Mark Conner Spirituality, Theology

‘Everyday Experiences of the Divine’ (Complete Teaching Series)

[Update]

This year, I enjoyed preparing and sharing a new series of messages at Bayside Church on the theme of Everyday Experiences of the Divine.

Part 1 – Everyday Experiences of the Divine: The Mystic (22nd February 2024)

In this introductory message, I spoke about the centrality of spiritual experience to the Christian life, showing how the God that is beyond us, close to us, and within us, can be encountered in the ordinary aspects of our daily life. 

Listen to this message via the embedded audio immediately below or watch the video via YouTube.

Part 2 – Everyday Experiences of the Divine: The Sacred Word (16th April 2024)

In this message, I spoke about how the sacred word can be a place where we experience God speaking to and with us. This message included a detailed overview of how we got our Bible and how we can benefit most from it, including reading it as a regular spiritual practice. 

Listen to this message via the embedded audio immediately below or watch the video via YouTube.

Part 3 – Everyday Experiences of the Divine: Hearing God’s Voice (27th June 2024)

In this message, I spoke about the importance of listening to God and hearing his voice. This message included lessons from the prophet Habakkuk about adopting a prophetic posture and practical insights for discerning God’s voice from the many other voices in our lives. 

Listen to this message via the embedded audio immediately below or watch the video via YouTube.

Part 4 – Everyday Experiences of the Divine: Learning to See (10th July 2024)

In this message, I spoke about learning to see what God is doing and saying in the world around us. I included many practical examples illustrating how we can grow in awareness and attentiveness to the Divine. 

Listen to this message via the embedded audio immediately below or watch the video via YouTube.

Part 5 – Everyday Experiences of the Divine: God as Loving Parent (1st September 2024)

In this special Father’s Day message, I shared a number of reflections about fatherhood, then looked at God as a loving parent, drawing lessons for parents today and for enhancing all of our relationships. 

Listen to this message via the embedded audio immediately below or watch the video via YouTube.

Part 6 – Everyday Experiences of the Divine: Dreaming (6th October 2024)

In this final message about everyday experiences of the Divine, I shared about the power of our dreams and how God can speak to us through them. 

Listen to this message via the embedded audio immediately below or watch the video via YouTube.

All the best with your exciting adventure of experiencing God more in your daily life!

Mark Conner Personal Development, Spirituality

THRIVE

Last year, I shared a 5-part series of messages at Bayside Church in Melbourne around the theme of THRIVE. As we entered the year, our intention wasn’t to merely SURVIVE another year, but to THRIVE. The English word ‘thrive’ means: to flourish, bloom, or prosper. It comes from an Old Norse root worth that means to grow or increase. It’s about a certain vitality and excitement, a sense of joy and enjoyment, a burst of energy, strength, and resilience for the inevitable challenges and pressures of the territory, and an increasing passion and enthusiasm.

In life, “everything belongs”. Everything is connected. This series looked at 5 vital relationships or connections within your world. Like an eco-system, each part contributes to the health and well-being of the whole and the whole contributes to each part. Each aspect has a vital part to play in our overall flourishing.

1. You and God. Each person’s spiritual journey begins with an awareness of God, which can occur early or later in life, and in a variety of different ways. Once we embrace the reality of God, knowing who this God is becomes vital. Thankfully, the God of the Universe is revealed as LOVE and we can learn to live each day as the ‘beloved’. This is a life of grace not one of performance-based acceptance. How freeing and transformational this can be! You can listen to the audio of this message now.

2. You and Your Calling. In this message, I shared some insights for discovering your life purpose, which includes a sense of identity (who you are) and contribution (what you do). Your mission is at the intersection of (1) what you are good at, (2) what you care about, and (3) the needs of the world. You can listen to the audio of this message now.

3. You and Yourself. To thrive in life, we need a healthy relationship with the person we look at in the mirror each day – ourselves. In this message, I shared about the importance of self-acceptance, how to develop personal confidence, the vital quality of integrity, and how to become a more optimistic person. You can listen to the audio of this message now.

4. You and People. Life for people of faith is about loving God and loving people. The first task is often easier than the second! After all, ‘everyone is normal until you get to know them’! In this message, I shared 7 relational principles from the life of Jesus then focused on the 3 BIG relational Cs – handling Criticism, resolving Conflict, and learning to Confront appropriately when necessary. You can listen to the audio of this message now.

5. You and Your Work. In this message, I exposed the myth of sacred/secular dualistic thinking, presented a ‘theology of work’, and shared some insights for finding meaningful work and a job to love. I finished up by acknowledging that there is more to life than work and shared a few thoughts about ‘retirement’. You can listen to the audio of this message now.

As you listen to these messages and reflect on your own life, I hope that you will THRIVE in this new year.

Mark Conner Personal Development, Spirituality

The Lost Art of Meditation

Mention the word ‘meditation‘ today, and for many people, especially Christians, it will evoke images of someone sitting in a yoga pose with their eyes closed and endlessly chanting ‘ohm’. Meditation tends to be associated with Buddhism, exotic Eastern cults, or new age philosophy. Yet the practice of meditation has strong historical roots for people of other faiths, including Christians and Jews.

In the Old Testament book of Genesis we are told this about Isaac …

One evening as Isaac was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming.

Genesis 24:63. NLT

NOTE: This story took place hundreds of years before the Buddha lived.

Isaac was the son of Abraham, one of the wealthiest people in the East at that time. Abraham was probably a trader who had a huge extended family and an incredibly large amount of livestock and flocks. Isaac would receive all this through inheritance. His was a busy and full life – leading his family and managing his entourage at this nomadic time in history.

Despite his incredible workload, Isaac made time to get out of the tent, away from the family, and to ‘walk and meditate in the field’. Why would he do this? Because he understood the importance and the value of meditation. Good things come from solitude, quiet, and stillness.

The Hebrew word for ‘meditate‘ means to muse, to ruminate, to ponder, to analyze, to contemplate thoughtfully, to reflect, to consider deeply, and to imagine. It involves a focus on BEING or reflection, not just endless DOING or activity.

Today meditation is often referred to as ‘mindfulness‘ and it is an antidote to our activistic culture with its constant high speed, multi-tasking, and tendency to skim and hurry through everything. Not only is it practiced as an aspect of spirituality, but it is also being encouraged in the arenas of sport, business, health, and personal development.

Mindfulness is about being fully present at this moment, rather than stressing over the past or the future. It helps to cultivate a greater degree of awareness (learning to SEE) and attentiveness (learning to HEAR).

Why not take some time today to meditate. Set aside some extended time and space of NOT DOING. Find a pleasurable environment. Then adopt a posture of ready attention – without preoccupation or distraction. Focus on your breath, an inspirational quote, or a sacred text or Psalm.

Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know that I am

Be still and know

Be still

Be

Psalm 46:10.

You might enjoy reading the poem Morning Moments slowly at this time.

Quiet your busy mind. No rush. Wait. Listen. Look. Notice. Observe. Think. Meditate. Practice mindfulness. Have a time of Reflection. It will enrich your soul and enhance your personal well-being.

Let’s reclaim the lost art of meditation.