Teach Them Diligently

David & Leslie Nunnery
  • 4.8 (52)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

You want to raise children who know and love Jesus—and you know that doesn’t happen by accident. The Teach Them Diligently Podcast gives Christian parents practical, biblical help for homeschooling, parenting, family discipleship, marriage, and everyday family life. Join David and Leslie Nunnery, co-founders of Teach Them Diligently, for honest conversations and biblical encouragement to help you homeschool with purpose, strengthen your family, disciple your children, and keep your heart focused on what matters most. You’ll find practical help for real-life questions about homeschool overwhelm, homeschool curriculum and education, parenting struggles, family rhythms, marriage, raising teens and young adults, Christian parenting, biblical worldview, and staying faithful when family life doesn’t look the way you expected. Because the goal isn’t simply to raise well-educated children. It’s to raise children who know Him. New episodes each week from Teach Them Diligently.

  1. 2d ago

    How One Gift Helped a Girl Discover God’s Love: An Operation Christmas Child Story

    What difference can one shoebox make in a child’s life? For Kristiana Allenbaugh, it became a tangible reminder that she was seen, known, and loved—and an introduction to the hope found in Jesus Christ. Growing up in Latvia, Kristiana experienced heartbreaking circumstances. By the age of six, she was caring for her two younger sisters. At ten, she and her sisters fled their home in the middle of a freezing winter night and eventually found safety in an orphanage. But even in a safer environment, Kristiana struggled with feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Then, at twelve, she attended an Operation Christmas Child outreach event. There, she heard the gospel and received something she had rarely experienced before: a gift chosen just for her. Inside her shoebox were school supplies, art materials, personal items, and a photograph of the teenage girl who had packed it. Every item reminded Kristiana that someone, somewhere, had thought about her. And through that experience, she began to understand something even greater: God knew her, loved her, and was inviting her into a relationship with Him. In this episode of the Teach Them Diligently Podcast, Leslie Nunnery talks with Kristiana about her remarkable story and how Christian families can share the gospel with children around the world. You’ll hear: How God worked through heartbreaking circumstances in Kristiana’s childhood Why receiving a shoebox meant so much more than receiving presents How a simple photograph and personal gifts helped her feel seen and valued Why older children especially benefit from personal notes and thoughtful gifts Practical ideas for packing meaningful shoeboxes with your children How Operation Christmas Child creates opportunities for children to hear about Jesus How your family can participate in this year’s National Collection Week Pack a Shoebox with your Family Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week is November 16–23, 2026. Visit https://teachthemdiligently.net/occ/ to learn what to pack, find a drop-off location, and discover how your family can be part of sharing the good news of Jesus around the world. Because the goal isn’t simply to give a child a present. It’s to point that child to the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ. Hear More Stories from Shoebox Recipients She prayed for a Barbie– and then she opened her shoebox. Practical Ideas for Packing a Shoebox. The power of a parent’s impact– and a Golden Yoyo.

  2. Oct 20

    How to Find a Good Church for Your Family: 4 Things to Look For

    Your family needs a good local church—but how do you know when you’ve found one? In this episode of the Teach Them Diligently podcast, David Nunnery goes solo to share four characteristics he has learned to look for after decades of visiting, serving in, speaking at, and evaluating churches in the United States and around the world. This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive theological checklist for church health. Instead, David offers a practical framework Christian parents can use as they consier whether a church will be a strong partner in the work of family discipleship. You’ll hear why David looks for strong leadership, an active gospel ministry, a church centered on Scripture and Jesus Christ, and genuine Christian community—plus one surprising place he recommends parents look when evaluating the health of a church. David also offers an important caution: churches are made up of imperfect people. Finding a healthy church doesn’t mean finding a perfect one. If your family is searching for a church—or you’re thinking carefully about the church you’re already part of—this episode will give you practical questions to consider together. Listen to Part 1: Why Your Family Needs Church Haven’t listened to Part 1? Before asking how to find a good church, hear David and Leslie discuss why Christian families need the local church as a partner in discipleship. LISTEN TO WHY YOUR FAMILY NEEDS A CHURCH Leslie also had a great conversation with Angie Tolpin about church. LISTEN TO WHY YOUR FAMILY’S COMMITMENT TO CHURCH MATTERS Bring Your Family to Teach Them Diligently Your family wasn’t meant to walk this journey alone. One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to surround them with people who love Jesus, take His Word seriously, and encourage them to follow Him. That’s part of what makes Teach Them Diligently gatherings so special. For three days, you’ll be surrounded by Christian families who share your desire to raise children who know and love the Lord. You’ll hear biblical teaching, find practical help for parenting and homeschooling, worship together, and build relationships with people who understand the mission you’re pursuing. And your children will experience something important, too: They’re part of something much bigger than their own family. Teach Them Diligently isn’t a replacement for your local church. It’s an opportunity to strengthen your family for the work God has called you to do in your home and church throughout the year. Join us in 2027: Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: April 22–24 Pigeon Forge, TN: May 6–8 Branson, MO: May 13–15 Bring your family to Teach Them Diligently

  3. Oct 16

    The Marriage Advice We Give Our Kids Before They Say “I Do”

    What would you tell your children about marriage right before they said, “I do”? David and I have now had the privilege of watching three of our children get married, including one just last weekend! And before each wedding, we’ve made it a point to sit down individually with our son or daughter and their future spouse for a very honest conversation about marriage. I’ll admit, the kids aren’t always thrilled when we first suggest these conversations. 😊 But there are some things we want them to understand about building a healthy, biblical marriage—things we’ve learned through our own marriage and through years of walking alongside other families. In this episode, we’re inviting you into that conversation. We’re talking about what Ephesians 5 teaches us about love and respect, why honesty and keeping short accounts matter so much, and why it’s important to keep investing in your marriage long after the wedding day. We also discuss something Christian couples don’t always talk about openly: God’s good design for physical intimacy within marriage. Whether you’re preparing for marriage, raising children, or entering a new season after your kids have grown, we hope this conversation encourages you to invest intentionally in the relationship that started your family. In this episode, we discuss: The biblical foundation of a healthy marriage from Ephesians 5 Why husbands need to communicate love and wives need to communicate trust and respect How a shared family vision strengthens communication The importance of honesty, confession, and keeping short accounts Why continuing to date and enjoy your spouse matters A biblical perspective on physical intimacy in marriage Why investing in your marriage matters throughout the parenting years Mentioned in this episode: Teach Them Diligently Events: https://teachthemdiligently.net/teach-them-diligently-homeschool-conventions/ Teach Them Diligently 365: https://teachthemdiligently.net/join-ttd365 Operation Christmas Child shoebox season is here. Get all the details about how to pack your shoebox and where to drop them off by visiting https://teachthemdiligently.net/occ. National Collection Week is coming up November 16-23, 2026. For TTD365 Members, you can check out David’s workshop on “Husbands love your wives” from the TTD365 Audio Vault: https://members.teachthemdiligently.net/audio/husbands-love-your-wives-men-only-david-nunnery/ For TTD365 Members, you can check out Leslie’s workshop on “Refocus on Marriage” from the TTD365 Audio Vault: https://members.teachthemdiligently.net/audio/refocus-on-marriage-for-ladies-only/ Biblical Love Bible Study: https://members.teachthemdiligently.net/courses/biblical-love-bible-study/ Share this episode with your spouse or a couple you love. Sometimes the most important marriage advice is the advice we need to hear again.

  4. Oct 6

    She Received a Shoebox at 5. Now She’s Packing Them With Her Own Kids

    When five-year-old Gabby Walker walked into a church in Honduras, she was living in extreme poverty. Her mother worked multiple jobs, there were days without enough food, and Gabby often felt alone. That Sunday, she heard clearly about Jesus’ love for her—and wondered, “Does Jesus know who I am?” Then someone handed her an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Before she opened it, Gabby whispered one of her first prayers: “God, please let there be a Barbie doll in here.” What happened next planted a seed that would affect not only Gabby’s life, but her mother’s as well. Today, Gabby is married, homeschooling three children in Mississippi—and now she packs Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with her own kids. In this episode, Leslie Nunnery and Gabby talk about the extraordinary impact of ordinary faithfulness: a kindergarten teacher who faithfully shared God’s Word, friends who invited Gabby to church, an unknown family who packed a shoebox, and a God working through it all. You’ll also discover why packing a shoebox can be such a meaningful family discipleship opportunity—helping our children look beyond themselves, practice generosity, pray for children around the world, and participate personally in sharing the gospel. PACK A SHOEBOX WITH YOUR FAMILY National Collection Week, November 16-23, 2026 How to Pack • Find a Drop-Off Location • Build a Shoebox Online Samaritan’s Purse also allows families to track where a box goes when they make the suggested shipping/ministry donation online, which could be especially fun for homeschool families. PACK A SHOEBOX WITH YOUR FAMILY

  5. Oct 1

    Before You Change Your Homeschool, Do This First

    Is something just not working in your homeschool? Maybe the schedule feels chaotic. A curriculum isn’t clicking. Your days aren’t unfolding the way you pictured them—or you’re already wondering whether you need to scrap the plan and start over. Before you change anything, David and Leslie Nunnery want you to work through a simple framework: Believe. Think. Feel. Do. Too often, homeschool parents jump straight from a problem to action: buy a new curriculum, create another schedule, join a co-op, leave a co-op, or try the latest solution someone recommended. But lasting change starts further upstream. In this episode, you’ll learn how to reconnect what you do each day with what you believe God has called you to do, realign your thinking with that mission, understand the emotions influencing your decisions, and build homeschool rhythms that actually serve your family. You’ll also hear how Leslie used this framework to structure their family’s homeschool days around discipleship, relationship, meaningful conversation, and learning—and why getting the foundation right made everything else work better. Before you change what you’re doing, go back to what you believe. FREE RESOURCE Build Your Homeschool Mission Before you can align your homeschool with your mission, you need to know what that mission is. Download the Homeschool Mission Worksheet from our Heart School Master Class to prayerfully work through what God has called your family to do—and begin using that mission as a filter for the decisions you make. DOWNLOAD THE FREE WORKSHEET Knowing What to Do Is One Thing. Staying Tethered to It Is Another.   Teach Them Diligently 365 gives Christian homeschool parents ongoing biblical teaching, practical help, mentorship, and a community of families committed to living out what they believe.   And because the Heart School Master Class and Heart School Parenting Intensive are included in 365, this episode is an unusually natural invitation. LEARN MORE ABOUT TTD365 AND JOIN US THERE TODAY

  6. Sep 14

    Has Your Homeschool Drifted? 5 Questions to Help You Get Back on Track

    Most Christian homeschool families don't intentionally abandon their mission. They drift away from it—one small decision, pressure, activity, or expectation at a time. In this episode of the Teach Them Diligently Podcast, David and Leslie Nunnery talk about why homeschool drift happens and how to recognize when curriculum, schedules, academics, activities, fear, or other people's expectations have quietly started driving your homeschool. You'll walk through five questions that can help you evaluate where your family is headed, reconnect your daily decisions to the mission God has given you, and make small adjustments before homeschool chaos takes over. David and Leslie also look back from the other side of homeschooling to share what mattered far more—and far less—than they realized while raising their four children. FREE RESOURCE: Take the 10-Day Remember Your Why Challenge and get the accompanying printable guide at TeachThemDiligently.net/Remember-Your-Why. Because curriculum and schedules are great tools—but terrible masters.

  7. Sep 4

    Why Your Family Needs a Church: The Missing Piece of Family Discipleship

    Parents have an incredible responsibility to disciple their children. But that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to do it alone. In fact, one of the dangers Christian families can face—especially homeschool families—is allowing responsibility to slowly become self-sufficiency. We educate our children. We organize activities. We teach the Bible. We create community. Before long, we can begin acting as though our family is sufficient by itself. But that’s not the picture of Christianity we see in Scripture.   You Can’t “One Another” Yourself The New Testament is filled with commands about how believers are to live together. Love one another. Honor one another. Serve one another. Bear one another’s burdens. Encourage one another. Forgive one another. Pray for one another. Those commands assume something important: Christianity is inherently relational. You simply can’t “one another” yourself. God has given parents the primary responsibility for discipling their children, but He has also placed believers within the body of Christ. And our children need that body too.   Your Children Need More Than Christian Friends One of the great gifts of a healthy church is that it surrounds our children with Christians at many different stages of life. Your children need to see what following Jesus looks like at 25. At 45. At 65. At 85. They need to see faithful Christians walking through marriage, parenting, work, loss, suffering, service and old age. They need people outside their immediate family who know them, pray for them, encourage them and have watched them grow. Those relationships may seem insignificant while our children are young. Years later, we often discover just how significant they really were.   Don’t Just Attend Church—Become Part of It Being present is important, but biblical community goes much deeper than occupying a pew each week. A healthy church gives your family opportunities to know and be known. To serve. To encourage. To pray. To bear burdens. To learn from believers in other generations. And your children need to understand that they aren’t simply consumers of church programs. They are part of the body too. Give them opportunities to serve. Let them work alongside adults. Help them learn people’s names and stories. Let them see that their presence and gifts matter.   Three Ways to Start As you consider your family’s relationship with your church, start here: 1. Show up. Make gathering with God’s people a genuine priority. Our children learn what we value not simply from what we tell them, but from the choices they watch us make. 2. Move toward people. Learn names. Ask questions. Pray for people. Invite someone into your home. Notice when someone isn’t there. Don’t wait for biblical community to happen to you. Move toward others. 3. Become needed. Serve. Encourage. Build relationships. Teach your children to contribute rather than simply consume. Ask yourself a revealing question: If our family disappeared from our church next week, would anyone notice? And who would we miss? God didn’t design the Christian life to be lived alone. Parents have been given the tremendous responsibility of bringing their children to Jesus—but a healthy church surrounds our children with examples of what following Him looks like for a lifetime.   Free Family Discipleship Resource We’ve created a free resource to help your family put this into practice: The Missing Piece of Family Discipleship: 41 “One Another” Commands Every Christian Parent Should Know Use these Scriptures during family devotions. Take one each week, talk about what it means, turn the command into a question, and consider together how your family can live it out within your church.   DOWNLOAD THE FREE RESOURCE   Then listen to the full conversation above as David and Leslie share why church became such an important part of their own family’s discipleship story.   Continue Exploring Church + Family Discipleship We moved across the country for one reason.— a helpful article about the importance of a healthy church. Why your family’s commitment to church matters more than ever-– a podcast conversation with Angie Tolpin. Discipleship in Parenting— a podcast conversation with Dr. Albert Mohler Faith That Sticks— a book by Leslie Nunnery and Tricia Goyer about parenting and discipling preteens that was mentioned in today’s episode. Teach Them Diligently— a book on biblical parenting by Leslie Nunnery that was mentioned in today’s episode.

  8. Jun 11

    Why Your Family’s Commitment to Church Matters More Than Ever

    How do we pass down a vibrant, lasting faith to the next generation in a world full of distractions? I Church attendance has become optional in many Christian homes—but what if we’re missing something far deeper than a Sunday service? In this conversation, Leslie Nunnery is joined by Angie Tolpin of Courageous Parenting to discuss why gathering with the local church remains one of the most important ways we disciple our children. Together they explore: Why livestreams can never replace biblical community What children learn simply by watching our priorities How church shapes identity, accountability, and spiritual maturity Practical ways to prepare your family’s hearts before Sunday morning Why serving—not consuming—is God’s design for His Church   If your desire is to raise children who love Jesus and remain faithful long after they leave your home, this conversation will encourage you to think intentionally about one of the most foundational rhythms of Christian family life. Show Notes In This Episode Leslie and Angie discuss why faithfully participating in a local church is one of the most powerful ways parents disciple their children. Rather than viewing church as another activity on the calendar, they encourage families to embrace it as God’s design for spiritual growth, accountability, and biblical community. The conversation includes practical ideas for making Sunday mornings less stressful, preparing your family’s hearts before worship, helping children understand why church matters, and modeling a faith that lasts beyond childhood. You’ll Learn Why church is far more than attending a weekly service The biblical purpose of gathering with other believers How parents communicate priorities through their weekly decisions Why children need to see faith lived out in community Simple Sunday traditions that prepare hearts for worship How serving together helps children discover their place in the Body of Christ Why biblical community must be built intentionally Encouragement for families facing competing priorities like sports and activities Scripture Mentioned Acts 2:42 Hebrews 10:24–25 1 Corinthians 12 Matthew 6:9–13 (The Lord’s Prayer) RESOURCES MENTIONED: Find out more about Angie Tolpin Get the Courageous Parenting Book on Amazon. Follow Angie on Instagram Learn more about Courageous Mom Find out more about Be Courageous Ministry TTD365 Membership– Were you not able to join us at TTD this year? TTD365 is like having a homeschool convention in your pocket! Don’t miss out on the encouragement. Listen to all sessions through our membership!    ABOUT THE GUEST:  Angie is an author & teacher at heart. Married to Isaac for 26 years, Angie has been homeschooling their nine children for 22 years and is expecting her fifth grandchild! The Tolpins are the founders of BeCourageousMinistry.org, host the Courageous Parenting podcast, and offer many biblical resources, including the Parenting Mentor Program, which has impacted thousands of legacies.     PODCAST SPONSOR: Hey homeschool families! I want to tell you about HF Homeschool. It’s a free, online guide to help you start a Christian homeschool group or co-op. You can go at your own pace, and if you finish the coursework, HF will even fund a mentor—a free coach to help your homeschool thrive. They’re also sponsoring the Teach Them Diligently conference, packed with workshops, resources, and fellowship with other Christian homeschool families. It’s a great way to connect, learn, and be encouraged in your homeschool journey.   Check it out and sign up today at hfhomeschool.com!

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4.8
out of 5
52 Ratings

About

You want to raise children who know and love Jesus—and you know that doesn’t happen by accident. The Teach Them Diligently Podcast gives Christian parents practical, biblical help for homeschooling, parenting, family discipleship, marriage, and everyday family life. Join David and Leslie Nunnery, co-founders of Teach Them Diligently, for honest conversations and biblical encouragement to help you homeschool with purpose, strengthen your family, disciple your children, and keep your heart focused on what matters most. You’ll find practical help for real-life questions about homeschool overwhelm, homeschool curriculum and education, parenting struggles, family rhythms, marriage, raising teens and young adults, Christian parenting, biblical worldview, and staying faithful when family life doesn’t look the way you expected. Because the goal isn’t simply to raise well-educated children. It’s to raise children who know Him. New episodes each week from Teach Them Diligently.

Information

  • Creator
    David & Leslie Nunnery
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    396
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Teach Them Diligently. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Teach Them Diligently

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