Maxwell Conference Spring 2012

[WonderingInWA]

I'd like to see the Maxwells open up an online fundie matchmaking service. What with their expertise in technology and strong moral values, it would be easy for them to get into the Christian pimping business.

Oh, wait, they have a 30yo daughter who has never married. Hm, that might be a hard sell.

[lilwriter85]

The Maxwells are losing fans or maybe the fans are reading the blog and realizing how wacky the family is. I have seen pics of some of their conferences and some of those people don't seem fundie.

[SamuraiKatz]

There is a limited audience for the Maxwell brand of fundieism. I would imagine they have maxed out (bad pun!) their presentation opportunities within this group. If Steve wants to keep the ministry going, he is going to have to cast his net a little further afield. I'm not sure he is capable of putting his own brand of crazy aside to do that. I guess we shall see what 2012 brings.

[AmyP]

There only real way to get more money is to do the big homeschool conferences. My fundie sister has a homeschool company. She does about 8 big ones a year,but the bulk of her buisness is because she has a catalog and is constantly adding new things to keep the orders coming in. They write several new books a year and branch out into other products,where the Maxwells do not.

What books has your sister written?

[YPestis]

The homeschooling business is evolving. The Maxwells were early adopters of the fundie homeschool lifestyle and got lucky with a product that worked really well (scheduling packets). However, times have changed and they haven't. They still sell the same stuff and have gotten increasingly isolated and nutty with their ideology. I guess their audience attention is starting to waver to other family run businesses.

The Maxwells had done very well for a while with their ministry and books. Now, others have caught on. I don't think the Maxwells are poor business people. I think their lack of progress is the result of their deliberate isolationism. They keep themselves in a little bubble so they don't even know what's going on in their own field. However, I think their expansion to music and IT lessons is Steve's way of compensating for these changes without having to get his hands dirty with other homeschooling families. His one card is the family's technical prowess. I feel he is trying to expand the family enterprise by utilizing their programming skills. As the road trips dry up, I foresee an increase in these online tutoring sessions. It makes me wonder if that's why Anna is doing the A+ certifications. Perhaps they feel the family will expand the ITonRamp and use that as their new bread and butter.

[Justme]

They generally start on their spring tour the end of Feb, or early March. Last spring, Uriah tore up roads (literally) all over Canada. So far, they are only guest speakers at someone else's event.

 

Are they getting no invitations or are they "choosing" not to tour?????? By reading their past tour posters, each event seems pretty much like the last. They rarely add new items.

 

Could they be choosing to stay close to home for their 2 pregnant DIL's and frail parents? Or, are they past their "prime".....

[ElphabaGalinda]

If they're not going on tour, what are they going to do all spring? Their tours may be boring but at least it gets them out of the house. I'm pretty sure their past their prime and no one's inviting them to speak anywhere. There are only so many times they can make the same speach at the same churches. Sucks for Sarah, that's pretty much the only way she can meet age appropriate men Steve may potentially have the slightest possibility of considering approving.

[lilwriter85]

I think the Maxwells are past their prime and it seems that they miss Christopher who helped them a lot with the music part.

[Marian the Librarian]

The Maxwell Show has jumped the shark.

[wallfly]

They could be sticking around this spring because the 2 Maxwell babies are due soon.

[WonderingInWA]

I can only hope they are choosing to shift gears from touring based on the fact they are trying to focus on their family. With two new babies on the way and Teri's ailing parents, I hope Stevie understands that taking the dog and pony show on the road would be really bad timing. I'm sure he's got some sort of other business venture simmering in the pot. Honestly, they must spend a fortune touring with that bus and maybe it's just time to hunker down at home and focus on the grandkids (and hell, maybe even finding a husband for Sarah!).

I think it's sad what is happening with Teri's parents and that Stevie doesn't blog about it more. I know they live in the 'hood but aside from Sarah making lunch for them once a week, does the family do anything else for them? It sounds like Teri's dad is visited by hospice care (I think I saw that in Aunt Tami's FB stuff), but it would be nice to know if Teri and Steve and the kids feel any kind of emotion about it? His mother has Alzheimers and you never hear anything about them caring about her, either.

[treemom]

All I know is it looks like I will be crashing a 3 dayer in the fall!

[Markie]

A bit off topic, I'm afraid.

Sarah may be busily writing her eighth Moody book. Wonder what it will be called? Could it be "Spring Days With the Moodys?" I was reading the write up for her "Winter Days" book and was a bit perplexed.

As is often the case with a Moody book, the story begins with excitement, but the excitement doesn't stop there. A surprising event happens after a simple excursion to the grocery store. Then, follow the family as they make their Christmas season special. Later the girls and Mom go on a shopping trip, and Mitch pays a visit to the eye doctor. The weekly neighborhood Bible study continues, and while preparing, Mom encounters the vacuum. Two chances to bless others through I-J-N (In Jesus' Name) are woven into the story line. The book ends with two, well, you'll have to find out!

Mom encounters the vacuum? She had never seen or encountered one before? Was she not a good keeper of the home? Or was it a metaphorical vacuum, like Steve, who sucks all fun and pleasure out of life?

[fundiefan]

A bit off topic, I'm afraid.

Sarah may be busily writing her eighth Moody book. Wonder what it will be called? Could it be "Spring Days With the Moodys?" I was reading the write up for her "Winter Days" book and was a bit perplexed.

Mom encounters the vacuum? She had never seen or encountered one before? Was she not a good keeper of the home? Or was it a metaphorical vacuum, like Steve, who sucks all fun and pleasure out of life?

Sarah knows words, not context. She doesn't communicate or interact with people on a regular basis so she has no idea about social context or conversational language. Two key components of effective written communication. She doesn't read either - not fiction or even non-fiction that isn't about the bible.

To write well, you need to read well. You also need to verbally communicate with others in context. She does none of that, so her writing is as stunted and awkward as every other aspect of her so-called adult life.

I can't imagine it's easy for the Maxwells to get a room full of people wanting to know about courtship and young daughters at home when their 30 year old daughter is not a shining example of success in those areas. No courtship for her, she's been an adult SAHD for 12 years. The rest of their self promotion is the same now as it was five years ago. They don't grow, learn or change, so their shows on the road are the same shit rehashed over and over. Even die hard fundies have to get tired of the same shit, different day thing they have going on.

[kpmom]

All I know is it looks like I will be crashing a 3 dayer in the fall!

Are you going to one of the Maxwell's 3 day September seminars treemom?

I was looking just now at their bio page. I didn't realize they had updated the page with current (and a little more attractive) pictures of the "children". I guess Steve realized even fundies weren't interested in being lectured to by a family in Little House on the Prairie clothes.

[Creaky Mom]

Sarah knows words, not context. She doesn't communicate or interact with people on a regular basis so she has no idea about social context or conversational language. Two key components of effective written communication. She doesn't read either - not fiction or even non-fiction that isn't about the bible.

To write well, you need to read well. You also need to verbally communicate with others in context. She does none of that, so her writing is as stunted and awkward as every other aspect of her so-called adult life.

I can't imagine it's easy for the Maxwells to get a room full of people wanting to know about courtship and young daughters at home when their 30 year old daughter is not a shining example of success in those areas. No courtship for her, she's been an adult SAHD for 12 years. The rest of their self promotion is the same now as it was five years ago. They don't grow, learn or change, so their shows on the road are the same shit rehashed over and over. Even die hard fundies have to get tired of the same shit, different day thing they have going on.

The. Writing. Is. So. Bad.

[treemom]

Are you going to one of the Maxwell's 3 day September seminars treemom?

I was looking just now at their bio page. I didn't realize they had updated the page with current (and a little more attractive) pictures of the "children". I guess Steve realized even fundies weren't interested in being lectured to by a family in Little House on the Prairie clothes.

Yeah I think so.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

"The Moodys In Space" - and Mom opens the airlock by accident? :D

I agree with fundiefan and will add that I think you can't learn the nuances or deeper meaning of a lot of words outside your personal lived life experience without reading fiction. When you read a story and know what's going on, when you are sympathizing and feeling what the character is feeling because you've followed him through all the suffering or joy he's having in the story so far, when you KNOW where he's at, and then he uses a word, you have an entire experience to tie to that word, and you learn in a way the dictionary is never going to match. When you then choose a word to use yourself, in the back of your mind you know those situations where you heard it used, which feeling is closest to what you're trying to say now?

Sarah doesn't do that, AND her own lived life is pretty restricted, so I'm not surprised her vocabulary is stilted. Though in her favor, she's only writing about stuff that's pretty darn close to home for her, so she manages somewhat.

But add to that the way they seem to think that imagination is forbidden (unless you imagine only Godly family living, I guess - Steve-O did revise his response to Sarah's fan so that it allowed for creativity given from God) and I'm surprised she's able to write at all.

[Sola]

Has anyone read a moody book? Id love to read one, for snark puposes of course, but im not wasting my money on one (and shipping to the uk).

Can anyone post/link to an excert

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Has anyone read a moody book? Id love to read one, for snark puposes of course, but im not wasting my money on one (and shipping to the uk).

Can anyone post/link to an excert

Visit the plug page for the book: http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/product ... g.php/1182 and you'll see a link to read an excerpt. It's a PDF.

[Jezebel]

I can't imagine it's easy for the Maxwells to get a room full of people wanting to know about courtship and young daughters at home when their 30 year old daughter is not a shining example of success in those areas. No courtship for her, she's been an adult SAHD for 12 years. The rest of their self promotion is the same now as it was five years ago. They don't grow, learn or change, so their shows on the road are the same shit rehashed over and over. Even die hard fundies have to get tired of the same shit, different day thing they have going on.

Yes, that. You've got to keep growing, offering something fresh and new--and they're not doing that.

What's worse, they don't cultivate relationships with the people who might come see them. Returning comments on the blog, making it a genuine conversation, and otherwise being more friendly and accessible when they're not on the road would help them a lot. If you build warm relationships with your online audience, they will gladly turn out to see you--plus they'll offer invaluable help and hospitality. They might even become friends!

But Steve is too often brusque, businesslike, and even downright rude when he responds to comments. None of the girls get to join in on the comments. Sarah doesn't even get to respond personally to young fans of her books. She could have a blog strictly for the Moody books, where she answered questions and engaged her readers--but no. Steve's the patriarch and mouthpiece of the family, and he's so socially stunted and tone-deaf he makes a bad job of it. It makes me wonder if he's just as bad in public, face-to-face. I can't imagine he comes off much better in public.

And on top of that, they're just so dull, awkward, and joyless as a bunch. They have no spark. The same narrow, stunted quality that's in Sarah's writings has to come across when they make personal appearances, too. People might turn out to see the Awkward Family once, but will they do it again? Especially if there is nothing new being said? I doubt it.

One possibility Steve and Terri could pursue is shifting away from child-raising and SAHDs to speaking and writing on elderly issues. They might find an audience for that. But honestly, I don't think they'd do a very good job of it.

[Guest Anonymous]

The Maxwells seem to have updated their Conference information webpages: http://www.titus2.com/conferences/

 

I am intrigued by the newest addition to the schedules: by Steve, for Teens....

 

 

Quote

Courtship and Preparation for Marriage

 

Steve Maxwell

Time: 1 hour

 

Most homeschooled youth have heard about courtship, but they wonder what it actually is and how it would work out in their lives. In this session, these areas will be addressed plus a discussion of what you can do to be prepared for marriage, preserving purity of heart and boyd.

 

I hope poor Sarah doesn't have to be anything to do with this one.....

[Guest Anonymous]

The other new session for 2012 is called:

The Christ-Led Marriage—

Harnessing the Power of a Team

Steve Maxwell

Time: 1 hour

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour†(Ecclesiastes 4:9). So many marriages, yet how few there are that are Christ-Led and are experiencing His power. There is such unity, strength, and blessedness when two are truly one, working for the same goal for their family. Biblical and practical this session will strengthen and build your marriage as you follow Jesus Christ with your family.

Harnessing the power of a team...... but led, of course, only by Steve. No sign of Teri in the credits :lol:

[fundiefan]

Sarah is the poster child for Steve's methods. It's not really too hard to judge his success/failure rate.

[Daenerys]

If I was in ATI, I wouldn't exactly be running off to hear advice on Courtship from someone who has a pretty and accomplished 30 year old daughter still waiting...