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.