It looks like Apostle Malm has fallen on hard times and now wants people to help bail him out.
Here's a hint. Stop your incessant end times malarkey and quit posting on your blog posts that take endless hours of "research". Go back to your contracting job and work.
You have no message that is of value to COG members or humanity at large.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND SUPPORT REQUEST:
I have been working at this outreach since April 07; spending an average of at least eight hours per day in research, study, writing, answering mail and counseling concerning issues sent in to me. This is an average, as I would spend much less time on Sabbath and more on other days.
Over these four plus years I have received about [this is a close estimate] $50,000. My expenses for internet access, the first computer and maintenance, extensive internet advertising for the Main and News sites, as well as for web hosting etc have been about $28,000. That leaves about $22,000 in excess of direct expenses for almost 4 1/2 years of hard work.
During this time my workload and expenses have increased exponentially and have greatly interfered with my ability to work and earn a living at my contracting business. This has resulted in my falling deeply and inextricable into debt [over $60,000].
This has never been a business for me. I have never been in this for money. I am not complaining at all, this is a labour of love. My concern is to be open about my situation to avoid any hint of impropriety or money grubbing.
My computer is now about five years old and has been under extensive use. I am now experiencing glitches and problems and in need of an upgrade. I would like to take advantage of any possible December sales to purchase a good lap top. This will allow me mobility over my present desk based model and will resolve the escalating issues I am having.
Thousands visit and benefit from these efforts, only a very few actually help out. I am now asking for a little help; not to build grand buildings, but to provided a needed tool to do this job.
This is NOT the time to construct fine buildings and houses; it is the time to be about our Father’s business.
Before he made this request for money he was ripping Dave Pack a new one for using members money to build a new HQ. It really irritates the Apostle that Pack his building this monstrosity while he (the Apostle) needs help.
Dave Pack demanded that all of his supporters give everything they had including selling off of Real and personal property to give to him for the furtherance of the Gospel. He is now wasting God’s money on his personal projects at a phenomenal and unsustainable rate; following the same path to economic ruin that brought the HWA WCG into one financial crisis after another from the 70′s onward. Pack does not have a 130,000 member financial base to even begin to sustain this.
All this; not understanding nor seeing the signs of the times.
This is not the time for building grand buildings; it is the time for delivering a warning to the saints, for making well known the end time signs of the scriptures and for preaching loudly the gospel of repentance and salvation!
How dare you peons give money to Pack when the TRUE Apostle needs it now! Shame on you!
13 comments:
So he is not complaining, but he would like it to be known that he wants a new laptop. And by the way there may be some good pre Christmas sales just to let you know.
Malm, if you spent that amount of money I think you overpaid. Advertising, really? I would be concerned to put you in charge of money.
Isn't this a textbook example of the dysfunctional dance taught by Armstrongism?
Coworker Letter Boilerplate Template:
Dear Co-Workers in God's Service:
GREETINGS, in Jesus' name! There's two ways of living, give and get. The WORLD lives the GET way, which is pure SELFISHNESS. You need to be living the GIVE way, which means you put everyone else's needs AHEAD of your own (especially the needs of Jesus Christ's Apostle). That's right, brethren, taking care of yourself is SELFISH, and the desire to do this is the influence of SATAN the DEVIL. God told me last night that he wants YOU to be a suffering martyr, and to take it like Jesus, without even a whimper of complaint. (God also told me that he has granted an exemption for complaining in coworker letters.) Profitable servants GIVE TILL IT HURTS! (They give to ME till it hurts.) Unprofitable ones have self-esteem and take care of themselves, and then BURN in the LAKE OF FIRE for it. Don't be like THEM.
With love to all, in Jesus' name,
Herbie W. Armstrong
So what's happening here? Apostle Malm bought Apostle Herbie's snake oil. And now he's trying to sell Herbie's snake oil for him, even though the one who was supposed to profit from it (Herbie) is dead and gone. Because of this, he's prioritizing his blog above gainful employment, so that he can provide us with a critical service that we didn't ask for and don't want. As a result he isn't making ends meet, even though people are giving him $12,500 per year on average. He really needs to receive an extra $25,000 per year to make up for the shortfall because he's spending all his time on his blog instead of going to work. So he's asking others to be gainfully employed to earn that $25,000 to fork over to him, which common sense suggests he should be earning for himself.
Why doesn't he just recognize that Herbie taught him unhealthy boundaries,, and that this is the real source of his financial problems? In order to abuse someone, they have to have screwed up boundaries. Herbie was very efficient at lowering people's defenses and sucking their lifeblood. Malm is still being suckered by a vampire 25 years after it's death. If Malm followed Herbie's EXAMPLE, he wouldn't have any financial problems because he would have devised some snake oil to benefit himself. Instead, he's following Herbie's INSTRUCTIONS, and the only one who benefits from that is Herbie (but since he's dead, that should read: NOBODY!)
What did Jesus say about "Counting the cost"?
All that behold, begin to mock, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.
And yet...
we appreciate some of the inside information we get which we would not be able to get elsewhere.
That calling of God can get really expensive: Buy the truth and sell it not!
Keep up the good work!
You're on your own!
(Like I don't have expenses too. Stop your bellyaching, lest a worse thing come upon you.)
Is it just me suspecting this, or all the Armstrongists descending into terminal nuttiness to prepare for 2012?
The New Year is soon upon us.
Gentlemen, start your (web tool) engines: The first one to the finish line loses everything, the rest, not quite as much!
Give Mr. Malm a little respect here. He's given your blog a lot of material in the last couple of years - and even broken some COG-related news items you otherwise might not have had.
Malm should consider what the wcg would tell people.
Go on welfare, get food stamps and stay warm and well feed.
Put the load on the taxpayer to clean up the mess that HWA created.
All I can say to Malmsie is "Bummer, Dude".
I'm sure that there are others out there like myself who do tithe or give love offerings, but the bad news for Malm is that we generally look for recipients who make themselves accountable, and who don't teach Armstrongist or other heresy.
My advice to James Malm is that if you want God to bless you, perhaps you should do a little more research, and not of the cherry-picking kind.
BB
James Malm has actually DISagreed with HWA on a lot of points. He has said that HWA was wrong about this and wrong about that.
Malm seemed to think that HWA was in it for the money, since HWA was always asking for money. Interestingly, Malm has now found out that to do even a little, tiny, personal Blog costs a lot of money. Now that Malm is deep in debt, he is making his situation known and would like people to help him out.
HWA did a MUCH LARGER WORK, before the Internet was available, and that is why it needed $200,000,000.00 a year to run the show, which was always increasing in size.
In his early years, HWA appeared reluctant to ask for money. Finally, it got to the point that not only was his family poor, but the Work was about to stop because he couldn't afford to mail out his literature. As long as it was just his family suffering, HWA had kept quiet. So, HWA explained the situation to the people on his mailing list and mentioned that he was willing to humiliate himself in any way for the Work.
"This has resulted in my falling deeply and inextricable into debt [over $60,000]."
While I realize people can get into debt in a number of ways, Malm has not exactly been responsible here. It sounds like he has an unhealthy obsession if he put off making a living. After reading Andrews comments again, he explains it well.
Why give Malm respect? He is carrying on the speculative prophecy stupidity, spouts legalistic bullshit requirements and sets an example on why Armstrongism is so weird. How can anyone respect that? He provides immediate fodder for this blog and others with his absurd preaching. He is entertaining and nothing more.
Yes, and sorry to say, but he is externally processing his relationship with God by this type of message on his blog. If it were a good relationship, he'd simply pray and wait for an answer, trusting God either for an answer or correction so he could be blessed.
BB
@ Andrew: Insightful comment, especially that bit about following Armstrong's instructions instead of his example.
@ Bob: "Yes, and sorry to say, but he is externally processing his relationship with God by this type of message on his blog. If it were a good relationship, he'd simply pray and wait for an answer, trusting God either for an answer or correction so he could be blessed."
No, he doesn't need to cozy up to your imaginary friend, he needs to stop spreading harmful nonsense and get back to work like the rest of us. There will be plenty of time for him to talk to himself when he's a homeless crazy person, begging passersby for booze. But right now, he actually has a day job.
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