Compassion doesn't come easy for the forgetful. As Christian homeschooling families who are daily surrounded by the things of God in our academic environment, it's easy to become detached from the world and the importance of proactively demonstrating the heart of God toward those who live outside the four walls of our home—especially those who don't know Christ, or who do things differently than us. Combine this with the reality that we are busy people who live in an increasingly diverse world, and we find ourselves failing to emulate the compassionate heart of our Savior toward unbelievers, and our fellow Christians. We will learn how to fight this harmful tendency, how to be at peace with families who make different educational choices, how to avoid being condescending toward those who employ different parenting styles, how to draw near with the gospel to unbelievers whose sins grieve us, and how to emulate Jesus—the One who looked out on the multitudes and was moved with compassion.

Weaknesses! Not only do all of us have them, but they are often the greatest source of our disheartenment as Christians. Whether it's in our role as husbands, wives, children, or homeschooling parents, we are all often haunted by our shortcomings and besetting sins. Enter Christ—our High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, and who experienced our same temptations. In this session, we will be refreshed by the delightful truth that Jesus calls weak sinners like us to come boldly to His throne of grace, where we will find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.

“It’s bad to be a boy.” That’s the message of our gender-confused, stereotype-obsessed culture. Dr. Jeff Myers shares five aspects of masculinity, based on the Bible, that help parents raise self-assured and level-headed boys in in a culture that abuses and abandons the very idea of what it means to become a man.?

Choosing curriculum and making sure that your children are on the right track academically can be extremely overwhelming and cause you to lose sight of the most important aspects of homeschooling – discipline and discipleship. Many parents try to add a little character training here or there and miss the crucial daily opportunity for spiritual training. This workshop will deal with the vital aspect of laying a strong spiritual foundation in your children’s lives and keeping academics in their proper place.?

Kathie shares how to use God’s word all through the day, and how she has taught her children to love God’s Word, and get excited about it. You will be encouraged as she shares the blessings that have resulted in her family as they practiced these ideas. Included will be suggestions on making Scripture memory fun and easy!

Children have serious questions about God and the Bible that shape their lifelong worldview. Based on thirty years of working with young adults, Dr. Jeff Myers helps parents answer questions such as What is God like? How do we know the Bible is true? Why doesn’t God stop pain? What happens when we die? What about those who have never heard?

Many will dismiss what the Bible says simply because they believe the Bible can’t be trusted in the arena of historical accuracy.? Egyptian?Chronology?is?the lynch pin for this.??This seminar includes?the latest in archaeology as it relates to Egyptian Chronology, and is a great help to those teaching early history.

As fallen creatures living in a fallen world, we are relentlessly tempted to scratch the stubborn itch of indulgent self-centeredness—daily battling an unrequited yearning to be the focal point of everyone’s attention.? But the real Master, who is undeniably worthy to be incessantly waited on, said of Himself that He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.? God has given us plenty of opportunities to imitate the servant-heartedness of Jesus—the greatest servant in existence.? Discover what glad servanthood really looks like, and how we can become willing and joyful servants to our loved ones and the world as we follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Have you ever noticed the way that people respond when you speak words of encouragement into their life?? It’s almost similar to the joy that a lost traveler in a hot dessert exudes when he suddenly finds a lush oasis.? We know this because it’s exactly what each of us has experienced when others have thoughtfully taken the time to encourage us.? The trials of life can often be extremely disheartening, but this session will help us discover that the greatest source of encouragement to our own souls comes from being used by God to encourage others. Amid the current homeschooling season of life that God has placed us in, we will dive deep and uncover what the Bible has to say about how we can become ready and eager encouragers toward those in our immediate circle of influence, and beyond.?

The most important thing we can do as we raise our kids is strive to win and keep their hearts! When we have their hearts, we are able to influence them and their values. That is one of the main reasons many parents feel led to home school their children – so THEY can be the ones influencing their children’s values. When we fail to win their hearts, or that heart connection becomes weak, our kids will often begin to look to their friends for relationship, and no longer be open to our teaching. Kathie will share some things to avoid that often lead to losing their hearts, and then give 6 key things to help you win & keep their hearts.

One of the boldest stratagems of the Second World War involved the bombing of Tokyo shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Jacob DeShazer, one of the Doolittle’s raiders who participated in that assault, led a life fleeing from God until his captivity as a prisoner of the Japanese. His story and that of the commanding Japanese pilot in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mitsuo Fushida, intertwine in a way only God could orchestrate through a series of remarkable providences. This story shows the hand of God in the lives of two relatively obscure warriors, which in the end resulted in the conversion of many Japanese people and the witness of the Gospel to untold thousands of others in the post war world. History is not only stranger than fiction, it displays the glory of God in amazing ways.

The battle for our children’s life should be fought on our knees! Prayer is the most important part of rearing our children. Why? Because God can do what we cannot do. Kathie will share several practical prayer ideas, as well as suggestions for some the things we should pray for regarding our children. Being a praying parent makes a difference, and we need to commit to praying daily for our kids.

The main goal in this workshop is to see the creation through?new eyes. Often when we observe common familiar creatures, our initial reaction is “been there, seen that, ho hum” when there?really is nothing ho hum about it. I will survey a few animals, plants, and fungi that we deem boring, and then (without exaggerating) showcase God’s handiwork by unveiling the hidden yet awe-inspiring features of these living masterpieces. We will find out that the boringness is in us, not in the animal,?plant, or fungus.??