Wonderful to be joined by Gabe Cohen who serves our community as Founder/Director of the non-profit Kings & Priests Ministry, Director of the Discovery Café, a peer recovery program, and Chaplain with Colorado Department of Corrections. BOOK: The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. Gabe shares his story of addiction and recovery. American Krav Maga self-defense. Gabe shares testimony of his salvation. Isaiah 9:2 Genesis 4 Hebrews 12:4-13 Serving others. Matthew 25:35-40 is an important passage for serving others. Discerning when to walk away. Matthew 7:6 Dealing with disappointment and resentment. Mindset (by Gabe): "This isn't about me. I was called to serve. Discipline and obedience." Importance of fellowship, fitness, mental health, and prayer. Compassion fatigue. Learning to slow down in order to speed up. The call of Abram (Abraham). Revelation 1:6. https://discoverycafe.org for those interested in sharing, serving and/or giving Email Gabe to learn about Peer Recovery Expert training. Email: [email protected]

This is a really special episode! I know we say that all the time, and we always mean it, but... Today we are joined by a high school friend of Dan's, Rebecca Carrell. Rebecca and Dan first met 30+ years ago in high school. They lost touch after that until in recent years when they reconnected on social media and found common ground in many aspects of life. Great great fun to reconnect and to share that connection here on this podcast! Rebecca Carrell is a professional Christian speaker, author, mentor, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and podcast producer and host of podcasts, "Honestly, Though," and coming soon "The Story of Scripture." In the first part of this episode, Rebecca and Dan share some of their personal experiences growing up and challenges they faced. Reference: The Huberman Lab Podcast. Rebecca discussed meeting Jesus and her continuing transformative experience. Identity. Detangling our lives throughout our lives. Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God." The commitment and discipline to be PRESENT with the Lord. Ephesians 2:10. "The doing flows from the being." Matthew 11:28-30. Women, identity, giftings, and how women contribute. Taking responsibility of our faith and waging war. Asking ourselves the hard questions.

We are very pleased to welcome Pastor Emeritus Doug Self to the Wage War podcast. With many years of experience, education and church building, he seemed like a great choice to talk through this topic. Of course, we want to grow into healthier versions of ourselves physically, spiritually, and relationally, but we must not forget or neglect that we were created by our Creator with emotions! Building the Orchard Church for everyone. What is a Pastor Emeritus? What motivates Doug? What is mental health and emotional maturity? Mental health as to do with the ability to learn, feel, recognize and manage your emotions and maintain relationships. Emotional intelligence helps us recognize and engage the emotion life of one's self and others. Culturally, we have focused on cognitive theological life, but not necessarily very focused on integrating the person's emotional side. Spiritual formation. What does an emotionally mature Christian looks like? (listen at 17:20) Forgiveness. Managing our neurology. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). What we think matters. Observing, tracking, inspecting and rejecting thoughts that are not healthy, helpful or Biblical. Many people don't know how to examine and take thoughts captive. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Biblical meditation. Use of our God-given imagination. Jesus died so we can live! Identity in Christ. Doug's advice for Jon and Dan.

Blessed and honored to welcome Pastor Cody Fulk to the podcast to discuss the discipline of spiritual fasting, and if/why it is relevant to Christians today. Living in feast-focused and security-based culture. "Having more makes you want more." - Cody Fulk The narrow gate is the way to Jesus. Is it harder to follow Jesus now? The church is dying/decreasing in cultures, like ours in North America, that are more comfort focused. Exodus 90 Fasting is not a "command," but a day of atonement is prescribed. Church fasting. "Fasting is abstaining from something." Reasons for abstaining from food. Fasting can help us celebrate. The good that comes from it. Physical benefits (pain leads to health). Spiritual wellness. Prayer, fasting and desperation. God meets us!

In this episode, Jon and Dan discuss all of the elements of the 40+40 spiritual discipline program. Find all the information about IGNITE40 and 40+40 HERE on our podcast webpage. The plan is available for PDF download on the site, but here we get into some tips and specifics. Additional information about deliberate cold exposure HERE.

In this episode, Dan and Jon talk about "Ignite 40," which is a program that encourages Christians to engage in intentional acts of spiritual discipline. You can find more information about Ignite 40 on our podcast webpage. Learn a bit more about spiritual transformation HERE.

We welcome back health and wellness guru, Craig Fletcher, as we dive deeper into topics of fitness, nutrition, and overall care for the human body. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?" -1 Corinthians 6:19 "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10 "Trust in the Lord, and do good" - Psalm 37:3 88% of people in America are metabolically unhealthy. Should we view our health differently as Christians? "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” -1 Corinthians 6:19-20 6 F's: faith, family, fitness, finance, friends, food. Important to be "set apart" as Christians (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 for starters). If we feel good in our bodies and minds, we can serve others better. Growth Mindset. Root causes of disease (leaky gut, inflammation, blood sugar dysregulation, chronic stress, inadequate sleep). Diversity in the gut microbiome. Inflammation: long-term activation of one's immune system. Nutrition plays a HUGE role here. Nervous, skeletal and muscular systems of the body. Excess sugar and insulin resistance. Symptoms of insulin resistance A1C testing Berberine and Apple Cider Vinegar. Chronic stress: condition one has for a very long time. High levels of cortisol. Biblically based meditation. 4-7-8 breathing to help manage cortisol. Healthy rest as part of our own care. Mitochondrial dysfunction is caused by toxins. Inadequate sleep impairs cognitive sleep, mood, immunity problems, weight gain, decreases libido, muscle aches, etc. Important to not have too much caffeine. 200mg/day is adequate. Good stress vs. bad stress. Healthy sleep routines. Methylation.

This episode is the start of a conversation that discusses what is to be done in our day-to-day lives regarding health, nutrition, exercise, faith, mindset and more! So very good to talk to and learn from Craig about these areas he has been deeply invested in learning about, applying and sharing with his loved ones for years now. And... in many ways this is just the beginning for Craig, and the beginning of future conversations we will have with him. Functional health Psalm 139:14 Obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled in one generation. We are to wage war in ourselves, but also the pressuring outside systems that pull us in (food companies, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Mindset Discipline Resisting the quick and easy "fixes" for our health. Epigenetics The convenience of the abundance of all that is before us. Good comfort and creating good discomfort HIIT Fasting Sauna/heat and cold therapy Some scarcity is good for us! Engaging community and connection Root causes of diseases: leaky gut, inflammation, blood sugar dysregulation and insulin resistance, chronic stress, sleep disorders, etc. Health strategies: eat a proper human diet, move your body, prioritize sleep, manage stress, embrace good kinds of stress, managing toxic burdens, community/connection, be curious to learn more things as you go. More to come...

It is not difficult in this age to be tempted and enslaved to things that are not good for our hearts, minds, souls and bodies; be it alcohol, substances, pornography, money/greed, sex, media, gambling, etc. Often born from a place of pain, these habits and behaviors have a way of destroying us from the inside out. Our guest today is Bill Orthwein, who founded and operates the non-profit, Greener Pastures Recovery. Bill has a heart to see people engage in the Body of Christ as they face their hurts, habits and hang-ups, and become more like Jesus. Bill authentically shares his own story. "Don't be afraid to meet your appointment with destiny." - Bill Orthwein Cornerstone Christian Center in Basalt, CO Proverbs 23:29 CELEBRATE RECOVERY "It's consequences that push us into recovery..." - Bill Orthwein Jail ministry. The power of showing up. The power of journaling. Battling through guilt and shame. Life can be different. God will walk with you! We encourage our listeners to consider getting involved, volunteering and/or donating to ⁠Greener Pastures Recovery.

We welcome Dr. Michaela Fulk to discuss how we Wage War against trauma. What is trauma? Is trauma a Biblical concept? Marcus Warner definition of trauma Types of trauma (acute, chronic, complex, secondary) How and why do we distract ourselves from engaging with trauma we carry in ourselves? CBT and TF-CBT. Our need for authentic community. Sanctification and being "set apart." Forgiveness. Genesis 50:20. The choice to step into a healing journey. Part of God's plan is for us to be in healthy community for the sake of healing. Being supportive of others and the Book of Job.