It’s not bad to come to the end of our rope, because at the end of our rope we find our Savior. – Durenda Wilson, The Busy Mom Podcast

More from The Busy Mom:

Teach me to Pray – A couple minute podcast and short post where Heidi St. John reminds us that God wants to talk to us in prayer. It’s vital to live a thriving, grounded and humble life.

Verses mentioned in podcast:

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 21:21-22  And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Philippians 4: 6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Resources

A Praying Life – Author Paul Miller shares his insights and conclusions about how to connect the broken pieces of your life and allow prayer—even poorly delivered—to fill the gaps with meaning and substance.  Miller’s down-to-earth approach and practical nature will help you see that your relationship with God can grow and your communication with Him can get better.  Parents will find Miller’s family-life experiences especially helpful.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray –

Since this book was published over a century ago, countless readers have learned through its pages that no one can teach prayer better than Jesus Christ himself. This enduring classic will transform your prayers and life as you open your heart to the prayer-lessons Jesus gave.

“The Father waits to hear every prayer of faith. He wants to give us whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name. If there is one thing I think the Church needs to learn, it is that God intends prayer to have an answer, and that we have not yet fully conceived of what God will do for us if we believe that our prayers will be heard. God hears prayer.”

 

Join me as we chat about keeping balance in this social media overloaded world in which we live.

 

More from The Busy Mom

Being Online Less – Podcast – More on the topic of limiting our time online and encouraging our time in real life.

Online and Overexposed –  A post about what I’ve learned about putting too much online… a different frustration of social media.

Resources Mentioned:

The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, he Mystery of God and The Necessity of Faith –

The life of Christian faith is and always has been a beautifully awkward reality. Following Jesus is done—can only be done—in the messiness of this world into which we were all born. Yet many Christians expect the walk of faith to be easier, neater, and relatively devoid of hassles.

So perhaps it’s time for a frank conversation about the true nature of Christian faith. Maybe there are many desperately in need of a clear dialogue about how—despite living in a turbulent, chaotic world—our greatest joy is found in our pursuit of God.

In The Grand Paradox, Ken Wytsma seeks to help readers understand that although God can be mysterious, He is in no way absent.

The Nature Valley Ad Mentioned:

Listen to specific reasons why Heidi and Jay St. John and Durenda and Darryl Wilson believe it's the best choice to homeschool their children.

More from The Busy Mom Blog:

3 Reasons NOT to Homeschool, and Why We Decided to Give it a Try – There’s much more on my mind than whether or not parents should homeschool their kids. I think there are some very compelling reasons for Jesus followers to NOT take on the responsibility and commitment of homeschooling.

Homeschooling Held Hostage – “We’ve gone from a few brave moms who, without access to mainstream “curriculum”, managed to give their children an excellent education—but we’ve forgotten what made it excellent. It was excellent because these moms had a vision for homeschooling—they weren’t trying to re-create school at home. They were simply being obedient to the One who had called them to be different. They knew that if He had called them, He would equip them.”

What is the Goal of Education? – “It is a reminder that it matters who teaches your children. You see, discipleship is the goal of education. Christian homeschooling should not only be about teaching the ABC’s. Yes, academics are an essential component in homeschooling, but the foundation and power of homeschooling is found in the quiet resolve of two parents who are committed to teach their children to be fully devoted, mature followers of Jesus Christ.”  

 

Related Podcasts:

Common Core Concerns Part 1

Common Core Concerns Part 2

Additional Resources:

Dr Duke Pesta on the Shocking K-12 Common Core Sexual Education Standards

HSLDA Common Core Issues – Basic information, glossary, analysis, action you can take, news and more

Building the Machine – A Common Core Video by HSLDA

 

Join Heidi St John and guest, Durenda Wilson, as they share three things to remember as you get back in the home school groove.

More from The Busy Mom

Planning Your Homeschool Year –  A list of resources for you here that will help you with ALL aspects of planning your homeschool year!

A Little Homeschool Truth from a Veteran Homeschool Mom – “And so here we are.  School has started and reality has set in.  Homeschooling sure looks different mid-summer while absolutely no school is being done and we’re casually reading colorful catalogues detailing curriculum that will practically teach your kids themselves.  Ah, yes, peaceful, sunny July afternoons spent at the beach with memories of crumby floors and crabby attitudes far behind.  Sitting here across from my joyful – yet painfully slow – second grader caused me to dig deep into my reserves of homeschool truth to bring myself to remain calm and committed…”

What I’ve Learned as a Rookie Homeschooler – “15 math lessons. 13 reading lessons.  I can hardly believe it.  We’re almost done!  If we go with the sports language, I have almost completed my rookie season of homeschooling.  Rookie year is a wild ride folks.  At least it has been for me.  In September of last year, I sat down one Monday morning with my little people at our awesome little desks in the corner of our living room, with some pretty awesome plans for our year.  I was gonna rock this.  We did some preschool, and I mean, all my sisters homeschool, so it’s not like I haven’t seen it done.  Piece of cake, right?  Ha!  Just like almost every other area of being a momma, this new role of mine has brought me to my knees an awful lot this year…”

5 Things I wish I’d known Before I Started Homeschooling – “Homeschooling is the best decision we have ever made with regard to how we would educate our children. But I won’t lie to you—those first few years were especially challenging. If I could start again, I would do a few things differently.  But even so, God has a way of working all things together for good as we trust him. Here are just a few of the many things he’s taught me over the past fifteen years…”

The Busy Mom’s Guide to Daylight – Do you need encouragement and fresh ideas for your homeschool day? Help is on the way!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock…

Can you hear it? Are you “burning daylight?” If you have ever experienced a series of days, weeks or even months when you felt like you just could NOT get on top of all you had to do, you are not alone. Juggling homeschooling and homemaking can be challenging—or so we’ve heard!

Whether you’re struggling with managing your day, or simply looking for encouragement and fresh ideas for tackling your list of things to do, you will enjoy hearing from the heart of busy homeschool mom of seven, wife and author, Heidi St. John.

You’ll laugh out loud, learn some of Heidi’s favorite tips on everything from home organization to meal preparation, and discover how you can homeschool in freedom and joy.

Are you ready to be encouraged? Then join Heidi in discovering that real moms sometimes serve cereal for dinner—and live to write about it!

Don’t miss a podcast!

Subscribe on iTunes Here

Related Blog Posts by The Busy Mom: Planning Your Homeschool Year Homeschool 101: Choosing Curriculum the Simple Way Finding Your … Continue reading Choosing Homeschool Curriculum →

Related Blog Posts by The Busy Mom:

Planning Your Homeschool Year

Homeschool 101: Choosing Curriculum the Simple Way

Finding Your Child’s Learning Style (So you can choose an appropriate Curriculum)

Notebooking: How we do it

 

Curriculum referenced in podcast:

Five in a Row – A literature based unit study program designed to initiate a love for learning.  FIAR covers science, social studies, applied math, language arts, geography and art!

Bob Books – Bob Books® were specifically designed to facilitate that ah-ha moment, when letters first turn into words. By slowly introducing new letter sounds, using consistency and repetition, and stories that fit short attention spans, your child will quickly find his or her own ah-ha moment.

Teach your child to read in 100 EZ Lessons – A complete, step-by-step program that shows patents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. Twenty minutes a day is all you need, and within 100 teaching days your child will be reading on a solid second-grade reading level. It’s a sensible, easy-to-follow, and enjoyable way to help your child gain the essential skills of reading. Everything you need is here — no paste, no scissors, no flash cards, no complicated directions — just you and your child learning together. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.

Life of Fred – No other textbooks are like these. Each text is written in the style of a novel with a humorous story line. Each section tells part of the life of Fred Gauss and how, in the course of his life, he encounters the need for the math and then learns the methods. Tons of solved examples. Each hardcover textbook contains ALL of the material – more than most instructors cover in traditional classroom settings.  Written by Dr. Stanley Schmidt with the intent to make math come alive with lots of humour, clear explanations, and silly illustrations that stick in the mind. The student will learn to think mathematically.

Institute in Excellence for Writing – Many parents and teachers who have taken this course have expressed, “I wish I had learned this when I was in school!” Whether your students are eager learners or reluctant writers, the award-winning Teaching Writing: Structure and Style video seminar will give you the tools you need to confidently teach your students to write well, think clearly, and express themselves eloquently and persuasively. Teachers of students in grades 2-12 and beyond will learn how to effectively teach their students to Outline and summarize Generate cohesive paragraphs Create stories Produce reports and critiques Develop essays Translate their thoughts and ideas into writing Vary sentence structure Use interesting vocabulary Add literary devices This complete package includes 10 DVDs: Six DVDs with instruction on the nine structural models and multiple stylistic techniques (10 hours total viewing time-may be watched all at once, or viewed one disc at a time throughout the school year) Tips & ...

Don’t miss a podcast! Subscribe on iTunes Here Hear Heidi speak in Indianapolis this October! Register for 2015 “Fearless” today! … Continue reading Teaching Children Self Control →