Man Serving Life Sentence Finds Powerful Redemption Behind Prison Walls
Inspirational author Ann H. Gabhart's award-winning memoir tells the true-life story of one man's journey from a life of bad choices to forgiveness and unconditional love in "Angels at the Crossroads."
Lawrenceburg, KY (PRWEB) April 16, 2007 -- The chase was over. It was April 1969, and nineteen-year-old Jerry Shepherd stared in his rearview mirror as two policemen approach his car. He wanted to run, make his escape any way he could. Instead, Jerry curled his fingers around the small Bible in his back pocket and stepped from the car to face the consequences of what he had done.
Those consequences were life in prison for a crime Jerry could hardly believe he had committed. When told this remarkable story years later by a now free and spiritually devoted Shepherd, author Ann H. Gabhart felt compelled to share Jerry's amazing journey with others in "Angels at the Crossroads" (ISBN 978-0595387076, iUniverse, 2006). Honored as a finalist in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2006, this book's strong message of the redeeming power of God's love is well suited for anyone needing a profound measure of inspiration on their journey through life.
"Jerry had a rough childhood," says Gabhart. "His biological mother was very young and not ready for the responsibility of motherhood, and his father, a WW II veteran, drove a bus and was away from home much of the time." Jerry was often shuffled back and forth between family members, which became the norm after his parents divorced. Jerry didn't understand or even remember those early unstable years. He just knew he never felt good enough. As the years went on, Jerry's life spiraled destructively downward until, high on alcohol and drugs, Jerry ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time where a confrontation with a stranger left that man dead and Jerry facing life behind bars.
Being incarcerated in a maximum-security facility could have been the end for Jerry. Survival would prove difficult especially with his feeling of having stepped beyond the hope of prayer or forgiveness. Still, with no choice but to move forward, Jerry was forced to find his way through the jungle of prison life and to the self-acceptance he desperately needed. Gabhart's introspective account shows how divine intervention put good people - earth angels - in Jerry's path to help him start making right choices whenever he faced a crossroad of decision. His prison experience proved a life-changing pilgrimage and today Gabhart says, "Jerry's life remains a living testimony that the love of God truly knows no limits."
Ann H. Gabhart was born, raised, and still resides on a farm in Central Kentucky. She has published several novels for both adults and children. "The Scent of Lilacs," her first inspirational novel, was one of Booklist's Ten Best Inspirational Novels for 2006. "Angels at the Crossroads" is Gabhart's debut in nonfiction and can be purchased through local or online booksellers. For more information, visit www.annhgabhart.com. Publicity contact: www.readerviews.com. Review copies available upon request.
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