Ben Peterson

The Pied Piper pipes a village free of rats, and when the villagers refuse to pay him for the service he pipes away their children as well.

Ben Peterson explores the erosion of communal self-governance in contemporary American society and its consequences: rising social disorder and increased dependence on formal institutions such as policing and incarceration. Drawing on thinkers such as Elinor and Vincent Ostrom, Russell Kirk, Glenn C. Loury, and James Q. Wilson, Peterson investigates the concept of the “social commons”—the shared moral and relational space we inhabit and shape through norms and actions. Arguing that restoring the social commons requires informal mechanisms of governance that cultivate virtue and mutual accountability, Peterson critiques both abolitionist and punitive paradigms, advocating instead for a middle path rooted in a character-centered approach to community life. He highlights the unique role of religious communities—especially Christian congregations—as vital sanctuaries of moral order capable of renewing the social fabric and offering hope amid chaos.

From Ben Peterson, the combat veteran and founder of the nonprofit Engage Your Destiny, comes a bold debut forged from Peterson's own story of spiritual resilience and hard-earned wisdom. Engage Your Destiny invites readers to walk with God and uncover practical action steps to fulfill their God-given purpose. Daring and vulnerable, Engage Your Destiny connects to the unseen aches and desires of the human heart to overcome our struggles and live out our dreams. Peterson fearlessly shares his own stories of pain, trauma, abuse, and addiction with readers. His honest insight and powerful stories display how God can break through to even the most unlikely corners of a person's life. Since his own recovery from a personal low point in his life, Peterson's life's passion has been to testify to what is possible when you walk closely with God. Engage Your Destiny dives deep into hard topics, showing readers how God continuously shows up in even the most difficult of circumstances when people allow Him to lead their lives. From mundane everyday tasks to life's mountain highs and valley lows, each chapter takes readers moment-by-moment through a story of God showing up in impossible ways. Interspersed within are tangible action steps, helping readers to reflect on these stories thoughtfully and infuse practical applications into their personal journeys. Peterson outlines effective ways to: Confront adversity with courageIdentify the brokenness in your heartFind healing in a way that is both fun and inspirationalWalk closely with God toward fulfilling your dreamsFully engage your God-given destinyEngage Your Destiny powerfully illustrates that no matter what you're going through, God's destiny for your life is within reach, and you have the ability to embrace it.

Triphasic Training is the pinnacle of sports performance training. That's not hype. Cal Dietz, strength coach at the University of Minnesota, has the results to back up this claim - a Hobey Baker Award winner, two Big Ten Athletes of the Year, over 400 All-Americans, 28 Big Ten/WCHA championship teams, 7 NCAA National Team Champions, and 13 teams that finished in the top four in the nation. Over the past decade, Coach Dietz has worked with thousands of collegiate and professional athletes, incorporating the latest scientific research into developing his Triphasic Training method. His approach breaks down athletic movements into their three components -- eccentric, isometric, and concentric -- allowing for the continuous development of athletes, maximizing their strength, speed, and power. In this easy-to-understand book, Coach Dietz has teamed up with exercise physiologist, Ben Peterson, to explain the physiological foundations of Triphasic Training and how they can be applied to training, making athletes bigger, stronger and faster than ever before. The authors give examples of complete programs, as well as examples of how to incorporate the Triphasic method into existing programs, with descriptions on adapting it to virtually any scenario. The digital edition of this book contains over 3,000 hyperlinks to video clips that demonstrate how to properly perform every exercise, as well as six hours of video lectures by Coach Dietz from his national speaking tour. In this book, these hyperlinks are indicated by words or phrases that are underlined. In order for you to take advantage of these features, included in the book is a web link to a downloadable PDF that contains the hyperlinks and videos from the original digital book. Included in the book: - 5 complete 24-week training programs designed for 6-day, 5-day, 4-day, 3-day, or 2-day training models.- Over two dozen tables showing when and how to modify exercises to ensure continuous improvement in athletes.- Peaking programs for football lineman and skill players; swimmers; baseball, volleyball, and hockey players (among others).- A complete 52-week training program for football." Awesomeness Finally someone has done it right. If you want to challenge yourself, open your mind and just get better at your craft, I suggest you read this book." - Kevin Ziegler Former NHL Strength Coach for the Phoenix Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning"Triphasic Training is a down-to-earth, raw, bare bones book on training. No B. S., just honest facts. It gives you methods and ideas that have been proven to make athletes better. A must have book for any coach's or athlete's library."- Buddy MorrisWorld Renown Performance Coach"Triphasic Training is a game-changer I integrated the Triphasic Method with many collegiate and professional athletes at IMG. The results were outstanding It's a "must have" for anyone trying to get better "- Jeff DillmanDirector of Strength and ConditioningUniversity of Florida Football "Amazing book One of the best books I have read on strength and conditioning. You two have touched upon so many key topics and principles that few discuss to any extent. Awesome work "- Jonas SahratianStrength and Conditioning CoordinatorUniversity of North Carolina Basketball"I have to congratulate you as Triphasic Training is one of the best books in strength and conditioning I have read. Extremely practical with very well-presented arguments and logic behind your practical tools and templates. A good blend of innovation, science/research and experience throughout."- Scott WilliamsExercise PhysiologistGolf Australia and PGA of Australia