Pretending is a full-time job. No days off. No benefits. No retirement plan. And some of us have been clocking in since we were kids.
In this episode of the Words of Encouragement Podcast, Frankie Lubin (Mr. Made Different) continues the "Tired Of" series in honor of Men's Mental Health Month with an honest, man-to-man conversation about the mask so many of us wear — and what it's costing us to keep it on.
This one is for the man who answers "I'm good, I'm blessed" on autopilot. The one carrying financial pressure at 2am that nobody knows about. The one who's lonely in a crowd, with a thousand contacts in his phone and no one he can really call. The one still fighting a habit he testified was gone. The man who buries his anger and calls it "just a little irritated."
Frankie goes all the way back to Genesis — to Adam hiding in the garden — to show that pretending is the oldest move there is, and that shame has been teaching men to hide since the very beginning. He shares the story of DMX, a man who loved God out loud and fought real demons at the same time, and who became most real to people when he finally stopped pretending. And he opens up about his own struggle — honestly and without shame — because every man is carrying something, and the moment you get honest with yourself is the moment you can get honest with the world.
Anchored in Genesis 3, Psalm 32, and James 5:16, this episode lands on one challenge for the week: confess it to God first, then find one trusted person to carry it with you. Because God can't heal the man you're pretending to be — only the man you really are.
If you've been tired of holding the pose, this one's for you.
⏱️ Chapters

00:00 — Pretending is a full-time job

01:30 — Tired Of series / Men's Mental Health Month

02:24 — The masks we wear (the Pretend List)

07:00 — Adam in the garden: the original hiding

10:30 — DMX: real faith, real fight

15:05 — James 5:16 — confess and be healed

17:18 — The one thing to do this week

19:53 — Frankie's testimony: honesty without shame

20:05 — Closing prayer
🔍 Words of Encouragement Podcast, Frankie Lubin, Mr Made Different, Christian podcast for men, men's mental health month, tired of pretending, wearing a mask, Christian men struggling, DMX faith, Psalm 32, James 5:16, confession and healing, faith and addiction, men's encouragement, honest faith talk
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