A Message from the Dark Side of the Moon

As I write this (April 7, 2026), the Artemis II mission is on Day 7, with the crew navigating back to Earth following a successful, record-breaking lunar flyby. Although the Artemis II mission was not the first time humans saw the far side (or “dark side”) of the moon, it was the first time in over 50 years that people saw it with their own eyes, with astronauts getting a unique, up-close view, according to NASA. While earlier Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s saw the far side, Artemis II marked the first time people saw it with their own eyes with modern technology and cameras.

In any case, all the talk about the dark side of the moon got me thinking about a terrible period in my life. And although it’s not something I like to talk about, perhaps by doing so, I can help others.

Mark Twain once said, “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” I can’t say if that’s true of everyone, but it surely describes my life before I trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior. I started living a life of duplicity—a life of deceit—a dual life.

On one side, I was leading a relatively successful life—in school and in my career. I was married and driving a new Corvette in my senior year in college and managing a retail business and about 60 people when I graduated. I let the success go to my head. I foolishly thought I was making everything happen. It was all about me.

My pride allowed my dark side to grow. I began to cheat on my wife and had multiple affairs which, of course, involved lying and cheating to hide the dark side. My life had turned into a living nightmare trying to hide my dark side.

I’m not going too deeply today into describing that period. Not only do I not have the time, but my emphasis today is elsewhere. But the takeaway from that—from a man who knows is this: Sin will always take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. I was so blinded by my sins that for example I didn’t realize that I was not only cheating on my wife, I was also cheating on my two young boys. I was jeopardizing my relationship with them, as well as their future well being.

Some of you may be leading a dual life or you may be one step away from going down that dark path. I urge you don’t go there. It is incredibly unhealthy for your soul. It could happen to you. It happens mainly to people who don’t know it could ever happen to them. Eventually, I no longer had a personality; this other personality had me. It was as if I was imprisoned. Strive to have a healthy soul and a healthy soul determines how much you’re willing to lie and pretend and rationalize. With God’s help, I am finally a self I’m happy to live with—and what you see is what you get.

As I publish this, I’m praying for the safe return of the Artemis II crew and I’m praying for the health of your soul and my soul.

Feel free to share your thoughts here on the FATC FORUM. Remember our motto: It’s not just about the fly fishing.

John Muckerman

FATC Inspirational and Leadership Lead