Bethany | Heart of the Matter

August 5, 2010 By Bethany 8 Comments

Wait! Stop! I don’t know where we’re going! How do we get there? Looking at a stack of shiny, new textbooks, workbooks, and projects can make me feel like that. Do you ever feel like that at the beginning of a new school year?

In order to get from here (the beginning of the school year) to there (a successful school year ending), you need a roadmap.

Planning ahead is like downloading a map for your next trip; it tells you which highways to travel and how many miles you have to go until the next exit. But, it doesn’t prevent you from making an extra stop at the scenic lookout or a fabulous restaurant you pass along the way.

So it is with planning ahead for the school year; you know what you want your children to learn during the year and what you have to accomplish in order for them to achieve those goals. But, you can still pause for a sick day or an unexpected field trip without getting off course.

The key to a smooth start of the school year is to begin planning early. Yes, I know it’s only the beginning of August, but sometimes I feel as if August is the shortest month of the year. In order not to feel overwhelmed the weekend before I plan to start school with the kids, and in order not to feel like I’m completely missing my summer vacation, I do a little bit of planning at a time. For those of you using a combination of curricula or making up your own, this will save many hours of preparation during the school year.

Several types of planning make homeschooling go more smoothly: long-range planning, mid-term planning, and short-term planning.

Long-term planning involves choosing curriculum for each child that matches her learning style and will be used for several years in order to have continuity in each subject. It can also involve planning which science classes and which literature periods will be covered during the four years of high school (or grade school). Deciding which method of homeschooling (classical, Charlotte Mason, traditional, eclectic, etc.) suits your family best falls under long-term planning, too.

Mid-range planning involves breaking the school year down into quarters (or whatever units you use), then months, and then weeks. I plan which books will be read when and which projects go with which history and science units. I also look at every textbook, workbook, and living book we’ll be using to see approximately how many pages and chapters need to be done every quarter, month, and week. It saves time when I do my short-term planning during the school year, and it also helps me keep the children on track to finish each book by the end of the school year (but not three months early, unless we want to do it that way).

Short-term planning, in case you haven’t figured it out by now, involves planning specific pages, chapters, lessons, and projects for each day of our school week. I have found that it works best for me to do this once every two weeks. Doing it every week tends to feel cumbersome and never-ending. If I do it only every three or four weeks, we tend to get out of sync too easily by an unexpected field trip or illness. It may take you a few tries to figure out what timing works best for you, but you will be much more relaxed throughout the school year if you take a little bit of time now to do so.

Many tools exist to help you with all this planning. You can go to a teachers’ supply store or a homeschool convention and find many different types of paper planners. If you like to have a physical notebook in your hands, this is the way to go. Take the time to choose the style that will best suit your needs: large family, unit studies, high school, and many others.

When I used paper planners, my favorites were these two: The Home Schooler’s Journal, published by Fergnus Services Foundations for Learning, and Homeschool Teacher’s Plan Book, by Grace Publications.

If you’re computer savvy and don’t want extra papers cluttering your desk, then check out the wide selection of electronic planners. Some are web-based, meaning that your computer has to be connected to the Internet in order to access them. Some are can be downloaded from the internet (my personal favorite is from Homeschool Tracker; I use the Basic free edition, the Plus version is $49 and includes free updates) and some can be purchased on a CD-rom to download onto the computer yourself. The Old Schoolhouse (TOS, The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner, $39.00) has an extensive homeschool planner that includes forms for everything, with updates every year. If you’re trying to decide whether or not planning on the computer is for you, check out the freebies online.

Your goal for this week: purchase a homeschool teacher’s planner. Leave me a note on your search for the perfect planner, which one you chose, and why you chose it.

Bethany LeBedz has been married for 17 years, homeschooling for 10 years, and organizing forever. She homeschools her two girls in North Carolina. She is also a partner in Codex Publishing, publisher of The Tutor and classic book reprints. She writes a regular column for the Home School Enrichment magazine. When she isn’t homeschooling or driving the family taxi, Bethany enjoys reading, music, church activities, editing, writing, history, and keeping up with friends. Follow her blog at Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom.

July 6, 2010 By Bethany 2 Comments

By now, most of us have heard the party line about the why and the how of assembling traditional portfolios for our homeschooling students. But, some things just can’t be flattened or captured in a photograph. What do we do with large canvas paintings? What about performances by the future ballerina or actor? How do we best showcase the culmination of thousands of hours of practice for our classical pianist?

We use a professional artist’s portfolio for large-scale art projects and we create an electronic portfolio for videos, audios, and multi-media presentations. This is my daughter’s artist’s portfolio. It is the smallest size I could find at a local art supply store (because I’m cheap!), but it has done the trick. I paid less than thirty dollars for it on sale. This will allow you to showcase over-sized drawings, paintings on canvas and other mediums, and other art projects. For a teen who wants to go to art school, an artist’s portfolio is a must.

Here are some links to help you decide which size/brand is best for your artist:

For musicians, if you can afford to do so, set up time at a professional recording studio in order to get the best results. If you can’t afford that, buy cables to connect the instruments or microphone directly into the computer. Several free programs are available online for download that will enable you to record, mix, and save music into different types of files. The quality of the recording is almost as important as the quality of what is actually being recorded, especially if your musician is planning on using these as college entrance auditions. Dancers, actors, and filmmakers can record their performances and dramas directly onto computer files. Again, be sure the sound quality is superb. Also be wary of poor lighting conditions and outside distractions while you’re doing the actual filming.

With an electronic portfolio, students can control who sees which content. They can create CDs to send to people and even create several different CDs with unique recordings as needed. If the files are stored online (securely, of course), students can refer anyone they wish to that website to view its contents. Another benefit of creating an electronic portfolio is that a lot of information can be stored in a small amount of space. It is portable and can be available to more than one person at the same time.

Here are some links that detail the electronic portfolio process:

Wikipedia
Google tools web map
Step-by-step process (list and mind map)
Education World

The more our high schoolers are involved, the more they will take ownership of their portfolios. Besides, teens will probably come up with ideas that we would never have imagined. Enjoy the process and be creative.

Q4U: What creative ideas have you implemented in the portfolio process? Please share them with the rest of us.

June 28, 2010 By Bethany 5 Comments

Moms (or dads) were not meant to homeschool alone.

Often, we’re so busy lining up activities for our kids that we forget to line up activities for ourselves. No, I am not advocating adding “another thing” to our overcrowded schedules that will cause more stress than it cures. I’m talking about making sure that we have like-minded people around us who can inspire and encourage us.

Community activities such as online homeschool groups, emails, and phone calls can be done in your pjs—alone at home. These activities are great for asking questions about curricula, finding out about new programs, reading encouraging articles, and gleaning information about the next stage in your homeschooling life. They’re great for not feeling totally alone on the homeschooling journey. They reiterate that you’re not the only one whose tenth grader decided she didn’t like chemistry and quit trying. They’re great for generating new ideas on storing craft projects, school projects, and books. Online homeschool communities provide a wealth of information.

But computers and telephones shouldn’t be the only communities on which you rely in your homeschooling life. And having eight kids in the house 24/7 doesn’t count for a community, either!

We need real, live, big-people hugs. We need to be able to look our friends in the eyes, see them nod empathetically, and pour our hearts out.

Husbands are great, really, but we still need girlfriends who have walked a mile in our shoes. While my husband whole-heartedly supports our homeschool, he’s not actually teaching algebra every day or trying to figure out how to make a transcript. Yes, you need your husband’s support and he can give you a hug and tell you that everything will turn out all right. He can even read the riot act to the teenager to get her attitude straightened up. But, he’s not in the trenches day in and day out.

I don’t want to discount the importance of relying on God, either. If God is left out of the equation, our homeschool won’t add up to all it could otherwise be. Solomon’s advice on friendship emphasizes this.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, NKJV).

We need real, live fellow homeschooling moms with whom you can interact on a regular basis. We need other women who are doing the same thing we are doing every day. When we drop our kids off for co-op classes, 4-H, or soccer practice, we’re depriving ourselves of a chance to connect with other moms. I’m the first to say, “You don’t understand how desperately I need five minutes to myself” because I do need time to myself, too. That’s a topic for another day, though.

Here are a few ideas on creating homeschooling communities for yourself: Take the chance and introduce yourself to the other soccer moms; reach out to a new homeschooling mom; don’t pull back from the hug proffered by someone you don’t know well.

Most of all, don’t be superficial. Real community is not fostered by fakeness. Real community is fostered by transparent emotions, by revealing our weaknesses, and by forgiving others when they don’t meet our expectations.

In case anyone’s wondering, I wrote this for myself. I’d rather smile and pretend that I’m a super, organized, homeschool mom who has it all together than admit that I struggle with scheduling my time and teenage attitudes. I’d rather hold onto my hurt when I feel brushed aside than forgive and loosen my hold on expectations. I’d rather rush to eat lunch at home after church than admit I need a hug and to talk. I need to embrace the community that’s around me instead of holding it aloof.

One final thought: “The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, but the rich has many friends” (Proverbs 14:20, NKJV). In other words, the thriving homeschooler has a community to inspire and encourage her.

May 31, 2010 By Bethany 2 Comments

Ever wish you had x-ray vision to know what was going through your teens’ minds? Guess what? Teens wish the same thing!

I asked a bunch of teens (okay, I put a message out on Facebook!) what they wished their parents knew about high school. I polled public school students, homeschool students, private school students, and a few graduates. This quote about sums up what most public and private school students think:

“I wish my parents could go through a week in my school, just to see how much has changed since they were in school.”

The single most important thing to all teens was that their parents trust them to make the right choices and to learn from their mistakes. Teens, no matter where they go to school, think socialization is important; not one of them said they had too many activities! Academically, the grass is always greener on the other side. Public school teens think their teachers do a horrible job of preparing them for tests or moving on to more advanced subjects. Private and public school students think that the homework is insane, but are worried about scholarships, GPA and credit requirements, and getting into the right colleges. Homeschool students want to do what they want to do (writing and drawing got the most votes) and not be bothered with all the other stuff. Some homeschool teens thought what they were doing was boring and wished their parents would challenge them more. Most homeschool students loved having their parents teach them and being able to work at their own pace. One homeschooler appreciated being able to talk to a more knowledgeable teacher in a dual-enrollment college class.

Almost all teens talked more about the social aspect of high school than the academic aspect. Middle school pretty much stinks unless you’re on the football team or cheerleading squad. Sadly, the outright making fun of kids in middle school tends to turn into spreading nasty rumors about them in high school. That’s not any easier to deal with. Prom is a big deal, in case you parents were wondering. So is the fact that girls think guys are jerks at that age. Sorry if you’re a parent of a guy, but that was the consensus! One girl (public school) poured out her heart, and rather than trying to summarize it briefly, I’m going to quote her (with improved capitalization and punctuation).

“I also wish my parents knew of the all the different maturity levels of kids in my school that I come in contact with, in classes, in the hallways, etc. Most people (ex. me and my friends) know how to deal with situations because we face them every day; we know what’s right and wrong. But, there is so much peer pressure to break the rules and do what they know is wrong. Now it’s more than just getting a gold star taken away or being put in time out; it’s breaking the law and going to jail and getting expelled. All of these things can have a major effect on you and your life. I wish my parents knew how cruel some people can be and how hard it is to make friends that you can trust and keep a good reputation. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you could end up being the victim of rumors. The thing is, the rumors are almost never true, but it doesn’t matter because people will spread them around just to have something to talk about. I know a girl at my school that is a very nice girl and she’s had rumors spread about her all year. The most recent was that she’s pregnant by some senior and that she sleeps around. People treat her horribly and you can see how upset it makes her. She’s gone through a lot and dealt with all of the rumors and I look up to her for being so brave/strong about it; I know I would be devastated. I wish my parents knew how hard it is—in the social aspect of things just as much as the educational part.”

Regarding teen/parent relationships, most teens wished their parents didn’t expect them to be perfect. They also said that when they did make mistakes, grounding them for the rest of their lives only makes them resentful; they’d rather discuss what happened and maybe learn from your mistakes. Yep, that means they wish you’d talk to them, too. One girl suggested that maybe teens wanted to share more with their parents but were afraid to. On the flip side, most homeschool teens said they were quite close to their parents and could talk to them about most (if not all) issues. Listen up, parents: several teens wished their dads would be more understanding. Teens are looking for affirmation and trust. Can we parents deliver? Teens want to know what their parents went through. Are we talking? Teens want to talk; they want their parents to hear what they have to say. Are we listening?

Bethany has been married for 16 years, homeschooling for 9 years, and organizing forever. She homeschools her two girls, grade 6 and grade 10, in North Carolina. She is also a partner in Codex Publishing, publisher of The Tutor and classic book reprints. When she isn’t homeschooling or driving the family taxi, Bethany enjoys reading, music, church activities, editing, writing, history, and keeping up with friends.

May 24, 2010 By Bethany 4 Comments

When my oldest daughter, Meghan, was four years old, we discovered that she was allergic to cats (and grass and dust). Uh oh. We were very attached to our feline lap warmer and just couldn’t see giving him up. We decided to try keeping the door to my daughter’s bedroom closed so that she would at least have a fur-free place to sleep. That worked . . . except when it didn’t. Meghan continually forgot to close her door.

As I was scolding her yet again and reiterating the importance of keeping the cat out of her room so that she wouldn’t have an asthma attack, she came up with the perfect solution: “I’ll just post a sign on my door that says ‘Willy, keep out’!” After I gained control of my giggles, I informed her that wouldn’t work because cats can’t read.

Again, Meghan came up with the ideal answer: “Then I’ll just teach him to read!” She was very proud of her reading skills and was sure that she would be able to teach Willy how to read in no time flat. Ah, to have the innocence and confidence of a four-year-old again! The sign Meghan posted at the cat’s eye level on her door lasted longer than her efforts to teach Willy to read.

As homeschoolers, we have the ability to instill in our children that same confidence in their abilities. We can give our children the gift of knowledge to pass along to whomever—or whatever—they wish. How do we accomplish this? By not squashing their natural exuberance for passing along their lessons. By encouraging them to explore the world at their level. By giving them the tools they need to learn. By teaching them in the way that they learn best, which isn’t necessarily the way we learn or teach best. By letting them post signs to the cat on their door.

Want to foster precocious children? Let them teach their cats to read!

April 19, 2010 By Bethany Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again. You know, when you wonder if your tenth grader will ever finish her geometry textbook. (Yep, that would be me!) It’s the time of year when we wonder why we chose a particular science curriculum, but realize that it’s too late to start over again. It’s the time of year when we’d like to ditch our school projects and work on the picnic-in-the-park projects. As necessary and nice as flexibility are in homeschooling, I think that finishing well is even more necessary.

So, how do we inspire our children to finish the dreaded research paper, to put the finishing touches on the science fair project, to complete the reading list? Even more important, how do we inspire them to finish well? Colossians 3:17 gives us the command and the reason: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (NKJV). Proponents of the Westminster Catechism will remember the first question: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

Just as a runner in a race wouldn’t quit a mile before the finish line, so we must not quit a month (or two) before the school year is officially over.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV).

Every family has a different racetrack and a different set of rules for the race. That’s absolutely fine. I read a blog post the other month about what ending well means to a pastor who’s near retirement. It encouraged me to keep running (or plodding sometimes) when I’d rather relax by the pool with a good book.

I’ve been reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. While it’s geared towards business people instead of homeschoolers, I think anyone with an impending project can take away some principles not only to get started on those pesky projects, but also to finish them.

Here are what he calls the Five Phases of Project Planning:

1. Define your purpose. Do you remember why you even assigned that book report in the first place? If we can’t clearly delineate the reason we have our kids do certain things, then we can be sure that they won’t have the right motivation to finish them.

2. Envision your outcome. What should the project look like when it’s finished? Do you define a completed textbook as every single page read and highlighted, or as being at least three-fourths of the way mostly completed? Relay your expectations to your students so that they know what they’re aiming for.

3. Brainstorm. How do we get from point A to point B? Do we need more supplies? Can the kids contribute ideas to this project? Write down anything and everything related to the project without worrying about the order, spelling, or whatever.

4. Organize (that’s my favorite part!). Take all the information that you wrote down (if you didn’t write down the answers to the first 3 phases, do so before you move on) and put it into some semblance of order. Make a list of all the supplies you wrote down. Write a list of all the books you need to pick up at the library, and so on.

5. Identify next actions. What needs to happen next? And next? And after that? Put each step in a logical sequence so that everyone knows what’s coming.

We’ve got the what, the why, and the how. Let’s git ’er done and finish this school year well.

March 11, 2010 By Bethany 22 Comments

I bound out of bed, full of energy at 6:00 a.m. I read the next chapter in My Utmost for His Highest and the Psalms, then breeze through level 3 of Jillian’s 30-Day Shred workout DVD. I don my chic, size 6, J. Crew outfit. As I saunter into my sparkling kitchen to make omelets and fruit cups for breakfast, my well-mannered teenagers, perfectly groomed, joyfully help to set the table.

Schoolwork is quietly buzzing along by 8:00 a.m., so I decide to start the first load of laundry. After hanging the clothes out to dry, I sweep off the deck and water my spring starter plants. While the girls contentedly self-teach geometry and fractions, I work on an editing job. At mid-morning, we pause for carrot sticks with hummus and a poetry recitation. After our morning recess comes more learning for the teenagers and more work for me.

For lunch, my budding chefs whip up a delicious, healthful recipe from their home economics course. Following a general clean up of the kitchen, we’re ready for our art history lesson accompanied by our classical listening selections. Every afternoon includes a different extra-curricular activity for each well-rounded girl, so my sleek Nissan is always on the go.

A home-cooked meal followed by family devotions sets up our relaxed evenings of enjoying each other’s company as we play Scrabble, Borderline, or Monopoly until bedtime.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!! What’s that? Oh, time to get up. That’s the third time I’ve hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. Too bad, I was having such a lovely dream . . . Maybe next time I’ll be a little more practical about real time organization tips.

January 28, 2010 By Bethany 2 Comments

It’s that time of year again. You know, the one that follows the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the mid-winter blah time of the year. No matter how much you and your kids love snow, you’re bound to get tired of it at some point during the cold, dark, shorter winter days. Can you tell I’m a warm, sunshine kinda gal? Since moving to Florida or Arizona isn’t in my plans for right now, I’ve had to brainstorm some more practical ideas for not only beating the mid-winter blahs, but for bouncing back from them.

My teenager and her friends came up with the following list: writing a story or writing in a journal, drawing, going to the farm (aka riding horses). and going to the movies with friends.

From my health-conscious acquaintances: get outside for some fresh air and sunshine the second you see the sun peeking through the clouds; get plenty of exercise (inside or outside); take a nice, long, soothing bubble bath (with a “do not disturb mom sign” on the door!); stay hydrated with plenty of water; eat nutritiously.

The Bible gives us some great encouragement and advice:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” (Jeremiah 31:25).

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (psalm 55:22).

“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothe me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:11–12). Scriptures quoted from the NIV.

Here are some just-for-fun ideas: Have a summer-themed party inside, crank up the heat, put on a pair of shorts, blast the Beach Boys, and toss a beach ball around. Go outside and make snow angels—with or without your kids. Have a snowball fight with your honey; you know you want to! Warm up with hot chocolate, your favorite Starbucks drink, or a pot of tea with some chocolate chip cookies.

The bottom line is hang in there; this too shall pass. Before you know it, the math will click (I hope!), the days will be longer and warmer, the kids will stop fighting (at least for a little while), and you’ll realize that the blahs have become a bed of roses.

Bethany has been married for 16 years, homeschooling for 9 years, and organizing forever. She homeschools her two girls, grade 6 and grade 10, in North Carolina. She is also a partner in Codex Publishing, publisher of The Tutor and classic book reprints. When she isn’t homeschooling or driving the family taxi, Bethany enjoys reading, music, church activities, editing, writing, history, and keeping up with friends.

December 17, 2009 By Bethany 9 Comments

Is it just me, or are thank you notes (the paper kind you hold in your hand) becoming obsolete? Are they following the dwindling number of friendly letters and Christmas letters and cards that used to stuff our mailboxes? Well, my mum (she’s Canadian, but I thought the southern phrase more apropos for the title) taught me to acknowledge every gift with a handwritten thank you note. If your techno-kids balk, here are some inspirations to help reinstate the good old-fashioned thank you note.

1. Don’t restrict Thanksgiving to a single day or month. On the contrary, the fact that Thanksgiving comes exactly a month before the day when kids get overloaded with new toys, books, and electronic gadgets should prime them for even more thankfulness.

2. Someone—grandparent, aunt, sibling, parent—took the time to pick out a special gift for each child in your home. The least a child can do in return is to take the time to hand write a note acknowledging appreciation for the gift and for the thought that went into its purchase.

3. The Bible leads the way in encouraging thankful attitudes. “Offer to God thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14a NJKV). “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4, NKJV). “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV).

4. You can count writing thank you notes as a school project! Just look at all the subjects you’ll cover: grammar (proper letter forms and written grammar), handwriting, art (if they design their own), spelling, and etiquette (it is good manners to write thank you notes).

5. Let’s face it: the kids will be looking for something to do in between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The novelty of the new toys will wear off about two days after they’re opened and writing thank you notes can help fill in the time gap before you’re ready to jump back into formal lessons in January.

6. Yes, grandparents know that little Jimmy just loved the Tonka truck, but writing a thank you note is kind of like saying “I love you.” You know it, but it’s still nice to hear frequently.

7. Many children enjoy designing their own cards or drawing pictures. The recipients will enjoy seeing those pictures and cards on their refrigerators. This works especially well with children who are too young to write complete sentences; they can draw pictures of themselves playing with their new toys.

How many ways can you say thank you? Shukran Gazillan, Thoinks, Moite! Wado, Xie_Xie, Merci, Danke sehr, Mahalo, Köszönöm, Grazie, Cheers, Salamat, Spasiba, Tapadh Leat, Gracias a todos, Tesekkurler, Thanks y’all! (http://www.etailersdigest.com/greetings/saythanks.htm)

October 29, 2009 By Bethany 5 Comments

What should I do next? That question has often left me in a tizzy trying to figure out which item on my very important list of things to do right now ought to be the next thing to receive my attention. Yes, I’ve read the books on prioritizing. Yes, I usually make a physical, written list of all that needs to be accomplished in a day. But, my lists always seem to have the word urgent beside each item. How do I choose what to do next?

A few months ago as I was cleaning out some files, I can across a copy of a page out of an old devotional book that was sent to me by my mother years ago. It contains an ancient poem that sums up what one must do on those occasions when it seems impossible to do anything. It simply says to do the next thing. I’m going to take the liberty of quoting the poem in its entirety here. The original author is anonymous.

From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
It’s quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration: “DOE THE NEXTE THYNGE.”

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, doe the nexte thynge.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all resulting, doe the nexte thynge.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
Working or suffering, be they demeanor;
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.
Then, as he beckons thee, doe the nexte thynge.

Still not sure where to turn next? Isaiah 30:21 makes it clear that God will show you which direction to go, if you listen to him. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’” (NKJV). Is your hand empty? “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you’” (Isaiah, 41:13, NKJV). Did you have plans that got shot out of the water before 9 a.m. today? Yep, so did I. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NKJV).

So, what’s next? Is the baby’s diaper emanating a stench? Change it. Is your fifth grader stuck on the mysteries of making equivalent fractions? Teach her how. Will your hubby be home for dinner in an hour? Put supper in the oven. Find the next thing to do, and then do it. The longer you spend agonizing over what to do, the more time you waste. Just do it!

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