About: Daniel Sparks

    Website
    http://danielsparks.com
    Profile
    Daniel Sparks is the editor of ArmyChaplaincy.com and an Anglican priest. He previously served as an Army chaplain, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division and 43rd Sustainment Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado and 36th Engineer Brigade at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

    Posts by Daniel Sparks:

    • Jolly Ranchers deployed

      16 Jan 2010 in Resources
      This article is part 2 of 2 in the series Confessions of a Candy Chaplain.

      When my unit left for Iraq in October 2006, I brought along 100 pounds of Jolly Ranchers. They survived the trip with no problems. These Jolly Ranchers lasted throughout the deployment as I obtained hundreds of pounds of other candy to supplement my supply during the deployment.

    • Thanks and apology

      11 Jan 2010 in Resources

      Dear Readers, Thanks for your visits to ArmyChaplaincy.com. Almost every month, we set a new record for visits. This website continues to reach hundreds of chaplains and potential chaplains every year. Over 100,000 unique visitors read articles on this site last year. And they aren’t just visiting–they are actually spending time viewing the articles. This [...]

    • Confessions of a Candy Chaplain

      24 Nov 2008 in Resources
      This article is part 1 of 2 in the series Confessions of a Candy Chaplain.

      I confess. I’m a candy chaplain. Jolly Ranchers are my signature, though I have been known to use other brands. Chocolate is a crowd favorite, but Jolly Ranchers are what they’ve come to expect. I requested that my unit supply me with 100 pounds of Jolly Ranchers before we deployed. Army bureaucracy didn’t make it [...]

    • How do I contact an Army chaplain recruiter?

      25 Oct 2008 in Chaplain Candidates&News & Commentary

      A frequent question from readers of this site is “How do I contact an Army chaplain recruiter?” A handful of chaplain recruiters cover large regions of several states. You may locate your nearest chaplain recruiter by visiting http://www.goarmy.com/chaplain/find_a_recruiter.jsp and typing in your ZIP code.

    • CAAF says chaplains should serve on courts martial

      12 Jul 2008 in News & Commentary

      According to CAAFlog, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) has declared invalid military regulations that prohibit chaplains from serving on courts martial. Traditionally, chaplains have been excluded from serving on courts martial because of conflict of interest concerns. Chaplains, as clergy, hear the confessions of Soldiers. It is unethical and illegal to [...]

    • Questioning my faithfulness to God’s call

      26 Jan 2008 in Deployment

      [I originally wrote this reflection in April 2007 while deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. I had ministered to the casualties of another unit earlier in the day.] 9 April 2007 It is times like these that cause me to examine my faithfulness to God’s call. Am I living up to the standard of godliness for the [...]

    • A chaplain and his mistress

      18 Mar 2007 in Ethics

      An Army chaplain has confessed to adultery and threatening to murder his mistress, according to an Associated Press article. FORT DRUM, N.Y. – A 10th Mountain Division chaplain was stripped of his rank and sentenced to five months in military prison after pleading guilty to adultery and threatening to kill his mistress when she wanted [...]

    • United States Army Chaplain Corps branch insignia

      18 Mar 2007 in News & Commentary

      The U.S. Army Chaplain Corps was established on 29 July 1775. “The legal origin of the Chaplains is found in a resolution of the Continental Congress … which made provision for the pay of chaplains.”[1] Prior to 1880, there was no distinctive Chaplain Corps branch insignia. Chaplains had no official branch insignia nor officer rank [...]

    • Chaplain Loan Repayment Program

      03 Mar 2007 in News & Commentary

      The Army Chaplain Recruiting Branch has announced the following programs in the February 2007 Chief of Chaplains newsletter. For ordained clergy who have already earned a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or master degree in religious studies of at least 72 hours, who have completed at least two years of pastoral ministry, and who are otherwise [...]

    • Chaplain Candidate series to be expanded

      07 Feb 2007 in Chaplain Candidates
      This article is part 3 of 9 in the series Chaplain Candidacy.

      Probably the most popular articles on my website are those about the Army Chaplain Candidate program. I began writing the articles to help others learn more about the chaplain candidate process, something I didn’t know much about when I first became a candidate. The series has been on hold for a while because of my [...]