The Valiant Forge

At one point, Chris LaFreniere lost touch with reality and believed he was God. Today, he’s a husband, a father, a Christian, and the author of Bipolar Is Who I Am. Chris joins Mark Osborne on The Valiant Forge to share his experience of bipolar I disorder, substance abuse, hospitalization, and the long process of rebuilding his life. An arrest led to community service. Community service led to a...

Has modern spirituality given old ideas a new identity? Author Tom Snow returns to The Valiant Forge to discuss manifestation, spiritual deception, the prosperity gospel, and the difference between trusting God and trying to control outcomes. Mark shares personal experiences with insecurity, the desire for approval, and a psychic reading. Tom offers his interpretations of psychic knowledge, spirit...

Can you know Jesus loves you and still feel you have to prove your worth? Coach and author Tony Stoltzfus shares how devastating loss changed his relationship with God, then guides Mark through a personal coaching conversation about ministry, significance, and bringing the desires of the heart to Jesus. You can know Jesus loves you and still feel like you have to prove you're worth something. In t...

Do you treat sleep as wasted time—or as part of preparing yourself to serve the people God has placed in your life? Mark Osborne sits down with Dr. Benjamin Long, a physician with dual board certification in sleep medicine and pediatrics, to explore what the Bible says about sleep, rest, and responsibility. Their conversation covers waking during the night, sleep deprivation, the snooze button, ov...

We're constantly told to love ourselves, choose ourselves, and put ourselves first. But Jesus said to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. So does following Jesus mean we're supposed to hate ourselves? Not at all. In this Valiant Monday, Mark shares how putting himself on the throne nearly destroyed his marriage—and why there's a crucial difference between caring for yourself a...

What happens when a Baptist pastor leaves the pulpit for the FBI? Eric Robinson shares the strain that led to that decision, the surprising ways his pastoral experience helped him as an agent and SWAT breacher, and why he saw compassion and justice as part of his calling. Mark and Eric also discuss family, courage, a difficult investigation involving pastors, and Eric’s forthcoming memoir, Irrever...

Mick Wienholt survived an avalanche that caused severe head injuries and required emergency brain surgery. He called his survival a miracle, but says he gave God only “intellectual credit.” He still wanted no relationship with Him. Years later, Mick and his wife learned that their son Luke had died shortly before his due date. Mick had always been able to solve problems through determination and h...

“Become the man God has called you to be.” It’s a phrase we hear at men’s conferences, in church, and on Christian podcasts—but what does it actually mean? In this Valiant Monday, Mark breaks the phrase down piece by piece: become, the man, God, and called you to be. You are becoming someone whether you mean to or not. If you don’t allow God to define the man you are becoming, the world around you...

Fear, lust, anger, and pride can disguise themselves as ambition, strength, and success. Dr. Dave Jones explains how Christian men can identify these toxic motivators, build guardrails, develop genuine mental toughness, and pursue a vision grounded in God. What’s really driving you? Fear, lust, anger, and pride can look like ambition, strength, discipline, or success from the outside. But when the...

For years, Alex Horton described himself as a chameleon. He adapted to whoever was around him because he didn’t know who he really was. His earliest understanding of Christianity was rooted more in fear than love. He initially turned to Jesus for the wrong reasons, then walked away when those reasons disappeared. Meanwhile, isolation, bullying, depression, anxiety, and PTSD led Alex into several m...

What does surrender actually look like? And what does biblical masculinity mean? Those are two questions I get asked regularly, and I’m beginning to think they may have the same answer: Take responsibility for what God has entrusted to you—and surrender the outcome to Him. In this Valiant Monday, I wrestle with the difference between surrender and passivity, responsibility and control, and why say...

When Dustin Kleinschmidt could no longer see a path forward as a lead pastor, God gave him one clear instruction: “You serve and trust Me to provide.” After more than 25 years in vocational ministry, Dustin Kleinschmidt resigned as lead pastor without knowing what came next. In this honest conversation, Dustin shares how the wilderness stripped away performance, challenged his identity, and taught...

Why are so many men confused about who they're supposed to be? David Savage joins Mark Osborne to talk about biblical manhood, pride, isolation, renewing the mind, mentorship, and finding your way back to God's path. Why do so many men feel lost? David Savage believes confusion is one of the biggest crises facing men today. Without a clear understanding of who they are, what they're responsible fo...

What can 250 personal testimonies teach us about the character of God—and what happens when obedience requires us to surrender something good? This week, Valiant Monday looks a little different. Mark is joined by returning guest and friend Jonnie Taverner, host and producer of Refuge Freedom Stories and author of ‘One Thing’ About God . Jonnie created the book from answers given by 250 podcast gue...

At 23, Weston Brandon lost his wife while their premature son was still in the NICU. Weston shares how he wrestled with anger toward God, recognized his emotional distance from his son, and began rebuilding his life one committed step at a time. A NICU nurse’s simple challenge became a turning point: “Your son needs you, and you need your son.” In this conversation, Weston shares how that moment h...

How do you know when someone claiming to speak for God is actually speaking for God? Jason Johnson joins me for a conversation about biblical discernment, false teaching, prophecy, and why Christians need to know Scripture well enough to recognize when something doesn't line up. Jason shares how conflicting beliefs early in his Christian walk forced him to dig deeper into Scripture. He also tells...

The things you've believed about yourself may describe your past or your circumstances—but they don't get the final word on your identity. In this Valiant Monday, Mark looks at Gideon, Matthew, faithfulness, and what happens when the identity we've built for ourselves collides with what God says is true. What has God put in front of you that you're not stepping into because of something you've bel...

Terrence Rotering is the author of The Chronicles of Trinian , a ten-book Christian fantasy and science-fiction epic exploring faith, spiritual warfare, duty, legacy, eternity, artificial intelligence, and the battle between God and Satan. In this conversation, Terrence shares how an unfinished trilogy remained dormant for 15 years before growing into one vast, interconnected story. He also recoun...

Recognizing an open door is only the beginning. At some point, faith must become courage, and a man must decide whether he will step forward or allow fear to keep him standing still. Scott Fehrenbacher shares how following unexpected opportunities led him into Christian media, Crosswalk.com, and Worship Road Radio. He reflects on leading Crosswalk during the fear and uncertainty of 9/11, challenge...

Have you been waiting so long that you’ve started wondering whether God forgot about you? God isn’t late simply because He hasn’t revealed His timing. But waiting faithfully doesn’t mean sitting still—and not every delay means you’re supposed to keep waiting. In this Valiant Monday, Mark Osborne examines the difference between waiting, preparing, and moving. Sometimes we try to force open a door G...

Trauma can shape how a man sees himself without revealing who he truly is. Yusef Marshall—known publicly as MistaYu—grew up navigating violence, drugs, gangs and instability in New York. Those experiences produced a hardened identity built for survival. After an armed robber held a revolver inches from his head, MistaYu prayed and asked God to show him that He was real. Nearly ten years later, tha...

For 20 years, Wesley Farnsworth hid a pornography addiction while continuing to attend church, serve, and appear to have everything together. Growing up as a pastor’s kid taught Wesley how to become what he calls a “master chameleon”—someone capable of blending into nearly any environment while keeping his real struggle hidden. He tried to change on his own, but secrecy and isolation continued giv...

You believe God forgives—but why do you keep returning to the same sin? In this Valiant Monday, Mark Osborne explores the cycle of temptation, guilt, repentance, and relapse. Through Peter’s denial and restoration, the difference between conviction and condemnation, and the practical LIGHT framework, this episode offers a path toward receiving Christ’s forgiveness and taking concrete steps out of...

Moral injury is more than guilt over doing something wrong. It is the deep spiritual and emotional wound that can leave someone believing they are unlovable, irredeemable, and beyond forgiveness. Dr. Larry Brant—a Navy chaplain, combat veteran, former pastor, and board-certified chaplain—joins Mark to explain how moral injury differs from PTSD and why the Church may be overlooking it. Their conver...

Why do grown men still throw tantrums, slam doors, withdraw, or make everyone around them feel their anger? Growing older happens automatically. Emotional maturity doesn’t. In this Valiant Monday episode, Mark Osborne examines why disrespect, correction, and disappointment can trigger such powerful reactions in men. Through the biblical account of Ahab and Naboth, his own failures, and practical t...