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!!