Miss Teacher Mom

What is your relationship with the Bible like? Do you struggle to read and delight in it? Does it seem like an outdated book of rules and guidelines for life? If so, it may be partly due to a misunderstanding of exactly what the Bible is: God's very word to us. My guest this week, Keri Folmar, spent years neglecting God's Word, because she had misconceptions about its purpose. Now, her life and relationship with God have been completely transformed by spending regular time reading it, studying it, and meditating on it. In this episode, Keri will remind us that we were created to know God and that the Bible is the place where he speaks and reveals himself to us. She'll share six practical tips for how to begin delighting in God's Word as well as how to help our children understand the treasure that God's Word is. I especially loved Keri's encouragement to moms to not only teach Bible stories to their children, but to also teach them about the Bible itself and how to use it in their own lives.

Keri Folmar is a member of the United Christian Church of Dubai, where her husband has been the senior pastor for the last fifteen years. She has three children and is the author of The Good Portion: The Doctrine of Scripture for Every Woman and the Delighting in the Word Bible study series.

Every place has its own culture - intentionally created or not.  During the years of raising their children, Doug and Nancy Wilson realized that the liturgy they were practicing in their own home was creating a unique culture, and it caused them to be even more intentional about what kind of a culture they were creating for their family. 

I learned so much from what Nancy shared about the components of the culture in their home - things like, Christian education, saying lots of "yesses" and fewer "no's", weekly worship, foods, holidays, and especially "jammie rides"!

In this episode, Nancy will talk about the temptation to take the path of least resistance and little effort in raising children versus the fruitfulness of hard work on behalf of your children. She'll also encourage us to put away sentimentality and encourage our boys to be "stand up men" and our girls to be "courageous and virtuous women."

Nancy Wilson is a pastor’s wife and homemaker in Moscow, Idaho, who has written several books including The Silver Lining: A Practical Guide for Christian Grandmothers and Learning Contentment. She is the host of the Femina podcast. She and her husband, Douglas, have three children and seventeen grandkids.

Resources:

Family Culture Femina podcast episode

We live in a culture that increasingly devalues children and the work of raising them. The corresponding messages we hear as moms can be discouraging and leave us looking out the window longing for life beyond the walls of our homes. My guest today, Ryan Fullerton, reminds us that the work of nurturing children is important, biblical, good for society, good for the church, and good for our own sanctification. Moms, I think you’ll be so refreshed by his words of truth and encouragement to you!

Pastor Ryan became deeply concerned by the rate of abortion in our country about a decade ago and knew he could not remain silent on the issue, since God delights in all human life. His church has a wonderful adoption ministry, and encourages Snowflake adoption in which embryos left frozen from the IVF process can be adopted. 

Ryan Fullerton is the Lead Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, KY where he serves the Lord with his wife Christy and their four children. 

Resources:

Ryan's Sermon: Carefully and Consistently Pro-life  https://vimeo.com/117432429

Nightlight Embryo Adoption https://nightlight.org/snowflakes-embryo-adoption-donation/

Sunday mornings can be such a challenge! Why do bad attitudes, chaotic breakfasts, and missing shoes seem to abound just before heading out the door to church? Are our efforts to join with other believers in worship even worth it? 

My guest this week, Jani Ortlund, says yes, it's worth every effort. Jani has decades of experience with taking a brood of children to church every week and instilling a love for the church in them. She has a lot of wisdom to share with those of us battling to say along with the Psalmist "I was glad when they said to me 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!' " 

By using practical and prayerful preparation, Jani will help us keep the fourth commandment to "Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy." She'll emphasize the word remember as well as the strategic use of cinnamon rolls to help us cultivate the attitude that participation in the local church is not only vital, but also incredibly joyful.

Jani Ortlund is the Executive Vice President of Renewal Ministries. Serving Jesus Christ through writing, speaking and discipling are her chief passions in life. Jani and Ray, Pastor of Immanuel Church, have four married children and twelve grandchildren, and minister in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Resources:

Help! I'm Married to My Pastor by Jani Ortlund

Psalm 122:1

Exodus 20:8-11

"There's a lot of noise out there, but only one voice that matters." That's how Reagan Reynolds summed up her newfound freedom from the goal of being well-known and leaving a visible legacy in the world in this week's episode. From the pursuit of feminist literary studies and academia to landing a job in a large tech corporation, Reagan prioritized wordly achievement until Christ changed her perspective on success. I loved hearing Reagan's perspective on being yoked to Jesus and focusing on the assignments He gives her, most of which are now private and hidden from the world. Reagan also shares about her new relationship with social media and the effect she's seen it have on the hidden work of motherhood and homemaking.

Regan Reynolds lives in North Carolina and has been married to Jeremy for 10 years. They have two boys, ages 4 and 2. Reagan and Jeremy love sharing the gospel and equipping others in the area of evangelism. They especially enjoy serving in their church together, and Reagan delights in the work of discipling younger women. She recently went from full-time to part-time work at a large tech corporation to focus more on the work of mothering and homemaking and is about to embark on the journey of homeschooling.

Resources:

Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms by Tim Challies

 As someone not naturally inclined to tidiness and organization, I really loved talking with my friend, Candace York, about housekeeping and hospitality this week. Candace shares a biblical vision for the work and call of housekeeping especially as it pertains to women. In Proverbs 31, the wife is praised for “looking well to the ways of her household” which is something often undervalued in our current culture. How can we cultivate a heart attitude that values the seemingly monotonous task of housekeeping? How can we reject the idol of perfection but maintain a home that blesses our family and others? We’ll also talk about the connection between housekeeping and hospitality and how inviting others into your home offers a special blessing to your children.

Candace York has been married to Seth for 13 years and they have four children between the ages of 2 and 10. They serve the Lord through their local church and also at Crossings - a camp ministry for kids and teens in Kentucky. Candace delights in the work of housekeeping and uses her gift at Routine Refresh to help women clean their homes in a more efficient way. 

Valentine's Day Giveaway: https://www.instagram.com/missteachermom/

Resources Candace mentions:

Proverbs 31:27

Titus 2:3-5

The Gospel Comes With a Housekey by Rosaria Butterfield

Routine Refresh

With about 18 years to work with, what do I want my children to learn? The stewardship mandate in Genesis 1 calls us to rule and subdue our domains as well as to be fruitful and multiply. How does this apply to my child's education? If you homeschool, you can tailor your child's education based on an educational method you trust and even choose the subjects you want to emphasize. If you've chosen public or private school, you can still be involved in their learning and supplement it with books, subjects, and experiences that you think will enrich and sharpen their minds. 

In this last episode in the Creating a Family Vision series, Mel and I look back on her 20+ years of homeschooling and talk about being imperfectly purposeful in our motherhood in the area of education and how the gospel sustains us in this tremendous endeavor.

Melanie Krumrey is mom to three adult children whom she homeschooled K-12 grade. She is also a pastor's wife in Amherst, Massachusetts and serves her church as the Director of Women's Ministry.  She loves to read, run, teach, write and practice hospitality. She blogs at Dwell Abide Adorn and you can find her on Instagram.

Resources Melanie mentions:

Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

The Core:  Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education by Lee Bortins

Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson

Future Men: Raising Men to Fight Giants by Douglas Wilson

I Corinthians reveals the amazing reality that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and intended for God's glory. With this in mind, how can we create a vision for the care of our children's bodies? What knowledge and healthy habits will help our children understand the importance of honoring God with their bodies? What will we do when our children struggle with body image?

In part 4 of this series on creating a vision for your family, Mel shares some of the ways she and her husband implemented a vision for physical health in her family. She'll also talk about the tendency, for girls especially, to have a negative body image and how dads can play a crucial role in nurturing a daughter's beautiful identity in Christ.

Melanie Krumrey is mom to three adult children whom she homeschooled K-12 grade. She is also a pastor's wife in Amherst, Massachusetts and serves her church as the Director of Women's Ministry.  She loves to read, run, teach, write and practice hospitality. She blogs at Dwell Abide Adorn and you can find her on Instagram.

Resources Melanie mentions:

Cookbook for Girls by D.K.

Danielle Walker on Instagram

James 4:1 asks “What causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

The heart is deceitful above all things yet our emotions are also gifts from God. As parents, we have the opportunity and responsibility to shepherd our children's hearts and overflowing emotions. Mel provides wisdom and insight regarding submitting her own passions and emotions to Christ as she helped her children to the same. It's insight you'll want to hear as we seek to raise our kids with eternity (and adulthood) in mind.

Melanie Krumrey is mom to three adult children whom she homeschooled K-12 grade. She is also a pastor's wife in Amherst, Massachusetts and serves her church as the Director of Women's Ministry.  She loves to read, run, teach, write and practice hospitality. She blogs at Dwell Abide Adorn and you can find her on Instagram.

Resources Melanie mentions:

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp

Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp

As Christians, our greatest desire for our children is that they love the Lord. During the second part of our series on "Creating a Family Vision" Melanie Krumrey shares some ways we can nurture faith in our children.  Mel will also discuss what she thinks is the most crucial way to encourage faith in Christ, as well as share a bit about the faith of her own children.

Melanie Krumrey is mom to three adult children whom she homeschooled K-12 grade. She is also a pastor's wife in Amherst, Massachusetts and serves her church as the Director of Women's Ministry.  She loves to read, run, teach, write and practice hospitality. She blogs at Dwell Abide Adorn and you can find her on Instagram.

Resources Melanie mentions in the episode:

The Case for Christ for Kids by Lee Strobel

The Case for Faith for Kids by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel