Equipped To Be with Connie Albers: Christian Parenting, Homeschooling, and Family Life

When I began homeschooling in the early '90s, most people didn't know it was legal or if it was possible. Parents had a lot to prove to society, especially since professional educators had convinced parents that only qualified "teachers" were fit to educate children.   Well, we worked hard to prove that parents could educate their children thereby disproving their decades-long messaging. It was a...

Do you know you should be praying for your kids but don't know how? Or do you wait to pray when life is difficult? I have. Do you want to be a praying mom? So why don't we pray continually?   Join Brooke and me for a conversation about her new book "Praying Mom: Making Prayer Your First and Best Response to Motherhood."   Listen in to this conversation and read the detailed show notes with resourc...

Are you a fan of goal setting? Do goals matter? They should because God has an assignment for you to complete! It's one only you can fulfill if you are willing to accept it.   People often ask me how I know what goals I'm supposed to set. That's not always easy to know at first, so I start by paying attention to what God is leading me to do.   Another common question is how to make them achievable...

Have you been torn between deciding when to step away or push through a difficult situation? Sure you have. We all have. Making tough decisions is part of life.   Life decisions aren't easy for most of us to make. It takes time to wrestle with the possible outcomes! I call them the "What if scenarios."   Well, what if I told you there is freedom in the pivot. You heard me! Freedom comes after you...

Are you running your race with confidence or looking around at what others are doing? Do you know why running your race is important? Do you find yourself looking at others and trying to imitate them?   How you run your race depends on your season of life. A twenty-something runs differently than someone in their forties or sixties. Why? Life experience, the demands of children, and physical healt...

Do you see what I'm seeing? Parents and leaders across the country are noticing the character crisis permeating our communities. Lying, marginalizing, undermining, spreading partial truths all seem okay now. Are they? Not according to God's standards!   The character crisis we see on display doesn't mean we should partake. Actually, we need to do just the opposite. We need to be more diligent in l...

We are back in the studio of Equipped To Be for part II of my interview with international bestselling author Larry Loftis. We begin this episode with how I met Mr. Loftis through a mutual friend.   During this part of the conversation, I share an untold story of how his advice positively impacted my journey to becoming a first-time author with a well-known publishing house. While writing Parentin...

The odds of becoming a published author are low, but becoming a bestselling author is extremely difficult. Larry Loftis not only beat the odds, but he has also hit the NYT bestseller list multiple times. He is a highly acclaimed nonfiction thriller author who specializes in writing about WWII espionage.   Mr. Loftis joins me for a candid interview to discuss how he did beat the odds and the lesson...

Marriage can be messy and far from normal. But what can we learn about loving our spouse when they don't love us back? How do we trust God to work in us when hope seems lost? Can God heal your marriage?   God has not called us to be normal because normal doesn't exist. Not in life or our marriage. When we let go of our expectations and trust God, we have peace knowing He can repair the broken and...

We enter life curious. We wonder about the world around us, but as the years unfold that natural curiosity for life and learning can fade. So, how can we cultivate curiosity in our children?   In this episode, Connie talks with Cheryl Bastian about how to cultivate curiosity in our children.   Read the full show notes and get the links to references here: https://conniealbers.com/ cultivate-curios...

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough faith to do what God asks you to do? Or that God isn't big enough to help you? If you answered yes to either question, you're not alone. Even Abraham and Noah also struggled when God gave them instructions!   We need to remember that it's not about having faith in ourselves. God isn't interested in the amount of faith we have when we start, but it is the...

Is it possible to make homeschooling easy? Homeschooling is too hard! Where do I start? I could never do that! Are common questions parents ask when considering if they should homeschool their children.   I frequently thought, "I'm not qualified to teach my kids. I don't have a teaching degree. I don't know phonics or Physics." The cool part is I didn't need any of those to homeschool. I needed th...

Is school driving out your child's creativity? Is a formal degree the only way to a fulling or financially rewarding career? Is your child's degree making your child unhirable?   After fifteen years of teaching college students, Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang quit her job as a professor.   Kids are taught they need a college education to enjoy a fulling or financially rewarding life. But that isn't true! Dr...

Parents know the public educational system is broken, but most don't know what they can do about it. Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang was a college professor for over a decade and knew first hand what's happening in the classroom and why she walked away from her teaching job to pursue something better. What can you do about the broken education system?   In this episode, we discuss why the system is broken, a...

Biblical Citizenship is grounded in faith and encourages Americans to embrace their freedoms. America is changing. What part do you play? Rick Green joins me to talk about Biblical Citizenship and how we can protect the freedoms we've enjoyed for centuries.   Read more about Rick's tips for actions steps we can all take in the full show notes. https://conniealbers.com/biblical-citizenship/ About R...

Self-protection isn't new. People disappoint us, so we put up walls. God doesn't answer our prayer, so we stop praying. We deal with pain and suffering by self-protecting. It feels safer. But, is it how Jesus handled pain and suffering? Did he avoid people who hurt him? No. Then maybe we should live by his example.   A friend recently shared something about self-protection from the book 40-Days to...

With all the parenting books available, what makes Love-Centered Parenting, by Crystal Paine, unique? Like many books, where the authors focus on results-based parenting. Love-Centered Parenting has a different approach.   To many, Crystal Paine had it all together - a happy marriage, a successful business, a vibrant faith, and national selling books as the Money Saving Mom®. But one day, her worl...

Do the words of others linger in your mind? You can hear them play over and over again. You want to erase their words, but you can't get them out of your head. It's because we've given people headspace. It's like giving free rent in my head to others, and it has to stop.   Most people can remember a time when someone said something they couldn't let go of: You're a jerk! You're no good at that! Yo...

What is the future of homeschooling? The future looks bright! While homeschooling and at-home learning surged due to school closures, parents are considering continuing this educational method in the future. The freedom and flexibility that comes with learning at home are among the many reasons parents list. Although parents had little time to figure out how to pivot to at-home learning, parents o...

Are you among millions of parents trying to run a business and homeschooling your children? You're not alone. Millions of parents are faced with the tension that comes with juggling deadlines, making sure the kids are doing school, planning meals, and spending hours in the kitchen. Whether you're working a few hours or full-time, the challenge to fit it all in is real. The guilt and frustration fr...

Generational living is a way of life that is back in vogue. Have you thought about it? It's when multiple generations live under one roof. It can be by choice or because circumstances require this lifestyle. Either way making generational living work for your family requires prayer and careful consideration. Doing life together has its pros and cons. This episode provides you with specific points...

Fostering a foundation of respect between you and your teen requires time and intentionality. The good news is that your investment now pays off in the long run as you show your child respect. Respecting each other is not just good idea to help your relationship grow stronger, but God requires that we show respect. In I Peter 2:17 (NIV) the Bible says, "Show proper respect to everyone, love the fa...

Launching your child brings a host of emotions. For most parents, it's a bittersweet experience. Feelings of loss, fear, excitement, and satisfaction are some of the more common emotions parents have to work through. But launching your child doesn't mean the end of your relationship or influence. Like most parents, I remember the day we launched our first child. He was eager to begin a new season...

People often ask me how did I teach my children. I love when I get the opportunity to share how we homeschooled our kids. But what I love even more is helping parents teach their children! Let's talk about how to teach children well! Parents have been led to believe that one needs a degree or some special training to be a good teacher. I wrestled with feeling like I didn't have what it takes to be...

Do you feel like 2021 started rough? Does it feel overwhelming? Are you unsure of how to move forward with new leadership? Or are you eager to see God work in your family? People are passionate about what they believe. And when power shifts from one party to another people become uncertain. Where ever you find yourself, I encourage you to look for ways to move forward with new leadership by explor...