Scripture Of The Week: Proverbs 4:23

Meet Mark Mitchell

Chris Grainger 1:43

Welcome to The Line Within Us, the podcast terming Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders, God intends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, this is your fun Friday member spotlight. I'm super pumped for these. These are probably my favorite episodes of now. I I don't know. It's just I love the SKOs because I'm just diving into God's word. But outside of the SKOs, these are these are awesome. So really enjoy these conversations because you get to meet some of the incredible men that are in the line within us. And before we get into that though, the scripture week this week is Proverbs 4, verse 23. That verse says, watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. And I took some time to unpack that verse in the spiritual kickoff episode. So go back, listen to that if you get a chance. Uh that should be two back in your podcast feed right now. And we do those daily, we call them daily spiritual kickoffs, guys, Monday through Friday, every day at the Lion Within is. And that's it. That's a free thing we offer as well. So go check out thelionwithin.us and start your daily spiritual kickoff. And now, get you the fun part. So, guys, super excited to introduce one of our members of the Lion's Den, the mastermind, and just a good buddy as well, Mark Mitchell. So, Mark, how you doing today, bro?

Mark Mitchell 2:55

Uh, doing very well. Just uh hey, honored to be on with you. Um, you know, if there's a giant takeaway I've had from you, it's it's coming alongside guys and encouraging them. And you've uh I tell you what, you sets you set the standard.

Chris Grainger 3:11

Well man, I appreciate that, Mark. Man, it's been an honor just to get to know you and and to walk with you as well. And maybe just tell our listeners just a little bit about yourself, uh, you know, where you're from, just a bit of your testimony. That'd be great for them to know.

Growing Up Through Trauma

Mark Mitchell 3:24

Yeah, no, I'm um, you know, I actually typed this out because when I when I first started typing, it was it was just the the good things of my life, right? Everything that surrounds myself. But uh truth be told, um, you know, I grew up in a divorced family. Uh my mom and I, you know, she uh she bounced me around a lot. We unfortunately moved. I attended a lot of schools, so uh we went from Illinois to Texas and back home. Um I went to four high schools in a matter of three years. Uh during that time I had a uh alcoholic stepfather that you know caused a lot of trauma. And uh at the age of 19, I was informed that I had a different biological father than my two sisters. So, you know, kind of kind of fast forward from that, you know, I spent the next 22 years after I found out that I had a different biological father, just having a less than desirable relationship with him. Um, you know, and and something that I've realized just here in the last year, you know, I also had a porn addiction that I battled as well. So that's uh what I would say really all the all the trauma that maybe shaped me. But um fast forward, I have an incredible, God-fearing wife. Um, she truly brings out the absolute best out of me. Uh, she's given me two healthy, wonderful boys. Uh they're seven and four months. And right now we we live in northern Illinois. Um, I'm half mile from my in-laws. We're in bar we're involved in their farming operation. So we raise corn, soybeans, pigs, and cattle, and I'm I'm truly blessed. Um, I've had a long, um, about a 23-year career in construction industry. Um, currently unemployed, but you know, seeking God's grace and in my next endeavor and feeling uh very confident about what's ahead of me.

Church Box-Checking To Real Faith

Chris Grainger 5:35

So wow. Well, how about I mean thank you. I didn't know the part of your the growing up part. That's new to me. So man, that's a lot to to to take in right there. How how was your your your faith background? Where did you become, you know, a believer? What I mean, it's was that part of your childhood as well, or was that something more later in life?

Mark Mitchell 5:57

No, so I I grew up in the Catholic Church, um, you know, up until third grade, uh, was going to a private Catholic school, you know, baptized, confirmed, uh, first communion, the whole deal. And my my biggest takeaway now, you know, even I would say even through high school, you know, we'd attend church somewhat regularly. You know, we we weren't great about it. But um, you know, I I never had much of a father figure, right? So it was always my mom taking me to church, right? And then even come, you know, most recent, my wife and I, we've been married 12 years, right? Um, her and I started going to church regularly uh when we were dating. So okay, you know, so last 13, 14 years, we've been going to church regularly every Sunday, but as you would say, I was just checking the box, right? Right. I wasn't doing anything outside of showing up to the church on Sunday. So that's really been my biggest um takeaway from this is that you know, we we need to do more than just show up on Sunday.

Hitting A Breaking Point At Work And Home

Chris Grainger 7:08

Right. Right. Well, I mean, what and to that point, showing up to church, not just showing up to church, something led you to the lion. I'm not sure I I know what it was, but share share with the guys what what led you to the lion and how you even got connected with us.

Finding The Podcast And Community

Mark Mitchell 7:22

Yeah, so um early 2025, um I found myself buried in work, uh, traveling multiple weeks in a row, truly got disconnected from my family. Um, I wasn't being a good husband, I wasn't being a good father, and the devotion to work was really taking a toll on everybody. And ultimately a lot of that comes from past trauma, right? Um, trauma that I didn't realize. And there's there's things that I've learned about myself in the last nine months that you know, I put up walls, I buried things, um had no idea just what I was doing to myself. So um I can remember um, you know, my wife and I had a big blowout, and that was really the day that kind of um set the you know, hit the reset button. Um I was sitting in the tractor cutting hay, you can appreciate this. And I I went to the uh podcast app on my phone and I searched a men's Christian podcast and I found you, and I started at number one, and I think today I'm I'm getting close to 300, right? I I haven't been skipping ahead. I've been I've been going in order. And uh it's it's truly been God, you know, working on me. So right.

Chris Grainger 8:52

Man, that's incredible. Well, that's a that's listening to a lot of stuff, man, of old podcasts, and I'm just so appreciative that you take the time to do that, and hopefully you're finding encouragement when in those messages, man.

Mark Mitchell 9:04

Oh, it it every week, right? Every week there's and don't get me wrong, I'll be honest. There's some that yeah, maybe don't hit home as hard, but there's a lot of them that that hit real hard. Right, right.

Why The Mastermind Mattered

Chris Grainger 9:17

Hey, as a host, trust me, I know what you mean. So I get it, okay? It's not they're not all bangers, man, you know, but it's all good. I mean, we're trying to be consistent and prolific and just you know put that stuff out there. And then that led you to the lion, once you joined the lions then, and and now, you know, your wife, you guys came to Couples Night. We got couples, you had a couple's night under your belt, and and but they also are in the mastermind. So what what kind of led you to the mastermind? What piqued your interest there?

Brotherhood, Mentors, And Accountability

Mark Mitchell 9:47

So I I I think something that we all need to realize as men is that you know, we get to a point to where we need to put our egos aside and we need to set it aside time to develop ourselves. And throughout my career, you know, I've I've been to leadership trainings here and there. And, you know, when you think about continuing education, pe people and companies talk about um you know, schooling of some sort, right? Whether you go get your master's, bachelor's, or whatever. Um, what I have found that this has been far more impactful than any leadership, you know, corporate leadership training I've ever done. Um and, you know, I mean, you see it daily, right? You see it daily, the number of men that are struggling that reach out to you, right? And and we all know that, you know, myself especially, right? I I buried a ton of stuff, right? I mean, I've um Sarah and I were talking the other night, and she asked me if I remembered the the move home from Texas, and and I told her, I said I don't. And you know, that's still something that I'm trying to uncover right now. So um, you know, I think you know, setting aside that ego and realizing that you know we all battle with something, right? And something as simple as anger, right? We all need to work on developing ourselves.

Chris Grainger 11:18

Mm-hmm. 100%. That's it. I mean, yeah, we try to do this thing alone, and that's usually where we run into trouble. And and I'm just so thankful that you're taking the time to do it. I mean, you're in these conversations, you're you're you know, you're you're out there, you're you're hanging at the front on the front lines. You know, what's been for for you the most impactful part of the group in general?

Mark Mitchell 11:43

The the biggest impact for me is having real men come alongside me that have either dealt with the same issues, been there, done that, and um, you know, Brent, Lonnie, Bucky, TR, Rick, all these guys have been absolutely incredible. You know, I mean, Brent called me last week, you know. We're I was just kind of having a rough week. Sarah was having a rough week, and you know, he called me and and we talked for 45 minutes, and he's like, hey man, he's like, I got 10 years on you. I've been through this this part of life that you're in. And and he just talked some grace and and life into me, and and it was amazing. Um, you know, I want to give a shout out to Bunky, you know, I bunky and his wife, and and I'm gonna butcher this. I mean, they've obviously been married a long time. I I wish I could tell you how long, but I remember early on in our masterminds group, he said, Wash your wife's feet. You know, and so one day Sarah and I were home and and I grabbed a bucket and I got down on both knees and I washed her feet. And that was a turning point for us, it really was. And you know, to to some, and and if you were to talk to me a year ago, I would have said that's kinda corny, right? Um there was nothing corny about it. Right. So um, yeah, and the accountability, right? Um I mean, I know that if I was struggling, I could call Rick. Rick would be the first guy to say, hey man, I'm praying for you, right? I'm stopping. Um, TR, I mean all those guys are just absolutely incredible. And and Lucas, who facilitates the group, um yeah, he he's one in a million.

Chris Grainger 13:34

He really is. He really is. You guys got something special going there, and I'm just so thankful that that guy has orchestrated this group in that way, you know, and this is just one of our groups. I mean, it's incredible. And when you think back and you look over the meetings and over the engagements, has there anything that's been hard to accept or to lean into?

Transformation At Home And In Prayer

Mark Mitchell 13:54

So you know what? I'm I'll be totally honest with you, Chris. I did not realize this until I started reading these questions and putting my thought to paper. And you know, most of my life, I've never had a problem sharing my story. Uh-huh. And in doing so, I thought that I was vulnerable because I could share my story. And that was not the case at all. Um, the walls that I had up, and due to those walls, I was I was not able to be vulnerable, right? So uh coming alongside these guys, um, you know, also just uh, you know, Sarah and I working together, um, I've been able to break down some of these walls and learn what it is to be vulnerable and to not bury things and um you know to work through issues, right? Um we we had a masterminds group yesterday, and uh and I'm gonna just tell a little story on myself, but my my one of my dogs got sick in the garage, and there was, you know, I can tell you that there was all over the garage, right? And in years past, that would have just I would have blown my top. I would have been angry, I would have been upset, and and granted I would have went and cleaned it up and taken care of it, but that would have ruined my entire morning, and Sarah would have got the aftermath of it, and the kids would have got to see and deal with my anger. And um, you know, yesterday morning or day before yesterday, right? It um it didn't bother me, right? And um so it it it's things like that and things that I never thought of, right? I I don't I don't know if I know any men that don't deal with some sort of anger, right? I mean I that's just the way we're wired. Um however, when there's just things in life daily that that make you angry, um, it's obviously not the way God intended us to live. Amen, brother.

Chris Grainger 16:12

Well, I'm I'm so glad it's it's it's it's helping you in those areas. And when you think about your all your personal discipleship journey, like how you how you're growing cl in walk with your walk with Christ, and just think about the line in general. I'm just curious, has it had any impact and where where do you think the impact has has been the most at for your walk?

Mark Mitchell 16:32

Without question. So the biggest impact is has been here at home, right? And you know, I I know Joby plays a big part in all of our lives, right? Because uh, you know, what what I got started listening to your podcast and then mixing in a few of Joby's sermons, um and learning um you know what it is to be a man, right? Um that hit hard for me because I realize now that throughout my life, you know, now I'm 42 years old, that I wasn't being a man, right? I wasn't acting as God intended me and wanted me to be. So um, you know, back to your question, biggest impact has been at home. My wife sees it, um, how I interact with my son, praying as a family. And, you know, we were on Summit a few a few weeks back, and you know, I I shared that when I pray daily with them, um, you know, you can see the attitude difference in my seven-year-old, right? You can see you can physically see it in my wife. And it it truly brings us all together, right? Um, there's I would call it there's something calming about it. And uh when we don't institute that or we don't have that, um things just don't seem to roll as smooth as when we are uh investing that time in God's word. Amen to that.

Advice For Men On Taking Action

Chris Grainger 18:05

Amen, bro. Well, I'm so glad that it's it's having an impact. It's it's it's I can see it. I mean it's the feedback's it's it's clear, and I'm just so encouraged by it for you, praying for you and your family. And there's probably guys listening, Mark, and and they're they're maybe they're just pass, you know, they're just a little passive. They're they're listening to the podcast, or they they read our Bible apps on the Bible, they read our plans rather on the Bible app, and they haven't considered taking a step with the lion. Maybe it's joining the community or putting in an application for the mastermind. What would be your message to that guy who's listening and hasn't taken action yet?

Mark Mitchell 18:42

So um I I would actually I I would tell guys to back up. And there's two podcasts of yours that I that I send out to guys I know on a regular basis. Um the first one's episode 12, Building a Foxhole. You know, that one, that was one that right out of the gate hit hard with me, right? Because I realized that, yeah, I have I have buddies, I have friends, I have plenty of work acquaintances, right? But I didn't have guys preaching the word into me, coming alongside of me, helping me through my daily issues. Um so that was a big one. And and that one was really um that one probably was a start of me really being intrigued by the masterminds group. And then the next one was episode 90, um, the power of mentorship. And I can tell you that, you know, I I tell guys, hey, listen to episode 12 first and then go to episode 90. And to me, it just painted a perfect picture of what I needed in life, right?

Chris Grainger 19:56

Right.

Mark Mitchell 19:57

I needed to find those men, and then I needed the Paul, the Barnabas, and Timothy, right? And uh and now I can confidently say that I don't have well, I I probably have more than most, right? Um, but uh now I have those men in my life and it's impactful. So you know, I if if guys listening to this say that oh I don't have problems or I'm not battling something, they're they're lying to themselves, right? Right. Because we're we're all battling something. Uh and yeah, like I said, I uh yeah, I I love being a heart of it. It was definitely something I needed in life. I I needed that you know, quote unquote continuing education just for myself, right?

Book Pick And Dad Jokes

Chris Grainger 20:55

Amen. Amen, brother. Well, I mean this has been obviously having you part of it is huge. I'm so thankful of that. And and I and also just thank you for your transparency and for being just on this on the on this episode, just just sharing. So guys, and I think that's what makes the lion really stand out. Is we we're not trying to put some fake facade up. We just want to be real and think that's what guys appreciate the most. So thank you so much, Mark.

Mark Mitchell 21:21

Uh things thank you for having me.

Chris Grainger 21:23

100%, bro. Well, look, before we go, uh we've got a couple things. Our book of the week, guys. I don't have a hard copy of it because actually this book hasn't even been what we recorded it, but it hasn't been printed yet. Like it will be out by the time this episode's out, though. Don't worry. It was called The Road Less Triggered, uh, Dr. Kelly Flanagan. So Kelly was on a show uh probably three or four, maybe even five months ago. Uh he's got this new book out. And I tell you what, I've I've read it, the e-version. Uh it's a lot, it's lots of good inputs there, uh, particularly if you guys find yourself getting triggered at the least little, the smallest little thing, you know, and lashing out. And Kelly mentioned, and Mark, man, this hit me hard. He's like, look, guys respond in two ways. We either we lash out in anger or we pull back and we just get reserved. And I've noticed the older I get, the more my tendency is not to lash out in anger as much, but I definitely can get quiet. So so Kelly brought that up to me. And uh, so that's our book of the week this week. And and also, Mark, I got two dad jokes. I'm gonna see if either one of these hit home for you, okay? All right, so the first one is what do you call a well-dressed lion? A well-dressed lion. Any ideas?

Mark Mitchell 22:34

Tough one.

Chris Grainger 22:35

That'd be a dandelion, man. Come on now. What's wrong? So, all right, so that's the first one. And the second was why did a flower cry uh crash his bicycle? Any ideas how a flower crashes his bicycle? He lost control of the pedals. So that so that's it. So that one and two, fellas. Mark, which one hits best for you? Oh man, I I give them both props.

Mark Mitchell 23:02

I gotta chuckle out of both of them.

What Comes Out Under Pressure

Chris Grainger 23:03

All right, all right, that works, that works. So, guys, let us know which one you like. You know, what do you call a well-dressed lion? That'd be a dandy lion, and then what is a flower to crash? Why did the flower crash his bicycle? It's uh because he lost control of the pedals. And we do those dad jokes every week. We actually drop a, well, if you guys aren't familiar with it, we drop a pole inside the lion every Friday. And I always love just to see what joke the guys uh go with. So anyway, that's our dad jokes. Question of the week is what's been flowing out when you're under pressure lately? Guys, we all got pressure. We all got things that's been that that uh we're dealing with, and what comes out is a response of what's inside. You know, I've brought up the water analogy all the time with that water bottle. And if if I shake that water bottle up, the only thing's coming out of that water bottle is water, right? So if anger's coming out, it's not just because you're mad. Like it's just a deeper root there. So we need to understand why. So Mark, this has been great. Anything else you want to share today, brother?

Mark Mitchell 23:59

No, just thank you for all the work you and the team are doing. It's it's truly amazing. Um, you know, when I first joined Sarah and and a counselor that we were seeing, they were both like, man, this guy does three podcasts a week, like, and everything else you're doing. Um, so to you, back then, the kids, um, it's amazing seeing what God's you know doing through you and just forever grateful to have you part of our lives.

Community Invitations And New Husbands Group

Chris Grainger 24:28

Amen, bro. Well, thank you for those kind words. And uh it has not been easy, I will tell you that. And uh, but uh what's God laid it on my heart, and it's it I feel like this is the work that He's called me to do, and we're gonna keep showing up and hopefully guys keeping being encouraged and keep growing. So uh thank you again, guys. If you're listening, the LionWithin.us is our website. The the mastermind Mike Mark just talked about, uh there is an there is an assessment for that. Uh you can join the Lions Den today. You can join the daily spiritual kickoff, you can open your Bible app and search for The Lion Within Us and follow us there. And all that again, the LionWithin.us. So, guys, have a great day, great weekend. We'll see you next time. And just keep on leashing the Lion Within. Let's just say it out loud. Marriage is one of the greatest gifts that God can give a man, and one of the most consistent places where we can feel unsure of what we're doing. Even the strongest marriages have moments where you look at your wife and you think, you know what? I love you. I'm so committed to you. But right now, I have no idea what I should do next. And that's why we launched something new inside the lion within us community. It's our very first support group, and it's for husbands, and we're calling it committed and occasionally confused. This isn't just a place for men in crisis. Though if you're there, hey, you're welcome. This is for any man who refuses to coast and wants to take his marriage from good to great. So inside, you'll find an active chat and a feed, honest conversations, and brotherhood that says, you're not alone. We've been there. Let's bring this to God and grow. And we're also doing a monthly couples night where your wife is invited because we're not letting the world set the agenda for our homes. Now, if you want access to this support group, it's very simple. Go to thelionwithin.us and join the Lions Den. Okay, that's the LionWithin.us. Start your 30-day free trial of the Lions Den community, and boom, you have instant access to the committed and occasionally confused support group. We'll see you inside the den.