
but that flood must have hit Half Mile and anyone who was in that gully.
Lord, I know we're all thanking you for that landslide.
It was about the most amazing thing I've seen.
Now I hope you'll show me where to find them two boys.
Looks like a lot of water poured into Half Mile Gully here.
Maybe they pulled out in time.
What's that down there?
Oh, boy!
Yeah, looks like it is.
That's Henry's backpack lying down there half under the water.
I don't see no signs of him or Fred.
Best is to mount and have a look around.
He'll be there with an earshot.
Hey, Henry!
Fred! Where are you?
No answer.
I suppose they...
Well, I ain't even going to think about that until everything else is settled.
Henry!
Fred!
Come on out! The danger's passed!
What was that?
Did I just imagine it or was that a call?
It was a call!
Aunt Henry's voice!
It came from up ahead.
Honey, I'm coming! I'm on the way!
Then when we heard that roar, we didn't know what to think.
I thought we should get out of that gully, but with Fred's leg broken, we couldn't climb.
Then we saw that water coming.
What a sight! Rushing at us, coming down the gully like a... like I don't know what.
It must have been some moment for you fellers.
I'll say. I sure have to admire Henry's fast thinking.
He grabbed me like you do when you're swimming with a guy, and then just waited for the water to hit us.
When it did, we were swept up.
Didn't seem any time at all until we were on top and Henry was swimming with me.
That was a brave move, pal.
Sure was. I didn't know if it'd work, but there wasn't anything else to do.
Might not have worked if there had been any more water than there was.
We can all be thankful for that dam that God built.
Yeah, sure, that's true.
Uh, I guess it's up to me to say something.
Is it, Fred?
I guess so.
Just before all this happened, well, all week as a matter of fact,
I've been telling Henry that I didn't believe in miracles or God answering prayers or anything like that.
And now?
Well, now it looks like I might have been wrong about all of it.
I mean, well, right at the time you were all praying, God saved Henry and me.
And the way it all happened looks to me like somebody did it, and that somebody must be God.
That's what it looks like to me too, Fred.
Hey, I was just thinking.
Remember what the pastor said last week about what miracles do?
He said they glorify God by showing His control over His creation.
That's right, and he said that they always make people believe in Him, and lots of times in Jesus as Savior.
And then he said that they help you to know that God is always right here, present with us all the time.
What happened out there in the woods today, and what's happening inside me right now?
It really is. It is a miracle.
We hope you have experienced this same miracle, boys and girls.
It happens every time a person opens up his heart to Jesus.
He comes in and changes you, makes you God's child, and He lives with you for the rest of your life and forever.
Well, see you next week for more Adventure with Ranger Bill.
Ranger Bill was produced in the radio studios of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
Thank you for watching.