Meet guest, Sherri Seligson at Just Extraordinary.  Sherri is a homeschool mom and the author of Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Marine Biology high school curriculum, Interning for High School Credit and a few other books and media. She loves to cook, read, write, do science experiments (she keeps her microscope in her china cabinet), but most importantly, she loves to encourage moms in their walk with the Lord and as they train and educate their children.  justEXTRAordinary is her way of reminding us that it is the ordinary things, done day-by-day, moment-by-moment, faithfully and lovingly, that amazingly make us EXTRAordinary.

A Related Post from The Busy Mom

Having a Creator Changes Everything (post) – Have you ever looked up into the sky and stopped to marvel at what you see? I can’t look up at the stars in the night sky or study ocean creatures here in the pacific northwest or gaze upon the intricately formed fingers of my newborn children and believe that all this wonder, all these miracles … just happened.  For me, it takes a whole lot more faith to try and believe in evolution than it does to believe that I have a Creator.

Resources Mentioned in Podcast

Creation, the Better Explanation – An article on Creation.com –  Why the Bible is the best starting point when conducting origins science

Apologia Exploring Creation Series

Apologia Educational Ministries – Apologia is a family-owned corporation with the mission to help homeschooling families learn, live, and defend the Christian faith.

Answers in Genesis – Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.

Meet guest, Sherri Seligson at Just Extraordinary.  Sherri is a homeschool mom and the author of Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Marine Biology high school curriculum, Interning for High School Credit and a few other books and media. She loves to cook, read, write, do science experiments (she keeps her microscope in her china cabinet), but most importantly, she loves to encourage moms in their walk with the Lord and as they train and educate their children.  justEXTRAordinary is her way of reminding us that it is the ordinary things, done day-by-day, moment-by-moment, faithfully and lovingly, that amazingly make us EXTRAordinary.

Related Posts from The Busy Mom

18 Things I’ve Learned in 18 Years of Homeschooling (post) – It really is a wonder that my children are doing as well as they are when I consider my abilities or rather, disabilities.  In all seriousness though, God has taught me so much about what really matters in my homeschool.  Here are eighteen things I have learned in 18 years of homeschooling.

Finding Your Child’s Learning Style (post) – What are learning styles?  I never gave learning styles much thought until I began homeschooling my kids. I thrived in the traditional school environment (as do many teachers). Then I began to teach my dyslexic kids and my eyes were opened to a world of learning differences that I never knew existed.

We’re ending our “Mom on a Mission” series today talking about fearless mothering and three ways to trust God in all seasons of life. Join us for three practical tips to strengthen your trust in God.

Related Resources

Related Podcasts and Posts from The Busy Mom

Mom on a Mission Podcast Series

• Your Mission, Should you Choose to Accept It…
• Are you a Worrier or a Warrior?
• Be Courageous! You’re a Mom on a Mission
• Choosing God’s Perspective
• Trusting God’s Heart

Courageous Mothering: Encouragement for the Weary Mom – podcast – There are so many things pulling at mothers in this generation—the tug-of-war over our hearts is intentional. Fear, distractions, worry. Satan’s goal is to distract moms from what really matters—the bringing up of our children. While the world will tell you to mother your kids from your own strength—God has another way! He wants to replace your weakness with His strength in a beautiful exchange. Your job has never been more important than it is right now.

A Spiritual Battle – podcast – The Bible says we do not struggle against flesh and blood, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. There really is wickedness in this world, so we need to be looking at the world with spiritual eyes. We cannot fight this spiritual battle using a carnal weapons like manipulation or unkind words. We need to be using the weapons of prayer and application of the Word of God. Those are the weapons we use to engage in spiritual warfare! We read in Ephesians 6 that we are to put on the belt of truth and buckle it around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and fit our feet with the gospel of peace. God is telling us over and over again that the battle we fight is a spiritual battle.

A Powerful Partnership – post – God gives children to us as “arrows” in the hands of a warrior.  That makes you a warrior, busy mom!  And you’re not just a run-of-the-mill warrior, either—you are an archer.  You’re in the arrow-launching business!

Suggested Resources

Firmly Planted Bible Study for All Ages – We all agree that teaching our children the life-changing truths of the Bible is one of our most important jobs as parents. But where do we begin? How do we consistently explore God’s Word in a way that helps our children understand and apply the core truths of biblical teaching in their own lives? The Firmly Planted Family Series is divided into ten-week studies and is your key to making sense of the Bible—even if you’re learning right along with your children. Each lesson provides a core idea, a simple narrative, memory verses and discussion questions for children of all ages. And the companion student workbook is filled with age-appropriate, full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age!

Spiritual Protection for Your Children by Neil T Anderson – How do parents help their children find their own spiritual freedom, allowing them to grow in independence and strength in Christ? Pete and Sue Vander Hook, a typical Christian pastor and his family, learned the hard way how the enemy can infiltrate a seemingly secure Christian home and wreak havoc on a family. It details their dramatic journey and shows how parents can provide a protective covering for their home. Neil Anderson then provides follow-up steps on how to take authority of your home and secure your family’s spiritual well-being. Spiritual Protection for Your Children also provides “The Steps to Freedom” adapted for use with 0-4 year olds (i.e. how to take authority on behalf of your preschool age child), 5-8 year olds; and 9-12 years olds

Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer – You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted.   So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.

Scripture References:

Isaiah 43:1 “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” ESV

Psalm 107:2 “Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.” NLT

Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” ESV

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”ESV

Psalm 42:5 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.” ESV

Isaiah 40:11 “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” ESV

Isaiah 43:1-3 “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

More from The Busy Mom:

Hope in Our Heartache – God’s main concern isn’t our happiness. Happiness is temporary, fleeting, dependent on the circumstances or the moment. No, He’s concerned with our holiness. Because when we are holy, we ascribe glory to Him which is the entire reason we were created.  You see, God sees the big picture in our lives, and He can use anything to make us more like Him. Failure, hunger, depression, heartache, wayward children…

Prompted by Love, Inspired by Hope – The endurance needed for the days of mothering is inspired by hope.  The hope of good things to come if we don’t give up.  The hope that as we train our children, they will walk in the truth. It’s truly a hope that is prompted by love.

Related Resources:

Where’s God When it Hurts? by Philip Yancey – If there is a loving God, then why is it that … ? You’ve heard that question, perhaps asked it yourself. No matter how you complete it, at its root lies the issue of pain. Does God order our suffering? Does he decree an abusive childhood, orchestrate a jet crash, steer a tornado through a community? Or did he simply wind up the world’s mainspring and now is watching from a distance?

A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain and God’s Sovereignty by Joni Eareckson Tada – Joni Eareckson Tada offers her perspective on divine healing, God’s purposes, and what it means to live with joy.

The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippets – Kara Tippetts knows the ordinary days of mothering four kids, the joy of watching her children grow … and the devestating reality of stage-four cancer. In The Hardest Peace, Kara doesn’t offer answers for when living is hard, but she asks us to join her in moving away from fear and control and toward peace and grace. Most of all, she draws us back to the God who is with us, in the mundane and the suffering, and who shapes even our pain into beauty.

Hebrews 13:6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Related Resources

Podcasts and Posts from The Busy Mom

Courageous Mothering: Encouragement for the Weary Mom – podcast – There are so many things pulling at mothers in this generation—the tug-of-war over our hearts is intentional. Fear, distractions, worry. Satan’s goal is to distract moms from what really matters—the bringing up of our children. While the world will tell you to mother your kids from your own strength—God has another way! He wants to replace your weakness with His strength in a beautiful exchange. Your job has never been more important than it is right now.

A Spiritual Battle – podcast – The Bible says we do not struggle against flesh and blood, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. There really is wickedness in this world, so we need to be looking at the world with spiritual eyes. We cannot fight this spiritual battle using a carnal weapons like manipulation or unkind words. We need to be using the weapons of prayer and application of the Word of God. Those are the weapons we use to engage in spiritual warfare! We read in Ephesians 6 that we are to put on the belt of truth and buckle it around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and fit our feet with the gospel of peace. God is telling us over and over again that the battle we fight is a spiritual battle.

A Powerful Partnership – post – God gives children to us as “arrows” in the hands of a warrior.  That makes you a warrior, busy mom!  And you’re not just a run-of-the-mill warrior, either—you are an archer.  You’re in the arrow-launching business!

Resources

Firmly Planted Bible Study for All Ages – We all agree that teaching our children the life-changing truths of the Bible is one of our most important jobs as parents. But where do we begin? How do we consistently explore God’s Word in a way that helps our children understand and apply the core truths of biblical teaching in their own lives? The Firmly Planted Family Series is divided into ten-week studies and is your key to making sense of the Bible—even if you’re learning right along with your children. Each lesson provides a core idea, a simple narrative, memory verses and discussion questions for children of all ages. And the companion student workbook is filled with age-appropriate, full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age!

Firmly Planted Family – Our Non-Profit Website

Spiritual Protection for Your Children by Neil T Anderson – How do parents help their children find their own spiritual freedom, allowing them to grow in independence and strength in Christ? Pete and Sue Vander Hook, a typical Christian pastor and his family, learned the hard way how the enemy can infiltrate a seemingly secure Christian home and wreak havoc on a family. It details their dramatic journey and shows how parents can provide a protective covering for their home. Neil Anderson then provides follow-up steps on how to take authority of your home and secure your family’s spiritual well-being. Spiritual Protection for Your Children also provides “The Steps to Freedom” adapted for use with 0-4 year olds (i.e. how to take authority on behalf of your preschool age child), 5-8 year olds; and 9-12 years olds

Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer – You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted.   So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.