Michael McClanahan — writing about faith, technology,
and building The Forge for the Church.
"Some Sundays I hid and didn't go. But he kept showing up." A reflection on the faithful love of a West Park Baptist deacon that changed the trajectory of my life — and why I'm building for the Church now.
On April 25, 2026, something shifted. God put a vision on my heart that I haven't been able to shake — technology genuinely grounded in Scripture, not just referencing it.
Every pastor carries weight most will never see. What does it look like to build technology that actually shows up at 2am when a shepherd has no one to call?
Looking back, every skill I learned, every industry I touched, every "wrong turn" — all of it was preparation. I just didn't know what I was being prepared for yet.
Tennessee orange isn't just a color. It's a declaration. A reminder of where I came from, what shaped me, and the God who met me in a trailer court in Knoxville.
There's a difference between technology that references Scripture and technology genuinely grounded in it. I'm building the latter — and here's what that actually means in practice.
I didn't deserve to be found. The trajectory of my life should have gone a different direction. But while I was still hiding on Sunday mornings, love kept showing up anyway.