You’re going to have a second honeymoon with Jesus.  This might sound like a bizarre comment to most people, but considering the fact that it was coming from someone we call the Steiger “vibe lady,” I wasn’t at all surprised.  A few years ago, this remarkable woman, Justine, came into town, looked at me, and said, “You’ve had a love affair with the Lord.”  She was right.  I had been a Christian for a few years but had only recently “fallen in love” with Jesus.  Justine later told me that she had “married” Jesus early in her Christian life and suggested I do the same.  Now those of you who have noticed the ring I wear on my left ring finger know the story behind it.  It is a symbol of my love for, and commitment to, Jesus.

I have shared in previous letters how I had long been struggling with my faith before going to New Zealand.  It was during my time there, as I began to experience a renewal of my relationship with God, that Justine uttered the statement above.  You’re going to have a second honeymoon with Jesus.  The first one was cut prematurely short.  I respect Justine, and she has been continually accurate in her prophecy over me; but after returning home, I found myself wondering if that comment had only been wishful thinking on her part.  My faith was intact—and even growing—but the soaring love that I had felt years ago continued to elude me. 

While I might have preferred a quicker fulfillment, I know now that I had no reason to doubt Justine’s words.  I am sure that my attempt to explain the changes in my life over the past month will sound cheesy, but since that cannot be helped, I will speak freely.  My “second honeymoon” has finally begun.  I believe God delayed it in order to ensure that I did not bring along any excess baggage; this time is for Jesus and me to celebrate our love for one another, and I needed to be free to revel in that.  Accordingly, God has given me deep healing in areas that had been weighing me down, so that we can truly delight in each other’s presence. 

This may all seem unrelated to ministry and thus a superfluous topic for a newsletter, but my experiences in ministry settings over the last month make me believe otherwise.  As I have felt more in love with God, as I have sought his presence more, and as I have prayed more and more to reflect him to others, I have seen truly encouraging things.  I have continued to have numerous conversations with co-workers, one of whom overheard me speaking with someone else and e-mailed me asking if we could get together to talk about my Christian faith.  A gentleman I know from Hard Times—who has always enjoyed talking with me but has never given an inch in his cynicism—told me that spending time with me had a “renewing” effect and that he would consider altering his work schedule to visit our church.  A pagan I know from the West Bank told me she had been through Lutheran confirmation but had never understood how Jesus could “die for our sins.”  She then sat riveted as I discussed my thinking on the topic and said with excitement that it made sense to her for the first time.  A Rastafarian addict let me pray for him after a friend had died of liver and kidney failure, then told me that when I touched his shoulder, he had begun to shake all over.  And a man who has been coming to the Jesus Kitchen for longer than I have been a part of it finally quit scoffing at the idea of Christianity and came to church.  I had told him the night before that it was time to let go of his negative childhood associations with church and just look at Jesus instead.  He actually allowed me to pray for him after the service (something he has always refused previously), and when I finished, he gave me a long, tight hug.  Please pray that he comes back.

I believe that this is only the firstfruits of what God is going to do on the West Bank and in the people at work.  I want nothing more than to reflect God’s love to people and to speak his words to them.  I think of how no one could dispute the things Stephen said about Jesus (Acts 6:9-10), and I do not believe this was because he had great arguments; I believe God had imbued his words with a depth, power, and profundity that can come only from his Spirit.  This is what I want, and I am convinced that it will arise only from a deeper knowledge of God.

So if you think to pray for me, please pray first and foremost that God would continue to deepen my love for him, faith and trust in him, and awareness of his leading.  There are more particular prayer requests on the reverse, but this is the deepest cry of my heart, and I know it is the foundation for all the rest.  May God bless you in this new year with the same renewed passion he has given me, and thank you all so much for the blessing you are in my life.
Take hold of the life that is truly life!
Molly S. Waggoner

Thank you so much!
-MSW