With so much cultural discord and upheaval, it can be easy to give into despair if we lose sight of our true source of HOPE. Like the Men of Issachar, we must understand the times and know what to do. In this promising session, Rick shares strategies for families to understand and navigate the current state of our country with a biblical, constitutional, & historical perspective full of JOY & HOPE! Together, we’ll train up a generation of leaders who are ready to fight for our freedom and spread HOPE throughout their communities.

In this most popular of Rick’s presentations, Rick shares a look at our founding fathers, our courts, and our founding documents to take a historical perspective on the current debate regarding whether or not our nation was founded on biblical principles and how that founding should affect current public policy, and whether our faith should be part of both our private and public lives.

Parents considering homeschooling often worry about whether their children will be “normal.” They wonder if their children will emerge from homeschooling prepared for success in life, or if they’ll emerge socially inept and uneducated. Daniel Craig, a second-generation homeschooler, will share why he’s glad he was homeschooled and why your children will be too. Based on personal experience and the unchanging truths of God’s Word, Daniel will help you understand what homeschool “success” really is, where it comes from, and the real reason it matters.

So often, Satan tries to sabotage our effectiveness for the kingdom by placing boulders in our path stealing our God-given joy. Erika speaks truth and encouragement as she identifies how to choose joy along the journey while avoiding some of the major joy-killing sinkholes of our current culture. Homeschool moms will be empowered in their callings as wives, moms, and educators as they are pointed to their true identity in Christ.

Have you just started your homeschooling journey? Receive information on legal requirements, what to expect in the first year or two, and how to navigate the various ages and stages of homeschooling. Whether you're starting with preschoolers or high schoolers, this session will help you start strong!

Getting Started Handout

In state after state, the School Choice movement is being pushed as the answer educational freedom for families. The reality is that School Choice initiatives not only don’t deliver on their promises, but they are a threat to homeschool freedoms. You have probably heard statements like these:
“We need school choice!”
“The money should follow the student!”
“They’re my tax dollars!”
“If you don’t want regulations, just don’t take the money!”
OCEANetwork Board member Tauna Meyer addresses these statements and shares why School Choice initiatives and government funding of private education is NOT the answer. Learn about the blessings of true homeschool freedom for families and how, by the grace of God, we can protect those freedoms for generations to come. 

School Choice Resources

School Choice Session Notes

As servant leaders of our family, how do we leverage our time, treasures, and talents to create a setting for our children to grow closer to the Lord, nurture their giftings, and prepare them for a life well-lived that honors their creator? Join Forrest Mora, dad of eight, as he unpacks the resources God has given each of us to invest in our family.

Technology is inescapable, but it is not the enemy. Using these critical action steps, you can learn to manage technology so it does not manage you. It can be a great tool for ourselves and for our families.

Hear from the panel of veteran homeschooling moms as they discuss their struggles and triumphs of homeschooling. They will share how they scheduled their days, taught multiple levels, managed high school while also having toddlers, what hindsight has revealed, and much more! Receive encouragement from moms just like you! (Followed by Q&A.)

It’s so important to teach our kids God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Learn ways to prioritize these things in your family culture, your weekly homeschool schedule, and the daily challenges of parenting. You’ll come away with a refreshed vision for these precious years with your children and practical tools to help you focus on the Lord together!

Cultivating Bible Habits Handout

In Jeremiah 29, God's people have experienced judgment and find themselves living in the midst of a hostile culture. God promises to deliver them in His time and directs them to establish homes, build families, and seek the welfare of the city in which they are living. God has a plan for restoring a godly culture. And your family has a part in it.

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. Listen to 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.

Like you, when we began our homeschooling journey, we asked ourselves, "Will we be able to teach them all they need to know for success?" There were so many options and subjects to teach them. They were loaned to us knowing almost NOTHING, and we were expected to fill up their noggins and prepare them for adulthood. Little did we know then that homeschooling turned out to be not only what we taught them...but what THEY taught US. Never would we have believed how God would use homeschooling to teach us what He needed us to know as parents, homeschoolers, and as His children. So join Todd for an intimate time of sharing and laughing at the lessons my children taught me. My hope is that you'll start to view your homeschool day less as a time to teach and muscle through but as a gift. During our time together, we will look at the smile stealers and makers in your homeschooling world and get you smiling again. Because you have a lot to smile about!!!

Your house is a disaster, your kids seem out of control, and you wonder how you'll ever make it through another day of school. Your "get up and go" has "gotten up and went." You used to think homeschooling was the best thing since sliced bread, but now you're feeling like burnt toast. Take heart—you're not alone! No one homeschools because it's easy. You do it because you believe it is best. But there are times when you need to be reminded again why it's best. Join Todd as he does just that. You'll laugh and be encouraged in the toughest job you'll ever...love.

Eighty percent of the children labeled "Learning Disabled" in school are boys. That's why wise parents understand that the confinement, boredom, and regimentation of school should be avoided if boys are to thrive. The key to understanding and cooperating with the drives God has built into boys is recognizing that boyhood is preparation for the roles of family protector, provider, and leader that naturally and biblically fall upon men. We must understand that we are not raising boys but training future men if we are to make boyhood the exciting and profitable season of life that God intended it to be.

Have you ever felt lost amid all the "stuff" that is marketed to homeschoolers, confused by the many voices telling you to do it this way or that way? There's no need to panic. The wisest man in history has some advice to offer. Hear powerful, practical solutions that will help you get your priorities straight. God wrote the Proverbs for parents just like YOU.

After diagnosing her youngest daughter with autism, Sonya found herself in a spiritual valley. Though your valley may look different, the giants she encountered there may seem eerily similar to your own. Learn what Scriptures the Lord used to help her overcome five giants in the valley: the giants named Fear, Faltering Faith, Uncertainty, Guilt, and Self-Pity.

One of the perks of homeschooling is the opportunity families have to build relationships. Learning to live and learn together, 24-7, provides a wonderful environment where relationships are cultivated. It isn't always easy, but the benefits are well worth the effort! Heather and Colene provide an honest look at how to thrive in the beautiful but sometimes messy world of living and learning together.

X-Boxes, Game-Cubes, the INTERNET, Facebook, and iPhones have changed how we live, have fun, and interact. Children quietly glued to game monitors for hours have replaced laughter and creativity. They beg to play, whine when they can't, and even lie about the time they've spent on "the gadget." Teens and pre-teens spend most of their waking hours texting, chatting on Facebook, or 'tweeting' on Twitter. Today's latest-breaking technology becomes tomorrow's obsession, demanding more time, attention, and sacrifices. Technology has become a powerful tool, and everyone is doing it...but maybe you feel like you've lost control in your home. Does the chill down your spine tell you that something is terribly wrong? Do you feel like a beast has invaded your home, but you don't know how to handle it? If so, listen to Todd talk about the timely topic of taming the TECHNO-BEAST!

It's quiet but deadly. It can poison a whole family when no one knows it's there. It dampens affection, kills communication, and leaves hearts wounded and hurting. It is the number one reason marriages break up, and parents lose their children's hearts. The Bible describes it as a "root" that springs up and defiles many. In this talk, Rick Boyer explains how the poison of bitterness damages relationships and how the grace of God can put them back together again. Peace and love in your home are not just a dream.

Academics are important, but they are not the key to a successful life. When your children grow up and leave your home, you want to make sure they have learned the life lessons that will serve them well for time and eternity. This workshop discusses the issues that matter most in life and how you can pass them on to your children in the brief time you have with them.

Have any of you ever felt paralyzed by the idea of your children having huge glaring gaps in their education? It's time to face your fear and conquer it! Fear is a joy-thief, but it doesn't have to hold you hostage. Discover four tips that will set the stage for a life-long pursuit of learning and help you forever conquer that fear of the gaps!

"How long, O LORD? Wilt Thou forget me forever?" This was the cry of David's heart in Psalm 13. Most of us have been there. As a parent, you will probably encounter seasons when life is just too much, and you despair of ever feeling that you're up to the challenge of raising godly children in a hostile world. But God had a solution for David, and He has the same grace available to you. Hear how disappointment and tragedy were turned into victory in a homeschooling parent's life.

Life can get so crazy! Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of why you're spending so much of your time homeschooling. Wouldn't it be easier to send them off to school like most people do? In this session, Marilyn Boyer will help you renew your vision (or develop it), sharing why she's so glad she spent 37 years of her life doing just that.

Handout available at: https://www.oceanetwork.org/2023-speaker-handouts/

Discover how we can reach the heart of our boys and inspire them to embrace this training phase of their lives as they pursue living a life of purpose that, like the knights of old, courageously puts the needs of others before their own. The world needs more kind, courageous, and bold men who will lead their families well and make an impact in their world both now and for the rest of their lives. It starts with igniting the imagination, honoring their love for adventure, and casting a vision for the training process.