Hi everyone and welcome to Soul Food Episode 06. [You can watch it on the Soul Food with Mark Conner YouTube Channel or visit https://linktr.ee/markconner for other social media platforms] We are currently talking about stress, with a specific focus on internal stress - the stress we carry on the inside of us. It’s one … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 06 – Conflict
The Love of a Mother
This coming Sunday is Mother's Day, a century-old tradition of taking time to thank and honour our amazing mums. Mums are special people we owe so much to - in addition to our very existence! Most mums are faithful, loyal, hard-working, loving and caring people. We honour and applaud them today. Of course, Mother’s Day … Continue reading The Love of a Mother
Improving Our Relationships
What a crazy time it is! The spread of the coronavirus is unleashing a pandemic of fear and uncertainty right across our world. This is impacting every one of us - mentally, emotionally, financially, and relationally. Who knows where, when and how this will all end. No doubt, it will pass, but at what cost … Continue reading Improving Our Relationships
The Home Crowd
There is an interesting story in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus and his home town crowd - Nazareth. Jesus grew up here. Everyone knew him as 'Joseph's son'. After reading the Scripture in the synagogue one Sabbath, people were surprised by how well Jesus spoke. But before you knew it, they were angry with … Continue reading The Home Crowd
The Blessing of Giving
Jesus said and did many things, a lot of which is recorded in the four Gospels of the New Testament. But not everything Jesus said and did was written down (see John 21:25). The apostle Paul rarely quoted Jesus, but one statement that must have been passed on to him through 'oral tradition' (it's not … Continue reading The Blessing of Giving
Life Change
Life change and character development take place best in the context of relationships. For example, when our three children were growing up, I noticed that when they are 'alone', such as on a date with me, each of them had the ability to be extremely angelic. However, when they were ‘together’, especially in the backseat … Continue reading Life Change
Love Pays Attention
Love pays attention. Unfortunately, I often get distracted when people are talking to me (including my wife, Nicole), which usually evokes the comment, “You’re not listening to me!” Love means being 'fully present' with a person, paying focused attention to them by looking them in the eye and concentrating not just on their words but … Continue reading Love Pays Attention
The Art of Coaching (Part 3)
Graham Alexander developed a simple but effective model (or mental map) for sequencing good questions. It is called The GROW model and it was first published by John Whitmore. The Grow Model GOAL – “What do you want? What are you trying to achieve?” REALITY – “What is happening? What action have you taken so far … Continue reading The Art of Coaching (Part 3)
The Art of Coaching (Part 2)
The coaching process involves two aspects: (1) raising awareness and (2) building responsibility. Creating awareness is all about helping the individual see themselves ("self-awareness") and their situation (what is happening around them) accurately. People can only deal with what they are aware of. Without awareness, no true change or progress can be made. John Whitmore says that … Continue reading The Art of Coaching (Part 2)
The Art of Coaching (Part 1)
In many ways, all of us are leaders. We influence others - family, friends, neighbours and school or work associates. It may be formally or informally, but it happens. We get to choose whether that influence is positive or negative, helpful or unhelpful. Leaders engage in a number of activities when interacting with other people, … Continue reading The Art of Coaching (Part 1)
The Priority of LOVE (Part 6) – Visible Love
Known by Our Love Jesus’ dream was that his followers would be known by their love (John 13:34-35). Think of all the various qualities Jesus could have told us to be known for – truth, justice, holiness, or righteousness. All of these are very important, yet Jesus’ desire was that LOVE be the mark, the measure, … Continue reading The Priority of LOVE (Part 6) – Visible Love
The Priority of LOVE (Part 5) – Tough Love
Jesus calls us to a life of love. Sometimes love has to be tough, especially when there has been a conflict. Arguments and disagreements separate people and create division between friends, families, communities, and even in the church. It takes a great deal of courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to resolve conflicts and restore relationships. Jesus … Continue reading The Priority of LOVE (Part 5) – Tough Love
The Priority of LOVE (Part 4) – Awkward Love
The Christian God exists eternally in a Trinity of loving relationships – Father, Son, and Spirit. God created us as the object of his love and invites us to participate in a community of loving friendships. As we fully understand how much God loves us, we are able to love others from a strong foundation … Continue reading The Priority of LOVE (Part 4) – Awkward Love
The Priority of LOVE (Part 3) – I Am Loved
The foundation of our love for others is a revelation of God’s love for us. The most important question in your life is not how much you love others or even how much you love God. It is how much do you think God loves you. Everything flows from this. Once we grasp and fully … Continue reading The Priority of LOVE (Part 3) – I Am Loved
The Priority of LOVE (Part 2) – Original Love
Relationships in TurmoilDespite the fact that there are many good things happening in our world today, it doesn’t take a lot of insight to realize that we are a time of turmoil – especially in our relationships. At our very core, human beings are relational creatures. We have this tendency to ‘herd’ - to want … Continue reading The Priority of LOVE (Part 2) – Original Love