Daniel attended the first ever Incarnate in 2012. Prior to this, he served in the OM ships ministry, where he met his wife. When asked an interesting fact about himself, he shared that he and his wife met on an OM ship just as his parents had before them. He and his wife have two young boys.
In response to Jesus’ statements in the Sermon on the Mount comparing the value of a person with that of a sparrow (Matt. 10:29, Luke 12:4ff), Daniel chose his artist’s name to be "Daniel and the Sparrows." His goal in this was to use his music to retell people’s stories, seeking to value them though they are not always treated this way. He says he would categorize his music as a mixture of singer-songwriter, folk, and pop that also incorporates cinematic and ethnic elements. He plays guitar (and other similar stringed instruments) as well as piano.
Prior to joining Inspiro, Daniel graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Communications. He worked for Prayercast for four years as an audio production manager, sound engineer, and composer. He is continuing to do some work for Prayercast as a freelance artist. He says that God placed the Artist Mentor role with Inspiro on his heart.
In this new role, Daniel is most excited to establish himself as an artist while creating new content as well as to come alongside other artists. He is helping with a songwriting initiative at his church as well as creating response music to what is happening in OM’s Spotlight Regions. He is hoping to work on the Mekong region and has also written a response to the crisis in Afghanistan. He is excited to work with musicians outside the Western world, particularly in closed countries. One of his hopes is to start a Musicians' Artist Residency, similar to what Inspiro did earlier this year with its Artist Residency for visual artists. This would include one-on-one mentoring in technical skills and some cross-disciplinary training. Daniel wants to provide a community with accountability for artists, encouraging them to draw inspiration from what is around them. He is excited to be accruing mentees that he can encourage.
Asked what one thing he would share with an artist considering missions, Daniel responded that artists must consider their “why.” He observed many prominent musicians who just ceased creating after a certain time, and he noticed it may have been because their “why” was different. He encourages artists to figure out their “why” before going into ministry. In fact, he shared, it is the reason he left his previous position. His “why” was inconsistent with what he was doing, and he felt compelled to serve somewhere he could live out the “why” of his artistry. This “why” is to write about personal stories and to invite the Western church to see the beauty God is already making in the world. Daniel comments that when your “why” has nothing to do with the art you are creating, you may want to step back and reflect. Ask yourself – What is my “why?” Why am I creating what I’m creating?
We are so excited for Daniel to be on board and to share his heart and gifting with other artists. We cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for him in his time with Inspiro and look forward to watching him lean into his “why.”
To hear some of his music and to learn more about Daniel, visit his website here or check out YouTube, Bandcamp, or Spotify.
