The Inked Disciple

St. Basil the Great taught that fasting goes all the way back to Eden. Adam and Eve had every good thing they needed, yet God placed one boundary before them: “Do not eat.” Their failure was deeper than food, it was allowing desire to overrule obedience. Basil’s point was that fasting helps reverse that pattern. When we willingly say no to something good, we train ourselves to say no when temptation comes. We are reminding our appetites that they are not our master.

This is why fasting is about far more than being healthy or losing weight. It is training in self-control. Paul said, “I will not be dominated by anything” and “I discipline my body and keep it under control.” Food, alcohol, lust, comfort, anger, social media, anything can begin to rule us if we never learn to tell ourselves no. The goal isn’t to hate the body; it is to put our desires back in their proper order: God first, obedience over appetite, and the body serving the mission instead of controlling the man.

Not another ai flyer 🫪🫣😅🤪 We have room for 4 more men to join us. Weekly ”Operation Timothy study” every Thursday at 9:00 PM EST starting 10/1. Let James Shrake Bralon Strauser or myself know if you want to join us.

Savannah and I are hanging out Mercy Road Church - Anderson holding down the Combat Ministries, Inc. table! We’ll be here for all three services. Come check us out!!

Big Screen on The Green is tonight and it's Back to School Night! We'll also have Spudz Dude food truck and Ohana LuLu ice cream. Thank you Visiting Angels Rawlins House, Countryside, Be Well Massage, Fall Creek Tire and Auto, Cory Parker of REMAX, Tricked Out Car and Truck, 1019 Senior Living, Belle Ame Studio and Clay Sexton of Indiana Farm Bureau for hosting this fun event at The Center! Festivities start at 6! See you there!

Getting to see Gene Fletcher preach today at Catalyst Church and speak on the partnership with Combat Ministries, Inc. was so inspiring. I am so grateful that God put Gene and Tabitha in my life. God is doing such incredible things through them and we are all so lucky they answered the call that God put on their lives.

If you’re in Madison county or any of the surrounding counties and haven’t checked out all the things they are doing at The Center by Combat Ministries you’re missing out. They have multiple different types of martial arts for all ages, nutrition and cooking classes, art classes, physical fitness training, wellness initiatives, women’s cancer support, a micro school partnered with Acton schools coming soon, financial literacy and planning programs, and men’s and women’s ministry programs. And I’m probably missing some. Just so many opportunities to be involved.