"In a split second it occurred to me that I had hit something...I stood trembling in shock over the body of a curly-headed woman lying face down in the grass next to a mangled bicycle. As we waited for help to arrive, all I could think about was that the woman I had just hit was probably someone's mother...someone's daughter...someone's wife...how would I ever face her family after what I had done?"
Contact: Diane Morrow, 800-927-1517, dmorrow@tbbmedia.com
DALLAS, May 30 /Christian Newswire/ -- At the age of sixteen, Shannon Ethridge climbed into her little brown Plymouth Champ, strapped on her seatbelt, and headed down the oil-topped road and onto the highway that would take her to the interstate. It was the third day of school. Shannon never made it to the interstate. In a moment of distraction, she took her eyes off the road just long enough to cause a deadly accident, striking and killing Marjorie Jarstfer, who was out for her morning bicycle ride on the country road. Shannon was so horrified by what she had done, she contemplated suicide more than once on that terrible afternoon. Surely the Jarstfer family would hate her for taking Marjorie from them...
It's been over twenty years since that accident, and Shannon Ethridge is now the best-selling author of the Every Woman's Battle series and a popular speaker who passionately and fearlessly advocates sexual purity in women. In her latest book, Completely His: Loving Jesus Without Limits, she shares for the first time the amazing true story of the grace and forgiveness extended to her by the Jarstfer family.
Despite the fact that Shannon was clearly at fault for the death of the woman he dearly loved, Gary Jarstfer refused to pursue her punishment, even insisting that the district attorney drop the charges against her without a trial. His concern for her well-being was overwhelming and genuine. "God was ready to take Marjorie home," Gary told her. "You can't let this ruin your life. God wants to strengthen you through this. In fact, I am passing Marjorie's legacy on to you." Gary's merciful, loving response to Shannon's guilt changed her life forever.
"I gradually went from feeling 'to blame' to feeling 'chosen,' chosen to carry the mantle of being a godly woman who loves Jesus beyond measure," Shannon recalls. In Completely His, she describes the long and ongoing process of learning to love as Marjorie loved. She has crafted yet another book that will inspire women to abandon their search for love "in all the wrong places" and choose instead to be transformed by the pursuit of all that God has to offer them. The book is scheduled for release in June of 2007.
For more information or an interview contact Diane Morrow 800.927.1517 dmorrow@tbbmedia.com
