Publishing Team

God intends for us to live in relationship with others. In that same vein, this book would not be possible without the help and support of a great team of people. I want acknowledge my team here:

My Church Family at LifePoint in Longwood, FL: My church family is a great encouragement and great source of strength. This church family has been on a wonderful journey together for well over a decade and I have blessed to be a part of it from day one.

Pastor Phil Ayres: Pastor Phil has been my mentor and source of inspiration for over 15 years and is always a great source of encouragement. He wrote the forward for this book and recently published his first book, “Flannel Graph Jesus-More Than A One Dimensional Savior“.  Phil spent the last year telling me, “Just finish your last chapter! Quit editing! Just write!” I finally listened. This guy inspires me and pushes me further than I might go by myself. That is a good thing. He is definitely a pathfinder on this journey in life!

My Wife and my children: Kelly has been my journey companion for over 33 years. She is also one of my faithful final edit proofreaders. We have never looked back! My two girls, Jessica and Shannon joined us on this great trek in life and have blessed us with wonderful families and grandsons. They have always stood with me, beside me, in front of me, and behind me as I plowed through every day living life to the fullest. It was not an easy task for wife, nor for my children I am sure.

Jeff DiMario: Jeff is a close friend and has been one of my two beta readers. He is a huge source of encouragement and has been a fellow pilgrim for many years. I am excited for a new ministry he is forming, “L.A.R.K. Global Ministries” (Loving Acts of Random Kindness). As you can see my his picture, he is someone who is you definitely want to travel with! Jeff also wrote and interpreted the book cover as well as wrote a beautiful endorsement that will on the back cover of the book.

Melissa “Izzy” Lamprey: Izzy is a close friend and a constant source of encouragement and support! I wrote most of this book in 2014 while on a sabbatical. I had only one chapter to finish and it lay unfinished all the way to this year. Izzy was the first person to take a deep interest in my book. When I mentioned that I had an unfinished book she encouraged me sternly (okay, maybe not sternly, but it sounds funny to say it that way) and became my first beta-reader and also one of my final edit proofreaders. I always say, that it was her encouragement, and constantly feeding me pages of the raw manuscript with thoughtful notes and corrections, that made me finish the book! Izzy is a fellow explorer. I was honored to baptize her and many others recently at the beach!

Stacey Covell: Stacey is my copy and content editor. She resides in Pennsylvania. Pastor Phil told me that editing was the “magic sauce” in publishing a book. He was right! He recommended Stacey and she is taking my words and sharpening my thoughts while allowing my crazy personality and passion to shine through the pages. Writing a book? I highly recommend her services! You can contact her at OneWordEditing .

Stacy Edwards: Stacy is a close friend and does all the graphics editing for our church. I knew right away that she would be the one I would hire to do the cover and graphics. She took my description and brought it to life and I could not be happier! I highly recommend DesignByStacy for your graphic design needs!

Melinda Martin: Melinda is a pastors wife and hails from Texas. Pastor Phil used her services as interior design editor, Martin Publishing Services and I was so impressed I contacted her right away! She starts out the arrangement with a personal phone call and it was a joy to speak with her personally about the project. She will take the edited manuscript and turn it into the actual book as well prepare it for sale on Amazon and the global marketplace. Oh yeah, she will format it as an eBook too. Melinda does it all. I highly recommend her services if you are writing a book!

My Kickstarter Backers: Every one of you Rock! I am overwhelmed by your love and support! Thank you (and everyone else) for enduring a month of emails and messages as I worked hard to raise the funds to publish this book.