In this episode, Daniel and Schelleen discuss what makes men different from women. First, they unpack three pairings that are helpful in thinking more clearly about this topic (male-female, man-woman, masculine-feminine). Daniel highlights how the themes of "internal" and "external" consistently show up in each of these layers, and shares what it meant for him to become a man in his family. They then discuss how parents should think about raising boys to become men.

If you have questions or comments, please reach out! We'd love to hear your input regarding this topic.

floydtheteach@gmail.com

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

This episode is really late, but it’s still happening! Daniel and Schelleen sit down to discuss their biggest takeaways from last year’s reading. Daniel discusses some of the most important aspects of education he learned about, and Schelleen shares some of the most interesting things she’s learned about healthy relationships. Take a look at the lists below for books to add to your own reading list.

Please enjoy!

Daniel's 2024 Reading List 

Competed 

• Repairing the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Modern Education - Douglas Wilson (editor) 
• On Secular Education - R.L. Dabney 
• How to Educate a Citizen: The Power of Shared Knowledge to Unify a Nation - E.D. Hirsch 
• Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World - Joe Rigney 
• The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis 
• The Paideia of God: And Other Essays on Education - Douglas Wilson 
• Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in Christian Tradition - Glenn S. Sunshine 
• The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family - C.R. Wiley 
• Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis 
• Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home - Glenn S. Sunshine 
• Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution - Carl R. Trueman 
• Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl 
• The Education Reformation: Why Your Church Should Start a Christian School - Jimmy Scroggins, Trevin Wax 

Still in Progress 

• Thinking God's Thoughts: Johannes Kepler and the Miracle of Cosmic Comprehensibility - Melissa Cain Travis 

Did not Finish 

• Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview - W. Gary Phillips, William E. Brown, et al 
• A Matter of Principal: A Former School Principal’s Journey to Redefine Education and Bring Learning Back to the Home - Mandy Davis 
• Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour - Kam Knight 

Schelleen’s 2024 Reading List  

Completed 

• The 13th Gift - Joanne Huist Smith
• Psalms: A Guide to Studying the Psalter - W.H. Bellinger Jr. 
• Breaking Free from Body Shame - Jess Connolly
• Sabbath as Resistance - Walter Brueggeman 
• Bird Day - Mark Hauber
• The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
• The Way of the Shepherd - Kevin Leman, Bill Pentak
• Rethinking Sexuality - Dr. Juli Slattery
• How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind - Dana K. White 
• Waymaker - Ann Voskamp
• Married Sex - Gary Chapman, Lisa Fileta
• With - Skye Jethani
• Digital Liturgies - Samuel James 
• The Intentional Year - Glenn Packium
• Church History in Plain Language 5th Edition - Bruce Shelley
• The Benedict Option - Rod Dreher
• Being the Body - Chuck Colson
• The Hidden Prince - Tessa Afshar

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

It’s been awhile since the last episode. Daniel and Schelleen sit down to discuss what’s been happening in the last few months… namely, their new baby! Schelleen and Daniel discuss the whole journey of bringing baby Christopher into the world, from deciding whether to induce or not, debating whether to get an epidural, and figuring out how to keep a tiny human alive. We hope you enjoy!

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

Daniel and Schelleen discuss how parents should handle difficult or uncomfortable topics with their children. Whether they’re dealing with the death of a family pet, or the topic of sexual predators, it can be challenging for parents to address these issues with their kids. 

Some parents take a sheltering approach– seeking to protect them from the ugliness of the real world; while others take an exposure approach– allowing their kids to experience the difficulties of the real world as a way to prepare them for adulthood. 

There's merit to both of these extremes, but Daniel and Schelleen haven't fully worked the guiding principles that help clarify how to balance these two approaches. This episode is more of a thinking-out-loud type conversation rather than a comprehensive explanation. 

If you have thoughts you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment on Spotify or email us!

Email us!

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

On this episode, Daniel speaks with English teacher and dad of 3 Jake Coffin. Jake was homeschooled all the way from kindergarten through high school, and he shares his thoughts about that part of his life– what he thinks went well and what didn’t go well, and whether he would do it again if he could go back. 

Jake’s story leads into a conversation about what it means for parents to take responsibility for their childrens’ education. Christians believe that parents are given the primary responsibility for educating their children, not teachers. But what does that mean practically? Is homeschooling the only way for parents to take responsibility for their kids’ learning? Or is it something deeper than that? And for parents now, what should they do if they realize that there are gaps in their child’s education? 

Jake and Daniel conclude their discussion by highlighting 3 pillars of a child’s education that are critical for parents to pay attention to. These 3 pillars are the child’s academic growth, their social & psychological development, and their spiritual formation. 

All of these pillars can be addressed or neglected regardless of what type of school the child goes to. The key is whether the parents are taking responsibility to keep tabs on each of these areas. 

Please consider subscribing to the show if you’re not already. And please share this episode with anyone else who you think would benefit from listening.  

Email us! 

floydtheteach@gmail.com

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

On this episode, Schelleen and Daniel give a life update of the last year. (Spoiler: Schelleen is pregnant!!) After mourning the loss of baby William, getting pregnant turned out to be more of a challenge than they thought. Schelleen recounts the months of disappointing news and the decision not to pursue medical intervention. She also shares how God became much more involved in this season of infertility than she anticipated. Daniel shares his journey of learning how to pray more biblically about things you want, and highlights how Schelleen’s morning sickness serves as an opportunity for him to practice being the “head of the household”. 

We hope this conversation encourages you!

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This episode is a recording of a talk Daniel gave at the Train Up educators conference in Fresno, CA. This conference was a gathering of Christian educators from various backgrounds (homeschool, private school, public school).

In this talk, Daniel outlines the Christian view of education and articulates how it differs from non-Christian education. Working out of Ephesians 6:4, Daniel explains the concept of "paideia" and the Christian view that education is about culture building- not career or college preparation. He emphasizes that Christian education is not simply a variation on secular education, but rather operates on fundamentally different premises that give rise to a distinctly Christian purpose and curriculum.

We hope you enjoy!

Daniel's Slides

What is Christian education?

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On this episode, Daniel brings on Jake Sevits to discuss the unexpected benefits of practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu. Jake is the owner and founder of the Old School Jiu Jitsu gym. He has been training in BJJ for over 7 years.

BJJ is a martial art in which two opponents compete in a wrestling-like manner to submit each other with a choke or joint lock. BJJ is a highly complex sport that takes years to master (generally more than 10 years to reach black belt).

In training this martial art, Daniel and Jake have found that the physical struggle of BJJ serves as a training ground for developing character traits that strengthen the individual for struggles outside the gym. Drawing from their personal experiences, they discuss how BJJ develops characteristics like physical and mental endurance, confidence, the ability to keep your ego in check, humility to ask others for help, and the ability to stay calm in stressful situations rather than panicking or giving up.

We hope you enjoy this epic convo!

Old School Jiu Jitsu

https://www.oldschoolkv.com/

Academic Study

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu aș a Tool for Veteran Reassimilation

Questions? Comments? Email us!

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

We have new guests on the podcast! Nate and Larissa Fajkus are close friends to Schelleen and Daniel, and they all sit down to be discuss physical health from a Christian perspective. 

Many of us think of healthy diet and exercise as important for taking care of ourselves, and a lot of us treat a healthy lifestyle as being somewhat optional. We may think of people that take health and fitness super seriously as “health nuts” and ourselves as “normal people” who prioritize other things. 

But maybe this is the wrong paradigm. Could it be that health and fitness aren’t about our own wellbeing, but rather about our ability to care for others? And could it be that our dietary choices don’t just apply to our physical bodies, but also hold implications for our spiritual wellbeing? Does God really care whether we eat junk food or not? Does our physical fitness have anything to do with our spiritual maturity? 

We discuss all this and more! Stay tuned.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction

Breaking Free from Body Shame

Body for Life

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Sermon Mentioned by Daniel

Undermining the Designer - John Moody

Questions? Comments? Email us!

floydtheteach@gmail.com

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

Daniel and Schelleen continue their series of discussions on healthy habits, based on the book Habits of the Household by Justin Earley. Today, they're getting into one of the most critical habits that we all have to wrestle with- screens. Now, it's important to keep in mind that screens aren't entirely bad; they clearly have tremendous potential for good in our lives. The key is to think of screens as being powerful... powerful in their ability to form the type of person that we're becoming. Because of this, the topic of how to better manage screens is critical for all of us.

Questions? Comments? Email us!

floydtheteach@gmail.com

Get the Book

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms

Article

The Yes (to Technology) in Our No (to Social Media)

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

On this first episode of 2024, Daniel and Schelleen reflect on the last year's learning. They share some of their best and worst reads from 2023. Daniel shares how true learning goes deeper than gaining information; it's about changing as a person. Schelleen and Daniel reflect on some of the hacks that have helped them develop a lifestyle of reading.

Daniel's 2023 Reading List

Completed

• Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education - Doug Wilson
• The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School - Neil Postman
• Fidelity: How to Be a One-woman Man - Douglas Wilson
• Excused Absence: Should Christian Kids Leave Public Schools? - Douglas Wilson
• The Seven Laws of Teaching - John Milton Gregory
• Ploductivity: A Practical Theology of Work and Wealth - Douglas Wilson
• The Other Side of the Coyne: A Review of "Why Evolution is True" - Douglas Wilson
• Pomosexuality - Douglas Wilson
• The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity - Leon Podles
• The Covenant Household - Douglas Wilson
• Fight by Flight: Why Leaving Godless Places is Loving Godless Places - Joel Webbon

Still in Progress

• Messianic Nature of American Education - RJ Rushdoony
• The Philosophy of the Christian Curriculum - RJ Rushdoony
• The Doctrines that Divide: A Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines that Separate Christians - Erwin Lutzer
• Creation in 6 Days: A Defense of the Traditional Reading of Genesis One - James B. Jordan
• Repairing the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Modern Education - various authors
• Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms - Justin Whitmel Earley
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos - Jordan B. Peterson

Did not Finish

• Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives - Siddharth Kara
• (A)Typical Woman: Free, Whole, and Called in Christ - Abigail Dodds

Schelleen's 2023 Reading List

Completed

• The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in our Post-Christian World - Rosaria Butterfield
• A Lucky Child - Thomas Buergenthal
• All About Heaven - Dave Oliver
• Reflections on the Psalms - C.S. Lewis
• Psalms, the Prayer Book of the Bible - Bonhoeffer
• The Seven Laws of Teaching - John Milton Gregory
• Bittersweet - Shauna Niequist
• God, Sex, and Your Marriage - Dr. Julie Slattery
• Guardians of Ga’Hoole (series) - Kathryn Lasky
• Psalms in 30 Days - Trevin Wax
• Seeing Beautiful Again - Lysa TerKeurst
• Empty Cradle, Broken Heart - Debra L David Ph.D.
• Buried Dreams: From Devastating Loss to Unimaginable Hope - Lindsey Dennis
• Choosing to See - Mary Beth Chapman
• Empty Arms - Pam Vredevelt
• The Covenant Household - Douglas Wilson
• Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms - Justin Whitmel Earley

Still in Progress

• Hope when it Hurts - Kristen Wetherell & Sarah Walton
• Lead - Paul David Tripp
• Fight for Love - Rosie Makinney
• Mathematics in Western Culture - Morris Kline
• Partner Betrayal Trauma - Douglas Weiss
• Lead Like it Matters - Craig Groeschel
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos - Jordan B. Peterson
• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 - W. Phillip Keller
• The 13th Gift - Joanne Huist Smith
• Breaking Free from Body Shame - Jess Connolly

Email us!

floydtheteach@gmail.com

intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

On this episode Daniel sits down with Deann to discuss her journey of learning how to effectively meet the educational, developmental, and spiritual needs of her children. Deann and David Kelly are the parents of 4 children in Missouri. As Christians, the Kellys take the education of their children very seriously. When their kids were young, the Kellys strongly believed in homeschooling and completely opposed public schooling for any reason. But now, they have a more nuanced perspective, even to the point that 3 of their children either have attended, or are attending, public school now.

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Note: A small portion of this recording has been omitted to protect the privacy of an individual that was briefly discussed.

On this episode, Daniel and Schelleen discuss chapter 3 of Justin Earley's Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. The topic is discipline. How can Christian parents discipline their children in such a way that reflects Christ's nature to their children?

Daniel highlights the idea that the goal of discipline should not be to simply inflict consequences for misbehavior, but rather to seek reconciliation between those who have done wrong and those who have been wronged. Schelleen digs into the idea that discipline is not about controlling our children, but rather about training their hearts to love the right things. All this and much more! Enjoy.

Amazon Link: Habits of the Household

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

Daniel sits down with Schelleen to process his thoughts on recreation. We all want to develop healthy habits, but is it appropriate to occasionally neglect healthy habits- at least temporarily? Are there areas of our lives where it's never okay to loosen up from our regular discipline? Also, are there objectively better and worse ways to recreate (particularly for Christians), or do our patterns in recreation simply depend on the person and the situation?

This is a deep-cutting conversation, and it's probably the first of many times this topic will come up on the pod. We hope you enjoy!

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

In this episode, Daniel sits down with Schelleen to discuss a book they've started reading together. The book is Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whittle Earley. They're only a few chapters in but this book is already changing their lives. Daniel and Schelleen have been thinking a lot about habits lately, for different reasons. Daniel's history with addiction gives habits a deeper meaning, and Schelleen's desire to raise healthy kids motivates her to establish healthy habits now.

Today's discussion covers habits of waking and habits of mealtimes. When we wake up in a physical sense, we also wake up in a narrative sense. We awaken to a “story of reality”. This story of reality represents our priorities and our place in the world. Our “story of reality” needs to align with God’s version of reality. Regarding meals, Christians must understand that meals have spiritual meaning. Meals are about communing, not consuming. In our families, our mealtime habits can foster relationship building or relationship atrophy.

Book Website

https://www.habitsofthehousehold.com/

Devotional: Psalms in 30 Days

https://www.amazon.com/Psalms-30-Days-Trevin-Wax/dp/1087749026

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

Daniel discusses homeschooling with his friends Jason and Alejandra Guenther. They homeschool their 4 young children (preK to 4th grade) in California. The Guenthers share why they chose to homeschool and how they collaborate with other families to make it work. Daniel asks how their Christian faith influences their views on parenting and education. Jason shares several stats on the academic and social benefits of homeschooling. Alejandra shares her passion for being directly involved in educating her kids, rather than sending them off to someone else.

Research Facts on Homeschooling

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

We have some returning guests on this episode- Jake and Kailene Coffin! These two are educators in Arizona, and Daniel wanted to continue a previous conversation with them about different models of Christian education and Christian curriculum. In their discussion, they reflect on their experiences in different school models and debate what the purpose of a Christian education should be. They also get into the question of what makes a curriculum "Christian" and whether there is a meaningful distinction from "non-Christian" curriculum. We believe more educators need to be talking about this stuff. We hope you enjoy!

Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and questions.

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd

This episode is a recording of a talk that Daniel gave at a regional church conference on September 15th. This discussion was the last of three talks on education from a Christian perspective. Daniel addresses the question of whether the Church, broadly speaking, should uphold the public school model or abandon it altogether in the interest of building alternative models of education.

In this talk, Daniel looks into the history and origins of American public education, the philosophical framework that undergirds the public school model, and ultimately what Scripture says about education. The talk is followed by a Q&A panel discussion with all the speakers from the morning meeting.

Presentation Slides

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Schelleen and Daniel sit down to discuss a theme they've noticed in their lives recently- decay. They unpack the recent slew of unexpected home improvement fiascos they've had to navigate. Schelleen shares a journal entry where she reflects on the reality that everything is decaying- even us. They discuss Romans 8, The Fall's result of separating "God's space" from "our space", and the hope of heaven reuniting with Earth. Daniel highlights the way in which humans imitate God by combatting the decay around them.

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On this episode Daniel is joined by friend and colleague Shawn Meintz to discuss public education from a Christian teacher's perspective. Shawn is a dad of 3 and social studies teacher who works in the same high school as Daniel. He and Daniel discuss whether Christian parents should enroll their kids in public school. Shawn discusses the value of Christian students having influence among their peers, but Daniel shares his concerns about the humanistic philosophy behind public education. We hope you enjoy this compelling discussion!

First Amendment

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/

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intro/outro music by Alan Floyd