From the bottom of my heart I want to thank the visionary leadership team of the Illinois Christian Home Educators for allowing us the honor of co-laboring with them in the work of the Lord this last weekend—-and what a glorious work it was. God sent more than 4,000 hungry, Christ-seeking parents to this wonderful conference that featured a wonderful array of vision-casting speakers from my dear friends Rick and Marylin Boyer, to Norm and Alma Wakefield, Dr. Brian Ray and his wife Betsy, Dr. Larry Guthrie and more. I was joined by my wife Beall, sons Providence and Joshua, and daughter Faith Evangeline.

The ICHE board has for years been a trailblazer among state home school organizations for their commitment to focus their conference on visionary and fundamental issues designed to rebuild the family and the culture of the Christian household. Please remember to pray for the Erbers, the Giberts and the Sissons, the three board member families who each year minister to tens of thousands through their powerful ministry.

The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to preach eleven messages (more than 11 hours of preaching——phew!),some of which are mentioned below:

A Home School Vision for Cultural Dominion
During this conference I presented to 4,000 parents a message on what the Bible says about culture and dominion, and the unique role of home educators in this process. I addressed the problems with gnostic, libertine, and syncretistic views of culture. Each of these culture destroying philosophies are present within Christian circles, and when embraced they can suck the life out of church and family life. In contrast to the perspective of the libertine, the syncretist or the gnostic, the Biblicist thinks presuppositionally and recognizes the sufficiency of scripture on matters of faith and practice, including aesthetics.

What Every Father Needs To Teach His Son About Law and Government
In this discussion, I addressed the current political climate, the biblical doctrine of the rule of law and offered some preliminary comments on biblical principles for the ballot box.

The Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing her Husband’s Vision
One of the greatest but most challenging joys of the conference was addressing a combined total of more than 500 women (and some men) on a very sensitive issue——the interaction of a wife with a husband when the husband lacks vision and leadership, either because he is not a believer, or because he is struggling in his walk. This crucial message comes from more than thirteen years of addressing this at home school conventions with wives discouraged by their husbands, and husbands discouraged by their wives. The message is a careful evaluation of the many Scripture passages on the subject. In God’s goodness He has always blessed this message. Illinois was no exception. Many dear women realized that in their desire to resolve problems, they were actually sinning against God and driving their husbands further away. Many husbands realized that their lack of leadership was provoking their wives to wrath and discouragement. If this is a subject of interest to you, purchase the CDs by clicking here.

Message to Home School Widows
What an honor to speak to those dear single and widowed moms who are persevering in their obedience to the Lord by walking alongside and disciplining their children. In this message I addressed the role of the extended family and the church with single home school moms, and explained why even though home schooling is a good and godly idea for everybody, it is crucial for single mothers.

Letters from ICHE Conference Attendees

Dear Mr. Phillips- Thank you for your message on the Wise Woman’s Guide To Blessing her Husband’s Vision. I have often heard teaching on that subject, but your message was SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL in that it was given by a MAN. My husband and I are first generation Christians and you have done much over the past few years to shape our vision about what a Christian family “looks like.” Thank you again for your man’s perspective on the Wise Woman.

Dear Mr. Phillips- I just heard you speak at the Illinois Christian Home Educator’s conference in Napperville, IL, and want to thank you for your messages and encourage you that what you said has made a lasting impact on me. On your sweet wife’s recommendation, I purchased your Back to Genesis CD’s and a few tapes from the conference. I thought I knew what it meant to be a submissive wife, but your tape challenged me to examine God’s Word and take it a few steps further. This is our 5th year homeschooling, but only the first time attending a ICHE event, and I walked away with one lasting message from the Lord: What matters most is godly character, and God’s Word. End of story. Thank you for your ministry and for standing for truth when it would be so easy to water it down, as so many do. For the Glory of God, Mrs. T.

Photos from ICHE Conference

Mary Elaine Turley and Faith Evangeline Phillips hug while manning the Vision Forum table.

After the conference mommy and daughter get a nice meal and a break from three solid days of intense ministry

Adventure boy Joshua Phillips explores some buried treasure artifacts at a local restaurant/museum after the conference.