Home  Newsletters Molly Molly's Newsletter September 2005
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Molly's Newsletter September 2005 |
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September 11, 2005
Dear Friends and Family,
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
This verse, Galatians 6:9, is quickly becoming my life motto. Note that
it doesn’t say not to become weary “of” doing good, but “in” doing
good. I don’t think Paul is telling us not to get sick of doing the
right things (hopefully that isn’t an issue), but rather that in the
midst of the things God calls us to do, we are supposed to keep driving
forward. I can understand why he needs to say this, because I
frequently feel weary, to the point that sometimes I don’t think I have
the energy to do the things God has asked. It’s not that I’m tired of
doing good stuff... I’m just tired.
I’ve noticed, however, that when everything is humming along and I see
God moving, I’m less likely to get weary. I’m too caught up in all the
amazing things God is doing even to think about being tired. It’s the
times when things don’t seem to be happening that it’s easy to start
focusing on myself and get tired. But I think that Paul is calling us
to have a higher perspective—not to be so easily drawn back into our
own little world where, yes, we are often tired. He’s calling us to
trust that God is still moving, even if beneath the surface, and that
we will see the results of that now-hidden action at the proper time.
Instead of getting tired because of how things look right now, I want
to focus on that time in the future—whenever it might be—and run toward
it... tirelessly.
See, I think that when you are weary and don’t see the things you want
to see, the temptation to quit pressing forward and just give up can be
great. But more and more, I am joining Paul as an avid proponent of NOT
GIVING UP. When I am struck by the desire to throw in the towel—which I
think takes the form of internally resigning to hopelessness more than
externally stopping ministry—I want to grit my teeth, dig in my heels,
pray for hope, and ferociously trust God. I want to choose hope and
faith over despair. And God promises that we will reap a harvest if we
do that.
I have seen a few examples of this principle recently. A couple years
ago, we met a punk kid I’ll call “David” at the Jesus Kitchen. He came
to know God but soon fell back into his old way of life—drinking,
drugs, coming to the Jesus Kitchen just to cuss us out. He took off to
ride the rails last fall, and during one of the last times we talked
with him before that, he very angrily cursed God. Needless to say, it
was a bit disheartening. But when I was in New Zealand earlier this
year, I got an e-mail from David telling me that his girlfriend had
become a Christian, he had come back to God, and they had gotten
married and were attending a church in Texas. I talked with him by
phone, and he said excitedly, “You always told me that God would use me
if I got on track with Him, and He already is!”
Another guy I know from the Jesus Kitchen became a Christian around the
same time as David, but has been plagued by doubts and confusion since
then. He has only come to church rarely and has seemed more frustrated
than anything by the whole thing. It has been discouraging to see
someone who I thought “got it” keep sinking backwards. Recently, we had
a talk where he admitted that he wasn’t happy, and I challenged him to
get off the fence and really seek God with his entire being. Soon
after, he showed up for our Jesus Kitchen outreach and, during our
prayer time beforehand, told God that he was tired of the way things
were and wanted to move forward. He has been reading his Bible and
experiencing God’s presence in a new way that excites him.
Then there is a friend of mine who has been on the fringes of Steiger
for many years. His background includes a very twisted version of
Christianity that caused him more pain than anything else. Along with
some other factors, that has made cynicism much easier than surrender
for him. Recently, however, some difficult events in his life have
prompted him to begin to consider God seriously. One day, after
allowing me to pray for him, he said, “I guess our spirits need. They
just need.” I am praying that he will keep seeking God over anything
else, because he knows that God is the only one who can meet that need,
and also that he will step into the calling that is on his life (since
he already has a good idea what it is).
Please pray for these guys—for protection, for continued deepening of
their faith, for total, uncompromising surrender, and for the joy that
comes from a real relationship with God. And please pray for those of
us in ministry to be able to trust God enough not to give up. We’ve
seen the harvest in some people’s lives; I want to get to see it in
many more.
(over)
Now, I do have some business to attend to. Jodi Pierce, one of the
founders of Steiger, has asked me to be on her international team. This
team will be doing preparation and follow-up work for David Pierce’s
band, so that the people who come to Jesus during their concert tours
are better plugged into local churches. While nothing is set in stone,
this most likely means that I will be doing some significant traveling
next year. First and foremost, she wants to do the major planning for
this team’s work during the school in New Zealand, so I plan on going
there for about a month in March. The expenses incurred for this sort
of trip (plane tickets, living costs while there, rent and regular
bills at home, plus a month’s lost wages) add up to a few thousand
dollars. I do not know the specifics of where else I would need to go
later in the year, but it will no doubt be expensive also. I do have a
good job, but I do not know if I will be able to save enough to afford
these trips. So I want to once again put out a request for help. I
desperately need to expand my support base so that I can raise
sufficient funds to keep doing what God asks me to do. Moreover, as
much as I am enjoying my new job, I have so many other things I want to
be doing. My goal is to expand my support enough over the next few
years so that I am able to do ministry full-time. There are no
shortages of things to do. In fact, I have just recently taken on more
duties, including keeping the church’s financial records, various
administrative tasks, helping create classes for new believers and
training for different ministries, as well as the college-level courses
in biblical studies and theology I have mentioned previously, and other
duties that would take too long to explain. I would do more if I could,
but 40 hours of work a week and a trip to pray at Hard Times Café every
evening take up a lot of time.
So I would like to ask again if you would be willing to help me connect
with churches. If you or your family have a relationship with a church
outside the Salvage Yard, would you be willing to help me get in to
speak there—whether it be to the general service, to the missions
board, or to an adult Sunday school? If you know anyone who you think
would have a heart for the ministry Steiger does, would you see if they
would be interested in receiving my newsletter? If you have any input
or suggestions for me, would you contact me? I am so excited about what
God is doing, and I want to have the ability to pour more of my life
into it. If you can help with this whole issue of finances in any way,
please contact me at
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Thank you ever so much.
Your support has meant so much to me, and I am extremely grateful for
all your help. I can’t wait to tell you more stories about what God is
doing in Minneapolis! May God bless you all.
Take hold of the life that is truly life!
Molly S. Waggoner |
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