Someone once told me that we live in an age of “dumbing down.” I think he specifically called it the “dumbing down of America.” I suspect there is some truth to that statement, at least to a degree. It’s not that people are dumb; but it’s more of a situation where we have forgotten how to think for ourselves.

This happens at all levels, form the most common of conversations on social media to the halls of academia. I vividly remember a conversation with one of my professors in college. He told me that he wasn’t concerned with originality in our work for his classes as much as he was with the ability to repeat what he had taught us. What I took from that conversation was that if I could regurgitate his notes in my work, I’d get a good grade. And I did. Along with so many others, I was obediently interested in what he told me we wanted me to learn, and not much else.

I get it. He was teaching a specific topic, and we needed to learn that subject matter. But I think I could have learned it better if thinking and exploring were more encouraged than just repeating what he said in class.

A further problem is that when we don’t think and reason about things, we substitute emotion and feelings. This is why so much is said on social media that we might never say in a physical, vocal conversation. Instead of objective conversation, we turn to subjective feelings, and we let them drive our speech.

So what do we do about it? Maybe, just maybe, we need to relearn how to think. We need to learn how to use our cognitive reasoning abilities to assess our lives and circumstances. It will be hard, because these thinking muscles haven’t been used in a while for most of us. And it will take time. But I think it might help us avoid so many of the problems that we face as a culture, and lead us out of the chaos.

If you are interested in reading How To Think, by Alan Jacobs, you can pick up a copy on Amazon.

As the father of several kids, three of which are sons, I am poignantly aware of the role I play as a father, as a husband, and as a man, with each of them watching my life closely. Because of that, I want to model for them what it means to be a man, and to be a godly one.

Perhaps the biggest challenge that the men of our culture face is to be a man of integrity in every area. And it takes courage to do so. In Stepping Up, Dennis Rainey challenges men to be men of courage and integrity in the face of a world that pushes them to conform to a lower standard.

Rainey has identified five stages of a man’s life: boyhood, adolescence, manhood, mentor, and patriarch. In this book, he explores the responsibilities and needs present in each of the areas… And how to move up to the next.

In part, I am reading this to provide a better and more courageous example to my sons. But also, I am reading this to make sure I continue to challenge myself to step it up in every area of my life to be the man that God has called and created me to be.

Each chapter requires a very short time to read, but the implications and applications are huge. One could almost read this devotionally, except for the continual calls to action that seem to crop up on each page. This will probably take much, much longer to digest then just a simple devotional reading would allow.

I highly recommend the works of Dennis Rainey. His books on marriage and relationships have been vastly helpful for me, and this promises to be just as impacting for my life. I suggest you pick up a copy and read it, or buy one for the man in your life. You can pick up a copy on Amazon.

Recently, I have become very interested in the concept of the Enneagram. This is a method for understanding your personality. When you look at it from two different directions you can gain some solid insights. First, you can see how God has created you. This explains much of why you do what you do. It explains how you handle different situations and circumstances because of your personality type.

But it also can help you see what God has created you to be. Each personality type has avenues of growth and avenues that are less healthy. But as you seek to understand yourself in light of God’s design, you can look forward to what you are intended to be.

The Enneagram describes nine different personality types, and as I discover more and study this in greater detail, I’m sure I will share much of it here. In the meantime, I have discovered that I am Type 1, the Moral Perfectionist. While that might sound a bit negative, it is not. And as I learn more about my core motivations and fears, my core longings and weaknesses, I am beginning to see that my personality type is a gift, and it is to be used for the glory of God.

I’m fascinated by the concept of the Enneagram. If you are intrigued, and would like to read more, I suggest you start with Your Enneagram Coach, a resource designed by the same author. If you would like to purchase this book, you can find it on Amazon, along with the other eight books in this series.

As I grow in my own faith and maturity, I am always on the lookout for good books that help develop my spiritual life. A few years ago, a good friend suggested that I read Ray Pritchard’s book He’s God And We’re Not. I picked up a copy on Amazon and promptly placed it on my “to read” shelf… And forgot about it.

Recently, I was going through some thing in my office, reorganizing my desk and the area around it, and I happened to see this book on the shelf. After a quick glance through it to remind myself of the basics, I decided that this might be an excellent resource to read during this time of quarantine.

Pritchard decided to see if he could identify the basic laws that govern the spiritual life. In his quest, he discovered seven of the most basic spiritual realities that form the foundation for our spiritual growth; the first of these is, “He’s God and we’re not.”

I am finding this to be an excellent tool to help me reflect upon my own spiritual life, and to identify those areas where I need to continue to focus my efforts. It has the potential to be a life-changing resource that I return to time and again as I strive to be all that God has created me to be.

I am only a few chapters in at this point, but I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and read it. I think you’ll be as encouraged as I am, and you will be able to see what the next steps might be for your own spiritual growth. You can pick up a copy on Amazon.

New Year’s Resolutions are designed to fail. And even though the number of people making them is rising, especially among Millennials, they just aren’t really that good at creating lasting life change. We need a better strategy for making and achieving our goals. Your Best Year Ever strives to help you do just that.

I have been following Michael Hyatt for years. I first found his blog and learned a lot about leadership from it. Then I discovered some of his books, like Free To Focus and Living Forward. Those were both great, by the way. And they pair perfectly with Your Best Year Ever.

Between the three of them, you get a high altitude look at your goals and life plan, you get a mid-range perspective, and you get a close up look at how you accomplish the best things you want to accomplish.

I’m only a few chapters in, but so far, there are some excellent tips and tools to help make goal-setting easier, and the changes we want to make more lasting.

I think it’s a must-read. You can find a copy in various formats on Amazon. Grab one and see how it might help your life.

American history is one of my favorite subjects. My top eras are early twentieth century, during the 1930s and 40s, and the old west period from the Civil War to the turn of the century. But I also love the founding era of American history too.

One of the biggest questions posed to students of American history, is whether or not the Founding Fathers were Christians, and if this nation was founded as a Christian nation. The answer to both of those question is unequivocally yes, but that concept is being consistently rewritten by those who reject the idea that America has deep roots in Christianity.

In Did America Have A Christian Founding?, author Mark David Hall takes a look, not at the history books that have been written since America became a nation, but at the documents of the Founding Fathers themselves, and finds solid evidence of their faith in their letters, journals and other writings.

It’s worth taking a look at. If you would like to read Did America Have A Christian Founding?, you can get it on Amazon.

Bear Trap Ranch is a place that holds a significant spot in my heart. God has done some pretty incredible things in my life at that place in the mountains, and it is one of my favorite locations on this planet because of that.

Bear Trap is run by a ministry called Band of Brothers, who seeks to encourage men to be who God has created them to be. So the gift shop at Bear Trap carries a few books that help meet that goal. It’s small, and they only carry a few titles. But one of them caught my eye.

Before I could purchase it, a friend of mine bought it and gave it to me as a gift. And he couldn’t have given me anything better.

The Story Of With, by Allen Arnold, is a fictional allegory of a young lady who is seeking out the meaning of her life. As she struggles to discover her identity — not what she does, but who she is — she is taken on a journey where things are very black and white, allowing her to see the reality of our world. Combining allegory with application, this intense story helps you to see yourself more as God sees you, and more as God loves you.

It’s a quick and easy read, but it bears a closer scrutiny than just simply reading through it. Even though it is fictional, it contains several insights and nuggets of truth that may just knock the breath out of your lungs.

As I strive to “be” and not just “do,” this idea of “with” takes that whole learning process to a new and deeper level. It is impacting my soul in ways that I couldn’t have imagined as I looked it over in the gift shop at Bear Trap Ranch.

Thanks, Ron, for the gift that has impacted me deeper than you’ll ever know.

If you would like to read The Story Of With, you can get it on Amazon.