Why do we read the books we do? And when we read a book more than once, why is that?

Having just finished Colin Woodward's 'The Republic of Pirates' for the second time in less than a year, and now closing in on a third read-through of Charles C. Mann's '1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus,' I am trying to figure out what the common denominator is for me.

Then I consider this piece at CNBC from January 2019 stating '24 percent of American adults haven’t read a book in the past year' - and I am baffled that anyone can help reading at least one book in the course of a year, much less stopping at one.

If you read some books regularly or routinely, why do you go back to the books you go back to? 

But if you do not read books at all, then you should. Fix that. Amend that. Add regular reading of good books to your routine. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, after all.

Yesterday afternoon, I had a follow-up appointment with a dentist in Greeley. At a minimum, he would be giving me a dental crown. However, he might also get into the procedure and find that he needed to perform a root canal.

On the way home, I called my brother who was moving his earthly belongings from his old house to his new house, and he sounded out of breath and tired. Joking, we discussed trading places. He would go to my dentist appointment, and I would go do his moving for him.

But of course it doesn't work that way, and that's the joke.

Similarly, it is odd to me that we think men and women are interchangeable authority figures - in the home, in church, or in broader society. And it makes about as much sense to say that anyone at all will do, so long as they are willing. Yes, willingness is an important component. But even more important is calling and qualification, as well as necessity. And most important of all is God's design and purpose and command.

Check out this article from 1948 by C.S. Lewis for more fine thoughts on these matters.

But suffice to say for now that when we think we need to modernize the Scriptures to meet our ideals of equity and fairness, we are not just fostering strife between one another, between conservatives and liberals inside and outside the church. We are fostering strife between ourselves and the Most High God whose created order we are expressing deep and abiding discontent and dissatisfaction with.

My neighbor two houses down, JP Chavez wrote to me yesterday afternoon with the following:

"I was listening to a podcast on Carl Trueman's 'Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.' They pick up some aspects that Trueman himself doesn’t go into in the book - namely... the idea, “I think therefore I am,” and how that kind of introspection influenced the church.

So let's dive right into who Descartes was and where this idea came from. And, perhaps more importantly, what has been the effect of doubting absolutely everything except our own existence, and building all our sciences off of that one truth?

In short, the result has been to build up a philosophy which is not the love of wisdom at all. Philosophy is supposed to be the love of wisdom, but believing that we are the only certain reality in the universe, and that "Man is the measure of all things" as the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras put it, necessarily goes hand-in-hand with fundamentally rejecting the existence of a knowable, understandable, actionable transcendent and objective truth and reality.

Yet to reject the existence of that sort of reality and truth is also to fundamentally oppose the truth claims of the Bible and of the God of the Bible. 

Perhaps in all our radical doubting and deconstruction we would do well do doubt our own interest in that kind of anti-philosophy approach to truth and wisdom. And perhaps we would do well to embrace the fact that we exist regardless our believing and doubting, and must exist because "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Back after my vacation last week, capped off with a busy and breathtaking trip to New Mexico for my son Eli's 13th birthday, I want to talk about comments made by President Joe Biden last week concerning the 2nd Amendment. 

For those unfamiliar, you can listen to his remarks for yourself here.

Needless to say, I remain unconvinced. And vaguely threatening to use F-15's and nuclear weapons against proponents and advocates of the 2nd Amendment as an anti-tyranny protection is itself a good argument for why we should not allow the 2nd Amendment to be infringed upon.

In other news, a bi-partisan resolution in the U.S. Congress condemns a century of Maoist CCP oppression of the Chinese people. And isn't it an odd sight to see our lawmakers condemn a century of atrocities committed by communists in China while at the same time listening to ascendant radical Leftism threaten Americans who want to keep and bear arms and remain free?

I definitely think so.

But let me end off with a word of encouragement. Rights that are God-given can only be opposed by men. They cannot be taken away unless we surrender them. And if my trip to New Mexico with my son Eli underscored anything for me, it is that regimes change, but culture endures.

New Mexico was once Nuevo Mexico. And before it was a part of the United States, it was a province of what is now the United Mexican States. And before Mexico was an independent nation, it belonged to Spain. And before that, it was the ancient land of various tribes of indigenous Puebloan, Apache, and Chacoan peoples. 

My point being that all of those cultures still live in to varying extents today. Regimes come and go. Illegitimate presidents and governments rise and fall. But if we maintain a culture of celebrating, affirming, and defending what is good and true according to God, our heritage and posterity will endure.

In the 2006 Alfonso Cuarón sci-fi flick ‘Children of Men,’ Clive Owen plays Theo Faron, a man tasked with delivering the last young woman on Earth capable of having children to a place where she will be protected and looked-after. For some unknown reason, everyone else has become infertile.

The film is set in the not-so-distant future, the year 2027. And the premise is gripping. With years having passed since the last child was born, humanity has devolved into chaos and disorder at the realization of the finitude of mankind. And now that a woman has been found who is somehow fertile when none of the other women on Earth are, everyone is going to want to use her for their own political aims.

“He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future,” as Adolf Hitler is often quoted.

Fast-forward to the present. Or rewind to the present. I suppose it all depends on whether you work from when this movie was made and released, or else work from when the film is set to take place.

This past weekend, in celebration of Father’s Day, I introduced my own seven children to another apocalyptic vision of the future. Or should I say, ‘last year’?

I had forgotten that the 2002 film Reign of Fire, starring Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, and Gerard Butler, was set in the year 2020. Funny, that. Or at least we all thought so.

But here too, the subject of having children to continue on the human race features prominently. And the importance of fathers to this plot also cannot be understated. Just look at Christian Bale’s character Quinn Abercromby. Or, for a darker example, consider the final dragon needing slain.

Psalm 127:3-5 reads as follows.

Behold, children are a heritage from Yahweh,

So what should we make of the COVID vaccine being dangerous to women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant?

As American Christians, I think it's hard for us to imagine being persecuted in our own country. Perhaps if we were trying to serve as missionaries in North Korea or China or the Middle East, we could expect to be arrested, beaten, or put to death just for sharing the gospel. But here in the United States?

Why not? What prevents violent and systematic persecution of Christianity from our shores? 

The COVID lockdowns of the past year have proven to me with alarming rapidity that we are not so far removed from the plight of the church historically in diverse places and times. Church services forbidden. Singing songs together banned. And major alleged news media outlets running stories blaming Christians for being "anti-science" and thereby spreading the pandemic.

Despite not usually being a fan of John MacArthur, I must admit he has been a true American hero through the past year. For just the latest example of what I mean, check out his sermon from June 17th, 2021 titled 'When Government Rewards Evil and Punishes Good,' sent me by my friend Lukas Abernathy yesterday afternoon.

And to further drive home the point MacArthur is making about our current circumstances, consider the new documentary 'The Government War on Worship' highlighted yesterday in this article by Jon Brown at The Daily Wire. 

Who would have thought a few short years ago that the Chinese Communist Party's repression of Christians in that country would be juxtaposed with some merit alongside images and footage of Canadian law enforcement arresting and repressing pastors and laypeople just for trying to hold church services in North America in violation of public health orders?

If you didn't see that happening - at least so soon - neither did I. And what else might come sooner than we think next? But whatever comes next, it's important to remember what's in play here. It's critical to recognize what is really at the center of this conflict. And most importantly, it's imperative we remember who wins in the end.

JP Chavez messaged me yesterday afternoon to ask the following question:

"How does one get better at communication? Specifically in regards to what you are having Josiah do this summer, how do you train yourself o organize your thoughts and distill information, then train yourself to express them in a coherent way?"

As part of my answer to JP's excellent question, I explained how I have filled out a personal reading list toward the end of understanding the elements of communication better. As promised, here is my list: 

Last night as I was sorting and folding laundry, I called my 13-year-old son up and handed him two books. Then I outlined for him a summer reading plan project.

The two books I handed him are co-written by the same two men: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Seasoned and experienced Navy SEAL leaders who have had long, full careers in the military and outside of it putting leadership principles into practice.

How do we take ownership of the situations around us for the benefit of those who depend on us in various spheres of life? How can we think rightly about self-discipline, hard work, communication, and our own personal attitude? It's all here.

And I think as far as summer reading projects go, you couldn't ask for much better for a teenage boy about to turn 14 at the end of next month.

But before I could recommend to Josiah reading these two books, I read them. And that's part of how we fathers of young men in the making have to approach these things. What example are we setting to influence our charges and lead them in the right direction?

Consider Proverbs 24:3-7.

"By wisdom a house is built,

by knowledge the rooms are filled

A wise man is full of strength,

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

Wisdom is too high for a fool;

LinkedIn Senior News Editor Andrew Seaman wrote me yesterday morning asking my thoughts on what is being called the 'Great Resignation' - 30-40% of the workforce signaling in polls and surveys that they want to change jobs post-COVID lockdowns.

What is my advice for people looking to make a move, either now or in the near future? Listen in to find out.

LinkedIn Senior News Editor Andrew Seaman emailed me yesterday morning to ask my opinion on what is being called 'The Great Resignation.'

Experts are saying that 30-40% of the workforce has signaled an intention to change jobs post-COVID-19. And if that prediction bears out, the result will be incredibly disruptive for management and business owners in every sector of the economy.

Andrew asks what my advice is for people making a job or career change right now. And I am happy to provide input in that regard. But before I do, let's look at why a third of employees polled want to do something different.

I have a theory, and will share it here. But we have to understand why people are dissatisfied in their present circumstance if we are going to know what counsel they need to find a more satisfying situation.

As a piece by Bryan Robinson over at Forbes last week states, "Resignation rates are heating up, signaling high risk of turnover for summer 2021." 

And this turnover is going to translate into both challenges and opportunities for employers and employees alike.

The deck is being reshuffled to an extent most if not all of us have never seen in our lifetimes. So keep a cool head. Ask the important questions. Count the costs as well as the benefits of making a change. 

Not all change is beneficial, but change often is if we know how to make the most of it. And not all differences in circumstance and scenery are actually progress. But if the benefits outweigh the costs, making a change might just be worth it right now, particularly as so many slots in so many places are being vacated by others also making moves.

'The Great Resignation' may just as easily be thought of as 'The Great Renegotiation.' So now is a good time to study up on being a more effective negotiator.

#TheBigShift