Dear Friends,

On the first day of teaching at the discipleship school I have been telling you about, I was presenting two opposing views on a major theological topic, when one of the students broke down in tears and said, "I don't care if God does things this way or that way.  All I know is that he saved me out of the hell that was my life and told me he loved me."  It was a beautiful moment.

Teaching theology to students whose greatest desire is to grow closer to God challenges me to find the balance between knowledge and a living faith.  Every week, we discuss the fact that information alone will not draw us to God, and that ultimately, the fact that he loves us is the only important thing.  The student mentioned above still gets upset by some of the material but continues to push forward and try to understand it, often apologizing if her frustration makes me feel bad.  I tell her that it has the opposite effect.  I am incredibly excited to be among students who refuse to let the information simply slip past them without engaging it; on the contrary, they are wrestling with these issues, asking questions, and discussing many of their own ideas.

These classes have reminded me how much I enjoy mulling over theological ideas and sharing them with others.  I realized late in my college career that I enjoyed teaching, but I am finding now, more than ever, that I absolutely love it.  One of the best things about this forum is the fact that, since it is a discipleship school, I am not simply presenting dry, academic facts on doctrine and theology.  Rather, one of my paramount goals is to show students that we can believe different things theologically and still be united as believers.  Often, it is so easy for us to see our own perspectives in the Bible that we lose respect for people who see something else there.  Appreciating other viewpoints allows us to affirm one another and come together as a Body because of our mutual faith in Jesus Christ and his and resurrection.  Moreover, each week, I ask the students to consider how understanding and valuing other theological stances improves our ability to interact with non-believers.  I strongly maintain that if I can represent God to people in ways they understand and can embrace, I should do so (as long as they are biblically-supported, of course), even if I view things differently.  Recognizing that people can love Jesus, follow him, and trust the Bible as his Word while holding to different theologies allows me to be more effective when speaking to those who do not know Jesus yet, because I do not have to insist that they see things my way.

All this to say, I very much hope to be able to continue teaching in some capacity.  For many years, there has been talk of starting the “Steiger Institute,” where people could take college-level courses in Bible and theology for little or no charge.  We think that people should not have to go into debt in order to learn about the Bible and feel that the church should provide such training to those who desire it.  Teaching at the discipleship school has brought the Steiger Institute back to my mind, and I have begun thinking more about making that happen.  I know there are other people within Steiger who are interested in helping, so the issue is simply putting it together.  This is a long-term goal, but I wanted to share it with you now so that you can pray for me about it if you so desire, and so that you will know the background of the project as it begins to develop.  Bringing this about may require that I go back to school at some point, but I do not yet know.  I do know, from teaching at the discipleship school, that I want anything we do to be continually connected to the real world—gaining knowledge in order to better live out our faith, know God more deeply, and speak to others more effectively.  I have no interest in sterile data, but I do believe that academics can be taught in a way that will be truly meaningful as we seek to wholly devote our lives to God.  The Steiger Institute could be an opportunity to do just that.

As always, God is moving powerfully on the West Bank, and I will have more stories to tell you in the coming months.  But as you pray for my work with Steiger, please consider adding the Steiger Institute to the list.  There are more very important prayer requests down below.  Thank you all so much, and God bless you!

Take hold of the life that is truly life!

Molly S. Waggoner
 

• I wrote last month about the possibility of a new ministry on the West Bank.  Clayton and I are still praying about this, and some new ideas are forming.  We have big dreams and are counting on the fact that God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”  We are keenly aware that we need to live lives that allow God to work powerfully within us, and as we seek him, we expect great things.  Please pray that God would give us vision for this new venture, bring the right team around us, and use the ministry to reach many people on the West Bank!  This is our greatest desire, and we simultaneously ache and rejoice when considering the possibilities.
• A man we know from Hard Times Café recently gave his life to Jesus!  We are very excited.  At the same time, he has many things that need to be worked through, so I would ask for your prayers for his protection and growth as a Christian.
• I do not know what I will be doing for employment after the discipleship school is over.  There is a good possibility that I could be hired at Target full-time, but this might mean that I would lose some of the flexibility I have had to do missions work.  I want God’s will and need his direction in this area.  I know he provides for our practical needs, so I am not worried, but I also know that it is an important issue that requires prayer!
• There are a number of major decisions and events on the horizon.  One involves the possibility of going Rwanda in 2008!  The story is too long to tell now, but the Scallywags (the bicycle club that is part of Steiger Minneapolis) have connected with a ministry there, and I have an inkling that I may be joining one of their teams in the future.  Please pray for guidance and provision!
• As always, I am working on raising more support.  Please pray that this would be effective and that I could build a consistent support base that would allow me to have the time to devote to all the things I believe God has for me.

Thank you!
MSW