Sept/Oct Update

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through September! The summer days have passed by quickly, leaving us with memories of what the Lord has done and with anticipation of what He will do in the coming months. We truly appreciate your interest in our mission to Proclaim the Hope of the Gospel in France and your desire to stay tuned in to what the Lord is doing in our lives to prepare us for that ministry. In order to provide more frequent insights into how God is working in us, we are posting thoughts about mission philosophy, facts about France, and deputation news on our blog. You can access the blog by clicking “Cole News” at http://www.hopeforfrance.org/.

The End of an Era
As we mentioned in our last letter, Michael successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on July 7, and we are praising God for his mercy and sustaining strength. Following the defense, there were a couple more rounds of corrections for Michael to complete, but we have now officially witnessed the end of the “Ph.D. Era” in our lives: Michael handed over the final draft of his dissertation to the Records Office at BJU! We look forward to the conferral of the degree in May, 2009. It is our desire that God will allow us to use what Michael has learned over the past decade to make and mature disciples for Christ in France.

Moving On
Turning the corner on the dissertation process has allowed Michael to devote more time to contacting pastors to schedule meetings. In our last letter, we asked you to pray that God would provide meetings for this Fall. In the Lord’s wise providence, we have not yet been able to schedule meetings for the remainder of this year (with the exception of two missions conferences we had previously scheduled). God has provided some meetings for 2009, and Michael continues to contact pastors about meetings for this Fall. Please pray for God’s will to be done. We are currently considering several options for how to best use these last few months of 2008 if God does not provide meetings. Whatever we do, we desire to follow the Lord in faith.

Our Supporters
We are happy to report that the Lord has moved two churches and two families to help support us! The sacrifices these people are making humble us and motivate us to work hard on deputation and in our future ministry in France so that their support is well used. With the current support coming in as well as a support increase starting in January from our sending church, our support level will be $490 per month—almost 10% of our estimated need. Hitting the Road for a Short Trip Mid-October, we will have the privilege of participating in a missions conference in Rockford, IL. We’re excited about the opportunity to present our mission and spend several days with the church people getting to know them and letting them get to know us. Following the conference, we’ll jump back into writing and calling pastors. At this point, we have contacted pastors in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, and California. Although we know that we need to labor diligently in the work the Lord has given us, we realize that God alone can produce fruit from our labors.

Please Pray for Us That…
1). God will accomplish sanctification in us through the deputation process. 2). We will trust God for his timing and have his wisdom concerning our transition into full-time deputation. 3). God will fill our deputation schedule for 2009. 4). God will lead us to churches of a like mind who will partner with us by supporting us financially. 5). God will use us to awaken Christians to the spiritual needs of the French and to Christ’s redemptive purposes for the world. 6). We will continue to grow and develop so that we will be useful tools for the Lord in France.

God bless you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Your gracious ministry to us is a blessing from our Lord!

Seek the Father in the Son!

A majority of French people question the very existence of God. If, however, a Frenchman allows for the existence of a "God," most likely he will be an agnostic, questioning whether it is possible to know that God. The question "Can I know God?" is not a bad one, if one asks it because one knows that sin separates him from God. In essence, no matter why one asks the question, the answer remains the same. Yes, God can be known in His Son, Jesus!

These thoughts arise from my consideration of Hebrews 1. What a mercy that God has revealed himself to us! What an opportunity we have to direct men's attention to the only One who can reveal God the Father to sinful men! What a joy to explain that the Son has made it possible for sinners to approach God safely!


John Owen writes the following concerning the self-revelation of God in Christ. It is, of course, difficult to digest, but wading through the quotation is worth the effort because it is encouraging and convicting.


"Would we come to that acquaintance with the nature, properties, and excellencies of the Father, which poor, weak, finite creatures are capable of attaining in this world,--which is sufficient that we may love him, fear him, serve him, and come unto the enjoyment of him? would we know his love and grace? would we admire his wisdom and holiness?--let us labour to come to an intimate and near acquaintance with his Son Jesus Christ, in whom all these things dwell in their fullness, and by whom they are exhibited, revealed, unfolded unto us; seek the Father in the Son, out of whom not one property of the divine nature can be savingly apprehended or rightly understood, and in whom they are all exposed to our faith and spiritual contemplation. This is our wisdom, to abide in Christ, to abide with him, to learn him; and in him we shall learn, see, and know the Father also" (Commentary on Hebrews, 3:100).

Now, if only I can express that in French.

Arresting Caveat

David Hesselgrave issues this startling warning against impatience in understanding the mindset of one's target audience:

"The missionary who takes the Fall seriously, then, must stop to define his terms. Which terms? Those terms indicated by the distance between divine truth and cultural error. The definitional process must proceed by comparison and contrast. If this process seems too painstaking for the Western missionary who is used to instant everything--from instant cake to instant coffee--so be it. But he should know that to build Christian conversion on non-Christian foundations is like building skyscrapers on sand. The mission fields are well populated with men and women who have been ushered into the heavenlies without knowing why they got on the elevator. Once back on earth they have no intention of being taken for another ride" (Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally, 151-51).