Episodes

This week we’re talking about gift giving – it’s Biblical, you know! But how do you manage it without being immersed in the commercialism of a secular holiday, while glorifying God and having fun together? We’ve found that being more intentional and deliberate in choosing gifts and even in how we open them together, and encouraging our children to think of people rather than stuff at Christmas, has great benefits! Biblical Passages We Mentioned The wise men who brought gifts to Jesus – Matthew...

Celebrating Thanksgiving: Christ-Centered Traditions & History Making Biblical Family Life Practical with Hal & Melanie Young Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that still says what it means—giving thanks. But how do we move it beyond food, football, and stress, and turn it into a joyful, Christ-centered family tradition? In this episode, Hal and Melanie share how you can reclaim Thanksgiving as a time of purposeful remembrance, gratitude, and witness to your extended family—without losin...

(Stock Image: Deposit Photos) Most of our eight kids are adults now and we are so blessed to have good relationships with all of them – and they all get along with their siblings, too! Some people ask if they’ve always been peaceable, and we have to say NOPE. But we found several things along the way that helped shape the sort of family we have today – that’s the subject of this episode! References Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure tha...

Christians and Jews are sometimes called “People of the Book” because we rest our beliefs on the written word of God. It’s natural for a new believer to have a new desire to read the Bible — but there are a lot of different versions on the shelf! What makes them different? Which Bible is best for new believers? What would we recommend for young readers? We’ve used many different Bibles over the years, and this episode we’re talking about what we’ve experienced, what we used with our family, and ...

After the shocking and tragic death of Charlie Kirk last month, there was an unexpected tide of people online who found themselves drawn to God in a way they never had. Some had left the church of their childhood years ago, while others had never been in church at all! Suddenly they felt a call to be in church now. And many had questions – how do I approach this? Do I need an invitation? What’s expected of me? This episode, we’ll look at some common questions and give some good news for those wh...

On October 31, 1517, a young theologian and priest named Martin Luther posted a list of debate questions on the door of the university church in Wittemburg, Germany. What was intended as a invitation for scholars and theologians to meet and consider, became the starting point of a sweeping reformation of Christ’s church – and led to a life-and-death decision for the young Brother Martin. Our family takes time each year to remember the heroism of one man who stood up for the authority of God’s wo...

Halloween and the Reformation Halloween and the Reformation may not seem to have much in common. What does Halloween have to do with the Reformation? In this episode listen as you learn about Halloween alternatives. Be sure to follow this episode several ways! One by subscribing to this podcast here – and another is listening on iTunes, Spotify, download or listen on this website. Look up this podcast on any podcast app! You can also share this with a friend. Among the secular holidays, Hallow...

Rules are a good and necessary part of running a home and raising a family. Why do our best efforts sometimes breed resentment or even rebellion, when it’s all so well-intentioned? This episode we’re looking at the crucial balance between rules and relationship in our home! Treasure Hunt Tip: Listen to the podcast to hear a Golden Homeschool Nuggest from fellow Ultimate Homeschool Network Podcast show host, Dr. Melanie Wilson from the Homeschool Sanity Show! Download the 12th Birthday Treasure...

If God has called you to teach your children at home, that’s what you need to do! But it’s easier if everyone around you is cheering you on. What do you do if your parents or in-laws or extended family are skeptical? How do you and your family keep on the path when there are headwinds? How do you handle questions, criticisms, or other opposition? And what can you do to find the encouragement you’re not getting from the family? LINKS OF INTEREST Census data shows the number of families homescho...

Christianity, Homeschooling, and Patriotism (Replay) Podcast: Making Biblical Family Life Practical with Hal & Melanie Young Episode Theme: How Christians can love their earthly country without confusing it with their true citizenship in heaven—and how to teach those principles at home. Sponsor: NOW Programs Episode Summary Hal (former military) and Melanie talk candidly about the tension some believers feel around “God and country.” As Christians, our first allegiance is to Christ and His Ki...

Teen Boys Who Hate School? Why It Happens—and What Actually Helps (MBFLP #178) Episode Details Show: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Episode: #178 Title: Teen Boys Who Hate School? Why It Happens—and What Actually Helps Hosts: Hal & Melanie Young Do you have a teen boy who drags his feet, loses focus, or declares he’s “just not a school person”? You’re not alone. In this episode of Making Biblical Family Life Practical, Hal & Melanie explain what’s going on under the hood (hello, bra...

You spend years teaching your sons right from wrong, good manners instead of bad, and all the right social skills. Yet in a super-sensitive time, even a hint of misbehavior toward a female – sometimes just an accusation – can affect the rest of their lives! When you’ve worked hard to keep your son’s conscience clear and his life innocent … how can you keep him from stumbling into trouble he didn’t deserve? This episode, we’re talking about training your son how to keep his life above reproach – ...

Part 2 – Making Competition Helpful, Not Harmful When you’ve got more than one child, you are going to have challenges. How can you teach them to play together and enjoy games without the older ones overrunning the younger? We had six boys over a twelve-year span, so we had to figure this out! This episode, we’re talking about some practical ways to make family competition helpful, not harmful. Games, sports, and competition are Biblical. Remember the Bible often describes our Christian lives ...

MBFLP Episode 253: Siblings Without Rivalry (Part 1) Hosts: Hal and Melanie Young Presented by: CTCMath.com – The math curriculum that actually makes sense! Episode Summary Sibling rivalry. If you’ve got more than one child, you’ve likely seen it – the teasing, bickering, pestering, and outright conflict. But what if your kids could become lifelong friends instead of rivals? In this episode of Making Biblical Family Life Practical, Hal and Melanie answer one of the most frequently asked par...

Earlier this year we talked about books and authors the two of us enjoy together (episode 245, “What Are You Reading Right Now?”) and we mentioned that each of us has genres we like personally but separately. A caller on our Listener Response Line reminded us that we hadn’t returned to those books – “You teased us a little bit!” she said – so this week, Hal is sharing some books of history and biography which he’s been reading. The Value of History Over half the Bible is historical narrative, ...

“My son shows me disrespect.” “How can I deal with the disrespect from our kids?” “What can I do to teach my children to be more respectful?” It’s something we all have to deal with as parents, and yet it’s hard – and some of us struggle more than we expected! This episode, we look at the very real question of respect – teaching our kids to show it, dealing with them when they don’t, where this may be coming from, and what God expects from all of us! Thank you to our episode sponsor, CTC Math. ...

Vacation, the Bible, and Your Budget sponsored by the NIV Application Study Bible It’s summertime, and like many families, we’re on vacation! Our annual trip to the lake is a tremendous encouragement after all the travel and work of conference season. You know what else is encouraging? To realize the Bible supports the idea! God established a pattern of work and rest from the very beginning – creating the world in six days and ceasing His work on the seventh. It was a matter of civil law in th...

A reader writes, “I need suggestions how to discipline my 14-year-old son.” She’s finding out what we all discover – if you try to discipline your 14-year-old like he was still six, you’re likely to have a fight on your hands! So what do you do with this young person who’s growing so tall, but still needs a lot of guidance and discipleship? Thank you to our sponsor, CTC Math. It’s more than behavior management With younger kids, a great deal of our training is behavior – “Don’t tease the cat,”...

The Bible is Reliable: Tell Your Kids! Special Replay: Sponsored by the NIV Application Bible. Jews and Christians are known in many cultures as “The People of the Book.” Our faith is grounded on the truth of God’s word! But there is a definite history of how that word was given, recorded, and distributed over the centuries. This episode, recorded at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., we’re talking about teaching your family about that history and the reliability of the text we have ...

We’ve seen that understanding history can help us navigate the present, too! The question is, how can we help our children learn to appreciate history like we do? What can we do to spark their interest, to make it memorable, and bring it to life for them? This episode we talk about several things we’ve built into our homeschooling family life to elevate history from dry lists of names and dates to a lively narrative of people, places, and ideas – in short, a grand story! Thanks to our sponsor C...

Homeschoolers have the blessing of flexibility on so many issues – and graduation timing is one of them. Should you plan to graduate your student at 18? What about the precocious kids who might earn a diploma by 15? Or kids with health or learning issues, should they graduate later? We’ve had all three situations – this episode we’re talking about what we decided and what we learned! Sponsored by Judson College. The post Graduation – Early or Late? – MBFLP 291 (Replay) appeared first on Ultimat...

A reader asks: “How can we help dads connect with their kids?” Sponsored by Judson College Looking for a Christ-centered college that values academic excellence and your family’s faith? Judson College, located in Marion, Alabama, offers a supportive environment where young women are encouraged to grow in knowledge, leadership, and purpose. With small class sizes, a rich campus community, and a legacy of Christian education, Judson is an ideal choice for homeschool graduates ready to take the n...

What makes the homeschool mom more anxious than the prospect of high school? But there’s good reason not to fear — and good reasons to stretch yourself and make it happen — when considering your homeschooler’s high school years. Don’t miss this episode – we’ve graduated three and we’ve got an encouraging story to tell! Sponsored by CTCMath.com Episode Title: Homeschooling High School—Sure, Why Not? Air Date: September 14, 2015 Audio File: MBFLP-2015-09-14-Homeschooling-High-School-Sure-Why-No...

When the house has little children in it, parents can get tired and discouraged from the constant needs, emergencies, and repetitions of their little flock. So much effort goes into keeping everyone alive to the next day, it’s hard to think about a long-term vision! Yet we’ve found that many things we did just to keep the family safe, sane, and manageable, had great effects on the family as the kids reached teenage and adult years! This episode we look at some ideas we adopted when the family wa...