Someone once said that trust is the glue of all relationships. Trust holds things together. In contrast, when there is no trust, relationships start to break down. Trust creates confidence and removes suspicion and fear. When trust is high in a relationship, you could even say the wrong thing and it will be okay. People … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 38 – Trust
Soul Food Episode 37 – Forgiveness
Many years ago I was on a building site and I was cutting through a piece of wood with an electric saw. Unfortunately, I cut through the wood and then took a chunk out of my finger. There was blood gushing everywhere. It really hurt. I rushed off to the hospital and got some stitches. Thankfully, … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 37 – Forgiveness
Soul Food Episode 36 – Confrontation
Many years ago, when I was in my 20s, I was a youth worker at a church. At that time, we had a guest speaker from Africa. His name was Elijah Maswangungi. After his visit, I was given the task of driving him to the airport. On the way, he spent some time encouraging me. … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 36 – Confrontation
Soul Food Episode 35 – Love Languages
If I say to you, ‘Te Amo mucho!’ you might be wondering what’s wrong with me ... that’s unless you speak a little Spanish. In Spanish, ‘Te Amo mucho’ means, "I love you very much!” As you can see, these words only have meaning if the person I am speaking to understands the language I … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 35 – Love Languages
Soul Food Episode 34 – Authenticity
A few years ago, I was having lunch with a friend of mine. I asked him how he was doing and he said he was doing “great.” He went on to tell me a bunch of good things happening in his life. He then asked me how I was doing. I hesitated at first but … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 34 – Authenticity
Soul Food Episode 33 – Empathy
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 30 – Reorientation
Have you noticed that life tends to move through seasons and cycles? Walter Brueggemann, an Old Testament scholar, notices that even a life of faith has cycles of what he calls: orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. Orientation is when everything is going well. Life is good. The sun is shining, We are experiencing a great deal … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 30 – Reorientation
Soul Food Episode 29 – Clarity
As we prepare to enter another new year, how are you feeling? One of the words that I hear a lot nowadays is ‘uncertainty’. There is a lot of uncertainty about the future. After all, who knows what next week will look like, let alone next year! We are living in turbulent times. There is … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 29 – Clarity
Soul Food Episode 28 – Overwhelmed
Have you ever felt overwhelmed? I sure have! Sometimes the pile of things I’d like to do is so big I can’t even see the top of the pile let alone ever get on top of the pile. Life seems to keep giving us more and more - more opportunities, more invitations, and more challenges. … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 28 – Overwhelmed
Soul Food Episode 27 – Reboot
Hi everyone and greetings from Melbourne, Australia! Who would have thought that “the world’s most liveable city” would become “the world’s most locked-down city.” Yes, we were locked down for over 250 days during this COVID pandemic. We are just coming out of lockdown 6.0 and it sure feels good. It feels like we are … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 27 – Reboot
Soul Food Update
I hope you have enjoyed the weekly episodes of Soul Food with Mark Conner which we launched last September. There have been two series so far: Series 1 - Self Care The big idea of this series is that "self-care is NOT selfish"! In fact, the best gift you can give the other people in … Continue reading Soul Food Update
Soul Food Episode 26 – 90 Days
Hi friends. Welcome to this week’s edition of Soul Food. Did you know that we tend to over-estimate what we can do in one month but we under-estimate what we can accomplish in three months? There’s something unique about a 90 day period of time. Entire books and articles have been written about ‘the first … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 26 – 90 Days
Soul Food Episode 25 – Routines
Hi friends. Welcome to this week’s edition of Soul Food. Did you know that billionaire, Richard Branson, wears the same brand of jeans and a white shirt every day because it simplifies his packing when traveling? Even former American president Barack Obama wears only grey and blue suits. Why? To reduce decisions about what to … Continue reading Soul Food Episode 25 – Routines