Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

When You Feel Behind by Jan L. Burt

2026-04-06T15:47:00.003-05:00

You've got a sink full of dishes, a hamper overflowing with dirty laundry, no plan for tonight's dinner, the car is out of gas, and you forgot to take the trash to the curb for pickup.

This is real life.

And real life doesn't slow down for homeschool families. If anything, it compounds. Because when you and your kids are home all day, there are... MORE dishes in the sink, MORE meals to make, and MORE trash being generated every single day.

If you're an overwhelmed mom, can I just say that I see you, I get you, and you are not a "bad" mom because you're an overwhelmed one.

(Seriously - you're not a bad mom because you are experiencing overwhelm. I said it twice because somebody needs to hear it twice!)

Here are three tips for when you feel behind:

Don't raise your voice ... at yourself, internally. And don't grumble at yourself under your breath. It won't help anything, it won't change anything, and it will likely leave you feeling more overwhelmed, which can lead to feeling defeated - and that is simply not the head space you need to be living in when you already feel behind.
Change some of the expectations you have of yourself (and maybe of your children) to goals. Goals aren't personal; expectations are very personal. Goals can be adjusted, shifted, altered, moved down the road, bumped to a different date on the calendar; expectations don't bend or flex or shift well. Simply changing the way you think about the things in your life that are overwhelming can change your entire mood. Expectations damage relationships when they aren't met, while goals are easy to adjust and the relationship doesn't necessarily suffer.
Set a timer and work on the are where you feel the most behind for an exact amount of time. Don't get distracted, don't bounce around working on other things, just stay focused, without touching your phone (tell yourself the phone is already in use as your timer and it's not able to be used for anything else right now). If the task is not completed - or isn't at least partially completed to the point that it is no longer overwhelming you - consider resetting the timer for a few more minutes and work diligently at clearing away that task in order to clear away the overwhelm.

As a mom who homeschooled all five of her children for 25 years, all the way through high school, I understand feeling behind and living in a state of overwhelm. And my hope is that I can be supportive, helpful and encouraging to other women who feel overwhelmed.

Perhaps these 3 tips will do that for you today.

In the near future, I'll be kicking off a new blog called The Tidy Home Project where I will share a whole lot of encouragement and tips and support for overwhelmed moms, along with plenty of tips for a tidy, organized home... but all my tips will be based on living a grace-filled, grace-paced life. Progress over perfection. Peace over striving. Grace over all.

And remember, you are doing a good job. In case you haven't heard that in a while, I wanted to say it.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today.

~ Jan

Must-Haves for a Trip to Disney World in Orlando (and some hints for Universal Studios & SeaWorld)

2026-03-17T10:59:00.001-05:00

As a mom, and now as a grandma, I've been to the big Orlando theme parks 20+ times. And along the way, I've learned a few things about what you need (and what you don't need) when taking a vacation to the Disney and/or Universal parks in Florida.

~ Disclaimer: affiliate links are used in this post & I may earn a commission off of sales

As a mom, and now as a grandma, I have been to all the big theme parks in Orlando more than 20 times.

I have taken on the theme parks with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary-aged kids, preteens and teens. I have even gone with our adult children and their spouses; we've taken our teens close friends. From 9 months old to about to graduate from college, our kids have been to Disney and Universal and SeaWorld many, many times. And now we are enjoying trips to sunny Orlando with our grandchildren.

Some years I drove the entire 1,397 miles each way (honestly, when we had so-much-stuff to take for longer stays in Florida, driving was a must-do for our large family...especially when we traveled with our dogs). Other years, I have flown. In fact, we have flown to both major airports near Orlando (Orlando International and Sanford International).

Our family has used military benefits for some aspects of our vacations, and we have paid "non-service member" prices for other aspects.

We have packed all our lunches, and we have eaten all our meals in the parks.

We have park-hopped to as many as three parks in one day, and we have done half a day in a park and called it good.

We have had car problems on the drive, come down with the flu mid-trip, and have tried to calm a very unhappy toddler on a flight that lasted way-too-long.

We have stayed at dozens of locations in the Orlando / Kissimmee area. And we have opted not to stay at a couple of places once we saw the state of the rental property. Check-in and check-out happened at lightning speed on at least one occasion. And we have even paid full price for a second resort because the one we booked online was not, ahem, hygienic.

And these are a few things our family has found trip-worthy on our many adventures in Orlando.

#1 - You need good shoes for walking...and walking...and walking. (We have walked up to 15 miles in one day - and your feet will not be happy if you don't have good footwear.) Flip-flops are not a good choice. And brand-new walking shoes may not be the best option, either. Break them in a bit first. If you are going to be in a park where you are likely to get wet (SeaWorld and Universal's Islands of Adventure), consider shoes that are made for walking and getting wet, like Keen Sandals. Yes, they are a bit pricey for sandals, and they aren't the most attractive shoe - but they last forever (I still have and wear my original pair of Keens that I purchased nearly 15 years ago and they are hands-down my favorite shoe to wear for long days in the parks, even on days when there is zero chance I will get wet. Comfort is king when it comes to Orlando theme parks. So buy good shoes. (Keen - Skechers - Adidas - women's shoes I recommend).

#2 - Use a blister prevention glide-on stick because, again, all that walking takes a toll. Similar looking to a deodorant bottle, the glide-on anti-friction balm is something we have used on almost every trip theme parks...and when we forget to apply it to our feet, we end up with blisters. Especially if your feet get wet and you are wearing sneakers and socks (and there are regular sudden downpours in Orlando that can soak you to the bone in a matter of minutes). There are also anti-friction balms that help if you have bigger thighs or your shorts / pants tend to bunch up. Here are a couple of ones we have used: Foot Glide - Blister Blocker - Anti-Chafe Balm - Gold Bond Friction Defense.

#3 - If you go to Disney in the spring, summer or fall, you will sweat. These items help for those hot days in sunny Florida. I prefer loose and flowy tank tops and underneath I wear a tube top bandeau strapless bra - this is my preferred option because it stays in place very well, does not make me any sweatier than the Orlando sun and humidity already do, and it doesn't look awkward if some of it peeks out via the arm holes or back side of the tank top. I've only purchased these once and they have lasted for well over a decade. A rechargeable neck fan for the kids is nice to have, like this one or a stroller fan that has a misting option, like this one. And for adults, these options for fans are good, too: Clip-On Fan - Adult Neck Fan.

#4 - A good crossbody that is lightweight makes a huge difference over the course of a week or more of theme park adventuring. LeSportSac has been my personal go-to for decades. They wear well with lots of use and are comfortable to carry for hours at a time. Here's a link to the style I use on Amazon, to give you an idea of what works best for Disney and Universal.

#5 - Whether we drive or fly from Kansas to Florida, it seems as if the opportunity to get sick always prevents itself. So, for a couple of days before I travel, in addition to when I am in Florida, I mix two packets of Kidz EmergenC Crystals with 1/2 cup of pineapple juice and 3/4 cup of water once a day. I find that this helps me not to get sick. Sometimes I drink this daily for a few days after we get home from our trip, too. The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is true to large extent. I also pack some electrolyte mix, because of the heat and the sweating and the walking. LMNT and Liquid I.V. are my usual choices.

#6 - If you go to Orlando during the summer months, you may get hit by rain. Here are a couple of things we pack in order to be prepped for those rainy days. Ponchos are lightweight and do a pretty good job of keeping you dry in the midst of a wildly sudden and soaking Florida downpour. A lightweight umbrella is easy to find in most of the gift shops in the parks, but it is going to be cheaper to buy one ahead of time and bring it along on days when rain is in the forecast. And we have used shoe covers at times, too - they do work well to keep your socks and shoes dry when trudging along in a rainstorm (and some of my children preferred this option to wearing Keens... so it's just one more option for you to keep in mind!). Children's ponchos - Multi-pack of all sized ponchos - Adult ponchos - Shoe covers - Another shoe cover option - And here's a link to affordable, lightweight drawstring backpacks to carry the ponchos in (or we tuck them in the bottom of the stroller, but the waterproof bag is useful for so many things on these trips).

#7 - The last thing I'd like to recommend to you for a Disney / Universal / SeaWorld trip is a simple reminder to take a lot of pictures. It costs you nothing but a few moments here and there, and sometimes the random, non-posed pics are the best ones you'll snap of your loved ones. The memories of these vacations are what we have when the trip has ended, and they are what we revisit as a family when we reminisce about our now-grown kids' childhoods. So, take all the pics. Use the phone for that purpose on your Disney trip, rather than doom-scrolling or checking your work email inbox.

I'll wrap things up with a couple of specific tidbits for each park:

~ SeaWorld is its own beast among Orlando theme parks. It gets really hot there, probably due to all the greenery in that park (Disney's Animal Kingdom is a scorcher, too, for the same reason). Stay hydrated. As in, far more hydrated than you think you need to be. Purchase a refill cup and get ice water all-day-long. Wear sunscreen - we usually burn in this park, even if we haven't gotten so much as a red nose at the other parks. And keep moving at a steady pace; SeaWorld is very spread out, and there is a wooden bridge over the water that gets crazy-hot and feels like it goes on forever. If you have little ones, try to go to this park on the coolest, least humid day of your trip. Also, catching a show and taking a break in some shade is a great way to recharge and reset before going back out into the heat.

~ Universal's Epic Universe is beyond busy all the time. As a new park with Nintendo Land as its biggest draw, you can expect to wait in very long lines and ride very few rides. The park itself is beautiful and there are some good food options, too. But when you enter Nintendo Land... well, it's a bit of a madhouse. Just an FYI!

~ Universal Studios Orlando is undergoing renovations as of spring 2026 and may not have as many rides open as you might expect. However, Universal works quickly on refurbishes and new rides, so check their website or their app to know what's running and what's not. It's a fun park that is easy to navigate and leaves our family the least tired of all the parks we go to. Good food and coffee options, ride options for all ages, and a good place to spend a more "chill" day in Orlando.

~ Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is busy in the summer and during spring break season, because it has some amazing thrill rides that draw kids, teens and adults. Lines for rides like VelociCoaster and Hagrid's are usually long, but worth waiting for. The Suess Land is great for younger kids, and the Marvel rides are a lot of fun. There are a couple of water rides that are worth getting soaked for (and you will get soaked!). And the Jurassic Park area is always a hit for our family. Parking for Islands is connected to parking for Universal Studios (and Epic Universe is at a different location, so the parking garage for these two parks is not where you park for Epic Universe).

~ Disney's Animal Kingdom does indeed get plenty warm in the summer months, as I mentioned earlier. It also is not a park our family has ever spent an entire day at; we tend to do what we want to do early in the day and then relax at the resort pool or park hop to another Disney park. As of spring 2026, some of the rides are in transition and that means the lines for rides like Expedition Everest and the Avatar ride will be long. The Lion King Show is great, but it does fill up for every single show, so don't plan on walking in to see it at the last minute.

~ Disney's EPCOT park is one that has grown on us over the years. They have added some terrific rides to this park, like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille's Adventure. The food options are the best you'll find (we love grabbing a cheese plate in France, a great cup of coffee at Joffrey's, and a mango slushie on those hot summer days). If you need a break from the heat, the Hall of President's in America has the most amazing AC I've ever encountered (and the bathrooms in America are great, too). Plenty to do in this park, and there are things that will entertain youngsters and teens and adults alike. Check out their seasonal events to see if anything special is going on during the dates of your trip.

~ Disney's Magic Kingdom is always busy. Period. The character breakfasts allow you to be in the park a bit before opening, if you can get a reservation. But that won't be a way to beat the crowds throughout the day. The Lightning Lane options are helpful, and you can buy those in the My Disney Experience app once you've purchased your park tickets and set those up in the app. But the Lightning Lane is really only worth the money if you can set up your selections a couple of days in advance (meaning, choose the first 3 rides available with your Lightning Lane pass two or so days before you go to that park...otherwise, the availability ends up being filled completely, and you won't get much use out of the pass; since you pay for Lightning Lane ON TOP OF your park ticket, only buy it if you can make the most of it). But it is Magic Kingdom, and as my husband used to say when our kids were very young, if you make up your mind that the day in Magic Kingdom is a success if you get to ride ONE ride, then you won't find yourself getting frustrated by the crowds. And that, my friend, is really good advice. If it's going to bother you that you spent a lot of money and didn't get to ride a lot of rides, then Magic Kingdom may not be a great experience for you. Just something to keep in mind!

~Disney's Hollywood Studios is a must for so many Disney vacationers. The Toy Story Land experience is really amazing. Really, it's fantastic seeing your little ones light up as they enter that part of the park. The characters are so good with the kids, and even though it is always crowded, it is also always a lot of fun. The Star Wars area is also fantastic. You literally walk into another world, and that's exactly how Disney wants you to feel. There are some great shows at Hollywood, too, like Beauty and the Beast and Indiana Jones. Thrill rides like the Hollywood Tower of Terror make the park a good option for all ages. We never miss out on this park during our trips. Also, if you have a Park Hopper ticket, you can take the ferry or the Disney Skyliner to go from Hollywood to Epcot. These are accessible near the rear of the park, close to France and the United Kingdom if you are in Epcot, and if you are in Hollywood, access to both of those is to the north of the parking lot, just outside the park entrance.

And lastly, if you are a military family, even if you are retired, there are some amazing deals that Universal, SeaWorld and Disney make available to you. For info on that, visit your ITT office, or search "Military" on the websites for each park, or visit Shades of Green (Disney's military resort and golf course located near Magic Kingdom). I'll add some links for info. But when it comes to Epic Universe and military tickets, the price will vary day to day, and it is sold as an add-on to your ticket to their other parks and you need to buy those tickets at Guest Services at Epic Universe. I recommend stopping by there in the evening, when parking will be free, and getting that all taken care of. It takes a minute to set up those tickets, as they need to verify the armed forces service member's information and they will need the DOB for every ticket holder. The lines at Guest Services are very long in the morning when Epic Universe opens, so doing this at an earlier time really is the only good option in order to maximize your time in the park. And for lodging options, you may want to check out the Armed Forces Vacation Club site. Also, Allegiant has some great military benefits with their flights. Now, here are some military info links: Shades of Green / Armed Forces Vacation Club / Walt Disney World Military Ticket Info / SeaWorld Military Ticket Info / Universal Studios Military Ticket Info. / Allegiant Air Military Info

Those are all my tips for trips to the Orlando theme parks for now - but drop a comment if you have any questions!

Happy Vacationing!

Jan L. Burt

Loving God in the Everyday - Thoughts for Moms

2026-02-10T13:27:00.007-06:00

Loving God with your time.

Is time truly of the essence? I think it is. Because where our minutes go, there our hours and our days go. How we spend our time is literally how we invest our time. (Read that again.)
As mothers, if time really is our biggest investment opportunity, is there a way to get the best possible ROI on our investment?

Yes. The answer is absolutely yes.

When we apply the words of Jesus from Matthew 26:36-39, we find our template for wisely investing the minutes that make up our days.

Here are Jesus’ words from the New Living Translation:

³⁶“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
³⁷Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’^[^a^] ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[^b^] ⁴⁰The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Is the Lord your God? And if He is, are you loving Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind?

Is your heart attuned to His? Do your thoughts center on Him throughout the day? Is He the primary focus of your life, inside and out?

Do you love others well? And considering this text in light of the concept of Biblical motherhood, do you love the people in your own household the same way you love yourself?

Do they know you love God first and foremost and most of all, above anyone else? And do they know how much you really, truly love them?

Are you dying to yourself and putting their needs first - for no other reason than because Jesus said that loving your neighbor as yourself is a key part of what the entire law and the demands of the prophets hang upon?

The subtitle to this post is “Loving God with your time” and one of the best ways to love the Lord God Most High with our minutes is by doing what He says to do in relation to Him and in relation to others. Because love costs us something when it comes to our time. It’s expensive. It’s an investment because we give something away before we see a return on it.

We simply cannot love our neighbor, or our children, as we love ourselves without spending time.

If you pray for them, it takes time. If you prepare a meal for them, it takes time. If you put down your phone and listen as they tell you all about their latest interest (in ridiculous detail and with no rush to get to the point), it takes time.

Love takes time.

So let me encourage you once again to love God first and foremost, and to love your children as you love yourself - which is to be a healthy kind of love that does not neglect their true needs and some of their wants, as well.

If you want to grow as a mother this February, try loving your children as you love yourself while also loving the Lord your God daily and with intention, focusing your thoughts on Him, desiring to know and do His perfect and pleasing will, and giving Him your whole heart.

Thanks for taking a few moments to read this post. And thank you for being a Biblically-sound mom to your child/ren. It is making a difference for today, for tomorrow, and for eternity.

Happy Homeschooling!
Also, could I quickly share about my new Amazon Influencer storefront? It contains curated finds that I love and the commissions earned allow me to share all my ministry content entirely for free - and in the next few weeks all of my content from my online store will be moved to my website where it can be accessed free of charge. My store is: Rooted and Renewed Finds with Jan L. Burt's Amazon Page. Affiliate Link - Earns Commissions

Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom? Here's One Thing That Helped Me - by Jan L. Burt

2026-02-04T14:42:00.006-06:00

Homeschooling is a journey.

A beautiful, challenging, and often overwhelming journey down a long path.

So many moms find themselves asking, "Am I doing this right?"

If you have ever asked yourself that question, or if you feel stressed, overwhelmed, uncertain or downright exhausted, know that you are not alone.

In this post, I'm going to share one thing that helped me during my super-overwhelmed stage of life as a homeschool mom. And I hope I can share some encouragement, too.

Sometimes homeschool moms need a boost to help us keep going, because homeschooling is tough, it's a long-haul road, and it certainly isn't for the faint of heart. Your children are your students, and they stay right there in your home when the school day is done. This constant connection makes homeschooling the unique enterprise that it is, but constant connection can be taxing for moms. It's a full-time calling that requires dedication. And it can easily take over every aspect of your life. It's not just about curriculum or how homeschooling can "take over" your house. Homeschooling can consume your inner life, too.

This is why learning to manage your time is crucial.

Over the course of my 25 years as a homeschooling mom, I learned that the key to a successful homeschool, and indeed a successful life, lies in managing my minutes. Our lives are built and lived moment by moment, literally minute by minute. What we do with those minutes determines the outcome of the culmination of all our years. This is a hard truth to reconcile with, but it's pretty important we acknowledge this truth.

So, here's the one thing that helped me more than anything else when I was facing overwhelm in my homeschool (and really in every area of my life).

Time-Blocking

I would make a list of all our non-negotiable activities for the week. Appointments, lessons, any other commitments.

Then I would add the academic schoolwork for each of my kids for the week. Just making a list of what I was planning to teach them for the week gave me a clearer picture of the amount of time I needed in order to homeschool well. (It also allowed me to eliminate some schoolwork that really wasn't all that needed for them at that point in time but was taking up a lot of my very precious and limited time each week.)

I also learned that I needed to factor in travel time to and from lessons and appointments - you can probably guess how I figured out that I needed a bit larger time buffer in order to not be constantly rushed!

I also considered potential interruptions and added a few minutes here and there to account for the inevitable unexpected.

Lastly, when I would plan out each week in time-blocked increments (such as 15 minutes for practicing cursive to 50 minutes for high school math) I planned to do the hardest subjects first. It worked really well for me to knock out the most challenging and frustrating school subjects early in the week. By doing this, I got rid of the feeling that they were looming like a dark cloud. I just did it early and had a much better week of homeschooling!

Here's an example of how a 30-minute time block was structured for our family:

Child 1: Math with Mom (30 minutes)

Child 2: Typing program on their own (30 minutes)

Child 3: Piano practice (30 minutes)

Child 4: Literature assignment (30 minutes)

Child 5: Small engine repair in the garage (30 minutes)

As you can see, only one of my five children was working directly with me during that half hour, but all five of my children were completing schoolwork.

Sure, it took a bit of planning and fiddling with the schedule the first couple of weeks, but after that, it really did become second nature and my stress level dropped dramatically. Things were getting done on time, we weren't running late for practices or lessons, and I had a lot more bandwidth and mental capacity for every aspect of life.

The best encouragement I can give you that might just spur you on to give the time-blocking idea a try is this: Homeschooling is hard, and raising children is hard. But it's going to be hard one way or the other. If you fly by the seat of your pants each day, that's hard. If you spend some time over the weekend planning out the week using a time-blocking method, that's also hard. Which hard would you prefer? When you realize that in many situations you can actually choose your hard, it makes it a whole lot easier to choose the productive hard over the stressful hard. It also makes it much easier to enjoy the present moment, because the big stuff is already planned and you no longer are worrying about it.

Below I've included a few points that will hopefully be helpful to you.

(Also, could I quickly share about my new Amazon Influencer storefront? It contains curated finds that I love and the commissions earned allow me to share all my ministry content entirely for free - and in the next few weeks all of my content from my online store will be moved to my website where it can be accessed free of charge. My store is: Rooted and Renewed Finds with Jan L. Burt's Amazon Page.) Affiliate Link - Earns Commissions

Getting Started with Time Blocking

To begin time blocking, start with the hardest subject for one of your children. I suggest picking a struggling child and their most challenging subject, allocating a specific time block for it. Then, plan what the other children will do during that time.

Prioritizing One-on-One Time

Guard this dedicated time fiercely. It’s too valuable to be traded for minor reasons. This focused attention shows your children they are a priority. It builds their confidence and strengthens your bond.

The Simplicity of Effective Planning

The nuts and bolts of time blocking are simple but effective. By prioritizing planning, you can create a more ordered, peaceful, and productive homeschool. It’s a method that can bring significant encouragement and blessings to your family.

Final Thoughts

Homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. The tools and strategies you employ can make all the difference. Embrace the challenge, choose your hard wisely, and plan with purpose. The rewards—for both you and your children—are immeasurable. Speaker 1’s journey is a testament to the power of intentional planning and a mother’s love. Your homeschool can also be a source of deep fulfillment and lasting memories.

Important Information About Getting Started with Homeschooling (from 25-year homeschool mom Jan L. Burt))

2026-01-13T17:13:00.001-06:00

So, you're considering homeschooling and have a few questions.

Hopefully this post can answer some of those!

Getting Started:

Yup, homeschooling feels pretty daunting at first. But keep in mind that with the right tools and resources and a healthy mindset, this form of education can be a tremendous blessing for you and your child. It's a unique opportunity to tailor your children's education to their individual needs and interests. And that is a pretty amazing opportunity, if you think about it!

Getting started involves knowing your individual state's legal requirements for homeschooling families. HSLDA has a pretty comprehensive guide to each state's laws and standards, so consider taking a look at that site for more info. (I'll link it at the bottom of this post.)

You may need to submit notification of your intent to your local school district. There may be some curriculum standards that you will want to be aware of. For example, when my children were in high school, I followed Kansas' standards for obtaining a high school diploma; meaning they had four years of math, two years of high school science which included labs, and the like. It was not difficult to meet those requirements, and perhaps was not totally necessary since they were public school requirements, not laws per se. But because my children intended to attend colleges that were out of state, I decided to use the Kansas graduation requirements as a template for their course of study, which I then added to their transcripts and submitted with their college applications. Some state's require standardized testing or portfolio reviews. There may be minimum attendance requirements to keep in mind. Again, HSLDA should have all this information easily and readily accessible, and I certainly would not want these potential requirements to deter you from choosing to homeschool. All of these are very, very doable (especially if you keep track of what your child is learning and what resources you utilize.) Your states Department of Education website may also provide this information.

Homeschooling allows you to put together a personalized curriculum for each one of your children. Their unique learning style, interests, and the pace at which they best learn can all be customized by you. It may sound daunting but remember that you know your child better than anyone else and you have front-row access to their preferred ways of learning and retaining information. Here are a few tips to consider:

Identify their learning goals and decide what you want your child to achieve academically as well as personally. Who they grow up to be as a person, with real character and integrity, is as important (if not more so!) than what they learn.

Choose subjects that you want to cover, keeping in mind their interests and your state's requirements.

Select resources. Explore different curriculum options. Look at textbooks, online courses, compare different educational styles. Don't be afraid to craft a totally eclectic education for your children. Educational games, reading great books, hands-on projects...these are all excellent curriculum options. How does your child best learn? Do they have ADD? Do they need a standing desk so that they can wiggle while they work? (This doesn't have to be expensive; you can build one with some wood and hinges that lock into place so that the "standing desk" mounts to the wall and folds down when not in use.)

Create a schedule. Plan out each day or each week and leave space for some dedicated time for each subject and for daily life. Be flexible. Keep tweaking it until it works for your unique family and lifestyle. Adjust as needed.

Mix in some variety here and there. Hands-on activities. Field trips. Project based learning. This is engaging and fun for your child!

Next, let's consider some time management strategies. Because how you manage your minutes really does determine the direction your life goes. This is true in every arena of life, but I have found it to be incredibly true of homeschooling. To stay on track, manage your time...which includes managing your minutes.

Create a schedule and stick to it. Don't be afraid to tweak it and adjust it, but do create one and follow it.

Set realistic goals. Your child probably is not going to complete their high school work in ten months. Avoid overloading yourself or your children.

Break tasks down into manageable tasks. Like eating an elephant, you homeschool well one bit at a time. Division is a homeschoolers best friend when it comes to turning large projects into smaller, manageable steps.

Use a planner or calendar just for your homeschool stuff! (I had one for myself and one for each of my children once they got into third or fourth grade - it was a game-changer and made my life so much better!) They can look at their planner and know exactly what they need to be working on. Track assignments, put their orthodontist appointments and sports practices in the planner and keep track of deadlines for things like state assessments or college application dates.

Minimize distractions. Keep your learning space phone free, as much as you can, and toy free, too. If you use your kitchen table, just put the books away at the end of the homeschool day and eat dinner there as a family. Keep a bookshelf and some baskets or crates nearby to put supplies and books in when you finish up for the day. But don't let distractions take your homeschool for a ride.

Take breaks. Need an easier day? Plan one. Schedule regular breaks. Go to a museum. Have a library day. Take a day trip, go on a hike, have a picnic lunch. Do what you need to do to avoid burnout. And moms, maybe look into cycle-based planning. It can be a lifesaver for us homeschool moms. (I'll try and add a link to a mom who talks about this on her TikTok channel - her name is Rebecca and her handle is @myhomeschoolvillage)

Be flexible. Inflexibility is not good for most aspects of life. And it really isn't good in parenthood. When it comes to being a homeschool parent, it's just really bad to be totally inflexible. Adjust your schedule as needed to accommodate real life and the unexpected things that pop up. Teaching your children to navigate real life well is a life skill that will pay dividends for them in the future. And public school doesn't teach that very well.

Aim to keep your children engaged and motivated as they learn. Add in hands-on activities (I feel like I keep restating that, but it really is important on so many levels!). Crafts, woodworking, experiments, all sorts of things will help keep them engaged.

Make their lessons relevant, if possible. Real-world experiences count as learning.

Follow their interests. Incorporate topics your child is passionate about. Honestly, this is one topic I have spoken about SO MANY TIMES at homeschool conferences. If they have a passion, try to add pursuit of said passion into your homeschool routine.

Educational apps, board games, websites. All these are great learning options to keep kids engaged. And I have already mentioned field trips - but it bears repeating! Go to museums, historical sites, nature centers, the library...make learning an outside-the-house experience now and then.

And encourage creativity. Let them create. Creatives make up half the population, right? So odds are, one of your children is creative in some facet. Art, music, writing...these are outlets that serve as learning portals for creative children.

Celebrate successes - yours and your child's! Acknowledge them and find ways to reward them. Go out for ice cream. Have a movie night and they get to pick what you watch. Cold cereal for dinner. Find ways to celebrate! And do something for yourself, too. You put the "home" in homeschool, after all!

If you are not an extreme introvert like me, you may want to look into co-ops, homeschool groups or associations, online forums and communities, and may even find a tutor for a subject or two. These can provide information, resources, connections with other homeschoolers, classes and activities, and assistance for specific subjects. Keep this in mind! Even if you don't need or want any of these things currently, you may want or need them in the future.

Some good advice for new homeschool parents would be to start small and slow and steady. Don't try to do everything at once. This is new for you and your children. No need to reinvent the wheel or to replicate everything public schools do. Start with reading and math and maybe some kind of art project for fun. Then add some more subjects over the next couple of weeks.

Be patient. It takes time to figure out just what works, and what doesn't. for you and your child. Remember, if it isn't sustainable for the homeschool parent, then it isn't going to work. Don't beat a dead horse. Just move on and try something else.

Trust your instincts. You know your child better than anyone else.

Don't compare. Not even among your own children! Not with public schoolers, private schoolers or other homeschoolers. Comparisons lie, steal, derail and ruin pretty much everything. Do not compare!

Remind yourself why you chose to homeschool in the first place if you have a hard day. Things will be hard in some manner or another no matter where your child gets their education. Remembering your why will help you to choose your hard and stick with homeschooling.

Enjoy it! It's a lot of work, but it was the best work I ever got to do. 25 years is a long time to do something ... so take me at my word and enjoy some aspect of it every single day!

A Quick Recap:

Research your state's legal requirements.

Define your homeschooling goals.
Explore curriculum options and resources.
Connect with other homeschooling families.
Create a plan and get started!

Below are some links that I mentioned earlier in the blog, as well as a link to my Amazon Storefront (which pays the bills for all the things I do, like podcasting equipment and annual fees, speaking for free at homeschool events, and moving me toward my goal of giving all my content, books, pdfs, courses, etc. away for free). It's called Rooted & Renewed Finds, and thanks in advance for checking it out! Affiliate Link - Earns Commissions

Homeschool Laws By State

Rebecca (@myhomeschoolvillage) | TikTok

My TikTok homeschool page - Homeschool Encouragement (@homeschoolplanandpray) | TikTok

As always, happy homeschooling to ya!

Questions? Leave a comment!

Thanks for reading the blog and God bless!

What's the End Goal for Your Homeschooling Journey?

2026-01-04T15:20:00.008-06:00

Is everything you do about your children's education? Or maybe you focus primarily on their interests in order to aid them in building their future and possibly their career. Maybe you just want your kids to be emotionally stable. Your end goal may be helping them get into a certain college or university or program. It could be an intentional focus on sports due to their athletic abilities (or any other myriad of activities wherein they excel).

None of those is wrong. Lots of parents choose home education for reasons such as these.

But as I reflect on my own five children and our 25 years of homeschooling, I know for sure that their character and their love for the Lord were the things I did right in focusing on, while simultaneously being the areas I wish I had spent more time, energy and focus on. It's a coexisting of two things in the same space; we did it well, and we should have done it better.

Some of their deepest struggles may have been lessened had I, the primary "educator" in our family's homeschool, put more time into helping them develop godly character and knowing more of the Word, showing them how to pray long-haul prayers for those long-haul seasons of life that come for us all.

Oh, why didn't I do this aspect of homeschooling better?

Because I did not see clearly how much better it could have been. That's the blessing and the curse of being able to look back honestly at the past. And when it comes to parenting, this is a bitter pill to swallow, with some sweetness added in that only Jesus can give.

This verse from Proverbs comes to mind as I ponder these thoughts today:

Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. - Proverbs 4:5

I can't go back in time and put more time and focus into my children during their formative years. But I can do these two things: Pray and trust God to make up the lack (because I had SO MUCH LACK as a homeschool mom) and encourage moms who are currently homeschooling to think a little bit about their ideal end result and consider where they may want to put more time and focus.

This is my tidbit of hard-earned, hard-learned wisdom and understanding for today.

Honestly, there may not be any homeschooling mamas out there in the blogosphere who need any of my paltry offerings. But I feel better putting this down on paper, anyway...so, there's that.

Lord bless you and your family on your homeschooling journey. He's got good things in store for you and His love for you knows no bounds!

Happy Homeschooling!

Jan L. Burt

Rooted & Renewed Finds with Jan L. Burt

Affiliate Link - Earns Commissions

(Renew your spirit, refresh your home. Curated encouragement for every season. Welcome to Rooted & Renewed Finds—a curated space designed to bring encouragement into every season of life. Our mission is simple: renew your spirit, refresh your home.)

The Great Halloween Controversy (& Why It Matters for Christian Homeschoolers)

2025-10-14T15:07:00.005-05:00

A few days ago, while I was out running errands, I saw a house (in a fairly nice neighborhood) with seasonal (read that: Halloween themed) "decorations" in their yard.

... Okay, before I even get going with this post, I have to hit "pause" & state for the record that the word "decorations" feels wrong when what I saw was a means of glorifying death & very macabre ...

As a mom of five now adult children who homeschooled for 25 years, every now and again I get a bit reflective and do a "rear-view mirror cross-examination" of things we did in our family that I would do differently if given the chance. One of those things is the way we "celebrated" Halloween.

We did all the things. Went to the pumpkin patch, did the corn mazes, carved the pumpkins, decorated the house with "creepy" things, let the kids pick (or design and create) their costumes, attended harvest parties, church events (and hosted a lot of church events when my husband and I led a youth group for over a decade), went door-to-door and/or to trunk-or-treat events on the 31st of October. I feel like we did it all for the entirety of their childhood years...and I honestly do not for the life of me know why I didn't question my mindless participation in the whole doggone thing.

Sure, there were things that were off limits for us. The super demonic type of stuff, the horror movies (huge absolute no for us on those), the clearly dark side with a heavy emphasis on the evil and the Satanic...all of those were never part of our family life. But there were things that niggled at me, and I let them slide. Or maybe I pushed the niggling feeling aside, more than let them slide. I don't think my concerns would have dissipated had I not been their primary "dissipator", if you know what I mean.

And there were plenty of things that did not sit well with me, but I simply had to ignore in order to let my kids participate in all the Halloween stuff. Things like headstones and skeletons. As someone who experienced tragic, sudden, unexpected and somewhat horrific losses of close family members in my teens, I was never comfortable with headstones used as "decorations". Corpses don't tend to spark joy for people who've suffered traumatic loss in their formative years. Headstones have never represented "fun" to me; rather, a headstone represents the space in a cemetery where I first felt overwhelmingly uncertain of how to move forward, unable to reconcile the fact that the world kept spinning, people kept doing all their normal daily stuff, and I did not know how to deal with leaving my loved one buried in the cold ground when the funeral was over. Headstones mark the place where death lies, literally. For lots of people, many of them children, the headstone is a stark and painful reminder of loved ones that will never again speak to you, hug you, come to Thanksgiving dinner, be part of your wedding day...

My father died in a horrific way when I was fifteen. Almost exactly one year earlier, I lost a family member who had not even reached the preschool years. I was extremely close to this little one who died in a car accident on an icy winter road, and this event changed me permanently. I clearly remember the me "before" and the me "after". When my dad died 11 1/2 months later, I changed again. The Bible refers to us as the clay and God as the Potter, and in Jeremiah 18:4 uses the phrase, "And He made it again another..." in describing the way God is in charge of making His vessels what He wants them to be. On the flip side of this beautiful remaking that God does, I experienced a remaking at age 14 and then at 15 which was dark and ugly and hardened parts of me that have never again fully softened. Grief and loss do that, don't they? So why do we fail to consider this come October, when the stuff we put in our front lawns is on full display for every child to see when they step outside? And why didn't I opt out of this icky holiday when I was raising my own children?

I guess I just got stuck going with the flow and didn't want to deal with the things that bothered me about the holiday. So, I kept it as "clean" and un-demonic as I could while allowing my children to have some fun. But it isn't just fun, and you can't clean up Satan's grime. And is it possible to even really keep your own family safe from the evil aspects of Halloween while simultaneously participating in other aspects of it?

I'm sharing all of this here on my blog because I hope it will encourage you to make the hard right decisions for your own family rather than going with the flow like I did for so many years. And I also hope it will land in front of someone who has never considered that tombstones and skeletons represent the worst moment of their lives for so many children and adults. We can't not see this stuff; it's all over, and every time we get in our car to run errands, we see it. Some of us have had enough death in our lives, and we don't ever want to see it celebrated again.

I think this has become a much more controversial subject in the last five or ten years because the next generation of Christian parents, and specifically Christian homeschoolers as it relates to this blog, have come out much more boldly and vocally in opposition to the dark side of Halloween. I agree with them. I applaud them. I am thankful they are speaking out. And I am sorry Gen X parents did not do better by our own children.

Halloween matters for Christians, and I am not going to encourage you to go down a rabbit hole and look into everything that takes places on the 31st, and all throughout the month of October. But I will encourage you to pray about this, asking the Lord to lead your family in the way He wants you to go. Ask Him, listen for His answer, and then simply do what He tells you. It might make you "controversial" to other people in your neighborhood, but when we follow Jesus, we are controversial people anyway, so I suppose this is just one more way that we are standing out, letting our light shine before men, living in this world but not being of it.

And if you happen to know a child who has lost a loved one, would you pray for them this month? Ask God to keep them from seeing things that remind them of their loss and to comfort them as they grieve. Your prayers make a difference!

As always, Lord bless you and happy homeschooling!

P.S. - Sharing my new Amazon storefront, Rooted and Renewed Finds with Jan L. Burt's Amazon Page, curated with finds that I love. (Commissions earned via the Amazon Influencer program allow me to share all my ministry content entirely for free, including my Psalm 91 audio course - which you can grab for free RIGHT HERE.)

Renew your spirit, refresh your home. Curated encouragement for every season. Welcome to Rooted & Renewed Finds—a curated space designed to bring encouragement into every season of life. Our mission is simple: renew your spirit, refresh your home.

15 Bible Verses to Pray for Your Children by Jan L. Burt

2025-09-29T17:17:00.003-05:00

I'm a Christian mom who homeschooled her kids.

All five of them are adults now, and while I'm not actively homeschooling anymore, there is one aspect of parenting that has not changed since they all grew up and flew the coop.

I still pray for my children daily.

And over the years, with the increase in praying that happened as my children went off to college and were far from home (952 miles from home in one case...), I have only grown more and more convinced that God moves and responds when we pray. His promises are completely true, but how could they not be when the One whose name is Faithful and True, the One who cannot lie and has never, ever failed to keep every single one of the promises He has made, is the One making said promises? Is the One listening when this mother prays?

And so, in this post, I'm going to talk about praying God’s promises over your children.

There are many definitions in varied dictionaries for the word “revival”, including: the condition of being revived, restoration of force, validity, or effect, the growth of something or an increase - the word revival actually means “come back to life”.

When we pray for our children, are we praying by rote, just going down the same old same old list of things we’ve been praying about for weeks or months or even years on end? Half-heartedly? Going through the motions? Feeling like our prayers are hitting the ceiling and our prayer life is more dead than alive?

When we know what God has promised in the Bible, and we pray for Him to do a reviving, restoring, growing, increasing, come back to life kind of work in our children’s hearts and minds, it’s pretty hard for a “deadened” prayer life to stay unalive. A fire gets lit and our hearts surge and excitement and belief and expectation all build within us.

Sometimes we need to step back from the “automatic” kind of praying and shift gears. And as busy homeschool parents, oftentimes we need to read God’s promises and maybe even say them out loud to ourselves before we pray them for our children. Jude 1:20 tells us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. (AMP says - But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit, and NLT says - But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,).

So today, as I begin to share some Bible promises with you, I want you to listen not only for your children, but also for yourself and for the building up of your faith. Let me encourage you today so that you can get filled up with the Word of God and then overflow with belief and thanksgiving and expectation as you pray for your children.

Alright, let’s dive into some of God’s promises and as I share them with you, I’ll probably pray some of them over you - so, fair warning about that.

Exodus 34:14 says this: You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

(Pray that your children, and your entire household, all of your family, would worship no other god but the One True God whose very name, according to this verse, is Jealous. It’s actually capitalized in the ESV. It’s not just an adjective, this is who our God is - His name is Jealous. That’s what it says, and God doesn’t waste words or mince words. In the Bible, He says what He means. I firmly believe He’d prefer it if His people who bear His name would take Him at His Word and simply believe that He said what He meant and He meant what He said when He inspired men by the Holy Spirit to write these things. So take God seriously enough to believe what His promises say and to ask Him to fulfill those promises in your children’s lives.) Lord, make us unwilling and even unable to worship any god or idol other than you, and do the same in children’s lives, for Your glory. Only You deserve worship, Lord, so make us a people who only worship You.

Proverbs 16:3 - Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Believe this for your homeschool and for your family. The work you are doing as Christ-following homeschoolers is truly a good work, and it reminds me of Nehemiah, when he refused to come down and engage with his sneaky enemies. He said he was doing a good work and that work was so important that it couldn’t stop and thus he could not, would not, come down. Your work is important, and you should not “come down” from your place up high as a watchman on the wall, an intercessor for your family - nope. Not coming down, not stopping this important work. In prayer, commit your homeschool efforts to the Lord and believe He will establish your plans - establish, settle in a secure position or condition. God is your foundation, so ask Him to settle your homeschooling on that foundation, building your house upon the Rock, and ask Him to establish Himself right smack dab in the midst of your family homeschool - to set up shop right there in your midst. Ask Him to be present and to not allow things to remain in your heart or mind, or your children’s hearts and minds, that drive Him away and quench His Spirit. Believe that as you commit your work to Him, your plans will be established, and they will be. God will keep this promise to you.

It says in James chapter one, verse five, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

If you’ve heard me speak before, or listened to my podcast The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, which is all about God’s promises, then you have likely heard me talk about the word “will” when it is used in one of God’s promises. I double underline the word will, and the word all, in my Bible when I find it in a promise. And then I read that verse again, usually out loud, putting emphasis on the word will. I encourage you to do that with this verse from the book of James, while you just think about all the wisdom you need, and it is a need, in order to homeschool your children. Think about the wisdom that you need and then just consider this promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to ALL without reproach, and it WILL be given him. Will means will, and all means all, and we need to remember that.

Now this next verse is very timely, when we consider the state of the world today, everything that’s going on, Bible prophecy being fulfilled or lining up for fulfillment - let’s not put all our focus on this world, because 1 John 2:17 says “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” Pray and ask God to enable and equip and empower your children to do His will and pray that not by looking at your child’s behavior but pray it looking at God’s promises. He wants this to be your family’s reality, or He never would have said so in His word. So, pray that your household, you and your entire family, will know the times and seasons in which we are living and will act accordingly, seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, knowing and doing the will of God, because 1 John 2:17 gives us this promise…that whoever does the will of God abides forever. Ask God to make your child a whoever and trust Him to finish what He has started in their lives.

Job 28:28 says, “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” This is a very straightforward verse to pray for your children. Lord, give my child a fear of You, because that is wisdom, wisdom for all of life and wisdom that yields good fruit that is lasting and even eternal. May my child always and only turn away from evil. May You give them all the wisdom and understanding that they need to live well for You in this day and age.

Psalm 136:1 - Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.

Ask God to show your children His steadfast and enduring love, and pray for them to be thankful followers of God Most High. This way of living, always thankful, and personally knowing God’s goodness and steadfast love that endures forever…this way of living changes lives. God’s promises change lives. There is no reason why some of those changed lives shouldn't be your children’s lives. Pray for this! And when you pray, believe for this! God always keeps His promises.

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Pray for this for your children and for yourself. You don’t have a spirit of fear, and your children don’t have a spirit of fear. You have a spirit of power and love and self-control, your children do, too. A sound mind, the mind of Christ. This is your heritage. The only way this isn’t true for you is if you are not a child of God, a disciple of Jesus, or if you refuse to believe that this is true for you.

Sometimes our children fall into self-pity and that’s a dangerous trap of the enemy because self-pity puts the focus all on “self” and takes God off the throne of our life. Pray against self-pity and against self-righteousness in your children. It’s dangerous, it's toxic, and it isn’t God’s will. Remember, His name is Jealous. He will not share His glory and honor with another…not even our children. Pray for them to have a spirit of power and love and self-control, because other kinds of “self” that conflict with the word of God, those are not fitting in God’s Kingdom.

And to come on the heels of that verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.

Ask God to completely sanctify your children, and then pray that you will be willing to let Him do that. Because sometimes mama needs to get out of God’s way so He can truly keep them blameless at His coming. Remember, He is faithful, and He will SURELY do it. So, let’s not think or act like He won’t do it. If He says He will, then He will. It’s a given. A done deal. Pray for it to be a given, done deal in the life of each of your children.

Sometimes we allow our life circumstances, or what we see happening in the world around us or in our neighbors or whatever, we allow those things to form our theology. That's not right! The Bible, the Living Word, needs to form our theology. We believe God’s word over and above anything else. A funny story from the pulpit is not going to shore up our theology. It may tickle our ears, but it sure won’t give us a firm foundation to stand on when the going gets tough. Know God’s promises for yourself and don’t let anybody talk you out of believing them. Again, it’s so important to know what does and what does not form our theology, and to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. You may find opposition when you live all-in, fully believing and praying God’s promises. Oh you will have people ask you to pray for them and for their children, because of what they see in your life and in your faith, your walking around living it out daily theology. And some of those same people might not stand with you in total belief, even as they stand next to you asking you to pray for them. Don’t let that move you from your belief. Set your face like flint and believe.

I say that because of this personal experience: in early 2016 I was diagnosed with two heart problems that sort of fight against each other and cannot be fixed with surgery or medication, and I was given the diagnosis heart failure. And this was actually determined by six cardiologists before I even knew the results of some of the tests that had been done, and then by several other cardiologist and electrophysiologists, too. I decided to live in a state of believing God’s promises fully. Not like magic, not me bullying or guilting or whining to God in prayer to get what I wanted, but me just believing every single promise God made in His word. And not only cardiologists and electrophysiologists pushed back on that, but many people in the church did, too. See, it’s a big step of faith to go all-in and believe God's promises, and it doesn’t just impact you and your immediate family, but others in the body of Christ as they see how you’re choosing to live and witness how you pray. It sometimes reveals what they do or don’t believe, and how they do or don’t pray. Not everybody is comfortable with this way of living.

But I was told I should not be able to get out of bed, and medically, they weren’t exaggerating in the least. The life expectancy was 5 years tops. Count with me - 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025…and I’m still here. And I’m doing amazingly well. I have not spent one single day in bed. Not one. I’m not preaching at you today; I’m excitedly sharing with you that this way of living is so good, so rich, so amazing, so miraculous…He has never failed, not one time, and He never will. God has a perfect track record. And He wants to keep His promises in total perfection for you. That's why I do what I do in podcasting and speaking and writing. There is no plan B and there is no better option. Go all in with God, fully believing His promises are for you and your family, and pray the boldest and daring prayers you’ve ever prayed based on those promises and just see what He does. It’s truly a grand adventure, and it’s yours for the taking.

To wrap this up, let me read a few more promises to you.

Genesis 15:6 - And (Abram) believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.

Acts 2:17 - And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

Isaiah 40:31 - They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

Nahum 1:7 - The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.

Psalm 91:1 - He who dwells in the shelter of the most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 Corinthians 2:10 - He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.

Psalm 37:3-4 - Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

We aren’t Christ-focused homeschoolers with no aim in sight, and we aren’t living in a “normal” time or season. Right now, you are absolutely homeschooling as a disciple who is also raising disciples, but I want to challenge you with what the Lord challenged me with just yesterday - the disciples you are raising are not being raised to be disciples down the road - this is for now, for right now. They are today’s disciples. And this is what the Lord put on my heart, like a white-hot fire, to share with you today: as you homeschool your children in a Christ-centered manner, not only are you leading them to be disciples of Jesus, but you are also preparing them to meet the Bridegroom. On her wedding day, a bride is not willing to have a single blemish, one hair out of place, the slightest smudge on her wedding gown - in fact, months of planning, purchasing, preparing, and focus has gone into this one moment. That’s what your family's homeschool, and discipleship are working toward - to be ready for our Bridegroom at His return. What you are doing in your homes in this season matters tremendously. You are raising disciples right now, and in doing so, you are helping them to be the spotless bride that Jesus is coming for. Not a hair out of place, no detail missed, robed and dressed and ready at all times, not putting off until later those things that are truly of the utmost importance, but focusing right now on keeping your lamp filled with oil and showing your children how to keep their lamps filled with oil. There is nothing more important, and you are truly about your Father’s business when you raise your children to be His disciples right now and prepare them to be His spotless bride.

And I speak a blessing over you in this task you’ve been given: May the Lord bless you with everything you need in every moment as you raise up your children to be His disciples, keeping oil in your lamp, leading them to the feet of Jesus daily, pouring out your life for His Kingdom purposes and His glory, even at times setting aside your own desires and wants and continually crucifying the flesh and serving the Lord by serving your family, taking seriously the role you have as parents, not handing them over to others but following His leading for you as parents, and you will have all that you need for your homeschooling, for discipleship of your children, and as you aim to keep your family a pure and spotless bride. May all the blessings of Psalm 91 and Psalm 103 be yours now and for all your days, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of the Father, and in the Name of Jesus. Amen!

If there are any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll answer, and also I’ll share a couple of links for you - one is a JotForm to share any prayer requests & I really do pray for every request I receive, and I always keep things confidential.

One is for my book The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study available on Amazon and another is to my podcast. The Burt (Not Ernie) Show | Jan L. Burt - host of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show (podbean.com)

Prayer Request Form (jotform.com)

Episode of TBNES about an eagle’s molting season Episode 38 - Isaiah 40:31 & Psalm 103:5 (A Molting Season...) | The Burt (Not Ernie) Show (podbean.com)

As always, happy homeschooling & thanks for stopping by the blog!

Living the Dream of Homeschooling by Jan L. Burt

2025-07-07T13:38:00.006-05:00

Homeschooling is a lifestyle.

Which means it intersects with, and sometimes invades, all aspects of our lives.

Homeschooling is a lot. And so, it is not for the faint of heart. But neither is raising children, or following Jesus, or a myriad of other things that offer the highest ROI while demanding the utmost dedication from us.

Basically, homeschooling joins the ranks of pursuits that are daunting, difficult and daring.

And since you are reading this post today, let me assure you that the strong sense of overwhelm and the emotional roller coaster you deal with now and then is totally normal for someone undertaking such an all-encompassing task/role/journey as homeschooling.

Is there actually a dream to be lived out as we educate our children at home? Or is it merely survival in the midst of stress and pressure and all the things that make life hectic?

It's both.

There is no easy button or cure for the chaos that comes with raising and homeschooling children. (And as a 25-year homeschooling mom of five children, let me state for the record that anyone who claims to have found the ultimate easy button that takes away all the stress and struggle and replaces it with easy days and perfect children is not telling you the truth.)

See, here's the thing: there is hard and there is harder for the life of a homeschool mom. There are going to be hard things. Period. No avoiding it, no way around it, no way out of it. Hard things come with parenting. Hard things come with life. Hard things come wherever your child goes to school and with whomever is educating them. Hard is part of this thing called life. But there is hard and then there is harder. You can choose your hard.

What's harder for you: planning out the week's lessons or going with the flow and teaching on the fly each day? (There is no right or wrong answer here: just simply choose which option is harder for you and do the thing that is LESS HARD... choose your hard.)

Is weekly meal planning harder for you than deciding each day what your family will have for dinner? Choose the hard that is not hardest!

Apply this as widely and broadly as possible and be liberal in the application. This is your life, these are your children, it is your family's homeschool journey, and you get to choose your hard.

And if the hard you choose today doesn't ring true with you and your unique lifestyle, priorities, and children, then choose a different version of hard tomorrow. Rinse and repeat and get as close to living the homeschooling dream as you can.

Let me leave you with this final smidgen of advice: remember, you are allowed to enjoy your life. Right now. Today. Trust me on this! Choose to enjoy SOME ASPECT of your crazy-busy life in this very season, on this very day.

Happy Homeschooling!

Jan L. Burt

The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study: Encouragement for Homeschooling Mothers: Burt, Jan L.: 9781514820742: Amazon.com: Books

Biblical Motherhood & the Hard Life of Naomi - by Jan L. Burt

2025-03-19T16:45:00.001-05:00

*Some Key Points About Naomi:

1 - She was a woman who lost so very much as a result of following her husband’s leading to leave their homeland and live amidst foreigners who did not serve the Lord God Most High. (Sometimes we bear the weight of other people’s decisions and as a result of simply living our life in light of choices beyond our control, we can end up lonely, misunderstood, or wrongly judged. When it seems as if no one understands you, try to remember that God saw Naomi’s lot in life, and He sees yours, too.)

2 - She made an impact on her Moabite daughters-in-law that was significant enough for them to express their great love for her and willingness to follow her back to her homeland and forfeit any future opportunity to become mothers themselves (some of this was cultural, of course, but I think we see more than the normal culturally expected response; these women had been impacted not only by Naomi, but by the God of Naomi. Is my life a witness for the Lord that bears a mark that others cannot deny? Do I tend to forget that my role as a mother reaches far beyond my own children?)

3 - I have heard Naomi criticized for calling herself Mara, which means “bitter”; some have said she was wrong for stating that she went away full but came back empty. But isn’t that an accurate response for a woman who had lost so much? First, her home and land and family status to a famine, then her husband to illness while living in a foreign land, then both of her sons as well as any societal status and position she had gained while living in the land of Moab, and any hope for her family’s lineage to carry on. Perhaps she was grieving appropriately, and from the perspective of our Western culture, from the outside looking in, it seems as if she were merely complaining. Does it change the way that we feel about Naomi if we recognize her self-imposed name-change as an outward expression of tremendous grief, rather than assume it to have been an affront to God? If she had so great an impact on her two Moabite daughters-in-law, is it logical per the text we find in the Bible for us to assume the worst about her? Should we instead examine our own hearts and ask whether or not we are grieving our biggest losses in life in a way that actually allows us to walk through them and onward into a future with God that is not all-consumed with hidden grief that eats away at us, impacting our life, our relationships, and even our health in untold ways?

4 - Through the life of this woman who lost so much, there comes about the marriage of Boaz and Ruth (which draws many parallels to Jesus’ redeeming love for mankind). This union led to the birth of Obed, the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. Ruth the Moabite woman is listed in the genealogy of Jesus - what a remarkable turn of events! (If you are in need of a turnaround, bear in mind that the same God who worked so profoundly in the lives of Naomi and Ruth will do His profound work in your life, as well. Don't give up, hang on to your hope and keep trusting the Lord!)

5 - Boaz had a significant woman in his family line, as well; Rahab the prostitute who hid the spies in Jericho when Joshua led the Israelites out of the desert and into the promised land following the death of Moses. It is interesting to note that Boaz was the kinsman-redeemer for Naomi’s family, and perhaps his ancestor Rahab’s story left him with a tender heart toward the foreigner woman named Ruth who was gleaning his fields.

6 - Naomi’s life as a mother clearly left an impact, and her role as grandmother to Ruth’s son Obed indicates that she was still capable and competent in the rearing of children. As mothers, how can we look at the life of this woman, viewing her long-lasting impact through the lens of our own lives, and in turn be willing to do the hard work of Biblical parenting day after day?

Does she spark hope in you, that your perseverance and endurance and self-sacrifice will be worth it down the road? I hope so!

Because Naomi shows us that a life lived well is an excellent investment that all Christian mothers can emulate.

Final thoughts of mine about Naomi: She directed Ruth clearly about what to do when they arrived back in Israel in the direst of circumstances, with nothing to their name and in a state of extreme need and poverty. Naomi knew what the Old Testament said, and she followed its instructions to a “t”. Her grief did not prevent her from believing that God’s method of caring for her as a widow woman in Israel with no living sons would prove true. How often do you and I look at our circumstances and turn to Google, to TikTok, or perhaps to fear, fret and complaining, rather than turning to God’s Word, seeking Him in prayer, and trusting the Holy Spirit to instruct us and lead us forward? Too often I have not lived like Naomi, and it has never fared well for me or for my loved ones. What have you learned from this look at Biblical motherhood expressed via the life of Naomi, one of the most famous widows of the Bible?

I invite you to check out this resource for praying parents available on Amazon:

A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents

Keep up the hard work of parenting, my friend. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain!

Homeschool Burnout by Jan L. Burt

2025-02-28T17:18:00.005-06:00

How many things do you have to accomplish during the course of a day?

Now think about all you do during an entire week.

Start thinking about everything you have to get done in a month, or a year, and you might break out in hives.

For most homeschool moms, burnout happens one day at a time.

If I had to take a guess as to the number one cause of burnout among homeschoolers, I'd probably sum it up on one word: LIFE.

Life just keeps coming at us, fast and furious.

So, preventing or "curing" a case of burnout might involve figuring out how to handle the daily-weekly-monthly-yearly grind.

(Spoiler alert: homeschooling is wonderful & amazing & filled with moments that make great memories...but it is also a G-R-I-N-D and there's no shame in admitting that.)

Ask yourself if there is any part of your homeschooling that can be better organized, if the overwhelm is getting to you. Is your family involved in too many extracurricular activities, and is that causing burnout for you or your kiddos? Are the children doing their fair share to help out around the house? (Chores aren't punishment; they are part of family life, after all.) Are you trying to fit more schoolwork into a day than can be done?

If you can identify the specific source of the burnout, can I encourage you to start implementing changes in that area right away?

If I am drowning in piles of papers, or stacks of mail (how much mail can one family get in a week??? It's a stupid amount!), I take half an hour and just get rid of the pile, quickly sorting through all that paper, tossing what is stressing me out, and if I need to keep something, I put it where it belongs and get it out of my hair.

My inbox can be super stressful, and when I get overwhelmed, I spend half an hour unsubscribing. In fact, email clutter bothers me so much that I rarely send emails to the 5000 subscribers on my own email list! (Not sure that's a good thing, but I digress.)

Are the kid's bedrooms a wreck? As soon as the schoolwork is done for the day, send them into that messy room, set a timer, and have them tidy things up.

Curriculum strung all over the house? Carve out a couple of hours, gather it all in one place, sort it by subject (with the answer keys!) and get it all on a bookshelf or in large baskets.

And I have found that moving all the clutter into the garage doesn't fix anything.

I have run the gamut on homeschool burnout during my 25 years of home education. Here are a few things that helped me tremendously when I found myself up against the wall, desperate for something to change.

I would grade their work daily, if possible. Getting behind on grading my kid's assignments became a heavy burden for me and almost always ended up colliding with other stressors to create the perfect storm of burnout.

I took time to meal plan - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. A workable meal plan for a large family that is home all-day-long eliminated a lot of stress for me. And stressing about meals three times a day pushed me to the edge of burnout quickly. The "headache" of meal planning was easier than flying by the seat of my pants when it came to feeding five hungry children over and over again!

Our family had a chore chart and everyone helped out. At first, I wondered if the kids would fight me on doing chores, but they rose to meet my expectations and hardly complained at all.

If you have any tips to share about dealing with, or avoiding, homeschool burnout, would you leave a comment so other readers can be encouraged?

By banding together and encouraging each other, we fight burnout side-by-side.

Happy Homeschooling!

~ Jan L. Burt

God Sees Your Trouble and Grief - The Hope of Psalm 10

2024-10-19T13:24:00.004-05:00

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the challenges life throws your way? Do you ever wonder if anyone truly understands the depth of your struggles? In this episode of my podcast, The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, we dive into the comforting words of Psalm 10, offering hope and encouragement to those who feel afflicted.

Psalm 10:14 reminds us that God sees our trouble and grief. It's a powerful reminder that we are not alone in our struggles. The verse speaks to the omnipresence of the Lord, who not only acknowledges our pain but also takes it into consideration as He works in our lives. This truth has been a source of immense encouragement for many, including myself, over the past few years.

Continuing with Psalm 10, verse 17 highlights a profound truth: 'You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.' This verse beautifully captures the essence of His empathy and support. It reassures us that even in our darkest moments, when our desires shift from worldly aspirations to cries for relief and understanding, He is listening, and He is ever so close to us in our hardest moments and deepest grief.

The episode delves deeper into how our desires transform when we are afflicted compared to when we are thriving. It’s a poignant reminder of the human condition and the shifts in our emotional and spiritual needs. When we are on top of the world, our desires might lean towards material success or personal achievements. However, when we face affliction, our desires often pivot towards seeking solace, understanding, and hope. In this way, our troubled seasons are a blessing - they draw us into deeper prayer, and we seek after the Lord in ways that differ from our days of ease.

This is a call to reflect on what is afflicting you today and to find solace in the knowledge that you are heard and encouraged by the Lord God Almighty. Whether you are seeking emotional healing, spiritual growth, or simply a moment of peace, the words of Psalm 10 offer comfort that only God provides.

Listen in as we explore these themes and find inspiration in the timeless words of scripture. Let this episode be a reminder of God's promises, encouraging you to trust in His well-timed intervention and grab hold of the peace Jesus promises amidst life's challenges.

If any of the listeners to this episode would like to be on my email list and get the verse and prayer emails, which I send a few times a month, the easiest way to do that is to go to JanLBurt.com and scroll down a bit to where it says God’s Promises in Isaiah, enter your email and you’ll get an immediate reply email with verses from Isaiah that are promises God makes, and you'll be on the list for the next email I send out with a verse and a prayer and you just hit reply and send me your prayer request, those go to an inbox that I see right away, which is so nice for me to be able to quickly start praying. And that’s it, I’ll be praying.

I Don't Know Much, But I Do Know This... You Are the Mom for the Job

2024-08-22T16:26:00.003-05:00

There's a lot I do not know about life, about parenting, about homeschooling.

But there is one thing I do know:

Encouragement Matters.

Not just a little bit. It matters a whole lot.

And so today, I'm here to drop this bit of encouragement on your lap.

You.

Are.

The.

Mom.

For.

The.

Job.

PERIOD. FULL STOP.

No one else knows or loves your children like you do. Thus, no one else is better equipped to teach them, to spur them on, to disciple and discipline them, to be with them day in and day out.

Homeschooling is a long road. (Ask me how I know.)

But that road comes to an end, and that day comes up on you a lot faster than you ever dreamed it would. (Again, ask me how I know.)

So today, I offer this simple encouragement to you, my homeschooling friend.

What you do day after day in your own home with your own kiddos? It matters profusely and profoundly. Don't talk yourself into believing that you're somehow not the mom for the job of raising your own children. Instead, believe me. You're the mom. And you're working hard at being a good one. Or you'd never be searching for blogs & resources to help you in your homeschooling...am I right??

Thanks for being you, and for doing what you do.

Your kids have a great mom!

Happy Homeschooling!

And for a bit of extra encouragement, I'd like to share Kerry Beck's Homeschool Coffee Break Podcast. Lots of insight, advice & encouragement via her show!

~ Jan L. Burt (aka: The Homeschool Encourager)

If you are interested in a copy of Homeschool Planning Made Simple at no charge as part of my 2026 goal to offer all my resources free of charge, leave a comment or contact me via the chat option at my website, JanLBurt.com

Homeschooling Sick Days & the Blessings of a Forced Slow-Down (& Homeschool Revival & Praying for Your Children)

2024-08-04T17:11:00.001-05:00

Anybody else struggle with the forced slow-down that sometimes comes when the mom in the homeschool family gets sick?

It's hard to take a break and hit the pause button on all-the-things when it feels forced and when it isn't for a good reason, or a fun reason, like a scheduled homeschool break or a vacation.

And the forced slow-down isn't frustrating simply because mom is dealing with some sort of illness; it's frustrating because being forced to slow-down when we don't want to slow-down is agitating. (For me, at least...)

A few days ago, my husband came home early from work feeling under the weather and he has been home sick for four days now. And this morning, I woke up with a case of "I-caught-this-from-my-husband". Based on the way he's been feeling, I'm not expecting a quick recovery or bounce-back.

And while I'm not actively homeschooling now that my kids have all grown up and flown the coop, I do have plenty of things planned that I do not really want to step away from right now (as well as some things that I absolutely cannot step away from, things which can't be delegated to anybody else).

In a nutshell, it's been zero fun.

And it caused me to reflect back to times during my 25-years of homeschooling when I was sick and I felt like I was being forced to slow down and get better. It was annoying, but it wasn't optional. But it would have been a lot less annoying had I simply accepted the fact that I was sick and would have to slow down until I felt better.

Do I have any amazing tips to share about improving your attitude during an illness or making the most of those slow-down times of life? Not really. I mean, I am still struggling with being annoyed by the illness I'm facing today - I have no right to "blog-lecture" you about improving your attitude when I'm dealing with a case of bad-attitude-itis in my own heart.

But I can say that there are blessings that come when we slow down. Time to catch up on rest and / or sleep. Time to just be still and enjoy the season of life we're in. Time to reflect on the last however many days / weeks / months it's been since we last paused for reflection. Time to give thanks for the many blessings we have. Time to pray and time to listen and see how the Lord might answer those prayers. Time is a blessing in and of itself, albeit one that I so often take for granted and end up misusing or wasting altogether.

This coming week, on Tuesday August 6th (which is my birthday, too) I'm speaking live for around 60 minutes as part of the Homeschool Revival Week online homeschool conference. And I'm feeling a tug-of-war between concern that my voice won't be strong enough to speak for an hour and that I won't deliver the content I've prepared in the encouraging manner I hope to...and the tug of knowing I need to fully trust God to work this out for the good of all the conference attendees and for His glory (which is all that actually matters in the end, after all).

So, I suppose a big part of this blog post is my way of openly sharing my struggle with being unwell. (And sadly, having a chronic health condition has NOT taught me to take the forced slowdowns in stride and see them as a blessing.) This is sort of my public accountability and attitude check. Feel free to scold me if you see me around and remind me that I need to grow up a bit!

If you think of it, would you pray for the homeschoolers who will be part of this event next week? Thank you for your prayers!

And if you'd like to be part of Homeschool Revival Week, here's a link. Tickets are priced at $17. I'd love to have you join us for this encouraging event!

If you do grab a ticket, would you let me know? Email me at JanLBurt@outlook.com or leave a comment on this post or use the text/chat bubble on my website JanLBurt.com - I have something to send your way if you grab a ticket via the link in this post as an additional way to encourage you in your homeschool venture.

Lastly, if you have any tips or advice for dealing with illness in the homeschool (whether it's the mom, the dad, or the kiddos that are sick...or the whole family!). I'm sure many other homeschoolers would love to know how you manage the sick days & will be thankful that you shared!

Happy Homeschooling & I hope to see you during Homeschool Revival Week!

~ Jan

My Top 3 Ideas to Help Your Kids Love Homeschooling

2024-07-15T14:24:00.009-05:00

Let's get brutally honest for a moment.

Homeschooling isn't always our kiddos favorite thing in the whole wide world. (And I know this is true for all homeschool families, not just my homeschool family...I mean, none of us LOVES every aspect of home education every second of every day, right?)

Over the course of a couple of decades and some change of homeschooling my five children, these three things helped "turn that frown upside down" & ended up being the things that helped my kids to love homeschooling.

(Hold the eye roll please, because my children are all adults now and they have actually told me that these things made homeschooling pretty great for them.)

As always, I'll keep this post short & sweet.

THING #1 that helped my kids love homeschooling:

They could work ahead in any & every subject & once they finished that year's assigned work, they were DONE homeschooling for the year...as in FINISHED, no take backs, pinky swear, ALL DONE.

Did this make them work hard at finishing every subject early? Nope.

Did it motivate them to do their work daily without griping or complaining? Most of the time, yes.

Did they finish the school year early? Uh, yeah. Pretty much every single year they got to start their summer break early.

THING #2 that helped my kids love homeschooling:

Each year when I was planning what we'd be learning in our family's homeschool, I let my kids choose something they wanted to study for the upcoming year. And then I actually made it happen.

I didn't give myself and out, & I didn't dilly-dally around when it came to putting all the pieces in place for them to learn something of their own choosing.

This one's a winner, my friend. I highly recommend trying this out in your homeschool.

THING #3 that helped my kids love homeschooling:

No homeschool work or assignments on their birthday. No matter what, I always made sure this was a given.

It was fairly easy to implement in our family because we homeschooled from late August to early May (um, well, actually we wrapped up our homeschool work in April, or sometimes even in March...see THING #1 above). Since none of my children had birthdays during our summer break, I just gave them their actual birthday off. And if their birthday landed on a weekend, I let them choose what day they wanted to "ditch" school either the week prior to or immediately following the weekend of their birthday.

Three simple things that made a big impact on my children's outlook on homeschooling.

Also - and this goes without saying - their happy homeschool attitude made my life way better than it would have been with a not-so-happy attitude.

Was every day perfect? Did these three things eliminate all complaining and fighting and cause them to wake with a smile and a song each morning?

Of course not.

But it came pretty darn close!

Let me leave you with two quick things:

Here's a link for a free ticket to Homeschool Superheroes online event (from my awesome friend Kerry Beck).

Each year I spent a handful of hours planning out the entire homeschool year with a system I created & now I have turned that system into a product called Homeschool Planning Made Simple. You can check it out right here.

Happy Homeschooling!

Are You a Mom Who Prays for Her Children?

2024-07-13T16:28:00.005-05:00

There is a unique long-haul kind of praying that only mothers understand.

We begin praying for them before they are born, as they develop and grow and are knit together by God in the womb. As newborns, oh my how a mother prays over that little baby!

The first year, there is a lot to pray about. Developmentally alone, those prayers could fill an entire prayer journal for many moms.

Toddlerhood, well, praying all the time, those shooting arrow kind of prayers all day long for protection, for patience, for the ability to be fully in the moment, for sleep, for safety, for time to both slow down and speed up, depending on the day.

And that is just the start of a praying mom’s lifetime of prayer.

I thought I'd share the YouTube version of this podcast episode with my blog readers.

I hope it encourages you today, my fellow praying mom!

And thank you for being a mother who prays for her children. You're making a difference, both now and eternally.

(2) Encouraging Moms to Keep Praying for Their Children - YouTube

Link to Amazon

Pets or No Pets for Your Family?

2024-07-07T17:25:00.004-05:00

I have an important question for all my fellow homeschoolers...

Pets or no pets?

This is actually a serious question. For so many reasons!

Pets are a big commitment. They add a lot to our lives, and to our homeschools, too, I suppose. But they require a lot as well.

It's not a one-size-fits-all thing, this question of pets or no pets.

And not all pets are created equal.

Dogs require a lot more work than, say, goldfish.

An ant farm can be part of science for the homeschool family, but can a slew of ants be considered pets? (rhetorical question - we all know the answer).

So, are you a pet-loving homeschool family? Do you have your own personal version of a hobby farm?

Maybe, like our family, severe allergies limit what kinds of pets are a viable option.

If so, did you find a workaround that allowed your children to enjoy some form of pet in spite of allergies or other concerns?

Pets or no pets?

Pets that have a long life-span, or shorter?

If you've come to the end of your time as pet owners, would you say it was worth it, or did the hard outweigh the happy?

I'm guessing there are some homeschoolers who are kicking around the pet idea and your comments may well give them the input and info they need to make the best possible decision for their family.

As for us, we had the typical garden variety of pets throughout the years...and some pets turned out to be non-options due to extreme allergies that triggered life-threatening asthma.

No cats or gerbils or birds for us. Instead, we had fish, hamsters, and three pugs.

And it was a lot of work, but overall I have to say that our children were blessed to grow up with pets, they did learn a fair bit about responsibility by caring for their pets, and now that they are all adults, they reflect back with fond memories of their pets, in particular the three dogs (squat little pugs) we raised from puppyhood onward. (We still have one living pug who is almost 15 years old - and here is a recent pic of the old fella.)

What's your take on the pet question? And what's your best advice for homeschoolers who are considering getting a pet? Leave your comments because inquiring minds want to know!

~ Jan

Also, I'm blessed to be the prayer coordinator for an upcoming online homeschool summit. If you'd like to check it out, here's a link for info and for a free pass. If you sign up, please let me know you read this blog post when I "see" you there!

Raising Christian Kids in a Taylor Swift World by Jan L. Burt, host of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show Podcast

2024-04-22T16:17:00.007-05:00

I'm no stranger to difficult conversations with my children.

I've explained and over-explained so many things in the hope that some of what I said would ring true and speak louder to them than the world.

To parody the insurance commercial tagline, I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two.

But isn't there always something that crops up, trying to gain access to our children's hearts and minds? Isn't there always?

Yes, indeed there is. And even though my children are all adults now, even though I am no longer actively homeschooling, I continue to speak at homeschool conferences and summits and to groups of moms and women in person and via my podcasts and social media platforms. I still very much want to encourage and support homeschoolers and Christian parents in any way possible.

And today, my messages have been full of parents dealing with an unexpected source of frustration that involves the latest Taylor Swift album...

Here's a quick rundown of what's going on -

A new album was released and so, of course, loads of Swift's fans have been posting all over social media. This isn't unexpected, and certainly isn't the source of frustration so many parents are facing today. These parents have seen their children exposed to this album, which contains plenty of explicit lyrics and anti-Christian themes. But the exposure came via an unexpected source.

Many parents have strict policies for their children regarding what music they listen to and what they see online, which includes who they follow on social media. For example, say your tween daughter has an Instagram account that you monitor carefully, and the accounts she follows have been vetted and are both age and morally appropriate. All of a sudden, these carefully selected Christian content creators begin posting in detail about the latest Taylor Swift album, saying they're coming out of the closet and they don't care what anybody thinks about it, going on to explain why the album is okay to listen to if you are an adult, that it isn't child-friendly, and so on...but sharing the lyrics along with photos and video of their bizarre album-release-dinner-party-ritual-events(I have no idea what to call the release dinner party celebrations that I've seen all over my CHRISTIAN social media feed...so forgive me if my name for sounds weird, but the images I saw were pretty weird so I simply called it as I saw it).

So many young people were exposed to controversial lyrics at the hands of the Christians they follow on social media, and so many of those who posted this content did so while defending Taylor Swift in a way that makes absolutely no sense at all for someone who has chosen to take up their cross daily and follow after Jesus.

And the comments on these posts are equally controversial and surprising. Basically, what I've seen is those who take a stand against this album and its content by saying it's not really what Christ followers ought to be listening to get DESTROYED in the comments by the ample swarm of fans who feel the need to lash out against anyone who dares question their absolute allegiance to the pop star. (Note: they come out swinging against those who declare their allegiance to Jesus in an attempt to justify their allegiance to Taylor Swift as Christians...make it make sense!)

One comment went so far as to say that the lyrics on this album are no more controversial than the story of Lot and his daughters. Well, let's think about that. Genesis 19 is part of a tragedy that took place in the midst of a wicked, fallen society (hmmm, sounds familiar, doesn't it?). Lot's wife looked back at that which the Lord deemed worthy only of total destruction and thus did not make it to the "high ground" with her husband and daughters. Lot fled to the town of Zoar because he had a pretty good idea that the people of that community weren't going to simply let him exist in peace after what went down next door. He took his two daughters and made his home in a cave, away from the populous. The young women did not want to die childless and so they devised a lewd plan and went forward with (get dad drunk and do the unthinkable with dad in order to have children). The names of their children were Moab and Ben-ammi...the very start of the Moabites and the Ammonites, who have a long and tainted history of fighting against God's chosen people, the Israelites. I'm not exactly certain how this commenter thinks that the story of Lot and his daughters comes to her defense regarding the album and its crude, anti-Christian content. If anything, it lends credence to the fact that the album is not fit for Christian consumption.

All of this is what parents are facing today as they face the next battle for their children's hearts and minds.

It's been a lot for these parents.

After replying to messages, praying for parents, muting and unfollowing so-many-accounts today, here I am posting this on my blog as a means of encouraging any parents who are dealing with this sticky situation with their own children (or any other sticky situation you may be facing). You are not alone. It may feel like you are, but I promise, based on my DMs, you absolutely are not. And I am praying for you and your family, because this is tricky stuff, having to explain to our children why Christians make choices like this, and go on to share about those choices publicly, and defend them in ways that, frankly, dishonor the Lord.

I had intended to record a podcast episode today about the world we're raising our children in and the need to be encouraged and shored up in our parenting as Christians...and then, all of this began to play out in my social feed and inbox. So, I prayed, and changed my plans a bit and I recorded an episode for The Burt (Not Ernie) Show that includes some of this controversial hot topic

And lastly, if this post encouraged you, please feel free to share it on social media. Some other parents may just be encouraged by reading it, and it may be helpful to simply know they're not alone in their desire to train up the children in the way that they should go.

Lord bless you today - don't stop doing good and honoring the Lord in your parenting, because you are promised that you will reap a harvest at just the right time, so long as you don't give up!

P.S - I've recently put together a new resource called Homeschool Planning Made Simple. It's based on the method of homeschool planning that I implemented during my 25 years of homeschooling. Click below for info & / or to purchase. Also, it is a one-time purchase...buy it once, and use it forever! (Well, maybe not forever...but for as long as you homeschool!)

P.P.S. - Here is a link to a fun quiz for homeschoolers created by my good friend Kerry Beck - click here to take the quiz.

Guard What Goes In...

2024-01-17T11:16:00.007-06:00

Guard what goes in & your heart will be better off...

Homeschooling mothers, as a whole, are really good at guarding what our children see and hear. The books they read, who they spend time with, the movies they watch - all this and more is carefully considered and managed. But do we manage our own hearts with the same caution and tenacity?

There is just too much garbage that is too readily available at too many moments throughout the day. How often are we seeing things that we'd guard our children from seeing?

Not every choice is made wisely... Glancing at your phone while your son completes his spelling list is, quite frankly, and unwise choice. I do not need to explain why it is unwise; you already know. Truth is truth. It does not shock you to read these words.

The hard truth is that constant access to timewasters and pop-culture is of absolutely no eternal benefit - and even damages relationships and can harden the heart.

Apply the same standards across the board in your home and watch God bless your wise choices.

Psalm 91 - Pray It & Believe Course with Jan L. Burt available now.

Does Bible Study REALLY Matter? (And Will It Make a Difference in My Life?) - by Jan L. Burt

2024-01-03T14:50:00.004-06:00

In this post, I'd like to try and give very specific answers to the question: Does Bible study really matter? And will it make a difference in my life?

If I were sitting in a coffee shop with you and this was the topic of discussion, this is what I might share with you about personal Bible study and what it does and doesn't do for us.

~ Bible study matters in our lives because it provides us with peace of mind.

Peace of any sort is a commodity that is in short supply as far as the non-Christian world goes. There just isn't real or lasting peace outside of the Lord Jesus. When we study the Bible, we gain peace of mind, because we learn better and better what God has to say about a whole slew of issues, and how He desires for us to live out our days. Knowing God better via knowing His word better leads to peace of mind. And if our minds are at peace, everything in our life will be improved.

~ Bible study matters in our lives because it provides us with renewed hope. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, it says in the book of Proverbs, and that is completely true. I've experienced it, and most likely you have, too. Contrast that with how we feel when our hope is renewed. The sky seems bluer, the grass greener, and our hope becomes contagious as we pass it along to others. The unique hope we gain by studying the word of God is of incalculable worth, and it will not come by any other means. We cannot obtain what the Bible holds out to us by means outside of the Bible itself.

~ Bible study matters because it is fuel to the fire of our faith. When and where faith in the Lord increases, our outlook improves, our optimism grows, and our impact on people around us changes for the better. We pray bolder prayers, we seek the good of others and the glory of God more often and the love we have grows and stretches farther and wider than it would had we not spent time in Bible study and experienced an increase in our faith.

~ Bible study matters because it lends itself to prayer. Not just any kind of prayer, but prayer based on the word of God. Our prayer lives change when we pray based on what we read in the Bible. As we pray God's word, not only will we be bettered, but those for whom we pray and those with whom we interact regularly will also be bettered.

~ Bible study matters because it blesses our relationships. As we are continually conformed more and more to the image of Christ, many of the relationships we have get better and better. Some relationships fade away because we realize that we cannot live in our old, pre-salvation ways and also live out our new life in Christ. Knowing what the Bible says and living out what we learn from our time spent studying the Bible has an impact on our relationships.

~ Bible study matters because by means of studying the Bible, we are better equipped to encourage others. In case you haven't noticed, life in this world is hard. People are hurting, are broken-hearted, are in need of encouragement on a hundred different levels. And when we actively engage in the study of the Bible, we will have something tangible and life-changing to offer them. We will know Jesus better by studying the Bibel, and we will be better suited to share Jesus with people who need encouragement and life-change.

~ Bible study matters because it reveals to us the heart of God. Want to know what the Lord cares about? Study the Bible. Curious as to what kind of character God actually has? You'll find out when you study the Bible. Wish you knew God better? You can know Him better and better each time you open the Bible and read it.

~ Bible study matters because it changes the way that you think...and the way that you think is the way that you live. The fact of the matter is what you think and how you think determine the direction of your life. If you are continually angry in your thoughts, you most likely will lead an angry life. If you are fearful in the way that you think, you will be fearful in the way that you live. Where your time goes and where your thoughts go, there your life goes. Knowing what the Bible says and believing that what God has said in His word is the truth has a great impact on how you think. Want some life change? I recommend studying the Bible regularly.

That's my two cents worth on the question of whether or not Bible study actually matters.

Thanks for stopping by The Prayer & Bible Study blog. I'll leave the link to my podcast, The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, which focuses on God's promises & to The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Lord bless!

Psalm 91 - Pray It & Believe Course with Jan L. Burt available now.

Encouragement When You Feel Left Out of the Christian Circle

2024-01-03T14:45:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago I found myself taking part in a live webinar that was aimed at helping Christians who do some (or all) of their ministry in the online space. The goal of this event was *supposed* to give lots of encouragement and helpful tips to the webinar attendees, specifically when they speak to people. Now this was meant to include all types of speaking - podcasting, interviews, going live on social media...pretty much any circumstance involving speaking or being part of a live event.

And it was touted as a way to be more comfortable in this role and in your own skin.

Because, in all honesty, when doing an interview or guesting on a podcast, running a Facebook live, recording content for a course or for YouTube, can be very awkward. You're either talking to nobody (when you record content for a solo podcast or a course, for example) but also you'll be talking to an unknown number of people when the content is released. Or you're being interviewed or go live on social media, and the other person(s) are there with you in a sense, but you aren't in the same room and you can have slight delays and hiccups due to connection issues, and it can leave you feeling out of place.

You get the drift as to what this webinar was about. Or, what I thought it was about.

As the event progressed, an ever-widening gap began to develop between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

Here's the abbreviated takeaway:

~ If you are part of the "in" crowd in the world of online ministry, then you're special. And if you're not part of it, then you're un-special.

~ This is an exclusive group, and not all Christians who are doing some sort of ministry in the online space are part of the club.

~ This is an elitist group under the guise of "Christian ministry".

~ This group will gladly take your money and your time and dole out small tidbits of semi-helpful information, while somehow at the same time make sure you know that while your money is good enough for them, you and your ministry most certainly are not and you should count yourself lucky to even be in the same room (albeit a zoom room) with them.

Now, you may be wondering what this post is doing on a blog for homeschooling moms that shares Bible-based content.

I decided to share about this experience on this blog because I think this happens quite often in the Christian community. Whether it's a Sunday school class, a small group, a larger event, a prayer group, a church staff meeting, the homeschool co-op, or within the Christian community online, this sense of exclusivity is real. And it is really, really painful.

When we gather together, is there anything we can do that can prevent a newcomer from feeling welcome, growing in grace, understanding more of the Father's love for them, or becoming part of this particular Christian community?

Or do newcomers feel as if they are being pushed aside or pushed out to the Gentile Court?

Do they leave feeling blessed and encouraged, or discouraged and unwanted?

And a far more personal and pointed question would be this: Have you ever, or do you currently, feel like you are being moved outward toward the Christianized version of the Gentile Court?

Loving the Lord is not an exclusive, cliquey club. And when someone feels held at bay, I can't help but wonder how that makes the Lord feel.

My personal prayer as I hit the "leave meeting" button near the end of that webinar was, "Lord, how can I not be part of this painful messiness in my ministry and in my real life?"

(And that's a scary prayer to pray when you're an extreme introvert trying to do a very extroverted type of ministry because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you often come across as stiff and reserved and unapproachable due to your social awkwardness and introverted nature.)

The Lord seemed to answer my prayer by taking me to John, chapters 15, 16 & 17.

Reading Jesus' words in these chapters was a soothing balm following the strange webinar event.

And so, as a Bible study girl who podcasts & speaks & teaches about the Bible, can I encourage you to take some time and read these three chapters, while praying about how to best help newcomers experience the love of God via our church gatherings, small groups, homeschool events and in our own personal ministry opportunities?

I'd very much like to hear your comments and insight on these three chapters from the book of John. Would you share in the comments? I'd be so blessed by that!

And my closing prayer today is that none of us feels shoved to the outer court, but rather senses the warm welcome and the lavish love our Father has for us.

Lord bless & I'll see you back here next time!

Psalm 91 - Pray It & Believe Course with Jan L. Burt available now.

All the Details About the Psalm 91 - Pray It & Believe Course from award-winning podcaster Jan L. Burt

2024-01-03T14:12:00.007-06:00

Want to see your prayer life grow & your faith increase?

You're in the right place!

In this course, expect to see your prayer life grow and your faith increase. Jan's diagnosis of heart failure plunged her into a lifestyle of living, breathing & praying the Word of God, and Psalm 91 has become a portion of the Bible that has changed her life. Jan is the founder of the online prayer retreat group "Praying Through the Storm" & she has been the host of several live multi-day prayer retreat events as well as a 17-week long study of Psalm 91.

Come along on a journey to apply the profound and life-changing promises from this psalm to your daily life & your loved ones. Expect to be blessed as we get the promises of God into the people of God, right where they belong!

Tell me if this sounds familiar...

You want to grow in your prayer life, but are not sure what to pray for...

As a Christian, you aren't sure you are living in the fullness of the Lord's blessings...

You know God has made promises in the Bible, but don't know which promises are for you... & every bit of your faith has been stretched to its limits...

If so, then this course on praying & believing everything

God has promised us in Psalm 91 might just be a great

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Easy to consume lessons
Printable worksheets & pdfs
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TESTIMONIAL - Terry -Prayer Retreat Member

Jan’s online prayer retreat has changed my life. Our study of psalm 91 has literally transformed my prayer life, both how I pray and what I pray for. I now have the psalm memorized and pray it out loud several times each day and it brings me a peace I cannot quite explain. Although I have never met Jan in person I feel like she is family. She prays for me and my family every day and that has given me the confidence to pray more boldly than I ever have and trust that no matter what comes…it’s God’s perfect plan. One night in December on my way home from work I was feeling overwhelmed by a situation my son was facing. I called out to God right there in my car and asked Him to find a way where we could not see one, to two very specific problems. The next day at 3:00 p.m. BOTH prayers were answered, lifting a huge burden from my son (and me). I believe this was an immediate answer to my prayer and was humbled before God. I’m so thankful to my friend Sara for introducing me to the Praying Through the Storm group. I have enjoyed and benefited from listening to Jan. She is a true prayer warrior.

Lifetime access to the

Psalm 91 - Pray It & Believe Course is $35

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A Special Request for Prayer for a Friend Whose Son Has a Brain Tumor

2023-12-14T16:56:00.000-06:00

Hey there, friends!

Today's blog post is difficult to share...because it's about a friend who is facing a tremendous struggle in her family & my heart is just so heavy for her.

Can I take a quick moment to share her story, and ask you to pray for her and her family? From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading this post!

In the tapestry of life, there are moments when our paths intersect with the struggles of others, and we are presented with a profound opportunity to make a difference. In our journey through life's challenges, we discover the immense power of compassion—the ability to extend kindness, understanding, and support to those facing adversity. It is in these moments of shared humanity that we experience a connection that transcends our individual stories and binds us together in a tapestry woven with threads of love and empathy.

A dear friend and fellow blogger, Lisa, is currently facing a challenging situation, and I am writing to you in the hope that you might be interested in supporting her. Her 8-year-old son has a brain tumor and is going to surgery in early 2024. Between the tumor and the grand mal seizures that it has caused the financial toll has really become dire. To learn more about her story you can visit her website that tells of her story.

Lisa is a devoted Christian blogger and a wonderful person who has been an inspiration to many through her faith-based content. Unfortunately, she and her family are currently facing urgent financial needs, and I am doing my best to assist her during this trying time.

To help raise funds, Lisa is offering her beautifully designed Bible verse posters that can be printed and used to adorn your home. These posters not only add a touch of elegance to your space but also serve as a source of encouragement, aiding in the memorization of essential Bible verses and providing a constant reminder of God's timeless truths.

I believe in the power of community and the strength that comes from supporting one another, especially during challenging times. By purchasing these posters, not only will you be enhancing your home decor, but you'll also be contributing to a cause that holds deep personal significance for Lisa and her family.

To view and purchase these inspiring posters, please visit her store. Your support means more than words can express, and it will make a significant difference in Lisa and her family's journey through this challenging period. Explore additional items in her store if you're seeking more inspirational Christian products.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and I sincerely appreciate any support you can offer. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to me directly.

Thank you again for taking a moment to read this post about my friend Lisa, and for covering her family in prayer. This means so very much!

Parenting No-No's from the Life of the High Priest Eli

2023-12-11T17:32:00.007-06:00

Anybody else read 1 Samuel chapter 2 and see some commonalities in the way many people raise their children today?

I don't think we can, or should, expect the world at large to apply God's Word to their parenting. But when those in the Church don't take the Bible seriously enough to allow it to influence the way they raise their children, well, there's a problem. A big one.

The Lord is holy.

The story of Eli's wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, reminds us of this truth with total clarity and unwavering certainty.

God. Is. Holy.

When we allow our children to take God's holiness for granted, to run amuck in sin and depravity, we err terribly. And our errors will result in grave and serious consequences, for us and for our children. As if that were not enough, the Church as a whole will be negatively impacted.

I'm not saying that our children's behavior is the end-all, be-all. And I'm not saying that parents are 100% responsible for every big and every little thing they're children do, from cradle to grave. I'm not adding to what the Bible says in the 2nd chapter of the book of 1 Samuel, either.

Facts is facts, and the facts in this true tale state that Eli's sons were wicked, and Eli failed to completely adhere to and obey what the Law had to say about their behavior.

Do we ever do this?

Of course, those who are in Christ are no longer under the Law, but are under the New Covenant. We are under grace - thank You, Jesus! But God's holiness has not lessoned in our day, and we still ought to care more about the Lord God Most High and His holiness than we care about anything else...including our children's particular views on subject matter and sinful behaviors that have been definitively dealt with in the pages of our Bibles.

The signs of the times are all around us, pointing to the very soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have so little time remaining...there is none to waste. And we dishonor the Lord and do our children no favors when we coddle them along the path of life. When we allow them to run the home, to make their own decisions, to push back against what the Bible has to say about things that are wicked and sinful and being accepted as "normal" by society - well, then we fail as Christian parents because we fail to have Christ as the center of our parenting.

...Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord...(verse 12, New Living Translation)

Do we have enough respect for our Lord that we obey Him wholeheartedly, even in our parenting? Even when our children push back against our leadership? Do we revere Him as holy? If so, what does that look like in our life, actually? Have they been allowed to compromise with the world, doing what the Bible says ought not to be done? Do we call such things "struggles" when the Bible calls them "sins"?

I may not make any new friends as a result of this blog post, and I would not be surprised if I lost a few. But none of my "friends" has laid down their life for me, paid the price for my sin-debt, and offered me eternal life. Only Jesus has done that for me, and I have allegiance to none but Him.

May I end this post with a contrast that could shed a bit more clarity on this subject?

In particular, let's take sexual immorality, in all its varied and twisted vices, and use it as a means of making my point crystal clear.

Jesus said this: "You have heard the commandment that says, 'You must not commit adultery.' But I say that anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matthew 5:27-28, New Living Translation

When we say that our teen is struggling with sexual sin or with their sexual identity, but they haven't acted on it, we are in stark disagreement with the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Savior of the world said that when we look with lust, we have already committed the act of adultery, why do we think we can say that not "acting" on sinful, lustful feelings is somehow not sin? We are out of our depth, above our pay grade, and lying to ourselves and to our teens when we follow this line of thinking and apply it to our parenting.

When will we, the people who comprise the Church that bears His name (not our name - but His!) stop placating our children, dishonoring our God, and do what He has called us to do? Which is, first and foremost, to take Him and His Word seriously enough that we live by it and allow it to be the Truth that changes our lives and makes a difference for His Kingdom. If not now, when?

If you are dealing with these kinds of issues in your home, can I strongly encourage you to take on the role God entrusted you with and allow the Bible to influence your parenting? Don't put off until later what you know you ought to do right now.

The book of James tells us that when we know the good we ought to do but fail to do it, that is sin. (from James chapter 4).

I know this is a touchy topic, but that does not mean that it is one to be avoid until later. Later doesn't usually come when we use it as an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of parenting Biblically. And we aren't actually parenting per the Bible if we only imagine that we are using God's Word as our guidebook, while failing to actually apply it.

Lord bless you on your parenting journey, and may He give you all the strength you need to parent well in this dark and sinful era.

Psalm 91 - Pray It & Believe Course with Jan L. Burt available now.

A Not-Back-to-School Essay About What I Did This Summer... (An Introverts Review of the Speak Up Conference)

2023-08-14T16:48:00.001-05:00

Ever written one of those beginning of the school year essays?

You know the ones I'm referring to. The attempt to ease students back into the swing of things, coupled with the simultaneous attempt to ease teachers back into the chaos of things, which would somehow be achieved by requiring every-single-student to answer the same question they answered last year...and the year before...and so on, ad nauseam.

This blog post is basically my adult, non-student, never-going-back-to-school-because-I'm-north-of-fifty version answer to the question, "What did you do this summer?"

Spoiler alert: I'm an introvert.

(And, yes, that actually matters when it comes to this blog post. Hang with me and I'll explain.)

As a podcaster and a speaker and an indie author, I keep my eyes peeled for events that will help me grow in my work and expand my horizons in my field. As an introvert, my interest is piqued when said events are available in the virtual space. My motto is: "Online for the win!"

Late in the spring of 2023, I signed up for the writers and speakers tracks with the Speak Up Conference virtual ticket. I've attended several online events before, and so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Except I didn't.

I'm not sure what I thought I had a handle on, or what I thought this event would be like. I didn't have a handle on this event; I simply held on for dear life, because the SpeakUp Conference blessed me so greatly and in so many varying facets...well, it was above and beyond what I was expecting, to say the least.

It's something like choosing a random item off the dessert cart after a lovely meal and discovering, quite by chance, that the dessert you chose is truly the most amazing delicacy you've ever tasted. And each bit and every bite is better than the last one.

Speak Up was hands down the best event for speakers I've ever been part of.

I'm a note taker, as an extra tidbit for anyone reading who may not know me in real life. And what do note takers do? They take copious notes because they subscribe to the belief that note takers are world changers. (That may or may not be true, but I'm going to continue using that as my excuse for owning so many pens and notebooks and for my love of taking notes at every opportunity.)

Normally, I accrue a fair amount of filled notebook pages during a multi-day event.

Normally!

During the three days I hopped online and viewed Speak Up sessions, my pen could not keep up with all the content I wanted to put down on paper. I earned myself one nasty hand cramp. And I have reviewed those notes time and again in the days since the event took place.

But I think the thing that struck me the most on a personal level was this: As an extreme introvert, and as a speaker who knows exactly how worn out in-person events and all the "people-ing" that come with those events, I realized that in heartbeat I would attend future Speak Up events IN PERSON.

Listen, my friend, this is not a decision that introverts come to quickly or take lightly. This is a big deal. I don't do "in person" unless I absolutely have to. And in the case of this conference, I would happily do "in person" because it is the best thing going for the edification and encouragement of Christian speakers and writers.

Let me give you a glimpse behind the scenes, if you will.

First, there is a feel to this event that is unique. It has been prayed over, the whole of it, as well as the individuals sharing and speaking. Prayed for, prayed over, prayed through. This was evident right from the get-go. There's nothing quite like attending an event where you've been prayed for.

In addition, I had a point of contact who reached out to me in the weeks leading up to the conference, emailed me during the event, and followed up afterward. She was so sincere, so kind, and just a blessing to hear from her via my inbox.

The breakout sessions were wonderful. The leaders of the Zoom rooms were genuine and caring and really just beyond kind and caring, in spite of the fact that they almost certainly were carrying a bit of a workload to pull off an event of this magnitude and manage all the tech issues that come part and parcel with conferences in the online space. And the way the event hosts included the virtual attendees before just jumping into the live feed of the main stage sessions was super inclusive and very welcoming.

The giveaways were beyond generous, and so were the leaders who offered to give online conference attendees the same kind of time and focus that they offered to the in-person attendees. If they said they would email you about something, they did it. If they said the would add you to their email list or their private Facebook group, they did it. Whatever they offered, they made good on. In a very timely manner. Without feeling spammy. This aspect of the Speak Up Conference was very refreshing for me.

The closing sessions on the second and third nights of the event were outstanding.

How outstanding, you may be wondering?

Listen, your girl here is not a crier. It just isn't me. I. Do. Not. Cry. At. Online. Events. EVER. But I did cry during one of the speakers. Tears that were thankful, happy, and convicted. That's a pretty good combo for tears shed by a non-crier.

In a nutshell, here's what I did this summer: I created and recorded loads of new episodes for my two podcasts. I spent time with my sweet grandbaby. I celebrated as my youngest daughter graduated from college summa cum laude and then moved her out of state to begin her new career.

And I attended the Speak Up Conference via the virtual attendee option, because I'm an extreme introvert.

But next year...I'm gonna be there in person. Introvert or not, it's too good to stay home for.

As I wrap up this blog post, can I share about a t-shirt I had made?

My family despises it, but I had it made via an Etsy Shoppe because it simply is the truth. The shirt says this: "Heart Failure - one star, do not recommend". (You guessed it, I have a heart failure diagnosis and I most certainly do not recommend it). On the converse, my review of the Speak Up Conference is this: "Five Stars - absolute must-do event for speakers and writers - highly recommended."

If you are a writer or a speaker or maybe a Christian mom who is considering speaking at a local homeschool conference or to your women's ministry, perhaps you'll be leading a Bible study or small group soon, or are considering starting a podcast or a blog, I hope you will keep Speak Up in mind as a resource to encourage and equip you. It really is a tremendous event.

Lord bless!

~ Jan L. Burt