THE RUGGED PATH

Raw Faith. Real Stories.

Long-form conversations with people who have walked through war, addiction, trauma, violence, and broken relationships — and found, or are still finding, their way to faith. No polished testimonies. No formulas. Just real people whose faith was forged in genuinely hard places.

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Episode 009July 7, 2026

Phil Bivins:
Saved at a Picnic Table Between 2 Wars

Phil Bivins is a three-time United States Navy veteran whose service spanned Vietnam to Desert Storm, including duty aboard the USS Nimitz during the Iran Hostage Crisis. A registered nurse for 40 years, he found faith in 1978 through a chance conversation outside a Navy chapel and has spent the past 15 to 17 years growing in his walk with God at Grace Church, where he leads a men's small group today.

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The Host

Dan Black

Veteran / Former Tattoo Artist / Host

Dan Black has lived more than one life — soldier, tattoo artist, and now the voice behind conversations the Church usually leaves out. He doesn't come to these stories as an outsider looking in. He's walked through hard places himself, and it shows in the way he asks questions and the way he listens.

The Rugged Path exists because Dan got tired of polished testimonies that skip the messy middle. Every episode is an unscripted, honest conversation with someone whose faith was forged — or is still being forged — in real hardship. No formulas. No performance. Just the truth, however long it takes to tell it.

"I'm not interested in the highlight reel. I want to know what it actually looked like in the dark."

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Phil Bivins:Saved at a Picnic Table Between 2 Wars

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Phil Bivins:
Saved at a Picnic Table Between 2 Wars