"Set the TONE"

     I dont know if it is a woman thing or just a Jess thing but I have thing automatic pull in my being that when my husband is talking I want to clarify for him. Not because he is a pour communicator, quite the opposite, he is great at explaining just about anything. 

Let me give an example. 
     Last week I noticed that while correcting the kids in his parenting he started using the saying, "you set the tone for your day." So true but I looked at our 6 and 5 year olds faces and was pretty sure they had no idea what he was talking about other than you just messed up and don't do that any more. I think the 8 year old got it but wasn't sure. The pull happened! I wanted to jump in with a, " now do you all know what setting the tone means?" The Holy Spirit stopped me. I have really been working on letting my husband be the Dad and not doing it for him. Quality goal right gals!  
     As I remained quiet I continued to hear My man use this saying then it hit me, teach them what it means! Not while my husband is in the middle of being Dad but at a separate time! You guys, this is seriously revolutionary! So I began to ask the Lord what it means to set the tone, cause lets be honest we know that Mamma does in the home! 
     The first scripture that came to mind was 1 Cor. 13 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

     Then in my regular reading I was in Roman's 6! 

I don't know why but the image of this old record player a Gramophone I think its called came into my head. I thought I'd put that on our memory board and teach them about it. I thought I could also bust out my old Fisher Price record player and that can be our example of beautiful music and love. As I got the player out of the basement I looked though my records. Fantasia! Oh yeah! That is all beautiful music! Sweet. I cut out some examples of using our members for right and unrighteousness on music notes. Pretty sure my kids didn't even notice but its the little things that delight me so I went for it.

     I looked up a youtube video of a gramophone playing music and we had a mini dance party. Then we sat down and read that first part of 1 Cor. 13. I asked if they knew what a clanging cymbal was and got blank stares so I grabbed the spoon and whacked it all around in one of the pots. They all jump about three feet and got mad at me that I scared them. I used that opportunity to say, " I bet and when you all don't love each other its a little scary around here." This lightened the mood or "set the tone," for some humble learning.

     I asked what some example of clanging behavior or choices might be and was met with over dramatic examples, shocker. Also got some good examples and ideas of how to love one another. Exposing that they have been train quite well in right from wrong. It was nice to hear that these truths really are sinking in its just hard to walk them out in the heat of conflict. Welcome to the club kiddo's! I had a few music notes like I said with right and wrong on them. They each got a pot and untencil, risky move I know but worth it. I had the Fantasia record going whole time and would turn it up when I displayed a note of righteousness and then down so they could bang away on the pots for notes of unrighteousness. Even our puppy Duke got in on the fun! 

That was it. I will continue to use this experience to draw on as we continue memorize our verse or as we go through out the day. At one point in the day there was fighting. I grabbed a pot and spoon and started banging it, getting everyones attention of course and then smiled real big. They stopped and smiled. Right from wrong an love from unkindness are not hard concepts they just take abiding in Christ to walk them out. So I am doing my best to be faithful to teach these  little wonders the truth and pray with all my heart they choose it for themselves. 

     I am finding that simple interactive time for teaching bible truth is super affective. You should also know that they did not sit on their chairs well. One leaned so far forward she fell on her head. There were several interruptions and I have to get a drink or pee and this whole thing didn't go as I originally planned. I did however listen to the Holy Spirit as we went along and I think they got the point. 

ANXIETY OVER FALL

     

     This summer as been a life changing one for me. There is life before this summer and life after. The biggest change that God has done is helped me finally get it. "It is for freedom that He set me free." I have heard and read that truth a million times and still I didn't get the simple life changer in it. If it is FOR freedom that I was set free, and  I am bound up in any area, that is not the point. Jesus said on the cross, "IT IS FINISHED." When I accepted that free gift of Him paying for my sin on that cross, "IT IS FINISHED" is applied to me. The life of a christian is not to get more free, it is to walk out that freedom we have already been given. Good thing God doesn't expect us to do this on our own. After Jesus rose from the dead on the third day He hung out for 40 days. Then He went up to heaven through the clouds. Then the HOLY SPIRIT was sent to live in us. The exact same as Jesus on earth but actually residing in our bodies. This is a big deal people! The Holy Spirit isn't the second best next to Jesus. He is the same!
Now if there is any area of bondage in my life it is as if I pick up heavy, rough iron chains and scotch taped them back on my wrist. SERIOUSLY! No thank you.
       Now when I put it that way of course it sound gross but we do it so much and its a sneaky thing. Its like our hands go to work with that tape with out our heads even knowing it! A whole book could be written on this and I'm sure it has. If I ever wrote one I would title it "Scotch Tape and Iron."
       So, I profoundly realized the freedom I already have in Christ and all summer the Spirit has been ridding my hands of tape and holding them as we walk together the straight way of freedom and grace. This mighty work took place while I was in Headwaters with some dear teen aged girls from my church and Abi. It was a girls trip.

        I asked God what He wanted me to do for the next school year with the kids. (I home educate if you don't know me personally) I have not yet enjoyed home educating for any good length of time but I began to get really excited about it for this year as freedom walked out will only cause all that you do to be more enjoyable for yourself but maybe even more for you people. I want that for them.
        This morning as I sat on my deck with the warm moist air hugging me, my heart was in knots. Weather it is artificial anxiety (due to the time of month) or for real I needed to do some business with the Lord about it. "Lord, the geese are flying away and the school bus just beeped its way through the neighborhood. I want to sit down and bawl." I felt impressed to look up ONCE AGAIN Proverbs 3:5-6. I did. Then I felt nudged to keep reading:

        OK, not being wise in my own eyes right now would look like being content with what God has shown me to do next year. Turn away from evil. I read this part and with lolly pop eyes looked at God like what in my life is evil? Lalalallaal. "NOT TRUSTING ME." What that is actually evil, Lord? "Well its not RIGHTEOUS." Oh sheesh. I confessed and moved on in the scripture. The good part is next, healing and refreshment?! Sign me up! It really is so true. Think about the times you had something really big in front of you. You tried the anxious thing making you sick and then finally leaned your whole weight into God on the matter. The Creator of all that we see,  handles it effortlessly and refreshes you in the process. God's way is always better.
       Now I would love prayer over me to walk this truth out. I feel like an emotional teeter-todder on the matter but am determined to trust God with this next season and for the love, enjoy it too. Thanks!