Dan Cooley, senior pastor of Elim Chapel in Winnipeg, Canada, started telling bizarre Bible stories as a teen to young campers twenty-five years ago at Camp Peniel in Marble Falls, Texas. Dan’s four children grew up listening to these same stories, and his desire to pass them to his grandchildren (okay-there aren’t any yet, but one must think ahead. . . yes, even waaay ahead) brought them into print for parents, grandparents, and Sunday school teachers-anyone who wants to get kids into the Bible and the Bible into kids! The first bizarre Bible story Dan heard was “The Loud Army that Wasn’t” during staff training at Camp Peniel in 1976. He was a camp counselor/director there for eight years and a children’s and youth pastor for thirteen additional years. He has a BA in theology from Dallas Bible College and an MA in ministry from Moody Graduate School. He and his family love rappelling, mountain-bike riding, all things about The Princess Bride and VeggieTales, hot weather and hotter Mexican food-and chocolate. The Cooleys live in the central plains of Canada, where they can often be found sitting around the fireplace, eating chips and salsa while looking up more bizarre Bible stories in Scripture.
