Dan Cooley

Dan Cooley is a retired pastor but continues to be a storyteller. He spent nearly twenty years as pastor of AnchorPoint Church in New Mexico, and before that led Elim Chapel in Winnipeg, Canada. Earlier in his ministry he worked with students at Camp Peniel TX and as a Youth Pastor, which is where the "bizarre Bible stories" habit started. The stories were told first to campers, then to his own four kids, then finally down on paper.

He's the author of Bizarre Bible Stories, Bizarre Bible Stories 2!, and Bizarre Christmas Bible Stories, which is proof that the Bible doesn't need to be dressed up to be interesting; it just needs someone willing to tell it straight, weird parts included.

Dan told these stories to his kids and recorded them, because, as he likes to say, "it's hard to think with my mouth closed." He continues to live in Albuquerque with his wife, JoLynn, an ever-growing number of grandkids, and a Jeep, because people with Jeeps are more fun.

Education: Dan went to a bunch of schools (fun, but not too productive...) finally getting his life together and graduating from Criswell in Dallas and Moody Grad School in Chicago.

Personal Stuff: Dan 100-word testimony is, "As a missionary kid, I've always known who Jesus was, but it wasn't until college that I really began to look at how He fit into my life. Discovering the answer has been a mysterious, exhilarating, long (and sometimes difficult) journey, but I could not imagine a life without Christ."

Publishing History: Dan has a number of articles you can find on Christianity Today. Bizarre Bible Stories, Bizarre Bible Stories 2! and Bizarre Christmas Bible Stories are his only books to date. Bizarre Bible Stories was originally published by Baker Books and became a finalist at The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards in 2005. It later recieved a second printing for Walmart stores, and was printed in Russian.