Saved by Grace: The Grace Series - Book 2

By Jeannette Denise Miller

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. --Ephesians 2:8, NIV

Two years have passed since the events in Taken By Grace. James has grown in his faith, which has helped his marriage with Lara grow. Lara is working at the church as a counselor helping oth

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jun 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890419644

Jeannette Denise Miller

Jeannette Denise Miller is a faith- based author. Her first series is titled The Grace Series. Jeannette is a wife and mother to four girls; she also has four baby boxer dogs and an Amazon parrot. When she is not writing, she is teaching. Some of Jeannette's favorite hobbies include doing various mixed martial arts, dressing up for comic cons, and exploring theme parks with her family. She currently resides in a small town in West Texas.

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Saved by Grace

The Grace Series - Book 2

Jeannette Denise Miller

Copyright Page

Saved by Grace: The Grace Series, Book 2

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2024 by Jeannette Denise Miller

Scripture quotations marked

niv

are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trade-marks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM

Scripture quotations marked

nlt

are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked

kjv

are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 979-8-89041-963-7

ISBN 979-8-89041-964-4 (ebook)

Dedication

The Grace Series is dedicated to those who need to hear stories of forgiveness. Like all fiction, any of the situations these characters go through could be from anyone’s shoes. I hope readers learn to share the importance of forgiveness and to always love, not judge.

My grandpa James loved book one, Taken by Grace. He gained his wings in May 2023, and this book is for him.

I would like to personally thank all who have supported this journey. To my church family, you all are wonderful. Candace Cameron Bure for being an inspiration for Lara and teaching me valuable lessons through her faith and gratitude challenges. You are a blessing to many. Also, Candace Kilpatrick, I would like to thank you for saying to not give up when I wanted to throw it all away. It means the world to me to hear your kind, God-sent words.

Previously in The Grace Series...

James Smith is the sheriff of a small town in Texas. He met his wife Lara in a traffic stop. Two years into their marriage, Lara reveals she has a surprise for James. They have a date night planned. While running errands, Lara is kidnapped. James receives a phone call that changes his life as his partner, Gerard, tells him they found Lara’s car and evidence she has been taken. Upon arrival at the scene, James opens the car and sits in the passenger seat where he finds a gift bag meant for him. He realizes this was the surprise and carefully opens it, where he learns his wife is pregnant. He is going to be a father.

Instead of celebrating, they hold a search party trying to solve the mystery of who has taken Lara. Whenever Lara comes to, she meets her captors, Angie and her brother Andrew. Lara realizes there must be some mistake in the situation, but Angie reassures Lara that it is indeed James who shot and killed her husband, Mark. Lara begins to preach to Angie, trying to convince her it was an accident, but she doesn’t fall for it. Angie becomes irritated with Lara telling her about this God she doesn’t believe in and slaps her.

Angie is Gerard’s next-door neighbor. He invites her on a coffee date where she sees James and how upset he is about Lara’s disappearance. Angie introduces herself to them as Grace. After the date, Gerard finds she dropped her license in his truck and starts piecing an important piece of the puzzle together. As he goes to the station to prepare a search warrant and do further research, he is taken out, as Grace bashes him in the head with a baseball bat. Andrew takes him inside where he reunites with Lara. An anonymous call is made to James inviting him to where his wife and best friend are held captive. Upon arrival, James realizes she has been watching his every move via his surveillance cameras. James sees Lara tied to a chair, rushes to her side, and begins to help her until Grace steps forward with a gun pointed at him. They begin to talk, and Andrew becomes impatient and attempts to fire his gun and kill him. Gerard stops him. Grace quickly points her gun at James and pulled the trigger, but Gerard jumps in front of him and takes the bullet to his chest. She turned the gun on herself but is stopped, and Lara is shot. Back up arrives, and James screams as his partner and best friend gave his life for James (John 15:13, KJV).

James slowly begins a journey of reading Lara’s Bible, trying to understand why this God is so important to her. As he sits by her bed in the hospital, a man approaches him and introduces himself as Pastor Ronald White, from the church Lara attends. Pastor Ron prays with James, and James soon gives his life to Christ. Lara wakes up with a smile. The two of them work together to recover from the incident, and he apologizes for never telling her about the incident Grace told her about. James begins to attend church with Lara, and one Sunday, Ron preaches a message on forgiveness. James feels the pull to go visit Grace. Inside the visitation room, he leads a confused Grace to Christ and asks for forgiveness. He gives her a Bible to help her begin her own walk and invites her to their church once her time is served. Two hours later, Lara gives birth to their daughter, whom they name Hope.

1

Two years later...

James stood in front of the church, speaking to a group of people. "Two years ago, my wife Lara was kidnapped and taken hostage because of a past I thought had long been buried. Your past cannot be changed but the future can.

"I’m here to tell you no matter what you believe in, you can be healed. In the last year alone, God has shown me how to move forward. While my wife was taken, I lost my partner, my best friend. I remember he used to always tell me I should attend church, even at times to open a Bible. I never had an interest until Lara was taken.

"I remember picking up her Bible and staring at it. I was angry. I was questioning why. I was questioning this God, who I didn’t believe existed. I believe the proper statement is, ‘during the storm is when most will turn for help.’ However, what about the rest of the time? Prayer cannot be an emergency contact alone; rather it needs to be part of your daily routine. God isn’t only an Easter, Mother’s Day, or Christmas type of God. He wants us to worship Him not only during the storm but during the calm as well.

"Every morning now, my wife and I wake up, pray, and study together before going to work. I used to watch her all these years and not once did I ever join her. I can say this, it has brought us closer, and our marriage is stronger. We have a beautiful daughter. Her name is Hope. She is two years old and full of life. Six years ago, if you had told me I’d be married with a daughter and attending church, I would’ve laughed. Religion wasn’t something I wanted any part of. How many men and women are outside these doors walking in the shoes I once filled?

Thank you all for allowing me to speak tonight. I would like to pray before we leave if you don’t mind. Father God, thank You for allowing me to share the last few years of my life story with the church. I would be lost without Your guidance. I pray for anyone who feels like they are lost and who feels like they don’t need You. Lord, guide us as we all go our separate ways tonight and for safe travels home. In Your name we pray, amen. Have a great night everyone.

A man approached him. James, thank you for sharing your story. I needed to hear that.

James shook his hand. Absolutely, it’s an honor.

Wonderful message James. You have a beautiful family, a lady said.

Thank you.

He noticed Hope running towards him and knelt with his arms wide open. Daddy! She squealed in excitement as he picked her up and held