Interview with Sherye Green

by Deborah Malone and Rita Prochazka

Sherye, can you share some of your testimony with us?

I was saved on April 23, 1973, at a Spireno youth crusade sponsored by the church I now attend, First Baptist Church Jackson (Mississippi). I was thirteen years old and nearing the end of my eight-grade year in junior high. One distinct memory of that night was realizing that although I came from a lovely family and had been afforded many opportunities in my short life – dance and piano lessons, new clothing several times a year, spring break trips, and private school education – that none of that made a difference as far as my spiritual life was concerned. I was still lost and in need of Jesus.

Those three years in junior high – seventh, eighth, and ninth grade – were years of great change in my life – physically, psychologically, and spiritually. My junior high season was one filled with angst and frustration. Although life didn’t change overnight for me miraculously, the truths of God’s Word that I was learning to hide in my heart helped me navigate the troubled waters of my junior high years. My testimony is a rather quiet one, but one for which I am so thankful.

There have been times I’ve felt guilty that my testimony didn’t involve some miraculous turnaround, but it is not the path Jesus took when He walked up to the door of my heart and knocked upon it. I am so thankful He allowed me to hear His still, quiet voice in that spring of my eighth-grade year. I shudder to think what I might have gotten myself into had I not had His leading and influence in my life during my teenage years.

What are some things you’ve learned in your work with God during this season of your life?

God can use me in His Kingdom no matter my age. He only asks that I be available and teachable. He is also teaching me that He still has work for me to do, though it may look different than what I imagined it to be. “Hardening of the attitude” is preventable if I allow Him to keep my spirit flexible and adaptable to His leading. One of the greatest mysteries of walking through this life with the Lord is that He daily allows me to choose whether to take up my cross and follow Him or strike out after my own agenda. May I always choose the way of the cross.

What is your favorite Bible verse and why?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and to lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

My heart is fickle and led astray. My mind is small and has limited understanding. I don’t have the capacity to see what’s ahead on the road of my life. God has promised me that if I give Him the keys to my life, He will lead me safely down the path of His choosing – one that is best for me.

Sherye, what would be your advice to other “seasoned” women on how to stay active in ministry?

Stay close to the Lord and follow His leading. Though being used to bless others in His name, such as going on mission trips or outreach at a local homeless shelter, are great ways to be involved in loving others in His name, the quiet, steady acts of loving those closest to us – family members and close friends – may be the holiest and most important work we do for Jesus.

What seasoned woman in the Bible is an inspiration to you? Why?

Lydia of Thyatira is one of my favorite seasoned women of the Bible. Lydia’s hometown, Thyatira, was a bustling, cosmopolitan city in what is now Turkey. It is also one of the churches John will bring a warning to in the book of Revelation for its immorality and idol worship. When readers meet Lydia in the book of Acts, she has moved to Philippi, in what is now Greece. Recently, my husband and I traveled to Greece and Turkey. While in Greece, we traveled to Philippi. One morning, our group went to the riverbank, where tradition says Paul preached and Lydia was baptized. The memory of standing next to the peaceful, gurgling stream, where it is believed she and her friends were praying, will always make Lydia’s story more real.

Though we don’t know exactly, Lydia was probably middle-aged. She is successful, financially independent, and a mover and shaker. She was a “worshiper of God.” Lydia’s example is one that will inspire, no matter your age. First, Lydia “was listening.” The ears of her heart were already tuned to God’s airwaves. Second, she allowed God to open her heart. Despite the wooing of the Holy Spirit, God still allows free will to reign in the lives of His children. She made the choice to follow Jesus. Third, Lydia immediately put feet to her faith as she invited Paul and his missionary team to stay at her house while in Philippi.

Lydia’s example is a great encouragement to use all that we have – our material possessions, our social standing, our time, and our talents – for the glory of God.

What are some challenges you’ve had to overcome during your winter season?

One challenge is coming to terms with physical limitations. Some days, I don’t have the stamina I had in earlier years. I remember when I could stay up late into the night to work to meet a deadline for a book or cook food for a family gathering. Those days are now few and far between. Also, occasional aches and pains can be an annoyance. Attitude, however, is my biggest challenge. Believing that age is more than a state of mind than a chronological number, I trust the Lord to keep my attitude pliable and useable for Him.

Sherye we are so glad you stopped by to share with us. I know your interview has been an encouragement to me and I’m sure it will be to many others.

Bio: Sherye Green’s writings reflect her journey of faith and explore the heart’s inner landscape. An author, singer, and speaker, Sherye has long been intrigued by the power of words to shape people’s lives. A former Miss Mississippi, Sherye has enjoyed two careers – in business and education.

The co-recipient of the 2021 Mississippi Author of the Year Award for Nonfiction, Sherye collaborated with World War II survivor and fellow recipient Mildred Schindler Janzen to write her memoir, Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin: One Woman’s Remarkable Escape from Nazi Germany. Sherye is also the author of an inspirational novel, Abandon Not My Soul, and a collection of devotional essays, Tending the Garden of my Heart: Reflections on Cultivating a Life of Faith.

Sherye and her husband make their home in Mississippi. They are the parents of a son and daughter who are both married. The Greens have five grandsons and one granddaughter. You can connect with Sherye at http://www.sheryesimmonsgreen.com.