#87 - Strengthening Your Homeschool Journey with Prayer

In this episode of Homeschool Unlocked, Monica and Jesús dive into the deeper meaning behind their podcast’s name and mission. They share how prayer is vital for homeschooling families and lead listeners through a beautiful prayer using 1 Peter 1:3-9. Parents, be encouraged as they pray through Scripture and find strength in faith you as navigate parenting.

Listen and unlock a new perspective on homeschooling.

 #HomeschoolUnlocked #PrayerInHomeschooling #FaithAndFamily #HomeschoolLife #ParentingWithPurpose 

https://1lnk.page/MonicaAviles

Transcript

Welcome to the Homeschool Unlocked podcast, the show that helps parents see homeschooling as a unique opportunity. So forget fear, you can inspire, you can guide your child. Homeschool Unlocked, it's not school, it's life.

Hello, Cutie Pie, how are you today? Well, I am doing fantastic now, my love. Well, if you are joining us for the first time, I'm Monica, I'm here with my husband, Jesus, and we get to present Homeschool Unlocked to you. That's right, let's do it, let's make it happen.

So what is Homeschool Unlocked? Well, I want you to imagine a house that's locked. I want us to unlock it. No, no, it is not, I wish it was that simple.

But if you ever looked at our logo, our logo is of a lock in the shape of a home and the top of the roof coming off. So what is Homeschool Unlocked? Well, in Homeschool Unlocked, we believe that in the homeschool environment, there is a unique opportunity. A unique opportunity to do all kinds of things that could only be found within that setting.

Now, what you'll notice is you've pursued these things, these emotions, these experiences, these events in other settings. Some of you may go camping, some of you may go on this trip, on that trip, some of you climb a mountain, some of you fly around. But there is a unique opportunity in the homeschool setting that we wish to unlock for you.

So this is what we do at Homeschool Unlocked, this is what we do on the podcast, slowly but surely kind of sprinkle a couple of different things here to let you know the beauty and the majesty of when you decide to take schooling into your own hands. That's right, and it doesn't, it's not about when you start homeschooling. You could start homeschooling when you're, you know, your child's a teenager.

But at that, when you decide to start homeschooling, we wanna highlight that there is a change that happens not only in your child, but also in you. You are growing, you have the ability to inspire your child in a new way. You have the ability to grow a relationship with your child, with their home, with their responsibilities, with how they see life.

So we're so excited to bring that to you today. I'm gonna start off by asking you a little trivia question just for fun. Let's do it, let's do it.

Okay, so September 25th, 1967, which famous boxer defended his world heavyweight title by defeating Zora Foley in New York? Zora Foley? No, yeah, right, but the boxer that defeated Zora Foley. Zora, in New York? Yes, in 1967. 1967, any particular weight class? Do I have a? Yeah, the heavyweight.

The heavyweight class? Heavyweight title, yeah. Heavyweight title, I'm gonna say Joe Louis. Ooh, try again.

I don't know, Rocky Marciano. No. No, Muhammad Ali.

No way, Muhammad Ali didn't beat, no. Muhammad Ali won the championship in Miami, Florida. I know that, because he won at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Okay, but this victory was one of Ali's last before his boxing license was stripped. Oh, so this was one of his last fights before, because he refused to go to Vietnam. Yes.

And so it was stripped, okay. I thought it was for his championship. His championship, homeschool unlocked party people, Miami Beach Convention Center.

I know because I'm from Miami. That's right, there you go, okay. I like it, I like it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So along the lines of boxing and being fit and kind of battling, we wanna highlight a tool that we have as believers in our toolbox. I wanna hear, I wanna hear the tool.

It is prayer. It is, that is a tool, that is no joke. So my love, let's talk a little bit about prayer and then let's just actually just spend time praying for all those that are listening, for all those that are curious or considering or initiating homeschooling for the first time, because I think that'll be great.

Yeah, and for those of us who start homeschooling this time of year, we've been homeschooling for maybe a month, maybe over a month. And so we're excited, we're getting to a little groove. It's a great time to just pause again and spend some time in prayer.

Thank the Lord, thank the Lord. Thank the Lord for the opportunity that you have. So last week we talked about 1 Peter.

Why don't we go ahead and start with that? All right, my love. So what we're gonna do is just an example of what it is to pray through scripture. We're actually gonna go through 1 Peter, right, chapter one, and we're actually gonna just pray through verses three all the way to nine.

We're gonna do that. Okay. All right, so I'm gonna start off with, we're gonna go verse by verse and then we'll kind of just pause in the process, right? So it says here, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because of his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So Lord, I just thank you that you are our God and Father, Lord. And we do, we bless your name.

You have given us Jesus Christ because you are merciful, because of your great mercy, you have given us a new birth into a living hope. And Jesus, we thank you for your sacrifice. We thank you, Lord.

We rejoice at your resurrection from the dead. And we thank you that we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. What an amazing thing.

Into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, verse five. You are being guarded by God's power through the faith of a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Lord, no matter what, Lord, we rest in the fact that you guard us, Lord.

Your power is at work in our lives. And the way that we have access to that is through faith, Lord. It's just by looking at you, by trusting you.

That's correct. Verse six, you rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials. Verse seven, so that the proven character of your faith, more valuable than gold, which though perishable, is refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Lord, that no matter what, even in our grief, Lord, we can rejoice. Thank you so much that even more than gold, you are refining us. Lord, thank you for revealing yourself to us, Lord.

Every single day, you are unfolding more and more of your greatness. So, Lord, thank you that every single day you reveal more and more of yourself. Thank you that every single day when the word is picked up, as I read, as I speak to my wife, as I look to my children, as I look into the sky, I see your creation.

Thank you for Jesus Christ. Thank you for being refined. Lord, I thank you for being refined.

I thank you for being pruned. I know what it is to actually prune a plant. I actually know what it is to set fire to something and watch impurities bubble up.

And so I'm thankful that you are there. Verse eight, though you have not seen him, and again, the apostle Paul is speaking to a people that are persecuted. Verse eight, though you have not seen him, you love him.

Though not seeing him now, you believe in him and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy. Verse nine, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Lord, we thank you so much, Lord.

We know, we see the evidence of who you are in those around us, Lord, in the loved ones that you've put around us and those in our church. And we know that you are real, Lord. We see the evidence of your work in our lives.

And we praise you, Lord. We rest in the fact that you are for us. Lord, thank you so much.

We are conscious of you. We're conscious of what you have done. We are conscious of the fact that your work is always happening, that even while we rest, you are at work, Lord.

Amen, that's right. So we come before you, Lord. We lift up all the different needs.

We don't know what they are, but you know what they are. Those who are listening today, Lord, we pray that they would take heart and remember that because they care about it, you care about it. You are an awesome God and we praise you and we thank you.

We thank you. So, beautiful people, that was just a little example how you pray through scripture. Listen, just a little comment about prayer.

It's not unidirectional. It goes back and forth. So I want to just inform you that whenever you speak to someone, don't you normally stop and listen? So part of prayer is you speak to God and in that, allow some time to listen.

Allow some time to listen. Quiet yourself tied to that. So this is just a beautiful activity you can start your day with.

You can go through a midday in, right? Or you can close your day in with your kids. Again, we're talking about tools. Monica mentioned this tool called prayer and I said that is a tool.

Yeah, and short and sweet prayers count. Literally, it can just be even saying his name, Jesus. Jesus.

And that's a prayer because it's a plea. You're crying out to him, right? And wherever you're at right now, whether you're in the grocery store or you're folding laundry, we thank God that because he owns time and space that this can help and bless you to remind you to put your cares on him, that this is not on your shoulders. This whole parenting thing is a joy because it is in his strength.

That's right, and these kids are blessings. Yes. These kids are blessings and like Monica said, this is the God of time and space.

So for those of you considering homeschooling, for those of you just curious about homeschooling, for those of you that may even think maybe homeschooling is not even in the question, God can redeem time and space. For those of you currently homeschooling, God can redeem time and space. That's right.

So keep on looking at him. That is faith and that's where you get your strength from Homeschool Unlocked family. Say it again, baby.

That he is where you get your strength from. That's it, so Homeschool Unlocked guys, it's not school, it's life. Thank you for spending time with us today.

Check out our link below and subscribe to our podcast. We hope that we helped you by unlocking a new way of seeing homeschooling. Who else needs to hear this? Only you know.

So take action and share it because remember Homeschool Unlocked, it's not school, it's life.

 #HomeschoolUnlocked #PrayerInHomeschooling #FaithAndFamily #HomeschoolLife #ParentingWithPurpose