2014 NCHE Conference Speaker Highlights

I am so excited that the NCHE Annual Conference and Bookfair is almost here! The dates are Thursday, May 22 through Saturday, May 24, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Even more exciting is the fact that I'll be attending this year's homeschool conference for North Carolina as a member of the NCHE Bloggers Team! WhooHoo!!

Today I want to share with you the amazing group of speakers NCHE (North Carolinians for Home Education) has lined up for this year's conference! I also want to share the sessions from these speakers that I am looking forward to hearing. Maybe I'll see YOU in one of these sessions from our conference speakers. Don't worry though if you aren't there with me because I'll be posting highlights on Twitter, Google +, and Facebook so you can follow along!

2014 NCHE Annual Conference and Bookfair

Featured Speaker Sessions I'm Attending

• Thursday night's keynote (7:30-9:00 p.m.): Teaching Children to Live as the Image of God Rather Than Society's Definition of Success, will be given by Dr. Anthony B. Bradley. Here's a brief description of what Dr. Bradley will be speaking about: "I continue to be amazed by the number of youth and young adults who are stressed and burnt out from the regular shaming and feelings of inadequacy if they happen to not be doing something unique and special. Today’s millennial generation is being fed the message that if they don’t do something extraordinary in this life, they are wasting their gifts and potential. The sad result is that many young adults feel ashamed if they “settle” into ordinary jobs, get married early and start families, live in small towns, or as 1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, “aspire to live quietly, and to mind [their] affairs, and to work with [their] hands.” For too many millennials, their greatest fear in this life is being an ordinary person with a non-glamorous job, living in the suburbs and having nothing spectacular to boast about."
• Friday morning's keynote (9:00-10:30 a.m.): Cultivating Kids, Raising Children to Live Fruitful Lives, will be given by Dr. Jeff Myers. Here's a brief description of what we'll be hearing: "This generation of children has greater potential and opportunity than perhaps any generation in American history, and yet they’re growing up in a culture of aimlessness and passive consumerism. As one of the world’s leading authorities on youth leadership development and a homeschool dad, Dr. Myers weaves together fascinating biblical insights, penetrating social commentary and hilarious personal stories to help you see your child’s potential in a whole new way."
• Session 4 Friday (11:00 a.m. - 12 noon): Rachael Carman - How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids
• Saturday morning's keynote (9:00-10:30 a.m.): This, We Believe, will be given by Todd Wilson. Here's a brief look at an important reminder Mr. Wilson will be sharing: "Dads and moms, in all the busyness of life and swell of expert advice, we've forgotten the fundamental truths of homeschooling and family. In short, we’ve forgotten why we do what we do. We have plenty of “how tos” but have forgotten the “why tos,” and it evidences itself in our lack of joy of homeschooling, family and parenting. Join funny guy and familyman, Todd Wilson, as he sets the stage for the best year ever as he brings us back to the basics of what we believe about family and homeschooling. You're not going to want to miss this for the world."
• Session 11 Saturday (1:50-2:50 p.m.): Diana Waring - Things I Wish I'd Known 

This is just part of my schedule of the sessions I'll be attending. My days are going to be gloriously packed with encouraging and equipping speakers who believe in homeschooling as much as I do.

So are you ready to plan out your 2014 NCHE Conference experience? The featured speakers bio's are listed on the 2014 Conference Featured Speakers page as well as the topics they will be speaking about. You can find the daily schedule listed on the 2014 NCHE Annual Conference Workshop Schedule page. Detailed workshop descriptions have been compiled onto one page which is available on the 2014 Conference Workshop Descriptions page. I love to print the schedule and workshop descriptions and sneak away with my highlighter to plan out my conference experience!

Can you tell how excited I am?! If you are planning to come to the 2014 NCHE Annual Conference and Bookfair (you really should, it's going to be great!), please be sure to keep coming back here to Grace-Filled-Moments in the weeks ahead as I'll be bringing you special detailed posts concerning this year's 30th Annual Conference! One of those posts will contain {cue the confetti} an opportunity to win a FREE Family Registration to this year's NCHE Annual Conference and Bookfair!

There is more excitement to come, so stay tuned!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Media Talk 101 Review

Media Talk 101 has produced a 107 minute documentary appropriately titled Captivated that seeks to answer honest questions about the amount of media consumption adults, teens, and children live with on a daily basis. I was given a copy of the Captivated DVD to watch in exchange for my review.

 

What is Media Talk 101?

Media Talk 101 is a non-profit Christian organization founded by Phillip Telfer. He founded Media Talk 101 in 2005 after having ministered to youth and families for over 20 years, speaking at camps, retreats, conferences, schools, and churches around the country. Their goal at Media Talk 101 is to help this generation understand the impact that media has in their lives and to teach the importance of making wise choices as followers of Jesus. It is their belief that today's entertainment is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to spiritual growth. In response to this belief, Media Talk 101 seeks to approach the subject using Biblical principles instead of legalistic rules to help Christians use discernment in their lives when it comes to media consumption.

Trained speakers at Media Talk 101 provide multi-media presentations for youth, young adults, parents, educators, and church leaders. These compelling messages are more than just seminars - they are based on Biblical principles that can be applied to the problem of our media saturated society.

You can visit the website of Media Talk 101 to purchase the Captivated DVD, download a sample of their workbook, teaching video clips, and other helpful resources. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

What's Included on the Captivated DVD?

• The "Scene Selection" option is available so if you have to stop watching and come back at a later time, you will have help finding where you left off in your viewing.
• Spanish subtitles as well as English closed caption are available for this DVD. You will find these helpful options in the "Setup" area.
• "Bonus Features" include the movie trailer, Gospel for Asia (Missionary ministry outreach efforts to forgotten areas in Asia), extended interviews, and a word from the producer.
• Interviews featuring Ray Comfort, Bob Waliszewski, Dr. Ted Baehr, Dr. Jeff Myers, Kerby Anderson, Kevin Swanson, Dr. David Walsh, Al Menconi, Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Dick Rolfe, Phil Chalmers, Professor Mark Bauerlein, Maggie Jackson, and more.
• Personal stories of everyday people who openly share their past struggles with media and technology consumption that had taken over their lives, but found freedom from the bondage they admit had taken them over.

What's the Price?

The price for 1 DVD is $16.95. There are discounts for multiple purchases, plus shipping is free on most domestic orders.

 

Who Can View Captivated?

This documentary is intended for adults, but it has been approved for all ages. You will need either a computer with DVD playing capability or a regular DVD player for your television.

My Opinion of the Captivated DVD

I watched this media documentary when I had some quiet time to myself. I was alarmed at the various statistics that were shared throughout the run time. The average child watches TV over 53 hours per week. By graduation they will have consumed 18,000-22,000 hours! Did you know that now there are more TVs than people per household?!

The personal testimonies from people who had found freedom from their own individual struggles with media and technology consumption were very encouraging. One dad who shared in the documentary actually led his family on a 30-day media fast and said afterwards,

"We're not just saying no media, but we're saying use it in responsible and in God glorifying ways."

I have to agree with his logic. Several years ago, my family and I did a one week media fast. The freedom and enjoyment we experienced together as a family was so much more valuable than any of the media and technology that we had given up during that time.

Other quotes that spoke to my heart as I viewed this media documentary were:

"Social networking sites are an enhancer for life's relationships, but it's not a replacement."

 and

"Insurgent - an enemy that is woven into the fabric of the society with no way to clearly identify the enemy. That's a challenge in dealing with media. A lot of our Christians are asleep and they don't realize that the enemy is in bed with our society. He's an insurgent woven into the fabric." 

Viewing the Captivated DVD has caused me to reflect again on my own daily consumption of media and technology for myself and that of my family. I would highly recommend watching this documentary. Parenting in today's media and technology captivated world is tough. As parents, we need to know what we're up against. Not only for our kids, but for ourselves as well.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Biblical Hope - My Journey Begins

I've been thinking a lot lately about hope. I even did a little study on it that has started a journey for me into a deeper understanding of what hope truly is for a Christian. It's a journey with Jesus, and I'll be blogging about what I'm learning in the weeks ahead.

Here's what I've found at the beginning of this journey...

Hope, in the sense that we normally use it, is based on uncertainty.

"I hope to get that raise at work I'm due for," means "I don't have any certainty that I will get that raise, but that is my desire." 

"I hope my medical test results are good," means "I don't know if the results will be good, but that is my desire."

See the uncertainty?

On the other hand, Biblical hope is so much more! It's not just a desire for something good in the future, but according to John Piper, Biblical hope is:

"A confident expectation and desire for something good in the future."

Not only is Biblical hope desiring something for the future, but more importantly it is wrapped up in expectation - a confident expectation!

John Piper goes on to say:

"But Biblical hope is never based on what is possible with man. Biblical hope looks away from man to the promise of God."

I love this verse from the Bible that speaks of our God of hope...

Oh yes, I will be committing this verse to heart during my journey into discovery of Biblical hope!

I'll stop here because I think this is a lot to meditate on during this next week. I hope you'll join me on my journey into discovery of Biblical hope in the weeks ahead. I'm excited about what God has shown me so far. I don't know how long this journey will be, but I sure would love it if you'd come along with me! To be sure you don't miss out on my weekly post in this series, simply subscribe by email using the "Follow by Email" link in the sidebar above my picture.

As usual, please feel free to leave me a comment below sharing your thoughts. Let's grow together!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Stand On God's Faithfulness

Have you ever had a moment where you've thought about a truth in the Word of God so strongly that you feel God whisper to your heart? Recently, I had that happen to me as I was contemplating faith.

It's so easy to have faith in God when everything is going well. Unfortunately though, we live in a fallen world and things aren't always going to go like we want them to {or like we plan for them to go}.

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV) tells us "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." I can testify to God's faithfulness. My family has experienced it over and over again in various areas of our lives.

As I was contemplating God's faithfulness recently during a financial trial, my mind recollected all the times past that we had experienced God's faithfulness in this same area. Being a one-income family {so I can homeschool} brings with it certain sacrifices, and definitely tight spots every now and again. But this I know - God is faithful!

As those times of the faithfulness of God flooded my mind, this is what I heard God whisper to my heart during this current situation we were facing...

Yes...this is how I want to live! My God is faithful and I choose to stand on that faithfulness when times of trial come my way. Actually, my husband and I now are seeing these times as opportunities to TRUST God. This is my prayer for you as well, dear friend!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Reading List Update

Well, I thought I'd give you all an update on how I'm doing on my reading list for 2014. I cannot believe we are already into the month of March for 2014! This year is flying by!

January's book, A Mind for God by Dr. James Emery White, was really a great one to start the year off with. Encouraging readers to develop a mind for God, he challenges us as Christians to break free from secular cultural influences that threaten to take us from the spiritual disciplines of reading, study, and reflection. Dr. White includes an appendix of books and resources to help "grow your brain". Needless to say, I discovered many other titles that I want to read at some point. I bought the Kindle version, but it is also available in paperback if you prefer. I go back and forth with the versions I buy. I love my Kindle, but also love the feel of an actual book in my hands.

I have to say here that our Women's Ministry at my church started the year off with a book study of Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind by Joyce Meyer, so I've been reading it each month as well. We are dividing up the chapters and doing the work in the study guide each month. We are taking our time so I'm not sure how long it will take to finish. It is a great book! One of the main points that I've learned through the book so far is that I need to think about what I'm thinking about.

Just last month my Pastor assigned those of us on the leadership team and all the pastoral staff to read Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People by Pastor Jim Cymbala. My husband who is our Children's Pastor and I are reading this one together. It is powerful! In this book, Pastor Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle shares all that has happened in his church since the people there got serious about prayer and the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Their journey has God's fingerprints all over it! It has created a fire in my heart and my husband's also for a more focused prayer life.

So I'm deep into those two books currently, which means I have yet to get into what I had planned on reading in February, Gideon: Your weakness. God's strength. by Priscilla Shirer, and A Woman's High Calling: 10 Ways to Live Out God's Plan for Your Life by Elizabeth George, which I was supposed to read this month. I was so excited about reading them, but I don't want to be reading too many books at one time because I don't think I'll be able to get the most personal growth out of my reading that way. Since our Women's Ministry book study will probably be going on for several more months, I'll just read it alongside the books I have on my reading list. I'm almost finished with Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. I'm not sure if I want to pick up Gideon or A Woman's High Calling for the rest of this month. Ahh, decisions, decisions...lol!

How's your reading going so far this year? Have you found yourself adding to your ever-growing reading list like me? I'd like to hear how it's going with you, so feel free to leave me a comment!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

Learn a Foreign Language with Mango Languages ~ Review

Mango Languages is an online foreign language learning site with over 60 languages your homeschool student can choose from to study. They started in the public library sector and have been expanding from there in the 7 years of their existence. Today I'll be sharing with you our experience with the beta version of Mango Homeschool Edition, the online foreign language learning product that I was given to use in our homeschool. Additional features for Mango Homeschool Edition continue to be developed, so there will be even more to love in the future! You can stay up-to-date about these developments by connecting with Mango Languages on the following social media sites: Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Common Questions and Answers About Mango Languages

• What ages is Mango Languages intended for? Mango languages is intended for ages 6 through adult.
• How much will it cost? The following pricing options are available for homeschool subscriptions: 1 subscription is $18/month or $125/year total; 2 subscriptions is $28/month or $175 /year total; 3 subscriptions is $38/month or $225/year total; 4 subscriptions is $48/month or $275/year total; and 5 subscriptions is $58/month or $325/year total. Anything over 6 subscriptions is a special group rate that will depend on the number in the group. Mango languages offers a free 30 day trial, and comes with a 60 day money-back guarantee. This is a great option for homeschoolers who, for the most part, are one-income families on a tight budget.
• What equipment will I need? You’ll need a PC running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7, or higher, or a Mac running OS X 10.6 or higher. You will need a microphone to utilize the Voice Comparison tool should you want to use this feature. We don't have a microphone and got along fine without it. Minimum 1 GHz processor with 1GB RAM, a broadband internet connection, and 1024 x 768 display resolution are also recommended.

What's Included When You Sign-up With Mango Languages?

There are over 60 languages that you'll have access to with your subscription to Mango Languages. The Help Desk guides you step-by-step through setting up your account preferences and selecting your language course. It was a very easy process. We chose Mango Passport Spanish (Latin American) as our course for this review. After a few weeks, Caleb decided he wanted to learn Pirate, too - yes, Mango Languages offers a Pirate language course!

The "Brochure" page lists everything that is included with all of the online language courses available from Mango Languages.

• Audio and pronunciation guides from native speakers
• Voice comparison tool
• Cultural insights, customs, and etiquette
• Conversation and grammar goals
• Phonetic spelling on-demand
• Grammar notes

Also listed in the "Brochure" are tabs for each journey and the topics covered in the lessons for your selected language. Here is a screenshot from the website showing the tabs I'll be describing below for Mango Passport Spanish (Latin American):

Journey 1 Topics: Greetings, Gratitude, Goodbyes; Inquiring About Someone's Nationality; Asking What Languages Someone Speaks; Names and Introductions; Getting Around; Shopping and Payment; Drinks and Dining; Numbers and Currency; Getting Help; Asking for Clarification

Journey 2 Topics (upon completion of Journey 1): Addressing and Describing People and Animals; Describing Surroundings; Making Small Talk; Accepting and Declining Social Invitations; Dating; Foods, Cooking, and Dining; Commenting on the Weather; Using the Bank and Post Office; Planning Leisure Activities; Sightseeing

Journey 3 Topics (upon completion of Journey 2): Culture, Literature, and Art; Discussing Historical Events; Addressing Medical Conditions; Expressing Thoughts and Feelings; Discussing Schools and Education; Names and Their Origins; Talking About Food and Dietary Habits; Physical Descriptions; Making Plans; Sports and Exercise

Course guides are provided in PDF file format for each "Journey". These are listed under the "File" tab. The file for Journey 1 is 168 pages. The course guides contain everything that will be learned in each specific "Journey". This would be a great "textbook" if you wanted to take the file to your local printer to have printed off and bound. Your student could use the printed material to study what they have learned during the week. Or, you could do what I did, and just download the file to your computer. It's there anytime we need to reference it.

How We Used Mango Homeschool Edition

We used Mango Homeschool Edition in our homeschool four days a week. Caleb and I watched one lesson together each day. I loved how I was in control of advancing through each screen. This enabled me to choose how fast or slow to proceed through the lesson.

The Welcome page greets you and your student each time you log in.

The Welcome page greets you and your student each time you log in, and gives you the option to resume the lesson, repeat the lesson, or proceed to the next lesson. I love that the program remembers where you were working each time you re-enter after logging out. If we had completed a lesson, but I felt Caleb needed to review it, I simply chose to repeat the previous day's lesson. I was thrilled to be able to have this option!

After deciding to move on to the next lesson, we were given an example of a conversation we would be learning in that particular lesson. Each screen that follows breaks down that particular conversation into manageable pieces. The native language guide speaks the word you are learning, in our case it was Spanish (Latin American), followed by the audio guide who speaks the word in English. The student is then given a time limit (that you can adjust) to say the English word in Spanish (Latin American). We advanced through each screen when we were ready to proceed to the next word or phrase that we were trying to learn. Throughout the lesson the audio guide gave various "grammar notes" and "cultural notes" which were helpful in learning the words and also gave interesting facts on the culture of the country whose language we were studying.

Screenshot example of how each phrase is broken down into manageable pieces.

Pre-tests and post-tests are provided in each "Journey". Each test can take up to 30 minutes. There is a final course exam as well. All are completed online at the Mango Languages website.

Screenshot of the pre-test window for Unit 1 of Journey 1.

I mentioned earlier in my review that after a couple of weeks in Spanish (Latin American), Caleb wanted to dive into Pirate - so we did. We had a lot of fun speaking in a pirate voice with that one! Here is a video of my son that I made during one of our lessons. I love how animated he is! We had to do several "takes" before I could get a video where he wasn't being too silly. He kept wanting to add in "have" instead of just saying, "Blow me down! The ship's becalmed!" which means "Oh my gosh! The ship isn't moving!"

Here's the video of my silly pirate:

My Opinion of Mango Languages

Mango Languages is a great online foreign language learning program for homeschoolers to use if you want your kids to learn a foreign language! I was astounded by the amount of languages that are offered in a subscription to Mango Languages. The prices for monthly and yearly subscriptions are reasonable considering all that you get from Mango Languages.

The only recommendation I have for Mango Languages is to have a designated "Member Log-in" area that is clearly visible on their homepage. For this review, I used the link that was provided in my subscription confirmation email from Mango Languages to log in each time. This link took me to the log-in area on their website where I used our user name and password. After more time on the site, I did discover the member log-in area without having to use the link in my confirmation email after I clicked on the "Get Started Today" button on the Homeschool page. Ta-da, there was the member log-in box! I'm sure a clearly visible "Member Log-in" box on the homepage would be appreciated by new users.

My 13-year-old son loved learning a new language online with Mango Homeschool Edition from Mango Languages! He was excited each day to begin our lesson, which made this homeschooling moma very happy. I highly recommend Mango Languages and Mango Homeschool Edition to those who like to homeschool online, those who homeschool high school students, and ANY homeschooler who is looking to successfully incorporate foreign language lessons as part of their homeschool curriculum.   

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

     

K5 Learning ~ Review Coming Soon!

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students. I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

I look forward to sharing our experience with you!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie