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I am a Biological Sciences graduate from the University of Warwick. As a result of my interest in Evolution and other areas of Science, I
was a staunch atheist at school, but now I realize that although the data used to support evolution is perfectly valid, the interpretation of that data is wrong. Since God is a God of order, He has
created life in an order of complexity. The evidence for evolution only shows how similar different species are to each other as one moves across this spectrum of complexity. Also genes created by
God are mutating because of the Fall when order was thrown into chaos. Therefore the concept of Natural Selection does not conflict with the Bible.
Towards the end of school, I began to wonder if maybe there was a God after all and I began to seriously contemplate the meaning of my life.
Some dull, traditional church services I had been to with my parents had led me to believe that Christianity was out of touch and irrelevant, and so I looked into other beliefs. I was mostly
interested in intellectual New Age where I was free to work out my own path to “the truth” borrowing from any relevant philosophies. I regularly went to peace festivals in Leamington Spa and I had
looked into Hare Krishna and Buddhism a bit as well as attending some Sikh ceremonies. However, all these were based on self-effort and didn’t add much to what I knew already.
Nothing I did ever gave me lasting satisfaction or meaning and although I gained a good degree and a good job in Electron Microscopy after
my degree, even these things seemed anti-climatic and I felt there must be more to life than this. I used to believe that I was basically a good person and that that was all that mattered. However,
when I started working at Bath University I got to know some of the people from the Christian Union and after about three months, I realized that although the good deeds I was doing were commendable
and should be done, I was not perfect and had done bad things that meant that I could never reach Heaven on my own. In fact despite doing good deeds, I was heading for Hell because of my
imperfections. However, Jesus Christ died for me and was raised victoriously from the dead so that my sins could be forgiven and I could have the assurance of eternal life. When I asked god to
forgive me and agreed to follow Jesus Christ alone as Lord of my life because of what He had done for me, I had a very powerful experience where I was filled with The Holy Spirit and I knew that I
was born again.
Soon afterwards I was baptized by Bath City Church, where I was also instantly healed of a very painful jaw infection following tonsillitis.
It soon became clear to me that all the other religions and philosophies were based on a search for perfection based on self-effort, a
perfection that could never be attained because no matter how good a person may be, they always fall short on at least one area no matter how small. Only Christianity addresses the issue of Man’s
basic sinfulness, the cause of our separation from God. We can never be perfect this side of Heaven, but God through Jesus Christ has made it possible for our sinfulness and imperfections to be
forgiven if only we would ask Him.
It was also important to accept the concept of The Trinity ie that there is One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is
beyond human comprehension so it really has to be accepted by faith. However in Quantum Physics the acceptance of Trinitarian concepts is not so obscure. For example, electrons exist simultaneously
in three quite contradictory states: matter, waves and energy. As matter, electrons are distinct particles having a
mass and yet they can be diffracted like waves, and yet also are energy forms all at the same time.
Christian Activities
I am currently working as a freelance photographer and I am a member of New Horizons Church in Coventry where I am part of the Worship Team as a singer, other singing activities having been with Benny Hinn’s choir at the Birmingham N.E.C., Ken Harvester at the Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, World Horizons in Brazil and Paraguay, “On the Move” in Coventry and “Leamington Unplugged” with Seamus Herbert and Lyn Smailes.
I have also been involved in the production of the New Horizons Newsletter and photography for various events.
I also take a keen interest in Christian counselling and I have completed an ACC accredited level 1 course with the Lighthouse in Coventry.
I have been involved in several evangelism campaigns, such as J.John’s, “Love Coventry” and “On the Move” as I believe that everybody
deserves the right to hear what Jesus can do for them.
I have a passion for overseas mission and have worked with Misão Horizontes in a halfway house for street children in São Paulo, Brazil,
helping with a food distribution for street children in Asunçión, Paraguay, as well as evangelism, publicity photography and helping students of English in Rio de Janeiro. In Brazil I have also
helped with evangelism to street people and prisoners with Misão CENA in São Paulo. For more details visit:
http://www.markflowersphotography.com/photojournalism/poverty_brazil_paraguay/poverty_brazil_paraguay.html
Other mission activities have involved publicity photography during the Polish Bible Week in Cieszyn for “Przymierze” magazine and evangelism in Krakow. More recently I have also been involved in a
mission in Kyiv, Ukraine, where I was involved in publicity photography and evangelism for Today’s
Family, the charity wing of the World Transformation Church.
I have also been raising money for a couple of Christian charities, Help International and Aid International, which are involved in third
world relief and development. This has involved running in several London Marathons as well as the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles Marathons.
One of my marathons in London in 2002 came a year after I nearly died from losing 3 litres of blood following a burst stomach ulcer combined
with a partially collapsed lung. In hospital I also developed deep vein thrombosis in one of my legs making it very difficult and painful to walk. However, with God’s grace I was able to run
the London Marathon in 3hrs 43mins, breaking my personal best by an amazing 21½ minutes. I have since improved that time at 3hrs 28mins.
I have cycled for Help International across Israel, where I was also commissioned to take publicity photographs. For more details visit
http://www.markflowersphotography.com/publications___projects/israel_cycle_tour/israel_cycle_tour.html
Since becoming born again, God hasn’t finished with me but has involved me in lots of interesting activities and has been gradually
challenging and changing me, a process that has often brought much pain but which is helping me to become a much better person.
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