Faith, Loss, and Fishing Through Rock Bottom | David Mercer

Big Dave Mercer is one of the most well-known names in Eastern NC fishing — but behind that reputation is a story most people have never heard. In this episode, Jared sits down with Big Dave and gets into the real stuff: growing up in Beulaville, building his whole identity around football at ECU, hitting rock bottom when a shoulder injury ended it all, and what happened in January 1998 that changed everything.Dave opens up about two miscarriages, losing a stillborn son at 30 weeks in 2020, and how buying a boat in the middle of grief became one of the most healing decisions of his life. He talks about men and why we're wired to suppress emotion — and why that's destroying us. He talks about ministry, discipleship, the difference between checking religious boxes and actually being in Christ, and why the church is supposed to be people, not a place.If you've ever built your identity around something that was taken from you — or you've been through loss and didn't know how to talk about it — this one's for you.Big Dave is available on Facebook if you need someone to reach out to. Don't be too proud to make the call.Timestamps coming soon.#BelowTheSurface #BigDaveMercer #FaithAndFishing #EasternNC #MensHealth