Joy in the Journey ~ Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms

“The lifestyle of a homeschooling mother is unique and challenging.  In the press of academics, extra-curricular activities, and life’s demands, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that homeschooling is a spiritual endeavor.  We forget that God wants to equip us and enable us to succeed.”

                                                             

 ~ Lori Hatcher, author and homeschooling veteran

In Joy in the Journey – Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms, veteran homeschooler Lori Hatcher speaks candidly about the unique challenges homeschooling mothers face today.  With humor and faith she shares lessons from her own homeschooling journey and challenges you to press on.

With a devotional for every week of the school year, Lori tackles tough subjects such as discouragement, sibling relationships, busyness, priorities, and character training (yours and theirs).  She’ll teach you how to know the difference between good, better, and best, and how to seek God for everything you need to homeschool your children successfully.

Lori speaks frankly about the Six Reasons Homeschooling Moms Quitand how you can avoid them.  Best of all, she offers hope and insight for those who are enjoying success and those who are struggling.

Interactive and engaging, each devotional is accompanied by application questions, an action step, and a prayer of commitment.  Joy in the Journeyis perfect for your own personal quiet time or for use by a support group for discussion topics and meeting ideas.

Like a visit with a wise friend, Lori’s words come alongside you to cheer you on through the joys and struggles of homeschooling motherhood.

Special Insert:  "Six Reasons Homeschooling Moms Quit and How to Avoid Them."

Available in South Carolina at:

 *The SCHAIHS Bookstore, 930 Knox Abbot Dr., Cayce  and
*The bookstore at Columbia International University, 7435 Monticello Rd.,   Columbia. 

To order a paperback copy, visit my page at Lulu.com.

To order an Ebook for your computer, smart phone, or e-reader, Go to Lori's blog and click on the Buy Now icon in the sidebar. 

What homeschooling moms are saying about Joy in the Journey: 

"I want to share again how much your book is speaking to my heart.  I truly feel renewed and now found my vision again for homeschooling my son.  I had become weary and, honestly, I had become a little selfish and irritable.  God is using your book to get me grounded again, renew my vision, and I feel so much better about next year for us."  ~ an army wife and homeschooling mom

"Lori Hatcher knows where homeschooling parents live. After reading devotions in her book, Joy in the Journey, I’m convinced she’s spent a week in my home. The raw realities she shares indicate she came during one of my worst weeks: the week I wished the yellow bus would pull up to my driveway and whisk away my frustrations, the week I didn’t crack open my Bible, the week before we were supposed to start school and I hadn’t picked out any of our curriculum because I was overwhelmed and exhausted. How I wished I’d had Lori’s book then, to come alongside me and encourage me. But Lori hadn’t published her book yet, because she was too busy living those weeks herself.

Lori’s a veteran homeschooler of two daughters. She’s faced the same homeschooling challenges and frustrations as her readers, and she knows that yellow bus won’t do her readers any good. The transparency in her writing tells me she knows what it feels like to be desperate for that escape, and she understands the guilt that accompanies that desire. She’s been there and found a way out. Now, she’s come to find us in our lowest places and guide us to the place of joy we all long for, that place where laughter and love effervesce from every corner of our homes.

Creatively, Lori shares insights that point her readers back to the heart of homeschooling. She knows that simply reading a good story isn’t enough, so she provides thought-provoking application questions to take us deeper. Then, being true to her homeschooling roots, she gives her readers an assignment: a practical action step that allows us to put feet to our faith. Just in case her readers are in one of those life seasons where there isn’t even time to shower (she’s been there, too!) and that devotion is the only piece of quiet time they can manage, she ends with a prayer.

With each devotion Lori’s readers feel a little weight lift. Day by day, she reminds us that we aren’t traveling this journey alone. God is the One writing the stories of our children’s lives, and He has given us the sheer privilege of discipling them. That privilege feels like a burden when we try to accomplish it in our own strength. As one who has walked in those cumbersome shoes, Lori gently refocuses her readers’ attention on Jesus, our Refuge and our Strength. Joy in the Journey will refresh your spirit and breathe new life into your homeschooling expedition.

Janey Goude
11 year homeschooler of four children
Lexington, SC

  

Ratings & Reviews

• Not Rated
  By Deena Bouknight

  Mar 29, 2012
  Lori Hatcher's very real talk about homeschooling's challenges and joys is the encouragement parents need. The scripture, devotion, action step, and prayer of commitment nourish and inspire. "Joy in the Journey" has long been needed in the homeschooling community. - Deena C. Bouknight, freelance writer and homeschooling mom for 7 year
  
  
• Five Stars
  By Amanda Beth

  Mar 25, 2012
  This is a must have for every homeschooling mother!! I was so encouraged by it that I plan to start it every August and read it weekly through the school year to keep me encouraged. This book is very well written. Lori did a wonderful job addressing all the many issues that homeschooling mothers experience. She also shed light on the great blessings and responsibilities that come with training our children in the way they should go. I was especially blessed by the prayers at the end of each week's devotional. Sometimes homeschooling can be overwhelming that you don't know what to pray. I know the prayers will be an encouragement to motivate me to press on through each school year. I am definitely recommending this to all my homeschooling friends. Thanks, Lori, for giving us mothers an encouraging tool to help us through our homeschooling journey! :) 
  
  

  Five Stars

  By Alicia Huff

  Mar 23, 2012

  As a homeschooling veteran of 18 years, I can relate to every page in this devotional. Two words about the book come to mind: real and practical. Lori’s experiences in homeschooling shout from the pages about some of the tough realities about homeschooling. She is honest and transparent in recounting that homeschooling is difficult (it is!) but that homeschooling is infinitely worth every bit of hard work (it is!). At the same time, she provides practical steps that homeschooling moms can implement to help them along the way. The devotionals are short (some only one page, all less than two), practical, and direct. She recognizes that homeschooling moms need encouragement and that they need it to come in manageable doses. Each devotional begins with a word of encouragement or exhortation from the Scriptures, and she reminds the reader that the Bible is chock full of encouragement and wisdom. Application questions and action steps enable moms to implement the truth of each devotional asthey go about their daily homeschooling duties. She provides a sample prayer at the end of each, reminding us that we absolutely have to communicate with God if we have any hope of being successful in our homeschooling endeavors. Encouragement flows from every page. She has done a wonderful job in capturing the essence of what it means to be a home educator and shows what a blessing the task can be.
  
  

  • Five Stars
    By Cheryl Bowman

    Mar 22, 2012
    This devotional is an encouraging reminder that God has called me to this task. Even though I have homeschooled for thirteen years, I still need encouragement to continue and I often need reminders that it is God working through me who enables me to do what He calls me to do. Cheryl Bowman
    
    
  • Five Stars
    By Debbie O'Brien

    Mar 21, 2012
    I'm so thankful I'm not the only mom who feels like she needs daily encouragement from either my family, the Lord, and/or a devotional. As you read these short devotionals, know that you will be blessed with God's word, a huge smile, a laugh here and there, and gratefulness. Homeschooling one teenage daughter since birth, I enjoy daily watching her grow to love the Lord and making excellent choices. Yes, I am still learning along with her the importance of staying close to the Lord, and this devotional book can help keep you encouraged along your path. Until then, Proverbs 3:5-6 ~Debbie 
    
    

    • Five Stars
      By Gail Purath

      Mar 20, 2012
      Joy in the Journey is a must-have book for homeschooling parents and for those considering homeschooling. Written by a mom who persevered through the trials and experienced the benefits of teaching her children at home, this book will help parents process their own joys and struggles. Author Lori Hatcher proves she is not only a veteran homeschooler but also a gifted writer. Each chapter is divided into a thought-provoking devotion, application questions, an “action step” for the week and a prayer. As a “pioneer” homeschooler myself—my children graduated from homeschool highschool in the early 90’s—I would have loved to own such a book. It’s honest and practical. I know readers will be encouraged and inspired by Hatcher’s insights. Gail Purath, Writer of Bible Love Notes, Editor of WOW-Writing on the Word, freelance writer.
      
      
    • Five Stars
      By Leslie Moellering

      Mar 20, 2012
      Over the last 14 years of homeschooling, I've become leery of devotionals geared toward homeschoolers. I beat myself up enough over my homeschooling failures without needing to add to the guilt by comparing myself to some ultra-homeschoolers. Thankfully, Joy in the Journey is different. Rather than start you on the comparison game, Joy in the Journey challenges you to focus solely on what the Lord has for you on your homeschooling journey. The devotions are short enough to not be overwhelming and the application questions and action steps are challenging for veteran homeschoolers and newbies alike. I also like the format of only having one devotion to focus on each week.
      
      
    • Five Stars
      By Maria Thornhill

      Mar 20, 2012
      As a homeschooling mother of four and an army wife of almost 21 years, this devotional book reminds me that God has never left my side and that He is there to lift me up through both the simple and difficult challenges that homeschooling and military life bring.