Go Cats!! Our family is celebrating wildly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the Geelong Cats pulled off a massive win at the 2007 AFL Grand Final. What a year and what a team! Mark
The Donkey
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his … Continue reading The Donkey
A Pattern for Prayer
Prayer is simply conversation with God – sharing our heart with him and listening to his voice. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them a pattern for prayer (often called the 'Lord's Prayer'), not just words to say in a rote manner. Another pattern I've found helpful for my own personal prayer … Continue reading A Pattern for Prayer
My Dad’s Biography
My dad, Kevin Conner, is known by many people around the world as a theologian, Bible teacher and best-selling author of many Biblical textbooks. Although thousands of people have been impacted by his ministry and his writings, only a few have heard his personal story. That's why I've been encouraging my dad to write a … Continue reading My Dad’s Biography
Disclaimer
This blog contains the personal opinions and views of Mark Conner. As such, he is not speaking on behalf of or representing anyone else. Where known, sources of material are noted. Please comment if you are aware of a source that is not noted. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in … Continue reading Disclaimer
Church Governance
In many ways, churches tend to rise and fall based on the quality of their leaders. Strong godly leadership is important, as is good governance, clear decision-making processes, and appropriate accountability. When it comes to the subjects of leadership and governance, the New Testament presents a fairly fluid and emerging model for local churches. That's … Continue reading Church Governance
The Amazing Universe
Click here for a look at the most amazing space photos you've ever seen. These are the Top 10 pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, as selected recently by leading astronomers. The Hubble Space Telescope was first launched in 1990. It is a floating astro-observatory that has been relaying back to earth some incredible … Continue reading The Amazing Universe
… And You Thought You Had a Bad Day
This is a copy of a letter that was written to insurance company who wanted complete explanation by an injured man to explain the many injuries (he had a fractured skull, severe lacerations on his hands, legs had been broken) and all he had written for an explanation as to how he had had the … Continue reading … And You Thought You Had a Bad Day
Quest for God
A few years ago, I heard someone say, “We don’t hear a lot of preaching about God nowadays”. The comment grabbed my attention (especially as a preacher!) and as I spent some time thinking about it, I had to agree. We have a lot of sermons on things such as relationships, faith, freedom, prayer, evangelism, … Continue reading Quest for God
How to Say ‘No’ Without Feeling Guilty
Many years ago I read a little booklet called How to Say 'No' Without Feeling Guilty. At the time I was a real people-pleaser who tended to say 'Yes' to everything, even to my own detriment (and my family's!). I learned that 'No' is actually a very positive word. It enables you to say 'Yes' … Continue reading How to Say ‘No’ Without Feeling Guilty
Dinner with a Skeptic
Last week at the 500+ Pastors Conference in New Zealand (see separate post for further details), there was an evening debate on the topic: 'Is God a Delusion?' Pastor Allan Meyer from Careforce Church presented the Christian viewpoint, looking at some of the most common evidences for the existence of God. Dr. Bill Cooke, a … Continue reading Dinner with a Skeptic
How to Get the Most out of this Blog
Here are 7 tips for getting the most out of this blog: Bookmark this page in your internet browser and return to it regularly to check for new posts (a 'post' is a blog entry). I try to add a new post every few days. Read the latest posts. They are in the left column of the … Continue reading How to Get the Most out of this Blog
10 Reasons Why I Blog
Here are 10 reasons why I started a Blog: It's a chance for me to share a variety of things that I think and feel that I don't always have a forum for or time to speak about. A blog is essentially a unique communication tool. It's a bit like a free-flowing coffee shop conversation … Continue reading 10 Reasons Why I Blog
Which Bible Translation?
The majority of the books of the Bible were written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament). Eventually the Bible was translated into other languages such as Latin and German, and then English. In 1611, the King James version (KJV) of the Bible was released and it remained the most popular English … Continue reading Which Bible Translation?
My Favourite Music
I am thankful that our family grew up with a love for music. I studied classical piano (completed my 8th Grade exams) and dabbled a bit with saxophone and guitar too. I also studied music theory (completed 5th Grade exams) and arranging. Over the years I've done some song-writing and some recording too. In fact, … Continue reading My Favourite Music