Mark Williamson's Blog

When it comes to hope we are all practitioners. The fact that we get up every morning and go about our life and work is, in a way, an expression of hope.

Most, if not all of us are quite experienced in dealing with unfulfilled hopes, broken dreams and plans that did not work out. We go through all life’s seasons waiting and hoping and looking forward to something; the end of a pandemic, a new opportunity, a satisfying job, marriage, a baby to be born.

It is hard not to allow the bad mood or bad ...

We remain confident of this: we will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Ps 27:13-14)

How to wait well? In this season of delays and disruption I ask myself this question more than ever. A friend remarked that January 2021 felt like a 13th month of the year 2020; we laughed, but it was sadly an accurate description.

We all wait… some of us more patiently than others. But wait is all we can do sometimes. We wa...

What’s the difference between a good plan and a poor plan?

For me, a good plan is a bit like a newspaper article’s first paragraph… it answers six key questions. For a time in my youth I wanted to be a journalist, and learned that the first paragraph of an article (which is actually the first sentence) should always answer the Who, Why, What, Where, When and How of the story. So let’s apply that to a good plan:

 

WHY: Vision

Why are you doing what you’re doing? What’s the ultimate outcome you wa...

Here’s five lies or accusations the devil loves to tell you. This is what I’ve experienced when there’s a new thing I’m feeling called to do, and I’m wondering about whether to step out in faith with it. I think these five lies are told to stop so many Kingdom advancing projects in their tracks:

 

You can’t do it

Here is where I find the first attack normally happens – on the level of gifting. The devil loves to make us doubt our capabilities and the gifting that God has given to us.

You can’t d...

During this time of crisis created by coronavirus I’ve noticed an unusual and very positive development happen across the UK. People have started expressing gratitude.

I don’t think we British are a very grateful nation. I get to travel to lots of different nations and regions around the world. Sadly I find the British to be one of the least grateful people. We constantly criticize others, love to find fault, and usually find reasons to complain about what we don’t have. Rarely do we express tha...

A free course, based on the Lords Prayer, covering the WHO, WHY, WHAT and HOW of prayer.

This course is the first module of the new Pathways series, created for churches and organizations wanting to use coaching conversations to disciple their networks of young adults.

The course consists of:

A downloadable PDF document, containing six small group sessions with extensive notes, bible studies and group discussion exercises. A series of YouTube videos, each with further bible teaching...

How to deal with manipulation?

In a previous blog I reflected on the experience of being manipulated; in this one I want to take a closer look at how to deal with manipulative people. Manipulation is a violation of our dignity, it cuts deep into our value as a person. It robs us of the sense of security. The trust is broken, the confidence eroded; we feel angry, confused.

“Many of us don’t recognize manipulation when it occurs, mainly because manipulation violates our basic assumptions about...

I’ve joked for probably twenty years now that I collect good questions. Some collect stamps, some collect spoons, some collect books (actually I do that too – somewhere around university I switched from collecting music albums to good books). But I now collect good questions.

With the growth of coaching the art of asking good questions has become more and more sought after. So here are a few of my favourites at the moment:

              If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do with yo...

We’re now open for registrations to the next London Academy, which starts in October 2018. This is an excellent opportunity for any people in their 20s or 30s to deepen their spiritual life, clarify their vision, sharpen their leadership and broaden their network.

Out of previous Academies charities have been formed, churches planted, missional coffee shops opened, new youth events birthed, online ministries begun, residential discipleship centres set up and safe houses for trafficked women c...

Two weeks ago the first Leadership Academy in Zambia was launched. 20 young leaders from across Lusaka (the capital city) have begun a one year journey of training in missional leadership.

Over the next 12 months they will receive further training workshops, monthly coaching conversations and a series of evening community gatherings. A group of 24 senior leaders were also trained to act as coaches to the younger group.

This is the first Academy to take place in sub-Saharan Africa. We’re very...