In this episode of Paideia Conversations, Melissa Cummings from Paideia Northwest is joined by Kristen Kill, lately of Portland, OR to talk about the wonder, wisdom, and worship of poetry. Really, it was just a fun conversation about all things beauty, poetry, and language... we kept chatting, because it felt like there was so much to say! Find out what Kristen loves about poetry reading & writing, who some of her favorite poets are, and how she incorporates poetry in her own Christian walk of faith. This is a peek into the Paideia Northwest bonus event on November 4th, where Kristen will come talk to us about the intersection of wonder, wisdom, and worship in the art of poetry... and maybe even help us with a poetry-writing exercise while she's at it.

The last of our three main speakers for this year's Paideia Northwest conference joins us for this conversation, continuing to ponder the themes of wonder, wisdom, and worship. As a photography journalist, homeschooling mama of ten, and recent co-author of the book Gather, Heather Tully is a font of encouragement and grace on these topics! She shares some of her own favorite bits about educating her kids at home, focusing primarily on relationships - individual relationships with God, relationships with one another, and corporately together as a family having a relationship with God and neighbors. What a beautiful tapestry! Heather also gives some of the inside scoop on the backstory from the book, Gather - what it was like to photograph the Gathering times of nine different families, traveling around the country to see the Lord at work in such a variety of different homes, and she even throws a nod to conversations she and I had as we daydreamed about Paideia Northwest and Paideia Southeast collaborating... and how this year's own conference theme ended up as the subtitle of her beautiful new book. If you have a rocking chair on a porch, if there's a summer breeze, and if you can top off a cup of coffee with a healthy splash of cream, then you will not want to miss joining in on this latest Paideia Conversation.

We are one day closer to the 2022 conference brought to you by Paideia Northwest, and in this episode of Paideia Conversations, we are joined by author, blogger, speaker, and podcaster Pam Barnhill to chat about wonder, wisdom, and worship - and how they work with one another, challenge us, bless us, and equip us... especially for those of us who are homeschooling moms trying to balance all the housework, homework, academics, and attitudes day by day. Pam's contagious laughter is sprinkled throughout, and this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Pop open a bottle of ginger kombucha, pop in your earbuds, and come chat with us!

As we prepare for the opening of registration for Paideia Northwest's 2022 conference for Christian mamas raising their kids for Christ, I get the pleasure of checking in with the conference speakers one by one... and you get to listen in to find out what they are preparing to share with us in November as we discuss Wonder, Wisdom, & Worship. And as today's podcast guest suggests, we might throw a little Work into the discussion as well! It all ties together so nicely when Christ is at the center of it... why not?! For this paideia conversation, we get to hear from Mystie Winckler from SimplyConvivial.com and ScholeSisters.com to find out about her plans for this year's Paideia Northwest event. She will not only have hard copies of her first book, The Convivial Homeschool, available for purchase but will be expanding on some of the principles and experiences shared therein for her session at Wonder, Wisdom, & Worship. As a seasoned homeschooling mama with two graduates so far, and three more well on their way, Mystie shares with us about her own need for wonder in her pursuit of wisdom as well as the perspective that keeps worship as the central element in their home and life. Don't neglect the gathering of the saints! From that centrality of worship flows wisdom and wonder to carry into family worship, personal piety, and home education routines. Also, just for fun, find out what drink, hymns, and books Mystie has currently at her fingertips. I hope this whets your appetite for learning more from Mystie on November 5th! This is just the beginning.

Paideia Southeast member Jenn Discher joins podcast host Melissa Cummings to chat with Sara Fragoso, who recently spoke at a Habits event hosted in Georgia by Paideia Southeast. She also just shared a blog post about home atmosphere that will echo some of the topics in this episode. Listen in as we hear from Sara about the habits she exemplifies for her children and pulls her family along into when it comes to discipline, Scripture, mottos, and obedience. A homeschooling mom of three tweens and wife to her hubby Eric, Sara brings a joyful calm to this conversation that will encourage you to reinvigorate some habits in your own routine and home life.

Here at Paideia Conversations, we are continuing the conversation about protecting our children in this postmodern era where the age of technology is everywhere we look... bringing the entire world into our homes and presenting it to the eyes & ears of those most precious to us. How do we pursue wisdom in light of this? Melissa Cummings talks today with Chris McKenna from ProtectYoungEyes.com to ask him that very question. Listen in as they discuss the 5 layers of protection, 10 before 10, what kind of devices and filters are recommended, and how to find both accountability and encouragement in the balancing of parenthood, childhood, and technology in 2022. And while we didn't actually mention it in the podcast, you might want to check out Childhood 2.0 to see Chris McKenna in a film that goes really deep really fast about these topics. This is a valuable conversation and an important topic. This is absolutely an aspect of the paideia of the Lord, so let's delve right in!

In this Paideia Conversation, Melissa Cummings shares a nuanced conversation with Greta Eskridge about her passion for cultivating true connection with her children through adventure, and combatting the destruction of connection through the atrocity of pornography. This is a real life conversation between two real moms, and we hope you will find encouragement here to have big conversations with your kids. We also share lots of ideas for further reading if you need recommendations on this topic! Find the transcript, show notes, and links over at PaideiaNorthwest.com

In this Paideia Conversation, Melissa Cummings is joined by her friend and cohost Jenn Discher from Paideia Southeast... who also happens to be today's guest! Jenn's first novel, The Elk King, was recently released, and this is a conversation all about what it looked like for her to create that kingdom, cultivating the world of Animalia while simultaneously creating a home and cultivating life there with her family for the kingdom of God. We promise there are zero spoilers in this episode! Just a lot of happy stories from behind the scenes, and chatting about how Jenn's work as a homemaker and homeschooling mother overlapped and influenced her work as an author. Enjoy this friendly conversation, be inspired to pick up a copy of The Elk King for your own family, and may the peace of God be with you.

In this episode, Paideia Southeast member Anya Harrison and Melissa Cummings from Paideia Northwest continue their conversation about incarnation, and it’s time to get practical. How do we incarnate the Incarnation? Let’s dialogue about some ideas. There is so much freedom of conscience here. Seek to glorify the Lord and bless your families. As Anya said, we can disagree about things like Advent calendars, manger scenes, or how we create traditions or practice Advent… but what we must agree on is the centrality of Incarnation, and understand that the doctrine is not about an event in Christ’s life but His identity itself.

Paideia Southeast team member Anya Harrison joined Melissa Cummings from Paideia Northwest for a conversation which was born out of a discussion they had had about Incarnation after reading St. Athanasius' book On The Incarnation. The difference between truth and tradition, and how one informs the other while the second can give us tangible means of practicing and pursuing the first... let's just say, we got a bit tempted to be carried away. So this is Part One of the conversation, and you can find Part Two in Episode 11. We hope that you join with us in the wonder and discomfort of considering our God-made-flesh, while you are engaging in something real and fleshy. Maybe dishes or laundry, maybe baking cookies or wrapping gifts. Maybe rocking a baby or driving to pick up a teen. It all starts with John 1, where we consider the Word, the Lord of creation, putting on a human body in order to dwell among us. But that's not the end of it... it's so much bigger than that. Praise the Lord!