Who is Daniel Darling?

Daniel Darling is the Senior Pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. For 9 years, Dan was a writer and editor with Victory In Grace, the international outreach of Dr. James A. Scudder. Daniel was the managing editor of the monthly devotional magazine, Victory In Grace and the web content manager for victoryingrace.org. He also wrote for their radio and television broadcasts.

Daniel is the author of Teen People of the Bible, Celebrity Profiles of Real Faith and Tragic Failure to be released in August, 2007 by New Hope Publishers. He has also been published in Focus on the Family, Marriage Partnership, Pray!, Stand Firm (Walk Thru the Bible), and many other Christian publications.

Daniel Darling has also written the study guide for Dr. Scudder’s book, Your Secret to Spiritual Success published by Crossway. He is a contributor to the Couples Devotional Bible by Zondervan.

Daniel has been active in the community, serving as a prolife outreach director for several Congressional campaigns. He has also written and spoken on the intersection between politics and faith.

Daniel has a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College and is an active member of Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church. He also traveled extensively to India and the Middle East.

Daniel and his wife, Angel, have a daughter, Grace Marie, and reside in Round Lake, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

Why Did You Write Teen People?

I've been a writer for several years, but in late 2005, I got an idea for a teen devotional based on the lives of teens in the Bible. I wasn't sure the format and I wasn't sure if a publisher would be interested. So I went to the Write to Publish Conference in Wheaton, IL and got some advice from pros like Cec Murphy, Jesse Florea of Focus on the Family, Suzie Eller, Julie Dearyan, and some other good friends. An idea took shape--100 days with the teens of the Bible. (that was one of my original corny titles).

I pitched it to a couple houses, but through a friend, I pitched it to New Hope Publishers I didn't really know what would happen and I wasn't pinning a lot of hope on it, but about six months later, a I got a voice-mail on my phone from Andrea Mullins, publisher at New Hope. To make a long story even longer, she really liked the idea and a few months later, I got the word that they really liked the idea and wanted to go forward with it.

As for the idea, it sort of came out of a desire to have a resource to give to teens to draw them into the word. There are a bunch of really good teen devos out there--I"m not even remotely thinking that I'm the first, the best, or the only here. But my idea seems unique, looking at teens in the Bible. I remember being a Christian teen and knowing that I had to read my Bible, but not really getting anything out of it and thinking that it only spoke to men with long beards. In reality, the Bible speaks to people of all ages, lifestyles, and backgrounds. God comes to you where you are and loves you so much, He wants to change you.

Who are some people who have inspired you in writing and in faith?

Well, I have to thank my parents. They always encouraged me to write, because they felt God had gifted me that way. My dad always told me that one day I'd be a published author. That's pretty cool. Beyond this, though, they modeled real Christianity. I saw in my Dad a real role model, who daily lived out his faith in the workplace. Most men have not had that and I know I'm grateful.

Secondly, my wife, Angela, knew I was a writer, and still married me! Imagine that. She's actually been my biggest cheerleader and idea machine. I love to bounce ideas off of her and have her read through my drafts. She's a wonderful gift from God and I hope she never figures out that she's way too good for me.

Thirdly (is that a word?), my former boss, Julie Dearyan, has been an incredible teacher, friend, and mentor. She took a huge chance on me when I was so young and green. She taught me everything I know about writing and opened a lot of doors for me to get published. Her and her husband, Neal are two of my closest friends in the world.

In the last few years, I've come in contact with some incredible Christian authors and teachers. Cecil Murphey has taught me so much about writing. He's an incredible wordsmith and an even better man. Doc Hensley is a master. His classes are pure gold. I also treasure my friendshp with Ray Pritchard, whose blog at keepbelieving.com I regularly check.