Pastor Mark Schulz may be retired, but he’s not tired! He shares what retirement has been like for him so far and why he believes God is calling him to minister to the LGBTQ community. Pastor Schulz also addresses how to avoid placing too much identity in your career, and last but not least, where to get the best pizza in Chicago! To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.

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Resources mentioned in the episode: 

Robert Colb - The Christian Faith

fullyandtruly.org

Markschulz@fullyandtruly.org

Key insights from the episode: 

You can’t run away from God; eventually, He gets you where He wants you to be. - Mark Schulz

Don’t sweat the big stuff all the time. - Mark Schulz

When you show up in the little things, God works in big ways. - Zach Zehnder

I wasn’t ready for the “Now what do I do?” piece of retirement. - Mark Schulz

I’m one who believes that what you want to do and what you should be doing ought to be pretty meshed in your life. - Mark Schulz

How do I stay faithful to what God’s Word has to say and yet lead with love and grace, which is what I believe God wants us to do? - Mark Schulz

The good first right question to ask is not “Is being gay a sin?”; the good first question to ask is “Where is your source of identity?” - Mark Schulz

86% of the LGBT community grew up in a faith-based community. - Mark Schulz

75% of the gay community long to return to the faith of their youth if they felt like they would be welcome. (In the average American population, the same claim is 9%). - Mark Schulz

The first thing we need to do is listen more and talk less. - Mark Schulz

Mark Schulz’s Challenge: Have one spiritual conversation with someone this week. 

As Mark was talking in this interview, it showed me how much collective work we have to when it comes to forgiveness.

We’d love to help you and your church discover what freedom in forgiveness feels like by exploring the powerful forgiveness that Jesus offers to each and every one of us.

We’d love to introduce you to the 40-Day Forgiving Challenge.

The Forgiving Challenge takes you on a life-changing journey to experience the gift of God’s grace so that you can share it with others. It also helps you identify and walk through the five phases leading to freedom. 

You can learn more about the challenge here!

Some not-so-key insights: 

Luminati's is the best pizza in Chicago, and if you're going to get Chicago pizza, deep-dish is the way to go. - Mark Schulz

Write three wedding messages in seminary, and you never need to write another wedding message. - Chris Johnson

Maybe we ought to start serving mimosas and egg sandwiches at church. - Chris Johnson

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