Mary Albert Darling
Mary Albert Darling is an associate professor of communication at Spring Arbor University. Darling received her master's in communication arts and sciences from Western Michigan University and did post-graduate work in small group communication at Michigan State University. She teaches classes in communication ranging from general communication and speech courses to corporate communication, persuasion, storytelling and intercultural communication.
Darling has also been trained in spiritual direction, completing a two-year program through the Manresa Jesuit House in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. and has studied spiritual formation under Richard Foster and Dallas Willard.
In addition to teaching in the Department of Communication and Media, for which she received SAU's Teaching Excellence Award, Darling designed and now teaches classes on spiritual directing, mentoring & leadership, as well as spiritual formation and justice, in SAU master’s program in spiritual formation and leadership. She regularly does spiritual direction, primarily with college students.
Darling published her first book, co-authored by Dr. Tony Campolo in July 2007, entitled: The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism and Justice (Jossey-Bass). It was released in paperback with a readers' guide in September 2008.
In May 2010, Darling and Campolo published a second book - Connecting like Jesus: Practices for healing, teaching and preaching (Jossey-Bass). The book takes the idea of the transformational power of spiritual practices and shows how connecting these practices with communication practices leads to “spiritually charged communication.”
Darling is also a frequent seminar and retreat speaker on developing fulfilling relationships and communicating more dynamically, specifically in the context of spiritual formation, spiritual disciplines, and justice issues. She is married to Terry Darling, professor of psychology at Spring Arbor University. They have two teenaged sons, David and Michael, one yellow lab, and two cats.
To contact Professor Mary Darling, e-mail her at mary.darling@arbor.edu. Also, visit Darling's website at http://www.maryalbertdarling.com/.