Intentional Parenting

I never wanted to homeschool. When I first heard about it, instead of investigating, considering, and researching, I concluded it wasn’t for me. I had mapped out a course for my life and was determined to work the plan. Now, over two decades and seven graduated kids later, I am amazed at all God has...

One of our children is continuing his education by studying at Cedarville University. The school’s president, Dr. Thomas White, encourages the students to instill a good habit of reading God’s Word. He urges them to make this a high priority. He plants this message in their minds with the phrase “Bible before breakfast.” In other...

Back in the day, before email, texting, Facebook, or Twitter, people wrote letters before there were blogs or even the internet or digital anything. In my opinion, it was a glorious time.  Back then, people took the time to sit down and write letters – often very long letters – to one another.  People didn’t just...

How many times should you remind your child of your love? Explore the importance of repeated affirmations and encouragement in parenting from a biblical perspective. How many times do we have to tell our children things? In our journey through parenting, there’s been one profound yet simple message that I found essential to impart upon...

Rachael and I started our homeschool journey way back in 1996 (almost 30 years ago). Although the first year was rocky, by year four, we were committed for the long haul even with the unknown of high school looming in the distance. During the second ten years of our homeschooling journey, we started speaking at...

Some days are bad. Some weeks are bad. Some months, some years — life is hard. Sometimes it’s just one thing, while other times, trouble seems to come at you from all directions. Sometimes everyone knows, and sometimes no one even suspects. There are times in life that can only be compared to a wilderness...

We’ve all had those moments as parents—staring at our kids and wondering, “How many times do I have to tell you?” It’s like a broken record that plays in the background of parenting life, right? Being a parent isn’t for the faint of heart. It means understanding that a lot of what we do involves...

What are the ABCs of Life? There are three things we all seek in life—Achievement, Beauty, and Community. Read more in this devotional. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. — Matthew 7:7 Although I am not a pastor, I have...

In the beautiful, glorious chaos of family life, finding a moment of peace can be a challenge. Our home, especially during mealtimes, felt like an anthill of activity. There’s a delightful order in the chaos as someone folds towels, another sets the table, orange juice gets poured, and eggs are scrambled. Then, there’s a hush,...

Where does a homeschool mom go when she can’t hold it in? When the stresses of life wear her down, little eyes watching her all the time? It had been the most difficult of my life. There were so many losses, hurts, broken promises, and interrupted dreams. 2007 brought frequent bouts of emotion that overcame...