This Devoted Life

33. SarahRuth Owens: Beyond the Curriculum- Nurturing Hearts Through Education and Togetherness

• James and Shanda

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When longtime friends reconnect after seven years, the conversation flows effortlessly from educational philosophy to practical motherhood wisdom. Join Shanda and her special guest SarahRuth Owens (@kindletogetherness) as they share insights gleaned from their weekend at a Charlotte Mason homeschool conference in Tennessee.

SarahRuth reveals how her family "flipped the script" on traditional roles, creating a lifestyle where both parents actively participate in their children's education and daily lives. This approach—which she calls "kindled togetherness"—required unconventional choices, including teaching ESL to Chinese students at 3am so she could be fully present with her family during the day.

The heart of Charlotte Mason education comes alive as SarahRuth explains why this approach resonated with her even before motherhood: "This is a uniquely created person by God, and how can I teach them to love the world God made so much that they're willing to learn about it for the rest of their lives?" Both women share their experiences from the conference's immersion day, where they stepped into students' shoes to gain fresh perspective on the method's rigor and beauty.

Don't miss SarahRuth's insights about her new devotional resource with Hosanna Revival called "The Everyday Banquet," which combines family mealtime with scripture-centered conversation. Drawing from her Jewish heritage, she created 52 weekly devotionals designed to foster meaningful family connections around the dinner table.

Through candid discussion about morning routines, motherhood seasons, and the importance of being filled before pouring out, this episode offers practical encouragement for anyone seeking to center their family life on Christ. Subscribe, share, and join us in discovering how to live a life devoted to God and family.

Links:
The Everyday Banquet

Connect with SaraRuth!
Visit her website: Kindle Togetherness
Connect on Instagram: @kindletogetherness

Let's connect!
Website: This Devoted Life
Instagram: Devoted Motherhood & This Devoted Life Podcast
Email: podcast@thisdevotedlife.com

Introduction to This Devoted Life

Speaker 1

What started as a Saturday morning coffee date turned into a podcast where we chat about things like faith, family finances and so much more.

Speaker 2

In a world that is encouraging you to live your truth and to follow your heart. We want to encourage you to live devoted to the truth.

Speaker 1

The Bible has a lot to say about how to live a victorious Christian life, and we want to share practical insight in how to apply those truths to your life, as we endeavor to apply them to our own lives as well.

Meet Sarah Ruth Owens

Speaker 2

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and share these episodes with your friends so that you can help them live this devoted life too. Welcome to another episode of this devoted life podcast. I am really excited today because I have my special friend, sarah Ruth Owens, with me. You might know her better from Instagram, which her handle there is kindletogetherness. I was really excited because I am currently in Tennessee for a homeschool conference. We just finished that up and we'll probably talk a lot about that today, but it was a Charlotte Mason homeschool conference. It's a living book conference and we kind of met part way. So Sarah Ruth is from Georgia, I'm from Michigan and I mean last time we saw each other was seven years ago. We had seven years ago. So, anyways, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I she has just been such a good friend to me. Like we met. What was it? A wild and free conference years ago.

Speaker 3

That's the first time we met in person, yeah.

Speaker 2

So at a wild and free conference seven years ago. It's really funny because I, um, I had severe postpartum depression and I was like I am just going to go to this homeschool conference down in Tennessee Actually, it was Tennessee again, in Franklin, tennessee and and I drove down and I don't even remember. Can you do you remember how we actually got together? We knew each other on Instagram before, right I think on Facebook.

Speaker 3

I don't think I had an Instagram. Then we met on Facebook Through the Peaceful Press, through the Peaceful Press. Okay Through some of their groups.

Speaker 2

Do you ever feel like there's like parts of your life that you just like don't remember? Yes, okay, okay. So we met and but, like, like I said, I had severe postpartum depression so I was like I just I don't know if, yeah, that whole season of my life, like part of it's, were like little bits and blurs or whatever. But the one thing that I do remember was you giving me like the most giant hug oh good, yeah, oh god, that's your memory so anyways, can you tell me, or tell us a little bit more about yourself, like your family, you know, just like what, who you are?

Speaker 2

okay?

Speaker 3

well, before I tell you who I am, I have to tell you my story from wild and free. My memory of Shanda is she was so friendly and welcoming and I had a bag that I wore a hobo bag and I had it knotted at the top with like this big, obnoxious like piece sticking in my face and Shanda's just like. Let me show you how to tie this in a really great way, and she showed me how to make slip knots so it was adjustable and I still tie my bags that way.

Speaker 2

It's so funny because I noticed your bag this weekend I was like, oh, I know how to tie, like that you taught me. I didn't realize that I taught you how to do that and that was totally a baby wearing thing, like I was taught that and for like a slip knot for baby wearing, so that's so funny. Oh my goodness, once again something that I just totally forgot about.

Speaker 3

But let me show you how to make this more comfortable and adjustable. I like her. Oh, that's so fun, yeah, but um, about me I am the wife of Jonah and we live in a tiny little small town. That's where he's from. Um, and we have three plays Blaze, brave and Benaiah. They're 10, 12, 10, 8, yeah, and um, we kind of like a big thing that I like to tell people and just talk about.

Speaker 3

Kind of the reason why I stay in social media and feel like I have something to say is we kind of flip the script on the way that we live our day-to-day life, where for a long time, my husband was employed at just a standard factory job and he was really miserable and he worked all the time and my kids were very little but they missed him. They would cry when he'd all the time and my kids were very little, but they missed him. They would cry when he'd leave for work and, um, my husband and I just talked about it and we're like something needs to change. And then I was like, yeah, something really needs to change. And so he came home for a little while and like prayed and um, he now works for himself and I work a little bit for myself and it means that we're both together. Hence kindled togetherness Cause kind of a focus on just dads really matter and moms really matter and both of us can parent together in a different way.

Speaker 3

Um, and so I really like to kind of emphasize that and it's not going to look the same in every home, like you were so good about talking about how, like James loves his job and is good at it, but he still emphasizes family and like that is his priority.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and it looks so different for, like you said, every family. It can be done when the priority is in the right place. No, I love that. That's beautiful. So you are from Georgia, kind of from We've been talking about this, it's Appalachia, it's.

Speaker 1

Appalachia. Yes, did I say it correctly. You're doing good. Oh, okay, good, it's Appalachia.

Speaker 2

That's Michigan Michiganders, it's like Appalachia and you're like no, it's Appalachia yeah people are going to let you get away with that down here. No, oh that's too funny.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Charlotte Mason Education Philosophy

Speaker 2

Yeah, but you are a Charlotte Mason homeschooled from the very beginning. You have a little bit of a unique story in that you discovered Charlotte Mason before you even had kids, right?

Speaker 3

Yes, I was in college and I was just getting an education degree and one of the final projects was to research out philosophy of ed and write about it. And kind of pick your philosophy and nobody had ever. I don't think Charlotte Mason is somebody that they typically introduce, but I stumbled across her somehow, I don't remember how yeah started reading a volume, started reading a little bit about her and I was like, yes, yes, this is great so.

Speaker 2

So there's probably a lot of people who are like Charlotte Mason, who, um, what made the philosophy so different in your mind? Because you were a public or you were going to be a public school teacher. You were for a little while, um, and you tried implementing it in your classroom as well. So like what is so different about the Charlotte Mason form of education? I mean, obviously you don't have to go into like a whole rundown of what it actually is, but like what was the beauty of it that drew you to it?

Speaker 3

well, like, just quickly, you know, if you don't know anything about her, she's a Victorian, single woman, like she never had her own kids and that wasn't what drew me. But just, I think you're good, okay, great, that's not what drew me, that's not what drew me, but she the way. I think the biggest thing for me is that children are born persons and when you look at you know. When you're taught to do public school education, you're taught to look at the classroom, you're taught to think of the whole group and, of course, you're also taught to love the students and to want to meet their needs. But, like, how, how, like it's not really possible with 30 students and even in a homeschool setting, like traditionally, you're thinking what does this student need to know? What are the things I must take off the list? What in order for them to be successful in life? Yeah, what must they know? Whereas I feel like Charlotte Mason's approach was this is a uniquely created person by God. And what can I? How can I teach them to love the world God made?

Speaker 3

yeah, so much that they're willing to learn about it for the rest of their lives yeah you know and so that's what caught me was that this is no longer about what I think specifically the child must learn by a certain age, or must know on a checklist, but it's about creating and developing in them a yearning to know their creator and creation, because they love the creator, and then they will forever want to continue to grow and learn, in whatever capacity or whatever gifts and callings they have.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that really is beautiful, because the one thing that I do love about Charlotte Mason is that she talks about how not all knowledge is from God, and so when we gain knowledge, we're actually gaining information about who God is, as he shows himself in his creation, in the knowledge that he imparts, and the knowledge that we get then translates into wisdom when we apply it.

The Living Book Conference Experience

Speaker 2

Yeah, you know, and it's just, it really is a beautiful thing. So, yeah, but yeah, so the conference was a Charlotte Mason conference, and one thing that I do love about the living book conference is just how saturated in scripture it is like literally all of the men and women were that were there, which it was mostly women, but there were some dads, yes, um, but you just felt this camaraderie and it and it wasn't just the philosophy of education, it was that they all loved the Lord and had the same desire to see their children grow in him, and it wasn't just like, oh hey, we're teaching our kids how to read and write or we're going to read some really cool living books. It was the whole heart behind. It is just what I love.

Speaker 3

Yeah, thanks for sharing it to me.

Speaker 2

So I've gone to this conference for like six, seven years or something like that now, but it's always been in Traverse City, michigan, and this is the first year in Tennessee, so this is like the first time. It's close enough for you to come.

Speaker 3

Yeah, you were like famous. Everybody was like there's Shanda, there she is again. All the like speakers were like we're so glad you're back.

Speaker 2

it's only because I've known him for seven years, like I mean. I've probably cried on their shoulders a couple times, you know.

Speaker 3

Yes, I agree. I loved how every session opened with prayer it's very purposeful. You could tell like people were including scripture, and so it was all centered on. You know, first or after their hearts? And like wanting to connect with them and show them like a relationship with. God is part of our lives too, and like this really matters.

Speaker 2

And therefore, out of that wellspring of like relationship with God, now we learn about this world and hope that you love it as much as we do yeah, I think the one thing that I kept hearing this weekend was, um, the speakers kept saying, like we are not the showman of the universe, you know, like we, it's God is the one who ultimately reaches the heart of our children. But we can spread this beautiful feast of ideas and continually point our children to Christ and, just like, let the Holy Spirit work in their lives and draw them to himself. You know, and that's just. It's a totally different way of viewing education when you come at it from that standpoint.

Speaker 3

It's such a good and refreshing reminder because I think, no matter what philosophy of education you have, or even if you don't have one, because sometimes that's the place we're in right- I don't know we're just doing the best we can with what we have. It's like, as a believer, that reminder of like this doesn't center on you, right? This is a relationship thing between your child and god. God has this. You're just one instrument, you're just one piece.

Speaker 2

Yes, be faithful in your piece I know a lot of people will like um vision cast for their homeschool year, like what is the purpose? And I feel like charlotte mason just kind of almost gives you like what the purpose is From the beginning, From the very beginning, Like it is to point your children ultimately to the creator. You know, yeah, I just I love that Agreed. So this conference is kind of unique because we get to do a full-day immersion Loved it On Friday where we get to act as the student. Um, so you and I did what what would be called like form three, which would be um seventh and eighth grade. For Charlotte Mason is that correct? It doesn't usually include ninth doesn't, it's just seventh and eighth.

Speaker 2

Yeah, so we got to read all the readings and do all of the narrating, like whether written or orally, and um it was. It was very eye-opening from the standpoint that I did leave there going. Oh, this really is rigorous because like I'm exhausted, right, and these things that I am asking my you know, he will be seventh grade next year to do okay, this gives me a little more understanding and compassion when he's just tired that day, you know.

Speaker 3

Right, Absolutely yeah. I had two takeaways from the immersion and the first one was that it's a lot, yeah, but the second one was just me thinking about the pacing. I was so pleased that I was interested the whole time. I was like, oh good, because really and truly you still maintain those reasonably length lessons even in seventh grade.

Speaker 3

When most kids are spending an hour, a full hour on one subject. We just did this meaty reading of Plutarch and we really extracted what we were able to process of it. And then we, it was 20 minutes and then you just move right on to the next and it's something different. And so you're constantly like kind of who, that was hard, oh, something new.

Speaker 2

OK, we get to look at a picture study right now or OK.

Speaker 2

Ok, now we're going to Plutarch, like you said. It's just kind of like this ebb and flow of, yeah, some some of the things are a little more work, which are good and rewarding, but then you also have the beauty and just like the breadth put in there and, yeah, it was a lot of fun. Um, I think my favorite reading that we did and I have now narrated it myself to two different people was the anatomy reading that we did. It was hilarious and I'm just gonna do a very quick overview because it cracks me up. So we read, like what was it? Six ish pages from a book and it started with, uh, the mugshot and how the mugshot was created.

Student Immersion Day Insights

Speaker 2

And it moved into fingerprinting and it just was talking about unique things. So like the fingerprints and how, um, as an adult, your middle finger, the length of your middle finger, doesn't change. You know, the length from, like, one side of your head to the other doesn't change. So there were all of these measurements and so then it moves into fingerprinting and we really don't know what fingerprints are, even for, like, if they were, even for grip, like, why on earth do they swell up in water? Because then your grip just gets even worse. And then it moved into, um, uh, the sweat on your palms. And when it got really interesting, fast yeah. And so like when you're doing, you know, like a lie detector test, you only sweat in your palms when you're under stress like you don't sweat in your palms when you're like physically exerting anything, it's literally like when you're stressed.

Speaker 2

So then it moved into sweat and how you know, sweat doesn't actually produce stink, it's actually the bacteria in your armpits. Well then it moved into bacteria in your belly button. And then it moved into hair and just like how much hair we lose. And then it moved into male baldness and I laughed because it ended with there is a cure for male baldness and it's castration. I was like how did we get from mug shots to castration? But it all made sense and it was hilarious.

Speaker 3

We were all reading to ourselves, snickering like the whole time. The whole room was like gently laughing.

Speaker 2

But I will never forget that like ever I was like this is all super fascinating. That's a living book. So the only reason I shared that is because that is an example, kind of, of a living book is it was something that I took from it, but I also did not take something from every lesson, because there are certain things that we did that I'm kind of like.

Speaker 2

I don't fully remember that one, to be totally honest, but that one stuck with me and it's just a reminder that, like, my kids are not going to connect with every single thing that they are presented with and that was one that I just was like, oh, that was really fascinating.

Speaker 3

And the final speaker. That was one of my favorite things. Somebody said the whole time where she talked about um, the last speaker. At the closing talk she discussed how we're spreading a feast. That's like a common term, you know. Charlotte Mason talked about putting this feast in front of your children, of all these beautiful things for them to partake of, and the final speaker was like you know, I watched you guys having lunch today and we had this beautiful meal and that was such a great analogy because she said you know, the person who set out this meal just put it in front of you and gave you the options and you walked on the line and some of you took, you know, a lot of one thing and a little of another, and some of you skipped cookies and some of you had dessert first and some of us had it all right, it was good, and she's like and.

Speaker 3

I didn't see the person who put the food on the you know, presented it to you like spoon, feeding you or deciding what goes on your plate. And I was like what a great analogy. Because that is, and it was a good reminder for me to not do that, Because I think it's easy to be like I really need you to give me a better narration, or I need you to put and it's like maybe that wasn't one that they put on their plate that day and it's not happening over and over. Maybe it's okay.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, I mean there are some things you know. Like you said, maybe the book is not living enough to where they can even narrate it well, or it could just be as simple as they're just not connecting with it. We're not having a bad day.

Speaker 3

We're already full yes.

Speaker 1

If it's a continuous thing with the same book, then I'm like trying to like problem solve at that point.

Speaker 2

But yeah, no, that was, it was so good, so I don't even think I mentioned the conference. The main speakers are a delectable education, so it is really fun to see them, and because their podcast is just a wealth of information of what Charlotte Mason is um. Every time I come to this conference, though, I do realize that I am not as Charlotte Mason as they are, you know, like there are certain things like I am a Charlotte Mason educator, but I always like to say like I'm Shanda, not Charlotte, there are some things that I am just not going to do.

Speaker 2

The exact same way you know um yeah, talk about math, yeah, math, math is different, um you know for both of us.

Speaker 3

Yeah, like we've, neither one of us do it probably the the Charlotte Mason way, it just hasn't worked for us. Yeah, language arts.

Speaker 2

I have not ascribed to the Charlotte Mason method of you you know, teaching language arts. I have found.

Speaker 2

And I have and it's working for us. Yeah, and I probably will switch to. I probably will use Alvieri's lesson plans this upcoming year for our language arts, so it will be Charlotte Mason. But I just it wasn't working for one of my students and I just was like we can't do this right now. I needed something that was totally different and very phonics heavy, you know. So, yeah, um, and then the next day was just fun, um, I think my favorite um I did scansion and you did scansion with me and I had never even heard the term scansion like when I saw that it was on the list of talks I was like what is scansion?

Speaker 3

It was new to me too, this doesn't even make sense.

Speaker 2

So scansion is poetry, but it's the if you've ever heard the term like iambic pentameter or pentameter. That is scansion. Basically. It's like how many syllables are in it, where are the stresses, like on the words words?

Speaker 2

and so it was fascinating because, like I thought I had a really good understanding of it, like kind of going into it, um no better understanding than me, because I was like musically like it feels, like I should like know kind of how this feels, and then, oh, jono, because, um, he was teaching it, I was just like I realized very quickly that I did not fully understand it and it's open to interpretation too. So like not everyone is going to get the exact same thing, it is not a mathematical like. This is always going to be what it is right. It could be something different too.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I and that, like, was another takeaway from, from all parts of immersion, is how, um, you have to be willing to try things and be brave. And it's a little nerve-wracking because here you are, we were put in the role of the student again and I was just thinking, I mean, of course, we were in a classroom. Some many of the people were strangers. The teacher was pretty much a stranger to us. Yeah, a little different from the home setting where it's your mom and you hope that your children are comfortable around you. But it's nerve-wracking to try a new skill, yeah, and around people you know, and to publicly present your thinking. So, like during the scansion, he had paper on the table that was blank and I kept thinking and the next part's going to be asking me to write things and do this.

Speaker 2

You know scanning, and I was like that's not happening today, and you mean, he never got to it, he got out of time he was so disappointed.

Speaker 3

It was kind of funny because you could tell he was. That was like he was so excited. I was like you're not like what you get from me and the whole room just went collective sigh, yes, like okay, so glad we don't have to do that. Oh my goodness, it was funny it was great, yeah, so stanton shakespeare was another one, shakespeare, was a blast shakespeare was so fun.

Speaker 2

Can you read shakespeare for us now? Yeah, she's so good at it, but I can totally bring out my my man voice like as I'm talking and I don't even remember what character I was, but it was great, yeah I loved it too, leonidas were you yeah, leonidas, and okay, yeah, I was the governor.

Speaker 1

I was the governor okay, I don't know I was Don Pedro.

Speaker 3

I think my voice changed like eight times or I couldn't maintain my my man voice.

Speaker 2

I am such a dork like. I hope this weekend this weekend, like you realize, like how dorky I actually am, it was wonderful I had just been driving around Tennessee going. Oh, I just love Tennessee. I'm like running up and like hugging rocks. I'm like it's just beautiful here and there's purple flowers and just all the mountains and oh, my goodness I just I'm a dork yeah.

Speaker 3

We went to a really nice restaurant together for just a time of fellowship and to kind of decompress. And we're here with another one of your good friends from Michigan and we get to the restaurant and they're like creek and they ran and got in the creek and I was like you are my people.

Morning Routines and Motherhood Seasons

Speaker 2

I would be doing this too, if I wasn't so used to oh my goodness, yeah, we took our shoes off and we were waiting in the water, and because we were early to the restaurant and it was just so it was so peaceful it was beautiful. I loved it. Yeah, so I'm dorky in real life, that's okay. You're enjoyable well thank you good fellowship. So this weekend was wonderful, like I really enjoyed it. I'm exhausted. So if we're like puffy face, like if you're watching the video online, I um we were up until 1 am last night chatting, and so which I do not- do so.

Speaker 3

I was very yeah, and I don't know if I made any sense.

Speaker 2

No, it was awesome, like I was so glad you said that because, you usually go to bed at like 8 am, so yeah, or 8 pm, you can tell I didn't get sleep last night, but yeah, yeah, it was great. So why do you go to bed so early? Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Speaker 3

Yeah, so I teach three days a week. I teach students in China and they are 12 or 13 hours ahead of us, depending on what part of daylight savings we're in. So when I, on those days, I have to wake up around 3 am most of the time. One day it's 2 am and I teach them for four or five hours before my family wakes up, but it's the only way that. You know, I, when I mentioned earlier that my husband and I kind of did just a switch of like what I think most people would think of as the standard. Yeah, you know, like homeschooling family. You know the dad is off at work and the mom's at home and I do those things and I feel like I fit.

Speaker 3

You know we have a very similar cadence in our regular day, but, um, it's the only way that I can steal time. I feel like, yeah, where my work isn't overwhelming our day, yeah. I don't want to you know, go teach somewhere for half the day I want to be home with my family and that was really important.

Speaker 3

So, um, I teach ESL and it's wonderful and I love that part of my life too, but I can't sleep past like four or five most of the time like even this morning we went to bed at one and I was like I know I'm gonna wake up at four and I did four or five, but you went back to bed.

Speaker 2

You did go back to bed, I was like Sarah, ruth is not okay.

Speaker 3

Yeah, so, yeah, so that, and and I will be honest, um, like I know, of course getting up at two or three isn't practical for most families.

Speaker 3

Like yeah, usually you're gonna stay up with your husband and spend. You know I have. One of the things that we were able to do in our switch is that I have the luxury of time with Jonah in the middle of a lot of days. Even though he does work a lot of. He can work his schedule in such a way that, like we run a co-op together and he's with us that whole day.

Speaker 2

He doesn't plan. I don't think I knew that he was part of that.

Speaker 3

He goes every week.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 3

And that's cool. Yeah, and he teaches me, that's fun.

Speaker 2

Yeah, he's the coach um, so I don't need to talk to him at 10. Yeah, you know, you can steal a moment.

Speaker 3

Yeah, you know it's a little different. Um, and then the rest of the week, you know, and I was just gonna say that I do try to encourage moms once they're out of the little little years and you know when, you know when you're breastfeeding a baby, I say sleep and please enjoy Like you need to.

Speaker 3

That season is different, but if you don't have that and your kids are two and up, I would say getting up early like even if it's just 30 minutes before your kids or an hour before your kids you will get such a margin of time in your day to read God's word or even to do a chore like start a little laundry.

Speaker 2

I know you do that, I do, I do. Yeah, um, I. It was not something I wanted to do, but my husband is a very early riser, like he's usually well, not four and like three am, but he's usually up around five. Um, and he just kept. I think you would really benefit from getting up earlier and, of course, I start reading things about. There are actually a lot of things that are when you get up earlier, you're less likely to be depressed, you accomplish more throughout your day. There are things like literally with, like, your blood pressure, your blood pressure is lower, like if you get up early. There's like all different kinds of things. Um, as I was researching it so I was like, okay, I guess I'm gonna start getting up earlier.

Speaker 3

So I still begrudgingly, but I'm up around 6, 15 yeah, that's like at least an hour before kids are up it is yeah, it's still over an hour what do you like to do I?

Speaker 2

read my devotions. Um, usually, first thing, I'm a slow getter upper, like if you've ever seen the meme where it's like Tigger bouncing and Rabbit is like dragging with like puffy eyes that's my husband and I in the morning. He's Tigger. He'll like come into the room like ready to talk about his entire day and like he wants to plan out like the next 50 years of our life. And I'm just like give me a minute please. You know, and I and I just I'm real slow, so I sit and I read God's word. I might start like a load of laundry. Usually after like 45 minutes I go and get a workout in.

Speaker 2

Like that's just kind of me time. Yeah, cause I'm like I need to get like a little bit of those endorphins moving, you know, and I try to take a walk up and down our driveway, yeah. I try to take a walk up and down our driveway.

Speaker 3

Yeah, something it's very short, like under 10 minutes, but just get your body moving.

Speaker 2

Move for a minute, yes, so that's just kind of where. Yeah, I have found the value in it and I do find on the days, if I do choose to sleep in, I'm like man, I'm missing like that time and I realize how important it actually is to set ourselves up for a good day, because I'm more prepared for it going into the day.

Speaker 3

Sometimes when we go on vacation, my schedule is thrown, like when we go as a family, because we are like going out late and doing something together, and I try to just embrace that, even though it's weird for me sometimes. But what I've noticed is that so then I might sleep until like 6, 30 or 7, and then my kids are up right away. I feel like it's like this, almost like a frantic pace.

Speaker 3

Yeah, like give me a minute, yeah, I gotta hit the ground running versus like operating from a place of like I'm refreshed, I'm ready. There's a pause and a calm in me because I've studied myself. Yeah, in God's word, first I've like I don't know, just the demands on moms. We give a lot, like it's just part of the job, right?

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 3

And we have to have. We Like it's just part of the job, right, and we have to have. We have to be filled up on a regular basis and it may not always be an hour to yourself in the morning, it may have to be because you went to church on.

Speaker 3

Sunday and it might have to, you know, in different seasons, but I think when you make time, like even on the days I'm not teaching, by waking up at 4.30 or 4, am teaching yeah by waking up at 4, 30 or 4 am has given me such a, even if I didn't get chores done just being able to like listen to scripture or read the word or walk outside. Thank, god for the birds, you know like and not having to be mindful of somebody else, but like it's me and him right now.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it's like where you're filling your cups, that you can continue to pour out of it. Yeah, you know, from from what he's given you. You know, yeah, so you can even wake up 30 minutes early yeah, like it doesn't.

Speaker 3

Don't feel like it needs to be 3 am, because it does not.

Speaker 2

No, no and, and there are seasons I just when we had little babies I was not getting up early, you know, and it just was not a season where I felt like I could do that. I didn't physically, just was unable to, and that. But I think the thing that I am learning in motherhood is those seasons are fleeting, they do, they do go, you know, and so it's like, even if you're like in the thick of it and you're like I could never wake up at 6 am in several years, you're gonna look back and be like I am ina, totally different season now and okay, okay, I can come up with new routines and habits for myself.

Speaker 1

You know it's coming.

Speaker 3

It is, it is coming, you know, I think with each kid that we had.

Speaker 2

It was just like cause I don't love I'm going to admit this I don't love the baby years, like they are physically demanding and I know you love the baby years, um, but physically like having someone like attached to me 24, 7, just is very drawing for me and just knowing and and I do, I do enjoy it. I shouldn't say like I don't enjoy it, but it's just like the overall of it.

Speaker 2

I just was like oof having someone more drained yeah, I was just more drained and it just was not something where I was like oh, I just love the baby years, I do love baby snuggles, but I do not love like all the up all night feedings and like blah, blah. But um, the thing that I kept coming back to was like I know that this is a season and just enjoy this blip. You know, like as we kept having more kids, I just was like with each one I learned to appreciate it a little bit more because I knew it wasn't lasting, you know, and it just was like this is the season God has me in right now and I can just cherish this moment.

Speaker 2

You know, yeah, yeah, and I know like okay, so you're all about like kindled togetherness and just like that beautiful family bond, um, and you have a resource now. That is out. Hosanna Revival printed it right. Yeah, um, can you tell us about that?

The Everyday Banquet Devotional

Speaker 3

yeah. So, um, I had in my heart for a long time to how I wanted to write a book. I've wanted to and I still want to write more um, but I was like I'm not in a season to write like my biography or my memoir, like I don't feel like I can yet present that. I don't feel like I'm old enough.

Speaker 1

I don't feel like you know like I need to come from a place of hindsight, more before I can bless people with it Now. It would just be like a mess. But I was like what?

Speaker 3

is it that we have? You know that I can share with other people that really will make a difference in our families in an eternity. And I grew up Jewish until I was 10 and then I became a believer and realized like Jesus is the Messiah and, you know, very steeped in like evangelical Christianity, just kind of standard, but I still retain, like ethically I'm Jewish, like, and there are beautiful parts of that that I see in the Bible that we all read, and these things don't have to be thrown away. There's value in having a Sabbath, there's value in the tradition of Sabbath meals when the whole family sits at a table and lights a candle and the father lays hands on the children and blesses them. Every Friday evening. And I was just our family does those things with the knowledge that this isn't a requirement, but this is a way we can bless our family and have communion together and refocus. And I was like how do I present that to people who maybe can't do it on Friday night or, yeah, are gonna do it their own way, but like still can't get the core of what this is?

Speaker 3

So, um, the everyday banquet is the name of the devotional and the focus is it has 52 devotionals for families and they're just like a page. It's like a one page, a page and a half. Uh, here's some scripture. Um, and one of the reasons I love Hosanna Revival is because the first thing they tell you as a writer, as they're interviewing you, is like we create scripture, saturated resources, like if you're not, if this is going to be like about you, it's even in, like when you apply and when you put your first pitch in. Yeah, you know, we don't take memoirs, we don't take stories like this is about soaking whatever topic you're going to present in scripture and going back to the word.

Speaker 3

So I really appreciated that. They, you know, maybe toe the line with that and, like every devotional for the 52 weeks is, you know, two or three scripture verses. Now here's an anecdotal story or, yeah, a little tiny piece of my life or something my family did, and here are questions to ask around your table. And then it has recipes, um, with suggestions on how to bring your kids in, and the whole thought process is that you have a meal together, yeah, and you would sit around your table and you would create these rhythms as a family, that when the devotional's over, you can do it on your own, yeah, and you can make this lifestyle of wednesday nights this is what we do or saturday evenings, or whatever. So, um, it's been a blessing to, you know, get feedback and hear families say this has really worked for us, or I love this recipe, or my kids are in my kitchen today.

Speaker 2

I've never tried that before you're helping families come together, but not just together. You're helping them center their conversation and their thoughts on Christ while becoming together, which is just a beautiful thing yeah, and it's important to talk about what you believe.

Speaker 3

Like nothing in that book really tells you what your theology should be like. It's more very open-ended, like a springboard. Yeah, you now need to discuss this as a family, like what do you think about this? What? You know, and the parents can lead the discussion back to the word and back to your yeah, you know if you're one denomination or another, you can have those conversations so your kids know what your family believes.

Speaker 2

And this is beautiful, like the if you've ever seen anything from hosanna revival. Like everything they do is just top notch and um cloth cover like it's beautiful beautiful photos. Um, it's just. It's a well done resource.

Speaker 3

They made every recipe they made they made it yes, before they published it, I was so that the photographs that they took are from them having the meal they made every single thing all at once and put it on the table and they all ate together. Their staff and they sent me emails. They're like this is so delicious, like we weren't sure about that. It's so cool. I'm so glad that it's actually good. Yeah, so you can trust that if you get the book, the recipes actually work.

Speaker 2

Hosanna Revival put their stamp of approval on it and say that it's delicious.

Speaker 3

It was so funny to be like because I'm not the best recipe person. I'm the person who measures with love.

Speaker 2

A dash of this, a pinch of that. Yeah, a little risky asking me to. Oh, I love it, though that's so fun. I mean we do family meals together and I know that there is all kinds of research out there that just talks about the importance of family meals and how families who have meals together regularly I mean it doesn't have to be every single day I mean that's a goal of ours, but like it doesn't have to be every single day, but just the benefit of coming together as a family is immeasurable in the long run.

Speaker 2

So I love that you kind of tied those two things together. Yeah Well, this was a fun conversation. I'm so glad we made it work. We weren't even sure if we were going to get to this podcast today, so hopefully it all recorded properly and all the fun stuff.

Closing Thoughts and Farewell

Speaker 2

Thank you for having me. I love you. I love you too, friend. All right, well, until next time. We want to encourage you to seek God, love your spouse, hug your kids and stay devoted. Thank you for tuning in to this Devoted Life podcast with James and Shanda. We appreciate your support in sharing biblical, uplifting truths with the world. If you found value in this episode, please leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps us to improve the show and we'd love to hear from you. Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. To learn more about how to live a life devoted to God and family, head over to thisdevotedlifecom. You can also follow me, shanda, on Instagram at devoted underscore motherhood. Thank you again for listening and we look forward to seeing you next time on this Devoted Life podcast.