The Durenda Wilson Podcast

As a Christian mom, I really wanted to be able to confidently wrap my head around what my biblical response to alternative lifestyles should be AND how to talk with my kids about the world they are growing up in. The lie that the Enemy instilled in mankind in the Garden of Eden was this: Without God and outside of God's boundaries and without heeding the word of God, we can become LIKE God. We don't need Him, we can make our own rules and still reach some sort of utopia.  This is the lie we see being blatantly believed and lived out around us.  What should our response be?  How do we protect our kids while still preparing them? We CAN disagree with someone and still love them. Our culture is trying to convince us that disagreeing and loving are mutually exclusive.  This causes an inner conflict that results in being afraid to do or say anything at all. God calls us to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Christ. Changing hearts is HIS job.

Our culture is screaming for "tolerance" and instantly condemning anyone who disagrees with alternative lifestyles, all in the name of love.  As a Christian, I have wanted to get the perspective of someone who has lived an alternative lifestyle.  I wanted to know how THEY felt, what THEY experienced, what Christians said and did that was helpful and actually conveyed the love of Christ and what did not.  I also wanted to know what it looks like to love while not compromising the truth of God's Word.  As a mom, I wanted to know how we can talk to our kids about this topic while still protecting their innocence, especially in the early years AND again, adhering to biblical truth. Today I am talking with Judy who tells her personal story of coming out of a lesbian lifestyle and into a deep, meaningful relationship with Jesus.  In the next podcast, Judy and I will be answering questions about how we can be Christ to those choosing an alternative lifestyle and how we can equip our kids for the future.

I remember when our kids were little and people would say, "Just wait until they are teenagers".  It made me mad that they assumed my kids would grow into impossible teens, but it also cast a seed of doubt in my ability to parent teens. Our culture encourages us to give into one extreme or the other when it comes to our teens:  set super tight boundaries OR let them do whatever they want.  As believers we KNOW that God has a better plan than that, but how do we zero in on what that looks like? Today I am chatting with Connie Albers, author of Parenting Beyond the Rules.  She shares some very deep wisdom and insight from her own experience parenting 5 kids (now adults) and working with teens for over 20 years. She answers questions like: How do you parent teens in the age of social media? How do parents confront their fears when it comes to raising teens? How can parents be proactive in their teen's lives? If a parent feels like they've lost the relationship with their teens (or never had a great one), where do they go from here? AND MORE!

I've been interviewing each of our adult kids who were homeschooled from the beginning. They each share their experience and their perspective as adults on homeschooling! I encourage you to listen in to this one with your boys! It will be an encouragement! This is the sixth and final in the series. I am talking with our son, Sam, who is 18 and just graduated less than two weeks ago. I always love hearing the unique perspective that each of our kids brings. It's really fun remembering their growing up years and seeing how God has worked in each one of their lives to prepare them for what He has for them. I also love that they love learning and continue to educate themselves as adults. This is the beauty of raising life long learners...if there are gaps (and there always are), our kids can totally work to fill those in when and if they need to.

I've shared many experiences with you all including my struggles with anxiety.  I think it's important to be transparent and real with each other.  We need to know that we are not alone. Anxiety is real and it can come in all different forms for many different reasons.  This is why it's crucial that we can get ahold of TRUTH and truth is found ONLY in God's Word and by His Spirit. Today I'm sharing my most recent experiences with anxiety with the perspective that God is giving right along with it. I was strongly compelled to tell my story that your heart might be encouraged as well.  Scriptures shared: Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG Bible) Psalm 131:1 2 Corin. 10:4,5 John 10:10 Psalm1:1-3 Jeremiah 17:7,8 James 1:2-8 Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart-Devotional for Moms (Amazon) The Unhurried Homeschooler Mentoring Course

You all told me that you wanted to hear from each of our adult kids who were homeschooled from the beginning and we are now on our FIFTH episode!  I have had so much fun chatting it up with my kids either in person or online.  Sometimes their answers surprise me, but they ARE honest and I love them for that! Today I am talking with Luke who is 20 years old.  He is currently working a job/internship and learning much about business and as you will hear in the podcast, many of the skills he brought into his job were learned during his growing up years...not through books, but through real-life experiences: playing with his siblings for hours on end. Podcasts mentioned: Navigating the Post High School Years Redefining Education: An Interview with Isaac Moorehouse Contact info for Luke if you want help starting a podcast: wilson.d.luke@gmail.com

There are a bazillion books and plentiful advice on parenting. Discipline is a very real part of parenting and its ramifications are far-reaching. For homeschooling families, discipline is a more frequent interaction with our kids than the average parent and can often begin to feel like an obstacle. It can quickly wear us down and cause us to become discouraged, but the lack of it can do the very same thing. At the end of the day, for the believing parent, the only opinion on discipline that matters is God's. Today I'll be sharing some of my own experiences and looking at His Word for answers to questions like: is discipline really that big of a deal?  Why do I hear people say "character trumps curriculum" when it comes to homeschooling? How do I get direction in how to train my kids? How do I not feel guilty for disciplining? How does discipline relate to me as the parent? Verses mentioned in the podcast: Deut. 6:6-9, Pro. 29:15, 17, Prov. 22:6, Ephesians 6:1-4, Exodus 20:12, Hebrews 12:7-11, James 1 The Unhurried Homeschooler-a Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling (Amazon) Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart -31 Days in God's Word (Amazon)

Welcome to the 4th in my series talking with each of our adult kids! Today I'm chatting with Ben who is our fourth child and second son. Ben is almost 22, works at a Bible camp and is a volunteer firefighter. Even though Ben was 9 before he was reading well, he is one of our most avid readers!  He was given time and space to develop at his own pace and learn in ways that worked for him.  We discuss this, reflect on his unhurried homeschooling experience and hear his perspective as an adult. You'll love this guy's heart!  He is one of the happiest people I know and a joy to be with! Mentioned in the podcast (aff links): The Unhurried Homeschooler Mentoring Course The Unhurried Homeschooler  Unhurried Grace for Mom's Heart

In today's podcast, I am talking with our oldest son, Jake. He is 24, started college at 16 (dual enrollment) and graduated at 21. He is in his 3rd year working as a software engineer. Having gone to college at a young age and straight out of homeschooling, he shares an interesting perspective. At age 12, Jake discovered what he was passionate about and the career he wanted to pursue, but much of what he needed, he had to work hard for.  It's one of the many reasons he is a motivated problem solver which has also given him an edge over many of his peers. I often say that he was one of the kids I "schooled" the least.  He and his siblings were and are self-directed/independent/life-long learners, partly because it's how they are wired and partly because we were a large family. But it worked for us. What it really comes down to (and always does) is listening to how we believe God is telling us to homeschool and raise our kids and being faithful to walk in it...even if it looks different than anyone else.

In today's podcast I am talking with Jenna, our 2nd daughter (of our 8 homeschooled kids) about her homeschooling experience and where she is today.  As a wife and mom of two littles, she shares the unique perspective of having been homeschooled from the beginning and now heading into the homeschooling years with her own children.  I'm having fun interviewing each of our adult kids per your request!  Listen in next week when I chat with our oldest son! Check out: The Unhurried Homeschooler Mentoring Course (https://theunhurriedhomeschooler.thinkific.com/) The Unhurried Homeschooler: my simple, mercifully short book on homeschooling (Amazon) Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: a devotional for homeschooling moms (Amazon)

A dyslexia diagnosis can feel overwhelming, especially for the homeschool mom, but take heart!  Dyslexia (or any diagnosis for that matter) doesn't have to negatively define you, your child or your homeschooling!  Today I am talking with Sarah Brown, homeschooling mom of 15 (yes, you heard me right), several of whom have dyslexia and you will be SO encouraged! I know many of you want to take a more unhurried approach when it comes to homeschooling and never is this approach more beneficial than when your child has learning struggles! Sarah and I recorded this podcast over the internet via computer and phone from North Carolina to Hawaii, SO it's not the best recording, BUT I believe the content is incredibly valuable and worth publishing in spite of the obstacles! Please visit this post on my website to sign up for the great giveaways offered in this podcast! (durendawilson.com)  

I asked you all if you would like me to interview each of our grown kids to talk with them about their homeschool experience and their perspective as adults.  The response was overwhelming, so today is the first of several.  I am talking with our daughter Brittney who is 28, pregnant with her fourth and heading into the homeschooling years with her own kids now! I was NOT a perfect mom or homeschooling mom by any stretch of the imagination, but I believed God gave me these kids and was challenged to trust His heart toward me and toward my kids.  Not one single day went the way I planned, but His grace oozed throughout all of our homeschooling years as I tried to facilitate what God was orchestrating.  In other words, my main job was to listen and do what God was calling me to do whether someone else was doing it or not AND to walk in the freedom that I didn't have to do what other's were doing.  You've got this because He's got YOU. Isaiah 40:11 Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp  and The Unhurried Homeschooler (find them both on Amazon)

"You aren't qualified to teach your children.  Only a professional can do that" Today I'm sharing the lie that every homeschooling parent is constantly facing and confronting it with the TRUTH of God's heart toward education and most importantly, His heart toward us as homeschooling parents. Our daughter once said, "Common sense isn't so common anymore".  She was right. It's time for we as parents to return to the wisdom found in God's word and His gift of common sense.  With that in mind, I'm also addressing a hot topic and apply some common sense to it as an example. I usually avoid controversial topics, but the reality is that the decisions we used to be able to freely make as parents have become charged with agendas, hate, and contempt for opposing views.   Because of this I found myself strongly compelled to use an example to encourage you as parents to think for yourselves and do NOT do ANYTHING from a place a fear. Instead, find your footing on the strong rock of Jesus and HIS leading in you and your family's lives. Scriptures mentioned: Luke 6:39,40 Matthew 11:38-40 (MSG) Deut. 6:6-9 Proverbs 3:5-8 Check out my books on Amazon: The Unhurried Homeschooler, a simple, mercifully short book on homeschooling and Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart-devotional for moms

We are engaged in a battle for our children and our right as parents to determine what is best for them. We are constantly being told in blatant and more subtle ways that we are inadequate for the job and encouraged to abdicate those decisions to those who “know better” than we do. This is nothing short of a frontal attack on God's good and gracious plan for families. God has given US these children to raise and He will equip US to do just that. Verses on wisdom: Job 12:12 Proverbs 37:30 Prov 1:7 Prov 3:7 Prov 4:6-7 Prov 13:1 Ecclesiastes. 2;26 1 Corin. 1:25 Colossians 2:2-3 James 3:17 James 1:5,6 1 Corinthians 1:30 Lamentations 29:11 Prov 14:1 Prov 15:12 Prov 19:20 Prov 3:13 Verses on Parenting: Colossians 3:21 Eph. 6:4 Ex. 20:12 Hebrews 12:11 Prov. 22:6 Prov 29:15 Prov 29:17 Lamentations 3:22-23 Matthew 6:33,34 Phil 4:6,7 Prov 1:8,9 1 Peter 5:23 Psalm 127:3-5 2 Tim. 3:14-16 Deut 6:6-9 Eph. 6:1-4 Joshua 4:20-24 Hebrews 12:1-7 Psalm 78:1-7 Titus 2:2-8 Prov 3:1-12 Please check out my books: The Unhurried Homeschooler and Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart on Amazon!

There's a lot to be said for hindsight. Our 6th will be graduating in June. The homeschooling finish line is in sight and the process has taught me so much, but in this podcast, I am sharing what I believe to be the 3 most important things that I've learned over the last two decades. From early on in our journey I remember hearing things that I would often "tuck in my hat", realizing that these were nuggets of truth that I may need later on. As the years unfolded, there were defining moments in our homeschooling journey where I recognized a truth that I also tucked away. I am sharing many of these with you today, praying that you will find your homeschool mom heart filled up to overflowing! Podcast mentions: The Unhurried Homeschooler(aff link) Facebook: Durenda Wilson IG: @durendaleewilson Podcast: Homeschooling: Dealing with Outside Pressure Podcast: Redefining Education My online mentoring course for moms: The Unhurried Homeschooler Mentoring Course