✝️ Light at the End of the Tunnel: Pressing Forward Through Life’s Fog

Good morning, my brothers! You may have noticed this week’s issue landed a little earlier than usual … 5:00 AM ET rather than our usual 9:00 AM ET. We are working on improving our open rates so trying different times (and possibly days) are part of our process. If you have a suggestion for what you think would be a better day and time (or any other improvement suggestion), please add a comment when you use the “rate this issue” poll near the end of the newsletter. THANK YOU for walking (and, this week, running) alongside us as we together seek to become more the men God has called us to be. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (6-min read):

🌲 GROWTH Some call it the “dark night of the soul.” l call it '“the fog.” It’s that disorienting and distressing place where we’ve lost our sense of direction and we’re close to losing hope. Allow me to share my experience in the hope it will help you.
📰  NEWS Dumbbells are paradoxically smart (and efficient) tools for building strength, balance and flexibility. Plus, we discover how a few cups of green tea can clear the (brain) fog.
🗓️ LAST CHANCE to register for Tuesday’s digital campfire with Christian leadership coach and business advisor Paul Harstrom. If you need a boost of encouragement or a dose of direction, DO NOT miss this event. See details and registration link below.

GROWTH
Running by faith when the fog rolls in

When the Path Disappears

That morning in 2009, the fog hung as thick as I had ever seen it over Grove City, Pennsylvania. As I laced up my running shoes, I felt compelled to push forward despite the limited visibility … similarly to how I felt about the circumstances I was facing with my business.

I had returned home to lead our family business, Wendell August Forge, after 90 years of operation. The previous year, financial advisors had delivered the verdict many business owners dread: “Cut your losses. Sell. Walk away.” But something in me couldn’t let go. This wasn’t just a business: it was my father Bill Knecht’s legacy, the livelihood of employees who had become family, and a century-old tradition of craftsmanship.

So we chose to stay and fight. But as I ran through that physical fog, the emotional “fog” of anxious uncertainty pressed in hard. What if we failed? What if I couldn’t measure up to my father’s example? What would happen to the families depending on us for their livelihood?

With each step, I felt the weight of responsibility, fear, and doubt. Every business owner, every father, every man who’s shouldered the burden of leadership knows this weight. You’ve felt it too, haven’t you? That crushing pressure that makes you question whether you have what it takes.

The Valley of Shadows Is Not Our Home

Many of us were raised to believe that real men don’t show weakness. We’re supposed to have answers, to project confidence and never let “them” see us sweat. But Scripture paints a different picture of godly manhood.

David, the warrior king, wrote candidly about his fears and doubts:

Notice he doesn't say “if I walk through the darkest valley” but “when I walk through.” The fog, the uncertainty, the darkness are not detours to be avoided: they are essential, God-intended stages of the journey.

Nehemiah understood this when he faced the daunting task of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. The opposition was fierce. His people were exhausted. The threats were constant. Yet Scripture records his unshakeable resilience:

With one hand on their work and one hand on their sword (Nehemiah 4:17), they pushed forward despite every reason to quit. This is our calling, too—not to avoid the fog but to run through it.

When God Seems Silent

Brothers, can I be completely honest with you? During that season, there were moments when God seemed silent. Maybe you’ve been there: praying and not sensing an answer, searching Scripture and not feeling its comfort, going through the motions, wondering if any are making a difference.

In those moments, I’ve learned that God is doing His deepest work.

I expect you are familiar with James’s paradoxical encouragement:

Pure joy? In trials? It sounds impossible … until you understand that the trials aren't the story’s end. They’re the refining fire that burns away what's temporary and leaves what’s eternal.

The fog isn’t random. The uncertainty isn’t pointless. The waiting isn’t wasted.

As I continued running that morning in Grove City, tears streaming down my face, something remarkable happened. The fog began to break. Shafts of sunlight pierced through, illuminating the path just enough for the next few steps.

It wasn’t instantaneous clarity. It was just enough light to keep moving forward. And isn’t that often how God works? Not with dramatic, unmistakable signs, but with just enough grace for this moment, this mile, this day.

The Discipline of Remembering

One of the most powerful spiritual practices I’ve discovered is the discipline of remembering: intentionally recalling God's faithfulness in previous seasons of fog.

The Israelites built stone memorial altars after crossing the Jordan River, not because God needed the reminder, but because they did. They knew that future generations would ask, “What do these stones mean?” giving them the opportunity to recount God's faithfulness (Joshua 4:21-22).

Brothers, what are your altars of remembrance? What previous valleys has God brought you through? What impossible situations has He redeemed? (Learn more about “altars of remembrance” in MTM #27)

For me, one of those stones came just months after my foggy morning run, when our factory burned completely to the ground. Standing in the ashes of what we’d fought so hard to preserve, I could have interpreted it as the final blow—God's definitive “no” to our prayers for the business.

Instead, that disaster became the catalyst for the company’s rebirth. The outpouring of community support, the media attention, the opportunities that emerged from those ashes. None of it would have happened without the fire.

Now, when I face new fog, new uncertainty, new waiting, I remember the fire. I remember the rebuilding. I remember how what looked like the end became a new beginning.

Your Fog Is Not Forever

I don’t know what fog you're running through right now. Perhaps it’s:

• A marriage that’s grown cold

• A prodigal child who seems beyond reach

• A career setback that's shaken your identity

• A health diagnosis that's filled your future with questions

• Financial pressure that keeps you awake at night

• Spiritual dryness that makes you question everything you believed

Whatever your fog, I want you to hear this truth: Your fog is not forever and you’re not running alone.

The same God who met Moses in the wilderness, who strengthened Nehemiah on the wall, who comforted David in the caves, and who walked with me through that fog in Grove City is with you right now. He hasn’t abandoned you. He isn’t punishing you. He is producing in you a perseverance that will make you “mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

As Psalm 27:13-14 promises:

The Next Step Is Enough

As my run ended that morning in 2009, the fog hadn’t completely lifted. But enough light had broken through for me to see my way home. And in that moment, I felt God’s reassurance: “Keep going. I’ve got you. This fog will lift, and through it, you’ll experience my joy. Keep your eyes fixed on Me.”

Brothers, you don’t need to see the entire path. You just need enough light for the next step. And God has promised to provide exactly that.

Keep running. Keep rebuilding. Keep waiting on the Lord.

The fog will lift. The sun will break through. And you’ll look back on this season as one where God proved Himself faithful once again.

(The 1st) MTM Digital Campfire
Tuesday, May 6, 12:00 PM ET
featuring Christian leadership and business expert
Paul Harstrom.

Space is limited - don’t miss out - you will receive the Zoom link after you register

THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• No gym membership? No problem. A few dumbbells is all you need to start building strength and physical resilience. Get to your local sporting goods store and choose weights that challenge you through 8-12 repetitions. By the final rep, you should feel your muscles working hard but maintain proper form. Start with the fundamental, compound-joint movements: squats, lunges, bent-over rows, overhead presses and throw in a few push-ups. Do two sets of each exercise with 60- to 90-seconds rest between sets. Repeat every other day and then add a third set after a few weeks. Increase your weights when your muscles need the added challenge to continue developing. Courtesy VeryWellFit

Nutrition
“… your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

• A cup of green tea may prove to be a potent weapon in our battle against brain fog. Recent studies have shown green tea significantly improves memory, attention, and overall brain function. The magic lies in its unique combination of compounds: L-theanine promotes relaxation without drowsiness, while caffeine enhances alertness at much lower levels than coffee (meaning no jitters.) Regular green tea drinkers experience “increased alertness and reduced brain fog” along with “improved working memory.” Even more impressive, research from the National University of Singapore found older adults who consumed tea at least four times weekly for several years had brain regions that were “interconnected in a more efficient way” potentially protecting against age-related cognitive decline. For maximum benefit, aim for 2-3 cups daily, brewing for 3-5 minutes to extract the perfect balance of beneficial compounds.

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