Exclusive Interview with Daniel Darling, Author of "Teen People of the Bible"!!

Finding a new author is thrilling; finding an author with such a clear purpose and voice is even more exciting!

Daniel Darling has a genuine heart for today's youth, as evidenced in his devotional book, "Teen People of the Bible". This is not your average teen devotional, and Daniel isn't your average author, either.

Instead of "telling" you, let me "show" you:

1) What motivated you to write a devotional about Biblical teens for teens?

I really wanted to find a good way to excite teens about the Bible. I've always been intrigued by stories in the Bible. Some of the best preaching I've heard is guys like David Jeremiah and Chuck Swindoll and their in-depth profiles of Biblical characters. So the Lord gave me this idea about finding the teens in the Bible. And the more I researched it, the more excited I grew, that, yes, there are actually teens in the Bible.


2) How difficult was it to profile the Biblical teens?

The hardest thing was trying to cover each teen in a thorough way. Most of the teens like David, Daniel, Joseph, and Mary have much recorded in the Bible about their teen years. But there are a few who have compelling moments as teens but not much is written about those years. For instance, I have one devotional on "Lunch Boy". This is an unamed teenager who brought his lunch to Jesus and demonstrated faith in a way that surpassed the disciples and touched Jesus in a very real way. Yet we don't know his name or his parents or anything.

3) Who inspires you as a believer? As a husband/father?

I'm inspired by the stories of men and woman of faith who just hung on in faith when everything around them told them to quit. Job famous said, "Though he slay me, yet I will trust him." I'm inspired by the faithfulness of my father who has long been an example of integrity and faith, even in trying circumstances. That kind of grit is really all God asks for.

4) Tell us a little about your family--any teens at home right now?

No teens yet. I have a lovely wife named Angela whom God sent to me from Texas. She's a remarkable woman--she probably inspires me the most of anyone. We have a lovely daughter named Grace. Grace will be four in December. And Angela just gave birth to our son, Daniel Michael, Jr, in September.

5) What is the biggest issue the church faces in regard to the teen population today?

What troubles me in the church today is the exodus of young people leaving the faith. Barna and others have estimated it to be as high as 80%. And yet we live in an era of the church where we've spent unprecendent sums of money trying to entertain young people into the faith. In doing so, I think we've really lowered the bar. We've told teens that they can kind of put off faith until they get to college--that God really doesn't have a plan to use them while they are in high-school. And yet if you read thru the narratives of teens in the Bible, that's simply not true. There were kings and prophets and others who changed the course of history--in their teen years. I don't think the answer is to make Christianity more "cool" to teens necessarily, but make it more real. They want and need to see it lived out authentically in the lives of those they are closest to. The Harris Brothes have articulated this well in their book Do Hard Things and with their movement.

6) Any new projects in the works?

Yes, I have another 100-day teen devotional I'm working on. Its tenatively titled, "Is Your Faith Ready for the Lion's Den." I'm intriguted by the story of Daniel. We all marvel at the story of the Lion's Den, but Daniel didn't become brave at the edge of the pit. No, he made choices and cultivated a love and trust for God in his early years that prepared him for the challenges of life.

7) What's on your nightstand reading-wise?

I just finished Paul Couglin's No More Christian Nice Guy. I didn't agree with everything in it, but it has a compelling message. My most recent read was Riven by Jerry Jenkins. That was a powerful novel--probably Jenkin's best work.

8) Care to share a sample of your book with my readers?

(this is no problem, but we'd have to get permission from New Hope)

9) I heard a rumor a leader guide is in the works. Is it true, and if so when can we look forward to it?

I actually have a guide you can download from my website, danieldarling.com entitled, "29 Teens in the Bible."

You can visit Daniel at the following websites and learn more about this incredible devotional book for teens (and adults as well--I love it!):

Website: danieldarling.com
Weekly Teen Devo on Crosswalk.com: http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/thenandnow/


Happy Reading!