Making Biblical Family Life Practical

A lot of Christian homes don't have experience with family devotions. Where do you even start? What's appropriate for our kids at their ages? This episode, we're following up our previous show about why to have devotions - now, we're looking at how!  Join us for some ideas that we've found really useful with our family of ten.

One of the most critical responsibilities of Christian parents is to teach our children to know and love the God we serve. One of the best ways is to have regular times of family worship and Bible study - but honestly, life is busy and kids are distracted and distracting, and it's just hard to stay on track. This episode we're being realistic and encouraging for real parents like you!

Encouraging Your Teen Drivers More and more Gen-Z'ers are delaying their driver's licenses ... but we're helping our eighth child through the process right now! This is a step toward adult independence and a big help to the family right now ... as we've seen time and again. This episode we're talking about why and how we encourage our young drivers to reach for the wheel! This podcast episode sponsored by The Ark and the Darkness. We’re watching our eighth child going through driver’s ed and preparing for her license, and we’re realizing this is not as common as it once was. When we were teenagers, gaining that license was a major life goal, as soon as the law and the parents would allow it! While it still is for some teens, the numbers have dropped off sharply. Researchers found the proportion of high school seniors with their driver’s license dropped from nearly 90% in the mid-eighties to less than 75% today. In some states, that number dipped to 65%. * Some people cite the rise of ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber, and point out they are popular with young people. That may be true enough, but the decline started before ride-sharing was created, and the decline is even greater in rural areas where Uber doesn’t go than in urban areas where the app is popular. In contrast, we have always felt it important for our teenagers to learn to drive as soon as possible. It’s a step toward adult independence, and a skill that is helpful for so many reasons – for the family they’re in right now, not just future situations! *[Ref: Jean Twenge and Heejung Park, “The Decline in Adult Activities Among U.S. Adolescents, 1976-2016” (Child Development, 2017)]    

It is perfectly natural for our children (and ourselves) to be self-centered. It's also perfectly wrong! But how do we overcome this tendency in our children? Can we do it without constant nagging and scolding? What can we do to encourage our family members to look after one another, rather than each demanding his own way? Passages We Mention:  Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,  fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.    Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:1-7) * For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword ... (Hebrews 4:12) Other Resources Pam Forster, For Instruction in Righteousness (Doorposts) Check out our subscription box! 

So many of us began homeschooling out of conviction that God wanted us to do it. Our commitment can be shaken if we come on hard times. We've homeschooled through job loss, high-risk pregnancy, financial challenge, and stage IV cancer, and we learned it can be done. This week we talk about why you ought to hang on to your convictions, and we'll offer some practical ideas we've learned while Homeschooling In Hard Times!   This podcast is sponsored by Reading Eggs.

We're both avid readers, and we've raised a whole nest of readers - our house is full of books -- and not just the parents'! We've talked about some our personal favorites, but this episode we're looking at whole genres of fiction. How should we, as Christians, approach fictional literature? Are there any kinds to beware of? What do we think about science fiction, fantasy, suspense, romance, mystery, or other sorts? And how do we sort the range of material in each group? If you're a reader, or you have kids who are, check this out! Passages we referenced: King David and the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1-15) Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-28) The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) To do evil is like sport to a fool,  But a man of understanding has wisdom. (Proverbs 10:23) "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,  Even to give to every man according to his ways." (Jeremiah 17:10) "For the LORD does not see as man sees;for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Episodes about discernment: 222 - Teaching Discernment 191 - Talking About the Movies 133 - Watching with Discernment  and more! Browse the archives for more ideas and encouragement! PLUS get this free resource - our downloadable Reading Pack!   This episode brought to you by

It's an exciting milestone in a homeschooling family - high school graduation just around the corner! Or maybe it's on the horizon and approaching fast. Either way, what can you do to prepare yourself and your student for this big transition? We've graduated six so far, so we're talking about things we found helpful as we lined up our teenagers for the big step coming up! Episodes You Might Find Helpful: 291 - Graduation Early, or Late?  246 - Planning for College (even during COVID) 234 - Teaching "Adulting" 230 - College Without Debt or Fortune 226 - Unexpected Benefits of Graduation 210 - Entrepreneurship and College 206 - Doubling Down on Seventeen 205 - Preparing Your Teens for More 163 - Apprenticeship 147 - What Time is Curfew? 130 - Interviewing for Job and College  126 - Growing in Christ at a Secular College ... and more! Browse the whole archive to find more about parenting teens and interacting with your college students and young adults. This episode brought to you by

Homeschooling doesn't (and shouldn't) look like a classroom school. One big difference is multiple ages together - and sometimes, the younger ones aren't even school-age yet! How do you manage to teach your older kids while you have nursing babies and demanding toddlers in the room? It's possible - we did it for our eight kids! - so, in this episode, we talk about how to make it work in your family, too. Thank you to our sponsor, Route 60 – The Biblical Highway. In theaters September 18th & 19th only. Please check the website to learn more about this wonderful movie. Resources We Mentioned What does a multi-grade classroom look like? Check out Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, particularly Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years For ideas about homeschooling the very young, and some great picture book recommendations, CLICK HERE And speaking of picture books - here's an earlier episode where we talked with a retired school librarian (Hal's mom!) about the value and the joy of classic children's books    

We've seen that understanding history can help us navigate the present, too! The question is, how can we help our children learn to appreciate history like we do? What can we do to spark their interest, to make it memorable, and bring it to life for them? This episode we talk about several things we've built into our homeschooling family life to elevate history from dry lists of names and dates to a lively narrative of people, places, and ideas - in short, a grand story! Thanks to our sponsor CTC Math. CTC is a highly rated math curriculum for homeschooled students for grades K-12. The family math package makes it ideal for large families at a low price. Visit the website for more information.  

Homeschooling with Special Needs This week we talk about homeschooling when your student has special needs--and why home education is a blessing to them. Our guests are the special needs consultants from the Home School Legal Defense Association, Betty Statnick, Krisa Winn, and Faith Berens. This podcast is sponsored by Reading Eggs.

Here in the technology-driven 21st century, why should we bother our kids with names and dates from the past? Shouldn't we be looking forward, not backwards? Does history really have much bearing on the world our children will inherit, and how they deal with it? We would say emphatically YES, we need to learn history! There's a strong Biblical example to support that, and experience should tell us that we can learn from the past - what to do, and what not to do. But the question may be, how do we teach the subject in a way that doesn't kill any interest our children might have? In this episode, we're looking at why and how we teach history to our own kids, and why we all love it so much! This podcast is sponsored by Route 60: The Biblical Highway Our audiobook version of Hero Tales from American History Historical fiction in audiobook form Scripture We Referenced “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you ..." (Deuteronomy 32:7) The establishment of the Passover feast: "And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” (Exodus 12:26-27) (There are many passages describing children asking their father, "What is the meaning of this?", and the father taking the opportunity to explain the purpose of the memorial to the glory of God - see for instance, Exodus 13:11-16; Deuteronomy 6:20-24; Joshua 4:21-24; and more)

Do you have a precocious reader? We've had some! And when they're being homeschooled - and around grownups all day - their vocabulary can be surprisingly rich. So should we move them on into the youth books, and skip over the picture books and beginning reader stuff? Or is there a purpose for enjoying the simple books together, even when your child could read more complex things? This episode we're talking with Hal's mom, Norma Young, a retired elementary school librarian with nearly three decades of choosing quality children's literature for young kids. There is indeed a good reason to enjoy the books we grew up with, and read them to our children just like they were read to us! A resource we mentioned: The Love of Reading - a downloadable collection of recommended reading lists for all ages, three helpful workshops on teaching reading, and discounts on other materials too! This episode brought to you by Reading Eggs

What makes a marriage last? How do you build a strong and stable relationship for hard times and good times? Is it something more than just being "lucky in love"? This episode, we're talking with our friends and fellow teachers, Roger and Jan Smith. Between us, we have eighty years of marriage, twelve children, and a lot of practical experience! So join us as we chat about the ideas and habits we found most effective at creating and maintaining a healthy marriage from day to day! Scriptures We Referenced   [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:22, 25) Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7) Resources You Might Find Helpful   Parenting With Influence by Dr. Roger Smith Roger Smith, MD - website "Parenting Matters Now" - vlog  My Beloved and My Friend: How to be Married to Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses - our book on marriage! To find out more about Hal and Melanie speaking at your church, group, camp, or retreat, go to halandmelanie.com

This week, we're talking with our friends Roger and Jan Smith, veteran homeschool leaders and speakers, about Roger's new book, Parenting with Influence. The parents of four adult children, Roger and Jan share the principles they found helpful preparing their kids to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, without resorting to legalism or overbearing control. It's a worthwhile book and this is a wide-ranging and entertaining conversation!

Homeschoolers have the blessing of flexibility on so many issues - and graduation timing is one of them. Should you plan to graduate your student at 18? What about the precocious kids who might earn a diploma by 15? Or kids with health or learning issues, should they graduate later? We've had all three situations - this episode we're talking about what we decided and what we learned!