Our Story

My name is Daniel, and I run BSAK—Be Still and Know—Apparel. But you know what? There was a time when "being still" was the last thing on my mind.

Rewind to earlier this year, 2023. I was 33 and my life was a mess. I'm talking a full-blown disaster, like a car wreck you can't look away from. I was drowning in financial debt so deep, you could fill an Olympic-sized pool with my unpaid bills.

My wife, Nancy, and I were expecting our first child, and to say we were unprepared would be an understatement.

I was juggling multiple side gigs just to make ends meet, on top of my full-time job at the church. I was so swamped and my prayers turned into desperate cries for help. Nancy’s business was hitting rock-bottom due to the economic slump. We were both losing sleep, grinding through the days like zombies.

And let me tell you, the stress was literally tearing me apart. One morning, I looked in the mirror and saw patches of my hair missing. Big, bald spots, like craters on the moon, right there on my head. I thought to myself, "Man, even my hair's had enough and is jumping ship."

We had moved out of our cramped apartment the previous year, thinking we were stepping up in the world. But now, that new home felt like a prison cell of debt and stress. The walls seemed to close in on me, every single day. The mounting bills on our kitchen table felt like boulders on my shoulders, weighing me down with each passing second.

But the nightmare, the absolute worst moment, was yet to come. One evening, as Nancy and I were laying in bed, she looked at me and just broke down crying. She couldn't hold it in anymore. "How are we going to afford this baby? What's going to happen to us?"

My heart sank. I felt like I was drowning, no air, no way to breathe. A tidal wave of failure washing over me, pulling me under. Right there, the depth of our situation hit me like a freight train. I was supposed to be the provider, the rock, and here I was crumbling. Failing at my job, failing my wife, and worst of all, failing this unborn child we were so excited to bring into the world.

It was like being lost in a dark tunnel with no end in sight, and the walls were closing in on me. The weight of it all was unbearable. I felt so helpless, so desperate.

That’s when I remembered a brainstorming session I had months before. Among the lists of potential ideas scribbled in my notepad, the concept of BSAK Apparel was there. It was like God led me to revisit that list and go with BSAK. That simple message from Psalm 46:10 had already resonated with me, but it took that dark moment to realize how badly I, and others, needed a constant, physical reminder to "be still and know."

So I started designing simple, yet meaningful Christian clothing as a way to remind myself, and others, of this powerful message. The name of my brand says it all: "Be Still and Know."

Now, whenever I look at our product, or when I see someone wearing it, I'm reminded of that moment. That turning point. And guess what? Things are finally starting to look up. It’s like that Bible verse became the life vest I didn’t know I needed, in a sea of never-ending chaos.

So if you're feeling like the world's caving in, like you're stuck in that dark tunnel with no way out, I've been there. And I can tell you, it's possible to find your way back to the light. Stick around, and let me share what I’ve learned. Because sometimes all you need is a simple reminder to be still and know.