I’m Really Enjoying Life Right Now!

I’m really enjoying life right now. 

Two years ago, I turned 65. The church I was working for offered a severance package and suggested I retire. I didn’t really want to retire, but I thought, what the heck, I’ll take the package. 

I passed the Kids Pastor baton to a younger gal who grew up in my kids’ church, and Deb and I planned a 36-day cruise to Europe, which was fun, but after two weeks, I got bored. I mean, how many days can you spend sitting on the beach doing nothing? I figured out my limit is about two weeks. 

When I see people from my former church around town, they ask, “How’s retirement?” 

My response: “Retirement sucks.” 

I don’t call it retirement. I call it freedom. I’m free to do what I want, and I don’t have to do what I don’t want (like sit in meetings all day). The truth is, I’m more effective now than I was working at a large church. 

Why? Because I get to spend time doing what I am called to do: preach the gospel, write curriculum, train parents, and mentor young kids’ pastors. 

I have the freedom to go to the nations, and I get to spend lots of time with my grandkids. Often, they travel with Debbie and I on ministry trips, which is incredibly rewarding. 

These are the things I am called to do right now:

• I’m writing curriculum for a Christian Family Church – taking Pastor Tim Peterson’s sermons and translating them into kid language. Then these curriculum lessons are translated into the languages of the churches they are planting on the mission field. 
• I host Kidmin conferences for parents and pastors worldwide. This year we have traveled to multiple states in the US, Nigeria, England, and Guatemala. At the Supernatural Children’s Ministry Summit, people attended from 22 states and five nations.  And we are just getting started. There is more to come. 

Jonathan Shuttlesworth was in Minneapolis for a five-day revival meeting last week. On Monday night, he called out and prayed for me, 

“Pastor Mark, I’ve so enjoyed the little bit I’ve gotten to know you in the last three weeks. Step towards me. Let me see your hands.

A fresh wind of the Spirit to do more in the next five years than in the first 40. Receive that today.“

I’ll take it.

For some people, that may seem like a lot of work, but I’m grateful that the Lord keeps giving me assignments. I like working for Him. 

Debbie and I just completed a crazy month. Here is what it has been like:

We ministered at Camp Victory for Christian Family Church’s Kids Camps from August 27 – 30. 

Then we headed to Green Bay on Sunday, September 6. Jonathon was doing a one-night meeting at Revival Now Church, pastored by my friend, Jaco Theron. We had already booked a flight to West Virginia for a Jonathon Shuttlesworth Revival when we saw that he would be in Green Bay. Deb and I thought, what the heck, let’s go to Green Bay too. 

We weren’t the only ones. Many people from Minneapolis made the five-hour drive to Green Bay for this one-night service, and that hunger caught Jonathan’s attention. 

Jonathan began prophesying that people had come from other nations to Minneapolis and that God’s plan was to bring revival to these nations. 

It was a powerful service. 

Then we flew to Centerbranch Church in West Virginia for the 5-day Revival, September 8-11. On Tuesday night, Jonathon kept talking about Minneapolis. Deb and I were sitting in the front row. 

Jonathon walked by and pointed at me. “Are you from Minneapolis?” 

Then he said to the congregation, “Have you noticed I can’t stop talking about Minneapolis? You would have to be mentally deficient to not notice what God is doing.”

Jonathon prayed over us and then said, “Thank you for coming. I take it as confirmation.” 

By the end of the week, Jonathon had booked a one-night meeting for Sunday, September 13, at the Radisson Blu Hotel by the Mall of America. 

We got back to Minnesota on Saturday, September 12, ministered Sunday morning at CFC, and then went to Jonathan’s meeting on Sunday night. 

The Sunday night meeting was packed, over 500 people, with only 3 days’ notice on Instagram. Then he announced that he was coming back to Minnesota for a five-day revival. 

The following week was five days of fasting and prayer from September 14-19, as we prepared for our biggest event of the year, the Supernatural Children’s Ministry Summit. Setup for the Summit began Monday, September 21, and ran for three full days of ministry, 9 AM to 10 PM Tuesday, September 22 – Thursday, September 24 . 

Jonathon’s week-long revival in Minneapolis started on Sunday, September 27, and then on Tuesday, September 29, I flew to London, England, for a Raising Supernatural Kids Conference at Tree of Life Church, October 2 – 4. 

You may get tired just reading this. The truth is I should be tired, but I’m not. I’m doing the things God is asking me to do, and I’m loving it. I haven’t been this fired up in decades. God is on the move, and I get to be part of it. 

I’m not sharing all this to brag about what I’m doing, but to encourage you to keep running your race. If you don’t have any invitations or opportunities, then go help someone else. Find something you like to do and do it.  It sure beats bingeing Netflix. 

Jesus told us to “Go“.

We don’t need to wait for a prophecy or an opportunity. 

We just need to obey.

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