“Whatever is the meaning of life?” “Whatever happens when one dies?” “Whatever is your highest value?” – questions that demand more than a “Whatever!” answer. The “Whatever!” answer of secular thinking dampens, even squelches, serious thought and attempts at engaged conversation in our culture. The “Whatever!” of Secularism even invades the church. Rather than be discouraged, take heart in God’s command in Deuteronomy 12:32.

You diligently home educate your children, but many voices (including some within the homeschool community) tell you why and how you should be doing it. Many of these voices are disconcerting, not building unity with the King of your home-based discipleship efforts. This session will explore the interrelationships between the basic reasons for homeschooling, the freedom we have in Christ, our attitudes, our choices, and our practices as we teach our children. It will tackle the expectations and messages of the world that may still have deep roots in our and others’ home-education paradigms. May the Spirit free us at last, and help us spread the message of liberty in Christ.

Hear how the Supreme Court and our nation’s lower courts are failing to hold parental rights to the same legal standard as fundamental rights like speech and press, and how European court decisions on children’s rights are influencing our U.S. judicial system. Michael Farris describes threats to parental rights that involve the political right, political left, and international law, and proposes a solution that will be the battle of the century for homeschoolers and other pro-family forces.

Start Strong: You may think you’re just beginning, but others have gone before you. Learn from the lessons of those who have gone before. Enjoy God’s sense of humor when it comes to the last 25 years. Stay Strong: “Be strong in the Lord.” Human strength fails and fades, but His strength will help you stay strong. Have a plan to defend your freedom and hope that you’ll never use it. Finish Strong: The finish line is not in your hands, it is in your children’s children and generations to come. It’s not a stroll in the park – it’s a marathon. Endure “in the strength of His might” so that you can finish strong.

The best and most effective opportunity to win large numbers of Americans to Christ is found in our children. Based on the research of George Barna, Michael Farris presents homeschooling as the very best method to accomplish this. Church leaders are challenged to wake up to the spiritual damage occurring in their church’s children via public education. Parents are encouraged to make sure that the spiritual opportunity presented by homeschooling is not squandered.

Picking the perfect curriculum is a tricky task. In this session we will overview the general types of curriculum and educational styles. Learn how to navigate the market, avoid purchase pitfalls and find the right fit for your family’s learning styles and budget.

Michael Farris, one of the outstanding constitutional lawyers of our time, discusses the importance of knowing the content and purpose of the founding documents of our country, and how that can impact our interpretation of issues today.

Homeschooling doesn't have to cost hundreds of dollars per child. Vicki homeschooled seven at a time while their family was without a full-time income for four years, sometimes spending less than $100 per year.

How can the preschool years be the starting point for a solid foundation in your child's life? Be encouraged and challenged to raise children who will be mighty in God's kingdom as you learn to teach your preschoolers with intention. Practical and fun ideas, with thought provoking challenges, will send you home excited and eager to take advantage of your child’s early years.

YES YOU CAN. Hey, we won't lie to you! It can be intimidating. But the fact of the matter is that you really CAN do it! Homeschooling through high school is the gift that keeps on giving because it affords the one thing that is so fleeting in the teen years: time.

Do you want to forgive, but the feelings just won’t go away? It’s easy to say forgive and forget, but my memory just doesn’t work that way. This session shows the dangers of bitterness and unforgiveness, giving practical Biblical helps to achieve genuine forgiveness.

Learn to discern worldviews and to understand their impact on every aspect of our culture. We will analyze worldviews through interviews with those who hold opposing worldviews. Learn practical tools to reach non-Christians and to confront the culture with the Truth.

In this fast-paced, easy-to-understand workshop, you will discover how to honor (not curse!) that wiggler in your midst; how to create a rich atmosphere for learning that will attract every learner; how to utilize your children's strengths to learn subjects that are hard for them; most importantly, you’ll discover how God delights in the incredibly individualized mechanisms for learning inside each of us! With this insight, including new research on intelligences, you will be able to adapt your teaching strategies AND choose your curriculum wisely.

Who isn’t often overwhelmed with the many challenges that crowd the homeschool schedule? There are bright spots along the way, but are we enjoying the rich fulfillment in our marriage that was once the heart of our dreams? Where could that be hiding? It's found in the passion and purpose of your first priority. You can take tangible steps right now toward the stellar, God-inspired love story you were intended to live. (For wives)

With humor, drama, and adventure, Bruce will give the audience a look at life in the old west. They will hear about the pioneers, the stage coaches, the steam trains and the cowboys. An interactive story and a lively harmonica are thrown into the mixture.

You want your children to be the best academically, spiritually, and physically. You also want to have godly compassion for your children. In striving to lead his wife and eight children to "greatness," however, Brian has found that he can fall into the sin of provoking them. He'll use scripture and experience to address the way to combine high expectations with justice, mercy, and love.

Is learning a breath-taking adventure in your home school, or more of a weary, forced-march, plodding through endless subjects? Join Diana for this refreshing, reviving, and reinvigorating workshop where you will discover the best brain practices in learning, the environment that encourages learning, and the many non-traditional ways students can practice what they are learning. Take a new look at practical, proven, and possible ways to make your home school journey a wondrous adventure.

You know you need to let the children be more involved in helping at home, for training them in character and in practical skills, AND for your sanity! But where do you begin? This foster mom to almost 50 children will share tips and practical helps that have enabled her to homeschool 17 children and still be able to open the front door to guests.

Are you so overwhelmed that you find yourself going through the motions of school, without a clear sense of purpose or direction for each of your children? With a few tips, tools and techniques you can create a doable plan that will help you feel more confident and purposeful. We’ll look at how to assess the whole child, evaluate the school year and set tangible, achievable goals for each of your students. Come learn how to start with The Counselor, take practical steps, and even include your spouse in the process!

One of the chief benefits of homeschooling is allowing our high school students to spend extra time pursuing their passions and delights. Can these also be added as credits to their transcripts? You bet. Learn some techniques to take the activities your students are already doing and discover how to create credits for their transcripts that will make them shine.

The first two waves of attacks on homeschooling were essentially based on lies. You won’t succeed academically. Your kids won’t be socialized. We proved them wrong twice. The third wave is fundamentally different. It accuses: you will teach your kids that Christianity is the only true religion. This attack is true. Michael Farris examines the newest anti-homeschooling strategy of the legal elites, explains how it will impact us today and tomorrow, and outlines a plan of action.

We, as Christians, are sometimes afraid to talk with many Atheists, New-Agers and Evolutionists. Too often, we fear we won’t have answers to their tough questions. Be encouraged. Learn four killer questions that will help to destroy the secular thinking that encases the minds of friends, relatives and others. Learn to destroy sloppy, secular arguments without destroying the person.

Items that will be covered in this workshop are: • The legal process for teaching students that qualify for “Special Ed Services” • Types of disabilities that one might need to specifically address through this legal process • Ideas proven to help many students with special needs • Can you write your own PDP? How? • Answers to specific questions from the group.

It's easy to convince ourselves that marriage is something we chose. But there's far more to it than that. Your marriage is something God chose. Your marriage is what God is doing and He had a specific purpose in bringing you and your spouse together. What does God want to reveal about Himself through your marriage relationship? Be encourage and inspired by the reality that God is actively at work through the message in your marriage – a message He put there and wants to share with the world.

Many Indians of the Nez Perce tribe of the Old Oregon Territory received visions from the Creator that a Book was coming to them. This was called “The Macedonian Call of the West.” Join Pastor Aaron Auer as he tells how they traveled to St. Louis to talk to General Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in search of this “Book of Heaven,” our Bible.

Do you feel like your homeschooling has hit the wall? Or maybe you have hit the wall?! Would you like to engage your children more? Heidi will teach you the wonderful skill of notebooking using the "show ‘n’ tell" approach. She will have plenty of examples for you to look at and resources to take home. This is not a condemnation of workbooks (They do have their place.), but rather it is an opportunity for you to discover a life-giving, truly interactive way of learning. This is also a very hands-on workshop. Heidi will walk you through several approaches to notebooking, and you will discover that there is a notebooker inside of you!

The Family Discipleship Plan is a practical guide for the comprehensive discipleship of the whole family. Effective discipleship is intentional and touches every aspect of our lives. At the heart of the Family Discipleship Plan is a non- condemning “checklist” that leads parents to be deliberate about the discipleship “plan” they have in place for their children. It is a great family project that offers ownership to each family member in their personal walk with Christ.

Are you overwhelmed by the options? Not sure where to begin? Good planning is the key to any successful road trip, so Vicki will walk you through a planning checklist to help you prepare for this homeschool journey! Topics include research, goal setting, supplies, schedules, and more, plus Six Tips for Success. Appropriate for any grade level.

Have your nicely laid out lesson plans and goals been disrupted by real life? Come get some ideas for staying peaceful, joyful and hopeful as a home school mom. Megan speaks as a mom who never had it all together, but one who found God’s help and goodness in the midst of a messy, real homeschool life.

What does it mean to be an Entrepreneur? Is entrepreneurship just for a select few, or is it something that even young people should pursue? In scripture, we are taught that the basics of entrepreneurship – responsibility, initiative and ownership – are important, not just for business owners, but also for young people who are just beginning to make their way in life. Now, you too will be challenged to think of yourself as an entrepreneur. In this session, you will learn 5 powerful, yet practical keys to developing as an entrepreneur, gaining an understanding of why they are essential and how you can implement them.

Depressed, lonely, anxious, or just feel like exploding inside? This session deals with feelings that we all have at times and gives practical Biblical steps to take when our feelings are spiraling downward. This talk specifically deals with loneliness, depression, guilt, and bitterness.

Too often, Christ's followers lend credibility to artificial authorities, posers who speak persuasively and wield influence. In this session, students will learn to recognize the characteristics of artificial authorities, witness artificial authorities from both church and culture, become adept at discerning the difference between true and artificial authorities, and discover how Christ's followers are to respond with truth and grace.

It may come as a surprise, but your spouse wants to be loved and understood just as much as you do. Enjoy the blessings and benefits of loving communication. Don’t allow the continuous pressure of homeschooling priorities to distract you from the most important responsibility and relationship you have. Come for specific instruction and practical insights – leave with renewed hope and purpose for your marriage, made in heaven.

Come learn from Pastor Aaron how the Church responded to “The Macedonian Call of the West”. They sent Oregon’s first missionary, Jason Lee, the original Trailblazer of Oregon, who established the first Oregon Mission with the Indian children.

The essential history crash course for every Christian homeschool parent. Do you wonder, "Whom do I trust and what do I read to know real history?" Diana will equip YOU, regardless of your curriculum, to find your way through the challenges. She will lead you to a path you can follow in discovering treasures of history with your family.

Blessed are the flexible - for they shall not break! Have you been homeschooling through some challenging seasons of life lately? There are seasons of upheaval - moving, and perhaps health challenges. It's easy to wonder if we can successfully homeschool throughout periods of change. Join Heidi as she talks about how to navigate through the seasons of life and find joy and freedom in homeschooling along the way. You can do it!

Vicki will help you decide what is important to your family, where you need to begin, and will discuss organizational challenges unique to homeschoolers. Vicki Bentley, fellow busy homeschool mom, shares practical ideas that have helped her manage her household of ten.

Dr. Ray explores scripture, the state of government-run education, the origins of public schools, research on homeschooling, and personal experience to answer the question, “Who Should Be Educating Your Children?” He boldly challenges every Christian parent to face the idea that perhaps home-based education is the “default setting” that God has designed for the education of children. Dr. Ray, one of the world’s leading homeschool researchers and homeschooling father of eight children, calls and warns parents to not be a stumbling block in their children’s lives (Matthew 18:6).

Choose your college with results in mind. Learn what colleges expect of homeschooled applicants and how to make it work for you. Build a portfolio that sets you apart. Ace the Common Application and interview. Write winning application essays. Win college scholarships for tuition, housing, meals, books and travel.

In 1840 approximately 1200 Native Americans gathered for 3-4 days in The Dalles to hear Jason Lee preach. Find out what happened when Pastor Aaron shares about the wonderful moving of God amidst the people who attended.

Who cares what Jesus would drive? Christian environmentalists are asking the question in order to "drive" the church to proclaim a greener Gospel, claiming the Church needs to be more concerned about climate change, overpopulation, melting polar caps and animal rights. Christian environmentalists want churches to instruct believers to become activists on these vital issues facing the planet. Have Christians missed the importance of caring for the earth? In this timely evaluation, Bill Jack examines what the biblical response should be to an issue that is dictating government policy, changing the economy and shifting Western culture.

Watch your step! Those wee ones are learning form everything you do. Betsy will offer encouragement and ideas for mothers of toddlers, especially those balancing their older and younger children's education.

Read description carefully: The “Perfect Family” is in the other seminar! Bickering, holiness, selfishness, and sacrifice. Being iron, extending grace and striving after loving relationships in the home. Hear the Jacobson family speak openly about the joy and challenge of walking together in unity.

Are there examples from various times and various cultures that show the unmistakable handiwork of the Creator/Redeemer God? Does history have more to teach us than mere dates, names and places? For an intriguing look at the Story behind the stories, join Diana for this adventure-filled recounting – which could change your life!

Have you ever experienced a series of days, weeks or even months when you felt like you just could NOT get on top of all that you had to do? Most moms struggle with finding a balance when it comes to homeschooling and staying on top of the rest of your day. Homeschool mom, if you're struggling with trying to do it all, you will enjoy hearing some of Heidi's favorite tips for managing homeschooling and homemaking...and still finding time to fit in "other things" (like alone time with your husband!) Bring a friend and leave your preconceived ideas at the door because real moms sometimes serve Cheerios for dinner!

What comes to mind when you hear, "Joyful mother of children"? If you aren't sure this describes your perspective on motherhood right now, come learn six steps to guide you to the joyful path! We will also discuss practical strategies to help us stay "tuned up."

Practical training techniques from the fire service and how you can use them to prepare your child to live a godly life.

Gain SAT strategies to achieve the best score possible with the least amount of anxiety. Impact your campus for Christ for eternal treasures.

In 1924 a memorial statue of a man on a horse with Bible in hand was placed in Salem, on the Capitol grounds. It is called “The Circuit Rider”. Come hear stories about the Pioneer Preachers, or “Circuit Riders” that this statue commemorates.

Christian young people are leaving the faith in droves and, homeschoolers are not completely exempt from this tragedy. Even though we have received so many blessings and advantages through the sacrifices of our parents, the fight continues, and we will lose if we let down our guard. This session, addressed primarily to the next generation of homeschoolers, will clarify what is at stake in this new era, and inspire young people with the courage necessary to be faithful to, and build upon their godly heritage.

It's a Jungle out there - How do we equip intrepid explorers with skills and tools to navigate through the forests of knowledge and data?

What parents don’t want their children to be effective and successful in life? How ironic! That's exactly what God wants for your children, too. But God’s idea of effectiveness and being successful – generational faithfulness – is about much more than mere success, American-style. How do we pursue this path? In achieving God's best, we’ll need to embrace His intentions and priorities. Parents, you have a vital part to play BUT, Young Person, so do you!