Start Your Day the Evening Before

Spring is finally coming to North Carolina, and one of the highlights of spring for me is being able to get up early, start the day, and enjoy some time working

outside in my yard and garden. Many times, I have not been able to enjoy the early mornings during the spring of the year because early morning rising has been interrupted by a difficult pregnancy or a newborn. This year, however, I am enjoying the smells and sounds of spring as well as uninterrupted devotion and worship with the Lord, early in the morning.

This morning when I got to my chair, I saw a chapter of my husband's new book, "Morning Momentum--How to Wake Up, Get Up, and Start your Day Right!" He had placed it there for editing, but instead it became a part of my devotional time with the Lord. I think you would enjoy a small paragraph that I found especially challenging as a busy mother. 

"Giving God the 'first fruits' is the starting place for Biblical money management. But I believe it also applies to time management. As we discovered in the last chapter, seeking God is a 'big rock' that has to come first, or it never seems to fit in. As a rule, getting it in the soonest possible slot after you are dressed and alert is the best strategy.

Not giving Him the first fruits means we are leaving God our leftovers. Maybe you've had the experience of opening the refrigerator and seeing something green. The problem is it wasn't green when you put it in there. It is a leftover, and leftovers are never as good as first servings. Sometimes we even feed them to the dog. 

Rising early to meet God may require sacrifice on your part. If it does, you will be in good company. King David, who wrote, "O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee" also said he would not make an offering to the Lord "of that which cost me nothing." II Samuel 24:24 Surely God is pleased when we love Him enough to 'sacrifice' an extra hour of sleep to spend time with Him!"

You can also enjoy those early minutes with the Lord before so many other things begin clamoring for your time. The only way that I am able to get up early in the morning is to begin the evening before. After our evening meal, I begin planning for bedtime. What time do I need to get the children in bed so that I can get to bed on time? When do I need to start bedtime routines in order for this goal to be accomplished?

By purposely avoiding beginning late night projects or last minute shopping trips, I convey to the Lord that He is more important to me than anything else as I plan for my most important appointment of the day by beginning the evening before. Going to bed early does cost me something. It costs planning and arranging my day to fit in the most important events and leaving off everything else. It means choosing to not do some things in order to do the most important thing. It means that my whole day revolves around getting ready for that early time with God the next day and guarding it carefully so that it can happen. "Morning by morning new mercies I see--Great is thy Faithfulness!"

If you want to get more ideas on managing your time, like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LifeChangingSeminars

Mobile Apps for Family Organization

If you want to get organized in the New Year, consider the benefits of SkyDrive for keeping your family organized. If you are not familiar with Microsoft's SkyDrive, it is basically a free site where people can share files with others. It is used for many different purposes. Schools and churches use it to share files with their members or students. Businesses and organizations also use it to easily allow employees to access files from any location. Families can easily become more organized by combining the power of mobile devices such as phones or ipods/ipads and Sky Drive. For example, you can access a sample copy of our family's grocery list at this link. https://skydrive.live.com/edit.aspx/Public/Shopping%20List--Sample?cid=8f67e aa3276e47ba&id=documents?& Both my husband and I can share this file as well as our older children that have mobile devices. When I need an item at the store, I can check it off on the list and it automatically synces with everyone's mobile devices. An easy way to accomplish this is by using the free One Note App from Itunes. If someone buys the item while at the store, they can mark it off and again, it automatically updates again on everyone's devices. By combining One Note and SkyDrive, your family can stay up to date in a multitude of ways. Let us know if you have found ways to stay organized using your mobile devices!

Sometimes God Heals in Different Ways!

This post is way off topic for me, but I thought that some parents out there might benefit from it so here it is...

About one year ago, I woke up to find one of my sons having what I thought was a seizure. Both of us were sleeping in the living room. I was on the sofa because I was a miserable nine months pregnant, and my son had come out in the night and slept across the room. I woke up to some noise and saw him. Since I had no experience with seizures, and I was really scared, we called 911. By the time they arrived things were calmed down, and we ended up taking him to the E.R. where they didn't even seem to think he had really experienced a seizure. I knew what I had seen, but what could I say? We decided to just wait and see what would happen next.

He continued to have similar episodes periodically--but only when sleeping. We made an appointment with a neurologist and since the wait was a couple of months before he could get in, we continued to observe and pray. I had a real feeling that his problem was not a disease per se, but some type of reaction or event being triggered by something he was coming in contact with. I began to carefully observe what he was doing and eating and when he was having seizures. Before we got in to see the neurologist, however, things got worse. He was averaging about three night seizures a week, and one night he had two in the same night.

At this point, I was worn out mentally because these episodes really stressed me out. I began to seriously pray about this problem asking the Lord to show us what to do . One night after everyone else was in bed, I was praying about the problem and as I prayed, I felt clearly that the Lord was going to take care of the problem. A couple of nights later he had another seizure. This was difficult for me because I had felt so sure that God was going to answer my prayer. However, as he was having a seizure I took his hand, and as I did, I saw he had shoe polish stain all over his hand. As I saw it, I immediately felt God speak to me as I have very few times in my life. I can probably count on one hand the times that I have felt God speak so clearly. I felt that he was saying that this was the cause. There is no scientific or reasonable explanation for me to know what I felt, but I felt that this was something I needed to follow up.

Since I knew that he rarely polished his shoes, I knew that the shoe polish itself was definitely not what God was trying to show me. I went in to my computer and began to research and pulled up tons of sites showing the connection between some childhood night time seizures and food coloring. My mind began to connect the dots. I had taken careful observations so now I could reflect on their significance.

That first seizure (which was a more significant seizure) was after eating a significant amount of red velvet chocolate cake. Of course, with Joy's new venture into cake decorating, there were frequently samples of brightly colored pieces of cakes that needed to be eaten by someone...

That day, I decided that whatever we had to do, we were immediately taking him off of all food coloring. I did not think that he was allergic to all food coloring. However, things were in such a state, that I felt that we had to remove all possibilities before trying to single out the culprit.

Beginning that day, his seizures went from averaging three a week to NONE. Weeks went by, and I carefully watched his diet and he had NONE. After about six weeks, we decided to go to Golden Corral for a prize that he earned. Since we still couldn't completely convince ourselves that we had really found the culprit (perhaps it was a really big fluke?), we decided to basically let him get what he wanted. Well, you know what kids get...the brightest colored things--gummies, jellos, etc. That night we paid for it big time and I for several nights afterward. Once we got past that serious of episodes, we just decided that there could be little more debate about the real cause.

We finally got to see the neurologist, and told him our story. He agreed to let us continue with the diet plan although he didn't think it would continue to work, and suggested meds.

Well, to make a long story just a little shorter...it has continued to work. It has been a huge amount of work to eliminate these colorings from his diet. I never could have imagined how much coloring was in our foods, and I think our family already eats a whole lot healthier than the typical family. Even after I eliminated all coloring from his diet, he still had a few episodes after soaking in the tub in cosmetics that were (you guessed it) full of coloring.

Now I know this whole thing sounds really absurd to a lot of people. However, facts show that the day we changed his diet, the seizures stopped. Not only have his seizures stopped, but he's had great changes in behavior. So much so, that someone who didn't know of this situation commented about how much he had matured, and then I told them the story.

Why am I telling everyone our story? Not to start a campaign against food coloring! I have enough to do in life that has more purpose than to devote myself to ostracizing the food industry. I am saying this because there might be some parents out there for whom this information might benefit. My son struggles with the things we have had to limit him from; however, I tell him that I am so thankful that the Lord showed us what was causing the problem. We are blessed because his problem was so obvious. While these ingredients were damaging his body, they could have damaged his body in a silent way and one day we would have woke up to a serious illness or other life threatening situation.

While this one son is completely banned from these colorings, our whole family has adopted a much more conservative approach also to these ingredients. After all, while one child's reaction could be obvious, another child's reaction might not be known for years when it's too late.

There it is...I've put my hat in the ring along with the quacko's and those sponsoring "Food Incorporated." However, thank the Lord, I do have a child that is free of medicine, free of seizures, and in the end has a much healthier diet. Send me your comments...I would love to hear them!

On Marriage...

Recently I read an article called, "Long-lasting Celebrity couples" with great interest. My first impression was that this article was going to be about well-known couples who have been married for a long time. By the time I had made it just a short way through the article, I realized that the article was not quite what I had expected.

As I began reading the article, I was surprised to see the first featured couple had been married fourteen years. When I got to the next couple, I saw that they had been married nine years. Now considering that the article was titled, "Long-Lasting Celebrity Couples," I was a little surprised to see that the first two featured couples had been married at the most...fourteen years. I am in no way downplaying or criticizing the fact that these couples had stayed married as many as fourteen years, but I really expected the article to reveal some couples who had been married a long time...at least a silver anniversary... and perhaps some beautiful aging couple that had enjoyed living together fifty years.



However, I must say that it saddened me that those who have been married for less than fifteen years now are recognized from a national source for having a "Long- lasting" relationship. When I look at those who have had long-lasting relationships, I look at my grandparents who were married well over sixty years. I look at my parents as well as my in-laws who were married over fifty years. I admire those also who never reached the fifty year mark because one of them passed on, but they stayed committed and cherished each other for thirty or forty years. Yes, it is cause to celebrate when a couple has been married for a year, or ten years, or twenty years, but let's not lower the bar and recognize as models of long-term relationships, those who have been married for what should be just the beginning of a lifetime of commitment.

Now that I've gotten in so far, I want to say that the further I got into the article, I realized that this article was not about well-known couples who had been married a long time. It was about couples who had been "together" for a long time. One of the featured couples stated their position well by saying, "There is really no reason to marry." To further solidify this position, Oprah (who was one of the featured women) stated that she and her partner had chosen a long time ago to have a "spiritual union."

I realize that my idea of marriage is quickly becoming outdated and prudish, but I still think that the only "spiritual union" is one that God approves of. One man. One woman. Married. Until death. A "spiritual union" is a relationship where a man and a woman love each other enough to commit themselves to each other in marriage for as long as they both will live. A "spiritual union" is staying married when facing a life threatening emergency or a debilitating illness. It is cheerfully sacrificing together when facing unexpected financial reverses. It is choosing to see the wrinkles and pounds as more to love. A "spiritual union" is choosing to say sweet words when they may not be deserved. A "spiritual union" is choosing to keep vows that were made in the sweet, carefree days of youth when life turns out different than expected. It's pushing a wheelchair, it's wiping a tear, it's forgetting an offense.

Jusr last week, we celebrated twenty years of marriage. We've found out already that marriage is made richer by the everyday commitments that marriage takes. Pinching pennies to get through a financial crisis, hearing the doctor's bad news together, walking into a hospital room together where a parent is dying. All of these can be done with a partner, but it's God's gift to us to experience it with someone who loves us enough to commit to a life-long marriage. At twenty years, I don't consider myself to have had a "long lasting" a relationship. I'll take that honor some day when I've matched the commitment of those who have made the long haul successfully. Until then, I'll keep enjoying life with a best friend who has made my life so rich and meaningful. As I tell my sweetheart of twenty years, "Happiness is being married to my best friend..."

A New Introduction...

Hello, everyone! Let me introduce myself--my name is Jubilee Rose Grubbs and I was born on Tuesday just before noon. You all know my mom, and my dad is Mr. Time Management. He's the one that's always talking about "Redeeming the Time" and doing things the fastest way possible.

I don't know what all the commotion was about, but I decided to take his advice and be born the fastest way possible just like he's always telling people to do. It seems he wasn't too crazy about my idea after all because he had to go get a nurse real fast and the doctor didn't even make it. I don't understand that part either because he's always talking about saving money and finding ways to do it. I would think that if the doctor didn't make it, that would be a considerable savings. He usually says that he's not going to hire people to do things that he can do himself, and I think he and that nurse he got did a pretty good job just between the two of them. After all, why even pay all that money to go to medical school if my dad and a random nurse can do the same thing? If he had done the doctor thing for my other ten brothers and sisters, that would have been a really big savings, but I don't think he likes the idea!

Maybe I'll understand all these details some day, but for now, I'm spending my time following more of my dad's advice. Early rising is one of my specialties. This morning at 4:30a.m., when my mom woke up my dad to do his early rising thing, he didn't seem as enthusiastic as normal. I guess that acting like the doctor thing might have worn him out. After all, this is his year of Jubilee...

The Bible says that every fiftieth year is supposed to be a year of Jubilee, and this is the year that my dad turns 50. He's a smart dad to marry a wife that can still give him a baby in his year of Jubilee and he sure showed up those twenty something first time dads at the hospital by stepping up and doing a great job helping to get me here. Better go. Dad's on duty tonight. By the way, if you see my dad, don't call him, "Dr. Grubbs." He doesn't like that. He says he can't even cure a ham.

Now to remind him of one of his major points in that "Redeeming the Time" message--Learn How to wake up and get up." I think he may drop that point for a while. Until then, I'll give him plenty of practice!

People want to know...have I changed my mind?

Recently, my obstretrician asked me a question that sent me home with a lot of deep thinking for several days. As we were discussing the plans for the upcoming birth of our baby, he asked me a question that has made me consider where I am in life, and how it relates to how God has chosen to work on and in me.

Over the years and pregnancies, things have changed from the days of rushing to the hospital-barely making it in time to deliver, to opting for a scheduled, less painful delivery. Going back to the days of my first deliveries would have a lot of benefits because I know that medical interventions often cause further necesary interventions. However, about the time of my eighth delivery, I decided that the pain levels I experienced, (combined with my increasing age!) had made me decide that I couldn't do it the old way anymore, and that I needed to make some changes.

As I discussed these options with my doctor recently, he said, "Now that you've decided to change the way you deliver your babies, have you changed your idea about how many children you want to have?" That question caught me off guard, but it ended up sending me into a lot of deep thinking over the next few days.

As I thought about the question and tried to discern in my mind if I had indeed changed my mind about how many children I wanted to have, I came to the conclusion that I had not changed my mind about how many children that I want to have. However, I have made a big change in one way that I am thinking.

The one thing that has not changed is my commitment over twenty years ago that I would take all the children that God would choose to bless me with. This decision was made fully understanding the ignorance that most people would attach to it--after all, people that make that "commitment" always ended up with twenty bratty children, right?

The one big thing that has changed is how long, and how deeply I consider my decision to potentially get pregnant again. While it used to be made flippantly with a excitement for the months ahead, now it is made with a sense for what the next nine months could potentially cost me. I've endured enough months of severe nausea, aches and pains, and misunderstanding of people on all sides to know that making the decision to bring another child into the world means work. It means my life isn't necessarily going to be too pleasant at times, and it means that I am opening myself up to a lot of potential pain and problems that most sensible people would avoid.

However, as I thought about all this, it became clearer to me that, no, I haven't changed my commitment to give this area of my life to God--it has just become a deeper, and a more mature commitment. It has become a commitment that costs me more than it used to. It is a commitment that only God knows the value of because only He knows the cost that it means to me.

As I realized this, I realized that this is exactly why people do not understand me and the way I think. They don't know the cost, but neither do they know the JOY! I have come to understand that God never looks lightly on our costly gifts to Him. He never under rates the sacrifices that we offer to Him on a daily basis, and He returns the same to us in JOY. If we offer cheap gifts to Him--gifts which cost us nothing, He knows that. If we offer the commitment of all our lives to Him and what we offer is costly to us, He knows that. As I offer to God my daily living sacrifice, He returns to me joy that is far deeper than the difficulties that I face.

This doesn't mean that I expect a life free of difficulties. It doesn't mean I
shouldn't expect to welcome unwanted diseases, a special needs child, a painful miscarriage, or an untimely death. What it does mean is that in the middle of it all, God is giving joy. Life brings difficulties whether we are experiencing God's joy or not. To sum up the question that I was asked then, I would say, "No, I haven't changed my mind. The only difference is that now I'm experiencing joy" and I wouldn't trade it for any other option in the world!

I'm Unemployed

I recently had to take one of my children to a medical facility where the typical patient information was taken. When my child was discharged, I was given his paperwork and sent home. A couple of days later, I picked up the paperwork, and discovered to my (shall we say it lightly), "irritation" that I was listed as "unemployed."

Now of all the absurd things that people say about me, I must say that I am rarely categorized as "unemployed." One reason for that is that most people have enough sense to know that any mother is employed and has never been unemployed since the first day she found out she was expecting her first child. I decided that the problem was not that I am "unemployed" but that the person who designated me as unemployed is more likely "unenlightened."

Just in case someone else mistakenly wants to classify me as unemployed, I thought I would clear the record a little. Currently I am teaching a full load of classes such as Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry, Algebra 1/2, multiple grammar classes, and various history and civic courses such as Economics. I am also teaching Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology and various science, spelling, reading, and Bible courses. I didn't mention that I'm making more meals a day than most people make in a week, potty training a 2 year old, potty training a 2 year old, and potty training a 2 year old. I'm also supervising three college level students in subjects ranging from missions and powerpoint presentations to criminal justice. Considering these three students are my own children, I'm also helping to manage homesickness, computer problems over the phone and the ins and outs of premarital boy/girl relationships. I am the unemployed business assistant for my husband, and the wife of a minister who travels to places most people haven't even heard about. Some how he gets in the car or the plane while I'm sitting by unemployed. Once in a while I accompany him with a whole bunch of children and travel across the country for weeks, but I'm unemployed while I'm doing it. I'm also unemployed while doing such mundane tasks as are usually reserved for those with the title of "janitor." Too bad I can't qualify for a job as taxi driver, dental hygienist, or an office receptionist.

Yes, folks, I'm unemployed. It doesn't count that I'm currently 99% through making a baby that will last forever, or reading bedtime Bible stories to children that will outlive those classifying me as "unemployed." It doesn't seem to matter that while almost no one will remember who it was that filled out that hospital registration form even one week later, I might affect the history of the world somehow--just through the lives of children.

Yes, I'm employed, but I'm getting ready to get unemployment compensation. Tonight I'm going to put a baby in bed and he's going to call out, "I wuv you" as I walk down the hall. I'm going to get a phone call from a teenage daughter who still likes to say she loves me even though it's not too cool for her age. I'm going to pat some little boys' heads at bedtime, and one of them is probably going to come out and ask if he can sit with me on the sofa for a few minutes when the house is nice and quiet. I'm going to go to bed and feel a soon-coming baby kicking and know that it's a life that will live forever. I'll get my unemployment compensation tonight, and it won't even matter that I'm unemployed anymore because I know the truth. I'm not unemployed, someone is just unenlightened. I feel pretty sure that if we were to trade places for a day (being generous here), I would be listed as "employed" next time around. For all the unemployed moms out there, don't worry--your not unemployed, you're underrated--and your unemployment compensation is coming soon!

P.S. I've included this photo to demonstrate that I'm unemployed, sitting on a sofa, being lazy (notice the pillow).