Synopses & Reviews
Facing a new threat.When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things hes seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the overwhelming powerlessness of hospital tests revealing an unexpected diagnosis. If only Sara werent retreating into doctor mode…he needs his wife now more than ever.
Frozen in fear.
Sara Rollins is an oncologist with a mission-beating cancer when she can, easing her patients suffering at the very least. Now the life of her tall Texan husband is at stake. She never let the odds steal her hope before, but in this case, the question of Gods healing promises is personal. Can she hold on to the truth she claimed to believe?
Faith under fire.
As Clint continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?
Synopsis
A powerful second book in the Defenders of Hope series, "Healing Promises" packs high-voltage suspense while posing a key life question: can God be trusted? FBI Agent Clint Rollins finds he must trust God for not just one miracle, but two, in this tale.
About the Author
Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams and Healing Promises, a homeschool mom, and self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books including God Answers Moms Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.
Reading Group Guide
1. Clint and Sara struggled to believe Gods promises of protection and healing when life gave them a multitude of reasons to stop hoping. Can you relate? What scriptures do you cling to when life grows dark and painful?
2. What about when things dont go the way we prayed? Or when it seems like God hasnt protected and healed? I love the book of Job because Jobs example gives us the freedom to ask God why and also to be reminded of the truth that we dont see the big picture God sees. When you read Job 1:8—12, 38:1—7, 42:1—3; 1 Corinthians 13:12; and 1 John 4:16, what thoughts come to mind? How can these verses strengthen our hearts when life hurts?
3. In the daily battles we face, internal and external, sometimes it appears that evil is winning. Like Clint and Sara, were tempted to harden our hearts against hope because were weary and just want to escape the pain. But what do Psalm 62:5, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, and 1 John 5:4 say is the foundation of our hope? How do you stay open to hope and to God?
4. Think of a time when youve been wounded in the battles of life or prayed for others who have been wounded. What do Psalm 103:1—5 and Romans 5:3—5 say about hope, Gods healing, and our response to difficult times?
5. What provision and promise has God given to each of us in Ephesians 6:10—18, 1 Timothy 6:12, and Hebrews 11:1 that will enable us to fight the fight of faith with hope…and win?
6. Franks dying wish was that, for better or for worse, those he loved would hold tight to the truth that God is on His throne and always good. If youve lost a loved one, how did God comfort you? What legacy of hope do you want to leave your loved ones?
7. In the face of death, what does it mean to grieve with hope? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13—18. How does Paul tell us to deal with death and encourage one another?
8. When you read in Job 1:21 about blessing the name of the Lord when He gives and takes away, what does that stir up in you? If we lived like we believed this verse, how would our actions show it?
9. In what ways do we praise God? Are some methods of praise easier for you than others? Why or why not?
10. At the end of the story, Sara says she wished shed believed Franks words earlier. But her best friend says, “Sometimes we have to walk through the fire before we believe God can be trusted. Experience has a way of pressing head knowledge into our heart.” How have you found this to be true in your life?
11. John 6:29 says, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." What does this mean to you? What about 1 John 3:23? Is belief something that comes easily to you? Why or why not?
12. One huge issue Clint struggled with throughout the book was body image. He hated all the physical and emotional changes cancer thrust upon him. He hated his own weakness. And how he viewed himself affected his faith, his marriage, and his job performance. Even without a major illness, most of us struggle with liking the view in our mirrors. Why do you think that is? And what do Genesis 1:27, 31; Psalm 45:11, 139:14; Zephaniah 3:17; and 2 Corinthians 12:9 have to say about what God thinks when He looks at us, His image-bearers?
13. Why do you think it took Sara a long time to stop depending on people and circumstances? Have you ever struggled with that? How did Sara begin to depend on God and what part did praising Him play in that change?
14. Sara believed she was a failure when circumstances turned out badly or when she didnt measure up to her expectations. Fear of failure is a common struggle that drives many of us to do better and to try harder instead of depending on the Lord. Take a look at Isaiah 41:10, 43:1—2; and John 16:33. How can these verses help us move from fear to faith?
15. Clint, Steven, and Michael exemplify the real-life FBI agents and other law-enforcement officers who are committed to protecting our children. If you have children in your life, how have you taught them about staying safe? Here are some possible scriptures to pray with your children, nieces and nephews, or other young people you care about to help them (and you) remember that God is our protector: Psalm 18:2, 23:4—6, 59:16—17, and 91:1—2.
16. If you dont already, will you please consider praying with the children in your life for the law-enforcement officers who serve us, daily working to keep us all safe? What other ways can you think of to encourage these men and women?
17. 1 Corinthians 13:8 says that love never fails. But many Christians experience broken or painful relationships. What do 1 John 4:16—19, Mark 12:30—32, and 1 Peter 1:22 say about Gods love and how we are to love one another?