Mark Conner's Space

Reflections from my Sabbatical (Part 4)

So what now? That’s another good question.

1. Personally, I need to re-engage with church life and ministry. I need to get back in harness and up to speed with what God is now doing. I’ll gradually ease back in over the next few weeks.

2. We want to keep the current spiritual momentum going. God’s Spirit is at work. We’re not going to press rewind and play. The church has moved on. I have moved on. I have changed and grown. Other people have too. It’s time to keep moving forward. The Lord said to Moses, “Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it (Deut.10:11).” There is a time to stop and reflect on past and present issues, dealing with them appropriately and learning the lessons we need to. Then there is a time to get up and resume the journey – to move forward from where you are.

3. Finally, I need to give more attention to my leadership of the church, considering my role and the best contribution that I can make for everyone. That will be a major part of my focus over the next few months as I seek to provide better clarity of our future vision, which includes who God wants us to be as a church, what he wants us to do, and where he wants us to go.

In conclusion, I am extremely grateful for this sabbatical period. I feel really well – refreshed, rested, rejuvenated and ready for this next season. I know that I am called to lead this church. I feel content and at peace. I am really excited about your future and the opportunities God is placing in front of us (e.g. the recent purchase of the 4 acres of Eastlink land in Knox is just one example). Our best days are truly ahead of us!

Thank you for your support and encouragement. I really appreciate it.

Reflections from my Sabbatical (Part 3)

What did I learn during my sabbatical?

In many ways, I see this moment and season as a significant crossroads for my life and ministry. The Lord once said to Jeremiah, “Stand (stop) at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths (the old, godly path), ask where the good way is, and walk in it (travel its path), and you will find rest for your souls (Jer.6:16)." In many ways, I have tried to do just that - stop, look around, ask and then walk.

I have had numerous thoughts about my life and ministry. Here are just a few of them:

1. I need to slow down the pace of my life. I need more stillness and time waiting on God. I need to learn from the eagle who is never flustered or frantically flapping its wings. Rather it leans into the power of the wind and learns to flow with it (see Isaiah 40:31). I need a better and more enjoyable life rhythm, one that honours God and my family. I need to do a better job of embedding the principle of Sabbath into my life. Don't worry, I will continue to work hard and have a passion for fruitfulness in ministry but I must not allow productivity to become an idol that controls my life.

2. I need to look after myself better, in every dimension - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and socially. I want to enjoy life more and not feel so stressed and stretched all the time. This will require me to stop allowing my work to fill my entire week. I need to switch off more in the evenings, when possible, and on my Day Off (including not checking email). Eliminating (turning off or at least turning down) some of the things that I have allowed to become distractions will help too. Jesus calls us to a burden that is 'easy and light' and one that enables our soul to experience rest (Matthew 11:28-30). The best gift I can give those who I influence is me being a healthy leader - in every way.

3. I need to focus more on being (relationships) than doing (tasks). I need to learn to be and not just do. For me, it's much easier to be a Martha than it is a Mary. This is not just personal but affects my leadership of the church too. Most churches need their leaders to clearly define what they believe God wants them to be (values, culture, DNA), not just where they need to go (vision and goals) or what they needs to do (ministries, activities and programs). This is the focus of Jesus, Paul, and the other New Testament church leaders - being the church of Jesus Christ in the world. It’s about identity and a direction more than a destination.

4. The inflow of God's Word and God's Spirit into my life has to increase significantly. I lead, speak and minister much better out of overflow. Quality time in prayer and the Word was the focus of the early church leaders (see Acts 6) and they refused to allow other things to cause them to neglect these God-given priorities.

5. I am very aware that there is an enemy persistently at work, subtly seeking to undermine God’s work in my life. There is a strong spiritual warfare dimension to our lives that we need to be much more aware of. 

6. I believe that I am called to lead our church at this time and for this next season, but maybe in different ways. I need to focus more on what God wants me to do for the church. What is his call and priorities for me as a senior church leader? What does he expect from me? Moses’ example (Deut.1) is key here, as are the apostles (Acts 6). I need to focus on my best contribution to the church, delegating the rest, and saying ‘no’ to opportunities outside of that (which means less travel).

Click here for Part 4.

Reflections from my Sabbatical (Part 2)

So what did I do on my sabbatical? Good question. The truth is that I determined not to focus on doing too much of anything during this season but rather more on simply being. The last thing I needed was another list of tasks or projects to accomplish. 

Nevertheless, here are some things that I did do:

1. I focused a large portion of my time on personal recovery. I desperately needed some spiritual refuelling, some emotional replenishment, some physical energy renewal, and some personal refreshing. Over 27 continuous years of church ministry life take its toll. Ministry is highly rewarding but it can be stressful too. I was feeling a "tiredness that normal holidays weren't fixing" (to borrow a phrase from Eugene Peterson). To be honest, investing this much time in my own well-being wasn't easy to do. At times, especially in the beginning, I felt guilty for even having the time off, especially when everyone else was still working so hard. But I needed it and ultimately I believe that the best gift I can give God and our church is for me to be in as healthy a place as possible. After all, self-care is important. 

2. I invested a lot of time in personal reflection. I took time to read all of my old journals, to read all of the prophetic words I have received over the years, and to think about the seasons and stages of my life so far. Often it is easier to discern God's finger prints in our life when we take time to look back - sometimes even more than in the present time. 

3. I had extended devotional time most days - praying, reading my Bible and journaling. It’s nice to simply pray and read the Bible with a total focus on knowing God more … without any need to prepare a message or get anything productive out of the time.

4. I spent a lot of time with my family, including 10 days holidays over the Easter period. The free time on weekends and evenings was bliss. At our church, we have been doing Saturday night meetings for over 10 years now (actually, 2 Saturday church meetings for many of those years). I had under-estimated the cumulative effect of weekends being mostly full of ministry activity - with me often involved with 4-5 church meetings. Needless to say, this sabbatical was a huge blessing to my family. 

5. I spent time with friends and some mentors. I even had a hit of golf a few times - something I haven't done for a long time.

6. I did some training: attending a Bill Hybels mentoring event in Sydney for church leaders and a Halftime Experience with Bob Buford (50+ is my ‘second half’ of life). 

7. I even saw a counsellor. We talked about my emotional world, learning to live more fully in the present moment, and some of my task-driven tendencies.

8. Near the end, I spent some time refocusing. This was a kind of life and ministry review. It involved thinking about God's calling on my life, our church, my role, and the best contribution I can make to our future. 

Well, hopefully that gives you a bit of an idea as to what I have been up to.

Click here for Part 3.

Reflections from my Sabbatical (Part 1)

Let's face it, most people don't look forward to their holidays finishing and I must admit I wasn't looking forward to my sabbatical finishing either. I had such an enjoyable time. But it is nice to be back … and to see everyone again.

I realise that there are a variety of expectations that people may have as I return from my sabbatical: that I will bring revival with me, that I will have a new vision for the future of the church, and some may have thought that I wouldn't come back at all! The reality is that I had a very good rest, which is what 'sabbath' is all about. It was a rest that was much more than merely a holiday. It was a time of not doing a whole heap of ministry tasks for an extended period of time. As a result, I truly do feel well, refreshed, refuelled and looking forward to getting back into church and ministry life.

While I was away, everything has gone exceptionally well. In fact, so well that I honestly thought of taking more time off ... or that maybe I had become redundant :) All credit to our church and its leadership team. Well done! [I know that this time has been a learning and growth opportunity for others too] There is obviously some excellent spiritual momentum in our church right now, which is great. God is always at work and he's never dependent on any one person - including me. So, as I return, I look forward to seeing all that God is currently doing continue ... and accelerate as we move through the rest of this year. 

One of the best things I did during my time off was to disengage from pretty much all technology. I de-activated my Facebook, avoided Twitter, didn't do any church or work related Email, engaged in very limited Internet surfing, and stayed off my BLOG for the entire 12 weeks. It is amazing when you STOP all of that inflow how much your head clears and how much you realise that your life can easily be filled with the clutter of a lot of trivial things, to the point where it becomes all-consuming and even addictive. 

As I now re-engage, I have decided to stay off Facebook. Keeping up with 3,500+ 'friends' is an impossible task and many of them were only acquaintances or people I had never even met. A recent article in the Melbourne Age only confirmed my decision. I'll continue to use Twitter and to write a few BLOG posts each week, but I have turned off the comments section on the BLOG, as it takes a lot of time to read and respond to them all. Finally, after clearing over 2,900 emails yesterday, I 'unsubscribed' from a heap of newsletters ... most of which I never get around to reading, but simply clutter up my Inbox. Hopefully, all of this will help keep my head a little clearer and enable me to be more fully 'present' ... to God and the people I interact with.

Click here for Part 2.

Coming Back from Sabbatical ...

It is hard to believe that my 12-week sabbatical is now history (click here to read some background to my sabbatical). I had a very enjoyable and refreshing time. I am truly grateful to God and our church for this season. I am feeling so much better and look forward to re-engaging with our church community and leadership team this week, as we continue to move forward into all that God has in store for us.

In the Old Testament period, God's purpose for the Sabbath was to help his people avoid making 'productivity' into an idol. It's a reminder, that while we rest, the universe still runs - and without our contribution! That's something I sure learned. Our church community continued to experience God and see the kingdom advance - without me. That's good news.

Right now it is autumn here in Melbourne and I love this season. Sure, it's a bit colder but the colour of the leaves on all of the trees is amazing. [You'll notice that my BLOG design has been changed to reflect this] In many cultures, autumn is also typically a time of harvest, fruitfulness and thanksgiving. May it be all of that for you.

In the next few days, I'll share more about my sabbatical - what I got up to, what God did, and what I learned. It's amazing what you see - about God, about yourself and about our world - when you slow down for an extended period of time. 

I pray that you enjoy your week and that sometime today you are able to take a few minutes to heed the words of the Psalmist: "Be still and know that I am God (Ps.46:10)."

    Be still and know that I am God.

    Be still and know that I am.

    Be still and know.

    Be still.

    Be. 

[Click here for Part 1 of my Sabbatical Reflections]

[Photo by Nicole Conner]

Mark Conner

Okay, so since this is my BLOG, there are a few things you might be interested to learn about me. 

Click here to begin reading. Posts cover topics such as my favourite food, the music I love, my studies, my favourite technology, and my experience with journalling. You can also read about my sabbatical, which finishes soon. Once I'm back, there will be some new BLOG posts coming your way.

Enjoy your day!

Mark Conner

Mark Conner's BLOG update

By the time you read this, I will have started my 12 week sabbatical.

During this time, I will be doing a bit of a technology detox - so no work email, Facebook, Twitter or BLOG activity. Yes, I'm expecting severe withdrawal pains!

During this time my BLOG will have a variety of posts which I have written ahead of time that will post every few days. However, the Comments section will be closed, as I won't be checking my BLOG. There will be plenty of content to enjoy.

Happy reading!

Mark Conner

My Upcoming Sabbatical

This year is my 28th year on staff at CityLife Church and my 18th as Senior Minister. It's been quite a journey and I am thankful for all that God has done during this time and for the support of our congregation and leadership team. 

In discussion with the Elders and our senior staff, there was agreement that I would benefit from taking an extended sabbatical this year. A sabbatical isn't a holiday. It's a time of disengagement from the normal aspects and pressures of ministry life in order to spend time in replenishment, reflection and learning for the next stage of life and ministry. [Click here for more information about the concept of a sabbatical]

I will take a 12-week sabbatical from the beginning of March through to the middle of May (2 weeks of which will be annual leave for some holidays). During this time the church will be well looked after by our local leadership. Our teaching team will be speaking on the weekend, along with some excellent visiting ministry.  

What will I do on my Sabbatical?

The outcomes I desire are a replenishment of my spiritual and emotional world and a sharpening of my vision for the church and my own calling to ministry. The first half of my sabbatical will focus on my personal and spiritual well-being. It will include a combination of prayer, extended times with God, reflection, spiritual retreats, and time with some of my mentors. The second half of my sabbatical will focus on my ministerial development. I will make use of a study plan focused on topics such as Jesus and his mission, the church, leadership, contemporary culture, and preaching, as well as more extended time in prayer and the Scriptures. [Of course, if God wants to have me only do the first half stuff the entire time, then that's fine with me!]

For this to be most effective, I will be fully disengaged from church life (weekend meetings, staff meetings and email). Weekends and evenings will be times for me to sow back into my own family as well as my friendships. I will also take up some more recreational pursuits during these times - things I have little or no time for at the moment with weekends always being so full. 

What about the church? I have full confidence that the church will flourish during this time. In fact, it can be a maturing time for both the congregation and myself.

I would like to thank the Elders and senior staff for their kindness in releasing me for this time. Personally, I am really excited about this time and believe that it will be instrumental in ensuring that I continue to be full of God's vision and passion for our next season together. My desire is to return refreshed and with greater energy, with increased confidence, with deeper reservoirs from which to draw from, as well as an even greater sense of joy and delight in my calling.

Welcome to 2010 ...

Well, it's hard to believe - the first month of 2010 is almost history. It just seems like yesterday that we were about to head into the new millennium and everyone was talking about Y2K. Maybe I'm getting older but time does seem to be moving faster. Here we are another decade on. What a decade the last one has been. TIME magazine called it 'The Decade from Hell' - one of the worst ever ... and when you reflect on it - a lot of bad stuff happened. But we're still here and God is at work continuing to extend his kingdom in obvious and also subversive ways ... all over our world.

On a personal note, I trust that you had an enjoyable Christmas and that the holiday season included a good dose of rest and relaxation. Our family has had an eventful few weeks with a house move (actually we moved, not the house) and the marriage of our oldest son. That makes us 'in-laws' for the first time - and we're loving it! I remember holding our firstborn son when he was just born and having many 'oldies' come up and say - "Enjoy them while they're young, they sure grow up fast." We just laughed. How right there were! Where did the years go?

A final few thoughts for today. Our church is reading through the New Testament together this year and I've been enjoying reading the Gospel of Matthew again from the Message Bible. Here is one of my favourite sayings of Jesus so far ... read it nice and slowly ..

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy on or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn how to live freely and lightly.”

May you know and experience those 'unforced rhythms of grace' walking with Jesus this year.

Talk to you again soon ...

Merry Christmas!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come ...

With Christmas only a few days away I'd like to take this time to wish each one of your a blessed Christmas. Thanks for your interest in this blog over the last year. I am taking a few weeks holidays now so there won't be any new posts until the end of January.

With over 500 posts so far on this blog, there is plenty of interesting and inspirational reading material. Click on the categories to the right and have a browse through ... and of course, the comments section is always an interesting read.

Grace and peace!

The Hooding Ceremony

The day before my graduation at Fuller Theological Seminary I attended a Hooding Ceremony. I wasn't sure what this was all about until I got there.

Here is a brief history of the tradition of the 'doctoral hood' ...

According to Nancy Stiehler Thurston and Hendrika VanDeKemp, "In the Middle Ages, lecturers and students at European universities were so impoverished that they wore gowns to cover up their worn clothes. The lecturers also wore hoods that indicated which universities they had graduated from. In those days, lecturers were paid by their students. The students would toss coins into the pocket of the lecturer's hood. The hood would also be used to carry books to and from the university.

While doctoral hoods are no longer used to carry coins and books, they do continue to identify graduates of various degree programs at institutions of higher education. The various colours of the velvet and satin stripes of the doctoral hoods serve to distinguish the wearer of the hood. The color of the velvet identifies the academic discipline of the degree. The blue field with gold chevrons is representative of Fuller Theological Seminary. The scarlet trim indicates the School of Theology."

So on Friday afternoon I attended a hooding ceremony in a small chapel with all of the Doctor of Ministry graduates, along with family and friends. Songs were sung, an address was given by the Fuller president, Richard Mouw, we all were 'hooded' one by one, after which Dr. Arch Hart prayed for us. It was a meaningful time to celebrate the completion of my Doctor of Ministry degree, which I have worked on over the last five years (2003 - 2008). 

Doctor Mark!

Well, I did it. I finished my Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Yesterday, I attended the graduation ceremony which was held at the Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, where over 400 people graduated with various degrees (80 from the Doctor of Ministry program), cheered on by friends and family members. It was a really enjoyable occasion. It's great to stop and celebrate the milestones in our lives. For me there was a sense of joy, fulfillment, closure, and a bit of relief for finally being finished.

I'd really like to thank my wife Nicole for supporting me during my years of study, my kids for putting up with dad frequently having his nose in the books and head in the clouds, City Life Church for sponsoring my study and encouraging me in my personal and ministry development, my lecturers for teaching me so much, and God for saving and calling me to serve his purpose on planet earth.

My goal has always been the education rather than the title, so please still call me 'Mark' not 'Doctor Mark.'

What next? I don't plan on doing any further formal study such as a PhD, which is a highly academic degree. However, I'll continue to be committed to continual learning and I'll consider doing some teaching at the Doctorate level some time in the future.  

P.S. For some more details about my course of study, click here to read an earlier post.

Back from Holidays ...

Our family has been on holidays for the last few weeks, which was really nice. A good holiday for me is one where I don't wear my watch and I've forgotten what day it is!

We had a really relaxing time - eating, playing, laughing, swimming,  reading, and sleeping. I even did some water-skiing, something I haven't done for a long time. I still managed to get up - the photo is proof :)

No holidays are never long enough (another week or even another month would have been great!) but even good things eventually come to an end. So we're back at it this week - looking forward to another year of walking with God and his people, and participating in what God is doing in the earth.

I hope that you are well and that this is a terrific year for you ... talk to you soon.

BLOG Update

Hi everyone ...

My family and I will be taking some holidays during January. I have scheduled regular posts for the blog so there'll be lots of good content coming your way, at least every few days. This includes ten great questions to ask yourself as you start another year.

Because I'll be taking some time off, I won't be able to answer comments on the blog so I have turned this function off just for this month.

Take care and God bless you!

Mark Conner

P.S. Some blog trivia ... since starting the blog just over a year ago there have been ...

417 posts

1664 comments

over 225,000 page views

an average of almost 460 page views per day

Thanks for your encouragement and support with the blog :)

An Amazing Oma

Nicole's mother, Renate Meyer (affectionately known as 'Oma', which is German for grandmother), passed away earlier this week, after an intense battle with cancer. Yesterday we held a thanksgiving service for her life.

We sang a few of her favourite songs - What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Praise the Name of Jesus, and Amazing Grace. Nicole gave the eulogy (click here to read a copy of it). We watched a DVD photo montage of her life. We listened to tributes from Rene Conner, Lisa Wotton, Samia Sedhom, Lynn Moresi, and the grand kids - Ashley, Josiah, and Natasha.

Psalm 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (his faithful and loved ones)." The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. Death is not precious. No, not at all. In fact, it is an enemy. However, God's loved ones are very precious to him. The word 'precious' means valuable and of great worth.

Oma was truly a 'saint' - a person who loved God and lived a good life, always looking out for others. Today is a joyful day for her as she is free from all suffering and pain. We, however, feel the loss as we grieve the passing of a loved one. We thank God for his comfort (Matt.5:4. 2 Cor.1:1-7) and we thank our church family and friends for their support and prayers during this difficult time.

Our hope is in the resurrection and the future when we will see Oma again (John 11:25-26. 1 Thess.4:13-18. 1 Cor.15:51-58. Rev.21:1-4. Rom.8:35-39). May we continue to live our lives in the light of eternity.

Oma, we love you and we will miss you very much. Thanks for touching our lives so deeply.

Renate Meyer

Born – August 12^th, 1938

With the Lord - December 17^th, 2007

• Beloved wife of Len
• Adored mother of Nicole
• Amazing Oma to Josiah, Ashley, and Natasha
• The mother-in-law from heaven to Mark
• Deeply missed by her family and friends
• In the arms of her Saviour whom she loved and was totally devoted to.
• Until we meet again ...

My Encounter with Grief

Seventeen years ago tomorrow (October 20th, 1990), I had my first real encounter with intense grief. Yes, I had seen other people grieve. Yes, I had played the piano and sung at funerals ... but nothing this close to home ...

It was the day my mother passed away - Joyce Conner. My parents had flown to the USA and my dad had left my mother in the LA airport where she was waiting to catch a flight up to Portland, Oregon to spend time with my sister, Sharon. My dad flew on to Chicago for some meetings. While alone in the LA airport, my mother had a massive heart attack. She was rushed to intensive care. My dad had to come back to LA and Nicole and I flew over to be there too, along with my sister and her family. My mum went into a coma and after 10 days we agreed to switch off the life support. She kept breathing on her own for a few days, while still in a coma, before breathing her last. We didn't get to have a conversation with her - she had gone.

It all happened so quickly - the phone call from my dad, the sudden trip to the USA, the days spent praying and waiting and hoping that she would wake up from her coma, and then coming back home ... without her.

We were in shock for many weeks - it seemed like a bad dream that we were all going to wake up from any moment. It couldn't be happening. She was just here. Surely, she's coming back. This can't be happening. She as only 65 years of age. We weren't prepared for this. We didn't have time to say 'goodbye'.

Over time the stark reality that my mother was gone ... and that she wasn't coming back ... began to settle in. We had to let her go. Her time on earth was finished. She had run her race. As much as it hurt, we wouldn't see her again ... in this life.

Eventually, we had to reach out to the future ... a future without her here with us. We had lives yet to live. We couldn't live in the past. The memories lived on, as did her impact. But we had to move forward.

This whole process (shock, accepting reality, letting go, and reaching forward) took many months ... even years. Emotions were unpredictable. At times the loss would hit me like a tidal wave and I would cry uncontrollably. At other times, I couldn't cry, even if I wanted to. Just when you think you're through the grief ... something would trigger a memory and the tears would be there again.

Any time you lose something or someone you love, you experience grief. It's a normal emotion - it's the way we respond to 'loss' ... of any kind. Understand that it takes time to work through the process of healing and grieving. Be patient with yourself. Lean in to your emotions. Feel them deeply. Don't be ashamed to weep. Pour out your heart to God. Don't rush the process. In time, you will be able to move forward ... to see the light of a new day ... maybe even to understand a little of the 'why' ... and hopefully, to find joy and laughter again.

Mum, thanks for everything ... you live on in our hearts and lives ... we miss you!

Isaiah 53:3. "He (Jesus) was ... a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief." NLT
Psalm 30:5. "... weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." NIV

My Favourite Music

I am thankful that our family grew up with a love for music. I studied classical piano (completed my 8th Grade exams) and dabbled a bit with saxophone and guitar too. I also studied music theory (completed 5th Grade exams) and arranging. Over the years I've done some song-writing and some recording too. In fact, my first ministry role in church was with worship and music. I thought I'd do this the rest of my life ... but God had other plans. Nevertheless, I still enjoy music very much.

Here are some of my enjoyable musical styles and artists:

• Worship Music - Michael W. Smith, Hillsong, Delirious?, Israel Houghton and Lincoln Brewster
• Contemporary Christian Music - currently I enjoy listening to Leeland, The Fray, Relient K, Switchfoot and Brooke Fraser. As a teenager, I really liked artists such as Keith Green, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Andrae' Crouch, Petra, and Russ Taff.
• Pop Music - some artists whose musical style I quite enjoy include: U2, Jamie Cullum, Michael Buble, John Mayer, Celine Dion and Norah Jones.
• Classical Music - you can't go past a Bach or Mozart piano concerto. When it comes to classical singing, I really enjoy Andrea Bocelli (great music to play while cooking Italian food!) and young artists such as Josh Groban.
• Other Instrumental Music - I enjoy saxophone (Kenny G, David Koz and Brad Evans, of course!) and piano music (David Foster is my favorite arranger).

"Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising. Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano! Invent your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare." Psalm 33:1-3. [The Message Bible]

A Journal Begins

August 10th, 1978 was a tragic day for our family. I was 16 years of age. We had a Bible College student named Robert Muthman living with us in our home in Portland, Oregon (USA). Robert was swimming with some friends and he tragically drowned. We were shocked, as was his family and our whole church community. We couldn't believe he was gone - so young, so much potential. Why? We didn't know. We couldn’t fully understand.

Robert was passionate and 'full on' about his relationship with God. At his funeral they read from a journal he kept. It was almost like he had a premonition that he was going to die. He said things in his journal like, "If I can't get closer to you, God, I want to come to heaven and be with you."

At the time, I was what I'd call a 'casual Christian' - going to church but not really living fully for God. Lukewarm - serving God in such as way as to not offend the devil. At his funeral I re-dedicated my life fully to God and, although I've had some valleys and some doubts along the way, I've never turned back since. His death was the catalyst for me giving all of my life for God.  I realised that life was short and I wanted to make my life count - for eternity.

I also went home that day and started my own journal - a journal of my relationship with God. I'm still keeping a journal today, almost 30 years later (I now use my computer, rather than a paper notebook). It is a place for me to write what I'm feeling, what I'm facing, and what God may be saying to me. It is a way for me to 'externalise' everything that is happening inside of me. At the end of every year I re-read my journal and summarise what God has done, what he has said, and what I'm learning.

My journal has been a crucial part of my relationship with God and my journey as a Christ-follower. Thanks Robert. You left a legacy in my life. Until we meet again ...

Rev 1:19. Write down what you have seen — both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. NLT

Hab.2:1-3. I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the LORD will say to me and how he will answer my complaint. Then the LORD said to me, "Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. NLT

My Studies

One of my passions is personal growth. I want my life to be a life of 'progress' so that I develop my full potential (see 1 Tim.4:12-15). I want to be the very best I can be - for the glory of God and then benefit of other people.

Growth happens through personal study, learning from others, and through life experience. I have also found great benefit in formal training.

Right after I finished high school, I completed a two year Certificate of Theology at Portland Bible College in the USA. I wasn't sure about my future back then but this course, and the experiences I had, provided a very good foundation for my life and ministry.

Since then I've completed a Diploma of Business Management through Stotts College here in Melbourne (back when I was the Church Administrator). After that I completed a Master of Arts in Theology at Ridley College. These courses were all done part time over a period of years, fitting my studies around a full time job, as well as family and ministry life.

Right now I am almost finished a Doctor of Ministry degree through Fuller Theological Seminary in the USA. The DMin is a practical degree directly related to improving the practice of Christian ministry. I have really enjoyed this course and have learnt a lot through the training.

Here are the courses I have completed so far:

1. Life and Leadership Development - with Terry Walling and Steve Addison
2. Spirituality - with DallasWillard
3. The Minister's Personal Growth - with Arch Hart
4. Preaching - with Haddon Robinson and Rob Bell
5. Church Multiplication - with Robert Logan

Each course involves 6 months of pre-reading (usually 3000 pages of material on the subject), 1-2 weeks of intensive 'in-class' time with the lecturer and a small group of students (12-25 people), followed by 6 months to complete a variety of assignments.

I'm now starting to work on my final project, which will be a Ministry Focus Paper. The topic I have chosen is 'A Strategy for Identifying and Developing Pastoral Leaders for CityLife Church'. This will specifically serve our ongoing growth as a church, especially with our multi-site strategy.

The Ministry Focus Paper final project is a 125-175 page document that has to be well researched. It includes three sections: an analysis of the local context, biblical and theological reflections on the topic, as well as a practical strategy for implementation.

All going well, I hope to finish my final project by November 2008, so I can graduate in June 2009. My aim is not so much for the title (Dr. Mark!) but for the ongoing education I'm receiving.

One of things I like about Fuller is that they are committed to lifelong learning. To enhance this, they offer graduates the opportunity to continue to audit any classes they are interested in for the rest of their life.

P.S. I have now finished my final project and attended my graduation. So I'm now officially 'Doctor Mark' :) (June 2009)

My Favourite Fun Things to Do

My favourite fun things to do include ...

• Playing basketball
• Walking our dogs with Nicole
• Hanging out with my kids
• Spending time with friends
• Looking after my tropical fish aquarium
• Reading
• Playing pool
• Watching a good movie
• Watching sport on TV - NBA or Geelong Cats
• Playing the piano
• Cooking
• Driving Nicole's red Mini Cooper with the roof off (when she lets me, which is not often!)
• Posting on my blog ...

My Favourite Foods

I enjoy eating ...

At home, Nicole always cooks tasty food ... and I can cook a pretty good bolognaise (with bruscetta), thai curry or asian stir fry.

Fast food ... can't go past a Whopper with Cheese ('the burgers are better at ...') BUT I'm trying to eat more healthily ... so my current favourites are Nandos (chicken wrap and/or BBG wings) or Subway

Resturants ... I love Italian, Japanese (especially tepanyaki), Thai and Indian

Drinks ... can't beat water, juice or a caramel thickshake

Nibbles ... fruit, nuts and yogurt covered museli bars

Did I mention Tim Tams?

... actually I need to lose a few kgs!

My Favorite Technology

I use a DELL laptop with Vista and Microsoft Office software. I also use an Asus Eee PC 1005PE for travel, which I love - because the battery lasts over 12 hours. It uses a started edition of Windows 7 as an operating system which I like even more than Vista.

Outlook 2007 is my favorite program for keeping my life organised.

I sync my Outlook files (email, calendar, contacts, and tasks) to my Nokia E71 mobile phone, so I can send and answer email wherever I am as well as keep in touch with other key information.

I also really like the Microsoft OneNote 2007 program, which is a terrific place to create folders for keeping track of all the areas of your life and ministry. I have now replaced this with Evernote.

My favorite Bible program is PC Study Bible, although I also have the Logos Libronix Digital Library System, which is the grand-daddy of Bible software (I had this donated to me). I also use Accordance for MAC now.

Other good reference software includes Encyclopedia Britannica.

iTunes is great for managing music for my Apple iPod.

For financial management I use Quicken and Quickbooks.

For blogging I use TypePad software, which is very easy to use, yet professional looking. I also use Microsoft WORD 2007, which has a blogging feature that links directly with TypePad so you can post from WORD, after you have added in pictures or graphics, etc. Worth checking out.

Okay, confession time - I have defected OR converted to a MacBook Pro (13") ... and I love it! I use VM Ware Fusion 3 to run some Windows-based programs such as Quicken and Quickbooks ... but everything else is in MAC. I'm also using Office 2011 for MAC which will have a full version of Outlook. My initials are Mark Andrew Conner so MACs were made for me :)

I also have also updated my Nokia phone to an iPhone. See my favourite MAC programs for further details about the software I like.

[Updated: September 2010] 

My New Blog

Well, here we go - I've started a blog! It's a chance for me to share my thoughts and feelings on a range of things I'm interested in. It's also a chance for me to listen to what others are thinking and feeling about similar things.

It's a whole new world and I feel a bit like someone taking a swim in the ocean for the first time.

Anyway, here we go ...