The Durenda Wilson Podcast

We live in a culture that is pressing in hard on us as parents but particularly as moms. Voices are coming from all directions telling us how to parent, how to homeschool, etc. This can quickly cause us to not only not enjoy our kids, but to be constantly dealing with fear and doubt. Most of all it distracts us and undermines our ability to hone in on what GOD is speaking to our mom hearts. Today I will be talking about 3 common things that typically challenge us and become obstacles to hearing and walking out the heart of God for our kids. I will also be sharing my own most recent struggle with this and how God revealed Himself to me in a very real and powerful way! The Unhurried Homeschooler-a simple, mercifully short book on homeschooling (aff link) Podcast with Ginny from 1000 Hours Outside mentioned in the podcast: Why Our Kids Need to Spend Time Outside (Podcast 82) The Biggest Little Farm (aff link)  Scriptures mentioned in the podcast: Psalm 37:4-6 (NLT) Joshua 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.; I will strengthen you,, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

At first glance, Psalm 6 doesn't seem to have a whole lot to offer, so as I was preparing this devotional, it was tempting to skip it and move to one that seemed to be more obviously applicable, but I felt a nudge and that still, small voice reminding me that every word of scripture is relevant in one way or another. It can be tempting to focus only on the passages that are easy to understand, but 2 Timothy 3:16,17 says this: "ALL (emphasis mine) Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." -2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) The Message translations word it like this: “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another-showing us the truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word, we are put together and shaped (up) for the tasks God has for us.” Do you hear that? ALL SCRIPTURE. Even Leviticus. Even Psalm 6. God did not aimlessly throw the Bible together. He intentionally put every word of it there, so it’s worth the effort to dig deeper and find the messages God has for us in these passages that on the surface, can seem random and even meaningless.

If you've been homeschooling for more than a day, you already know that kids were made to move! Research and studies consistently reveal that much of our kids' best learning happens away from the school desk. The beauty of homeschooling is that we have the freedom to allow our kids to learn in a way that is best for them, but many of us are afraid to move away from the model of the traditional classroom. Today I'm having a wonderfully encouraging and informative conversation with Heather Haupt who has a background in neuroscience along with a voracious love of learning and fascination with HOW kids learn. Today she is sharing from her vast knowledge on the way kids learn along with concrete examples and personal stories. She is a homeschooling mom to 4 kids (2 are teens) and Heather was actually homeschooled herself, so she brings a unique perspective to this conversation!

Welcome to Grace for a Mom’s Heart, a short devotional created for any mom who wants to grow in her understanding of the Word and it’s application to motherhood! (You have the choice to read the devotional in full on my website or listen here!) Today we are going to dive into Psalm 5, but I love to preface our scripture reading and study by laying a foundation, a perspective before we read through the passage. Our culture wants to make everything ok and if you don’t agree, you are called a hater and a bigot.  Yet as we continue to look into God’s Word, we see over and over again that God hates sin and the Bible is full of ongoing warnings against it.  If you have never studied the names of God I would encourage you to do just that. (There is a link to a study at the bottom of this post on my website.) There is something powerful in having a deeper understanding of the many facets of who God is. When we begin to grasp just a little of the fullness of who He is, it makes it easier to understand why He does the things He does.  We know that God is perfect love, but He is also perfectly holy, just and righteous. So all of these qualities(and more) are part of who God is.  That means that He cannot be ONLY love and ignore justice, holiness, etc. He is all of those in the most perfect ways and He acts accordingly. That means He cannot tolerate sin and why He hates evil and yet because He is gracious, loving, and patient,  He does not destroy mankind. It’s also why He sent Jesus. Once Adam and Eve sinned in the garden man has had a sinful heart that rebels against God. Because God is a holy God, man could no longer be in His presence, but God in His grace, kindness and amazing love made a way back for us. He did that in the person of Jesus, who took our place, bore the sin, and took the punishment for it so that we could have access to God again.  I realize that probably all of you know this. I have known it my whole life, but when we’ve heard it so much, we can almost become immune to how amazing and life-changing this really is....(to read the rest of the post, go to durendawilson.com) 

As parents, we know it's good for our kids to spend time outside, but often it's not on the top of the priority list and consequently may not happen as often as it should. What if I told you it has the potential to transform your family life and your homeschooling? Actually, make it easier? Today I am chatting with Ginny Yurich, founder of 1,000 hours outside!  She shares some incredible benefits to being outside, but more than anything she affirms what every mom knows...our kids NEED to be outside. This isn't something we add to our checklist, but something that is essential for children's healthy development. Ginny has a BS in Mathematics and a Master Degree in Education and was an educator for several years. Most importantly, she is now a mom of 5 children and shares from a wealth of knowledge and experience. Books mentioned: The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs by Joel Salatin Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv John Taylor Gatto on raising a genius: "Front-load a huge amount of experiences including 'dangerous' ones"! To find places to spend time outdoors: check city and county websites, search for parks, etc on Google Maps Ways to connect with Ginny: www.1000hoursoutside.com Facebook.com/1000hoursoutside Instagram.com/1000hoursoutside #1000hoursoutside (over 20k uses)   Ginny's Children's Book: The Little Farmhouse in West Virginia Homeschool blog: www.curriculumoffamily.com

Welcome to my new devotional series created for ALL moms! I often speak to homeschool moms, but this series is for any mom out there who wants to grow in her walk with the Lord and her understanding of the Word as it pertains to motherhood! Please share with your mom friends!  Have you ever dealt with false and groundless accusations that have been made against you? I doubt one of us would answer no to this question. It seems to be a common experience and, quite frankly, it really stinks. As a mom who tries to live an exemplary Christian life, it can be a real blow to be accused of something you didn’t do or say or even think. I liken it to feeling like you have been broadsided by a bus. It can literally take the breath right out of you. Often it feels like a heavy blanket has been laid over our souls and the burden of it is almost unbearable. Sometimes the accusations don’t come from the outside, but from somewhere deep within us. Things from the past can haunt us: things we’ve done we are ashamed of.  Things that were said to us or done to us. Messages we received verbally or non-verbally, intentionally or unintentionally. But we can be sure of one thing: we know exactly where it originates. (To read this devotional in its entirety, go to durendawilson.com)

We are at a crossroads when it comes to faith in our culture.  We are seeing pillars in the Christian community succumb to faulty, unbiblical thinking. The Bible describes it as being taken captive to "hollow and deceptive philosophies" (Colossians 2:8). In other words, people are becoming hostages to philosophies, intellectualism and vain deceit that flies in the face of the truth of who God is. Because it is literally everywhere, our kids are at more risk than ever for succumbing to it as well. One of the most important things we can do as Christian parents is to disciple our children. This is not something we add to our checklist, but rather something we authentically live out alongside one another and it is crucial to raising kids who will be able to stand strong in their faith in a culture that is quickly becoming blatantly anti-God. I asked my friend, Karen, to join me today because she is all about pointing moms to Jesus and can testify to the power of discipleship. Our hope and prayer is that you will be inspired to courageously commit yourselves to faithfully disciple your children!

Welcome to my new devotional series created for ALL moms! I often speak to homeschool moms, but this series is for any mom out there who wants to grow in her walk with the Lord and her understanding of the Word as it pertains to motherhood! Please share with your mom friends! If you’re struggling with “enemies” in your own life, you’ll find some great comfort in Psalm 3! Like many of the Psalms, David is the author of this particular chapter. He is in the midst of running for his life from several enemies, including his own ungrateful son, Absalom! He is being pursued for his crown and his very life and even his own flesh and blood is out to get him. I can’t imagine the heartache and betrayal that David felt in this particular situation. As moms, we have our own vast and varied enemies that we face: some for a season and others on an ongoing basis. Some of us are feeling the weight of wayward children. All of us seem to be struggling with a certain amount of anxiety. (To read the rest of the devotional, please go to durendawilson.com)

If ever there were a topic that is avoided, especially by the church, it's the topic of pornography. In the meantime, this addiction is spreading like wildfire and leaving a path of destruction in its wake.  Studies show that: 76% of 18-24-year-old Christians actively seek out porn Only 7% of pastors say they have a program in their church to help those who are struggling. 57% of pastors and 64% of youth pastors in the U.S. struggle with porn addiction. How do we, as Christian parents, be proactive and take precautions without becoming overcome by fear? How do we have honest, productive conversations with our kids about the dangers of pornography? I've had a few moms ask me to tackle this topic and I wasn't sure exactly how to go about that. Quite unexpectedly, our 18-year-old son told me that he felt strongly that God was leading him to share his story. We prayed about it and talked about it some more and still felt God's leading to do this. I'm incredibly inspired by Sam's courage and I truly believe God will use it to bring life and redemption to other young people. So please, invite your pre-teens and teens to listen in.  It's a great conversation full of truth, but also overflowing with hope! Scriptures mentioned in the podcast: James 5:13-20 (NLT) Romans 8:1-16 (NLT)

Welcome to my new devotional series created for ALL moms! I often speak to homeschool moms, but this series is for any mom out there who wants to grow in her walk with the Lord and her understanding of the Word as it pertains to motherhood! Please share with your mom friends! Like many of the Psalms, at first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much that is applicable to our lives as moms, but nothing could be further from the truth! We live in a culture that shakes its fist at God in countless ways. This includes the leaders and people who hold high positions with power and authority. We see corruption on every level from community, state and federal government.  Our hearts grieve as places like New York put laws into place that permit the killing of a baby as it is leaving the womb. As I held our newborn grandson just a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but think of all the babies out there who will not have the opportunity to take their first breath. I thought about how incredibly vulnerable babies are. They are dependent on those around them to care for and protect them and instead they are being murdered in the womb and now as they leave the womb. THIS, this is man shaking his fist at God’s boundaries and the order that He has established in creation. This is man telling God that he wants to be in charge. (To read the rest of the devotional, please go to durendawilson.com)  

"God is still writing your story. Quit trying to steal the pen. Trust the author." This was a recent quote I read and shared, not realizing in the moment how clearly it describes what is really at the root of much of my anxiety in life. It is also directly related to my level of contentment. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one, although one of the greatest tactics of the enemy is to lead or drive us to a place where we feel completely alone.  I believe that for this very reason, God has laid it on my heart to share my struggles with anxiety and the truths that God is revealing as this (His) story unfolds. I don't think it's just about me. I truly believe it's a way for we as moms, to find community, not for the sake of commiserating, but to walk out what the Bible says: to spur one another on toward love and good works(Hebrews 10:24). To confess the unbelief (sin) that lurks in our hearts and pray for one another that we may be healed (James 5:16) and to speak out to others the ways that God has redeemed us from our enemies (Psalm 107:2)!  Please listen and be encouraged! Previous podcasts on anxiety: numbers 7,8,9,67, and 72 Psalm 23 (NLT) Matthew 11:28-30 (Message Bible) Philippians 4: 6-9 & 13 (NLT) Hebrews 12: 7,8 (NLT)

Welcome to my new devotional series created for ALL moms! I often speak to homeschool moms, but this series (Grace for a Mom's Heart) is for any mom out there who wants to grow in her walk with the Lord, her understanding of the Word and its application in motherhood! Please share with your mom friends! (To read this devotional please go to durendawilson.com  and I'd love it if you would please leave a review here!)

If we didn't love our kids to the moon and back, we wouldn't be homeschooling, but sometimes they drive us crazy!! Often we experience guilt for feeling this way, after all, aren't we supposed to love having our kids at home?  My guess is that many of us do love having our kids at home...most of the time, but I doubt there is one homeschooling mom out there wouldn't admit to the fact that sometimes, they drive her crazy! So instead of hiding and pretending, we aren't struggling or only complaining about our struggles, let's move toward problem-solving. More than that, let's(as the Bible says) spur one another on toward love and good works by talking about how to handle those times when (shhh...) we really aren't liking our kids. As an older mom, I have found that there are typically 3 reasons that I'm not enjoying my kids.  I share these in the podcast along with ways to move toward allowing God to use these times for good in our own lives and in the lives of our kids! Scriptures mentioned in the podcast: Luke 10:38-42 Matthew 11:28-30 (Message Bible Translation) 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Ephesians 6:1-4 Hebrews 12:7-11 The Unhurried Homeschooler (available on Amazon) Recommended Parenting Books (*aff. links) *Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp *Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Hubbard *Parenting by Paul Tripp *War of Words by Paul Tripp *Parenting Beyond the Rules by Connie Albers *The Disciple Making Parent by Chap Bettis *It's Time to Pray (Book on Prayer that was mentioned) by Carter Conlon

We all have clear reasons that we decided to homeschool, but as we continue on this journey, the lines can become blurred. It can be so easy to get caught up in how our kids (and we) are (or aren't) performing when it comes to homeschooling.  But what if that isn't actually what we are called to? Mastery can be important and God talks about becoming skilled and the importance of diligence.  But what if we are giving up purpose and exchanging it for performance? Resources and verses mentioned in the podcast: (*aff. links) *Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart *The Unhurried Homeschooler Luke 10:38-42 Luke 6:38,39 Deut. 6:4-7 Psalm 37:1-9 I Corinthians 1:18-31 James 1:5-8

Emotions numbed, foggy brain, heart racing, fatigue, inability to engage in what's going on around us.  These are just a few symptoms of anxiety.  Even the word makes us anxious! As believers we feel like we shouldn't be anxious and yet as busy moms, we aren't sure we have the bandwidth to peel back the layers and get to the root of the problem.  I've done several podcasts on anxiety because it's been a very real experience for me and God has urged me to be transparent with you. We live in a very volatile culture that makes us want to hide our imperfections to protect ourselves. There is a certain amount of wisdom in being careful WHO we share our heart with, but I also believe that when we are authentic with each other in light of God's grace, that's when REAL transformation can begin! That's why I'm here to tell my story. Scriptures mentioned in the podcast: Romans 12:1,2 Psalm 27:14 Hebrews 4:12 Psalm 1:1-3 Nehemiah 4:13,14 Isaiah 45:18,19 Book: It's Time to Pray by Carter Conlon Sermons: Rebuilding the Wall of Prayer: http://tsc.nyc/media_center.php?pg=sermons&ma=49000&size=audio Honest Prayer (a short 13-minute message): http://tsc.nyc/media_center.php?pg=sermons&ma=49035&size=audio