Podcasts about homeschool

Today we're talking about your God-given right to raise, educate, and disciple your children without government interference. New Jersey is pushing two bills—A5825 and A5796—that would tighten control over homeschoolers, while UNESCO and the UN advance “global citizenship” and standardized education worldwide.My friend Mike Farris—founder of HSLDA and a longtime defender of homeschool freedom—joins me to explain what these proposals actually do, why “curriculum alignment” is so dangerous, how treaties like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child come into play, and why what happens in New Jersey won't stay there.If you homeschool—or just care about parental rights and liberty—this episode is your call to stay informed, stay engaged, and stay off the bench.Prime Sponsor: No matter where you live, visit the Functional Medical Institute online today to connect with Drs Mark and Michele Sherwood. Go to homeschoolhealth.com to get connected and see some of my favorites items. Use coupon code HEIDI for 20% off!BRAVE Books | heidibrave.comLifestone Ministries | Lifestoneministries.com/heidiEquipping The Persecuted Coffee | ETPcoffee.comShow mentions: heidistjohn.com/mentionsWebsite | heidistjohn.comSupport the show! | donorbox.org/donation-827Rumble | rumble.com/user/HeidiStJohnYoutube | youtube.com/@HeidiStJohnPodcastInstagram | @heidistjohnFacebook | Heidi St. JohnX | @heidistjohnFaith That Speaks Online CommunitySubmit your questions for Fan Mail Friday | heidistjohn.net/fanmailfriday

The holiday season is upon us and as a homeschool mom, you may have a moment (or two...or more) of panic about all the things you feel need to happen these next few weeks. Today's guest, Lyndsey Mimnaugh, of Treehouse Schoolhouse says that the holiday season can be a powerful time of discipleship with our children. It isn't one more thing to do, but rather THE focus this Christmas season.  She is sharing how to simply tie it all together into your day, as well as how to shift the focus from consumerism and chaos in your home to one of worship and connection instead. Enjoy a hot cocoa while you listen to this episode! ♥ Leigh   Treehouse Schoolhouse website: https://treehouseschoolhouse.com/ Shop (Use code LITTLEBYLITTLE15 to save 15%!) https://treehouseschoolhouse.com/collections/all Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treehouse_schoolhouse/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treehouse.schoolhouse/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TreehouseSchoolhouse   CREATE YOUR HOMESCHOOL FAMILY'S HOME TASK SYSTEM https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome    DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S UNIQUE HOMESCHOOL THAT YOU'LL LOVE! https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint   GET EXCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP WITH LEIGH https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/mentorship   SIMPLIFY YOUR MEAL PLANNING https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/meal     Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.myflodesk.com/subscribe Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/     Listen to these related episodes: 411. Preparing For Christmas: Advent For The Homeschool Family    108. How Long Should A Homeschool Christmas Break Last and How You Can Keep Your Home Clean During The Holiday Season: Answering Your Questions Part Two    212. Help! What Is the Best Way to Respond to Family & Friend's Comments About Your Homeschool This Christmas Season?  

We're back this year with more great gift ideas that are not only fun but also educational! We've got lots of ideas broken down by category and age. Whether you need to encourage reading, have a learner who loves STEM, or want to support the artist in your house, we have something for everyone! Find Secular Curriculum with our Resource Selector https://www.homeschool-together.com/secular-resources Support The Podcast If you like what you hear, consider supporting the podcast: https://homeschooltogether.gumroad.com/l/support Consider Leaving Us A Review If you have a quick moment, please consider leaving a review on iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homeschool-together-podcast/id1526685583 Show Notes Learning Resources STEM Explorers Brainometry - https://amzn.to/42udfz8 Odin Card Game - https://amzn.to/430Hy0n Shashibo Shape Shifting Box - https://amzn.to/46VU56u LeapFrog LeapStart - https://amzn.to/3WpNAnD LeapFrog LeapStart Learn to Read Volume 1 - https://amzn.to/4mTKtzo Magnetic Poetry - https://amzn.to/4nZrpjS Mad Libs - https://amzn.to/4pVOupp Learning Resources STEM Explorers Pixel Art Challenge - https://amzn.to/4nGylmq CodeMarz - https://amzn.to/4q5fUtl Discovery Model Engine Building Kit - https://amzn.to/4hhKbkJ LEGO Technic Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit Building Set - https://amzn.to/3IUWqqt Green Science Kits Weather Science Kit - https://amzn.to/3IHI90h Creativity for Kids Grow 'N Glow Terrarium Kit - https://amzn.to/4h6xuZS Rocknoculars - https://amzn.to/46Wglxm Monocular Telescope - https://amzn.to/42rMBa4 USA Toyz Illuminated Globe - https://amzn.to/4nEuBC3 Otamatone - https://amzn.to/48dRbMQ Stylophone The Original Pocket Electronic Synthesizer - https://amzn.to/437TwFA Kraftic Woodworking Building Kit - https://amzn.to/3IVlAoS Tovla Jr. Real Chocolate Making Kit - https://amzn.to/4pYZnac Dumpling Making Set - https://amzn.to/4nP2yzy Edible Crafts Kids' Cookbook - https://amzn.to/3WnTS7h DIY Make Your Mark Hand Lettering Set - https://amzn.to/473kK1A Connect with us Website: http://www.homeschool-together.com/ Store: https://gumroad.com/homeschooltogether Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/homeschooltogether Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/homeschooltogetherpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/homeschooltogetherpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/hs_together The Gameschool Co-Op: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameschoolcoop/ Email: homeschooltogetherpodcast@gmail.com

Balancing work, homeschooling, and everyday life can often feel like starring in your own three-ring circus—with no intermission. This is my circus and these are my monkeys. So how do you get it done and keep your sanity?  It feels like the same thing day after day. Before the alarm buzzes at 5am, your mind is already churning through the day's impossible juggling act: client projects, math lessons, laundry, spelling tests, deadlines, and somehow finding time to actually eat. This is the reality of working from home and homeschooling. Is it possible to do it all and still get it done? Show notes and links: https://lifeunboxed.blog/get-it-done/ Find your tribe. Join the online community: Rebel Moms Club for Working Homeschool Mom:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/rebelmomsclub Grab your guide today! The Momtrepreneur's Guide to Homeschool Curriculum: https://lifeunboxed.blog/homeschool-curriculum/ RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:Time Management for Moms Who Work From Home: https://youtu.be/qT4HXQmR1lkDefine Success on Your Own Terms: https://youtu.be/hOl4iw89sYIDemystify Time Blocking: https://youtu.be/-fqFiap8jAcWorking from Home and Homeschooling: https://youtu.be/f-KRcIacc60Create a Morning Routine: https://youtu.be/cXD66yiM3vwJournals and Notebooks for Mom + Homeschool Resources: https://geni.us/Jodiethemom ~~~REBEL MOM CHECKLIST: A NO NONSENSE GUIDE TO WORKING FROM HOME AND HOMESCHOOLINGDitch the overwhelm and struggle. It is possible to work from home and homeschool confidently. Get actionable suggestions and practical help. https://lifeunboxed.blog/homeschool-and-work-from-home/ MOMS RUN ON COFFEE. BUY JODIE THE MOM ONE.https://ko-fi.com/lifeunboxedblog  To learn more about Life Unboxed blog, visit: https://lifeunboxed.blog/about-the-blog-working-from-home-with-kids/FOLLOW JODIE:Website: https://lifeunboxed.blog/Business: https://www.jodierperry.com/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LifeUnboxedFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeunboxedblogInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeunboxedblog/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-647543YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lifeunboxedblogMusic for the intro/outro is Like it Hot by Tenoaxehttp://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_3.php?q=1579Disclaimer: This video and description contain affiliate links. If you purchase using one of these links, I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me keeps things free for you, and who doesn't love free stuff.Support the show

Is your child struggling with ADHD, allergies, or chronic illness? Wondering why childhood health is declining despite modern medicine?In this episode, functional medicine doctor Dr. Dusty Hess explains the root causes behind rising rates of ADHD, autism, and infertility—and shares practical solutions every family can implement today.What You'll Learn: ✅ Functional medicine vs. conventional healthcare (firefighters vs. builders) ✅ How plastics, seed oils, and processed foods disrupt hormones ✅ The truth about vaccines and personalized health approaches ✅ Why inflammation is both friend and foe ✅ The shocking infertility crisis: sperm counts down 50% in 50 years ✅ Autophagy and intermittent fasting made simple ✅ Practical swaps for your kitchen, home, and daily routine ✅ Why homeschool families are uniquely positioned for better healthAbout Dr. Dusty Hess: Dr. Dusty is a functional medicine doctor, founder of Upstream Health, and creator of Upstream Magazine—a monthly publication helping Christian families get healthy from the inside out.Resources: Explore everything Upstream Health has to offer at www.upstreamhealth.comOur free ADHD webinar shares guidance, tools, and encouragement from our care team to support you or someone you love navigating ADHD. https://upstreamhealth.com/webinar-landing/Upstream Health link-tree: https://upstreamhealth.com/link-tree/ Perfect for: Homeschool parents, Christian families, moms seeking natural health solutions, anyone dealing with chronic childhood illness, ADHD, autism, or fertility challenges.

Join my Patreon for access to all court docs, podcasts and more! https://www.Patreon.com/imnotalawyerbut Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imnotalawyerbut Merch: https://cc0463-4.myshopify.com/ Booking/Email: info@imnotalawyerbut.com TIMECODES: :03 - Greg Intro :24 - Episode Intro 3:00 - OFFICER WITH NO PANTS 10:15 - ALICIA ANDREWS VERDICT 49:00 - OBJ 1 - Jury got it wrong 50:47 - OBJ 2 - previous Juror 55:40 - OBJ 3 - "away game" - Tampa v Jacksonville 1:00:25 - OBJ 4 - Homeschool mom 1:04:10 - OBJ 5 - Jury wasn't happy with choices 1:17:34 - end Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode Sponsors: CTC Math

Homeschooling and homemaking will clash if you don't set priorities. In this conversation with Leigh Nguyen from Little by Little Homeschool, we get practical about dividing attention between lessons and housework, why year-round homeschooling (6 on / 1 off) helps, and how to set daily “trigger” tasks so the house doesn't tank your mood.You'll learn:   how to choose a few daily basics and let the rest wait   why a break week is for resets, projects, and mental space   how kids' chores build skills (and buy you margin)   what to do when you can't find a mentor—and how to be oneListen to Lee's podcast: Little by Little Homeschool → https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/podcastLee's site: littlebylittlehomeschool.com Join Convivial Circle for practical help and accountability → convivialcircle.com

It really is that time to start thinking about Advent. That doesn't mean you need to decorate for Christmas if you are not ready for that yet. But, if you want to be intentional about the Advent season, it's time to figure out your plans. Growing up, Advent wasn't anything more than a special reading and candle lighting at church on Sunday. But when we began homeschooling and I realized all the opportunities that I now had with my children, I knew that this could be a time of the year rich with the Gospel and the story of Jesus's birth. That was over a decade ago and we continue to take the opportunity to grow in our faith each Christmas season as a Christian homeschool family. Today, I am sharing a few tips that I learned along the way so you can embrace this time of the year! ♥ Leigh     CREATE YOUR HOMESCHOOL FAMILY'S HOME TASK SYSTEM https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome    DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S UNIQUE HOMESCHOOL THAT YOU'LL LOVE! https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint   GET EXCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP WITH LEIGH https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/mentorship   SIMPLIFY YOUR MEAL PLANNING https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/meal     Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.myflodesk.com/subscribe Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/     Listen to these related episodes: 101. Looking For the Perfect Way to Celebrate Advent As A Homeschool Family? 7 Favorite Resources You'll Want to Include    105. 10 Simple and Budget-Friendly Christmas Traditions For The Homeschool Family That Will Create Lifelong Memories    210. Best Practices For the Homeschool Mom Wanting to Really Enjoy the Christmas Season and Avoid a Mental Breakdown 

Are you wondering if you're teaching reading the “right” way—or if your child is ready to start learning phonics? You're not alone! In this episode, reading coach Melanie Jeffrey joins us to bring calm, clarity, and confidence to homeschool moms navigating the early reading years. Show notes are at https://www.4onemore.com/333

Are you trying to do it all in your family's homeschool? Teaching every subject, grading every worksheet pitching in with every project...it can be exhausting. In this episode, I'm sharing how you can take some of that pressure off your plate by learning to outsource the right way. Why you don't have to teach every subject yourself How outsourcing can help your kids thrive AND free up your time How to balance homeschool, work, and family life with less overwhelm Resources Mentioned: Outschool – Live online classes for every age and interest (use my referral link for $50 off your first class!) Acellus Academy – Accredited online school with flexible pacing Time4Learning – Self-paced homeschool curriculum for PreK–12

Send a message to MeganFind the full episode show notes by clicking here!If you like this podcast, and you have been dealing with anxiety, the effects of trauma, or have sometimes wondered why you act or feel a certain way when you logically know it doesn't make any sense, then come work with me, where we can together make a difference for you with the anxiety, triggers, and traumas you've been dealing with, so that they no longer show up at all.If you are navigating triggers, especially health anxiety and triggers, I'm have a free training, that teaches you the 5 part process to heal a trigger in 30 days or less! Click here if you want to heal your trigger quickly!

Hey hey, it's Sarah Mackenzie!I am here with a bonus episode. I host another podcast — it's called Circle with Sarah— and it's a short, weekly podcast that helps all of us become the peace-filled, joyful mamas we're called to be. It goes up at RAR Premium every Monday during the school year. Recently, I recorded an episode for that podcast called "God is Not Disappointed in You." And not only did it really resonate with RAR Premium members, but we got several requests from members to please post this on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast so they could share it with their friends even if their friends weren't inside RAR Premium. Here's the episode:In our recent Circle with Sarah Retreat, you were all invited to submit questions about maintaining peace in your homeschool, because of course that was our theme, and so many of you did!It has been just a complete joy to read through those and consider them. Almost 120 questions came in actually, and we were only able to touch on a few during the retreat, and then we touched on a few more in our last Circle with Sarah Live.But as I was reading through your questions and just prayerfully considering how to answer them, one thing jumped out at me over and over again. I mentioned it, actually, at the very end of the September Circle with Sarah Live. It's this pervasive fear that so many of us have that really feeds into our anxiety about our homeschools and our kids and our parenting and our worry that we're not doing a good enough job with any of it. And the underlying belief that is a problem here is that we believe that God is disappointed in us as homeschooling moms, that we're failing Him, and He's disappointed.And I think this fear is probably exaggerated somewhat for us if we had a father or really any authority figure over us at any point in our lives who did express chronic disappointment in us. I think then it's very easy to translate that into feeling like God must also be feeling disappointed in us. That seems like the easiest thing to believe, like the truest thing.But listen to me, God is not disappointed in you. He is not surprised by anything you are facing in your life, your motherhood, your homeschool, your marriage, any of it. He's not surprised by any of it. On your absolute worst days, He's not surprised by how you acted or reacted. He already knows the worst and hardest and most challenging things that you are facing right now, and He loves you and He's calling you to this work anyway.He actually never asks us to be good enough. And He never asks us to get this just right. And I think it's worth remembering that He didn't actually think you would do a better job than you're doing. He's all knowing. He's sovereign. He didn't think you'd do a better job than you're doing at anything, in any part of your life. And He's not disappointed in you. I wonder if you can sit with that for just a second, like really sit with it? I want to read from Psalm 103:"The Lord is merciful and gracious,    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."Later in that same psalm we read, "For He knows our frame;    He remembers that we are dust."So He knows who we are. He knows our capabilities, He knows our limits, He knows our frame, and He remembers that we are dust. And yet He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.I wonder if you can say that out loud to yourself. God is not disappointed in me. Try it.How did that feel? Did it feel true? Did your voice wobble? Did you feel choked up? Did you feel like, I don't know if that's true? Listen, this is what you can say to yourself and know it is true. God is not disappointed in me. He is not disappointed in my kids. He is not disappointed in my homeschool. He is not disappointed in how I cook or how badly I cook. He is not disappointed in how clean I keep the house or how much laundry I got done this week, or whether I even touched it at all. Whether I ever follow through on teaching my kids chores or following up on that character issue or taking care of the parenting issues that are screaming at us in the face. He is not disappointed in how often I read aloud or how much homeschool we got done, or how many activities my kids are in, or whether my kids are still in their pajamas at 4:00 PM. None of this is a disappointment or a surprise to Him. He loves me. He loves you. And He promises us peace that transcends all understanding.That's a big one so I'm just going to leave us here today. We're going to come back to it again next week. But I wonder if at different points during your week, you can remind yourself, God is not disappointed in me. Write it on a post-it. Put it in a few different places. Put it wherever you brush your teeth. Put it where you wash your dishes, put it in the car when you're getting in the car to take your kids to activities or run an errand. Put it by your coffee pot in the morning. God is not disappointed in me. Write it down. See if you can maybe start to believe that this week and we'll circle back to it next week. You have everything you need to teach with peace that transcends with all understanding. You were made for this life. I'm praying for you.--- If you want a podcast episode like this to start each week on the right foot, you probably want RAR Premium—that's where you get access to the CWS podcast. Find out more at rarpremium.com or circlewithsarah.com. 

How Tim Tebow changed high school sports in Florida, his favorite coach stories, how our society lacks purpose, and living passionately... On the net, it's a positive ----- JOKES FOR HUMANS TOUR: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://johncristcomedy.com/tour/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 11/7 - Boise, ID 11/8 - Spokane, WA 11/9 - Tacoma, WA 11/20 - Abilene, TX 11/21 - San Antonio, TX 11/22 - Tyler, TX 11/23 - Austin, TX 12/5 - Phoenix, AZ 12/6 - Santa Rosa, CA 12/7 - Redding, CA 12/11 - South Bend, IN 12/12 - Munhall, PA 12/14 - Buffalo, NY 1/23 - Joliet, IL 1/24 - Effingham, IL 1/25 - Nashville, TN 2/20 - Springfield, MO 2/22 - Louisville, KY 2/26 - Ithaca, NY 2/27 - Reading, PA 2/28 - Glenside, PA 3/1 - New York, NY 3/20 - Jackson, MI 3/21 - Rockford, IL 3/22 - Cedar Rapids, IA 3/27 - Columbia, MO 3/28 - Fayetteville, AR 3/29 - Little Rock, AR 4/10 - Stockton, CA 4/11 - Anaheim, CA 4/12 - Thousand Oaks, CA 4/17 - Tucson, AZ 4/18 - Houston, TX 5/2 - Fort Worth, TX 5/3 - Amarillo, TX 5/14 - Wilmington, NC 5/15 - Evans, GA 5/16 - Durham, NC 5/29 - Jacksonville, FL 5/30 - Asheville, NC 5/31 - Columbia, SC 6/4 - Mobile, AL 6/5 - Florence, AL 6/6 - Duluth, GA ----- Catch the full video podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on social media (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@netpositivepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) for clips, bonus content, and updates throughout the week. ----- Email us at netpositive@johncristcomedy.com ----- FOLLOW JOHN ON: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AG1: Get a FREE gift with your first order at https://DrinkAG1.com/netpositive to get started with AG1's Next Gen and and notice the benefits for yourself. BRUNT: Go to http://bruntworkwear.com/ and use code NETPOSITIVE to get $10 OFF PONCHO: Go to https://ponchooutdoors.com/netpositive for $10 off and free shipping on your first order MIRACLE MADE: Save OVER 40% + 3 free towels with promo code NETPOSITIVE at https://trymiracle.com/NETPOSITIVE ----- PRODUCED BY: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Lagos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Easton Smith / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lagos Creative⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being with your kids 24/7 can be beautiful… and overwhelming. In this episode of Called to Homeschool, we're talking honestly about what it takes to protect your peace, recharge your energy, and stay grounded when you're never off the clock.You'll hear simple, practical ways to build breathing room into your days, support your nervous system, and give yourself permission to be human—so you can show up as the mom you want to be.Because you can love your kids deeply and still need space to be you.

In this episode of the Play Skillfully podcast, host Kathy Eggers interviews Zan Tyler, a pioneer in the homeschooling movement. Zan shares her personal journey into homeschooling, the challenges she faced in advocating for homeschooling rights, and the evolution of homeschooling laws over the years. She emphasizes the importance of understanding children's unique learning styles and offers valuable advice for new homeschooling moms. The conversation highlights the significance of parental rights in education and the ongoing fight for educational freedom.Don't forget to follow Zan on Instagram and check out her website to learn more about her work with BJU Press and in the homeschooling community. For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully. You can also sign up for Kathy's monthly newsletter on her website or by commenting NEWS on any IG post. Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at hello@kathyeggers.com or shoot us a message on Instagram. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at the Kathy Eggers store by using the code, PSPODCAST.

Text Sue what you think!Thinking about unschooling but wondering if you have to “try everything else first”? You don't.

In this episode of the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, host Diana Winkler interviews Pastor Mark Sowersby, who shares his powerful testimony of overcoming childhood abuse and finding forgiveness and healing through faith. Mark recounts his early life filled with abuse, meeting Jesus at 16, and wrestling with his identity as a victim. Through the love of his church community and personal determination, he not only found freedom but also pursued education and ministry. He also speaks about reconnecting with his birth father and how the loss of his mother catalyzed the launch of his ministry, 'Forgiving the Nightmare'. The episode serves as an inspiring account of transformation, resilience, and the power of unconditional God's love. 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:47 Welcome to the Podcast 01:25 Introducing Pastor Mark Sowersby 01:40 Technical Difficulties and Apologies 02:17 Pastor Mark's Testimony 05:49 Childhood and Abuse 07:10 Finding Faith and Forgiveness 18:06 Weight Loss Journey and Healing 23:08 Dyslexia and Education Struggles 24:42 Writing a Book and Ministry 28:14 Reading the Bible: Audio vs. Written 28:27 A Life-Changing Christmas Story 29:20 Overcoming Illiteracy with Help 30:14 A Love Story Blossoms 30:56 College Journey and Divine Guidance 32:49 Answering the Call to Ministry 33:13 Struggles with Self-Worth 35:15 Finding Confidence in God 35:56 Weight Loss and Self-Love 40:01 Victim to Victor: A Personal Transformation 45:00 Reuniting with Birth Father 48:20 Launching Forgiving the Nightmare Ministry 54:40 Final Thoughts and Prayer   website: www.forgivingthenightmare.com email: mark@forgivingthenightmare.com    Bio:  Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 17 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Christian Assembly of Schuyler in beautiful upstate New York. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Upstate New York, spending time with his family.   Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/ Transcript: [00:00:00] Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, [00:01:00] Diana Winkler. She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Welcome back. You made it well. I have a great guest for you today. I told you about him last week. Pastor Mark Sowersby and he has knocked this interview out of the park, and we had an amazing time. We did not have an amazing time with the Zoom platform. I could not hear him, but he could hear me, and it was a half an hour of back and forth trying to get it to work. So I wound up having to record this episode on our phones with the earbuds. So I don't normally do [00:02:00] that. I usually have my $300 studio microphone. So if it doesn't sound as good, I apologize. But this content is so great that I think you'll forgive me, but I'll try to do some, post-production, to make it sound better. So without further ado. Here is Pastor Mark. Yeah. Nice. Nice to meet you. Yes, nice to meet you also. And I saw your wife there too, so, and I think you saw my husband's beard anyway. Yes. And my wife is the strength and the brains of this operation around us. I'm blessed. I'm a blessed man there. Amen. Thank you. Yes. So we got the, um, the technical, uh, demons outta the way. Well, I appreciate that. We tried two computers and my Apple phone. And I have to tell you, I am a novice at computers at best, so Yeah, me too. So we're kindred spirits for sure. Amen. Amen. And I read your testimony about your [00:03:00] website and your faith and your podcast and everything. What a beautiful testimony you have. Oh, thank you so much. So you, you're in Arizona, is that correct? Yes. Wow. Wow. Well, I have to tell you of one of my bucket lists because I'm a northeast guy. I'm a New England, New York. We have snow. It's freezing. They're saying we could have a possible blizzard tomorrow. Uh, I love that. Go to the Grand Canyon. That's my, on my bucket list. My, my family. Hear me speak about that all the time. I've never seen it. But I long to, let me tell you, it's more breathtaking than you can imagine. The pictures don't do it justice. I've been there many, many times, of course. And yes, you should come as soon as you're allowed to travel. I would be over here. Yeah. There's so much more to see. We long to go. We really want to see it. You know, if somebody said, you really see the significance when you look at that great canyon and you see how [00:04:00] small you are, it humbles you and reminds you of what a great big God we serve. So, you know, we just, uh, amen. Thank you for hearing my story and my testimony, and it's an honor to be here with you and celebrate the victories that we have in Christ. Amen, brother. We're gonna get to know you a bit here for my listeners. So why don't you tell the, listeners a little bit about yourself. My name is Mark Sowerby. I'm a husband, a father, a friend. I'm a sports fan. I eat too much. I talk too much, but I'm a pastor and a servant of Jesus Christ. I was looking at all your pictures and stuff, and I saw your progression of your weight loss. That is so amazing. Thank you. Thank you. And my weight loss journey is really just a symptom. Or result of the greater healing that's taken place in my life. Uh, I'm very proud of it. It's something [00:05:00] I have to work hard for and be very disciplined in. So yes, there's a work towards it, but really it's the sub to the main plot. The main plot is what Jesus did in my heart to help me forgive and help me heal the abuses and the pains. And as that began to fill my life, this weight loss journey with the discipline and that burning good habits and exercising, and I'm up to running, uh, six miles a day on the treadmill. So, wow. Six miles. Yeah. So well, remember, we're not in Arizona heat, so it's not hot, well, I have a treadmill. That's usually what I exercise on. I have an exercise room, I don't run unless somebody's chasing me or the laxative has started working. Those are good reasons to run. so let's start at the beginning. So what was your childhood like? Well, unfortunately I have a story of brokenness, pain, and sorrow. I was born from an affair. Uh, so my [00:06:00] father never really had a relationship with him. I am assuming that as soon as he, uh, got the news, he, he left. So I was raised by my mom. I have two siblings that my mom had from a prior marriage. So the three of us kind of lived together at my grandmother's house, and that's what I knew. That was what life was. I was seven years old. A young man came into our family, and that young man eventually married my mom 20 years, her younger, and when he came into our home, he brought abuse and pain. He brought death and destruction. He brought lies and poison. And as any abuser, those abusers have touched many people. And as not only did he abuse my mom in a and. With just vulgarness and pain, but he also abused me and with sexual abuse and physical abuse and emotional abuse. And it was just a very difficult time in my life. So from seven to 14, that's kind of the world I knew. Not only did he abuse my body, not only did he steal from [00:07:00] me, my dignity, my value. Not only did he try to control me, but he also sold me for other men to abuse me. Mm-hmm. Other men to take my body. He stabbed me and beat me and burnt me. And at 16, I was invited to church, I ran into a youth group. And, uh, there's a whole story in that. But let me tell you, I ran into youth group and I ran into Jesus. Jesus was Amen loving. Amen. Jesus's loving arms. He wrapped him around me and started me on the journey, journey of forgiveness. And it's been a journey up. I just turned 50. We just lost my mom earlier this year. Wow. They say a flu. Some say COVID, but we lost her earlier this year and it was really kind of a season for me to walk through some even deeper, deeper healing. We have a lot in common. 'cause I just lost my brother this week. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for your loss. Yeah. So we both have losses today. Yes. Yes. I'm so [00:08:00] sorry for your loss. You as well. Thank you. Your mother was a believer? She was at the end of her life. As we say, the 11th hour of Thief on the cross remember me. Mm-hmm. My mom did have one of those kind of conversions. Unfortunately, she never, the last few years of her life, she came to understand Jesus, but she never forgave herself or forgave. Her pain. She lived with the regrets and the shames and the guilt of her pains. She knew the love of Christ, and I believe that when she closed her eyes on this earth, she opened her eyes there because of what Christ did for her. But she carried this burden of shame and guilt and hurt. But I forgave her, not because I'm special, not because I'm better. I forgave her because Christ forgave me. And in that journey of learning with to forgive people say to me, how could you forgive such a great thing? I just forgave what was in front of me. That's it. Step by step, precept by precept. That's how I forgave. I [00:09:00] couldn't think about the whole journey all at it was too hard. What's in front of you? Well, we'll definitely get into, your process of forgiveness. Would it be okay to, circle back to your stepfather coming into your life? Now it sounded like it was a very violent to way he treated you. Did he do any grooming of you to start the abuse or was it violent right away? I believe there was grooming, again, being so young and, uh, being so, uh, naive. I probably didn't recognize it, but I'm sure there was grooming you know, there was this natural longing. From a child without a father to find a father figure. Mm-hmm. Um, being so young, not understanding the process of that, and any person that would gimme attention, I would run to them to try to find somebody who would govern me or lead me or [00:10:00] guide me or accept me. So I'm sure there was some manipulation in that, as I became more groomed or broken or became more pliable, if you would, because of my young immaturity. He began to have more of his way on it, just so you know. And I always refer to him as my mother's husband. Never as my stepfather? Yes. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. Oh, no, you didn't offend. No, I have forgiven him. I think in forgiveness, it's okay to have, uh, some boundaries. Sure. I think that, to have some healthy boundaries, I've forgiven him. I've put him in the hands of God, and I pray the grace of God will meet him and his pain and his sorrow, and only God can reach him. Uh, but again, there's some healthy boundaries around my life and my families. So what was your relationship with God when you were going through all this abuse? We grew up in a very religious home. I was a New England Protestant, so most of New England are [00:11:00] Irish Catholic, Italian Catholic, Polish Catholic, French Catholic. But I was the rare Protestant. And I remember saying to my grandfather one day, I asked him, I said I, well, let me back up and say, I always knew what I wasn't. I knew I wasn't a Catholic, but I didn't know what I was. So, grandpa used to tell us we weren't Catholic. He announced that pretty clearly. But one day I asked him, I said, then if we're not Catholic, what religion are we? And all he said was, go ask your mother. So, you know, we didn't really grow up in any kind of. Formal faith-based community, uh, you know, sometimes went to Christmas Eve service, you know, those kind of what we call Sea Easter and Christmas. The CE. The CE crowd. That's right. But it really wasn't, a church was not a part of my life. We knew God was there, be good and you go to heaven, be nice to people, you go to heaven. But there really wasn't a faith-based situation. I'll be honest with you, uh, the [00:12:00] only religion I got, or the only faith I got was the one album that was played in our home. It's not a Christian album, it was Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm a kid of the seventies. Yes, I'm very familiar with that. Yeah. And but God's name is so powerful now as a Bible college graduate, as a pastor, I could see all the holes of the theology in that and how it was really written, dragged down the gospel. They say Jesus Christ, and as a child, that name is so powerful. So, I mean, I didn't know anything. So here I was, I, I remember seven years old with a big headset on sitting in front of the speakers and listening to Jesus Christ Superstar. And, and now I realize what a mockery it was. But then just the name has power. Yeah, there was no resurrection in that movie. No, no, no. You know, when you have Mary Magdalene sing to, to him and say, you're just a man, [00:13:00] only a man. I mean, it's such a mockery. But again, at eight years old, 10 years old, I thank God that all truth belongs to God. Amen. And his name is so, amen, powerful. Amen. That every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And as that name, Jesus was smoking, it pierced my darkness. Now, I didn't know about crying out. I didn't know about prayer, but God was preparing me for such a time. And at 16 the lifeguard at the apartment complex invited me to church. She was a pretty girl, and I didn't wanna say no. Uh, she invited she invited me and picked me up with her boyfriend. Oops. We went, yeah, we went to church that night and there began my journey into meeting Christ, knowing his mercy and grace into my faith walk and it's been a journey ever since. So is that when you, met the Lord for real [00:14:00] and got saved? Exactly, I was 16 years old. It was the early part of the summer and I went to that youth group and everybody told me that. To throw away my rock and roll music and to cut my hair and take my earring out. And everybody wanted to hug me and I didn't wanna be hugged by anybody. It's an evangelical Pentecostal church. And I was like, I don't, yeah. But come to find out, the youth pastor lived in the same apartment complex I did. I had a ride to church anytime it was open. So, later on that summer, mid-August, I remember a man inviting me, a young man from the youth group. It was raining. He was giving me a ride home. We got into his car and he asked me right there, uh, mark, do you wanna ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior? And we prayed right there the sinner's prayer. And I recognized the grace of God and the mercy of God and the Spirit of God. And at 16 years old, I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord. And I thank him that he was calling me at such a time. So, and then I [00:15:00] had to grow up. Wow. And then I had to grow. I was still 16 with a messed up background and, still was spilling life all over myself. But that church loved me. They hugged me and kicked me in the can at the same time. Now were you out of your mom's house? Away from your abuser? Well. When the abuse first became, and I don't wanna say public, but when it became outside of the family when I meant the first person I confessed it to or, or shared it with, was my uncle. And I think that people have to remember my abuse happened from 19 7 7 to 1984. And the awareness and the advocacy that's out there today wasn't there then. And things like this happen behind closed doors. And I think culturally, not everybody, but culturally in most families said, we keep that stuff behind closed doors. We don't share it. We handle it as families. I told my uncle at [00:16:00] 14 years old. He was the first person I confessed to, and I ended up living with my uncle for about a year. He became my defender. So from about 14 to about 15 and a half, I lived with my uncle, and about 15 and a half I moved back with my mom. And yes, her husband was still there. But he, uh, he was very sickly at this time. So, he wasn't able to hurt me physically anymore. And I was strong enough to not allow anybody to hurt me anymore. So Now you said the word confess. Well, you didn't do anything wrong. Thank you. I, yeah, I just meant, I told. You shared your story, your abuse, uh, your victimization. So yeah. You don't have to apologize for anything. Amen. Thank you. That's right. It was probably a poor choice of words. I was just reading. I announced to my uncle, or I, I shared out, I took it out. I took it outta that simple family unit that I would tell my mom, [00:17:00] my mom having so much hurt and pain in her life, didn't know how to handle that. And just would say, well, he promises not to do it again. And he promised not to do it. And of course, so in a lot of ways I felt like my mom was a victim. And, and. Even though I've had to learn to forgive my mom because of what she allowed to happen, but in some ways, not that I justify it, but I've begun to understand it. Because she was abused by her first husband who broke her heart because, uh, just pain who had many affairs on her, and she was so broken down, so hurting and she did not understand love. I think she, um, interpreted love in a very, uh, trying to think of the word here you know, an enabling way. My mom was more of an enabler and I think she interpreted her love in enabling. So she enabled people. I mean, it sounds like [00:18:00] codependency. Was that the word you're looking for? Yes. Okay. Yeah. Thanks. So you struggled with your weight for years. Was that a symptom of your. Abuse your childhood? I, I think it was, you know, I'm, I'm not a psychologist or, a social worker. I'm a preacher, but you know, I think what I was trying to find in food was comfort, friendship. It always accepted me, uh, it comforted me when I was having a bad day and it rewarded me when I was having a good one. But like any drug, if you would, it lies to you. And it says, Hey, is everything will be okay. Just have a little bit more, have a little bit more, and, it just is. So for me, food became my drug of choice. Mm-hmm. Uh, it became where I found comfort, found peace, found acceptance. I punished myself with it. Boy, I'm no good. I'm going to eat ice cream. Oh, I'm having a great day. I'm gonna eat [00:19:00] ice cream. So, you know, it was one of those things. Uh, what I tell people is that I wish I could say to you that, that God has taken away all the hurt, all the pain, all the sorrow. It's still there in my life. It's still a familiar. Familiar pain that continues to call to me. But what God did is he became bigger. He became bigger than the pain. He became bigger than the shame. He became bigger than the hurt. So is it still there? Sure. And the flesh wants to run to it. And the psyche wants to run to it because I know it, it's comfortable. I, I know my role there. I, I understand what my protection and my manipulation that I can find there. But God became bigger. God became bigger. You know, I was telling a friend today, and I climbed a mountain after I lost about 50 pounds. I climbed a mountain. And it was about a half a mile long. And to me it was Everest. It was the biggest mountain in the world. And it took me hours [00:20:00] to go up and I had blisters on my feet and bruises on my toe. I was very proud that I climbed it. But after I lost about a hundred pounds, I climbed the biggest mountain in the state of New York called Mount Marcy. And what was the difference between those two mountains? One was bigger and I think that's the same thing. What happened to me is that even though that sometimes the enemy wants to try to bring me back to those familiar pains, those familiar insecurities, those familiar foes, God became bigger. His word, his spirit his love all became bigger. And I have to hold onto that and I have to claim, not claim it, but I have to run into it. You know, I have to run into that every day. So. Oh, you would love the mountains here. We have so many mountains to climb. So yeah. If you come to Phoenix, then we'll have to go hiking together. Yes. I wanna see that Grand Canyon. I wanna come to Phoenix. I am a New Englander, but it's cold [00:21:00] all the time here. But I hear that you guys leave for the summer and go back in the winter. We leave for the winter to warm places because it's so hot in Phoenix in the summer. Yeah. We're not snowbirds. We are here all year. Now we get to 110 every year. That's, that's normal. It gets to 120 here every summer. But this year it was 55 days of 110 degrees. Wow. Which, um, that killed all my plants and, uh, two of my trees, so Wow. Yeah, it's 70 degrees outside now, but in the summertime it's brutal. Wow. Don't come in the summer. Come in the winter. Okay. I, um, I did get to do a mission chip for Juarez, Mexico, which is obviously south of you guys and a little east, but at the same time, I got a touch of hot weather and I have done a lot of missions trips to Central America and the Caribbean, but they do have a different climate because of the sea and the water. So it's not that dry heat. [00:22:00] It's, definitely that, more moist, heat. Yeah, I think you'll do fine. Like I said, I looked forward to it. We were just in Israel in, November November, 2019, and it was 85 degrees. In Jerusalem and I roasted, I had such a hard time because the elevation was different and the humidity from the from the sea. Yeah. I don't know if you've been to Israel, I have not. Another, another bucket list, yeah yes, definitely recommend that for sure. Thank you. My wife and I, we love to travel. You know, we, we have four children, so right now our kids are in the ages of 15 to seven, so we are right in the midst of it. You know, we're, we're mom and dad, taxi and, and we homeschool. So my wife is going a hundred miles an hour all the time. Pastor wife. Homeschool mom and she's taking care of [00:23:00] me. So, I mean, this is, God bless her. If there's a hero in this story, it's my wife. Your wife's a homeschooler. Um, you had said in your story that you had dyslexia growing up. What was that like? Well, you know, I think that I still have it. Uh, God hasn't, hasn't healed me from it. So what happens is, is I tell people when the way I was raised, I survived my childhood. I wasn't raised, you know, I didn't have parents that, that looked out for me. I didn't have somebody who wanted to govern my experiences or, or was an advocate for me. So I, I really just kind of survived my childhood and one of the casualties of that. Was my education. Uh, it was the early seventies, so I think there was a lot going on with sight reading and some different kind of philosophies of teaching. So here I was in a broken home with a learning disability. I [00:24:00] was being bullied at school because the way I felt about myself and, you know, so yeah, reading has always been a chore for me. It still is a chore today. But again, the lord, he helps and he, he brings me through and he gave me a brilliant wife. Uh, she is a, a teacher by education. And my children love to read. My son will walk into walls. He reads books this thick. I mean, and I remember holding him the moment he was born, praying, Lord, give him just a heart for reading. And he does. I mean, my son 15 says, dad, can we go to the library? Love the library. Oh, he, yeah, we're friends with the librarian. Uh, if they need somebody to help him out, move books and they call him. But yes, reading has always been a chore and I, believe it or not, I'm in the midst of writing a book. Oh, I was just gonna ask that if you had a book out or not. We are just started to speak to a publisher, it's self-publishing company. Uh, so we're definitely in [00:25:00] conversations. We have written, just kind of let it pour out of me. It's been there for 50 years, so just kind of. And, uh, now we've kind of put it in front of people who really know what they're doing. I tell everybody, I wrote it my ways, I handed it to my wife and she interpreted it and made it legible. And, uh, we have some local friends who have done some basic editing, so they're kind of editing for us, and now we're sending it to the publisher who knows how to edit in a professional way. So, so, you know, the Lord told me years ago that this testimony would be written down. I remember I chuckled when he told me that because I said, Lord, I can barely read or write. And I remember saying to the Lord, Lord, if you want this written down, what am I gonna call it? He said, you'll call it Forgiving the Nightmare. So that's why the name of the ministry, the name of the book, the name of the website is called Forgiving the Nightmare. I think everybody uh, regardless of [00:26:00] how one came, you know, yours and I came in by probably hands of other people's, but sometimes nightmares come in by all different ways. Loss, regrets pains, hurts. And we all have to kind of say, Lord, how do we go through that? And I know as Christians, we want it instant, you know, we wanna stand on the word, we wanna claim it, we wanna save. Lord, give it to me. But I think sometimes we have to, uh, go through the process. I think of Jacob and how he wrestled with God, or he wrestled with the angel and they wrestled all night long. And, and God, the angel touched his hip and then he said, what do you want? And Jacob said, I want a new. And he became Israel, the promise. Mm-hmm. So he left deceiver, as you know, and he became Israel promise. And I think sometimes in that journey of forgiveness as much as Christians and people, we want it and we want it so true and so earnestly, [00:27:00] but sometimes we have to wrestle. We have to wrestle with the past. We have to wrestle with ourselves, we have to wrestle with the fears, and wrestling doesn't make us bad, doesn't make us sinners, doesn't mean God has left us. I think God's working with us, the process as a pastor, I've seen so many people who are unwilling to go through the process. And they get stuck. They get stuck in the cycle, in the the hurts and the pains of life. Just kind of build up on them. And I know God wants to set 'em free, but again, it, you have to learn to die to self crucify the old man, you know, tame the tongue. And it's hard. It's hard, especially when everything in the, especially when everything in the world tells you you're okay to have that. It's okay for you to hate. It's okay for you to be angry. It's okay for you to, when God says, for us to let him go first, let Him lead us. And God is, if we forgive those who trespass against us, he'll be faithful and just to forgive us. [00:28:00] And that scripture boy haunted me for a long time because I said, Lord, I'm not ready to begin. I'm sorry I'm preaching. No, you're awesome. I'm enjoying this. Um, I'm curious how you read your Bible. Do you use an audio bible or do you, um, do use an actual written Bible? Well, I do read Bible. I like the ESV, I like the NIV, I like those verses. I do read it. I do listen to audio at times. What happened was, is about 20, I was in my early twenties and a woman at church asked me to read the Christmas story out of Luke in front of the youth group. Now, when I say youth group, we had about a hundred youth in our youth group, maybe even 150. It was a large youth group and she was the kind of woman who would not take no for an answer. You know, the church lady? Yeah. I think every church has one of those. Yeah. And you know, I tried to give her every excuse in the [00:29:00] book, I lost my glasses. I was too embarrassed to say that I couldn't read. So I got up in front of the youth group and I read out of Luke chapter two and I. Stumbled over my words and I read slowly and I read broken up. And people were very kind to me that day. The youth pastor and the youth group, they were not cruel. And after service, that woman came back to me and said that she homeschooled her children and she would like to homeschool me if I'd want to. Now I was, I was a grownup. I was 23 and I went back to her house and there I sat with her 6-year-old, five-year old as she was teaching her 5-year-old, 6-year-old how to read. She was also teaching me phonics. I never learned phonics. I tell everybody, when I learned TION and Sean and not ion, it changed my life. Unbeknownst to me that church lady had an older daughter [00:30:00] and that older daughter watched me. Watch me struggle over my words, watch me go to the house and sit with her five-year-old sister and learn ae IOU and learn the rules of bowels and phonics. Well, years later, that older daughter would become my wife. Oh. Oh. So, yep. So, you know, she told me that she fell in love with me and she watched me there. And so that, that's a little bit of our love story. But yeah, she watched me from afar and, and now today we have four kids together and she still helps me read. So I do read. I a much stronger reader than I ever was. Uh mm-hmm. So I, I can read a much better than I could then. Well, I certainly can see looking back that you had so many people in your corner to that God sent to help you, and what a blessing. Now, did you go to college? I did. I [00:31:00] graduated from what's now called North Point Bible College. At the time, it was called Zion Bible College. It was in Barrington, Rhode Island. It was a very focused school for ministry only. Uh, so I did go there. I didn't wanna go there. I'm a New Englander. I knew about the school. It was in my backyard. I wanted to go to Southeastern to Florida. I wanted to go to pennsylvania and go to Valley Forge. Uh, those doors were not open to me. I remember saying, the Lord, I'm done. Lord, I've tried. Everybody's rejecting me because of my education. And he said, go to Zion. I went in and I met with the Dean of students. In that meeting, the dean of students said to me, mark, do you have a call? I said, yes, I believe I do have a call. He got up from his desk and he went to a big picture window, a woman who was walking in front of his picture window, and he tapped onto the window and he called this woman in. As she came [00:32:00] into his office, he introduced me to a woman named Jan Kruger. He let me know that Jan was led by God to go to school, to go to Zion the week earlier than me to start a learning center. And Jan and I became our first student in the learning center and we worked hard. The first year, most of my, classes were uncredited 'cause I had to learn how to be a student. I didn't know what a syllabi was. I didn't know how to take tests. Uh, we sat in that learning center. I cried, I complained. She was a mom. She hugged me sometimes and she told me to. To suck it up sometimes. And, uh, that was the best advice I could get. So yeah, i'm a proud graduate of Zion Bible College, and I'm ordained with the Assembly of God. So when did you get called into the ministry? Well, pretty much after, it was about my 17th year, 16 years old, I got saved and 17 years old, I was [00:33:00] at a Youth convention, and I pretty much felt like the Lord called me then. Now, I ran from that call for a long time because of my insecurities, my fears, my inabilities. See, when I walked into the room, I always felt like I was junk. Like I was dirt. Like I could offer nobody, nothing. And I was, no, you know, I, that's how I felt about myself. So who would let me be that pastor? What do I have to offer? I could barely read. Look what happened to me. So. For many years I wrestled with it and about 24, 25 years old, I had a brand new truck, little S 10 pickup truck. They called it Bernie because it was purple. I was listening to Petra, remember a Petra? I love Petra. And I was, I was listening to Petra from the seventies not the nineties. Petra and I remember I was listening to Petra and the Holy Spirit filled with the cab of that car and that truck I had to [00:34:00] pull over. I was on old post road. I'll never forget tears coming down my face. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, mark, choose this day whom you'll serve. I've called you and I will equip you. And I said, God, I want you. That's when the journey of. Colleges, and I wish I could tell you it was all roses and cherries after that. It wasn't, you know, there's still a lot of growing up and a lot of overcoming, and a lot of dying to self. And, and there still is. But yeah, that's how I got called and I went to that school and they loved me. They were honest to me. You sound like you had a lot , in coming with Moses with his speech impediment. He was, exiled to be a goat and a sheep herder. They're not gonna listen to me, Lord. You know? Did you feel like that? Oh, sure. I sure did. Like I said, I, for most of my life, I felt like what can I offer? So what I did is I put a facade on myself or I, I lived up to the role that I [00:35:00] thought people wanted from me, or a role to, to find acceptance or protection. So, if I had to be the clown, I was the clown. If I had to be the fool, I was the fool. If I had to be the weak, I was the weak because I felt those things about me. Recently in this weight loss journey and this giving, God has given me confidence. And I say that with much humility because I know it's not my confidence, it's confidence in him. But I've never had confidence before. I feel like a carpenter with a new tool. I feel like, you know, a businessman with a new suit that I've never had confidence before. Now again, it's not confidence in what I have. Because I'm still weak, but it's a confidence going, my Abba father makes a way for me. My Abba father heals me and, and goes before me. So it's, it's a kind of a new season for me to be confident and say, you know what? I can live a healthy life. People ask me why I lost the weight. [00:36:00] And I remember I was reading the scripture, and you're probably familiar with it, is when the Pharisee comes to the Lord or it says to him, Lord, how does one enter the kingdom of heaven? And the Lord says, well, what is written? He says, Lord, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and with all your spirit, and love your neighbor as yourself. I've read that a million times. I've preached on it. I've studied it. One day I was reading it, he said, Lord, I know you love me, mark, but you don't love your neighbor, and you don't love yourself, so you can't love your neighbor. And I realized because I didn't love myself, I wasn't taking care of myself. I love my children. I love my wife. I wanna take care of 'em. They don't need me. I wife can, but I want to. I wanna do things for, I wanna take care of 'em. I wanna help 'em be better and stronger and smarter and wiser, and love the Lord. And I realized I didn't love myself. So the weight loss journey, forgiving the nightmare, forgiving my mom, forgiving the abusers, forgiving those [00:37:00] who betrayed me as a child, helped me begin to love myself again. No visions of grander. I'm still a just a normal guy saved by grace. Uh, I still put my big foot in my mouth, my wife can come in and tell you all the stories, but, uh, but you know, I started to love myself and. It sounds like, you found your self worth in the Lord Jesus because Jesus sees you as his child. You are a child of God, and that's where your worth is. So it sounds like your healing journey brought you to that place. Yeah. It's not self-confidence like the world says it is. It's how God sees you. You're precious and you're loved. Amen. And you're valuable. He died for you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You're gonna get me going now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah. I want others to [00:38:00] experience this. You know, I, my whole ministry, I've been surrounded by hurting people and hurting churches. I've worked with people that have had major traumas in their life. Not that I ever sought it. I can't. I think the Lord just led me to it. And as I've worked with people, people say that I've been able to bring comfort. I'm easy to talk to. I thought, well, okay, Lord. And I want people to find that freedom that I have. I understand being shackled to pain in the past. I understand allowing those things to form the way you think about and believe about yourself, and never truly being set free. Waking up with that numbing feeling of brokenness all the time. All the time, just constantly. But God truly set me free. He set me free. And because he set me free, I'm nobody special. And being a pastor, I see so many people that have a [00:39:00] form of this and they don't. They haven't gone through it. So they're still living with a confession in Christ, but still the hurts of the past. Blame them. I don't, I'm not putting fingers, I'm not taking the log out on my own eye before I take the twig from their eye. But I'm saying the freedom that God has for his people. Uh, and again, do we still stumble? Yeah. Do we still need refining? Sure. Are we still the clay? And he's still the potter of court, but there's a freedom that we find as a pastor. I've just met so many people who will say, pastor, I'm killed. I'm delivered. And you realize it's, it's only an inch deep. It's, you know, as soon as they get tested, as soon as they get, get bothered, it just spills out. It pulls out of them in, in a defense or in, in a rejection or in a way they, they have a self view of the world or of themselves. Now God's consent is free. God can set [00:40:00] us free. So, what's the difference between being a victim and being victorious? Hallelujah. Well, in my humble opinion, a victim is somebody who always sees themselves broken, sees themselves in a way that, that that allows them to stay in their victimhood. For a long time, my victimhood became my identity. I remember one day when the Lord brought me to the altar and he said those words to me. He said, mark, I want you to give this up. And I literally said, in an audible voice, Lord, if I'm not a victim, then what am I? Because all I knew was the, the role of being a victim. Oh, my victimhood was good. I could manipulate with it. I could win every argument with it. Oh, when I was 16 years old, my mom, who was a single mom with not much money she bought me a car. I had a phone in my room. I had cable on my own [00:41:00] tv. She made me breakfast in bed. Why she owed that to me. Why? Because I was a victim. And I got to see how I could win every argument at school. I could put my head down and I could lift up my head and go, well, who here else was molested? I was, and no one would say anything. And the Lord rebuked me at that and said, said, yeah, that's what victims do. At least that's what I did. He said, I wanna make you victorious. And I remember him saying, me saying to the Lord, if I'm not a victim, what am I? And he said, you're victorious in me. I had to learn what it meant to be victorious. Amen. I had to learn to let that facade go. Let that personality go, let that old man die and let the new man of Christ rise up inside him. That is awesome. I just love that. I've never heard anybody describe it like that. Now, I prefer the, word survivor instead of victim. But I think you took [00:42:00] it up another notch. We are, victorious in the Lord. Well, my victimhood, you know, as much as I was a victim, but I used it for my own gain. Mm-hmm. Which made me just as not guilty of what happened to me, but made me not a healthy place. It put me in a Right. But it's all I knew, you know, I could manipulate, I could win the argument. Right. I was the guy. Who else here was stabbed and burnt and abused? I could show you my scars where they stabbed me. I could show you the burn marks. I was prostituted for other men to abuse me. Boy, you know, I could really win the, the argument. But that was wrong. Yeah, it was wrong. It was wrong to put that on my mother, it's wrong to put that on my family. It was wrong to put that on others. And the Lord had to rebuke me and, uh, wow. And he did, because he loves, he rebukes the ones he loves, so he rebuked you. I just so appreciate your raw [00:43:00] and honest, telling of your story. Because, you've heard stories where they just put the fluff or they put the stuff that's gonna, bring up the ratings or whatever. But you really, kept it real. And I think you're a great pastor because people see that you're a real person. You're not some fake up there that can't relate to your congregation's problems, do you feel that way? Oh, definitely. You know, my congregation, as you know, like we talked earlier, I wrestle with dyslexia and every once in a while I'll stumble over a word while I'm reading the Bible and in front of my congregation. And, and that really bothered me for a long time. My Lord, I'm a pastor. How can I not read this and now. When I stumble over a word, my congregation yells it up to me. So I'll be on the platform. And you know what? They'll see me stumbling and you know, they'll yell it up to me and it's just a term of endearment. [00:44:00] It's not been one of rejection or shame, and I say, you know what? I'm doing that just to make sure you're in the Bible. That's what I tell 'em. But I'll be reading the scripture and, and my dyslexia kick in, or, or the word will be all scrambled. And, and they're the kind voices. Oh, pastor, that's, that means this. And, and it's kind of a nice direction. I tell people the church I pastor is a real church with real people serving a real God. Wow. So, wow. Fancy fluff. Church don't come to us because, you know, we're real and we cry together, we do life together. We step on each other's toes. We don't always agree, but we always love God. That is so awesome. Pastor of Christian is Alia Scott. That's right. I didn't announce your church name. I wanted to ask you to tell another story about. You said that you met your birth father at one point. What happened during that reunion Union? [00:45:00] Well, I was 45 years old and I wanted to reach, I wanted to know, I tell people my birth father and I met at the right place in life. I think if I would've met him younger, I would've still been angry. Rejected Kyle, but I was 45. I was the father of four. I've made my own mistakes, my own problems. I learned to mature a little bit. To be really frank, my father's wife passed on, so he was more ready to meet me. So his wife that he had the affair on to si me, if you would, she passed. So he was more open to meet me and uh, I just didn't meet him, but the whole family met him together. We met in a restaurant, we met in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the family came in and the kids instantly. Started to call him grandpa. I thought, I don't know if I'm okay with that. And he never rejected it. So the last few years of [00:46:00] life, we just lost him. I, I had him for about four years. It wasn't warm and fuzzy, daddy and son, but it was something, we had a relationship. We'd talk about sports, we'd talk about life. He was a snowbird from Massachusetts to Florida and he just kind of let me know. So I'm very thankful for the four years I had. Again, it wasn't, Hey buddy, I'm proud of you kind of moment, but I got to find out a little bit about. Who my dad was and who some of my relatives are on my father's side. I got to learn about some of the health conditions of, of my father. And you know, he said he was pretty, he made it to 84. He liked to drink and he liked ladies, I like Jesus, I like one lady, Wow. That's an incredible story. I tell people it was the right time. Again, if I would've met him at 25, I would've been angry. I would've said, you know, why did you abandon me? 45 was a good time because. You know what, by that [00:47:00] time I, I stepped in enough life of my own to, to not, to be slow to judge, oh, God does have the perfect timing. I haven't spoken much about my story at all on here, but my husband and I talk about, boy, I wish that we had met, long time ago, you know, and skipped all the pain because we were both victims of abuse from our previous spouses. I'm sorry. And, um, but we thought about it and we thought we were different people. If we met at that time, I don't think I would've been interested in you and you wouldn't have been interested in me. And, I think that God brought us together this time of our life. No, we've been married 11 years. Congratulations. Thank you. So, God brought us together at our time of life because that was the perfect time and Sure. We're best friends. We never even have had a real fight. We didn't disagree, of course, but now you should write a book [00:48:00] about that. Okay. I mean, we disagree and, um, get on each other's nerves, but the Lord has just, you're normal. Just blessed us. Yeah, we're definitely normal. Um, especially during pandemic. It's like you learn about your spouse when you're stuck with them 24 7. Right? That's true. That's true. Yeah, we had to make some adjustments. Amen. And, um, we still love each other, and that it's great when you're talking about times of life, you know, for such a time as this, and I think for me, the Lord spoke to me years ago about forgiving the nightmare ministry. He actually spoke to me when I was in college about this. I didn't know it was gonna, uh, blossom or what it was gonna look like, but he spoke to me years ago about writing it down and it was always inside me. And I kept, my wife knew about it. We would always think, how's the, what's the Lord gonna do with this? Is it distant inside me to guide me through life? Is it more for others? Is it, Lord, how's it, how's it [00:49:00] gonna? Blossom if you would manifest. And we lost my mom and I have to tell you that, not immediately, but pretty quick. After losing my mom, I felt like this ministry could just launch. And it has launched. God has brought, brought a web designer into our life. He's brought some, um, producers into our life to help me tell the story. We're talking with a, an editor and a publisher. All this has happened fairly quickly. And I think, Lord, why now? And I think, to be honest with you, and this is just my opinion, I, I don't know if I have chapter and verse to back this up, but my mom was so embarrassed. She was so full of shame because of my upbringing every time for the last 20 years of my life, every time me and my mom were alone together, she would just apologize. And I don't just mean say, sorry. She would grovel and I would say, mom, I forgive you. I forgive you, [00:50:00] Marky. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. And if my mom knew that I was speaking to podcasts or writing a book, she would've been so, so embarrassed. So she may, it would've just troubled her so much. So I think outta the grace of God, and again, don't have chapter and verse, but I think upon her passing released me to be able to share this story, to be able to bring others into it, to just think God was being merciful to my mom on her journey. And again, it was almost pretty instant after her, uh, her own passing that I remember being on the treadmill one morning and the Lord just kind of. Just impressing upon me by giving the nightmare. Remember those words? I spoke to you. This is where it's gonna take place. And since then, we've made a couple videos, uh, we've launched a website. I'm talking to wonderful people like yourself and just trying to get the [00:51:00] story out of forgiving the Nightmare and trying to say to people whatever that nightmare was. Was it physical and sexual abuse like mine? Was it a tragedy in your life? Is it regrets? Is it fears? Is it the loss of a child or a loved one? Whatever that pain is that your nightmare. I want you to know that God can help you forgive it and overcome it and break the shackles so we don't have to be the man or the person. The hurt tried to make us. We no longer have to be Jacob. We can become Israel. Your mom would be so proud of you. And I think that, thank you. If, the Lord's probably told her, you know, the good things that have come out of a terrible situation, she said she had, you said she had some shame. Oh. I think if she was looking down at you now that, that shame would be gone. [00:52:00] That shame is no longer there. Look how God's using my son, my, my wonderful son to spread the gospel and to help people. And so Well, thank you. I'm so thankful for you, brother. Thank you for saying those words, sister. It's very kind of you. I used to say to my mom, even up to her last days, I would say, mom, who's your favorite? And she would say, I love you all, all the same. And I'd say, mom, stop lying to my siblings. I'm the youngest of three. My older brother and my older sister never made me feel like a step or a half brother. Uh, we just kind of always lived in the same house. We got real family problems and just life, but they've never left, never met me, felt, never let me feel like I was less than even to today. So I'm very thankful. My oldest sister, who is, a second mom to me, my oldest sister, she is my second mom and I'm thankful for her. So. Wow. Well, we [00:53:00] just had just a great time tonight. When your book comes out, please contact me. I would love to have you on the show again, to promote your book because obviously you, your story is so powerful and we wanna get it out to as many people as we can. So, tell the folks how to connect with you. Well, the best way to connect with me is@forgivingthenightmare.com. Forgiving the nightmare.com. Forgiving the nightmare.com is the best way to connect with me. If you go there, you'll find a email, it's called mark@forgivingthenightmare.com. That comes directly to me, right on my phone. So that's the best way to connect with me. Also you can go to our Facebook page called, forgiving the Nightmare. For giving Nightmare Facebook page. I try to put up pictures and little devotions there and stories there. So that's the two. Best way through Facebook, after Giving the Nightmare, after giving the Nightmare do [00:54:00] com, those are the best ways to connect with me. And I hope to get so Arizona someday. You have an open invitation. Wow. I'll be a tour guide for you. I know that Arizona like the back of my hand. Wow. Wow. Now my children could hear you in the background, so they're gonna be pretty excited about that invitation. There's so much stuff for, for their Edge group as well. So, we will hook you guys up. So thanks for being patient with the tech stuff and I'm glad we pushed through and didn't let the devil get the victory tonight. We found a way to get you on here. That's right. May I pray for you as we close. Oh yes, please. Thank you. Father God, we just come to you tonight and we thank you again for your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you for the sacrifice that he gave to us upon the cross, Lord. And we pay the price we could not pray, Lord. And we thank you for the gift of life [00:55:00] and life more abundant. Lord, we thank you for the promises. It says in this life there will be many troubles, but fear not because you are with us always. And Lord, tonight I pray for my sister. Father, I thank you that you're using her Lord. To spread the gospel to share, hope to be a light and a dark place. But Father, now, I pray that you come beside her father as she's shared that she's lost her brother this week, Lord. And I pray you comfort her. Lord, you said you had to go so the comforter could come. I pray, the comfort of the Holy Spirit will come beside my sister and be with her and her family as they grieve their loved one, their family member, their friend, Lord. So Lord I pray peace upon my sister. I pray Lord that you use her, continue to bless her. I thank you for the testimony of her and her husband, 11 years that you've brought together for such a time as this. I pray, Lord God, that they grow closer to you so they can grow closer to each other. And Lord, we thank you tonight [00:56:00] that Lord, we're no longer Jacob. You've made us Israel Father, no longer do we have to be shaped by our past, but now we can hold on to the promises. Lord, no longer does, we have to be shackled by somebody else's abuse, and we can be set free by your word. So, Lord, I pray that you fill us. You lead us, and may we be the light and may we be the salt, and may we lift up your name. We pray for a unity across our nation. We pray for a healing across our land, and we pray, Lord, for a revival of your salvation to come to our our country again, in Jesus name, amen. Thank you so much, brother. God bless, sister. Thank you. Take care yourself. Bye now. Bye. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us at [00:57:00] DSW Ministries dot org where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.

Reimagine your homeschool as you lean into child-inspired learning, foster curiosity, and align your homeschool with your family's values. The post Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works appeared first on Capturing the Charmed Life.

Have you ever felt like homeschooling was just too much — too exhausting, too uncertain, or maybe even too heavy to keep going? You're not alone. In this heartfelt and honest episode, Nadia opens up about the early years of her homeschooling journey — when doubt, fear, and exhaustion nearly stole her joy.Through prayer, reflection, and a powerful mindset transformation, she discovered that the biggest shift didn't come from changing curriculum or schedules — it came from changing her thinking.Join Nadia as she shares three powerful mindset shifts that transformed her homeschool — and her heart:1️⃣ Stop the stinking thinking.2️⃣ Commit fully to the season you're in.3️⃣ Watch the words you speak.With transparency, faith, and a touch of humor, Nadia reminds you that peace in your homeschool doesn't come from perfection — it comes from renewing your mind daily and anchoring your heart in God's truth.Tune in to learn how a simple shift in perspective can bring back the joy, calm, and confidence you've been praying for.Bible Verse: Romans 12:2 — “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

The heart of Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't in the food or decorations—it's in you, the homemaker who builds a home of warmth, worship, and joy.In this episode, Mystie Winckler shares how Christian moms can embrace their calling as the makers of festivity. Learn how to create joyful holidays through repentance, truth-tethered thinking, and cheerful productivity—without resentment, burnout, or perfectionism.You'll learn:✨ Why your attitude sets the tone of your home✨ How festivity begins with faithfulness, not ambiance✨ Why joy is the fruit of the Spirit—not your checklist✨ Practical ways to plan your holidays with peace and purposeMoms, you are the magic—not because you do it all perfectly, but because you do it cheerfully.

Join us as we chat with Laura Councell about the effects that music, instrumental and vocal, can have on your children's souls, minds, and bodies. Laura holds a doctorate in music and is a homeschooling mother to three children ages 2,5, and 8. Her son, Harry, is a special needs child, and Laura describes how song has been life-giving for him. Listen and be inspired and encouraged by Laura's story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know habits shape our routines—but have you ever stopped to think about how they shape your thinking? In this practical and powerful episode, David and Leslie Nunnery dig into the often unseen world of mental habits—those repeated thought loops that quietly drive how we parent, teach, and respond every day. Drawing from research, Scripture, and personal stories, they show how our daily reflexes are formed, how they can be reshaped, and how they impact the atmosphere of our homes more than any curriculum choice ever could. Key Topics Covered: Why up to 90% of your day runs on habits you don't even notice. How “mental grooves” form in your brain—and why your thoughts naturally follow them. What Daniel's prayer life teaches us about training your mind toward thanksgiving and trust. Why envy, anxiety, and self-doubt take root so easily—and how to replace them with gratitude and truth. The simple mindset shift that can transform your homeschool, your marriage, and your parenting. Plus, Leslie shares practical questions to identify negative loops and start building better ones, and David walks through how neuroscience supports what Scripture has been teaching all along about renewing your mind. You'll leave this episode with a clear next step: one thought to replace, one habit to rehearse, and one truth to hold onto when life feels heavy. Action Step: Ask yourself this week—What mental habit might be shaping my family without me even realizing it? Then take one small, repeatable step to replace it with a godly one. Don't forget—Teach Them Diligently 2026 registration is open! Be sure to secure your ticket today! Connect With Us: Instagram: @TeachThemDiligently Facebook: Teach Them Diligently YouTube: Teach Them Diligently Channel Subscribe + Share: If this episode helped you, take a minute to subscribe, rate, and share with another homeschool family. We sure would be grateful! Pack Shoeboxes and Earn Family Passes to Teach Them DiligentlyIf your family, co-op, church group, or community packs at least 25 shoeboxes, we would love to bless you with a free family registration in return. If you're a group, you can use that registration for your leader, as a raffle item or fundraiser, or to bless a specific family in your group. We will donate a registration for every 25 boxes you pack. Click HERE to find out how your group can be involved From Director Sean McNamara (Reagan, Soul Surfer), the film is inspired by the true story and 2016 bestselling book On Fire by John O'Leary. O'Leary's story begins with his miraculous recovery from a near death accident when he was 9-years-old. Given no chance of survival, John endures an unbelievable road to recovery with the support of his family, faith, community and the kindness of his all-time idol, Baseball Hall of Fame Announcer Jack Buck. Grateful for his miracle and shaped by life's struggles, John's mission to better the world inspires millions to do the extraordinary. Click HERE to find a theatre near you!

We're talking transcripts, report cards, and diplomas.  You know… the stuff that somehow makes homeschool parents break into a cold sweat. We get it. Those “official” documents sound intimidating, but they're really not. In this episode, we're breaking down the myths, cutting through the noise, and reminding you that you've got this.Let's continue the conversation on Patreon! We host live support meetings, socials, and even a book club.  Join here: ⁠https://bit.ly/3X5R0gI⁠  Use code FTP90 for 90% of your first month!  Jumpstart your homeschooling with our online courses:Homeschool 101: The No-Panic Boot Camp - ⁠https://courses.homeschoolmomsunfiltered.com/nopanichomeschool⁠ And, purchase the workbook here:  https://a.co/d/fehPA6G The Smart Start Guide to Homeschool Curriculum - ⁠https://courses.homeschoolmomsunfiltered.com/curriculumnbundle⁠ Preschool and Kindergarten, Reimagine: A Complete Guide for Homeschooling Littles  - ⁠https://courses.homeschoolmomsunfiltered.com/earlyed101⁠  Find Meagan's book - 101 Comebacks to Homeschool Objections: Polite replies, powerful comebacks, and everything in between. - here: https://a.co/d/iTRH14Y Explore Outschool!  Use code BUDGET50 to save 50% off your first three months of membership.https://outschool.com/ Would you like personalized coaching from Meagan or Amanda (or both)???? We offer consultation services. Feel free to take a look at our respective bios and book a time that is convenient for you.⁠https://calendly.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered⁠ Every month we release a themed unit study that is secular and progressive.  We focus on own-voice sources and inclusive learning opportunities.  ⁠https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/homeschool-moms-unfiltered⁠ Exciting news! Meagan will be hosting worldschooling pop-ups in Egypt and Naples, Italy in 2026. If you're curious about worldschooling or just want to know more about how these pop-ups work, send us a DM through our social channels or join the FB groups linked below for updates and community connections.Egypt – 2026FB Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/2554805608217969⁠More info: ⁠https://www.worldschoolpopuphub.com/events/cairo-luxor-egypt-march-2026⁠ Naples, Italy – 2026FB Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/1412900799770816⁠More info: ⁠https://www.worldschoolpopuphub.com/events/naples-italy-april-2026⁠ Visit our website here:  ⁠https://homeschoolmomsunfiltered.com/⁠ Let's be friends!!! Follow us on social media for giveaways and updates!!IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered/⁠ TT: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@homeschoolmomsunfiltered?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc⁠ FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered⁠ Love Homeschool Moms Unfiltered and want to show your support? ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/homeschoolmomsunfiltered⁠ 

When your child shuts down and says, “I can't do this,” it can feel like all your effort as a homeschool mom just hit a wall. In this Q&A episode, Natalie Burns talks about what's really going on in those moments, why your usual strategies (like taking breaks) don't always work, and how to respond in a way that builds resilience instead of resistance. Learn what to say, what to stop doing, and how to create calm connection so learning feels safe again.Free Download: Say This, Not That: Scripts For Tricky Homeschool Teaching Moments: assuredpodcast.com/saythisIf you're looking to unpack long-held beliefs and habits with learning, come get support inside the Teaching Inspired Community!assuredpodcast.com/communityConnect with Natalie:natalie@homeschoolteachingsimplified.com

What a relief that we don't have to feel as mortified years after tripping in the hall as we did the day it happened! Want to test yourself on how well you can recognize fallacies in real life? Take the Meme Fallacy Quiz! www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/quiz Learn more about Crazy Thinkers membership where you can practice critical thinking using real-life memes, articles & headlines: www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/crazy Here's how you can purchase the Logical Fallacies ebook: https://www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/offers/z6xbAcB2 Send me any questions, comments or even the fallacies you're seeing around you! think@filteritthroughabraincell.com Or, tag me on Instagram: @filteritthroughabraincell Sign up on my email list at: www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/contact Learn more about Classical Conversations: www.classicalconversations.com/filterit Thank you to our sponsor, CTC Math! Website: https://www.ctcmath.com/?tr_id=brain Homeschool page: https://www.ctcmath.com/how-it-works/home-school?tr_id=brain Free trail: https://www.ctcmath.com/trial?tr_id=brain Special offer! Get 1/2-off discounts plus bonus 6-months free! Critical Thinking for Teens Logical Fallacies for Teens Cognitive Biases for Teens Homeschool Logic Critical thinking for Middle schoolers

Have you noticed that you, the homeschool mom, sets the tone of the home? And as a homeschool family, this directly affects home education. The autumn is a perfect time to be intentional about a few specific homemaking rhythms that can result in a more peaceful home and calmer homeschool days. It doesn't require anything drastic or over the top. Choose even one of the tips that I share in this episode to help you and your family enjoy this time of the year. Grab that hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa and snuggle in for the next few minutes! ♥ Leigh     CREATE YOUR HOMESCHOOL FAMILY'S HOME TASK SYSTEM https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome    DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S UNIQUE HOMESCHOOL THAT YOU'LL LOVE! https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint   GET EXCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP WITH LEIGH https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/mentorship   SIMPLIFY YOUR MEAL PLANNING https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/meal     Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.myflodesk.com/subscribe Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/     Listen to these related episodes: 195. Creating a Cozy Atmosphere For Your Homeschool Family: Homemaking in the Fall Months   406. What Your Days Should Look Like As A Homeschool Mom    394. The School System Is Outdated: Is Your Homeschool?  

In this episode, we put NBC News' list of the “Best Board Games for Kids” to the test. Do we agree with the experts, or do we have better picks? We break down what makes each game shine for families, where we think the list got it right, and which titles deserve an upgrade. From Trouble to Ticket to Ride, we explore how these games build strategy, cooperation, and laughter around the table. Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/select/shopping/best-board-games-kids-rcna231904 Find Secular Curriculum with our Resource Selector https://www.homeschool-together.com/secular-resources Support The Podcast If you like what you hear, consider supporting the podcast: https://homeschooltogether.gumroad.com/l/support Consider Leaving Us A Review If you have a quick moment, please consider leaving a review on iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homeschool-together-podcast/id1526685583 Show Notes Sushi Go - https://amzn.to/46N2gU6 Sushi Go Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/39 Sushi Go Party - https://amzn.to/3IQJjXp Sushi Go 3D Print - https://makerworld.com/en/models/1142650-sushi-go-party-insert Sequence for Kids - https://amzn.to/4o80S42 Sequence Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/8 Moose, Match, Mayhem - https://amzn.to/3IYVPnI Outfoxed! - https://amzn.to/4hfJ0C7 Outfoxed! Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/5 Blokus - https://amzn.to/3KLpelJ Patchwork - https://amzn.to/4q6Fuy2 Patchwork Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/290 Cascadia - https://amzn.to/4ojihHk Cascadia Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/276 Qwirkle - https://amzn.to/4nErzNW Qwirkle Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/27 Qwirkle 3D print - https://makerworld.com/en/models/957219-qwirkle-expandable-grid Castle Panic - https://amzn.to/4hejhtW Castle Panic Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/172 Castle Panic 3D Print - https://makerworld.com/en/models/807898-castle-panic-base-engines-of-war-castle-keep Carcassonne - https://amzn.to/4nErDNG Carcassonne Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/76 Carcassonne 3D Print - https://makerworld.com/en/models/138516-karak-carcassone-tiles-grid Bugs in the Kitchen - https://amzn.to/47l6vX2 Ticket to Ride - https://amzn.to/4hfJisH Ticket to Ride Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/60 Catan Junior - https://amzn.to/4hbEh4A Catan Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/62 Dragomino - https://amzn.to/46XW4Hy Kingdomino - https://amzn.to/4h6duGv Kingdomino Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/57 Queendomino - https://amzn.to/46Yxq9F Silver & Gold - https://amzn.to/48k7yHL Deep Sea Adventure - https://amzn.to/3WDHDDD Deep Sea Adventure 3D Print - https://makerworld.com/en/models/1534481-deep-sea-adventure-boost-box-insert Trash Pandas - https://amzn.to/47aMuRY Dream Home - https://amzn.to/3J51icE Dream Home Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/186 Camel Up - https://amzn.to/3L4ObIV Trekking the World - https://amzn.to/4mZCmRS Trekking the World Review - https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/230 Connect with us Website: http://www.homeschool-together.com/ Store: https://gumroad.com/homeschooltogether Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/homeschooltogether Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/homeschooltogetherpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/homeschooltogetherpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/hs_together The Gameschool Co-Op: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameschoolcoop/ Email: homeschooltogetherpodcast@gmail.com

EP239: In this episode, Jean shares a simple way to craft age-appropriate homeschool lessons by pairing story-rich content with a focused skill goal, all within a spiral model of learning that lowers pressure and builds depth. Practical steps, planning tools, and holiday tweaks help you simplify and stay connected.Here's what we're talking about:• DAP as a lens for child-centered teaching• Content versus skills and why it matters• Story-first lessons that anchor meaning• Spiral learning across three-year cycles• Three-step block planning workflow• Light planning with templates and reflection• Holiday rhythm with shorter, cozier blocks• Membership support for seasonal simplicityUse the coupon code COLORFULPLANS to get 50% off The Holistic Planning Pack just for listening to this episode today.

High school brings exciting opportunities for deeper learning and personal growth. With the right tools, homeschooling through this stage can be both manageable and meaningful.In this episode, join Rebecca as she sits down with high school content specialist Robin Caminiti to talk about how Course Outlines can support both flexibility and academic success. Whether you're new to homeschooling high school or just looking for ways to stay organized and confident, you'll learn how these outlines work, how to make the most of the built-in resources, and how Sequoia Grove's team is here to support you every step of the way.This is a must-listen episode for any family navigating the high school years with creativity and confidence!Contact our Content Specialists:Robin: robin.caminiti@sequoiagrove.orgArpi: arpine.ovsepyan@sequoiagrove.orgYou can get a copy of Course Outlines from your HST or find them on the Bridge.

We're Back! Season 2 Kickoff + Life Lately Catch-Up We're back, friends! After an unplanned (but very needed) break, we're so excited to be jumping into Season 2. In this catch-up episode, we're taking you behind the scenes of where we've been, what's been going on in our lives, and why hitting pause was actually the healthiest thing we could've done—for ourselves, our families, and this podcast. From quiet celebrations and major life shifts to slow summers, big feelings, family news, and homeschool chaos—we're covering it all. We're sharing real, honest updates about divorce, parenting, new rhythms, pregnancy complications, career changes, and even a cat obsession that may or may not be driving us up the wall. It's raw, lighthearted, emotional, and full of the good stuff that comes with growth. Timeline Summary: [0:35] - Why we took a break and learning to practice what we preach [2:10] - Navigating divorce, burnout, and the power of pausing [3:48] - Graduation celebrations and making space for big transitions [5:24] - Slower summer rhythms and processing deep emotions [7:02] - Family trips, Disney magic, and announcing a new baby on the way [9:20] - Pregnancy complications, irritable uterus woes, and adapting to new limitations [12:12] - Homeschool chaos, cat obsessions, and looking ahead to Season 2 Closing Thoughts: Thanks for sticking with us. We're so thrilled to kick off Season 2 and can't wait to bring you more conversations, stories, and guests in the coming weeks. If you loved this episode (or just missed us a little), don't forget to follow, rate, share, and leave us a review. See you next week!

Discover the power of embracing 'I Don't Know' to foster curiosity and learning in children. This episode explores how admitting when you don't have all the answers can transform the way kids approach learning, encouraging them to take risks and ask questions. Learn practical strategies to model curiosity, make learning an adventure, and nurture natural curiosity in children. Plus, download a free guide with resources to spark wonder and cross-curricular learning experiences. Join us in changing the dynamic from parent-as-expert to co-learner, and help your children become confident knowledge creators.00:00 Introduction: The Power of 'I Wonder'00:35 Embracing Failure in Learning00:53 Modeling Curiosity and Honesty02:11 Transforming Learning Dynamics03:37 Practical Tips for Homeschooling04:19 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsDownload your free eguide mentioned in the episode HERE.Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

What happens when you ditch the American Dream, move onto a boat with five kids, and homeschool while traveling the Caribbean? In this inspiring episode, former public school teacher Tanya shares her family's extraordinary journey of "boat schooling" for nearly a decade.From their catamaran "Take Two" in Florida's 10,000 Islands, Tanya opens up about:Why They Left Conventional Life BehindThe "meat grinder" feeling of the traditional education systemMoving from Atlanta suburbia to life on the open oceanHow a childhood dream became reality with five young childrenThe Reality of Boat SchoolingManaging seasickness, morning sickness, and life in close quartersUsing the world as your classroom: from banana plantations in Belize to Christopher Columbus's landing sites in the BahamasOne-room schoolhouse methods that work with multiple ages (toddler to teen)Honest Conversations About:Unschooling yourself as a former teacherThe socialization question (spoiler: she's seen what socialization looks like in classrooms)Teaching five different kids to read five different waysWhy the "hard parts" of their unconventional childhood made her kids tougher and more resilientCreating deep family bonds that last into adulthoodMentioned Resources:Life of Fred math curriculumTeach Your Baby to Read (Doman method)A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony HorwitzTanya's book: "Leaving the Safe Harbor: The Risks and Rewards of Raising a Family on a Boat"Blog: https://www.taketwosailing.com/

Episode 108: HALLOW: 1: to make holy or set apart for holy use 2: to respect greatly : venerate (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)---Join author and host Julia Monnin and her son as they invite listeners to join them for one of their homeschool lessons on All Hallows' Eve.ALL YOU HOLY MEN AND WOMEN, SAINTS OF GOD, PRAY FOR US!---NEW for 2025! Stay in touch with JRM via Flocknote. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠journeysrevealed.flocknote.com⁠⁠⁠---⁠⁠⁠theworldisnoisy.com⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠journeysrevealed.com

simplyconvivial.com/holiday - Holiday planning doesn't have to mean chaos. In this episode of the Simply Convivial podcast, Mystie Winckler is joined by her Convivial Circle team, Stefani Mons and Leisa Moulton, to talk about how they plan ahead for Thanksgiving and Christmas.We share the practical ways we handle:

Have you ever worried that you're not meeting all of your child's needs—academically, emotionally, spiritually, or even socially? Pretty much every day, right? You're not alone. Most of us have asked ourselves if we are giving our kids everything they need at one time or another.In this episode, I'm sharing a replay from one of our Circle with Sarah live sessions where RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy and I dug into what education is really for, because if we know what it's for, we're better able to answer if we're meeting our children's needs.I hope this conversation helps you reimagine your kids' education in a way that eases your worries and reminds you that education is about relationships, not checklists, and that is very good news.Circle with Sarah is my homeschool mentoring program within RAR Premium. Every Monday, members get a quick five to ten minute podcast with just the encouragement they need to be the peace-filled, joyful homeschool mom they're called to be. Learn more here. In this episode, you'll hear: Why education is not about meeting all of your child's potential needs, but about love and relationshipsThe three pillars of connection that form the bedrock of our homeschoolsSimple, practical ways to weave those three pillars into your daily lifeLearn more about Sarah Mackenzie:Read-Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/education-is-for-love Order Flora and the Jazzers by Astrid Sheckels!

If we can easily recognize when a media source gets something wrong in an area we know a lot about, shouldn't that make us question the other things it's telling us? Want to test yourself on how well you can recognize fallacies in real life? Take the Meme Fallacy Quiz! www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/quiz Learn more about Crazy Thinkers membership where you can practice critical thinking using real-life memes, articles & headlines: www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/crazy Here's how you can purchase the Logical Fallacies ebook: https://www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/offers/z6xbAcB2 Send me any questions, comments or even the fallacies you're seeing around you! think@filteritthroughabraincell.com Or, tag me on Instagram: @filteritthroughabraincell Sign up on my email list at: www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/contact Learn more about Classical Conversations: www.classicalconversations.com/filterit Thank you to our sponsor, CTC Math! Website: https://www.ctcmath.com/?tr_id=brain Homeschool page: https://www.ctcmath.com/how-it-works/home-school?tr_id=brain Free trail: https://www.ctcmath.com/trial?tr_id=brain Special offer! Get 1/2-off discounts plus bonus 6-months free! Critical Thinking for Teens Logical Fallacies for Teens Cognitive Biases for Teens Homeschool Logic Critical thinking for Middle schoolers

Wow! You came in hot with these questions today.  Here are my off the cuff comments and I hope that each gives you a place to begin and you take it from here. My only wish is that we could sit over a cup of coffee and discuss these in person. Until then, happy listening and enjoy what's in your mug! ♥ Leigh     ASK YOUR QUESTION TO BE ANSWERED ON THE PODCAST: https://bit.ly/homeschoolquestion   DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S UNIQUE HOMESCHOOL THAT YOU'LL LOVE! https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint   CREATE YOUR HOMESCHOOL FAMILY'S HOME TASK SYSTEM https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome    GET EXCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP WITH LEIGH https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/mentorship   LITTLE BY LITTLE HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE TICKETS:  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/conference   SIMPLIFY YOUR MEAL PLANNING https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/meal     Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.myflodesk.com/subscribe Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/   Listen to these related episodes: 404. Q&A: Disruptive Kids At Homeschool Groups, What To Do With All The Art Projects, My Biggest Curriculum Regret    367. Do You Inspire Your Homeschool Children?    343. Eliminate Burnout And Recover Your Homeschool Experience 

Is grading, tracking, or recording your child's progress stressing you out? If so, then join Carrie for a lively chat with the creator of the Schoolfolio App.  In this week's episode, Carrie and Jennifer explore fresh ways to track homeschool progress with and without grades and tests. Discover creative, stress-free methods to capture your child's growth, from photos of projects to logs of field trips and engaging conversations. Jennifer shares how Schoolfolio's intuitive tools—like unlimited student profiles, work sample uploads, reading logs, and one-click PDF exports—make documenting learning and creating a portfolio a breeze. Whether you're a seasoned homeschooler or just starting, this episode offers practical tips to turn progress tracking into a joyful story of your child's unique journey. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and Join Carrie and Jennifer for a little coffee and conversation about portfolios and assessments.Get Schoolfolio App at https://www.schoolfolioapp.com/Support the showPurchase Homeschooling High School: A Handbook for Christian Education.Purchase Just Breathe (and Take a Sip of Coffee): Homeschool Simply & Enjoyably. Schedule a Coffee Date (One-on-One Personalized Coaching Session: Coffee With Carrie Subscribe to Coffee With Carrie email newsletter and blog at https://coffeewithcarrie.org Follow on Instagram @coffeewithcarrieconsultant.

Jessica Smartt is the author of Memory-Making Mom, Let Them Be Kids, and her newest book, Come on Home. She graduated from Grove City College with an English degree, a religion minor, and a hankering to pour into kids. After teaching middle school English for five years, she was promoted to her current position and dream job: wife, homeschooling mom of 3 kids, author, and Professional Encourager of Weary Moms. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a family farm with horses, chickens, and an ever-increasing number of beloved cats. In this episode, Jessica shares how we can build a strong family culture even if we didn't experience a healthy family growing up. No matter where we find ourselves and no matter the challenges we face, we can begin to build a family of grace, deep friendship, and unshakable loyalty that gives our kids a foundation to grow into all God created them to be.Head here to grab your copy of Come on Home.You can find complete show notes for this episode at homeschoolcompass.com/podcast.We'd love to connect with you outside your podcast player!Follow the Homeschool Compass on Instagram or FacebookDownload free printable resources for your homeschoolBrowse our book listsSign up for the Homeschool Compass email newsletterThank you for leaving The Homeschool Compass Podcast a rating and a review in your podcast player! It helps new homeschool families find these encouraging conversations. We so appreciate you.

Big-picture planning doesn't work when life changes faster than your plan does — and that's why homemakers need interval planning.In this episode, Mystie Winckler explains the three most common mistakes moms make when setting up their interval plans and how to avoid them so you can finally make progress without burnout.You'll learn:✅ Why an interval plan doesn't give you more time — and what it really does✅ How to use “good procrastination” to stay focused✅ What to do during your prep week (and what not to)✅ How to make your interval plan fit real life, not the other way aroundMake the next six to eight weeks purposeful, peaceful, and productive — without overreaching yourself or burning out.

Episode Sponsors: CTC Math and Great Homeschool Conventions

What if homeschooling your children could land you in jail? In 1984, that wasn't a hypothetical—it was reality. Discover how one mom's brave stand against a state superintendent's threats helped spark a movement that changed education in America forever. Join Robert Bortins for a powerful conversation with homeschooling pioneer Zan Tyler, who began her journey in 1984 when the South Carolina State Superintendent of Education threatened her with jail for teaching her own children. This isn't just history—it's the remarkable story of how homeschooling went from illegal to celebrated in just four decades. Zan shares the incredible account of her "Patrick Henry moment" when she told the superintendent, "You'll just have to put me in jail then," and how a U.S. Senator's intervention kept her out of prison. But the legal battles were just beginning—it took eight years to get good homeschool legislation passed in South Carolina, and Zan was on the front lines the entire time. In this episode, you'll hear about: The midnight knock on the door that launched an eight-year legislative battle How 125 letters (written on actual typewriters!) sparked a grassroots movement The cultural turning points that took homeschooling mainstream—from Columbine to COVID Why colleges now actively recruit homeschoolers (and what changed their minds) The surprising story of how the U.S. Military went from rejecting homeschool diplomas to recognizing homeschoolers as top performers Why new legislative threats are emerging even as homeschooling reaches record numbers The critical importance of staying vigilant and supporting state homeschool organizations Zan's story is a testament to God's faithfulness, parental courage, and the power of grassroots advocacy. Whether you're a veteran homeschooler or just considering the journey, this conversation will inspire you to appreciate the freedom you have—and equip you to protect it for the next generation.   Resources: https://zantyler.com/   This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by the Classical Learning Cohort: Are you a CC parent or graduate wanting to become a more confident classical educator? Why not sample the CLC by attending a free, online "Experience the CLC" event at classicalconversations.com/cohort. Find a time that fits your schedule.

For your planner to work, you have to look at it. Mystie Winckler talks with Convivial Circle community manager Stefani Mons about the habit of reviewing your planner daily, weekly, and at intervals.Stefani explains how:Daily reviews keep perspective accurate and help reframe negativityWeekly reviews highlight what went well before looking at what needs to changeInterval reviews (every 6–12 weeks) give time to evaluate routines, homeschooling, and habits without overhauling everything too soonThey also discuss how reviewing helps avoid planner perfectionism, why it's important to reframe lies as truth, and how community crowdsourcing provides fresh insights and reminders.This conversation shows why small, regular reviews keep plans realistic and cheerful—without going off the rails.

Can classical schools really prepare students for STEM careers? Many parents wonder if a humanities-rich education leaves room for science and technology. Our guest, Diane Gray, scientist, musician, contractor, tutor, and mother of seven, says yes. After 12 years in biotech R&D, Diane completed a master's in Classical Studies to explore how classical Christian education and STEM can thrive together.In this conversation with host Davies Owens, Diane shares her research comparing STEM and classical models, revealing that the two are not in competition, but complementary.

Join the challenge: https://www.simplyconvivial.com/october | Long-term goals often fall apart because life shifts too quickly. That's why a 6-week interval plan works—it's long enough to make progress, but short enough to stay realistic. Instead of feeling like you're failing at year-long resolutions, you'll finally have a big-picture plan that adapts to your real life.In this 30-minute live episode, we'll talk about what interval planning is, why 6–8 weeks is the sweet spot for moms, and how this approach keeps you moving forward without perfectionism. You'll learn how to use interval plans to set priorities, avoid burnout, and actually follow through.Grab your planner and join me live—we'll build a big-picture plan that brings peace and clarity to your next season.

Why do our brains put so much trust in what people in authority tell us? Want to test yourself on how well you can recognize fallacies in real life? Take the Meme Fallacy Quiz! www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/quiz Learn more about Crazy Thinkers membership where you can practice critical thinking using real-life memes, articles & headlines: www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/crazy Here's how you can purchase the Logical Fallacies ebook: https://www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/offers/z6xbAcB2 Send me any questions, comments or even the fallacies you're seeing around you! think@filteritthroughabraincell.com Or, tag me on Instagram: @filteritthroughabraincell Sign up on my email list at: www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/contact Learn more about Classical Conversations: www.classicalconversations.com/filterit Thank you to our sponsor, CTC Math! Website: https://www.ctcmath.com/?tr_id=brain Homeschool page: https://www.ctcmath.com/how-it-works/home-school?tr_id=brain Free trail: https://www.ctcmath.com/trial?tr_id=brain Special offer! Get 1/2-off discounts plus bonus 6-months free! Critical Thinking for Teens Logical Fallacies for Teens Cognitive Biases for Teens Homeschool Logic Critical thinking for Middle schoolers

Not every lesson needs to become a massive project to be memorable. In this episode, we're sharing simple, effective ways to make everyday homeschool lessons more hands-on. Whether it's math, writing, science, or history, we'll show you how to add movement, manipulatives, creativity, and real-world relevance to your day. Find Secular Curriculum with our Resource Selector https://www.homeschool-together.com/secular-resources Support The Podcast If you like what you hear, consider supporting the podcast: https://homeschooltogether.gumroad.com/l/support Consider Leaving Us A Review If you have a quick moment, please consider leaving a review on iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homeschool-together-podcast/id1526685583 Show Notes Rory's Story Cubes - https://amzn.to/3Wkhhq7 Fun Ancient Egypt Lesson Plans - https://www.organizedhomeschooler.com/ancient-egypt-for-kids/ Connect with us Website: http://www.homeschool-together.com/ Store: https://gumroad.com/homeschooltogether Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/homeschooltogether Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/homeschooltogetherpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/homeschooltogetherpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/hs_together The Gameschool Co-Op: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameschoolcoop/ Email: homeschooltogetherpodcast@gmail.com

Join Organize October: simplyconvivial.com/october -- There is no one-size-fits-all way to build a daily plan. The daily card isn't a formula — it's a practice that teaches awareness, flexibility, and discernment. By iterating daily, moms learn to identify what truly matters for the season they're in.Your day won't ever run perfectly — but with the right habits, you can keep focusing on the meat of your day and grow in cheerful, faithful productivity.What You'll LearnHow the Daily Card helps you identify prioritiesWhy daily plans must change with your seasonsThe power of small, faithful iterationsHow flexibility builds confidenceHow the Daily Card reveals what truly matters