Have you ever considered the benefits of having a box full of tools to enhance your marriage? Just like every building project needs the right tools for successful construction, so a marriage benefits from effective tools to keep it growing in the right direction. Greg and Connie Brezina will be discussing some of these communication tools with plenty of real life examples to encourage those who desire their marriage to be everything God has designed it to be.

Parents who have challenging children need specific tools for working with these kids. This session offers hope and encouragement to parents who desperately need it. In this session parents will understand how raising the character threshold can help kids do the right thing. Attendees will learn to use an Action Plan Worksheet to develop a unique plan for their child. Parents gain hope and encourage by learning a biblical plan to work with a challenging child.

Parents who have challenging children need specific tools for working with these kids. This session offers hope and encouragement to parents who desperately need it. In this session parents will understand how raising the character threshold can help kids do the right thing.

Enjoy tea and cake as ladies share the experiences as a homeschool mom, pursuing excellence, and trying to find that ever-elusive "balance." Several ladies have prepared something to share, but the time is flexible enough to address the needs and concerns of the attendees.

In the traditional school environment, students have an average of eight to ten individual interactions with their teacher each day. In your homeschool, these verbal interactions can number in the hundreds and thus greatly enhance the education your children receive at home. Zan Tyler shares how the simple, free tool of conversation can help your children replace boredom during lessons with a motivation to learn. Discover why parents make the best teachers and capitalize on these strengths. Explore strategies to minimize conflict in your home and promote camaraderie and enthusiasm instead. Identify simple but profound ways to replace drudgery in learning with stimulating academics. Conversation is key!

Travis Zimmerman

Marriage is a priority and (should be) a beautiful reflection of Christ’s love. In the midst of this homeschooling conference — with all its curriculum choices and educational vendors — step aside together as a husband and wife for a mini marriage retreat and a brief romantic focus. Be encouraged to laugh, love, and enjoy each other. Be a team together — to glorify God!

With 20 plus years of experience in homeschooling a large family and lots of lessons learned the hard way, David and Linda will share many tricks of the trade and practical insights which they've learned that helped their family survive homeschooling.

This message has been restored and is complete- One of the greatest challenges facing homeschooling moms is relating to a budding young man. What can a mom do to avoid creating a “mama’s boy?” What should she do if her husband is a passive father?

Homeschooling is challenging. Sometimes it can feel like a major accomplishment just to take a shower and get the breakfast dishes cleaned up before dinner! Most homeschool moms feel the pressure of providing their children with a solid academic foundation ¬– but there's so much more to homeschooling than academics, isn't there? The truth is that the greatest accomplishment of homeschooling is to nurture children in the ways of the One who made them. Whether you are on the edge of homeschool burnout, wondering why God has called your family to this homeschooling journey, or just need some honest, real encouragement, this is the one homeschool workshop not to miss out on!

Fear can paralyze; it can grip hearts, torment minds, and hinder some from parenting in God’s joy and purpose. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing.” Do you fear your own inadequacies (or wonder if your homeschooling is going to mess up your kids for life)? Do you fear teenage rebellion, hormones, high school, or the future? Do you fear not pleasing others, not having finances, or not fulfilling God’s purpose? In this workshop, you’ll be encouraged by God’s faithfulness and love for you, concluding with a time of prayer

Pretend that Mary and Martha decide to homeschool. Following their character, Martha would probably have all her plans in place (and be frustrated), and Mary would probably be at the feet of Jesus (and way behind schedule.) Everyone has a little of Mary and Martha in them, but this workshop is designed to encourage Marys who love the Lord and their children, but need help and structure to successfully homeschool. The presenter of this workshop is a self-proclaimed Mary who managed to homeschool for 17 years, and still likes to talk about it

Blessed are the flexible – for they shall not break! It has been said that the only thing we can be sure of in this life is that nothing stays the same. Homeschooling is no different. There are seasons of upheaval. It's easy to wonder if it is possible to successfully homeschooling throughout periods of change. Join Heidi as she talks about how to navigate through the seasons of life and find joy and freedom in homeschooling along the way

I Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” As homeschooling parents, how can we prepare our children for adulthood? And how can we prepare our hearts (through prayer and effective communication) to release our kids into a new season? There’s life after graduation– with college, careers, romance, weddings, and next-generation purpose. Let’s aim and launch our arrows, to hit God’s mark.

How is the state of your union? When was the last time you stopped and put your finger on the pulse of your marriage? If you are struggling in your marriage, or even if you're not, this is a message of hope and encouragement that will remind you of what's important and help you stay on course as you navigate through the homeschool years with the man of your dreams

No matter what kind of family you were raised in, you can establish a godly legacy of leadership for the next generation because of the blood of Jesus Christ. The decisions you make day-by-day don’t just affect you; they affect your kids, and their kids, and all who they will influence. Learn to disciple your children to disciple others. From God’s Word, learn to see from God’s perspective, with a focus on eternity, the Cross, and the glory of God. You’re building a legacy, brick-by-brick, for the future!

Have you experienced some trials in leadership lately? You're not alone! Leadership can be messy. Wise leadership requires the strength of a warrior and the heart of a shepherd. The heart of a strong leader requires a love that will get involved in the struggles and messes that will inevitably come up within their organizations. It may be frustrating, even exasperating at times, but successful leading in the body of Christ is not just about accomplishing a vision. It is about growing other leaders and knowing how to respond to challenging situations. Come learn some of the foundational principles of strong leadership - as well as some of the warning signs that will help you avoid division within your ministry and even GROW in the midst of adversity

But I didn't volunteer for this job… or perhaps you did volunteer but you wish you hadn't! If 20% of the people do 80% of the work, and you are in the 20%, how do you keep from getting over worked and becoming resentful? Hear insights which every volunteer leader needs to apply. Your sanity may depend on it!

Scripture is full of encouragement and guidance for fathers. Be encouraged, enlightened and entertained as you hear how God's way is the best way for you and your family to thrive in a world that isn't always so friendly to the man of the house

Child-training methodologies are important. The permissive methods, the behavior-modification methods, and the externalistic, recipe-driven methods have all borne bad fruit over the years. But what is there for parents who desire authentic, heart-deep, God-loving kids? Based on the experience of generations of godly child-rearing, and the wisdom of God’s Word, Kevin Swanson carves out a biblical balance to this difficult subject in this presentation.

What is it about home education that has profoundly reenergized education and produced such outstanding academic results? Incredibly, the average Homeschool 8th grader without teacher-credentialed parents tests 4 grade levels above the national average on nationally standardized tests. And it is not because we have taken a public school system complete with desks and bolted them to the floor of our living rooms. In this visionary, ground-breaking presentation on the Homeschool vision, Kevin presents the basic elements that make up an outstanding homeschooling experience for your child. This message will give the first-time homeschooler confidence and vision and will provide encouragement and a reality check for the experienced home educator.

“Every year Greg & Connie Brezina bring clear insight for building a family pleasing to God. Without marital harmony the home school will not function as God intended. You will learn some very practical steps to make your marriage a blessing to those around you and to God. This has always been a favorite session at the GHEA Conference.

Do you have a child who is doubting his faith? Or perhaps a daughter who has rejected your beliefs completely? Are you convinced you've failed...and the state of this child's heart is weighing heavily on you and your spouse? Come and listen to Carol share her own journey away from and back to her faith after 13 years as an atheist. She'll share thoughts and views from inside the mind of a lost child. You'll learn the best thing you can do for this child and for yourself. Come and find an understanding heart that hurts and rejoices along with your own. A Year in Missions Imagine learning about the exciting lives of missionaries in a way that incorporates history and geography, science and language. Any study of history should begin with people. You can make missions a year-long unit study that covers a full school year of learning (you will need your own math program). Find out how to take well written biographies that engage your child and create a year-long study covering a multitude of learning while enriching your child's faith through a study of the lives of people who devoted themselves to teaching others about Christ.

Homeschooling families face many challenges. Financial, emotional, and physical demands put significant strain on our relationships and our families. The homeschooling community is not immune to the problems facing our society, including broken marriages and broken children. But, it’s never too late to try to fix something that’s broken. It may be easier to try to hide the pain than to confront essential elements required for “fixing” these complex and serious issues. HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly was raised in a broken home and will explore the necessary ingredients to helping homeschooling families stay connected and whole amidst the pressures and stresses of life.

Today’s father has precious few waking hours that are spent going in countless directions to address seemingly great causes—not least of which is family. Our children have only one earthly father and our wives but one husband. How can we best invest our most precious resource time? And where should we be investing it for eternal value? How can we properly lead our families and serve God in an increasingly demanding and busy world of sports, music, drama, church, school, support groups, homeschool co—ops, extended family responsibilities, and ministry programs? How do we know when to say yes, and more important, when to say no? Must we choose between competing priorities to be effective stewards? Come hear thoughts on answering these questions from Mike Donnelly as he shares insights gained from his experiences as a father of six and as an army officer, entrepreneur, company executive and attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association.

It may come as a surprise, but your spouse wants to be loved and understood just as much as you do. Enjoy the blessings and benefits of loving communication. Don’t allow the continuous pressure of homeschooling priorities to distract you from the most important responsibility and relationship you have. Come for specific instruction and practical insights – leave with renewed hope and purpose for your marriage, made in heaven.

Read description carefully: The “Perfect Family” is in the other seminar! Bickering, holiness, selfishness, and sacrifice. Being iron, extending grace and striving after loving relationships in the home. Hear the Jacobson family speak openly about the joy and challenge of walking together in unity.

Dad, you don’t have to be a spiritual giant with a towering intellect to be a leader in your family’s homeschool.

Do you realize what a powerful teaching tool you have right in the middle of your Bible? The book of Proverbs is a God-given handbook for training wise and discerning children. Take home fun and practical ideas for mining its treasures with your family.

Mad? Angry? Ticked off? Or just frustrated? What ever you call it, it will drive your kids away, divide your marriage, and destroy your home. No one likes living next to a volcano that could erupt at any moment. What are the dangers, the signs, and some Biblical solutions? How does one deal with an angry person and how do I get rid of these feelings that scream at me?

What type of homeschool parent are you? A box checker? Eclectic? Do you love schedules? Loathe them? Maybe you’re still looking for that perfect “niche.” Paige will share practical tips for helping all personalities succeed as homeschooling parents. Examine areas of struggle, identify strengths, and most importantly, be encouraged that God knew your strengths and weaknesses when He placed your children in your home.

Not many people realize that the historical development of evolutionary ideas were based on philosophical assumptions and shifts, not on scientific discovery. This seminar takes a critical look at this fascinating piece of history.

What comes first? The marriage or the math lesson? Most homeschool moms (every mom, for that matter) have felt the pull and pressure of trying to balance their marriages and their commitment to motherhood. Hey, most homeschool moms are happy to find time for a shower, let alone a romantic night with their husband! Yes, it's true. Homeschooling adds a new dynamic to the pressures of motherhood - but it doesn't mean you need to let your marriage suffer! In fact, it's never been more crucial than it is right now to strengthen the core of your family. In case you are still wondering, your marriage comes first. In this workshop, you'll learn several key ingredients to balancing your love life with language lessons ~ and how you can become the most romantic homeschool mom on the block! Come hear a story of personal experience that will challenge the way you view your marriage and inspire you to seek God's heart as you model a strong healthy marriage for your children. This is Heidi's favorite topic, so bring a notepad and fasten your seatbelts! It's time to put the "real OO" back in your Homeschool!

In spite of the pressures of homeschooling, husbands and wives can build a mutually satisfying marriage.

Rick Boyer and his wife have been home schooling since 1980. Starting out young and green in a time when only a handful of families was home schooling, Rick and Marilyn found few resources to help them in their journey. They had to blaze their own trail, surviving such obstacles as skeptical grandparents, hostile school authorities, unhelpful curriculum publishers, blizzards, Indian attacks&(just kidding). The Boyers are still home schooling today and now share their experiences around the world through their books and their speaking ministry. Rick will share some of the most profound lessons learned along the way, including: -It's not schooling, it's discipleship -Life is the curriculum -The kid is the can -Socialization is for socialists -George Washington survived without Little League -and many more!

In this workshop we will discuss not only the basics, but the BASIS, of a good marriage. Beginning in the second chapter of Genesis through the book of Revelation, marriage is a central focus in Scripture. God even uses the marriage relationship to explain to the church and the world the relationship between Christ and His church. We will establish a biblical vision for marriage, consider the roles of husbands and wives, discuss the unique pressures that homeschooling places on the marriage, and point out ways that we can divorce-proof our homes. The world is watching as the daily drama of our family lives play out before them. Let's make sure that our marriages and families point them to Christ.

Homeschool marriages face unusual challenges. We're in the thick of it and stretched in all directions. Our energy and time is spent juggling all the parts of daily life making our relationship with each other one of the last things on our "to do" list. Because we wear different hats, sometimes we forget that we're on the same team when our secondary objectives conflict. So how do we keep it all together and have a good marriage in the process? Here we discuss what we've learned so far, and suggest some practices to remain properly aligned with each other and with God who lights our path.

We are losing 75-88% of professing Christian kids by the end of their freshman year in college. In this message, Dr. Baucham explains why, and what the Bible has to say about stemming the tide.

Are you having trouble finding the time and energy to meet the needs of your husband after a hard day of homeschooling? Maybe you’ve forgotten what his needs are. Would you like your husband to take a more active role in homeschooling? Maybe your husband refuses to be involved in training your children. Join me as we look at your role, not as a homeschooling mom, but as a homeschooling WIFE. Your husband will thank you for coming! The discussion will be lead by a real husband of a homeschooling mom.

You want your children to be the best in academics, spirituality, and physical health. You also want to have godly compassion for your children. In striving to lead his wife and eight children to "greatness," however, Brian has found that he can fall into the sin of provoking them. He'll use scripture and experience to address the way to combine high expectations with justice, mercy, and love. Especially for fathers.

Fathers and husbands, it is time to love and lead - now. Love your wife like Christ loves the church. Nurture and admonish your children but do not provoke them. Lead your family in God’s exciting will. Is all of this possible? Yes. But what can you do? Mothers and wives, it is time to love your husband as God has declared and to lead your children. Brian and Betsy will help and encourage you with scripture, their experiences, and what they have learned during 20 years of marriage and the ongoing raising of eight children.

God has not called Christians to be influenced by society around them, but to be salt and light in that society. Every family must instill children with a sense of mission and equip them with methods to shine a light into the darkness of our community, city, and nation.

Why did God stop making people out of dirt? Wouldn't that have been easier than having brothers and sisters? This session delves into Colossians 3 and explores the wonderful role that family plays in our march toward adulthood.

"I'm from the government schools and I have some 'free' curriculum, computers, and programs for you." Does this make you jump for glee, or does it make your hair on the back of your neck start to twinge? Every Christian needs to consider the principles of scripture and what makes a liberty-loving nation succeed before accepting such "free" services of handouts. The spreading practice of charter schools, virtual schools, and other permutations of state-run schooling-at-home that is marketed to current and perspective homeschoolers is one of the most serious issues facing the parent-lead home-based education movement in America. Dr. Ray will challenge you to go deeper and face the realities of what and why you believe and do what you do as you model courageous living for your children and adult peers.

Without a doubt, a wife’s most important responsibility in relation to her husband is to reverence him. Submission is a wife’s position. Reverence is her practice or activity. Reverence is the command that balances and gives meaning to submission. It is also the thing that makes a wife a success as a wife. The need of a wife, given by her Creator, is for the security of her husband’s love. The need of a husband is for his wife’s reverence. Reverence motivates a husband. It moves him; it builds him; it lifts him. It challenges him. It empowers him. It encourages him.

Here are 15 Biblical principles to “turn around” rebellious youth. Many testimonies from around the world attest to the effectiveness of the truths expounded in this message. Parents of younger children say the message has helped them understand all the key elements of parenting so as to prevent problems with their children. Some parents say they listen to the message every few weeks to help them stay "on track" as a parent. Still other parents have found the message to be the "lifeline" to stop a descent into destruction and save the life and future of their rebellious teen.

Vicki Farris, Wife of Mike Farris and mother and grandmother of many tells you about the top two priorities

Chris speaks to the hearts of home school fathers and mothers urging them to teach their children what really matters. Chris Klicka calls all homeschoolers to draw closer to the Lord and seek him with their whole heart. As an attorney, Chris Klicka has been battling for the right of parents to homeschool since 1985, and has been battling multiple sclerosis since 1994. He walks the talk as he shows how we must live in light of eternity and make every single day count. As a homeschool father of seven, Chris speaks from both his heart and many years of practical experience. He describes how we must understand suffering and how we are commanded to share the gospel as a family and as individuals virtually everyone we meet. He helps us all to return to our "first love" and establish a close relationship with our Lord and Savior. Chris explains that you're not homeschooling for homeschooling sake, but for the glory and honor of God. We can delegate authority to teach our children to someone else, but we can never delegate the responsibility.

Many people succeed in school but fail in the real world outside. Real education prepares the student for every aspect of life - practical, professional, spiritual, economic, civic. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. Those things that make us most useful for service add up to a real education.

Chris Klicka, home school attorney and father of seven, will present scores of biblical references which demonstrate how God requires our children to be nurtured and educated. The main purpose of this talk is to help homeschoolers develop a lasting commitment to homeschooling as the means to best train our children in God's ways. He will explain how the agenda and philosophy of the "movers and shakers," past and present, in public education are diametrically opposed to this. Chris will encourage us to keep up the fight and train our children to be leaders of tomorrow who have been taught not only to believe like Christians, but also to think like Christians. Chris will also urge the audience to sound the warning to other Christians to remove their children from the public schools. Chris proves his case very convincingly and this has become one of his most popular talks.

Home schooling requires families to be closer than ever, and this inevitably means conflict. Learn how you as a parent can use and model God’s peacemaking principles of confession, confrontation, and forgiveness to resolve conflicts, preserve relationships, and keep your family and school, as well as all your relationships running smoothly.

When the Boyers started home educating in 1980, they were typical young parents with the typical misunderstanding of what education is all about. Since then, our two decades of home schooling have brought many suprises - many of them life-changing.

Chris Klicka will explain how all homeschoolers experience different types of suffering in their life. Since we do not understand why, we often do not handle the suffering right. Chris will apply scriptural promises and truths about suffering as he tells the story of his fight with multiple sclerosis; his wife's fight with ulcerative colitis; the death of his close legal assistant Kimberly; and the near death of his twins, Amy and Charity. He will show how suffering is indeed a blessing from God and He will carry us through. God never fails. He will emphasize how homeschooling can keep going on through the tough times.

Socializing children means nothing more (and nothing less!) than teaching them how to love others as they love themselves-even in the midst of conflict. Learn how peacemaking can be a key to your children experiencing success in their marriages, churches, careers, and most of all, in their Christian witness.

As a home school husband and father of seven children, Chris speaks from the heart. He will share over 25 practical tips on how a home schooling husband can better satisfy God's requirements. Chris will discuss dying to yourself, leading in devotions, taking charge of child discipline, encouraging your wife, praying with her and for her, and many more practical tips. Wives, you won't want your husbands to miss this session!

Learn the nuts and bolts of teaching your children how to resolve their conflicts biblically, recognize root causes of their conflicts, along with sincerely confessing their wrongs, confronting others constructively, and forgiving others as God has forgiven them.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the demands of parenting? Life is certainly a challenge for parents, and especially those who accept the added responsibility of home education. But there are ways to make life easier and more productive, and this workshop discusses some of those. Marilyn Boyer, mother of fourteen children and a veteran home educator of twenty-two years' experience, shares her techniques for accomplishing a mammoth amount of housework while giving her children a superior education at the same time.

Many home educators are intimidated by the common myth that children who are taught at home are at a disadvantage in social development. Rick Boyer draws on Scripture, scientific research and the experience of thousands of home-teaching families to show that the opposite is true. To prepare children for the real world, they need to be in the real world: family, church, and community - not locked away from society in age-segregated schools. This session will help you respond to the constant challenge: "What about socialization?"

Blessings are in store for those who resolve conflict in a way that honors God. Come and learn powerful peacemaking principles you can use to prevent disputes and resolve differences with brothers and sisters, parents, friends, and future workers or supervisors.

It's a blessing but it can be stressing! Home schooling with tiny ones around the house is a special challenge, but one that many moms handle with great success. Come hear how Marilyn Boyer, mother of 14 and a homeschooler of 22 years' experience, makes her little ones a valuable part of the team!

Don't know where to begin to reduce the conflict and strife in your home and your everyday life? Learn practical steps on how a home school mom can bring the reality of peacemaking to her heart and all her relationships.

Childrearing is not behavior modification, applying rewards and punishments to get unthinking responses. Nor is it a recipe, in which blending the right ingredients in the right amounts always brings the same results. It is a matter of accepting a God-given calling and pursuing it by His principles. It is a heart-to-heart relationship in which children are not just trained, but discipled. Marilyn Boyer brings 28 years of parenting experiences with 14 children to this enlightening and encouraging workshop.