Hey y'all, I just wanted to reach out and share how I've been and how I could use some prayer today. First of all, this time of fasting came at a good time - I'd been completely distracted from my pursuit of God the past couple weeks. The timing also lined up with my being out of town and by myself, so it has lined up well as a type of spiritual retreat. That said, the past 24 hours have been rough - I definitely haven't felt that "spiritual" - I came into this fast after two nights of less sleep than normal and so I was pretty exhausted yesterday and didn't really connect much with God. I was able to get a lot of sleep last night and so I'm taking today as my reset day but it's definitely been a bit of a struggle. My desire for food and comfort has been quite high and quite distracting.

Here is a curated, categorized list of scriptures to meditate on while fasting with God's all-satisfying nature as the central theme throughout. These passages form a powerful arc to hold during fasting: from **thirst and hunger for God** → **the danger of substitutes** → **Jesus as the true Bread** → **humility and surrender** → **longing for his return** → **the Spirit as the overflowing spring**. Together they turn every hunger pang into a prayer. *** God as the Only True Satisfaction These are the bedrock texts for fasting meditation — declaring with the whole person that God himself is the longed-for object and fulfillment of the soul.[1] - **Psalm 73:25–26** — *"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."*[1] - **Psalm 63:1–5** — *"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water... My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food."*[1] - **Psalm 42:1–2** — *"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."*[1] - **Psalm 34:8** — *"Taste and see that the Lord is good."*[1] - **John 6:35** — *"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."*[1] *** Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone These texts sit at the very heart of Jesus' own fasting in the wilderness — the declaration that God's word sustains more than food ever can.[1] - **Deuteronomy 8:2–3** — *"He humbled you and let you hunger... that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."*[1] - **Matthew 4:4** — *"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."*[1] - **John 4:32–34** — *"I have food to eat that you do not know about... My food is to do the will of him who sent me."*[2]

Brothers, as we enter this fast, please pray for SFC Jon Salva, a Ranger assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning. Jon is an incredibly fit man and an ultramarathoner, which makes what is happening all the more mysterious. A few weeks ago, he was medevaced to Walter Reed after multiple unexplained cardiac arrest events. On one occasion, his wife, Kimberly, had to perform CPR to resuscitate him. The doctors have been dumbfounded. It appears to involve the electrical signals of his heart not firing correctly, but they still do not have clear answers. The Ranger Regiment chaplain asked me to check on one of his Rangers, so I went to Walter Reed and met Jon and Kimberly. I asked if they would like to learn more about the story of God, and they both said yes. I shared the story using the Three Circles, and they were deeply impacted. They had never heard the story presented the way we are learning it here in Forge Tribe—as one unified story God is writing from Genesis to Revelation, with Jesus as the Hero. Afterward, Jon told me he wanted to learn more, so I came back, gave him a Bible and some resources, and he has since been listening to The Legend of Messiah, the story we walked through inside The Crucible. Since then, Jon has had several more cardiac arrest events. Today, they are flying him to Vanderbilt, where one of the world’s leading heart specialists in this area will see him. Jon gave me permission to share this prayer request and the picture with you all. Please pray: -That the doctors would discover exactly what is happening and provide the treatment needed to fix it. -That God would heal Jon’s heart. -That Jon and Kimberly would continue learning the story of God and come to full faith, belief, and surrender to Jesus our Messiah. -That God would strengthen and protect Kimberly as she walks through this with him. -That God would care for and provide for their three children back at Fort Benning, all under the age of 11. Brothers, as we fast, let’s carry Jon, Kimberly, and their children before the Father.

Brothers, our next 6-week Fire Team study starts the week of June 7 and runs through July 18. We’ll be walking through Joby Martin’s book, Stand Firm and Act Like Men: Becoming the Man You Were Created to Be Instead of Who the World Says You Are. This is not a book club. It is not a classroom. It is a Fire Team. Each week, we’ll read one chapter, do the “Doing the Stuff” challenge, meet with 3–5 men, and talk honestly about what happened in real life. The goal is simple: transformation over information, obedience over knowledge, honesty over image management, and brotherhood over isolation. Here’s how it works: - Join a Fire Team of 3–5 men. - Read only the assigned chapter each week. - Do the weekly challenge. Joby calls it “Doing the Stuff.” - Meet weekly with your Fire Team. Here is the link to the guide: https://www.skool.com/forgetribe/classroom/d4c7860c Tell the truth and help your brothers obey Jesus. If you want in, comment below with: 1. “I’m in” 2. Best days/times you can meet 3. Whether you’re willing to lead a Fire Team Check out the attached video. If God is stirring something in you, step in. Ready, break!

We’re in a new season of Forge Tribe — a space between challenges that we’re calling The Foundry. This is your window to jump in, explore, and invite new men to connect — without the pressure of a full challenge commitment. Here’s what this season is about: - Smaller, flexible fire teams - The chance to bounce between groups - Building connections with different guys across Forge Tribe - Studying, sharpening, and growing together This isn’t about locking into one group long-term. It’s about getting exposure, building brotherhood, and finding your rhythm as we lead up to our Fall Challenge in September. A lot of you are already meeting regularly — book studies, weekly calls, etc. Let’s open that up. 👇 Drop a comment below with: - What you’re studying - When you’re meeting - Whether you’re open to others joining The goal? Over time, every guy in Forge Tribe gets to connect with others across the tribe — not just one circle. This is how we build something stronger. More details on the Fall Challenge coming soon. For now — step into The Foundry. Let’s get after it.