GREEN-LIGHT revolution

Something that God has been whispering to my heart lately is a line from Chronicles of Narnia that Aslan says to Lucy: “Things never happen the same way twice, dear one.” Sometimes this can be a dissapointing and a painful thing to hear, but it is always said with such gentleness and tenderness. When I find myself wishing for things to be how they used to be, or remembering magical moments and longing for them to happen again, I hear God gently reminding me of this. But I’ve come to realize that it is ok for things to never be the same; that it’s ok for God to constantly to be spurring me on to growth. We are on adventure with Him, and change is a part of that adventure.

A few months ago I had a conversation with my dear sister, Lynn Fleshman. We had been talking about the book The Hobbit, and how much our walk with God reflects Bilbo’s adventures. So many times during that book, Bilbo comments that he wishes for the comfort and stability of his Hobbit hole, instead of the unfamiliarity of the adventure he is on. Oh how this is so much like my heart sometimes! I long for God to take me grand places, and to have daring adventures… but the moment I encounter uncertainty I cower back, and say: “Lord, why did I ever leave home?! I just want my Hobbit hole again!” But praise Him that He never lets me return back to that comfortable place, even though I beg Him! There is always more for our hearts to learn on the journey, then there is when we are safe in our home.

Isaiah 8:12 says: “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.”

Society tells us, that singleness as a woman is something to fear and dread. But God tells us that it is a part of the adventure He has planned for us! Sometimes the adventure takes us to the left, sometimes to the right; sometimes we stay in one season for a few months, and sometimes for years… but every turn and every stop is a part of the journey that God calls our hearts on. We are on adventure with him, and there is nothing to fear where He leads us!

Going green,

Miss.

Throughout my life God has taught me lots of things through dreams. He has encouraged me, delighted me, warned me, and challenged me through different dreams that He has given. I’ve always longed for God to use dreams to speak to me--like He did with so many of my Old Testament heroes, and every time I dream I feel that prayer being answered.

Amy Carmichael writes:

“He gives to His beloved in sleep,
For when the spirit drifts from fields of time,
And wanders free in worlds remote, sublime,
It meets Him there…”

This is a story from my dream life with my Heavenly Husbandman (like Amy likes to call Him). Earlier this week I had a particularly beautiful dream. I would like to share it with you.

I dreamed I was on a beach staring at a beautiful ocean in front of me. The sun was shining brilliant colors, and the water reflected it. I waded into the waves as they lapped against the shore, until I was far enough out to dive under the water. Once under the water I opened my eyes; the salt had no stinging effect, and I could see crystal clear. There dancing upon the ocean floor were many beautiful and brilliant fairies—each were their own color, and glistened delightfully in the water and the reflections of the flickering sunlight. They flitted and danced around the ocean floor. Although this was beautiful and amazing, the most glorious part of the dream was what I heard. As I stared at the fairies under the water, I began to hear a beautifully haunting melody being sung. The waves were singing to me. It was unlike anything I have ever heard—the most beautiful, longing, and eternal sounding song. It was a song of Homecoming, a song of Heaven, a song of eternity.

I haven’t been able to get those images of the dream or the sound of that song out of my head all week, and even now my description lacks. As I reflected on it tonight, I thought about these two verses:

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." – Zephaniah 3:17

“...God my Maker, who gives songs in the night.” –Job 35:10

Oh sisters, our Heavenly Husbandman is the Author of Beauty, and gives to us songs in the night. He speaks His tenderness over us, and gives us beautiful things that reflect Himself. He sings to us. These beauties woo our hearts to long for something deeper. He is wooing us to come away with Him, and preparing us for our Homecoming. These are our songs of Home, and I want to keep listening.

Going green,

Miss.

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.” – 1 Timothy 2:11.

This verse used to get under my skin more than any other verse in the bible. When I was in high school, there was a particular boy from my youth group who would always lord this verse over me. He used it to belittle me, make feel less than what I was worth, and completely made me feel captive and beaten down. I thought this verse meant complete loss of will for me as a woman. Any time I had a thought that disagreed with him, he would quickly remind me: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission, Missy… Now do what I say.” The relationship I had with him was crippling and threatening to my soul, and the lies I learned from him I thought were truth; the meaning of this verse being one of them.

But praise be to God! He saved me from that sinful place I had put myself! The years that went by after I was rescued, God used His love to heal my ruined heart, and also to reveal and reject the lies I thought to be truth. One by one He replaced them, and again this verse was brought up. This time God wanted to show me the truth about it, instead of the manipulating definition I had believed.

A woman should learn in quietness

When I think about how God created me as a woman, I know that my heart is the home of everything. It’s the place I treasure things, it’s where I feel my emotions, where I store my dreams, and where my King lives. My heart is the key. In my heart is also the place where God teaches me, and I learn. So, if I am thinking about it that way, shouldn’t the place I learn be the place that is quiet? It’s always easier and more fruitful to study and learn in a quiet place, instead of a busy and hectic place. Learning in quietness means keeping a quiet heart. God teaches me, and I learn best from him when I’m quiet, when I’m not worrying and stressing out, when I’m not trying to take control of situations with my own hands; when I stop talking and just listen to him.

and full submission.

I looked up the definition of “submit” and it simply means to “give over or yield”. How many times has God asked us to do this for Him? To give over our desires to Him, to yield our wants to His will? Every time I do this with something precious that I’m afraid to give over, after I do yield it, I always see how it is safer with Him than me anyway. The yielding is always hard, until I see the effects of how it grows in the Father’s hands. Our acts of submission to Him, are our acts of obedience. There is always joy in obedience. And the good thing is that we always know what obedience looks like. In this season, (and the rest of our lives!) obedience looks like trusting Him with our hearts.

This verse isn’t a binding chain to throw around us to keep us bound up and pushed down; it’s a call to obedience by trusting Him in quietness and confidence to take care of our fragile hearts. We are in the safest place of all when we do that!

Going green and feeling free,

Miss.

So, I’ve never really been a huge Taylor Swift fanatic… but as I was driving home late Friday night, I was skipping through radio stations, and heard these few lines:

“Brace myself for a goodbye
Cause it's all I've ever known
When you took me by surprise
You said 'I'll never leave you alone”

I felt a familiar twinge when hearing those lyrics. I’m sure we’ve all had past crushes, relationships, friendships, or hopeful crushes that never ended the way we would have liked them to. “Goodbye” has been a really familiar vocabulary word for me. After a while, my heart began to expect an “ending” to always happen. When I think of past relationships that God’s saved me from, and who I could have been if left in sin, I can completely see God’s rescue. When it came to my relationship with my heavenly Lover, I carried that same expectation for a “goodbye” with me. There’s always been an ending to every other relationship, so surely this one is too good to be true….

But that’s what’s amazing to me, there never has to be any “goodbyes” with my King! I am His, and He is mine. Forever. We never have to end things, say goodbye, or leave each other. He has said to me, “I’ll never leave you alone”. I don’t have to brace myself to be hurt by Him. I don’t have to wall up my heart. There is freedom in His love for me. Pain, disappointment, regret don’t have to be “all I’ve ever known” anymore.

Here are some verses that God has really used in my life when I was broken, disappointed, deserted, and rejected:

“They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.” – Isaiah 61:12

“Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy…” – Isaiah 60:5

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” – Isaiah 58:8-9

“Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.” – Isaiah 52:2

The last verse God sent to me as my anthem when I was in bondage to a sinful relationship. He freed me from that relationship, thank you Lord(!), and rescued me from captivity. I love Him for freeing me and saving me from myself.

Rise up beautiful Daughters of Zion! He is our Lord. We are called Sought After.

Going green,
Miss.

My favorite version of Sleeping Beauty is the original fairy tale by Charles Perrault. It is beautiful and vibrant. I re-read it recently, and was struck with just how similar the story is to my relationship with God. Everyone knows the story of the young princess, who pricked her finger on a spinning needle, and slept for 100 years. We know of the enchantment of the castle, the briars put in place to protect her in her slumber, and of the brave prince who came to awaken her from her sleep. But this sentence stood out to me from the tale…

"… there was then in this castle a princess, the most beautiful was ever seen; that she must sleep there a hundred years, and should be waked by a king's son, for whom she was reserved."

A princess, who should be waked by a king’s son, for whom she was reserved. Is this not us? Are we not heavenly princesses who were awakened from our former lives by the King’s Son? And we are in reserve for that Son. We have been set aside to for Him. As we wait, we are reserved for our heavenly husband.

“Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.” – Isaiah 27:2-4.

Anyone else see the connection to Sleeping Beauty?! I admit… I may have freaked out just a bit when I read that passage for the first time… haha.

Just as the fairy enchanted Sleeping Beauty’s castle, the Lord has us, His vineyard, that He watches over and nurtures. The fairy wanted to keep the castle guarded, and so our Lord guards us. The prince who was to awaken Sleeping Beauty had to fight against briars and thorns to find her… our Prince says He would do the exact same thing for us!

“And now, as the enchantment was at an end, the princess awaked, and looking on him with eyes more tender than the first view might seem to admit of. "Is it you, my prince?" said she to him. "You have waited a long while."

May we always look into the face of our heavenly Prince, and say “Is it you, my prince? You have waited a long while.” For Christ is waiting to bring His bride home.

Going green,
Miss

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being known. A woman’s heart desires to be known. We long to bare our souls to someone who wants to hear. We wish to be known for who we are. I long for someone to love those intimate parts of myself that only I posses… to know that my soul is beautiful. It’s in my heart to desire for a husband to know me; the deepest parts of my personality, what I like and don’t like, what makes me happy, why I do the things I do.

If God blesses me with a husband someday, he will know me—but his knowledge will always be limited. No matter how close we grow together, there will always be parts of me that only God can fully know. God is the only one who could ever know “my ways”. He knows my thoughts; He was there in my very first moments, and even in the moments before I existed. He knows my desires, and what things delight my soul. He allows me to bare my soul to Him, without worry of it ever being rejected. He knows me more intimately than a husband ever could. And He delights in the knowledge of me.

Here are lyrics from a song by Audrey Assad that have blessed my heart deeply. Take to heart the promises of Psalm 139, see the beauty, and know dear soul, that you are known.


“As the dew falls on the blade
You have touched all this fragile frame
And as a mother knows her baby's face
You know me, You know me

As the summer air within my chest
I have breathed You deep down into my breast
And as You know the hairs upon my head
Every thought and every word I've said
Every thought and every word I've said

Savior, You have known me as I am
Healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known me, yeah, You know me

Oh, and as the exhilaration of autumn's bite
Oh, You have brought these tired bones to brilliant life
And as the swallow knows, she knows the sky
This is how it is with You and I
Oh, this is how it is with You and I

Savior, You have known me as I am
Healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known me, yeah, You know me

From the fall of my heart to the resurrection of my soul
You know me, God, and You know my ways
In my rising and my sitting down
You see me as I am, oh, see me as I am

And as a lover knows his beloved's heart
All the shapes and curves of her even in the dark
Oh, You have formed one in my inward parts
And You know me, You know me, yes

Savior, You, You have known me as I am
Oh, healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known

You have known me, in the morning, in the evening
You've known me, God
In the morning, in the evening You have known me
Yeah, You've know me

You have always known me
You know me, God, You have known me
You have always known my heart”



Going green,
Miss

I’ve started reading a new Elisabeth Elliot book lately, it’s called Keep a Quiet Heart. The book is a collection of experts from her newsletters over the years that have been compiled into this one book, with a central theme: quietness. What I really want to do is just copy every single word she says down for you, because everything is so good haha. BUT instead I will recommend the book, and then just pick only a few words to copy down.

The excerpt I read a couple a days ago was called “A Small Section of the Visible Course”. Elisabeth had been talking about her past, and how her past is now a part of the story God has for her life.

“All of the past, I believe, is a part of God’s story of each child of His—a mystery of love and sovereignty, written before the foundation of the world, never a hindrance to the task He has designed for us, but rather the very preparation suited to our particular personality’s need.”

Wow, “…never a hindrance to the task He has designed for us…” that is an amazing truth to me. I haven’t had a terrible past. I was raised in a Christian home with both of my parents, and we were at the church anytime the doors were open. We never went without food, and I always had way too many Christmas presents. I certainly have nothing that would be considered a “rocky past”. But I have had hurts in my life, but those hurts then, and the hurts that I go through now, are all “preparation” for the task that God has planned for me. This is a good comfort.

My favorite part of her excerpt is in this paragraph:

“‘It is the glory of God to conceal a matter’ (Proverbs 25:2, NIV). God conceals much that we do not need to know, yet we do know that He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When does that begin? Does the Shepherd overlook anything that the sheep need?”

Does the Shepherd overlook anything that the sheep need? No. He knows everything I need in my life, and I never should feel jipped, or lacking in what He has given me. This is something I want to linger on in this season of singleness. The Shepherd has not overlooked my desire for a husband, but He knows better than I do. I am not lacking in anything just because He hasn’t given me a husband yet. Do I not have all things in Christ?

It’s so hard to remember this at times. I can get so wrapped up in the things I want and don’t have, that I miss what promises God has always provided for me.

“When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.” – Psalm 73:21-24.

William Kay wrote a note about these few verses, and I haven’t been able to get it out my head since reading it.

“Though I was supported by Thee and living ‘with Thee’ as thy guest, yet I was insensible to Thy presence;--intent only on a small section of the visible course of things;--like the irrational animals that are ever looking down at the ground they are grazing.”

This is completely my heart at times… intent only on a small section of the visible course of things… I see what I want to see, not the goodness and promises that God has given me. I don’t look up from the ground that is visible to me long enough to see that God is the one who my provision has been in the whole time. Oh that God would work in my heart more to be sensible to His presence! This is what I’m asking for!

Going green,
Miss.

“Lord, give to me a quiet heart
That does not ask to understand,
But confident steps forward in
The darkness guided by Thy hand.”
– Elisabeth Elliot

Oh dearest sisters, I have so many things that I want to share with you, and I’m having a hard time sticking to one subject every time I’ve sat down to begin this post. So bear with me… I feel ramblings coming on this week.

How my world has changed since the last time I shared with you all on Greenlight. For us here in Joplin, our lives are the tornado now. Everything is the tornado. You can’t drive anywhere without seeing it, talk to anyone without hearing it, and in turn bringing it up yourself as well. Fear is a real thing most of the time now. BUT thanks be to God our Redeemer! Oh, if it was not for Him I surely would fall. There have been many hard lessons that have come out of the tornado, and I praise God for them. So to begin my posts this week, I just want to share some of my heart, and what God is showing me through what I’ve seen.

There are certainly a lot of things I have been seeking to understand lately. With so much chaos around me and in my heart, it is so easy for me to stand bewildered- trying to make my mind understand fears deep in my heart. How is it that solid steel can be crumpled like a paper clip? How is it that we can get lost in our own city streets now, because we no longer can recognize where we are because of the ruble? “The orange X’s are on the doors to show that they’ve checked already to see if anyone is dead inside.” How did this sentence get into our vocabulary? Why are some lives spared, and others are not? I certainly don’t understand a lot of things that have happened.

But the striving to understand is the very root of the lesson God has been teaching me. He is showing me that He leads me, and that He is good. When I linger on the fears in my heart, the truth is that I’m really doubting and fearing His goodness. But when I linger on the goodness of His character, my soul can be quiet- knowing that He works all things for my good. His goodness does not only apply to me because of the uncertainty of my world after the tornado- His goodness applies to me for the rest of my life. When I am scared of the future- His goodness doesn’t change. When I get impatient in this season of singleness- His goodness doesn’t change. ALL things can be counted as blessing then when trusting that His character is good, and that He only has good things for me.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…” –Philippians 4:12

The truth of the unchangeable goodness of His heart is where my confidence is to step forward into uncertainty- trusting that in every situation, and in all things His goodness remains firm.

Going green,
Miss.

Hey ladies!

So excited to be writing to all of you again! This semester has just flown by for me… two and half weeks of classes left… when did that happen?! Haha. :)

We are definitely in springtime now! Springtime is one of the best seasons, but springtime is also code for “wedding season”. This is the season for invitations arriving in the mail, presents being bought, and the many showers to attend where you smile and say how happy you are for the bride, but secretly feel that unwanted sting of jealousy mixed with the happiness. “When will it be my turn?” is a question I have heard myself say countless times. It is a constant struggle with my flesh to be content and unselfish.

During this season of weddings I’ve been pondering the idea of the veil a bride wears. When I was a little girl the bottom drawer of my dresser was completely devoted to “dress-up” clothes. In this drawer was all things magical… a teal dress ten sizes too big for me, a silver piece of fabric called my “Esther dress”, costume jewelry, silk flowers, and a white lacey veil. The white veil was always one of my favorite things to play with. I would start at one end of my room, wearing the veil and carrying the silk flowers, and walk down the imaginary aisle to the imaginary prince who had recently rescued me from some peril, and was now waiting for me. This was my all time favorite story to imagine.

I’ve been thinking about what it means to wear a veil in a spiritual sense. Just like a veil is meant to cover a bride’s beauty until the proper moment, a spiritual veil also keeps something from being revealed. But through Christ we no longer have to veil the beauty; in Him it is the proper moment.

“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
– 2 Corinthians 3:16-18.

As women we are chosen to reflect God’s beauty. Through Jesus we are free to “unveil” His spirit within us. We don’t have to cover up or hide our beauty or joy. We are called to be radiant and alive. Even God says he will not be silent on our behalf, “…I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn…” (Isaiah 62:1). We are considered as royal jewels in God’s hand (Isaiah 62:3). God has given us each a new name, and even the names we are given reflect the inner desire God put in is for love and affection. “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.” (Isaiah 62:4). Hephzibah literally means: my delight is in her, and Beulah literally means: married.

“No longer will you be called forgotten, or looked over. But you will be called MY delight, and your land married….”

The Lord knows our inner desire as women to be married. He has provided that special kind of love and affection we crave through Him. We are His treasures, and through His grace we no longer have to remain veiled!

Going green!
Miss

Hi ladies! Happy Wednesday to you… or if you are reading this tomorrow, happy Thursday!

Hannah has been a lady on my heart for the past month. I love her and her story. Now, I know what you’re thinking… “Missy loves every Old Testament woman!” Haha, but seriously… Hannah is great. Before I would read her story, and although I appreciated her, I did not fully understand her heart. But lately God has really been showing me just how similar the two of us are. Hannah’s is a heart that most of us women can relate to. She has a safe home, is provided for, and has someone who loves her. But she also feels like there is a part of her that is incomplete. She is not able to have children. She knows her husband loves her, but there is just that one thing that is making her feel less than whole.

I started thinking of how this applied to me. I am not married, and don’t have children. But I do know that feeling of desire for something else to complete my life. I began reading over this particular verse:

Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” – 1 Samuel 1:8

I could hear the hurt in her husband’s voice. He was feeling like he was not enough for her. Could it be that this is exactly how God’s heart feels towards me every time I ignore him? I knew exactly what God was saying to my heart. “Missy, why are you crying? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I (your Heavenly Husband) mean more to you than an earthly husband?”

Like Hannah, I desire most the one thing I don’t have; when my Heavenly Husband should be my all. I don’t mean to say that Hannah’s desire for a son, or my desire for a husband is wrong; it just needs to be kept in its proper place of submission. God’s heart as our husband right now is jealous for us. He desires to spend all His time with us, and doesn’t want our heart’s affections to be divided and given to something (or someone) else. Someday He may allow an earthly man to come and share part of our affections, but God as our first husband shall always rein as King of our hearts.

But Hannah’s deeply honest prayer is not wrong; it is an act of submission.

“O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life…” – 1 Samuel 1: 11.

If and when God grants me the blessing of an earthly husband someday, this is how I want my prayer to be mirrored. Even though he will be my husband, he will always be God’s first and foremost. He will be like a gift from the Lord, and therefore rightly belonging to Him. I want to constantly be giving him back to the Lord, just like Hannah gives Samuel back to the Lord.

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over the LORD.”- 1 Samuel 1: 27.

I prayed for this man, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD…

Going green,
Missy

Oh Greenlight ladies, how I’ve missed you! So glad to all be back together in the blog world. :) For those who are new, I’m Missy. I’m a junior Literature major at MSSU in Joplin, and I work in the English and Philosophy department on campus. I love my job and the professors I work with. I’ve lived in this world for 21 years, have a HUGE imagination, and value deep true relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ over anything.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what is real, and what isn’t real lately. Reality seems like such a blurry line sometimes.

Ok ladies, a moment of super real honesty… have you ever caught yourself having a conversation out loud with someone who is not actually there? The imagined conversation in my mind can seem so real, that I forget it’s not really happening. One time I was driving in my car, imaging a conversation I was having with someone. I imagined what they would say, and then what my response would be, and back and forth… etc. It became so real, that at one point I turned to the passenger seat and dramatically stated something out loud to them! That was the moment I knew I had gone crazy haha.

It is easy to recognize romantic thoughts as the catalyst for something make-believe. We are trained as women to take our romantic daydreams, or impure thoughts captive. But what about the anxious thoughts? Aren’t the worrisome and anxious thoughts make-believe as well? So often when I find myself going down that dreamy romantic path I quickly tell myself: “Whoa Missy, take every thought captive, including the one you are thinking right now.” But how come I don’t do this with negative worried thoughts too? Thoughts like: “What if this happened… or what if God doesn’t come through for me… or I should have a plan in case this happens…” Those are all thoughts that should be taken captive just as quickly as the romantic ones. Reality is not what might happen, or the conversation in my mind, or what I think the future will look like. Reality is what has already happened, and what is currently happening. A few days ago I sat down and made a list of what I knew to be truth, and what I knew to be lies. The end result all ciphered down to this: God is our Truth; He is our reality. The reality is that He laid in that grave for three days, but did not stay there. Reality is that He knows my needs before I even ask. Reality is that He will always, always, always come through for me.

“… we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5.

A girlfriend I had in high school shared with me one time the mental picture she got every time she read this verse. She would picture herself surrounded by white fluffy thought bubbles resembling sheep. She would get out a rope and form it into a lasso, and then one by one lasso each fluffy white thought bubble until all were captured. Then she would herd each thought into a pen just like sheep. Her thoughts were literally captured. I think about that image every time I read that verse now. Worrisome fearful thoughts should have no more free rein in my heart or mind than out of control romantic or impure thoughts. So I’m getting them in that pen!

Going green,
Missy.

Hello, dear readers!

I'm excited to let you know that this space will soon be a happening spot again! On Monday, our new blogging schedule begins and we'll have fresh posts for you to read. On the right, you can see the lineup of bloggers for 2011/12, and let me tell you--they are a fun, passionate, Jesus-loving bunch of ladies! Be sure to join our Facebook group, too, and stay up-to-date on all things GREEN-LIGHT. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Monday!

Going Green!

Lynn Fleshman

Ladies, I’m so glad we are talking about Rahab today, for she has been on my mind all day yesterday and today! We have been having a truly glorious event in Joplin this past week. The Limner Society, which is a group of Christian artists, came and shared their art with us all week. I saw a painting done by a truly gifted woman of her interpretation of Rahab. It was breathtaking. The color pallet was done in browns, charcoals, and blacks. She had a rust brown head covering on, and all you could see of her face was a wisp of black hair and one piercing eye. I was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her! So, all of that to say that Rahab is truly a captivating character! This is how the introduction commentary to the story of Rahab begins in my bible: “….story of danger, intrigue, and cleverness…”

Rahab: prostitute, lives in Jericho, aid to foreign spies, chosen accessory: a scarlet cord.

One thing that really gets me about Rahab was that she was a prostitute. I have heard her story several times throughout my life, and it seems that every time that little fact is casually grazed over. If it is mentioned, it seems to immediately be followed by how instrumental she was in saving the spies Joshua sent out. And although this is so very true, I just don’t want us to make light of the fact that she was indeed a prostitute. Her profession was to sleep with man after man, for money. The end. No sugar coating. Rahab’s house was more than just a hiding place; it was a place of business. She is given the title “Rahab the prostitute” and keeps it throughout the rest of the story. Only God could take something meant for destruction and turn it into new life. Her life of prostitution was claiming her for destruction (physical, emotional, and spiritual), but God used that to provide a way out and a new beginning. Her home was in the city wall, (Joshua 2:15) so even her place of rest was set for destruction.

“And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.” – Joshua 6:17

The physical representation of God’s provision, rescuing, and restoration in Rahab’s life is symbolized through a scarlet cord hung outside the city wall from her window.

“…. Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.” – Joshua 2:21

She was looking for someone to be faithful to her.

“Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” – Joshua 2:12-13.

She had lived a life of never being able to depend on anyone. Prostitution isn’t the most romantic line of work, and a woman can certainly not expect any of the men she does business with to be faithful to her; let alone for them to turn into her knight in shining armor. But God in His great mercy did just those things for her! The scarlet cord hanging from her window was only a representation of a union, a promise, and a hope for a future in Christ. But Rahab isn’t the only one who has been granted these gifts! We also have a union, a promise, and a hope for a future with Him!

P.S. Oh, and I’m also guessing that Rahab was a weaver since she had stalks of flax all over her roof! (Joshua 2:6) Just another reason to love that woman :)

Going green,

Miss

Dearest ladies, if we were all together in person, I would give each of you a big glorious hug today! It has just been one of those days for me, where God’s romance is just above and beyond. It was like everywhere I turned today something special was happening to me. I had a butterfly come and rest on my hand early this morning; it was the loveliest thing. Wishing joys like that for all of you as well! Let’s talk about Miriam now. This may be a bit odd, but does anyone else think of the name Marian when you say Miriam? I do, which immediately makes me think of Maid Marian… so should we humor ourselves and call Miriam “Maid Miriam” just this once? I think yes.

Maid Miriam: captive Hebrew slave in the foreign land of Egypt, sister to Moses and Aaron, prophetess, witness to the deliverance of the Lord, and accessory of choice is a tambourine.

Ok, so I love, love, LOVE Maid Miriam’s character. There are so many ways God used her, not only to save Moses’s life, but in turn to also play a part in the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery. Maid Miriam is first mentioned in Exodus 2, but the part I want to focus on this time is Exodus 15. To set the scene up: God just did a crazy awesome miracle by parting the Red Sea in order to save the Hebrews and defeat the Egyptian soldiers. Now Moses and Maid Miriam are leading the people in songs of worship in order to show their awe at the wonders of God.

“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.’”
- Exodus 15:20-21

Wow, this sounds like one of the best things I’ve ever seen. As a fellow Bedouin woman who prefers a tambourine as my accessory of choice, I totally think that Miriam has the right idea here! I mean, doesn’t it just paint a marvelous picture in your head? Here are these women, they have come from slavery, been chased by Egyptian soldiers, just walked across THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, and watched as hundreds and hundreds of soldiers died foot steps away from where they just were… and then they pick up a tambourine and begin to dance. Best response ever! Maid Miriam was doing exactly what I wish my response to be on just a normal day, let alone under extreme conditions! Her tambourine symbolized way more than just an exotic choice of instrument; it showed joy, worship, undignified abandon, freedom, and an overflowing spirit. Oh that God would increase my heart to be more like Maid Miriam, to dance with an unabashed spirit!

Holy kisses to you all!

Going green,

Miss

My dearest greenlight ladies! I totally want to skip the intro for today’s post, because I am just too excited. I want us to become better friends with three women that I thoroughly find to be wonderful characters. I am just really excited about these women, and what God did through their lives. So here they are: Rebekah, Miriam, and Rahab.

Their stories can be found in Genesis 24, Exodus 15, and Joshua 2. There are many, many, many things about God and His character that can be proved in their stories, but the main things I want to focus on this time are these ladies accessories! Come on, let’s be honest…. This is one of our favorite things to talk about as women. So let’s start with Rebekah.

Rebekah: from the town of Nahor, relative to Abraham, soon to be wife of Isaac, and receiver of a 1/5 ounce GOLD nose ring.

Ok, first off this story is one of the most romantic love stories in the Old Testament to me. I would like to quote from my bible’s commentary concerning this: “The first meeting of Isaac and Rebekah (vs. 62-67) is a masterpiece of atmosphere, tenderness, and understated emotion.” With a description like that, I now feel it absolutely necessary that we read it….

“Now Isaac had come from Beer La-hai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac, (cue romantic music!) She got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.” – Genesis 24:62-65.

All together now, “Sigh……” :) It’s great, just great. Now let’s get back to that nose ring. Abraham’s servant first gives Rebekah the nose ring in verse 22, after she has watered the camels; this was like a version of an engagement ring. In verse 30 we see that Rebekah’s nose ring is the first dead giveaway sign to her brother, Laban, that something is up. This nose ring seems to be a pretty big deal, so I started thinking about it; what could it symbolize? These were my thoughts: nose ring= belonging to someone, being identified with them, possession, ownership. Even though we don’t yet have our own physical versions of nose rings, (or just a diamond band on the second to last finger of the left hand) we most definitely have these things in Christ. We belong to Him, are identified with Him, are His possession, and He has sole ownership of our hearts and affections.

God is faithful, Rebekah is wonderful, and I now have a greater desire for a nose ring. Tomorrow let’s become better friends with Miriam!

Holy kisses to you all!

Going green,

Miss

Well dearest ladies, it shall soon be fall again. This is my all time favorite season. I love waking up to cool crisp mornings, when the mist still hangs like a scarf around the morning’s shoulders. I love seeing the trees change their dress from lilac and emerald, to burnt orange and gold. Fall means a busy campus once more. People scurrying to their 8 a.m. classes, most of them already praying for Christmas break. But not me, I love campus when it’s full and bustling. I eagerly wait for those days; and can I just say that I miss cardigans and boots! And yes, I am one of those nerds who loves a fresh bouquet of sharpened pencils (thank you Meg Ryan for forever making that famous).

Fall is also the hardest time of year to me. I hate to say it ladies, but fall is when I get real lonesome. I never miss my husband more, than I do in the fall. Maybe it’s because it is my favorite, or maybe it’s because I see so many couples on campus; who knows really why it is. I never knew you could miss someone so much that you’ve never even met. I know that this blog is all about contentment and a purpose filled singleness, and while God is surely teaching me all of those things in abundance…. I just have to admit, that in the fall I tend to forget that sometimes. Fall means lots and lots of little deaths to my own wants and longings.

“For my loneliness, Lord- Your strength.
For my temptation to self-pity, Lord- Your strength.
For my uncontrollable longings for this man, Lord- Your strength.”
-Elisabeth Elliot

Elizabeth Elliot and I become super close pals every fall. She pretty much goes with me everywhere during those times. Now that is a woman! Her and Jim’s story of waiting without hope, but all the while in perfect obedience, is one that I want to model for sure. I feel like sometimes I get confused on how contentment really works. When I think: “Ok Missy, now be content in your singleness” I think it’s supposed to translate to: “Ok Missy, never ever long for a husband until God brings you one”. That’s not really how it works. For Elizabeth, her contentment worked itself out through obedience. She trusted the place and season that God had assigned to her, but she still desired to marry Jim with all of her heart. I can trust God when He says singleness is where I am supposed to be, but I can still desire a husband without that desire feeling like discontentment.

Faithfulness, peace, trust, understanding, contentment… these are the goals I’m striving for. I guess what I’m trying to say is, that sometimes I don’t make it; but in no way less does that mean that God is not still working out fulfillment and purpose to my season of singleness. He can still work in beautiful messes.

Holy kisses to you all!

Going Green,

Miss

“As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” – Luke 10:38

Hello dearest ladies! It was so good to see you at Celebration Midwest, and go on our fun, soaking wet, rain excursion ;) I hope your summers have been going wonderfully! I’m just going to get straight to it, I have been thinking a lot about Martha lately and what she was like. So many times throughout my life I have heard people say things like, “learn to have a Mary heart in a Martha world”, or “I wish I was more like Mary instead of Martha”, or “I have such a Martha heart”. I have said all those things myself at one point or another. When I get stressed out over details I tell myself to stop being like Martha. When I try and plan too much and get bossy I tell myself to stop being like Martha. But recently I have been wondering at Martha’s bad rep. Lately it seems like God has flipped some kind of switch in my mind, and I’ve started wondering “Hey wait a second, what’s so wrong with Martha?!”

The very first thing we read about Martha is her hospitality. She opened her home to Jesus. Hospitality is such a tricky thing for me sometimes. I love opening my home, but then get stressed out over the details that shouldn’t really matter. Is it more important to have eight matching table settings for a dinner party, or have extra people come and fellowship? I struggle. This was the very thing Martha struggled with too, and the thing that gives her a bad rep in the list of Bible women. But to me this is the one thing I really appreciate about her! I can identify with her soooo much. What I love about it is Jesus reaction to her struggle, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:41). I know Jesus is talking about resting in Him here, but a part of me would like to think He is talking to her practically too. Maybe something along the lines of, “Martha, you are worried and upset about the table settings not matching, but only one thing is needed, enjoying fellowship with me.”

I think what I get frustrated about is, in Sunday school the story of Martha and her reputation tends to end there; her being scolded about being worried. But just one book over, in John chapter 11, Martha is brought into the story again. When the sisters find out that Jesus has come for Lazarus’s death, Martha is the first one to greet Him. “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed home.” John 11:20. The very thing that Jesus had asked Martha to work on the last time they saw each other (loosing herself in Him) is the very thing she shows Him now by being the first one to go to Him. No one ever really mentions that part about her. No one ever talks about how she learned from her mistake and how Jesus forgave her. I love Jesus and Martha’s relationship; it makes me feel more hopeful about my relationship with Him. So I am totally ok with having a Martha-like heart now. :)

Going Green,
Miss

I hope this week as been wonderful for all of you! I wanted to share one more thing with you before the week was up. This is from my friend Bailey, she is absolutely beautiful inside and out. When I first heard her story I was so encouraged, and I know you will be too!

Going Green,
Miss


Hey Ladies! My name is Bailey Tinsley, I am 20 years old and currently live in Joplin, MO. I’m soon to be married in July. My lovely friend Missy asked if I would tell a bit of my story, so here we go:

I work in the library on campus at MSSU where Shea (who just graduated) and I attend college. I’m a junior now, but towards the end of my freshman year I had gone through a really hard break up with a guy who wasn’t head over heels in love with Jesus and wasn’t passionate about much more than rock-climbing. Although I believe in commitment in the hardest moments, I chose to unhealthily commit to ignorance of the place I was really in, ignoring the advice of my family, my close friends, and accountability partner. I prayed for this guy a lot, believing that God would give this to me even though it wasn’t of Him, which was about the extent of my prayer life then. Nothing about the relationship modeled a serious love for Christ and the lifestyle He calls His kids to.

We broke up and believing I was truly heart-broken, I buried myself in the Word, selfishly seeking out comfort for my own needs instead of thanking God for stepping in and praising Him for taking care of me. Soon, however, by His grace, my trips to the Word turned into worship and abandon of self. I am a planner and I like to be in charge, but I learned to believe that God has purposeful plans beyond what we can try to do on our own. Job became my favorite book of the Bible (if you’ve never read it- do it!). I made the decision to be single and happy. I strongly believed that boys needed to be at the very bottom of my priority list. This was such a restoring turn in my relationship with the Lord, trusting that if I was supposed to be with someone, (which I have believed since I was a very little girl that someday God wanted me to be butt-crazy in love with my husband) then God would provide! My prayer for that hard time, and even now, was that I would submit to the Father and let Him be in charge—His will and not mine!

So a few months later, when I was working, Shea came to return a book at my counter. He introduced himself and made up a really cheesy comment about how we were both wearing yellow shirts and we should call one another incase it happens again. I thought he was weird and probably annoying. I was too holy to be talking to him, you know. Shea is persistent in everything he does, though—He came back to visit me a few days later before classes let out for summertime; I pretended to be busy so I wouldn’t have to talk to him. I went home (45 minutes away from Joplin) for summer, still praying for God’s will to be manifested in my life.

To shorten a long story, a friendship sprouted from his initial silliness. Come to find out, Shea had actually observed my actions and attitude from afar and talked with his Christian guy friends about pursuing me before he ever introduced himself. We ultimately ended up spending time together when I would visit Joplin for mission meetings over a trip I was taking that summer. I learned that he was really in love with Jesus and wanted to pursue what God wanted to show him in life, but I was super resistant to the fact this awesome servant of the Lord was wanting to be in my life. I thought I had already figured out what God was planning for that season of my life. Of course, I didn’t have God’s plans figured out and Shea waited on me patiently, even after I tried to push him away dozens of times. I prayed about Shea intently, begging God to make him go away or turn both my attention and his away from one another, but God didn’t do that. Instead, God’s provisions revealed a small part of His plan in a short time span. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…” Jer 29:11. Sometimes I forget this, but it’s a beautiful promise that God has humbled me with again and again, particularly now in my relationship with Shea.

One of the most crucial things that the Father has lovingly taught me in my in my life so far is patience in the belief His plan is better than anything I can concoct on my own. Looking back now, I wish I had been more obedient immediately when I understood I was doing something that didn’t glorify God. Naturally, Shea and I aren’t perfect. I do wish we had started a little slower and surrounded ourselves with more friends when we began ‘dating’. That is not to say that life hasn’t been so very good together, though! We have both learned immensely about God’s good grace, understanding, and patience from one another. Shea is constantly helping me understand the love Christ has for His church through the love he shows me. Love for other people should be from the overflow of the love you have for the Lord. Psalms tells us that if we delight and commit to the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. Believe this! God is the ultimate Maker—He knew you before you were a thought and sees the innermost longings of your heart. May your first and most important longing be for Him. God's timing, not our own, is so good.

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” – Psalm 16: 5-6

My dear lovely Greenlight ladies, how I do love you all! Spring is finally here, and what a marvelous job our Creator has done; surely He has outdone Himself this year! I hope your days have been as full of joy as mine have been as of late. Trees, birds, flowers, moss…. sheesh, what more could a girl ask for?! I just wanted to tell you gals something that He has been bringing to mind a lot this past month for me. I’ve been mulling over Psalm 16:5-6 quite a bit, and keep getting stuck on the boundary line part. The more I thought about (or rather the more I listened to what God was telling me about it) the more I started getting this idea of singleness being my boundary line. What are boundary lines created for? What are their purpose? Well, for one thing they are created to keep things in, and to also keep things out. They are created to show ownership over something. And they are created to show what lies ahead, but from a safe place.

Right now I’m in singleness; that is my boundary line. My heart is set in a pleasant place, guarded from deception, and claimed by the One who owns my affections. But it’s just for a season; “I have a delightful inheritance”. My boundary line will move someday to a different place. It’s like Jabez when he prayed, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Now, I must confess that sometimes in my mind “enlarge my territory” can easily translate to: “send me a handsome hunk of a man Lord!” But regardless of handsome hunks of men being territory or not, God still promises a delightful inheritance in Him; the author of all romance. So I’m happy with where my boundary line is in life right now, it’s a pleasant place full of peace…… and I won’t complain if someday my territory does increase! :)

Love you ladies!
Going Green,
Miss

For those who have wondered why this blog was named GREEN-LIGHT revolution, here is our first attempt at breakin' it down blog-style...

Gender: Girls
Origin: Singleness
Meaning: Yes
Pronunciation: (Green Lahyt Rev-uh-loo-shuhn)
Form of: Jesus Christ
Rating: ★★★★★

when we say GREEN we think
ENERGY | growth | LIFE

when we say LIGHT we think
BURDEN-FREE | truth | VISIBILITY

when we say revolution we think
CHANGE | orbit | TURNING-POINT

when we say GREEN-LIGHT we think
GO | movement | UNRESERVED

when we say GREEN-LIGHT revolution we think
INSPIRATION | encouragement | RELEASE

Our hope is that through our testimonies and the recognition of the life Jesus Christ offers, you will find yourself inspired, encouraged, and released by His Spirit into the overwhelming victory and love that our Father has had in store for you.

Going green!
the authoresses of this crazy blog