supportMIKE news IV
17 August 2007
Dear friends
It's not often that I feel the need to beg. Work this year has been a tremendously humbling experience, having to ask people for money in order to live and get by. So many people have been amazingly generous to me in providing the majority of my salary. But as the year hurtles towards its end I'm again asking for support. I'm approximately $5000 short of my target for the year.
As many of you may know I got married over the mid-semester break in Germany to the lovely Christine. I enjoyed the break from work and being able to get away from the worries and pressures of ministry. We arrived back from our honeymoon just in time for FOCUS' annual Mid Year Conference. This was an amazing time of spiritual renewal for both the students and us.
With married life now thrown into the mix I've realized just how little the MTS wage is. Christine and I look set to have real financial troubles over the next year and half, even with my full wage. Please keep Christine and I in your prayers as we work through this most difficult part of marriage. She is currently not able to work until her visa is approved (a massive process).
The semester began with a bang as we ran the worldview survey in week 3. The first couple of weeks were spent recovering from MYC and preparing the students for the survey. The worldview survey is, in my view, one of the best evangelistic tools out there. Students answer multiple choice questions before being analysed by a computer which tells them their worldview. This then leads to evangelistic conversations as the Christian explains the ins and outs of various worldviews. I spent 3 hours talking non-stop in just one day and had some awesome conversations. I don't say this to boast but to demonstrate just how effective a tool it really is.
I've also been excited by the prospect of running an evangelistic small group up at Jane Franklin Hall. This has flowed out of a small group that I started there in the middle of last semester (with help from others). It's been encouraging to see students in this group growing and being challenged in their faith.
I'll be preaching on Titus later in the semester. Please keep me in your prayers as it will be a struggle to get these talks completed in time. On top of all this Christine and I have recently moved to a new flat and continue to settle into sharing a home for the first time.
Although there are challenges ahead for the year we have every confidence in God and his ability to provide for us. Please feel free to check out my blog for updates on my progress (the link is below). You can also now donate to me online via my blog. May God Bless you especially through his son Jesus.
Mike and Christine Jolly
tags christian, ministry, update
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Hi Mike,
If my words could be dollars for 10 minutes, I would try my hardest to spit out 5000 for you.. alas no..
But you are in my prayers for sure..
I may say 'it's all I can do', but the bible doesn't tell us to seek our own ways of things, but coming to the Lord in Prayer.. So I believe that is one of the greatest things I(we) can offer. But not just prayer for you, but also prayer for those who have committed the thought of donation, for your wage, to the Lord, and that they can have clarity of mind when choosing..
Can I just do my own bit of begging here?
Hope you don't mind..
The Lord is USING THIS MAN in such an amazing way, and for the work to be continued in what Mike is doing where he is best serving the Lord at this given time, he does need our help, and in turn is proving to be a bright light for us Uni Students. This is a man who steps out in faith, and Mike, in appealing in this way I truly believe you are doing that, rather than seeking out the money without much thought or prayer. Instead asking your Heavenly Father to provide..
I trust each of us in turn can really spend some time in prayer about this, and I KNOW the Lord will provide what is NEEDED.. Do we all stand to confirm this as the body of Christ?
I trust we do.
God Bless you and Christine, Mike, and the ministry he has ahead for you both.
With Love
It sounds really callous to ask this, but I just wanted to clarify: are you $5000 short for this year as in, 2007 and still need to raise your 2008 wage as well?
You guys are in my prayers, and I hope that your brothers and sisters in Christ (including myself) will prayerfully consider what they can do and practically live out the command of 1 John 3:16 -
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. "
Yup that's right Bron. We're in ok shape as in we have money to live of so we aren't going to starve or anything.
But I've realized more recently just how little the MTS wage is.
Am I the only reader of Mike and Christine's blogs who finds the following so deliciously ironic?
Considered in the light of this post, I'm not at all surprised to read this post.
Happy theological hoop-jumping, folks!
God is the loving provider of all (money and otherwise). Yet we can ask our brothers and sisters to provide money for us too. No one said anything about the means by which God provides. I fail see the contradiction or the irony.
I do however see the irony of yet another person hiding behind the cloak of anonymity in order to knock others.
I also think that we ought to pray that God would help us learn to be content in whatever our situation and to trust him to provide for our needs.
Like Paul, we are asking others to partner with us in our ministry. Those in Philippi sent support so that the Gospel could be preached. God used others to provide for Paul's needs and encouragement.
Perhaps it's more common here in the States, but I just find it ironic that the people who express such hatred of Biblical prosperity theology are usually the same people who, "... feel the need to beg. ... having to ask people for money in order to live and get by. ... I'm again asking for support. I'm approximately $5000 short ..."
The Biblical precedent is clear that gospel workers can get their income from their work. The notion that this is somehow connected to the "prosperity gospel" is disingenuous.
Nor is there any connection between the "prosperity gospel" and me begging for money. With respect I'm not sure you understand what you are talking about.