Last Chapter Publishing

David Van Diest is now working with the DC Jacobson and Associates team.   While he still is an independant agent he felt working under the DC Jacobson umbrella would be a great benefit to the wonderful author's he represents as well as provide an him the opportunity to collaborate with some very talented people at the ageny.  Please visit www.dcjacobson.com for author information and ongoing industry news.

Jonathan Almanzar was born into a family of Pastors.  Uncles, Grand Fathers, and Father.  He began on the same path, attending Bible College, getting a ministry job as a youth Pastor in a small Baptist Church on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, moving up to the larger, more contemporary church as an associate pastor in the heart of the bible-belt.  But something never sat right.  There was always something missing.  This ‘something’ sent him on the quest of discovery.  Through life experiences, friends, situations, failures, and heart ache, he discovered that something was Christ.  In fighting for Christianity he’d missed out on Christ.  In this discovery a light came on that has changed his view of what is now important.

Sherrie Ashcraft has been a Christian for forty-eight years and was a pastor’s wife for over twenty. She served with her husband, John, for three years as missionaries with the Southern Baptists in Nigeria, West Africa. She teaches women’s Bible studies, speaks at women's retreats, and ministers to residents of a local Alzheimer facility. Sherrie returned to college after raising her children and obtained her Associate’s Degree in nursing in 1994. She has served as Vice President of the Walla Walla Valley Christian Scribes. Because of Sherrie’s personal journey through depression, On the Threshold realistically portrays the emotions and pain of depression and offers an uplifting message of hope. Sherrie and Christina Berry now share a multi-generational home in Gaston, Oregon. Both are members of Oregon Christian Writers and Redeemed Writers Critique Group.  Visit Sherrie and Christina's website at

Christina Berry dedicated her life to Jesus Christ as a young girl. She and her husband, Kevin, attend a Baptist church. She is able to stay at home with seven-year-old Andrea and five-year-old Joshua. She leads women’s Bible studies and serves in the financial ministries of her church. Christina graduated from Pacific University in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Literature and Math. Her article, “Paying It Forward a premise of biblical values,” appeared in The Oregonian. A devotion entitled “Rock Climbing” was published in the Spring 2005 issue of The Secret Place.

Dr. Kathy Crisp is a professional counselor with a degree in Human Development from Warner Pacific College and a degree in Clinical Psychology from George Fox University.  During nearly a decade of international crisis counseling, she spoke with thousands of people throughout the United States, Canada, and parts of Western Europe about the impact of emotional abuse on their lives.  She has worked with adolescents, and their families, in a drug treatment facility and has researched the impact of emotional abuse on teenagers. 

Dr. Crisp taught psychology courses at George Fox University and currently teaches Human Development courses at Warner Pacific College.  She maintains a private counseling practice focusing on women’s issues and marital conflict.  She speaks publicly about the topic of emotional abuse addressing the toll it takes on body, mind, and spirit.  Dr Crisp also works in full-time ministry as the director of a Pregnancy Resource Center in Portland, Oregon and leads Bible studies within her church. 

She enjoys camping and hiking anywhere in the Northwest, visiting the Oregon coast, and playing racquetball.  Her latest passion is spending time with her granddaughter, Madeline.  She has three grown daughters and lives with her husband, Ray, in Oregon City.  

As for Sean, he has only been teaching professionally for seven years, but has been pretending to know something important for much longer.  His parents will vouch for him on this point.  His BA is in Religious Studies with an emphasis in philosophy, and a literature minor.  He a Masters degree in some long-winded title that has something to do with teaching. 

Spending free time with his family is one of his favorite activities and he has an insatiable craving for books, which is one of the things he stresses most in my classroom.  When he let out, he plays on two soccer teams.  Other things he enjoys are  time with my kids—especially naptime, laughing for no reason, writing, running—as long as he is not being chased, jumping into a pool of cold water on a summer day, gardening, fly-fishing, swinging in a hammock, skipping rocks on a glassy pond, playing with his over sized lap-dog named Suki, fantasy football, hugging his kids, playing video games, watching the Steelers play, listening to thunder storms, catching minnows, walking around the golf course searching for my golf ball, drinking fruit punch and sweet tea, listening to music, ignoring the telephone, driving on a hilly road when the leaves are changing, pestering his wife by thwarting her well laid plans for an orderly existence, basketball, eating cookies fresh from the oven, making people question their seriousness, sampling food in a grocery store, snow cones with shaved ice, Puma, fleece jackets, air conditioning, movies, and making people read long and pointless lists.  

Former NFL player, Derwin “Dewey” Gray (also known as “The Evangelism Linebacker”) is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation and Teaching at a young, vibrant, multi-ethnic Church called theGathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he serves as the President of One Heart At A Time Ministries, an itinerant speaking ministry.  He is a 2004 graduate of the Billy Graham Institute of Emerging Evangelists and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Southern Evangelical Seminary with a Master of Divinity with Apologetics.  At Southern Evangelical Seminary, Derwin was and continues to be mentored by world-renowned theologian, philosopher, and apologist Norman Geisler.

Aaron Havens is a husband of 10 years and father of two girls.  Through Liberty University, Focus on the Family, Fellowship of the Woodlands and LifeChurch.tv he has been on a devouring charge towards finding God in every aspect of life.  Growing up in the church and spending the last 10 years of his life working in “small church” to “Ultra Mega Church” he is tuned in to the current heartbeat of the American church.

Currently Aaron Havens serves as Director of “The Journey” for Adventures in Mission, one of the largest short –term Missions agencies in the world.  With connections to hundreds of Youth Pastors and Pastors, Aaron heads up “The Journey” which is an intense mentoring/discipling program for college age, as well as a youth pastor/pastor retreat center. 

As a video communicator Aaron has spoken to over 24,000 students this past year.  In 2008 Aaron is planning on more video communication as well as live speaking at conferences, camps, services and training sessions.

Doreen Hanna encourages women to take life's journey with The One who brings joy, impart love, and will meet their every need along the way. With more than 35 years invested in marriage, motherhood and ministry to women of all ages, Doreen has experienced the joy of mountain top high as well as the pain in the deepest of valleys.  

Doreen grasped the hand of God when her own journey led her through the dark clouds of a turbulent marriage, and later faced the revelation of sexual abuse in her own family. Today she and her family share of the miraculous restoration that cam through personal intervention and God's awesome love and forgiveness.She has enlightened many women as a Bible study teacher, discipleship leader, and trained biblical counselor. In 1997 she was asked to be Women of Faith's first West Coast Ministry Representative; emceeing numerous pre-conference events.

Doreen and her husband Chad have tow daughters and one granddaughter living in CA, and they reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Dr. Tim Jennings obtained his M.D. degree in 1990 from the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine in Memphis, Tennessee. He completed psychiatric residency at D.D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia and is board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Certified Master Psychopharmacologist by the Neuro Science Institute in San Diego, California, Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Medicine,  a member of the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Georgia Psychiatric Association, American Board of Forensic Examiners, American Association of Christian Counselors and is licensed to practice medicine in Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas. He spent 8 years on active duty with the US Army and has served as the Division Psychiatrist for the 24th and 3rd Infantry Divisions and Chief of Psychiatry at Winn Army Community Hospital. Dr. Jennings is an international speaker speaking on a wide range of topics related to brain science, mental health and God’s design for the mind. Dr. Jennings teaches a weekly Bible study at his church, lives in Tennessee with his wife Christie and has been in private practice in Dalton, Georgia since 1997.

Visit the retreat center’s website at www.christmascreekvillage.com   

Clayton King was born in 1972 and was adopted at 3 weeks old and raised in a Christian home in Fountain Inn, SC by Joe and Jane King. As he grew he learned the value of honesty, hard work, and keeping your word. His parents were Southern Baptist, he attended a Presbyterian Christian school, and his grandfather was Pentecostal. He had an interesting perspective on God and church from a very young age, as you can imagine! God saved him when he was 14 years old and the same night he was saved he felt God call him into the ministry. He surrendered to that call and has preached to almost 2 million people in 25 countries and 45 states.

God began opening doors for Clayton to preach in 1988 immediately after he was saved. He began ministering with a team at several local prisons and correctional facilities where he learned much about ministry, discernment, and being authentic. His experiences in prison ministry helped him develop a love for those that society forgets about, as well as wisdom when dealing with people from different circumstances. He also began a ministry at Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville, SC called The Solid Rock Club, which still exists today on that campus. He played baseball, basketball, and football growing up, but his first love was, and still is, tackle football. In 1991 he was elected SC State Beta Club Secretary and National Beta Club Secretary. This allowed him to begin speaking in public schools on non-religious topics like self-esteem, peer-pressure, abstinence, making wise decisions, and morality in an immoral world. He still speaks to tens of thousands of students every year at public schools for National Honor Society, Beta Club, Kiwanis, 4H, and Key Club.

Clayton had always dreamed of playing football in college and the pros, but God had other plans. He was recruited by several small colleges and offered opportunities to pursue football, but a severe shoulder injury his Senior year made it obvious that football was not in his future. His dream of attending Clemson University almost became a reality when he received a fulll academic scholarship there, but he knew that God had called him to preach so he stepped out on faith and turned down all athletic opportunities and academic scholarships that would keep him from pursuing ministry. God provided and he received the Presidential Scholarship at Gardner-Webb University where he graduated in 1995 with a degree in Religious Studies as the Graduate of the Year. He hopes to eventually finish his Masters of Divinity Degree with a concentration in Missions (…it only took him 6 years to accumulate 42 hours of credit. Not bad for a man who travels 160 days a year).

On a sunny February afternoon in 1997, Clayton was preparing to preach to 3,000 college students at the University of North Carolina when he saw a young lady in the crowd. In some mysterious way, he knew he would marry her, though he had never seen her before and did not even know her name. They met that night after the event, she applied to work at Crossroads, and they fell in love. They were married on May 1, 1999 and have two amazing little boys named Jacob and Joseph. His wife’s name is Charie and she loves to write, paint, design books and websites, and spend time outdoors.

Sabrina O’Malone is the President of Working Mom™ and founder of PrayStation3™. She appeared on the nationally televised Mrs. America Pageant, the 700 Club, and is featured on national radio broadcasts such as Focus on the Family and writes for P31 Magazine. Her website, WorkingMom.com, is visited

by over 250,000 people every year.

Sabrina O’Malone is the author of Moms On the Job (Focus on the Family).  She is the mother of four and spent over two decades working full-time in sales and marketing. With the support from her husband Daniel, WorkingMom.com has become a veritable online powerhouse, saving time, energy and money for thousands of families daily with free resources, coupons and inspirational articles.

O’Malone delivers engaging presentations to Fortune 500 corporations and Christian ministries throughout the United States. With unparalleled communication skills, subject knowledge and charisma, audiences the world over respond to her tangible help and resources as well as the spiritual encouragement of her books and inspirational articles.

Visit Sabrina’s website at www.WorkingMom.com

By God's Grace, Mark Stanleigh Morris has been given the abilities and talents of a gifted communicator.  He authored the book Billy Goat Hill, (Multnomah Publishers) and is working on his second novel. He also plays a pretty mean guitar. Mark is passionate about serving God with those gifts. When asked why he writes, Mark smiles and considers the depth of the question.  "I write to serve and glorify God, and to sow what belongs to Him back into His Kingdom. The gift He has given me really belongs to Him. My job is to use it wisely for the fullest purpose that He intended. For me, writing is a ministry."

Until a man surrenders his heart to Jesus Christ he is like a ship without a rudder  Mark was a hard worker and good at accumulating things, which made him successful in the eyes of the world. But deep down he always knew something important was missing from his life. For the longest time, his pride and our culture kept him from facing that truth. Then one day in 1998, God chose to reveal himself to Mark in a way that removed all doubt about the reality of His existence.  Mark's conversion experience was profound and nearly instantaneous. He was changed. He was born again. And soon a process of refinement commenced, beginning with his decision to join a bible-believing church and commit himself to study the Word of God.

A man with a mission is a man with purpose. The establishment of Fallbrook Ministries completes an important step in Mark's calling to serve as a disciple of Jesus Christ. A gift, a calling, and a ministry. These are the essential elements of a life lived in service to Christ. Mark writes and speaks for the glory of God and strives to serve His purposes through prayer and faith in action. Mark thinks of his books as calling cards for a ministry of encouragement and support for frontline ministries.

Dr. Steve Stephens was the oldest of six kids. He grew up in the suburbs south of Portland, Oregon and had a positive, though far from perfect, childhood. His parents were hard-working people who were committed to their children. Early in his life, Steve developed a deep curiosity in how people think and relate to each other.

In 1976 Steve received a B.A. in psychology at Portland State University. During this time he worked with children from single parent homes and teenagers from three of the local high schools. In 1978 he received a MS in Pastoral Psychology and in 1981 a Ph.D. in Counseling-Clinical Psychology, both from George Fox University. While finishing these degrees he worked as a youth pastor and a counselor at a county mental health facility.

In 1984 Tami and Steve got married. They have had their ups and downs, but they are both truly committed to each other just like their parents (Tami's were married 49 years and Steve's were married 53 years). In 1988 Brittany was born, in 1990 Dylan, and in 1993 Dusty. Steve and his family love to laugh, play, explore, travel, ride bikes and watch movies together.

Since 1984 Dr. Steve has practiced as a licensed Psychologist specializing in marriage, family, stress, depression, trauma and life-adjustment issues. He also acts as a life coach to people of all ages and professions. Dr. Steve is a popular seminar speaker who has spoken to business, non-profit, professional and church groups throughout the country. For five years Dr. Steve hosted an hour-long live call-in radio talk show which ran five days a week throughout Southern Washington and Northern Oregon. He has currently written over 20 books with over a million copies sold including Worn-Out Woman and the popular List to Live By series. He is co-founder of Every Marriage Matters, Inc. He has also been on the leadership team of his local church for the past 15 years.

Dr. Steve loves life and encouraging others. He also loves learning and having fun. But most of all he loves God, Tami and his three kids. 

Visit Dr. Steve’s website at www.drstevestephens.com

Brenna Stull is a pastor's wife and mother to five young children. She is a professional home organizer and the creator of an eight-week home efficiency course designed to help women live a balanced life.

Passionate and transparent, she is a popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats and Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meetings. Brenna and her husband Chris speak on marriage enrichment at couple's retreats. She enjoys leading worship for conferences alongside her triplet brother and sister, Trent and Tamara. Brenna and her family live in McKinney, Texas.

Chris Stull graduated with an undergraduate degree in math/computer science in 1986 from the University of Oklahoma and went on to receive his MBA with an emphasis in finance.  From 1990 to 1998 he worked with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as the State Director for Arizona.  Chris then accepted a position at North Phoenix Baptis Church as the Minister to Young Married Adults as then Executive Pastor.  In 2oo2 he was asked to move to McKinney, Texas to serve as Executive Pastor of First Baptist Church of McKinney where he is today.   

Coach Mom was recently released and is receiving great response from women all over the country.

From times of singing in a dark closet to the founding of a national women’s mentoring ministry, Thelma Wells' life has been a courageous journey of faith. The name on her birth certificate read simply: Baby Girl Morris. Thelma’s mother was a severely deformed teenager with no husband and no place to go, since her own abusive mother insisted that she take the baby and leave the house. So when the baby was born, her unwed teenage mother found work as a maid cleaning “the big house” while living with her baby daughter in servants’ quarters. Eventually, the baby went to live with her great-grandparents, who called her Thelma Louise Smith and loved her dearly. They took little Thelma to church, where she learned to love the hymns and praise songs.

On those occasions when Thelma was taken to her grandparents’ home, her grandmother abused her, just as she had tormented Thelma’s mother. She was locked in a dark, smelly, insect-infested closet until just before her grandfather came home when her grandmother would bring her out of the closet, clean her up, and act as if all was well. In spite of her deep fear, little Thelma spent her time in the closet singing every hymn and praise song she could remember. She would sing herself to sleep in that closet, and the Lord received this little girl’s innocent praise and rewarded it with an abundant life of joy, protecting her from feelings of anger or bitterness.

Thelma grew up to become a trailblazer for black women, a prominent international speaker and author, and a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. As a student at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas (now the University of North Texas), she was a member of the first group of girls to integrate the school’s dormitories. She earned her Bachelor’s degree there and eventually received a Master’s of Ministry from Master’s International School of Divinity in Evansville, Indiana. In 2002 she became the school’s first black female professor.

In 1980 Thelma became the first black woman in the South to organize her own international speaking and consulting corporation. Her natural talent for public speaking and storytelling attracted the attention of the Women of Faith Tour, and in 1996 she became the first black core speaker for the organization. She has authored several books, including her latest God Is Not Through With Me Yet, an inspiring examination of her own life experiences in which she encourages readers to “sing in the closets of their lives.” She serves as the president of The Daughters of Zion Leadership Mentoring Program, an organization she founded in 2000 (another first for a black woman). Through this ministry, “Mama T,” as she is affectionately called, has mentored over 100 spiritual daughters, received an honorary doctorate degree and was ordained into the Christian Ministry on December 16, 2008, from St. Thomas Christian College and Theological Seminary and the Association of Christian Churches in Jacksonville, Florida. She was also was named Extraordinary Woman of the Year 2008 by Mrs. Julie Clinton, Host of the Extraordinary Women Conferences an affiliate of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Thelma has been married to George Wells, her best friend, supporter, and encourager, for over 45 years. The couple lives in Dallas, Texas, and has three children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.