I am not gonna lie, fasting this year has not gone as well as I had planned. The only thing I have really been able to stick to is eating only one meal per day, and even that has been stretched with late desserts or snacks after my meal. It’s just been harder this year. One thing that I have learned through fasting, though, is an appreciation of food. It is not like I didn’t have that before; I really love to eat, but I just don’t take it for granted as much when I only eat one meal per day. Simply put, there is more gratitude. Today I am especially thankful to the wife for the cheesy sausage potato soup last night. It was ridiculous. I appreciate her effort more. And since I don’t think it would be right to talk about and not share, here is the recipe and a link to the Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 14-ounce smoked sausage chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 4 cups (2 15oz cans) chicken broth
- 3½ cups (about 2 large) russet potatoes peeled and diced medium
- 2 celery ribs diced small
- 5 tablespoons (71g) butter salted or unsalted is fine
- ¼ cup and 1 tablespoon (44g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk any percentage
- 6 ounces (about 1½ cups) shredded cheddar cheese plus more as desired for topping
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt
- Sour cream optional for topping
As a reminder, Lunch Box Quotes are notes I include in the kids’ lunches every day. Number 1 gets a text, but 2-4 get a handwritten napkin. And we are in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. I am intermittent fasting with 1 meal per day, no alcohol, and no social media/news after 6 p.m.
Visual credits to: Featured image – Photo by Wes Aston @Interior Quotes: @realAtlasPress @nedryun @GeniusGTX
Quotes:
1. “The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.” – Thucydides
2. “There is a time for peace, and there is a time for war. And now is the time for war.” – Peter Muhlenberg’s sermon from Ecclesiastes 1776 (After which, legend says, he removed his clerical robes to show the uniform of a colonel in the Continental Army)
3. “Don’t just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind.” – Epictetus
4. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting – Day 18
Colossians 2:6-15
Note: (These notes are a combination of the notes from my Bible, the study guide, and my thoughts. Mostly, though, they are the work of others, just rearranged.) Christ wants to guide you and help you with your daily problems. Draw your life-giving strength by being rooted in Christ. If Christ is our strength, we will be free from human regulations. When we have Christ, we have everything we need for salvation and right living. Christ alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life because he is life. Take some risks, God will guide you, give more generously – God will supply, Love more freely – God will energize you, say ‘can do’ more often, God will amaze you. Our sin created an obligation of debt that we could never repay. The penalty for sin died with Christ on the cross. God declared us not guilty, and we no longer live under sin’s power. When you are tempted to believe that you are too far gone, know that your worth is not rooted in performance but in the One who calls you His own.
Fasting: I’m off the rails. Food is the only thing I was able to stick to.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Let your words inspire me to love more deeply, give more generously, and to continuously seek You through Your word. Give me the boldness to do what is right and always stand for You. In Your name I pray,
-Amen
Sources:
Orange rock formations pop against fresh white snow at @archesnps in Utah. Winter is the park’s quiet season—fewer crowds and no summer heat. Sure, snow and ice can make things tricky, but if you’re up for it, you’ll get wide-open views and some frosty shots.
Photo by Wes Aston pic.twitter.com/IKJQBqOtuV
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) January 21, 2026
Thucydides, a 2,400 year old quote just as applicable today pic.twitter.com/UXNOi1wfFU
— Atlas Press (@realAtlasPress) January 21, 2026
Today is the 250th anniversary of Peter Muhlenberg’s sermon from Ecclesiastes, where, according to legend, he finished it by saying, “There is a time for peace and there is a time for war. And now is the time for war,” at which moment he removed his clerical robes to show the…
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) January 21, 2026
“Don’t just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind.”
Epictetus pic.twitter.com/G3bdoqMYnl— Sophia Proneikos (@Pergament_F) January 21, 2026
5. On Control
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
The world is chaotic. You cannot control the weather or the economy.
Your reaction is the only thing you own.Master your reaction, master your life.
— GeniusThinking (@GeniusGTX) January 19, 2026