GREEN-LIGHT revolution

Hello, hello from GREEN-LIGHT Revolution! Blogger Bek here excited to be writing to you again!

My full name is Rebekah Kruvand. I am 26 years old, single and rocking it in the lovely city of St. Louis, MO. Recently I've entered into a relationship with an awesome man-of-God named Dillon Neely. A brother and friend in the Lord for the last 1.5 years who has humbly asked permission to pursue me. I've embarked on a new chapter relationally speaking, yet I still consider myself SINGLE.... single because until I'm married ladies, I'm SINGLE in heart and commitment before the Lord. That being said, I'm super excited --> new chapter, new challenges, new joys found in the Lord. Currently I belong to Jubilee Church (STL city) whose community I could not live without. I find myself more thankful for the love of Christ shown through the body of believers at Jubilee, everyday.

This week I've been pondering Matthew 5:37, "Let your statement be 'yes' or 'no'; anything beyond these is of evil."

"Yes" or "no" ...I find them to be simple words to say, but words whose meanings have had profound impacts on my life. To "grant permission" or "to deny" ...that has been the question.

I've discovered (by the grace of God) that I'm really good at saying "yes" to things... yes to people, yes to tasks, yes to making commitments... and not so good at saying "no." Matter of fact, I've gotten SO good at saying "yes," that I've come to question whether "no" still exists in my spoken vocabulary!

This week especially, I've realized that I am completely over-committed. It's been quite humbling, as I've been failing in the commitments I've made (i.e. things I've said "yes" to). I've forgotten to call people when I've said I would, I've had to request extensions on projects I've said I would complete, I've had to apologize for not being places I've said I'd be. I've realized that my "yes" has lost it's meaning. My word has become no good, because it does not mean to others what it's meant to.

God has been gracious enough to convict me about the need for balance in my life, the need to be able to say "no" once in awhile. When I'm over committed, when I've allowed my "yes" to become meaningless, everyone suffers.

The beauty of it all, is that through this process, I've received grace from God in the midst of failure. I've come to acknowledge and admit that I've indeed failed (something I've not been comfortable with for a good part of my life). I've come to make apology for doing so. I've come to humble myself before the Lord... and ya' know what? It's been INCREDIBLY FREEING! It's WONDERFUL to know that God finds perfection in Jesus Christ, not Rebekah Kruvand.

Until next time, let my spoken word be what it's meant to be: let my YES be YES!

Going green!
blogger bek

I had graduated college, was working full-time, and renting a place to live while I tried to figure out what was next. The way I saw it, I was at a fork in the road. If marriage was in God’s plan for me, that meant I would continue working, serving, and waiting for Future Husband to appear. But if lifetime singleness was the plan, I might as well make the most of it and do things that would be difficult for a married woman, who would have all the concerns of caring for a husband and family. I pictured myself as a Jackie Pullinger or an Amy Carmichael. I’d sell everything, move to some remote corner of the world, and care for the poor from my little grass hut.

As you can tell, my plans for the future were vastly different depending on the Lord’s answer to this question....which did not come right away. I think this was also the first decision about which I intentionally sought the Lord’s will. I had chosen a college, a major, a job, a place to live--all based on what I thought was best and what I preferred. I don’t remember praying about any of those decisions before making them. So here I was, truly asking God for direction for the first time about a major life decision and he didn’t have much to say.

I was sitting at a stop light on the drive home from work one day, and instead of asking God about marriage specifically, I asked him what he wanted me to do right now, at this time, in this place. Then he started talking. He wanted me to be a blessing in my work place, to devote myself to serving Christ’s Church, and to build strong, deep friendships. He wanted me to seek counsel from women who were older than me and to cultivate a submissive heart toward leaders. I could do all of those things single or married! It occurred to me that I did not need all the details about my future in order to obey God today.

As God’s children, we have the joy of learning how to seek and hear from him. I’m learning that he loves conversation, that my life is one long conversation with him and that I need to be okay with long pauses. He has kept hidden some of the answers to the big questions I’m asking. But it’s okay. By saying “Yes, Lord” to whatever he asks of me today, I am preparing to say “Yes, Lord” to whatever he has planned for the future.
Going green!Lynn

Hello, GREEN-LIGHT Readers!

This morning, I'm writing to you from my living room sofa. There is a cheery fire in the hearth and from my seat facing the window, I can marvel at the glittery, glorious 19 inches of snow that fell yesterday. My car, the streets, and the church parking lot are also buried under the aforementioned snow, so I will not be leaving the house today.

I picked out a favorite Elisabeth Elliot book from the shelf, and it reminded me of another jewel from this author. Many moons ago, I read a chapter in one of her books (I can't even remember which one) about developing a hunger for God. It's something I feel, but long to feel more strongly and consistently. I hunger to hunger! :)

In this chapter, she included a list of ten steps to increase a hunger for God, based on Psalm 63. I copied these steps onto the front page of my journal and for a while they became my practice. Every so often, I review the list and take up the practice again. The Lord never fails to bless these efforts and give me a fresh, healthy craving for him. I wanted to share this with you, too, in case (like me) you are feeling mere pangs where you wish you felt faint.

(Based mostly on Psalm 63)
To develop a hunger for the true shewbread, we must

1. Seek God first in priority (Matthew 6:33).

2. Seek God first in activity.

• Any day not surrendered to the Holy Spirit is lived in the flesh.

• If Christ, who was God, had to get up early in the morning to meet with the Father, how much quicker should I be hopping out of bed.

3. Choose to experience his power.

4. Choose to experience his glory.

5. Build a history with God through spiritual encounters.

6. Pray for an acute hunger and thirst for God's presence in your life

• And you will get it! Walk in faith; it's coming.
  

7. Practice an active praise life.

8. Constantly acknowledge your need for help.

9. Conclude each day with meditation.

10. Ask God to awaken you with great anticipation for the next morning.