Mark Conner General Interest, Personal Development

Decisions – How to Know God’s Will For Your Life

Many years ago, when Nicole and I were working for my dad, Kevin Conner, who was then the Senior Minister of Waverley Christian Fellowship (now CityLife Church), we had a number of people advise us to consider moving away for a few years. They thought it would be good for me to get out from under my ‘dad’s shadow’ and grow to become my own person.

We gave it serious thought over a few months and even had conversations with two churches interstate. But we weren’t sure. What was the right thing to do? Should we go? Should we stay? What was God’s will?

If you have ever had a similar situation, then you are normal! Even the great apostle Paul had times where he was trying to figure out his next step – something that took time, as well as trial and error, and a few closed doors before the right one opened up (see Acts 16:6-10).

There are many wrong approaches to this whole idea of God’s will – including approaches that are fatalistic, negative, frustrating, fearful, and overly mystical! Thankfully, we have been given a good GPS – ‘God’s Positioning System’ – to help us on our journey. It includes the Bible, wisdom, circumstances, the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, and at times supernatural indicators. They bigger the decision and the greater the risk, the more we need multiple ‘lights’ to line up.

Our journey through life is a process of decision-making. Every day is a day of decisions. Where we are today is in many ways a result of the decisions we made yesterday and where we will be tomorrow will be influenced by the decisions we make today. Choose wisely! Choose life.

I unpacked this whole idea of knowing God’s will recently in a two part teaching series at Bayside Church in Melbourne. If you’d like to listen to it, then here are the video links:

By the way, we never did leave … and we are sure glad we didn’t. Beware of people who like to project their good intentions on to your life. Take time to be still, to read your own heart, and to know what is best for you and your future.

Enjoy … and all the best for a bold and courageous 2019!

Mark Conner Personal Development, Travel

A Hot Air Ballooning Adventure

Back in 2014, Nicole and I had the opportunity to be part of a tour of Turkey and Greece. It was a fascinating experience and we loved exploring the history of these iconic places.

One of the highlights was a visit to Cappadocia in central Turkey. Cappadocia is an ancient name which means ‘land of beautiful horses’. Most people who live there are farmers or merchants. This area was once the homeland of the ancient Hittites (19-11th century BC). The biblical character, Abraham, bought a burial site here from Uriah the Hittite. There are also church buildings here in caves dating back to as early as the 2-3rd century AD, with frescoes from the 11-12th century AD. This World Heritage area is magnificent, with fairy chimneys and pillars, river valleys and cliffs, all shaped by volcanic eruptions and erosion over the centuries.

An optional extra on our tour was to get up at 4.00 am one morning to go hot air ballooning in the Goreme Valley. Confession time – I am afraid of heights! So I quickly put that option out of my mind. But then another tour member told me about their experience of hot air ballooning in the Yarra Valley and how amazing it was, so … [gulp] … I decided to go for it.

As it turned out, there were about 100 hot air balloons taking off that morning. Each hot air balloon was attached to a large basket for passengers which held up to 24 people. I stood right in the middle! After a gentle launch, we gradually ascended to our target of 500 metres high but ended up going 1,000 metres above sea level! The trip was incredibly smooth and peaceful, and the views were breathtaking as we saw the sunrise across the horizon (see the brief video below).

This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable and sensational experiences I have ever had in my entire life. The thrill, the exhilaration, the views. It was surreal. I am so glad I did it. Yet, to think that I almost missed out on it … because of my fears.

To me, this experience, and the pictures I have to mark the memories, speaks of adventure, freedom, risk, moving out of your comfort zone, letting go, and soaring to new horizons.

May this year be one of pushing through our fears and the barriers in our minds to experience things we have never dreamt of.

P.S. I took the photo above on my iPhone (using panorama mode) from the hot air balloon, as well as the one on the front page of this web site. For more information on hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, visit the Tour and Leisure web site.

Mark Conner News

Welcome to 2019!

Happy new year!

I hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas season and that the new year has gotten off to a good start for you.

Nicole and I have been living back in Melbourne since late May 2018. We thoroughly enjoyed our 18 months living in the Sunshine Coast but decided to come back to be near our family, especially my ageing parents. Rene Conner, my step mum, passed away on 4th October last year at age 89. She lived a good and full life. My dad, Kevin Conner, turns 92 in a few weeks time and has been living in an aged care home for over a year now where he is well looked after and where friends and family can visit him regularly.

It’s hard to believe that it has almost been two years since I finished up as Senior Minister of CityLife Church. This change was a big one for me and a huge step into the great unknown. As difficult as transitions and liminal spaces can be, I can attest that endings make way for new beginnings. I am thoroughly enjoying my new life and the vocational contributions I am now making in coaching, training, speaking, and writing.

Last year, I wrote three new books: Money Talks, How to Avoid Burnout, and The Spiritual Journey.

I have been encouraged by the feedback I have already received about how helpful these resources have been to so many people.

If you haven’t visited my web site for a while, let me remind you about these pages:

  1. My 2019 speaking schedule (updated regularly).
  2. Videos of messages I have given, including everything I spoke on at Bayside Church last year where I am part of the teaching team with Pastor Rob Buckingham.

Also, here are my most recent BLOG posts:

If you want to make the most out of this year, by setting some clear goals that reflect what has value and meaning to you, then I highly recommend “Your Best Year Ever” by Michael Hyatt.

Finally, may 2019 be full of memorable moments, meaningful contribution, and dreams fulfilled. Remember to live simply, laugh often, and love deeply.