Mom Seriously

Pure In Heart is Coming to Cincinnati!

2013-02-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

There is a tremendous need for laying a biblical foundation of purity in the hearts of our young girls. They need to hear it from us, as parents and church leaders, before they hear what the world has to say about purity.

That's why the Pure In Heart Conference is geared for moms/grandmoms/mentors and girls ages 7 to 12. We talk to the girls about specific cultural lies that will sneak up and grab them by the throat--and for the older girls, especially, they've heard those lies already, and they've bought into them. We go in like Nehemiah and begin re-building the wall of God-centered thinking, re-claiming those tender hearts for the Lover of their souls, Christ Jesus!

We have a lot of fun with the girls, just talking about the fact that love, real love, comes from a pure heart (a heart that is undivided, sold out to Jesus), a clear conscience (living as unto Him, with a focused effort on positive, healthy relationships with friends and siblings), and a sincere faith (a faith that really looks like love in action!)

While the girls are in their break-out sessions, mothers and mentors are getting some girl talk of their own, with powerful speakers who don't mince words when it comes to getting over a broken past in order to present your daughter with an intact future. They talk about the hard stuff:

forgiving yourself
being determined to stand up against a raging, sin-sick culture, and
receiving the true worth and value that Christ offers.

And that's why, everywhere the conference has been held, it has sold out--with literally hundreds left on a waiting list. We're coming to First Baptist Church of Glen Este, in Batavia, Ohio (by Cincinnati) in April.
What would it take to get you and your daughter there?
What mountains must be moved for you to attend?
Consider yourself most cordially invited! I would love to see you there!

Guest Post on Faithful Provisions

2012-12-20T14:02:00.002-06:00

Who says the Christmas dinner blessing at your house? If you're looking for a special grace that you can say at the table this year, check out this Christmas poem along with tips for crafting your own special family prayer.

My dear grandfather always said the Christmas dinner blessing when I was growing up. He took his time, and as I child, I remember wishing he would get a move on! But my, the memories I have of those special holidays and the quiet peace that fell when that man prayed. I'm glad to remember my Pappaw today in this guest post on Faithful Provisions HERE.

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Guest Post Today on Faithful Provisions: A Bible Verse for Christmas

2012-11-23T16:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited today to be guest posting on my friend Kelly Hancock's blog, Faithful Provisions. I'm sharing my favorite Christmas Bible verse for this year, and it's not a traditional Scripture that you might immediately think about when it comes to a verse for your annual Christmas card--but I think you'll see why I'm favoring this verse this year. Head over to Faithful Provisions and take a look HERE...

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Top Ten List: The Advantages of a Virtual Event

2012-10-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about my virtual speaking event tomorrow with Mommy Jammies Night. You'll find complete instructions HERE for how to join us and listen in. I'll be presenting a talk on middle schoolers with some great tips for parents, and you can listen in and even ask questions all from the privacy of your home, or Starbucks, or wherever you want to go with your laptop! This is a no-fuss event, friends, unlike all the packing and preparing that I normally do when I go to speak at a homeschool convention. In fact, I was able to think of so many advantages, I came up with a top ten list!

Things I don't have to worry about for Tuesday night:

10. Getting directions to the event, paying for gas and parking my humongous van (BIG savings!). You don't either! This event is totally FREE!

9. Setting up my booth. If you want to purchase any of my resource, just click on the items you see here on my website, or head over to Amazon.

8. Getting my roots done (I really should have last week...)

7. What to wear. The dress code for Mommy Jammies Night is pajamas! So come in whatever you want to lounge in. And don't feel like you have to go out and get new ones. ;)

6. The person in front of me going over the time limit for their session. This happens sometimes at homeschooling conventions because everyone has very important information to share...but we should start right on time for Mommy Jammies!

5. Forgetting my flash drive and having to race back to the convention hall to get it. Nope, I've got everything I need right here at my desk.

4. Having enough seats for everyone.

3. People in the audience looking at me funny. (If you do, it's okay--I'll never know!)

2. My feet hurting at the end of my talk.

1. And definitely, I won't have to worry about my van exploding on the way down.

:: Get all the details for how you can listen in live to Mommy Jammies Night HERE.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow night! "See" you there!

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Coming Up

2012-09-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to let you know about several things I have coming up this fall. In just a couple of weeks, I'll be the speaker for Mommy Jammies Night! I honestly can't promise that I will be in my jammes, people, but since it's not until 8pm my time, I can promise that I will be pretty relaxed.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012
8:00 pm CST / 9:00 pm EST
MOMMY JAMMIES NIGHT details

I'll be talking about middle schoolers and you don't even have to leave your laptop to join me! If you're thinking, Well, my child isn't in middle school yet, so this might not be the topic for me, then let me offer you this encouragement: You would rather be listening to a "how to" talk about middle schoolers than looking for a "what now" talk when they're older!

If you're in the Tampa area, a Pure In Heart Conference for Moms and Daughters is coming up in November!

Saturday, November 10, 2012
Idlewild Baptist Church
PURE IN HEART CONFERENCE details

This is a life-changing event for moms, daughters ( 7 years old - 12 years old), and grandmoms--so please make plans to attend. It's definitely time you want to spend preparing yourself and your daughter for the years ahead.

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Survivor

2012-09-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Go HERE to view Karla's video on the Tennessee Oncology Website.

What a long road it has been for my precious sister-in-law and her family. But look at what it says on that picture: KARLA / BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR.

Those are sweet words, and I want you to hear and see her tell a little about her story in that short video, so please take a few minutes and do that. People ask me everywhere I go, "How's Karla?" So, I thought you might like to see for yourself. :)

Karla will be participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk coming up on October 20th. If you would like to donate to the American Cancer Society, please visit her donation page HERE.

Enter to Win a Copy of Season of Change!

2012-04-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today you can enter to win a copy of my book for parents of middle schoolers: Season of Change. My friend Cheryl is offering FIVE copies of Season of Change in this giveaway--WOW!--that really increases your chances of winning!

Season of Change: Parenting Your Middle Schooler with Passion and Purpose is a book that really can't wait for you to read it. If you have children who are 8 years old and up, you'll want a copy to help prepare you for those middle school years.

Go HERE to get all the details!

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Guest Post at Faithful Provisions

2012-02-27T14:00:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Today I'm guest posting over at my friend Kelly's site, Faithful Provisions. Please head over there and check out my article, Easter Basket Ideas for Boys. I hope you'll find some ideas you can use!

Be sure to see all Kelly's great Easter Ideas while you're there! This is a great time of year for making memories with your kids!

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The Titus 2:1 Conference is Getting CLOSE!

2012-02-13T08:00:00.001-06:00

Have you purchased your ticket for the 2:1 Conference? Check out the line up of speakers. There are lots of names you'll know!
Christine Young of From Dates to Diapers
Heidi and Jay St. John of First Class Homeschool Ministries
Rachael Carmen of Apologia
Zan Tyler of Apologia
Amy Andrews, author of Tell Your Time
Amy Gross of MomsToolbox
Amy Roberts of Raising Arrows
Kendra and Andy Fletcher of The Mango Times
Angie Kauffman of Many Little Blessings
Belinda Bullard of A Blessed Heritage
Carisa Hinson of 1+1+1=1
Heather Laurie of Special Needs Homeschooling
Jennifer Janes of Jennifer Janes
Jolanthe Erb of Homeschool Creations
My friend Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocailzed Homeschoolers
Linda Difino of The Joyful Journey
Lisa Bertolini of The Homespun Life
Maggie Hogan of Bright Ideas Press
Stef Layton, creator of The Homeschool Village
Toni Anderson of The Happy Housewife

I will be there too, speaking on a topic that is close to my heart, our IDENTITY--as homeschooling parents, bloggers, and most importantly, our identity in Jesus Christ. I hope to see you there!

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EVENT CALENDAR 2012

2012-01-01T08:00:00.004-06:00

Monday, March 12, 2012
Homeschool Support Group
Cleveland, TN

Saturday, April 21, 2012
Pure In Heart Conference
Madison Church of Christ
Nashville, TN

Friday, April 27, 2012
2:1 Conference
Sterling, VA

Wednesday - Friday, May 9-11, 2012
Chicago Homeschool Expo
Tinley Park Convention Center
Chicago, IL

Thursday - Saturday, June 28-30, 2012
Alabama Homeschool Expo
Montgomery, AL

Thursday - Saturday, July 26-30, 2012
Southeast Homeschool Expo
Atlanta, GA

Saturday, November 10, 2012
Pure In Heart Conference
Tampa, FL

Rebecca's 2009 Event Schedule
Rebecca's 2010 Event Schedule
Rebecca's 2011 Event Schedule

Merry Christmas *VIDEO

2011-12-24T08:18:00.000-06:00

Get a FREE download of this song HERE.

Merry Christmas!

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Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T16:20:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends,

Some time around May, life seemed to get crazy. With Karla fighting cancer, new writing, editing, and speaking opportunities, and regularly crazy family life, time for blogging has not happened quite so much. To update, everything is going well for Karla. She has battled fiercely and will be having her surgery next week. She is in great spirits and continues to be an example to everyone of facing the opponent with courage, grace, and strength--unswervingly focused on victory.

In reflecting on the past several months and on this year in general, I find that Thanksgiving is a time to ask these questions (see my Thanksgiving post) once again. That article was written some years ago, but I find myself returning to these questions and pondering them anew every year.

Wherever you are in the journey, may you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

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Listen to My Heart

2011-10-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, and homeschooling encouragement. Enjoy!

Sara and Justice (Photo courtesy: The Perry Family)

Friday, October 28, Sweet Baby Justice went Home to be with our Lord Jesus. I invite you to visit the Facebook page, Pray for Justice Micah Perry and read what his parents, Troy and Sara Perry, have written about this baby's 28-day lifetime. Read how Justice impacted so many lives with the Gospel.

Five years ago, when Troy and Sara's son Noah was born with a heart defect, these two Christ followers were quick to recognize that they were on a journey with choices to make: Live what you believe, or live as those who have no hope. In truth, we face that choice every day, but never more so than when we are in the midst of suffering. I wrote an article for ParentLife magazine that detailed this couple's journey then, and I'm sharing that with you today. Five years later, as they both grieve the loss and celebrate the life of Justice, they have once again made it their intent to bring glory to God. I ask that you say a prayer for this family as they bury Justice this week, and especially for Noah, five years old now, as he grieves for his baby brother.

The beeping drone of a heart monitor. The mechanical gulps of a ventilator puffing noisily on behalf of incompetent lungs. The brisk echoes of a nurse’s loafers rushing down the hall. This describes the sounds of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) on a hospital floor dedicated to heart babies. But there is no way to describe the feelings. “Until you are a parent of a heart baby, you do not understand,” says Troy Perry, minister to youth at First Baptist Church in Madison, Tennessee. When his son, Noah, was born with the heart disease Tetralogy of Fallot, everybody asked why. Troy and his wife, Sara, seemed to be the perfect Christian couple. Why shouldn’t they have a perfect baby?

In 2004, Troy was a lay youth leader at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. He had only been a Christian for a year when he met Sara Stamps, but he knew how important it was to set an example for the youth in his ministry. On their first date, each knew the other was “the one.” They also knew that their first kiss would wait until their wedding day.

Before they met each other, both Troy and Sara had made a commitment to purity, a radical decision in a 21st century culture. There would be no intimacy, not even a kiss, until marriage. Confident their stand would glorify God and influence their observant teenagers, Troy and Sara took the utmost precautions to protect each other’s purity while they prepared for marriage.

Fast forward a year later. Sara is pregnant a month after the wedding! Troy immediately began praying for the baby. “I just prayed that people would be impacted by his life,” he says. “I didn’t care how.”

But when Sara was six months along, test results revealed the unthinkable: a heart defect. “The hardest part was telling our mothers,” Sara says. “We hurt so badly, but we knew we had to be strong for them, especially Troy’s mom.”

“When I was born I had a hole in my heart,” Troy explains. “I had to have two surgeries to have it fixed.” Troy’s brother, Lance, was born four years later with a more complicated heart ailment. He lived only two months. Yet doctors said that Noah’s heart defect was not passed to him genetically.

“We never stopped praying for God to heal Noah,” Sara notes. “But our ultimate prayer was, Whatever Your will is.”

“I guess we had the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prayer,” Troy adds, remembering the Old Testament story found in Daniel 3:8-18. “Our God can heal, and our God loves us. But even if He chooses not to heal, He still loves us. We surrendered to His power to give and take away.”

“We had one big cry, and after that, we turned our thoughts to, How can this be used to glorify God?” Sara shares.

When Noah was born, he was taken from Alabama to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. The doctors there elected to send Noah to the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital for his surgery. Noah was life-flighted while Troy and Sara made the ten-hour drive. Both admit to initial feelings of anxiety and even fear, but they soon began to feel the prayers of family, friends, and even strangers.

“That peace enabled us to not worry about ourselves,” says Sara. “We knew everything was in God’s hands. It then became our mission to say, What can we do for somebody else? There were so many people around us who did not have that same peace.” Sara especially felt God’s personal touch on the morning of Noah’s surgery. “It was like God just opened the heavens and poured out an amazing shower of grace and love over me, and all I could do was praise Him.” Noah’s surgery was successful, and as he recuperated, the Perrys stayed busy serving others in the PICU.

Troy and Sara were careful to respect the needs of the hurting parents around them while seeking ways to share the hope of Christ. Every day they were in Michigan, Troy wore a Christian T-shirt. “That would open up doors,” he says. “People asked questions, such as, Why does your shirt say, ‘Jesus is my hero’?” He would answer with a brief explanation of the Gospel and his own personal testimony. He and Sara also had cards printed up listing Noah’s CarePage website and their cell phone numbers. They invited people to call or contact them with questions about Christianity.

Often, Troy began conversations with other parents by asking, “What are you in for?” Parents would easily open up to talk about the issues their children were facing, giving Troy an opportunity to ask, “When my wife and I have our prayer time together later, would you mind if we prayed for you and your family?” Often, people would want to pray right then and there.

Word began to spread throughout the hospital, and soon Troy and Sara found themselves on call as prayer warriors throughout the PICU, praying with many different families. Because Troy wanted to be real whenever he offered prayer, he explained to parents,
“I’m going to pray for your child to be healed, but if for some reason your child is not healed from this disease, still know that God loves you. Still know that God has a bigger plan for your child and for you.”

God put Troy and Sara in unique places to minister to the very people who were there to minister to them. They became involved in the personal lives of the hospital personnel, supporting some through broken marriages and other stressful situations. “Everyone there was open to some kind of comfort,” says Sara. The Perrys wanted to offer people the true comfort that comes only from Jesus Christ.

Noah will face a few more surgeries as he grows up. “When people ask me, ‘Why didn’t God heal Noah?’ I tell them, ‘God wasn’t finished,’” Sara says. “I share our story. We’ve had so much more of an opportunity to glorify Him and to see Him be glorified through Noah.”

First published in the December 2008 issue of ParentLife magazine.

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Please Pray for Justice Micah Perry

2011-10-19T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

There has been a lot going on around here over the past couple of weeks. Karla was in the hospital (She is okay now, and I will write more about her latest journey soon), and also, our sweet baby cousin, Justice Micah Perry, was born a couple of weeks ago with many complications (see video below).

You've read about Justice's dad, Troy Perry, and his testimony on this blog. Troy and Sara (Rich's cousin) are two of my favorite people. I bet after watching this video (just click and it will take you straight to it), they will be two of your favorite people, too. Please pray for them, and pray for Justice Micah Perry.

WZTV FOX 17 :: Newsroom - Top Stories - EXCLUSIVE: Family Asks for Prayers as Infant Clings to Life

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Contacting Me

2011-10-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

Please feel free to contact me with questions and speaking inquiries at this email address:

2rebeccapowell (at) gmail (dot) com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Dr Lois Evans: "Invest in Your Kids"

2011-09-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, and homeschooling encouragement. Enjoy!

One thing that makes my interview with Priscilla Shirer really special is that several years ago, I got to interview her mom, Dr. Lois Evans (wife of Dr. Tony Evans), author of Seasons of a Woman's Life. She shared with me her thoughts on motherhood, after having raised four kids and seeing them walk successfully in their relationships with God. There was so much wisdom in what she told me, and today, I want to share with you some of my notes from that interview.

"It is important to begin training your children early in establishing a daily devotional time. Use age-appropriate material. Start with an easy reader Bible, or even a Bible book of just pictures. Read to them. Talk to them. Sit with your kids around the table and teach them God’s Word. Eventually move them up to the next level of reading. Find Bible story books that you can share together. Once they have listened to a story, have them tell the story back to you. Integrate in their systems their need to be in God’s Word. For older children, start in the book of John. Tell them stories of God’s goodness in the lives of His people. You can even include your children in your devotional life. Start with one day a week, and move up from there. It is never too late to invest in your kids.

I realize child-rearing and the formative years seem long. It seems like you will never get out of this season in life, but you will. Today I am looking at my kids who are all in ministry. I was not a perfect parent—who is? We’ve got lots of stories of imperfection. But I’m grateful that I took the advice of people in my life and invested in this hard work, yes, in this long season of mothering."

Looking for Bible studies to help your middle schooler establish a daily quiet time? Check out Wise Up! and Get Real! for girls and Dig Deep for guys.

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Upcoming Interview for ParentLife Magazine with...

2011-08-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, and homeschooling encouragement. Enjoy!

I am so blessed to get to interview some really cool people for ParentLife magazine, and I'm really excited about an upcoming interview with--YES--Priscilla Shirer! If you've read any of her books or heard her speak, you know she is just amazing. In addition to her public ministry as a Bible teacher, she's a wife and a mom, parenting three growing boys. If you were me, what would you ask her about her parenting style? About being the only female in a house full of males? About what she's teaching her sons and what she's doing to point them to Christ? I've got plenty of questions of my own, but I'd love your suggestions, too! What would you like to know?

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Upcoming Pure In Heart Conferences

2011-08-29T09:00:00.006-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? WELCOME! Be sure to sign up for my daily email newsletter, full of practical tips for purposeful parenting!

Exciting news: We have two more Pure In Heart Conference events scheduled for this year, coming up in October and November. If you live in the southeast and you've been waiting for a Pure In Heart Conference to come to your area, here's your chance!

OCTOBER 1, 2011 -- RICHMOND, KENTUCKY

NOVEMBER 12, 2011 -- CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE

If you are thinking about going, register now. These conferences are sell-outs, and there is limited seating.

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Weekly Wrap Up: Back to School

2011-08-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, and homeschooling encouragement. Enjoy!

Have you started school yet? We've been at it for about a week now. We got our groove on pretty quickly, not surprisingly, as I have teen sons who require mainly just management from me. They are immersed in the Notgrass history studies--which we LOVE--and this year (drum roll please) we are using Rosetta Stone. I got a real deal on it at the Southeast Homeschool Expo, the kind of deal that dismisses any excuses, and so we are locked in. We are doing Spanish (Latin American) and we will just see how it goes. I actually made the purchase for my youngest, Derek, a freshman this year, but I got the first three levels, and my older son, who had Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 through a tutorial program, wants to give Level 3 a try. If we love it, of course, I will wish I had gotten it with the first child rather than the last, but I think it will be worth it's weight in gold if we can just learn how to better communicate with the folks in our own community.

It's good to be back in a school schedule, although we are all having to be weaned off summer.I have so enjoyed my bloggy vacation/summer break. We've had tons of things going on around here: DANYA's new EP was released, David bought his first CAR (and with his own money, too!), Derek got a Facebook, and my sister-in-law is doing tremendously well as she fights breast cancer. Praise the Lord! I will be sharing some pictures with you over the coming weeks.

By the way, the Mom's Tip of the Day (MTOD) has been moved to my Facebook page. It makes more sense to put it there, and save me a bunch of time, so if you haven't "liked" my author page yet, please do! And the tips will go up on my Twitter, as well.

Check out all this week's Weekly Wrap Ups at my friend Kris's blog. Have a great weekend!

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Courageous Parenting Conference in Florence, Alabama

2011-08-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, and homeschooling encouragement. Enjoy!

If you're close to Florence, AL, I'd love to have you join me at the Courageous Parenting Conference at Woodmont Baptist Church. This is a four-day parenting event, with lots of excellent speakers (and FREE childcare) presenting on a variety of parenting topics and concerns. An added bonus: Tickets to the opening night of the movie “Courageous” (brought to you by the same folks who did Fireproof and Facing the Giants) will be awarded as door prizes for those in attendance. I'd love to meet you there! For more details, go here.

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Chicago Homeschool Expo: Links

2011-08-04T15:00:00.002-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, homeschooling encouragement, and every day, a Mom's Tip of the Day. Enjoy!

If you joined me today at the Chicago Homeschool Expo, here are the links I promised you, listed by session:

*Relax--Your First Year of Homeschooling is Your Training Ground (9:00 AM)*

Links

Books Referenced/Recommended in this Session:

Homeschooling for Excellence by David and Micki Colfax
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
Wise Words for Moms by Ginger Plowman
Baby Boot Camp (The "vision" that I read aloud is here.)

=============

*Beginning Right: Developing a Lifestyle that Promotes Homeschooling Togetherness and a Family Team for Success and Load-Sharing (11:00 AM)*

Links and Book

Flylady.net
Mom Seriously: Sibling Rivalry Series
Children Who Do Too Little by Patricia Sprinkle

=============

*Gems for Beginners

Links

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Southeast Homeschool Expo: Links

2011-07-28T15:00:00.001-05:00

New to Mom Seriously? Welcome! You'll find tons of great parenting articles, homeschooling encouragement, and every day, a Mom's Tip of the Day. Enjoy!

If you joined me today at the Southeast Homeschool Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, here are the links I promised you, listed by session:

*Relax--Your First Year of Homeschooling is Your Training Ground (9:00 AM)*

Links

Books Referenced/Recommended in this Session:

Homeschooling for Excellence by David and Micki Colfax
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
Wise Words for Moms by Ginger Plowman
Baby Boot Camp (The "vision" that I read aloud is here.)

=============

*Beginning Right: Developing a Lifestyle that Promotes Homeschooling Togetherness and a Family Team for Success and Load-Sharing (11:00 AM)*

Links and Book

Flylady.net
Mom Seriously: Sibling Rivalry Series
Children Who Do Too Little by Patricia Sprinkle

=============

*Gems for Beginners (with special Q and A time with homeschool graduate Danya)

Links

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Revive Our Hearts Broadcast with Rebecca and Danya Begins Today

2011-07-25T08:00:00.014-05:00

QUICK LINKS

Visiting today after listening to the Revive Our Hearts broadcast? Thanks for stopping by!

Listen to all this week's broadcasts with Rebecca and Danya. (These are no longer available in transcript form. You must order the CDs.)
Season of Change: Parenting Your Middle Schooler wtih Passion and Purpose is available from Revive Our Hearts along with the audio set of the 4-part interview with Nancy Leigh.
Purchase Season of Change for Kindle here.
Take a look inside the book.
Take a look at Rebecca's Bible studies for girls: Wise Up! Experience the Power of Proverbs (6th grade-9th grade) and Get Real! Embrace the Reality of Ruth (7th grade-up, with Danya as contributing author)
Get the new DANYA EP on iTunes or Amazon.
Interested in learning more about the Pure In Heart Conferences this fall? Go here.

Guest Post Today on True Woman Blog

2011-07-25T07:45:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Please head over to the True Woman blog to check out my guest post: There's a Reason They Call It a Catfight.

I hope you'll find some tips you can use for helping your tween and middle school daughters find their way through difficult friendships.

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For Crying Out Loud

2011-07-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone for your prayers for my sister-in-law Karla (to read all my posts about Karla’s journey with breast cancer so far, go here). Every week, the after-effects of chemo have been harder to deal with. She has her last chemo treatment of this first round of treatments tomorrow. Then, she will have a week off before beginning a second round of 12 weekly chemo treatments with a new drug. Our prayer request right now is that she doesn’t continue to experience the debilitating sickness and emotional trauma that she has had to deal with thus far.

Karla has been dealing with a lot of emotions lately. When we were at her last chemo treatment two weeks ago, she just started crying; she was angry, she was frustrated, and she was sad. She knew what was coming when she sat down in that chair—and she was dreading it. The actual chemo treatment is not so bad, actually. We’ve done our best to create a party atmosphere in the healing room, to get to know the folks around us, and to keep the smiles on our faces. But Karla knows that she has a scant amount of time before her body rebels and she is sick, depressed, and depleted—and so not herself. In many ways, we as her family feel like we are on this journey with her, but we are just at her side. We are not walking in her shoes. We can only understand her to a certain point. And that’s got to be frustrating too.

Karla has one particular friend who has walked this road and worn those shoes, and she’s been a great comfort. She can tell Karla about some of the detours on this journey: the bumps and potholes, what the traffic is like, and the best places to refuel. Suzanne knows what Karla’s feeling because she’s been there. She’s been angry, frustrated, and sad too. She knows—really knows—what it’s like.

There’s a grieving going on here that’s inevitable. Karla grieves for her health, her body, and her familiar life that has become this Where in the world am I? kind of place where nothing—her own reflection included—is recognizable. She’s missed time with her kids, a planned-before-cancer summer trip, and just regular family life. And she's mad. I know she's mad because she's told me so. She's asked why, and she's questioned, and she's probably thrown things, too. But she has a freedom to be herself before the Lord because she knows He can take it. (If you don't believe me, look at the psalms. Emotions are all over the place there, right alongside a heart of worship and an acknowledgement of God's sovereignty.)

So why not cry, Karla? The Lord's shoulders are big enough for even those loud and long, heaving sobs that come up from the bottom of our souls. And you know that I think it's okay if you feel compelled to scream and holler too. We might not be wearing the same shoes, but we’re your family, and we're on the same untraveled road…together.

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