2020 Workshop Speakers

Non-Christians seem to have the advantage in our culture. We, as Christians, are sometimes intimidated by or even afraid to talk with many atheists, new-agers, evolutionists and other Wizards. 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 Wizards’ secular thinking that is encasing the minds of friends, relatives and others. Learn to destroy the Wizards’ sloppy, secular arguments without destroying the person.

Who cares whether it was 6 days or 6 million years!? Isn’t this discussion unnecessarily divisive to the Christian community? Are we not losing credibility with the scientific community and hurting the cause of Christ among non-Christians by insisting on a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-3?” Learn to respond biblically to such charges so that “no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception.” Old-earthers, progressive creationists, and other Wizards come try and stump the wild-eyed, fanatical, six-day creationist.

The biggest and most enduring Counterfeit Reality of all time is most cleverly foisted upon people through film. See how moviemakers convey a secular worldview to the public…in the blink of an eye! Keep in mind Colossians 2:8, and keep focused on Bill Jack’s media examples and use of technological illusions. Otherwise, you may lose sight of True Reality.

From peach baskets to pitching mounds, from movies to museums, from…well, come discover what tools and opportunities you might be overlooking to use in reaching this culture. Practical strategies and insights!

So you want to be your own boss?  It isn’t as easy as you might think but, how we think, determines what we become and are able to do. Mr. Riddell is an entrepreneur with years of experience in both traditional roles and entrepreneurial opportunities. Whether you have a boss, or wish to be your own boss, he will provide you with the secrets that can help you kick your career into high gear.  What you do doesn’t matter as much as how you think.  Take a journey with him as he tells the story of his son-in-law, Rueben Burwell who now runs his own business and the things he had to learn in order to move it to success.

Every one of us exerts some level of influence with others but what if you knew how to use influence in a skillful way. When it comes to influence, most people are either bunglers, smugglers or sleuths. How you both understand and use influence will change the way people respond to you. Mr. Riddell will share with you 6 principles of influence that will change your life if you know how to master them in a skillful way.

Where are the Leaders? Mr. Riddell will share how a chance encounter with his fathers’ military trunk uncovered secrets to Leadership that he has used to create fast growing businesses and competent leaders. Leadership isn’t always what we think it is and when you know what Biblical Leadership looks like, it will change the way you work with your family, your church and your job associates.

The Bible is quick to point out that a person that does not work should not eat. It also commands that “whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God!” How do you bring Glory to God in your Work. Most people work but few know how to chart a course that will lead them to the kind of success God has in mind. Mr. Riddell will take you on his personal journey and how he was able to chart his course that led to both Biblical success and financial rewards.

America needs Christian journalists! Ever wondered what opportunities there are in the media for Christians? Can a Christian thrive and survive as a journalist? Come explore these and other journalism themes with WORLD Magazine contributor and entrepreneur Marty VanDriel.

This is a fascinating look at how human nature has driven the search and discovery of dinosaur fossils. We will look at some of the intriguing people who have been driven to find these creatures, and the strange directions they took because of their worldviews.

A summer vacation at one of our National Parks becomes so much more exciting when viewed through the lens of Scripture. A virtual laboratory for the effects of the Flood and the Ice Age, Yellowstone National Park is a great place to start. This seminar focuses on how you can apply the Scriptures to what you see as you venture through our oldest national park.

Nathan comes from a long line of Christians going back to at least the 17th century. Now it is his turn to begin to pass off the torch to the generations that follow. Join him as he teaches on how to cultivate deep-rooted spiritual disciplines in our children that will prepare them for the future and stay with them long after we are gone. Nathan will include practical instruction on how to teach children to be mighty in prayer, committed to the church, active in using their spiritual gifts, thoughtful in bible reading, and equipped to preach the gospel to themselves and others.

We are not only called to teach our children to understand what Jesus commanded but to lead them in obedience to his commands. One of those commands is to make disciples. Part of disciplining a person is to lead that person to disciple others. How do we do this together as a family? How do we address the fears that hold us back from reaching a hostile world, and help our kids experience the joy of leading others into the Kingdom of Light?

Whether hiking in the mountains, watching a movie, or doing the dishes, all of life is meant to be lived to the glory of God, but how? In this workshop, Nathan lays out the biblical foundation for seeing all of life as worship. He also shares several tips for walking this out, including how to engage in “cultural catechisms” with your kids, a practice that will help them interpret media through the lens of the gospel and a biblical worldview.

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

Officer Bryan Elliott of the Renton Police Department presents ideas on how to be proactive in protecting your family. Learn how you can prepare your family, detect warning signs and build awareness of the challenges we face today. He presents ideas on how to secure your home, online usage and ideas on personal self-defense to include the entire family. Do not be deceived. Understand the threats. Gain knowledge on what you can do to create a safer environment for your family in these challenging times.

What is wrong with homosexuality? Our nation is rapidly moving from a position of accepting homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle to demanding its acceptance even among those who have biblical convictions against it. The wise Christian will have a biblical answer ready for those who question why they uphold “traditional” (biblical) marriage values. Is homosexuality wrong? Why is it wrong? Why does it matter, really? Understanding Romans 1 is key to knowing what the Bible teaches on this contentious subject.

Author Douglas Bond believes there is no more important single skill to master, for parents and for children, than writing. Don’t miss this five-session Special Event Writing Seminar with award-winning teacher and, according to one fellow author, “…one of America’s most impressive Christian storytellers,” who writes “historical fiction at its mesmerizing best.

Douglas Bond will elucidate important observations about writing and communication from the letters, devotions, sermons, and books of the author with more published volumes than any other writer in the 19th century.

Author Douglas Bond will give insider information and instruction on preparing to write the common application essays for university entrance, as well as the SAT essay. This seminar will include the relationship between essay writing and journalism, writing news reports, opinion/editorial, commentary. You will learn the importance of logic, supporting statements with three levels of evidence, and the importance of demonstrating how evidence supports the theses statement and subordinate statements in essays and articles.

Author Douglas Bond will reveal his own method of writing historical fiction, research and preparation for writing, and how this method relates to other genre of fiction writing. You will learn Bond’s C4: Explosive Writing formula in this session.

Author Douglas Bond will take you back to the mead hall of 8th century Northumbria and explain the roots of English poetic conventions and why it is of critical importance that you learn and teach poetry in the homeschool curriculum.

Douglas Bond, hymn writer and author of the Mr. Pipes series on the history of Christian hymnody, will define what a hymn is and teach you how to measure the quality of a hymn. You will learn why the most enduring literature any generation can produce is its hymnody, why a healthy church will sing the best hymns from the past, and will produce Psalm-like new hymns. Few have ever read a sermon of Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley or John Newton, but you sing their hymns (or ought to be doing so). In this session you will learn one of Bond’s New Reformation Hymns and how he sets about writing a new hymn. Bond will give away several free copies of his new Rise & Worship CD album during this session.

Are you bogged down? Burned out? Do you have a worn-out spirit? Don’t care anymore? Can’t face another day? Does the daily grind now supersede your once high-held vision of educating your own children? You’re not alone. Many have faced burnout. In fact, educators in general are one of the highest classes of people to experience burnout. We will identify the warning signs, and then consider strategies for pulling you and your children out and up. Dynamite strategies to avoid ever burning out…or ways to crawl out, if you’re already there.

Shave months and years off from academic sludge by using these clever strategies to “cut to the chase.” Cut corners, cut cluelessness, cut confusion—replace them all with awesome “aha’s” in subject area after subject area. These trump academic drudgery. Renee developed and employed these new “academic-lasers” to advance numerous children several grade levels within a matter of months. These strategies work like nothin’ you’ve ever seen. You’ll go forth happily empowered. Teach Phonics Faster ~~ Teach Math Faster ~~ Teach Grammar Faster

A growing number of homeschoolers are on the precipice of falling off the edge of one or the other of two educational extremes, both of which have undesirable outcomes. Many are opting for unschooling… finding it difficult to be disciplined in the area of academics. Conversely, there are others who are dangerously near making academics their god. The objective of this workshop is to help you avoid these two major pitfalls, even at the subtle presupposition level. As a bonus, you’ll find out how even the normal pursuit of general knowledge is NOT good for some things! Come examine what the marks of a truly Biblical education are. Get powerfully refocused. End up with the good results you were hoping for.

Many homeschoolers lose all of their beginning efforts by not carefully thinking through what they want to accomplish through their children’s high school years. Here is a vision for what high school progress could look like… with no regrets.

You can spot the difference in the children of a focused mother a mile off! Today’s mothers are distracted by many “noble” uses of their time. But while she is preoccupied, her children are the silent losers. These losses are deep and irretrievable. We’ll show you have to raise your conviction and sharpen your aim, so that your children will end up a cut above the pack. The impact of focused motherhood is huge and blessed. Mom, come to this one to see how your influence is more than you know.

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

If parents don’t proactively combat competitiveness between their children, it could grow into destructive behavior that cripples their relationships long term as well as their legacy. In this workshop, we will discuss how to detect a competitive spirit within your family, how the parent might be perpetuating or provoking a competitive spirit amongst their own children, and practical ideas on how to cultivate strong sibling relationships.

WE MAY NOT KNOW NOW, JUST HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT THE DISTRACTION OF TECHNOLOGY WILL HAVE FUTURE GENERATIONS, AND IT STARTS WITH US, PARENTS! WILL OUR CHILDREN’S GENERATION HAVE AN EVEN HIGHER RATE OF DIVORCE? BUT INSTEAD OF FINANCIAL REASONS BEING THE MAIN CAUSE, WILL IT BE ADULTERY DUE TO PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION, OR ESCAPISM AND ADULTERY OF THEIR HEARTS WHICH ARE ADDICTED TO AN ONLINE SOCIAL WORLD? Will distracted or unengaged parenting be identified as the main cause of low self-esteem and suicide in children in the future? Join us as we discuss this relevant topic of parenting kids in a social media and technologically advanced world, how to prepare our children for an uncertain world.

Entitlement attitudes are a prevalent heart issue today and most parents might not realize the warning signs. We should all desire a God-centered home. We need to make sure that our priorities are straight, and our priorities should be God, marriage, and then kids. Join Isaac and Angie as they discuss twelve signs of a Child-centric home and how to recalibrate your family culture to be one that honors and glorifies God while living out the spiritual disciplines that reflect a biblical perspective on priorities.

Isaac gives practical insights in creating a family culture that influences ongoing spiritual growth. You will be equipped and challenged with ways to run family meetings, seize the dinner table opportunities, acknowledge the power of prayer, and do Family BibleTime. We will also talk about driving forward a culture that aligns with the current needs of your family.

In parenting, what we do today determines tomorrow’s fruit; therefore, vision is required. The journey of working towards a dream together to glorify God is powerful in cultivating a long term family culture. Isaac teaches practical ways to dream together that involve the whole family.

Do your children respect you? Do they respect others? What about authorities of any kind? You should expect your kids to obey and respect you because God expects it of them, but have you taught them what the Bible says on this? In this session, Angie will cover three practical and Biblical keys to raising kids who will respect you and how you can cultivate deep relationships with your children as they grow into the teen years.

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Postpartum can be one of the most vulnerable seasons in a woman’s life for growing weary, making it difficult to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy. Join Angie, author of Redeeming Childbirth and the creator of the first ever Christian Postpartum Course, for some biblical and practical tips and encouragement for pressing on and thriving in this delicate but precious season in your mothering.

This is for your puzzling child. Is it just a maturity issue, or is something else going on? If you have a bright, hardworking child who has to work too hard to learn, he is telling you that one or more of his Four Learning Gates is blocked. You can easily pinpoint which of your child\’s gates are blocked. Learn how to be your own diagnostician using a checklist of symptoms, and then learn the necessary interventions. This can be done by the parents at home. It doesn’t have to be so hard for your child!
Find out specifically how the brain processes information, and where that processing can break down. You will learn things you have never heard of before in a Homeschool workshop. A homeschooling mom with a Ph.D. in special education said that she learned more in this workshop about how kids learn and how to make learning easier, than she had in all her university courses!

Half of the population is right brain dominant, and half is left brain dominant. You may have a right brain learner in your midst! These wonderful children learn in a different manner than their left brain siblings. If you have a child who does not like school work no matter what you do, you will learn much in this workshop.
You will learn how to identify the right brain child and learn many simple teaching techniques, such as Right Brain Spelling (making the words stick instead of slip) and Right Brain Reading. (As a bonus, you will also understand your spouse better, since we tend to marry the opposite hemisphere…God’s sense of humor!)

Do you have a child who seems to be allergic to a pencil? If you have a child who groans and fusses about writing, or still writes reversals, or spells a word orally correctly but leaves out letters when he writes, this workshop is for you! This child’s math papers are often hard to read because the numbers are lined up so poorly! These children are often thought of as sloppy, lazy, or unmotivated when they really have a writing glitch. They are using way too much energy for the writing process, so they are reluctant to put pencil to paper for anything. This often is a true Dysgraphia. The writing learning gate is the most common gate that is blocked with gifted kids. They know so much, but just can’t get their thoughts down in writing because of this blocked learning gate.
In this workshop you will be shown a daily exercise you can do with your child to get the writing into his automatic brain hemisphere, and take the stress out of his writing system. Because this exercise remediates Visual/Motor Processing, it is used throughout the United States by athletes to improve performance on the court or field!

Many people think that some are just born with a photographic memory. But we now know that this amazing ability can be easily taught. Teach your children the lifelong skill of studying for tests by taking a picture of the contents of a chapter. These memory techniques are commonly used by Cambridge University students to reduce studying time.
For some children, math is a monster! They hate it and always feel dumb when doing it. These children have difficulty learning math facts. They tend to do poorly on tests, because they forget how to do the math processes (division, fractions, algebra, etc.) In this workshop you will learn how to help your child 1) finally store the math facts in their long term memory, and 2) finally store math processes in their long term memory. Your child will finally be able to pass the math tests and go on to the higher math courses using right brain math. No curriculum to purchase… just fast, effective, right brain strategies to use at home to reduce math frustration and tears! So many moms report that their child now likes math.
These powerful visual memory techniques work with all types of learners, and can be a Godsend for a child who has an auditory processing glitch. Have a happier child this year. Even works with adults!

Johnny is a constant motion machine. Tom cries in frustration over minor matters. Susie forgets what she has just learned. According to Dr. Sydney Walker, children tend to “act how they feel”. This fascinating workshop provides you with clues to your child’s brain/body chemistry. William Crook, MD, has found that over 85% of children who suffer with Sensory Processing Disorders or attention or mood disorders when older have experienced multiple ear infections as a young child. Untreated, these children often go on to have many hidden food allergies and asthma.
It is easy to correct these imbalances at home and dramatically affect your child’s learning day. The testimonies that we receive from parents across the United States who are using these simple remedies with their children are amazing!

When a pair of bright-eyed lads bedecked with black slacks, white shirts, ties, and black name tags ring your doorbell, what should you do? Should you just ignore them until they go away? Is it okay to let them in, or does the Bible prohibit that? If you do talk to them, what should you say? Dan answers these questions and more, and lays out a simple game plan to keep your time with Mormon missionaries productive and God-honoring.

Dan uses a YouTube video, which uses mathematics to prove that Noah’s flood could not have happened, to introduce the audience to critical analysis of skeptical arguments, including how to spot logical fallacies, hidden assumptions and presuppositions that can turn otherwise flawless number crunching into an exercise of futility.

Did you know that 50–80% of believers lose their faith in college? Though American colleges originated from biblical foundations, too many have become institutes that devastate the faith, finances, and purity of youth. Come find out creative 21st-century ways to design your own higher education without corruption!

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

Sign up required. Join us to learn how to collect and pin bugs in an insect collection. In this study of entomology participants will go home with their first beetle pinned and ready for a collection, along with the knowledge to expand on their collection.

Sign up required. We will build and test wet and dry cell batteries. It’s helpful to have an understanding of pH before taking this lab, though it’s not required. We will tackle the following questions: How were batteries invented? What is inside a battery? Where does the power come from? How on earth does a potato produce electricity? What is electricity? and Why is a 9 Volt so powerful when it is smaller than a 1.5 Volt D cell?

Sign up required. In this family friendly lab we are building and testing electromagnets. It will help if you have a solid understanding of batteries prior to taking this lab, though it isn’t required. Together we will tackle questions including: How were electromagnets invented? Why do electromagnets work? What metals can be used in an electromagnet and what applications do electromagnets have? Students will construct and take home a simple electromagnet.

Sign up required. In this family-friendly lab, we are building and testing simple electric motors. A solid understanding of electromagnetism is helpful but not required. Together we will tackle questions including; when were electric motors invented and how does an electromagnet drive a motor. Students will create and take home a simple working electric motor.

Sign up required. Students have the opportunity to dissect a frog! Young children can be successful in this activity with direct parent support. Students must take directions and safety seriously in order to participate. How are amphibians able to survive in and out of water? What does the word metamorphosis really mean? How does metamorphosis point to God as Creator? What is the difference between incomplete and complete metamorphosis?

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

Young people can learn effective communication skills through competitive speech and debate! It is imperative that these skills are taught regardless of natural ability or desire. We must equip them for the culture wars and how to speak and defend truth with confidence. Hear the National Christian and Forensics Communication Association’s (NCFCA) vision and how to engage now.

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

Proverbs 29:2 states, “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” There is a groaning epidemic in America because when the many righteous people in our nation don’t communicate with their governing officials, don’t participate in the legislative process, and don’t vote, they can’t influence our government.
But how? Don’t despair! God used our Forefathers to build this nation; He can use us and our children to help restore it. Learn effective and doable ways to have a powerful effect biblically and for righteous reasons, because you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor—including your enemies—too.

As parents we have a God given mandate to protect the children He has entrusted to our care. To do that effectively we need to be knowledgeable about potential dangers, how they can be mitigated, and what to do when they cause harm. In the realm of technology, these risks are changing and increasing faster than we may be able to keep up with, as our usage, even reliance, on our must-have technology continues to grow.
How do we face these challenges? Who is at risk? Are video games really harmful? What do our kids know that we may not? What if there’s already been an incident? In this workshop we’ll explore the answers to these questions and equip parents with the knowledge they need to wisely guide their family’s use of technology.

Do all Americans—including Christians—actually have a significant role in our state and national governments? Learn from the experiences and perspectives of those who have been on the front lines in Olympia and around the state. Find out what you can—and must—be doing to make a big difference in our God-given government for the good of the citizens and for His glory.

Ever been overwhelmed just by considering the 12-year homeschooling project? There is hope! As in any major project, certain things must come together, step, by step, by step…, to successfully meet the desired goal. And homeschooling is no different. Let’s hop together through a map of grades 1-12 to see how this principle applies—whichever approach we choose—to effectively and efficiently helping our children MASTER everything necessary for adulthood.

Are you ever frazzled, frenzied, and frustrated because you can’t get it all in? A hint: We can’t! But we can significantly reduce the pressure by making choices based on God’s priorities. So, come and learn practical ways to design a workable, flexible, Bible-based schedule by evaluating, from God’s perspective, the myriad of viable “good” activities in order to choose what is very “BEST” for YOUR FAMILY. And discover that using His principles can bring joy and peace to your home-based discipleship adventure.

Of all school subjects, history with all its facts seemed the least important to us. But, as parents, we recognized how past events, cultures, governments, etc., influence our lives today. And we realized that, without a good understanding of history, we could neither learn from the successes and failures of the past nor make wise choices about the future. Thus, history from a Biblical perspective became the core of our academic homeschooling curriculum. And WE ALL LOVED IT and have benefited greatly from it. Learn ways you can easily and enjoyably do this, too!

Learn more HERE! Pre-registration is required for each of these groups.