You’re Not That Special

Continuing our practice of Surrender for this Easter season. Surrender applies to the major life events, but also (and quite likely more so) to the daily habits and practices of our lives. Join us as we delve into sleep deprivation, our reluctance to turn to Him first in times of need, and experiencing peace no matter your circumstance.  Quote- “In this moment He is accomplishing something unique and unrepeatable. The Lord has only given us this moment.” ~Fr. Luke “Every personal weakness is a near occasion of communion.” ~Fr. Boniface

In this episode we discuss observation of liturgical calendars, our need for seasons, and re-cap Kim's Lenten lessons. So good to be back with a new, tiny guest in tow! Listen in.

What would you say if we told you that Christmas lasts much longer than one day? And, what might you say if your Christmas has been less than, well “Christmasy?” The good news for those of us who've had a hard season is that Christ came for just this sort of thing. Our weakness draws Him to us. Our embrace of this weak place makes fertile soil for our Savior to come and do some saving. Listen in.

In this, the week before Christmas, we're talking about the necessity of advent. Whether you're working, a stay at home mom, or both, properly ordering our days for prayer is vital to Christian life. Listen in as we discuss the American mindset and work ethic in light of being “truly human” by ordering our days to serve our souls first.

How advent captures us beyond, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Developing a heart posture of waiting for His kingdom, while simultaneously participating in Immanuel, “God with us” is a tension we don't often acknowledge. How do we wait in expectation with the hurts and troubles of our current state? Listen in.

Have you ever felt like the things you're teaching your children are falling on unappreciative ears? Kim and Em dive into the reality of sharing rich and beautiful academia and planting seeds as an arduous, trusting work. We don't know what is sticking and what is not. A child, being made in the image of God, is a unique and independent vessel, ultimately under our jurisdiction, but not under our control. We're also answering a few questions that came in from listeners: -What is something that surprised you about homeschooling? -How to fight the “I'm not doing enough” lie. -How to assess yourself and your kids with honesty and clarity. Surrender in our homeschooling looks like setting a feast and coming back over and over to the table. So, how do we do that? Listen in.

In her season, Emily feels responsible to do what she sees needs done. In her season, Kim is learning to let go of what she knows and sees, even when saying something might help. For both of us, we're learning the opportunity in surrender through the daily practices of homeschooling, teaching, and getting enough protein. Does taking care of yourself sometimes feel “selfish?” Then this conversation is for you.

After discussing the “why” for our homeschooling we now dive into the “what and the how.” Tailor-made for each family, this portion of your homeschooling venture deals with the unique circumstances of your family. Finances, preferences, time, health, all play into this journey, and we're here to tell you that exactly where you are is where the Lord is, too. We do not walk alone. This is not a solo trip. Listen in. TOH article- https://theologyofhome.com/blogs/in-place-in-person/i-ve-been-asked-to-make-a-list-lessons-on-homeschooling?mc_cid=dda9a9998b&mc_eid=2642049b4a

Today we're talking about why our “Why” matters in homeschooling, and the possible fall out of going at this without one. Listen in. Teaching From Rest by, Sarah Mackenzie: Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace https://a.co/d/7Iw8Dwr

This is a much-anticipated series. We love to talk about this subject, as we're both homeschooling, one of us was a homeschooler, and both of us have seen incredible freedom in this form of education. While there's no one right way to homeschool, there's a right way for you and your family. Join us as veteran and newly-initiated homeschool mothers share our insights on best-laid-plans, ideals versus reality, and the “secret ingredient” to being a great homeschooler.

Parenthood is a calling. In this six-part series we've run the gamut of this rarely explored topic. Parenthood is messy, but there's abundant grace that (quite frankly) we're banking on. Honoring your parent is messy, but again grace plays a pivotal role in this nuanced relationship. Grace truly is the cornerstone for health in all our relationships.

Today we're revisiting an older episode entitled, “Family Friendships.” This conversation fits snuggly with all our conversation over the last couple weeks about adult children and parents and how they relate. We hope this will encourage you, as it has us!

Something we don't think about: The majority of our relationships with our children will be while they're adults. How does that inform our parenting in the formative years? How does that change the adult child's response to their parents? How can a parent love their adult child well? Listen in.

True love is love that, when tested, keeps loving. This relationship certainly presents that opportunity. How can a parent love their adult child well? How can an adult child love their parents well? Listen in.

You'd still take a bullet for your child, but they're an adult. How do you respect them as an individual, while also sharing the valuable instruction you've garnered over the years? What does prayer look like on both sides of the adult child/parent relationship? How do we use this intimate relationship to best serve the other? For that matter, why do we even need to? Listen in.

We're starting at the beginning. Humans, sin, and the institution of the family seemed appropriate for this first conversation about the delicate relationship between adult children and their parents. The Lord thought the family was worth saving. We do, too. Listen in.

Today we're answering two questions that came in: 1. First time mom tips 2. How to get through long, hard days with littles. Em can empathize, Kim can remember. Listen in.

Today we're discussing a quote from St. Francis De Sales, the temptation to define our lives by circumstances, and fail-proof ways to discover abundance in our weakness. God is a Father and He truly delights to give us our best. Listen in.

Welcome to out first Q&A episode where we answer questions directly from you! This is so exciting, as hearing directly from you helps us understand our audience better, and also pursue conversation avenues we might not have otherwise thought of. This conversation was fun, we hope it blesses you! Questions discussed in this episode: How do you balance future dreams with contentment and treasuring the present? How to tackle/adjust marriage life with a new baby in the picture? How to get around fear of taking kids in public?

As we enter part three of our marriage series, we've barely scratched the surface. We're sharing some of the places that have recently challenged us in our own marriages. It's going to be a hot one! Are we turning amoral issues moral? Maybe our conflicts aren't always court room moments, but are opportunities to overlook an offense. “Taking offense” is a choice and it's not always (usually) worth it. Listen in. Quote : “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.” C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory Appaloosa Festival: https://appaloosafestival.com/ticket-info

Are we doing the enemy's work for him? In marriage we have a choice, always. Join us as we explore our agency, our ability for extreme action, and the places we get so easily confused in thinking we're doing our spouse's “best.” Marriage reveals the hidden ugliness in all of us, but what if this vantage point was designed on purpose for the spousal relationship? Listen in. Andrew Peterson- https://genius.com/Andrew-peterson-hold-up-my-arms-lyrics

The first in our marriage series, Kim shares difficulties in marriage now as an almost empty nester, while Emily shares from her perspective with littles at home. Kim shares from 36 years experience, Em from 10, but most of the answers to the questions of “how to have a good marriage” seem pretty much the same, with a few slight variations. The best things in life are also the hardest won. Perhaps the tenants of a strong, loving marriage are “simple,” just not easy. Listen in.

While it's good in theory, “dependency” is a hard-won lesson. We are proud and prone to shame, but God offers a kind and gracious route to being conformed to His image. Emily shares a personal Lenten breakthrough and Kim warns against Christian scrupulosity. Ultimately, we want deeper healing and intimacy with Jesus. Listen in.

We give up all kinds of comforts to attain physical prowess. Whether it's a sculpted body, strength for extreme physical feats, or simply to wake up in the morning with more energy, most of us have given up some small measure of comfort to attain an elevated physical status. When it comes to the matter of our souls, do we recognize this same approach as an option? Whether we're brought there by our own means or by life's circumstances we will all encounter desert seasons. This lent we're inviting the opportunity for growth, even a plan for growth as we enter into small hardship on purpose to be drawn into conversation with our Lord. Listen in.

Could lent, like advent, be the thing that pulls us out of the inertia of our everyday lives? We are leaning into this liturgical season and asking God to show us what He has to offer. When our relationship with Christ suffers, do we point first to good things that may have overcrowded our time and space? What is standing in the way between me and Jesus? For me, it could be Pinterest and thin mints. Bitter and Sweet by, Tsh Oxenreider: https://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Sweet-Journey-into-Easter/dp/0736985530/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=f16fbb96-3aca-4a50-b840-b35a75b9cd0c Meditation in a Toolshed by, C.S. Lewis: http://kevincrawfordonline.com/resources/meditation+in+a+tool+shed+-+C+S+Lewis.pdf

We are discussing the image of God in man, the thing that makes us human, and the uncanny ability we have to talk about the same things over and over. Summit Ministries, The Sexual Revolution and Its Victims – John Stonestreet: https://www.summit.org/programs/basecamp/jan-2019/

Join us as we discuss whether we are “word of the year people,” what God is calling each of us towards in a new year, and how to face another year if your previous year was hard or challenging. So good to be back!

Whether you've put every last bit of tinsel away, or you're celebrating all the way to Candlemas, there can be a bit of let-down once family gatherings and community parties start to quiet. The separation and quiet of winter comes right on the heels of what is (for most of us) the busiest season of the year. How do we take the lessons of Christmas into our hopeful new year's stance? Listen in.

Whether this Christmas has been all that you prayed for, or much less than, we are afforded unspeakable joy and amazing peace through Christ, our Lord. How do we curate joy in the midst of our less-than-perfect lives? Listen in. Scythian Christmas Album: https://www.scythianmusic.com/product/856134

If we believe in God, what do we know about His character? Looking into the meta narrative of scripture, what can we learn in this last week of advent anticipation? We serve a God who created and sustains our world. In the midst of busyness and family, join us as God calls our hearts back to love, back to Jesus. Listen in.

Throughout advent we have different themes we're meant to focus on as we light our candles, say prayers, and endeavor to turn our hearts back over and over to baby Jesus. The third week of advent is joy and we're diving into what exactly that is. How does joy sustain us in the horrible and just hard? We want to stay rooted and joy can help us to do so.

In this season of advent we are finding purposeful ways to fight “business compulsion,” prepare physically and spiritually for winter, and prepare ultimately for the second coming of our Savior!

We are welcoming this anticipatory season with ideas for how to tap the breaks, reflections on past advent observations, and a discussion on the importance of advent before our Christmas.

To kick off our new series, “Peace in the Holidays,” we invite you to reflect on your favorite Thanksgiving memories, trouble-shoot potential peace-stealing, or stress-inducing areas, and practice a stubborn rebellion to keep the peace of Christ in your homes and your holidays. Christy Beasley- https://www.christybeasleycreative.com/

We're discussing what we've learned in the crazy blur between summer and the beginning of the school year. With our well-laid plans there is so much more at work. Listen in as we discuss the epic adventure that is the Christian life.

From conflict to simply keeping the spark in your friendship, we're talking about the ins and outs of “staying” friends.

Once we've done the hard work of finding a friend how do we be a good friend? From conflict to distance to lack or change in mutual interests, there's a lot to unpack here. Listen in.

Finding friends and having friends is easier said than done. How can we make friends when we're already vulnerable? How do we reach out when we're feeling timid? How do we deal with past friendship wounds? What do we do if the other person doesn't reciprocate? Listen in.

Today we're speaking specifically on the challenge of adding a new baby to the family dynamic and how that changes both the family and the mother. However, we're also (always) talking about the general raising of children and it's difficulties, specifically as it pertains to being a mother who is ever-aware of her own flaws.

We're continuing the conversation about balancing taking care of all your people…yourself included.

How do we balance taking care of those entrusted to our love and care while also taking care of ourselves? We're sharing our very different perspectives and differentiated between our ideals and what care we truly need. Listen in.

Welcome to part two of the conversation! Conflict is inevitable, but a fight is not. We're discussing our relationship and how we've weathered conflict over the years. An Imperfect Woman by, Kim Hyland- Imperfect Woman: Letting Go of the Need to Have It All Together https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801075165/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_022A6DZG2SQS04VJH2DQ

Conflict is inevitable, but a fight is not. We're discussing our relationship and how we've weathered conflict over the years. An Imperfect Woman by, Kim Hyland- Imperfect Woman: Letting Go of the Need to Have It All Together https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801075165/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_022A6DZG2SQS04VJH2DQ

If we're “alright” is that alright? We want beauty, comfort, productivity, in our days, who doesn't? However, not every day brings all of this and some days we don't get any of it. What should we think about days that are just alright and what place do they have in the Christian sojourn? Listen in.

How does observing Holy Week contextualize and help us understand the daily intersection of Easter into our everyday lives? Outside of one exceptional day-the Easter Sunday celebration-what does this mean for us in our day to day, and especially in our mundane? Links: Changing the Conversation- https://worldviewacademy.square.site/product/changing-the-conversation/116

Where we're finding inspiration can often be a calling card for grace or encouragement we didn't know we needed. Join us as we speak on gardens, a recent gardening favorite (Garden Maker by, Christie Purifoy- https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Maker-Growing-Beauty-Flowers/dp/0736982140 ), and what has been generally inspiring us during the slow, rainy wake of spring here in the Virginia countryside. Links: Chosen Candles-https://www.chosencandle.com/

Today we're sharing about a particularly frustrating or aggravating season and what exactly our “disturbance” may have in store for us. Trading well-meaning plans for the kind lessons of a loving Father. Emily shares about this pregnancy and how her lack is ultimately showing her a better, fuller way to live.

How can a season of penitence and fasting answer a deep longing in us? To “give up and take up” means the Lenten season is about more than just what is lacking. Listen in.

When we have a string of hard days, or a season of hard we have to learn (before we can embrace it) to find the wonder and joy in our everyday lives. We want to become a people of advent, where our hearts and minds are believing and rehearsing the truth of our coming savior. The beautiful repetition of birth and death illustrated in springtime growth points us to our very own domestic lives. During this tumultuous sojourn we take comfort in a Savior who is growing good things both in us and for us. What a hope! Three Books We Should Read: Our Bodies Tell God's Story- https://www.amazon.com/Our-Bodies-Tell-Gods-Story/dp/158743427X/ref=nodl_ A Severe Mercy- https://www.amazon.com/Severe-Mercy-Sheldon-Vanauken/dp/0060688246/ref=asc_df_0060688246_nodl?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80195746822995&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795274118132&psc=1 Chance or the Dance- https://www.amazon.com/Chance-Dance-Critique-Modern-Secularism/dp/0898702291/ref=nodl_

As winter is roughly 20 years of the average lifespan we're diving into winter for all it has to offer. Enjoying this season for what it is and not forcing our agenda onto a season has incredible benefits, not just for our bodies, but also for our spiritual lives. Heavenly Gluten Free Galette: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/gluten-free-almond-galette-recipe

How setting goals from a place of humility and contentment may be the game changer we need to succeed in a deeper way this year.