Debra Bell
Wit and Wisdom

More Behind-the-Scenes on The Ultimate Guide to
Homeschooling

The story continues… Last week I gave you a behind-the-scenes peek at how a
home school mom of 4 managed to land a book contract with the world’s largest
Christian publisher. This week I’ll let you in on how I actually got that done. 

I got by with a LOTTA help from my friends… family… children… church.
Yes, folks, don’t try to write a 400 plus page book alone. UGHS would never
have happened had I not been planted in a vibrant church and home school
community who served me in countless ways. Meals, childcare, teaching,
cleaning, researching, even letting me write about their successes and failures
in my book…I was served beyond measure. 

Day One 
But let’s go back to the first day I received my contract in the mail. You’ll
like this vignette. That was the day my sons, Mike and Gabe, then 14, also told
me they were thinking about going to public school. If my memory serves me
well, I believe I was actually holding the long-awaited contract in my hands when
they strolled into the living room to make their announcement. 

My jaw dropped. I looked at them. I looked at the contract. I
looked back at them. "Great timing, guys," I quipped, my voice
dripping with sarcasm. Now how was I going to write this book?
(Yes, my first thoughts were for my reputation, not their
welfare. Oh Lord, what we learn about ourselves in these
defining moments. ) 

My daughter Kayte played the moment seamlessly to her
advantage. “I love being home schooled, Mom,” she said
sweetly, giving me a quick hug before clearing the room. 

I did next what I do so well – I over-reacted. (Excuse me, as my
sons would say at this point, “Mom, ‘over-reacted’ is not biblical
language.” ‘Sinned’ would be the more precise description of
what happened next.) I’m sure this will endear me to you, gentle
readers, but how we worked that little caveat out as a family will
have to wait for another column. Suffice to say, I began working
on the book, while Kermit and I were simultaneously bungling
our way through some major issues with our sons. 

Never Before Revealed Secrets to Getting It Done 
Now here is the first secret to how I manage my life. I get up
very early and I go to bed very early. Fortunately, I’m married
to a great guy who stays up just as late as my kids, so it is my
understanding that they had an entire life ‘while I was sleeping.’
(Not exciting enough to make into a movie, but they did survive
without me I’m told.) At first I began working on the book at 6
A.M. with a goal of 10 finished pages a day. In the end, I was
getting up at 4 A.M. in order to make my deadline. Once I was
up by 2. I find that I just can’t write much worth printing after 9
A.M., so just when my kids were getting around for the school
day, I was shutting down the computer. And on the other end, I
was falling asleep at the dinner table. 

Second secret? I have incredibly friends. For example, my
friends Pandy Cope and Nancy Barnett, invited my daughters to
several “unit study days” at their homes. While I was writing
about being creative, they were actually supplying that part of
the program for me. And others, like Colette Bailes and Cindy
McKeown, tolerated endless discussions with me picking their
brains for great stories, pithy sayings, witty anecdotes, and
compelling insights that I could put in my book under my name.


The revised edition was even more of a team-effort. All of the
contact information had to be checked and rechecked for
accuracy (the home school movement doesn’t hold still, as you
may have noticed!). Hundreds of Web sites needed to be
evaluated for content and ease-of-use. Friends and staff (who
are all dear friends) culled through all the material at first, and
then I reviewed the final cuts. Even so, the home school
movement is mushrooming in all directions. The amount of new
information and new innovations was a daunting mountain for
us all to tackle. 

There’s A River of Grace … 
Finally, I just can’t express adequately the appreciation I have
for my local church – Living Hope Church, Harrisburg, PA. Our
family has been involved since the church was planted some 14
years ago. While parents are afforded the grace to fulfill their
responsibilities to oversee their children’s education through a
variety of methods, home schooling has always been encouraged
and supported. In particular, my home group, led by Drew and
Carole Rusling, has supported our family through prayer, helps
and encouragement. And our pastor, Ken Mellinger, has
consistently preached a cross-centered message week after week.
Growing in grace, growing in my understanding of the
sufficiency of Christ in my life, growing in my appreciation for
all that Christ provides daily to me and my family, I believe, has
given me such a well-spring to draw upon, that in the
overflowing abundance of God’s unmerited favor towards me, I
have been able to accomplish amazing things. I trust, in small
part, the book will be a vehicle of grace in others’ home
schooling adventure. 

In His Sovereign Grace, 

Debra 

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This article originally published at Crosswalk.com.