Simply Living for Him

Whenever I speak at homeschool conventions I always remind my audience ultimately not to listen to me, but to listen to God in everything they do. I love sharing my stories and encouragements and when others glean useful things from me I am so glad! But in the end, I would hope every person listening would seek God above all in all they do. But on today's podcast, I am begging you to listen to me in this. It's that important. There is one thing that will completely unravel your homeschool and it does not represent God-honoring behavior. It is a detriment not just to your own homeschool, but the homeschooling community as a whole. Listen in as I talk about the road I was headed down, but now I am incredibly grateful that God worked in my life to point me in the right direction- to Him alone.

Is your clutter weighing you down, but you feel like the emotions tied to it are too strong to let it go? If you are hanging on to things because of an emotional attachment then it may be time to evaluate. Are you letting your past clutter up your present? Are you trying to hang on to a feeling of the past, while it hinders your present or even your future? You can have an emotion and a memory without hanging onto every single thing from the past. We can't get caught up in stealing from our future or even our present because we are holding on to clutter from the past. We have JOY in the present and we have a future glory to look forward to–we can enjoy our memories without cluttering up our present. Listen in as I talk about the sometimes delicate topic of emotional attachments to our clutter.

How many times have you tried to de-clutter only to have it all creep back in within months? How many times have you vowed to have less, but end up buried in things again? Before you even begin to simplify and purge, there is something you need to do. Join me as I discuss how to get your heart ready to purge and get on the road to living more simply.

We often say "someday" we will do this or that, but in reality, we only have this moment right in front of us. We don't need to wait to start living the life we have always wanted. We can live it right now. Start living simply. Start living for Him. Choose faith over fear and begin to live more purposefully and with intention today. (excuse the voice on this one- I had a cold and sore throat ;)

Recently I wrote a blog post about getting back to the simple mindset of living: I want to get back to simple. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did just fine without Pinterest boards, meal plans, chore charts, and organizational methods. They did what they knew, handed down to them from generation to generation. I want to get back to simple. I want to focus on relationships more than things. People more than stuff. Listen in as I talk more about focusing on what really matters... "There are a million different methods out there telling you how to unclutter your life -But I'm here to point you to God and let Him unclutter your life."

Join me as we talk about how we have used the Bible in our family over the years- from using it as our homeschool curriculum one year, to now, reading through the entire book together. It is truly transforming our family and is the most important book we will ever use in our homeschool.

Last summer I was incredibly blessed to begin a ladies prayer group in my home. It didn't end up looking at all like I had thought it would, but God's plan was way better than mine! Join me today as I share how God worked in our prayer time and howYOU can start a women's prayer group. Sisters in Christ need to shine brighter than ever in this dark world today, and let's do it by linking arms and seeking Jesus together!

Three years ago we began the journey as a work-at-home family. Today I am sitting down with my husband to share what our daily life looks like as a self-employed family living life together. Between Steve's graphic design company, my writing, and our whole family's endeavors on our (little) hobby farm, we are learning what matters most each day.

I have heard it all when it comes to people asking about homeschooling. Many of these questions I myself once asked before I ever knew God would call me to homeschool. Tonight I am answering a few of the most asked questions!

When my children were very young I bought into the lie that I needed to escape the difficulties of motherhood, rather than embrace them. Perhaps I didn't recognize those little people were my mission at the time. Instead of focusing on just surviving the day, I could have focused on how God would bring me through each moment. My children were watching– did I really want them to remember me just making it, or embracing the life God had given me? Let's not just survive our days, but thrive because we know that God has given us an amazing blessing to raise future adults. He gives us an opportunity to grow closer to Him each moment of motherhood, by recognizing we can only get by in His strength. Yes, it is hard, but any mission is hard. We should expect it to be grueling at times, but rest assured that God uses our hardships for His good. We are serving Him through each moment of difficulty, so rather than focusing inward, if we focus on the task at hand and on others, we are sure to find so much more joy. Motherhood is not something to escape, but to embrace. Too often though our society focuses on motherhood as if it costs us so much when in reality the rewards will be great long after we are gone. We are raising future Christ followers and our attitude should reflect Him. Join me today as I reflect on my life in my early mothering years. I am opening up what I could have done better, and how I am moving forward embracing motherhood today and striving to do all things with excellence, instead of just enough to get by.

Let's face it- social media can be our friend one day and our biggest enemy the next. However, we can choose to use it for good, or we can choose to let it consume us. Do you know that studies have shown, too much time on the internet can cause feelings of depression and discontentment? I bet the Bible doesn't have those same statistics ;) Think about this: We wouldn't normally socialize with all kinds of people during school time, so why do think it's OK to be on social media during those hours? Look your kids in the eye and let them know they are more important than what acquaintances are doing on Facebook. Don't have one eye on them and one on your phone. Join me as I talk about how we can handle social media use in our homeschool and make sure we stay focused on the task at hand.

Today I am sitting down (in my pj's ;) to talk about simplifying in the new year. Right now everyone is making resolutions and vowing that this year will be the year that they change. Yet, after a few months old habits start creeping back in and before we know it, those resolutions are long forgotten. I could easily sit and talk about practical ways to purge clutter, get more organized, and reduce mental clutter and info overload, but you know what?That information is everywhere and you don't need me to tell you the same 'ol story. So you might be surprised to hear what I am really talking about today...how to simplify this year...once and for all!

This summer something amazing happened- I started inviting women to my house to pray. Little did I know, God would orchestrate those times for women to connect in ways I never imagined. When everything was left at the door, but we met on the common ground to sit at Jesus' feet, beautiful things happened. I learned from those times that we need to have more of those moments where women come together and seek Him together. Women came from all different stages of life and different areas of their walk, yet we all had our eyes on Jesus. It was amazing. This summer I want to invite you to join me as we gather women from all walks of life to sit at Jesus's feet together. No pretending, no worrying about looking perfect, no masks. Women that have had enough of the emptiness the world offers that want more of what HE offers. We are holding a women's retreat in Gettysburg, PA. You can read all about here or listen in as I talk about my desire for our time together, as God-honoring women in God-honoring friendships.

Join Karen as she talks about the importance of keepin' it real on a daily basis. She will discuss how we can focus on walking this journey together as homeschool moms by supporting each other. It's a marathon to run together, and not a race against each other.

Think homeschooling is just mom's job? Really, it takes the whole family. Whether Dad has a supporting role or a very active role, He is the head of the home and his involvement is necessary. Since many dads work outside of the home during school time though, then just how does he get involved in the teaching? First, by being the head of the house, his influence is essential in raising our kids. Next, it is quite easy to find ways for dad to teach using his talents, skills, and gifts. And don't think it has to be during school hours! Dads can "teach" lessons that are far more important that those found in textbooks between the hours of 9-3. Join me with my special guest, my handsome hubby, as we talk about how he gets involved in homeschooling...by teaching life skills, entrepreneurial skills, and just by his example, he is teaching my kids as much (and probably more!) than any of my lessons plans and textbooks!