Mark Conner Books

Untamed: Re-activating Missional Discipleship

Untamed My good friends Alan and Deb Hirsch have recently written a book called Untamed that is definitely worth a read by every church leader and every Christian. As I talk around today, God seems to be re-emphasizing the need for discipleship. It is so easy to focus on numbers, church growth and bigness and miss the vital importance of people becoming more like Jesus. I think the Spirit is calling the church to grow deeper and to lift the spiritual vitality in our lives.

In this book, the Hirsches try to get us back to the revolutionary Jesus we are supposed to be following. Maybe our God has become too domesticated and we've lost the radical nature of what it means to be a Christ-follower. You won't find a methodology here but your paradigms will be challenged.

"A desperately needed shot of spiritual adrenaline into our mild-mannered and mediocre attempts at following Christ." [from the foreword by Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life]

Mark Conner Books

Revised Edition of Transforming Your Church

Cover Pic (small) A revised edition of my book Transforming Your Church has just been released. It has a new chapter, new and revised material in all other chapters, and five new appendices covering topics such as church governance, the role of the senior minister, women in leadership, and self care for church leaders.

The book is distributed by WORD Bookstore Australia and can be purchased via their web site. In the USA and a few other countries, a paperback version can be ordered from Amazon. It is also available in eBook format from Amazon.

I pray that this book will continue to be a blessing to many churches and Christian leaders.

Mark Conner Personal Development

Money Musings (Pt.2)

Money (3)Money … we handle it every day, whether in the form of cash, credit card, cheque or online transactions. It is important to stop and reflect on our view of money and the values that influence how we use it. Here are a few wise insights from a variety of people throughout history. 

  • "There are three conversions necessary for every person: the conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse (wallet)." [Martin Luther]
  • "If a person gets their attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area of their life." [Billy Graham] 
  • "Give me five minutes with a person's chequebook, and I will tell you where their heart is." [Billy Graham]
  • "You're rich if you've had a meal today." [Billy Graham]
  • "I shovel it out and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel." [R.G. LeTourneau]
  • "Money is a great treasure that only increases as you give it away." [Sir Francis Bacon]
  • "Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil." [Henry Fielding]
  • "You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled." [Charles Haddon Spurgeon]
  • "Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one." [Benjamin Franklin]
  • "When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart." [John Wesley]
  • "The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money." [Author Unknown]
  • "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." [Martin Luther King Jr]
  • "Never spend your money before you have earned it." [Thomas Jefferson]
  • "Let us not be satisfied with just giving money (to the poor and needy). Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go." [Mother Teresa]
  • "Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected…. Hoarding is idolatry." [Dietrich Bonhoeffer]
  • "Some people are willing to give the Lord credit but no cash." [Anonymous]
Mark Conner Quotes

Money Musings (Pt.1)

Money (3) Money … we handle it every day, whether in the form of cash, credit card, cheque or online transactions. It is important to stop and reflect on our view of money and the values that influence how we use it. Here are a few wise insights from God's Word worth thinking about …

Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, 'I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.' Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. [Deut 8:11-18. NLT]

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. [Ps 24:1. NLT]

The wise person saves for the future, but the foolish person spends whatever he gets. [Prov 21:20. LB]

Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed. [Prov 28:27. NLT]

Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. [Eccl 4:6. NIV]

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. [Matt 6:24. NLT]

Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own. [Luke 12:15. NLT]

Jesus … said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" Those who heard this said, "Then who in the world can be saved?" He replied, "What is impossible for people is possible with God." [Luke 18:24-27. NLT]

Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, "They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever." For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. [2 Cor 9:6-10. NLT]

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. [1 Tim 6:6-10. NLT]

 

Mark Conner General Interest, Humour

Test Your Knowledge

IQ Here is a fun way to test your knowledge … You need only 4 correct answers to pass.

1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

6) The  Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?

Remember, you need 4 correct answers to pass.

Check your answers below …

Continue reading “Test Your Knowledge” →

Mark Conner Current Issues

Why Become a “Fair Trade” Church?

Fairtrade There has been some discussion and debate about 'fair trade' lately. Check out this ABC Four Corners article and also a response from Fairtrade Australia.

Below is an article written by one of our volunteers in the Everyday Justice Everyday Choices ministry in our church … worth thinking about.

"In the last 30 years, the distribution of labor to developing countries has altered the global economic landscape, bringing a myriad of products to our country at very low prices. Interestingly, as consumers, it seems normal to think of our everyday food and clothing as well removed from the very farms and factory workers who labor meet our demands. In reality, our purchase choices, from a new t-shirt to a bar of chocolate, all have far reaching ramifications for the lives and wellbeing of people all over the world.

Sadly, the developing countries that work to produce our goods are often rife with unjust trading regimes. In particular, the prices that producers receive for their goods are often inadequate, and not representative of the quality and duration of the labor that has been put in to produce them. Coffee and cocoa farms are usually run as small independent businesses. Their produce is subsequently marketed and sold through local cooperatives. For these producers, access to market or price information is often very difficult and as a result, many of these small farmers either sell at unfair prices or become increasingly dependent on middlemen, thus receiving progressively smaller income for their work. These workers are also at the mercy of international economics, which can cause the price of their goods to fall dramatically, without warning. Such unexpected circumstances can impact widely on the workers and their families. It can mean tragedy and devastation for already struggling families causing even basic necessities such as food and education to be extremely difficult to obtain. This is something which should be a deep concern to us as Christians.

The Fair Trade movement provides an answer to all of us who seek justice and economic equality for these people. It aims to provide substantial solutions and support for underprivileged workers and their families. Based on the principles of dialogue, transparency and respect, the Fair Trade movement contributes to sustainable development by offering fairer prices, improved working conditions and fair terms of trade for marginalized producers and workers, farms and communities. Fair Trade acts as an alternative to traditional charity efforts. By empowering workers and farmers, the Movement’s intent is to assist them to develop necessary business skills to compete in the global marketplace and help them move from a position of vulnerability and risk to having increased self-sufficiency and economic security.

In 2006, Christian World Service (CWS) and Trade Aid launched an initiative inviting churches to formalize their support of Fair Trade by making a formal agreement and declaring themselves a 'Fair Trade Church.' Becoming a Fair Trade church is a tangible way for us to support communities in developing countries. To do this our Church must commit to use Fair Trade tea and coffee after services and in all meetings, move forward on using other Fair Trade products such as sugar, biscuits and fruit and promote Fair Trade during Fair Trade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and other activities whenever possible. It is our hope that through becoming a Fair Trade Church we can support God’s mission to lift disadvantaged people from all over the world out of poverty and injustice."

“The fields of the poor may produce abundant fruit but injustice sweeps it away.”(Proverbs 13:23)