My dad was an orphan who never knew his mum or his dad. He grew up in foster homes and boys' homes. Despite this, he tried to be the best dad he could be to my sister and me. However, he often missed my birthdays and special events when I was growing up. He would be … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 33 – Empathy
Soul Food Episode 32 – Emotional Intelligence
If I’m reading an annoying email and someone knocks at my door and I turn to them and yell, “What!?” That’s not very relationally intelligent. I’ve taken my emotion from one situation and bled it all over a different person for no reason at all. I’m sure they’d think twice before knocking on my door again. If instead, … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 32 – Emotional Intelligence
Soul Food Episode 31 – Listening
Welcome to this new series of Soul Food which is on the topic of Relational Intelligence. Life is all about relationships and we’ll be looking at a whole range of skills and insights to improve our relationships - at home, at work, at school, in our neighbourhoods … wherever we find ourselves. Relationships are built, … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 31 – Listening
Soul Food Episode 07 – Relationships
Episode 07 of Soul Food is about Relationships and can be viewed on the Soul Food YouTube channel. Here is the transcript ... I don’t know about you but the hardest thing about this global pandemic is not being able to catch up with my family and friends. Just to be able to sit down … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 07 – Relationships
Soul Food Episode 06 – Conflict
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