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Man who ran across Arkansas for fallen veterans writes faith-inspired book

Nearly four months after running across the state with an American flag for fallen veterans, Dan Ring has written a faith-inspired book that he hopes can help others.
KTHV [Christian Faith Publishing]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – You may remember back in November of 2017 we told you about Dan Ring. The now 62-year-old lives in northeast Arkansas in a town called Paragould.

Those who live in the area can see him daily running up and down Highway 49 between Paragould and Brookland. He’s known to the community.

Dan ran from the Oklahoma-Arkansas line in Fort Smith, all the way across the Mississippi River into Memphis, Tennessee, and back. Why? For ‘Flags 4 Fallen’, he ran across the state with an American Flag for Veterans Day.

But now, nearly four months later, Dan has written a book. The book is called, “I Learned Everything I Needed to Know about Prayer from a 3-year-old.”

So, what made Dan decide to write a book? “I think we all have a story to tell. Most of the time, however, we think nobody wants to hear our story because our story hasn’t turned out the way we had it planned. But I really believe the stories that are real, and raw, and transparent, those are the stories that people connect with,” he said. This book is based on a time in Dan’s life. He was in a dark place, searching for a light. And it was his grandson that became that light that saved him. “He reminded me that God never intended for life to be complicated. He showed me that life through the eyes of a 3-year-old is very different than the world you and I see,” he added.

But why did he write a faith-based book? “Faith and family are the foundation of who I am,” he said. “The people who have the greatest impact upon our lives are the people who have hurt us deeply and the people who have loved us deeply.” Dan said we are living in a time when we desperately need a lifeline of hope to hang onto. “For me, that lifeline is faith and my family,” he added.

Life doesn’t have to be complicated, that’s the message from Dan. “My grandson taught me to pray with the wonder of a child.” Dan added that his grandson also taught him that God is not moved by the eloquence of our speech, the number of our words, oratory skills or grammatical correctness. “He showed me that God would rather I pray with great love than great faith.”

So, what does Dan hope people get out of this book? He hopes readers understand that life is not that complicated when you start your day with cartoons and Cocoa Puffs cereal. “Prayer is easy and that is how God intended it to be,” he said.

Now that the book is available for purchase, what’s next? “Helping others to focus on faith, family and fun,” said Dan. And what’s next for his writing career? “I am currently working on a study guide that small groups would be able to use to compliment the book,” he said. “I am also working on a book of inspirational short stories and the beginnings of a novel is in the works as well.”

We wish you the best of luck, Dan. If you’d like more information about the book, or how to purchase it, click here.

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