The Final Stretch is the story of two siblings who are separated at early ages. Did Mama realize what it meant when she signed those papers? Did her late hours at the bar, her gaudy make-up, and frequent men visitors mean more than her own children? Now, as adults and many conflicts later, Jessie and Joe Dee Hartsong have only memories. Will their paths ever cross? Where does the stretch back home begin? Where does it end?

What do you do with overwhelming, crushing pain that debilitates your mind, body, and soul? Run and hide? Lay down and die - giving up dreams and hope? And what do you do when the same pain with a different name eviscerates you again - piercing the still open wounds? People call to encourage, "You'll make it." But how do they know - and what does it even look like to "make it"? In The Final Stretch, you will not find any of these choices, but rather a decision, after repeated devastation, to take hold intensely of God's promise of healing and new life. This is an account of a journey into the purpose of pain. It is the power of this decision that ends our enslavement to sorrow. The pain remains, but we take hold of it and allow it to be transformed. Enduring this pain leaves us pure, living sacrifices, transformed, ready to obey and receive a plan that exceeds our imaginations. In The Final Stretch, Heidi refuses to be held captive by the mystery of her pain. Giving it to the Lord, transformation begins, and freedom rises out of deep wounds. She runs a race of pain and frustration through the grueling process of being made whole and holy. Nothing is hidden. This is not a step 1, step 2, step 3 book. This is an open invitation to the messy marathon of healing and wholeness in God. It is not simple. It is not cute. It is ugly, painful, distressing, and beautiful. Running, muscles burning, fighting through pain, finding inner-strength, self-confidence, and hope anew, this is the choice she makes and invites us to do the same. We all run our own race. We all fight our own pain. But we all need a good running coach to help us run the race that has been marked out for us. Inspiring and encouraging us to run the race to win, to dominate the suffering, Heidi shares her pain and her victories. Start reading and start running the race of your life!

As I put yet another spray of hairspray in my pixie styled dark brown hair and finished getting dressed for my solo, something dawned on me. I was about to enter my final dance competition ever. Whether I liked it or not, I was in the final stretch of my dance career, as well as my senior year of high school. Even though I had had a good run and enjoyed high school greatly, I was looking forward to high school being over. I was ready to start the next chapter of my life. The start of the next chapter would include me graduating high school in three weeks, as well as starting my four year term at Texas Tech University with my boyfriend, Eli, and his twin sister and one of my best friends, Emily. However, before I could get excited about any of that, I had to focus on the competition that lie ahead. After all, I was determined to take my teammates and myself to the top.

The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year "A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."—The Washington Post The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book. Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Return to HMP Parkhurst in this raw and fascinating account of life as a prison officer. David Berridge returns with more stories from his time as a prison officer at HMP Parkhurst, giving a uncompromising look at the harsh reality of working in British prisons. From dealing with inmate violence and clearing out defiled prison cells to the unsavoury nature of prison language and life, this is an even more detailed look inside Britain's most infamous prison. Through it all, David retains his wry humour and offers a much-needed assessment of the state of UK prisons today, the job crisis and poor recruitment, the corruption and gangs running rife, and the mental health epidemic hitting prisoners, causing many to take their own lives.

Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier believes that our contemporary world desperately needs to hear the central message of the final chapters of Matthew's gospel. In this wonderful sermon series based on Cycle A lectionary gospel texts, Dreier deftly uses clear examples to shed light on the biblical text. Her focus is on Jesus' call to serve while at the same time keeping our vision on the promised fulfillment. Like Matthew's community, today's church also needs an active faith that is rooted not only in the here and now, but also the parousia. Readers will discover that Dreier's insight into these readings makes the scriptures understandable and relevant to modern Christians -- she has a flair for communicating the gospel to the everyday person in the pew. Pastor Mary Sue Dreier is a preacher who preaches up on her toes, not from her heels. She hits the biblical texts straight on, and it results in a hands-on experience with God. She preaches to all, and her words confront and inspire. Her parishioners know from her preaching what they are called to do. You will be convicted of your failures in your life of discipleship, but her declaration of God's grace enables her hearers to act in this world as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It has been a joy for me to follow Pastor Dreier's growth as a pastor and proclaimer of the gospel. She is a committed disciple of Jesus Christ and a gifted proclaimer of God's word. Glenn W. Nycklemoe Bishop, Southeastern Minnesota Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Pastor Mary Sue Dreier has a wonderful talent for taking a Bible passage we've all heard a hundred times and making it come alive through detailed personal stories. Her sermons help me understand what the Gospel means to me today and what I can do about it -- how God is calling me to a life of Christian servanthood. Kathleen Creager Rochester, Minnesota Along with her husband Gary, Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier is the co-pastor and mission developer of People of Hope, A Lutheran Church in Mission (ELCA) in Rochester, Minnesota. Active in their synod, the Dreiers have also served two other Minnesota congregations. Mary Sue is a graduate of Valparaiso University (B.A.) and Luther Seminary (M.Div.).