The Makings of a Man

I dedicate this to my Grandpa Frank Michno, I love you Grandpa, you will be missed


The Makings of a Man


It’s amazing how easy it is to get distracted in life. I think all too often we fail to take the time to slow down and think about what really matters. If it all ended today, what would you be remembered for? What is the true value in life? How can we use our time wisely? And, probably the greatest question of them all, when is our time going to come to an end?

Everyday in this game called life, we are forced to make choices. With every choice that we make, there is a consequence: some good, some bad, but nonetheless there is a reaction to every choice you make. One can’t help but ask, “How can I make the most of my time?”

Just think about how many people you’ve met that have said, “I want to go down in history. I want to be remembered…” Everyone leaves a mark in life. Some will be remembered for doing great things, like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, George Washington, and Mother Teresa. But in the same light, you can also go down in history for being a complete monster. Look at Adolph Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein… the list of famous people goes on, but what will you be remembered for?

You can chase the dollar every day of your life and make millions, have everything you’ve ever dreamed of, and still be depressed. Not only depressed, but cold because of all the people you’ve stepped on along the way, pushing yourself to the top. I once heard a man say, “If they say it’s happiness but you can’t look back on it in a year and still be glad you did it, then it’s not really happiness.”

If you have to look back on a choice you made, living in sorrow and regret, that’s not joy... It sounds a little bit more like torture. I’ve met people who don’t have much, but they would still give you the shirt off their back to make sure that you are ok. They give their lives to make sure that other people have a chance, they give their money to provide hope for people who never had anything in life, and come the end of their days, they can look back and truly appreciate life. You can either live to please yourself, or live your life helping others.

So how then should we live? Everyone likes to have money, don’t get me wrong, money is awesome. But when you let money consume your mind, it will ruin you. You also have to take into account the fact that even if you want to be a nice guy, you still need to provide for yourself and your family... there is this balance that must take place. Anything taken to the extreme is not a good thing. If you’re always giving to everyone else in life, but don’t take care of yourself and your family, then you’re not that great of a person either. You don’t have any discipline or sense of responsibility. You’re just drifting. It’s easy to drift because you don’t have to do anything. You just go through the motions, and life goes on. But you won’t have a lasting impact on anything if you fail to commit. Most likely no one will even remember your name.

The reason why discipline and discernment are so important in life is because they determine the kind of life that you will live. What makes discernment so important is that it helps us to gauge how much time we will put into something, what we should invest our time in, when to slow down, and if need be how to get out. It is through discipline that we gain the ability to push ourselves to go beyond our comfort zone to achieve new heights, greater depth, and to secure our future. How do you expect to reach for the stars, when you are too afraid to stretch out your hand?

We are all called to do great things in life. In fact I am convinced that every one of us is meant to leave a legacy. But the problem we face is that we put so much value on material things and being famous, like a movie star, that we tend to completely forget the people who labor daily helping people, like a medic, a nurse, or a teacher. The dollar sign isn’t what makes a man, but it can definitely break one.

So what are the things that make up a real man? What is it inside someone that causes them to never give up, never lose heart, to face adversity, and to leave an impact? It’s not the love for money, or the lust for power. It’s not the desire to be famous, or the fear of being nothing. What makes a man is his heart. He can either be self absorbed, or filled with compassion and love. Everyday we make a choice, we determine our own destinies, and I understand that some people may seem to have it a little bit harder than others, but that doesn’t change the fact that you still have a choice.

I once knew a man who was filled with love and compassion, who had to overcome so much adversity in life, who had to endure so many hardships. But still, he worked so hard his whole life to provide for his family, while reaching out and helping as many people as he could. Now this man might not go down in history as a king, but he definitely did the most with his time, making something out of nothing, and if that’s not legendary, then I don’t know what is. Even though he won’t go down in history as a millionaire, that man did more with his life than most can dream.

Everyday we are forced to make choices. The choices that we make will always hold a consequence, some good, and some bad. The decisions you make daily will show people who you really are… What will you be remembered for?

Discipline is Everything

My name is Daniel Michno. Ever since I was a kid, I struggled with being significantly overweight. When I was in the third grade I weighed more than 200 lbs, in the 6th over 270, by the 8th grade I weighed over 300 lbs, and as a senior in high school I weighed more than 350 lbs. I was huge, but even though I was so big, my life wasn’t marked by just being big. It was marked by all the horrible experiences I had gone through.

At the age of three, I fell into a bonfire that was in my backyard where I was severely burned, losing the skin on my hand, and getting third degree burns on my face and eyelids. When I was seven, I was hit by a car on the side of the road, which put me in a coma for three days fighting for my life. When I was nine, I got into another car accident where the glass went through my gums after my face had slammed into the windshield. When I was eleven, I was in a boat accident, which ripped off the right side of my nose. I had lost so much blood that when we got to the hospital, they didn’t have time to numb me. They started to stitch me up, and I felt everything. When I was twelve, I got into another car accident. We rolled off the road into a ditch, and I wasn’t wearing my seat belt, which nearly caused me to break my neck. When I got out of the car, I realized that my knee was wrapped in barb wire, and I had to take it all off. I could go on all day talking about the rough experiences I faced as a kid, but I think you get the point.

In the spring of 2007 though, I faced a new threat. The doctors told me that I was 375 lbs. I remember the doctor looking me in the eyes when he said, “You’re going to die young. You aren’t going to live to see your kids grow up, you’ll be lucky to live over 40.” I remember hearing him say those words and thought, “I’m not ready to die.” I was sick and tired of being overweight, so I started pushing.

The first time I walked into the gym, I remember all the looks I got as I waddled up to the treadmill. It took me 16 minutes to run a mile. Everyone looked at me like I was pathetic. I felt pathetic, but I wouldn’t give up. Being disciplined became more than just an idea, but a lifestyle. Over the course of a year, everyone was shocked at what I had done.

I had lost over 100 lbs! It was never a cake walk, but I never gave up. I would wake up daily and go run on the basketball court at Capital, or hop on the treadmill at the gym. But after a year, I hit a plateau, and at 265lbs, I just couldn’t lose anymore weight. I looked decent, but I just wasn't satisfied. I picked up Strong Man training, cross training, biking, and swimming, but nothing seemed to really take me to the next level. Then one day, I met Mitch Coats. I had already heard of him because I wanted to start training with Kettle-bells, and he was one of the only guys in Idaho who did any sort of training with them.

I went to his gym, and he was very cool. He taught me the snatch, the clean to press, and the two arm swings. He then followed it up by asking, “Have you ever considered training Jiu Jitsu?” I didn’t even know what it was... I told him I used to wrestle, and he had me throw on a GI.

I got on the mat with a little guy named Anthony. I laughed and asked, “How much can you bench?” He simply replied, “Don’t worry about it” then Mitch said go.

It was about 5 seconds before that little guy had his legs around my neck and began to choke me out. I was furious and didn't want to tap out because of my pride, but I was turning beat red because I couldn’t breathe. I was forced to tap... It was an extremely humbling experience, and I had to come back. Mitch told me to buy a GI, and the rest is history. I started training Jiu Jitsu at 265 lbs, and it kicked my butt. I would go home satisfied because it was very fun, but spent because it took all my energy. I started to become tougher mentally and physically than I had ever been before. But then, I hit another bump in the road.

I wanted to compete in a triathlon, so I was biking, training, and running more than ever before. Until one unfortunate day, I was biking down Fairview, and was hit by a car. The doctors said I had the Trio Tear. That is, I had torn the ACL, the MCL, and the Meniscus. They didn’t think I would ever be able to run the same, and competing in the future didn’t look like it was ever going to happen. But I didn’t lose hope, and I never gave up.

I started doing physical therapy as soon as I could, I trained hard, but I trained smart. I knew what my limits were, and I wasn't an idiot about it. Over the course of 9 months - and it was a very long 9 months - I had nearly fully recovered. I wasn't at the same strength that I was, but I was running, jumping, biking, swimming, and training kettle-bells. It was time to put the puzzle completely back together again, so I called Mitch.

I stepped back on the mat. It was a slow start, but I have surpassed where my ability was, and I now compete at 205lbs. For anyone trying to lose weight I would say Just Keep Pushing, you’re closer to your goal than you realize. Nothing is impossible, just believe.

Thomas Edison said it like this: “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Losing weight, or any great feat for that matter, has more to do with your mind than anything else. Be disciplined in how you think, nothing is impossible if you can believe.

Hope Doesn't Disappoint

Hope Doesn’t Disappoint

Have you ever come to the point in life where you just don’t know what to do? You remember pushing for so long, but now you find yourself stuck in a rut, and you can’t help but ask why? How did this happen? Why me? What did I do wrong? Where am I going? A heap of questions can find themselves creeping up on you bringing doubt and fear when you are facing obstacles in life. How do you maintain your vision when trials come up in life? It's crazy to think how quick we can loose hope over the smallest little bump in the road.

When thinking about bumps in the road, I can't help but think about the life of King David. One day the man is a shepherd minding his own business tending sheep, and the next he's used by God to take down a Giant and defeat an army; then he is forced to flee for his life from the king whom he served, and then later on he becomes king... David had plenty of opportunities to loose hope, and throw in the towel, but he didn't. When you have a vision of where you are going, and most of all what you are doing to get there, the biggest obstacles in life become just another bump in the road.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid." Psalms 27

"Sing Praise to the Lord you saints of His, and give thanks at remembrance of His holy name, for his anger is but a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:4-5

If I had to compare this to my life, I would simply go back to when I was hit by a car. In June of 2009 I was training to be in a triathlon; I had lost over 140lbs and thought it would be amazing to compete in to show how far I've come. One day I was biking down Fairview when a lady who wasn't paying attention hit me. It tore my MCL, and left a slight tear in my ACL and Meniscus while slightly twisting my spine. It's easy to get side tracked, thrown off coarse, a bump in the road can mess you up, but don't let it get the best of you, get back up, and keep pressing, the best is still yet to come; This was simply another bump in the road.

"Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous, but THE LORD DELIVERS HIM OF THEM ALL" Psalms 34:9
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"I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" Psalm 34:4

I remember lying on the cement in pain thinking, "could this really be happening?" It was. When I got to the doctors, he looked at me and said that I had "the trio tear", that I had tore all three major ligaments in my knee. When I heard this news, it was somewhat devastating, but I didn't let it get the best of me. You can either hope for the best, or assume the worst in any situation in life. It doesn't matter rather you are in the middle of a storm, or living the dream, God is faithful; he isn't going to leave you stranded in the middle of a desert without a hope, or a way of escape. God always provides a way of escape; he wants to be the strength of your life, the thing is, you have to let him.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in him I will trust."" Psalm 91:1-2

This wasn't the first time something bad had happened to me, or received a bad report; but instead of getting bitter and going emo, I simply started serving the church in any way I could. Since I wasn't cleared to work, I had plenty of time to lead prayer watches, and read my Bible. Then the craziest thing happened, as I began to seek God, all my fears, and doubts, just started to fade away. I just pressed as hard as I could, and watched as the doctors reports got better and better, week after week. It went from, "you probably won't be able to walk the same or run very good" to, "looks like you'll make a full recovery". God is faithful.

"BLESS the Lord, oh my soul; And all that is within me, Bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, And Forget not all his benefits." Psalms 103:1-2

Guess what, in the fall that same year, I was back running on the track with no pain in my knees, and faster than I was before. How did this happen? I was just hit by a car, tore the ligaments in my knee, and 4 months later I'm running and faster than I was before... how? Well the answer is actually quite simple, GOD IS FAITHFUL! The Bible says that those who put there trust in him won't be let down. The Bible says He's a loving dad who wants to give us all that we need, the problem most of us have is we simply don't understand the Love of The Father.

Isaiah 40:30-31 "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

God is faithful, he will always meet you at your point of need. All you have to do is simply draw near to him

James 4:8, 10 "Draw Near to God, and he will draw near to you... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

God is the one thing you can put your hope in, and never be let down. God never fails, he will never leave you or forsake you. Guess what, that car in the summer of 09 wasn't the first time something bad has happened to me. I've been hit by 4 cars, I've burned alive, I've drowned, I've been nearly died numerous times, but I'm still here, and God is Faithful!

Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus"

Isaiah 41:10 "Do not Fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand"

Nahum 1:7 "The Lord IS Good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him."

Why doesn't our hope disappoint? It's because God never fails.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).

Trust in God, He will never leave you, or forsake you.


Be Blessed

Dan Michno

Trust vs Trying

Trying vs Trusting

Have you ever been at the place in life where you’ve tried everything you can think of to reach a goal, but just can’t seem to achieve it? Could it be that the one thing you are missing is trust?

Lets look at David, In 1st Samuel 17 we see David fight Goliath and slay him, and we can see through most the Psalms how David put his hope, and all his trust in God. Some people fail to realize that if David failed to trust God, nobody would’ve ever heard his name, because he never would’ve stood up to Goliath. If it were not for David trusting God, he probably would’ve given up when being persecuted by the king. David had faith in God, he trusted that God would protect him, even when he didn’t understand what was going on, or where he was going, he trusted God.

We could go on talking all day about people in the Bible who trusted God no matter what the circumstance, just look at the life of Abraham, Joseph, David, Samuel, and John are among so many others whose lives illustrate how much they trusted God. They trusted God more than anything, so much that they didn’t care if they faced death, because they trusted that God would deliver them.

The problem I know see is how many people try, and try, and try, but fail to simply trust. Faith is key, in fact the Bible says that, “Without Faith, it is impossible to please God.” So here is the question, how could you possibly have faith in something if you don’t trust it? Isn’t that a contradiction? According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of faith is “belief and trust in and loyalty to God”.

God can’t use you if you don’t trust him, but once you put your trust in God… well that changes everything. Only once you put your trust in God do you give him the right to use you, because until you say you trust God, all you’re really saying is that you think that you could do better, which is making you out to be smarter than God… Just saying, when trusting isn’t easy, that’s when it is actually worth something.


Have faith in God! He desires the best for you. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have toward you says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope"


“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths “ Proverbs 3:5


Hope you liked this,

Trust God

Be Blessed

Dan Michno


This paper was inspired by a message Pastor Krist Wilde gave at Remnant Camp 2010

Common Sense

Here's a question, Why do they call it common sense?

You ever go the gym, and walk in just to see someone trying to lift way more than they should? You know what I'm talking about, that dude who seems to be doing some kind of weird body sway dance, as he's attempting to do a simple bicep curl. You look for a second, shake your head and probably think, "what an idiot" as you go and hop on the treadmill.

It's interesting how sometimes it's so easy to get sidetracked and distracted. We sometimes find ourselves acting like we are the best, boasting as we walk with our chest all puffed up, nose up, feeling like the king of the world. The problem we encounter here is that the only thing that pride really does is set you up for a fall. Think about that kid doing the sway dance, he doesn't understand the damage he is doing to his body, nor does he realize that he isn't actually targeting his arms, so he will actually get less out of lifting that massive weight, than if he just lowered it and had the correct form. So here in lies the question, why is he doing that?

The answer is actually quite simple, they have a problem with pride, and it's rooted out of issue insecurity. He Thinks, "I'm better than that. I can lift more than that. I'm stronger than that..." The problem is that when you get prideful you tend to ignore reality; like that guy who thinks he's getting a good workout for his arms, when in all reality he isn't targeting his arms, he's hurting his back... But I guess that's the worst thing about deception, it's kind of like bad breath, you're the last one to know you have it; and as I've said before, when you are insecure, enough just isn't enough.

Anyone who is serious about athletics would tell you that it is all about mastering the little things; because success in the little things is what equips you to be able to accomplish great things. So why is it that people tend to try to just jump in and expect to be able to do great things without any preparation, practice, or training? If you eat correctly and workout, you can reach any fitness goal, but it takes time. So many people go out and start pushing toward a goal, then get discouraged when they don't see results overnight. Guess what joker, it takes time... If it were easy, everyone would run a 4 min mile. If it were easy, everyone would have a 50 inch vertical jump. If it were easy... We could go on with that all day long, the thing is, it's not supposed top be easy; if it was easy, you wouldn't appreciate it.

Nothing really worth having in life comes for free, it's going to cost you something. Rather it is time, money, effort, whatever the list goes on. The key is endurance, how hard are you willing to press? What if it takes years? What if it requires you to change your lifestyle, will you do it? Then you have to ask yourself, is it worth it? Why do you want to reach the top so bad, will it really change how you feel about yourself? What are you going to do once you lose 100lbs? What are you going to do once you can bench 350lbs? When will it be enough? I guess the real question you have to ask yourself is, why are you trying to hit that mark? What will it accomplish? What good will come out of this, what bad, and is it worth it?

Some people might ask why would you ask so many questions before trying to do something, because I'll never get anything accomplished. My response would be simple, If it's serious, it's worth the assessment. Before you get involved in anything you should always ask where this could take you ten years down the road, and if it is worth the effort you are going to put into it. Once you have done this you can start mapping out how you are going to reach this goal.

5 Key steps I use when reaching for a goal

1. Be real with yourself

The very first key to being successful when reaching for a goal is being real with yourself. If you are 5'10 and 375lbs, you aren't going to be able to do a triathlon anytime soon. First you need to get off the couch and drop some pounds before you think about doing anything significant in fitness. Or another example, lets say you want to write a book; have you even educated yourself enough to consider that? Have you positioned yourself in such a way that you can attain what you are reaching for? Once you see that you have positioned yourself, you are ready to take the second step.

2. Make a time frame.

You aren't going to hit this goal overnight, make a time frame that you would like to accomplish it by. Say you are going to try to lose 30lbs; first look at your current activity level, then take into account what you are going to be doing, and go from there. You won't be able to drop 30lbs in two weeks, sorry won't happen. But say you'd like to lose 30lbs in two months, well that's feasible if you take the proper steps, and are discipline, about what you are reaching for. And I can't stress enough that You Must Be Discipline...

3. Make goals leading up to your ultimate goal.

This is a huge key. If you want to run a 6 min mile, and you currently run a ten, make steps that you will reach before you attempt the 6. Like being able to run 3 consecutive miles in 24 min, or 2 in under 15 minutes... If you were to look at writing; first start writing essays, blogs, and letters. Then progress to research papers, like a 30 page paper on ethics, history, or whatever. You don't just jump from insignificance to greatness without taking a few steps, and hitting a few speed bumps, along the way... but don't let it distract you, keep pressing forward. Once you have a time frame in mind, it's time to start cleaning.

4. Make a list of things you will have to change. This requires cutting out, and inputting new things...

Look at the way you are currently living, what are you going to change to reach this goal? What are you going to have to add into your schedule, and what are you going to have to replace? Lets look back at the 375lbs man, first off he's going to have to check his diet. You'll never do anything great in fitness if you don't eat right. Next, what does he do when he's not at the gym, or outside running? It might be a good idea to study the body, go to the park, or read instead of watching television and playing video games. Don't set yourself up for failure by hanging around things that will bring you down. If you are trying to lose weight, it probably isn't the greatest idea to watch food network all day because it will consume your mind. If you take in garbage, you're going to put out garbage; in other words, if all you focus on is food, your action will probably be you going to find something to eat...

5. Commit with Excellence

When you are pressing, do it to the best of your ability. If you are going to the gym, don't just hop on the treadmill and walk for five min, call it good and go eat a donut, that's just stupid. No instead, if you're trying to lose weight, set up a regimen that you will do daily, make a plan, and stick to it. If you feel like you can run more, and aren't tired after 15 min, then go for 20; you don't need to over-train, but you do need to up the resistance/tempo or you will never progress. Or we can look at writing; don't just write a paragraph with a bunch of run on sentences, on the same subject you've done ten times before. How about you try writing a page with good grammar, with unfamiliar subjects that require you to do some research. The list goes on about things you can do, but I think you get the point.

That's it. You do those 5 steps, and watch as the hardest goals become just another walk in the park. The biggest thing you will get out of doing these things is that it creates vision. When you can see where you are going, and know how you are going to get there, it takes a huge load off your mind. You have to look at what you are doing, and where you are going before you start, because there is no age limit on regret. It can happen to anyone who doesn't think before doing. There will still be resistance even when you map it out, but you have a certain peace because you know where you are going, and how you are going to get there. I hope you enjoyed this, these are just a few things that I've placed in my life that have helped me reach my goals, and I hope that they can help you as well.

Be Blessed

Dan Michno

Generation Unleashed

So over these past week, Pastor Mark Francey, Derek, Kenrick and I took an incredible road trip to Portland Oregon to attend Generation Unleashed

It was an incredible conference where my great friend and Pastor Mark Francey spoke a message on being Blessed and Broken. It was very cool, and inspiring, to see teens passionate about God, engaging in worship, and getting as much as they could out of the sermons. Pastors Judah Smith, Doug Lassit, Chad Veach, and Frank Damazio delivered powerful messages to over 4,000 people, teaching about the Importance of Devotion, the power of Discipleship, the Cross, along many other topics. Incredible weekend, and it was very nice to get out of town with a few of my best friends.