A stirring testimony
Mark Holdgate
I’ve always known Jesus – at least that’s the way it seems.
My earliest memory is singing along in church, making up my own melodies, and having an apprehension – a certain knowledge – of the presence of God among us there. Somehow 4 year old Mark knew that He was here among us, speaking to us, and that he loved us so much it made me want to burst. That’s when I sang He heard me and took pleasure in me – in us!
Now I’ve lost count of the times I’ve felt that or experienced that thrilling presence. So much so that questioning its reality seems absurd. But the older I get the more tears seem to accompany it – regardless of whether I want them to. My theological brain says “Mark, that’s a holy mystery, it’s not surprising that you can’t describe it.” But if I could, it would probably be something like this:
“Now Lord you let your servant go, in peace according to your word for I have seen your saving love, that you have shown to all of us.”
Those were the words of benediction that we sang at that little Lutheran church in Marion, and they always resonated deeply with me; that we, normal everyday people, had encountered a Holy God. I had seen my Father and been known by Him. It’s my first real memory, and I want it be the last thing I do on this earth – glorifying Him.
Now if you talk to Ian about how long he waited for this testimony he’d tell you it was like pulling teeth or herding a cat. I’m a lay preacher now, but this is by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever written. And to be honest, I’d much prefer just talk to you about Jesus. So let’s meet in the middle and I’ll try and talk to you about some of the wonderful things He’s done in me and for me.
I grew up in Marion south of Adelaide in a very cookie cutter middle class household. Both my parents were teachers – we had a pool, we had all of the creature comforts of modern life. And don’t get me wrong, it was good, but back then all I was aware of was anger and a yawning sense of spiritual dissatisfaction. So that while I knew without a doubt that the testimony of the church was true I was furious – both with the hypocrisy of professed Christians and with myself. Boy, did I have a lot to learn. Many years later I’d be prayed over prophetically and they told me they saw me with my heart as hard as a diamond, but that God was melting and softening it, giving me heart of flesh.
How he got me to where I am now, though, is remarkable. It absolutely involved the love of a extraordinary and creative woman – Catch – and a family who gave me hope and a shared vision of reality. I followed my own star through a bunch of passions – roleplaying, psychology, theatre, medieval history and ultimately historical fencing. Did I find what I was looking for in them? Of course not, but I was persistent. We were lucky to stumble into first a lovely ancient Catholic priest way out in southern NSW and then a beautiful evangelical Anglican congregation when we moved to Armidale. The Catholic priest sat out on our porch and inspired us with life in the Vatican during the struggles of WW2 – the Anglicans just accepted us and were patient with my impatience.
Throughout all of it, as I described, I was following my own star in study and theatre and mediaeval re-enactment. There were some wonderful adventures there – horseback treks, publishing a role-playing book, medieval events, founding theatre companies, even combining them by putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet with our family travelling by horse and cart across northern NSW. Certainly when I look back over the number a frequency of stupid decisions in my life I am astounded by God’s protection and providence and his capacity bring good things out of our human mistakes.
All those wanderings culminated on that horseback tour when we walked into a little Catholic church in the middle of nowhere (West Wyalong) and saw the following from the late John Paul II:
“the Church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God. It must therefore translate into meaningful terms that which is in itself ineffable.”
We were convinced – and when we finally returned to civilisation, we combined our love for theatre and God to start performing as a theatre ministry as Carnival Night. For a number of years there we were fully reliant on love offerings after the service and can honestly say we were never in want. There was incredible provision – involving multiple vehicles – but the greatest blessing was the wonderful plays that I performed together with my wife Catch. My favourite was Singing in the Rain, a story about an angry young child and a lost angel sharing the experiences of martyrs for Jesus throughout time – of the hope that in Jesus’ sacrifice all of our sorrows and heartbreak can be healed.
Then astonishingly, God gave me my dream job – teaching historical swordplay or HEMA. It was definitely a case of everything falling miraculously in place at just the right time. This combined my interest in historical research with a real life puzzle to be solved, as well as building relationships and a community. I assumed that I’d mostly do kids birthday parties, but now Adelaide Sword Academy has grown to over 120 students. The most wonderful thing about it is only God could have prepared me – all of the skills I needed for the task, the last 20 years had developed. It took my passion for swords and all things medieval, my heart for kids and youth, and my desire to really be on a quest, discovering lost knowledge and applying it, into a singular purpose.
As if that was not enough, I was gifted with opportunities to learn jousting and horseback fencing, so that when people joke about jousting sticks and ask if I am a “real knight” I can actually say, yes! Yes – I have all the skills of a “real knight”, and yes, I serve a real King whose kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting. All of those childhood dreams – of knights and battles and a brave quest to follow – God has made into a reality.
Mark Holdgate is a broad swordsman Australian champion. He has also responded to the call to wield the “sword of the Spirit” as a lay preacher. Mark and his wife Cath and their daughter serve in Windsor Gardens UCA, now called The Gardens Church.
Mark is part of a team of preachers who are available to preach in some of our churches. He can be contacted at info@adelaideswordacademy.com
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Tips for Sunday meetings:
Adopt a Christian prisoner.
The Israeli attacks have greater meaning beyond nuclear disarming; they challenge a “a corrupt, oppressive, and lying government holding its people hostage. “Many believers are being held in Evin prison, often on charges like ‘anti-state propaganda’ or attending an ‘opposition group’ .That means attending a house church which in Iran is a Christian service in a home with about fourteen people.
On March 8th this year, three believers, Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui and Narges Nasri were given sentences of 15,11 and 16 years respectively. Narges was heavily pregnant when she was taken away.
You might research for details, put their picture up in your meeting room, remember them when you meet, and even receive more information about them. They will feel your prayers, it will strengthen your witness and broaden your fellowship with defiant, faithful fellow believers.
It is easy to get information, eg Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, Barnabas, etc. It’s easy to find out.
Read Scripture well in church meetings.
Lectionary’s have some merit. Or simply read through a section or chapter of a Book. Read as you would speak in a conversation. Emphasise where appropriate but don’t over do it. Lift voice at commas, drop voice at full-stop. ‘Feel’ the meaning. Prepare by thinking about what the author is feeling and what the hearer might hear and feel.
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I hope these testimonies encourage your faith in our Lord God.
If you would like to honour Him by sharing your testimony please send in to the email address below.
It may be how you first were found by Jesus or a significant event whereby you learned more of His powerful gospel and goodness to you.
Ian, Ed.
