Abide in Liberty

Abide in Liberty is officially coming to an end, but not before summarizing the key takeaways from the podcast. I also take the time to make good on my promise to share parent feedback from the No Screen November challenge. Thank you to all who have listened all this time, and God bless!

This week I wrap up the seven-part series on the Miracles of the American Revolution. In this episode I pay my tribute to the miracle of George Washington. Not only was his placement in history miraculous, but his comportment before, during, and after the American Revolution are remarkable in ways we take for granted today. He defied history to become the father of a free nation when most in his position would have followed history’s pattern of becoming just another dime-a-dozen tyrant.

For part 6 of our series on the many miracles of the American Revolution, I share the story of the Battle of Yorktown in a way that you may have never heard it before. It's been a long time since the full story of the American Revolution has been allowed to grace the classrooms of public schools, but this final episode in the great war for independence could not have come to its victorious conclusion without God's aide. Join me in learning about, remembering, and celebrating this amazing conclusion to a war that American should never have been able to win. This is one you don't want to miss.

Valley Forge was undoubtably an extremely difficult time for Washington and for the Continental Army. But because this was such a difficult situation, it's also a prime place to look for God's hand and for His miracles, and we are not disappointed in our search. There are many miracles, not the least of which is how he helped them weather the difficulties and come out the other side stronger than ever. Although we don't see these trying episodes in our lives as miracles and blessings while we go through them, that doesn't make them any less miraculous in how transformative they are.

If you have been following along with us in our No-Screen November screen fast, you should have just a few days left of the fast. If you haven't decided what your long-term changes are going to be, now's the time to firm those up. In this episode, we address some other common parent concerns, provide a list of good "house rules" that we recommend all families implement going forward, and talk about how the trend in modern education to merge schools with screens is harmful and needs a major course correction, and that can start with you and I.

If you started the No-Screen November fast with us on November 6th, you should just now be entering week three. You are almost through with the fast, and hopefully you've seen plenty of evidence to convince you that unhealthy screen usage has been affecting all members of the family. These past weeks have allowed you to catch a glimpse of just how good life can be without the negative influences of abundant screens in your life, and hopefully your ready to seriously consider implementing some long-term changes in your family. That's what this episode is all about - planning for the future and starting to craft a long-term plan.

We are one week into the No-Screen November challenge. Most kids and even parents should be able to see some benefits already. We shared some early positive feedback from families who started the challenge early. If you haven't seen any progress yet, we provide some areas you might need to trouble shoot. If you HAVE seen significant progress, we talk about how important it is to avoid the temptation to get lax on the no-screen rules. The benefits compound each week, so don't let off the gas! Outline: 0:15: Introduction 0:55: Concerns from parents and participants 1:27: The electronic babysitter and the importance of breaks for parents 5:17: What if other experts don't thing screens are a big deal 7:49: How will I get a hold of my kids!? 11:55: The electronic elimination diet 13:52: Early No-Screen November success stories 18:44: Improvement you might seen after one week of the screen fast 20:28: Why you might not have seen these benefits yet / troubleshooting ideas 26:15: Personal reflections - what have we noticed in ourselves as adults? 28:14: Key takeaways from week one of the screen fast - power forward! 29:39: What to expect in week #2 30:37: You don't have to worry about what happens after the fast... not yet anyways

I originally anticipated only spending one week on No Screen November, but after all the feedback we've received and the concerns that parents have shared with us, we have a lot more to talk about that we hope will be helpful to you in beginning and sustaining a screen fast, and then continuing many of those habits for years to come. We spent a lot of last week talking about the negative impacts of screens, but this week, we focus on painting a picture of the amazing things you can expect by taking control of screen usage in your families and getting each member more fully engaged in the real world. Outline: 0:15 - Intro: More on No Screen November 4:02 - Information correction from last week's episode 5:00 - Concern #1: medium vs content 8:18 - Concern #2: How can my kids have a "normal" social life without screens 11:24 - Concern #3: Teenage textersations 15:26 - Concern #4: Preparing kids early to live in a screen-filled world 19:48 - Concern #5: "But the Church is using screens for missionary work" 20:53 - Concern $6: Using shame and fear to motivate the screen fast 25:49 - What to have in place before beginning the screen fast 30:20 - What a brain needs to develop normally 34:47 - What benefits you should see during No Screen November 40:03 - Case study #1 - Billy's social blossoming 44:04 - Case study #2 - James' slow decline 45:22 - Case study #3 - Liam overcomes some enormous challenges 47:35 - Likely cause of IQ decline in recent years 49:02 - We can reverse course in our families and our community!!

This week on Abide in Liberty, we take a quick break from the Miracles of the American Revolution series to kick off “No Screen November.” The screens we find ourselves surrounded with are a very new development in human history, and neither we nor our kids are responding well to their effects. We have come to accept the irritability and distractibility that accompany them as normal, but they are NOT normal. In a world where Satan runs rampant, we can’t afford to distract ourselves from God’s promptings, and we certainly can’t afford to waste any time worshipping on our glowing, pixelated altars. Join us in taking charge of our lives through a 25 day screen fast. Then after the fast, join us in deliberately crafting boundaries that ensure the negative effects of screen usage you and your kids are experiencing today do NOT return. Outline: 0:19 - Taking a quick break from Miracles of the American Revolution 0:49 - Satan's power on the rise, we need to bring our A game, screen aren't helping 4:06 - Incentive for Liberty Youth Academy families 5:04 - Why do the No Screen November challenge? 7:33 - Behaviors resulting from screen usage 14:53 - What screens do to the body that results in these behaviors 25:16 - Using screens to "unwind" is counter productive 29:25 - Screen free road trips are AMAZING! 31:15 - Passive vs interactive screen usage | What is the No Screen November challenge 37:03 - What about after the screen fast? 42:55 - Returning to "normal" does not mean a return to screens 47:09 - Academic decline since advent of screens 49:11 - Screen fasting and screen control is NOT extreme; our world is what is extreme 53:33 - Thanksgiving break is the BEST time to do this 55:52 - Don't feel guilty for not doing this sooner 56:45 - How to do this challenge when I still have to use screen at work 1:02:38 - Boredom is a good thing! Let your children embrace it! 1:05:30 - Conclusion and wrap up Get the full episode on the Abide in Liberty podcast wherever you get your podcasts (www.abideinliberty.com), or you can check out the podcast's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXG7V1wLcAb_tx0D7o0PnQ).

It's no wonder that American History in public schools went the way of the dodo about the same time that God was unceremoniously thrust from the public square back in the 60's. I've spent years studying the American Revolution, and you simply cannot make an honest study of the American Revolution without coming to the conclusion that, either the Americans were cosmically lucky to an unfathomable degree or they were supported by the hand of God. This episode is the fourth in a series of episodes on some of the coolest miracles from the American Revolution. In this episode, I share the miracles that led to an American victory at Trenton and Princeton just days before the Revolutionary War crumbled and failed. Angels were there helping keep the cause of freedom on track. Outline: 0:15: Introduction 1:34: Battle of Trenton background 4:15: Washington refuses to give up 9:17: Inspiring the army to keep going 11:56: Crossing the Delaware and march to Trenton 15:05: Battle of Trenton and the miracles that led to victory 17:32: Army agrees to stay on one more month 20:14: Daring midnight march to Princeton 22:14: Washington risks all to motivate his soldiers 23:54: Revolution revitalized 24:31: What we learn from this - humility, righteousness, and faith make victory 26:12: Call to action - help me share this story!

It's no wonder that American History in public schools went the way of the dodo about the same time that God was unceremoniously thrust from the public square back in the 60's. I've spent years studying the American Revolution, and you simply cannot make an honest study of the American Revolution without coming to the conclusion that, either the Americans were cosmically lucky to an unfathomable degree or they were supported by the hand of God. This episode is the third in a series of episodes on some of the coolest miracles from the American Revolution. In this episode, I cover George Washington's miraculous escape from New York when, by all accounts, the American Revolution should have ended then and there. Outline: 0:15 - Introducing the series on the miracles of the American Revolution 4:12 - Boston victory galvanized American to the cause of independence 7:06 - British move to New York 8:18 - Overview of New York geography - favorable to British 11:46 - Washington arrives in New York, followed by the British 13:43 - The British attack, American's clobbered and trapped 16:06 - Miraculous escape 21:34 - A different kind of miracle - rescuing from mistakes

It's no wonder that American History in public schools went the way of the dodo about the same time that God was unceremoniously thrust from the public square back in the 60's. I've spent years studying the American Revolution, and you simply cannot make an honest study of the American Revolution without coming to the conclusion that, either the Americans were cosmically lucky to an unfathomable degree or they were supported by the hand of God. This episode is the second in a series of episodes I'm going to do sharing some of the coolest miracles from the American Revolution. In this episode, I share with you how God succeeded in driving the British from Boston with a little bit of help from two amazing men, George Washington and Henry Knox. Outline: 0:15 - Recap where we left off last week 2:45 - After the French and Indian war - Great Britain ticks off Boston 5:15 - The Boston Masacre 6:18 - Tea party anyone? 7:12 - The Revolutionary War officially begins - Battles of Lexington and Concord 10:00 - Siege of Boston begins 11:27 - Washington appointed commander; humbly accepts 14:51 - Taking Boston - an impossible task 15:26 - Henry Know and the cannon run 17:17 - Taking Dorchester Heights 19:32 - The British abandon Boston; American should never have succeeded 23:17 - A parable for us today

It's no wonder that American History in public schools went the way of the dodo about the same time that God was unceremoniously thrust from the public square back in the 60's. I've spent years studying the American Revolution, and you simply cannot make an honest study of the American Revolution without coming to the conclusion that, either the Americans were cosmically lucky to an unfathomable degree or they were supported by the hand of God. This episode kicks off a series of episodes I'm going to do sharing some of the coolest miracles from the American Revolution. In this episode, I set the stage by sharing a miracle that George Washington experienced years before the American Revolution that ensured he would be alive to fulfill his crucial role later in life. Make sure and listen - you'll be shocked at the story this Native American chief told about George Washington in one of the ugliest battles of the French and Indian war. Outline: 0:15 - Introducing series of American Revolution miracles 3:21 - Prophecies of America's founding 7:41 - George Washington and the national covenant 11:37 - Why have you never heard about these miracles? 14:11 - The first miracle - Washington's miraculous preservation

Constitution Day is to Independence Day what Easter is to Christmas. Without Easter, there would be no Christmas because it's the resurrection that makes Christ's birth notable. Similarly, without Constitution Day, there would be no reason to celebrate Independence Day as we would have likely been swallowed back up by the British Empire, and you know they don't celebrate the 4th of July. Join this podcast for a little history and for my tribute to a group of men who were truly remarkable and are deserving of our heartfelt gratitude. We should be making more statues of them, not tearing down the ones we have. 0:00 Introduction 2:33 Declaration of Independence overview 3:28 Articles of Confederation (our first constitution) and all the problems it caused 6:30: Constitutional Convention convened to amend Articles of Confederation 7:52: Washington, Hamilton, and Madison had different plans though 10:33: The Constitution was signed, but that wasn't the end 13:59: Four miracles that made the Constitution possible 20:22: The best spirits God could find, they were NOT evil

I start by sharing my experience training our dog. After that, I walk you through how that led me to some insights into the importance of discipline. Self discipline has almost become a four letter word in our culture, but rather than run from it, we desperately need to reinstate its importance in our personal lives, our family lives and in our society at large if we ever wish to return to being a nation capable of governing itself. I also share some thoughts on principles we should keep in mind while disciplining our children. Join me for the second of this two part series, and recommit to leading a disciplined life of Christian service.

I start by sharing my experience training our dog. After that, I walk you through how that led me to some insights into the importance of discipline. Self discipline has almost become a four letter word in our culture, but rather than run from it, we desperately need to reinstate its importance in our personal lives, our family lives and in our society at large if we ever wish to return to being a nation capable of governing itself. I also share some thoughts on principles we should keep in mind while disciplining our children. Join me for the first of this two part series, and recommit to leading a disciplined life of Christian service.

While Trump proclaims his intentions to retaliate for the persecution he has undergone if he is able to reclaim the White House, Oliver Anthony shares what we actually need to change the individual and collective souls of America. The answer is not retaliation and revenge, it's not Trump, and it certainly isn't Biden. What we need is virtuous charitable leadership that will put God first before all other considerations. Only by playing for God's team do we open ourselves up to his power and aid. We didn't become a nation without Him, and we will be powerless to repair our nation without Him.

In a head to head debate where logic and common sense are allowed, it's not hard to defeat the arguments of transgender activists. This movement has only been so successful because it has figured out how to shout so loudly that neither they nor you can hear the arguments against it. Cold logic though, does not also help though when on a personal level you are required to confront this issue with some you love. How do you balance Christian love with a bold declaration of Christian and scientific truth? Join me in this podcast where I share some principles that have helped me navigate this tricky balancing act in my life.

Allowing people and countries to specialize in certain things has undoubtedly raised the standard of living for most people on the globe. If there's one thing that COVID taught us though, it's that specializing too much and sacrificing self reliance on the altar of efficiency and maximizing the amount of stuff we can produce and consume is a terrible idea. In this series, I explain some basic economic principles and show how specialization tempered with a focus on self reliance around the necessities of life is not only a good idea, but it's essential for surviving the calamities foretold prior to the second coming of Christ.

Allowing people and countries to specialize in certain things has undoubtedly raised the standard of living for most people on the globe. If there's one thing that COVID taught us though, it's that specializing too much and sacrificing self reliance on the altar of efficiency and maximizing the amount of stuff we can produce and consume is a terrible idea. In this series, I explain some basic economic principles and show how specialization tempered with a focus on self reliance around the necessities of life is not only a good idea, but it's essential for surviving the calamities foretold prior to the second coming of Christ.