Tag Archives: workplace

Roll up for the mystery tour

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Genesis 12:1

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your Father’s house to the land that I will show you”

 

This verse always fascinates me and I think about it often.  If we research the scripture there is an interesting interpretation of ‘Father’s house’. It means the ‘place that provides’. When we think about our lives, that would be our place of work. The verse goes on to say ‘to the land that I will show you’. Meaning, have faith in Me (God) and I will show you exactly the right place to be. 

It’s possible that some of us are under difficult circumstances at work or we feel like there’s something better out there for us. Something more fulfilling or rewarding. It could be where we are already working but a different position or project. But we’re fearful of leaving the ‘place that provides’. Pray hard to God and ask Him to ‘show you the land’.  Things become a little more exciting (with a small dose of fear) when we know God has a plan and a place for us. If we have the faith, He has the place!

noroton-station_1Noroton Heights station after a recent snowfall

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for our place of work and the gift of work. Guide us in the work place and show us where You want us to be – Amen!

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FOCUS.

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Colossians 3:2

‘Set your minds on things that are above and not on things that are on earth’.

 

As Lent begins many of us are frantically trying to find things to give up. The usual things – chocolate, online shopping, Netflix. Instead, perhaps it’s possible for us to give something up at work and focus on God. What would we give up to make us humble? What we give up to show more respect for a work colleague or have forgiveness for someone who offended us? What would we give up to show compassion for someone who is having a difficult time. Perhaps this would stay with us beyond the 40 days if we remain focused on Him.

In Colossians 3:2, God tells us to focus on things that are above, meaning Him and His teaching. Let go. Give up the things at work that you know stop you from behaving in a Godly way.

 

Gods creation is something else to focus on during Lent. He shows us some spectacular things!

silhouetted-treesCove Island Park. Stamford, Connecticut.

The Next Day

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In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven – Matthew 5:16

Yesterday was a day of service at our church. Over 400 people went out into the community to serve in many ways. Yard work, delivering food, singing at a homes for the elderly, clearing trash and lots of other things.

At the end of the day we had a service of celebration and some testimonies from the day. One person encouraged us to take the feeling of joy we had that day and to carry it on the next day and continue to show the light to others. It was a great insight I thought. Is that always possible in the work place? It’s difficult. When doing things with fellow christians it’s not too difficult to behave in the way God would want us to. We encourage and support each other. The scripture above was the theme for our service day. But it’s the theme for every day as it is straight out of The Bible.

There’s a short video of the day below. A lot of joy. A lot of happiness. But just one day. How about a video for every day. What would that look like for us? It’s an interesting question. Throughout the video you will see words like Thanking, Caring and Loving. Words that are appropriate for every day.

So, April 3rd was our official day of service. Let’s try and make April 5th one as well

Do the right thing.

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romans7-15

There are some verses in The Bible that feel like they were written today. The verse  above from Roman’s is one of them. And it’s one of those verses that makes me smile. If you read it again, read it as someone who’s frustrated and waving their arms around in the air. Almost like they’ve done something over and over again but can’t stop themselves doing it.

Business is a tough place. We’re all jostling for position and trying all we can do to make an impression. Sometimes, we find ourselves doing something just because we’re fighting to keep our jobs. It could be something we say in a meeting or a decision we make that we know is doing ‘the very thing we hate’. Awareness of doing the wrong thing is good. But doing the right thing is a big step. It may put us to the bottom of the list in a promotion or jeopardise our position in the company.

Pray to God for wisdom as you go to work today. Pray that he will guide your heart and head. Allow him to enter into a situation at work and give you the right words and actions. Ruled by God’s plan for you and not your own ambitions. Romans goes on to say in verse 8 – ‘If God is with us who can be against us’ and in Matthew 34 – ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own’. It doesn’t get more right than that.

Pray with me.

Heavenly Father, Guide my thoughts, words and actions today at work. Be with me in every situation so I can glorify You – Amen!

 

Vinyl and cricket

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Mark 11:24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours

One of our clients has recently had a complete re-shuffle in it’s management so we’re going through the process of getting to know a whole new bunch of people. It’s never easy. So, they all flew into town and we did an all day meeting sessions and dinner. (Like you do). It can cause some anxiety, so prior to them coming I prayed that I would just simply be able to ‘get on with them’. As the day went on and we got more familiar with each other we started to talk about our personal interests. One of the client’s husbands turns out to be a record player repairer and the other one, who is Australian, a huge fan of cricket. What’s the chances? Collecting records is a passion of mine. (and her and her husband’s)  and, guess what?…my player isn’t working too well. One of the speakers cuts out occasionally. The other client was at the SCG in Sydney in 2003 when I was also down there for the Ashes. (cricket series between England and Australia). I won’t go into details but, needless to say, both topics lead to a lot of conversation and was a good ice-breaker. It was an exhausting day but when I got home I had to pause. I realized that none of what happened was a coincidence. I don’t know how God worked it all out but I do know He did. He had it all under control. A simple prayer was all that was needed.

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, help us to turn to You in prayer when we are anxious – Amen!

Certainly.

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Job 19:25

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth

The snow has prevented any early morning running. So, instead I walk to work, which is about a 50 minute walk to Downtown Boston. On my way into work there are some days when the beauty is breathtaking. Fresh snow, blue skies and bright, vivid light. It’s a treat to be able to do that walk. When I was walking yesterday morning a young man was clearing snow on the sidewalk. He moved to the side to let me pass. I said ‘Thank you’ and he replied, with a smile, ‘Certainly’. Yes, I thought to myself, certainly. With all the beauty, the kindness of the people around me and my good health that allowed me do the walk, certainly there must be someone behind all of this. Certainly, there must be God. The world is full of terrible things that make us question His existence and His kindness. But surely, no one else can design a shrub that can survive a brutal winter and still produce beautiful flower come Spring. Or design a sky so blue that it contrasts perfectly with the whiteness of the snow that can be rolled into balls and sculpted into a snowman, all for the joy and pleasure of young children. Not forgetting the sound design of laughter that comes with that. Look around you today. Take in what has been designed around you. Really look closely. And be certain of God – Amen!

Let's hope there's no fires!

Let’s hope there’s no fires!

The view from my basement window. Is there anybody out there!

The view from my basement window. Is there anybody out there!

My walk to work. Where is everyone?

My walk to work. Where is everyone?

Can't take a seat and rest!

Can’t take a seat and rest!

Strange thing, mystifying.

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Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and do not lean on your own understanding

I love the words ‘Strange’ and ‘Mystifying’. I find the unexplained and the unknown fascinating. Strange thing, mystifying is the title of a song from Jesus Christ Superstar. The disciples can’t understand why Jesus decides to hang out with tax collectors and prostitutes, even though Jesus has told them over and over again what it means to be a follower of Him. Sometimes what happens in our work lives makes no sense. We work hard for a company for 20 to 30 years and then we find ourselves surplus to a company’s requirements. Strange thing, mystifying. Or we get demoted and not promoted. Strange thing, mystifying. The perfect presentation falls flat or you’re the perfect candidate for a job but you don’t get the job. Strange things, mystifying. We may spend all of our careers wondering why things that should happen, don’t. Or why we don’t have what others have. But following God means taking the road least expected. The good news is He’s on that road with us and He has a plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you.” declares the Lord,” plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Have faith. Pray and keep praying. Think of the unknown as a fascinating and exciting thing. Don’t try to work it out by yourself. Instead, accept that It’s unknown to us but not to Him. Strange thing, mystifying!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, we give our lives and careers to you. Bless us Lord and show us grace as we navigate the path with you – Amen!

 

 

 

 

The strength of silence

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Proverbs 17:28

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

 

In the work place, lots of talking and strong opinions can be the sign of someone who knows what he or she is doing and one to be listened to. Or at least, that’s the perception. But I’m more in agreement with the Proverbs verse. In whatever situation silence is strong. Whether there is an aggressive voice in the room or a voice that just keeps talking to try to make a point, there will come a point when silence will prevail or be rewarded. Staying calm in a heated discussion or hearing people out and then peacefully and thoughtfully stating an opinion nearly always works. And listening carefully allows us to really hear what people say. Many times, I am asked “And what’s your opinion Andy” and that’s usually the last opinion in the meeting. Whether it’s agreed on or not isn’t the point, it’s simply an effortless and less stressful way to go about the day. And that is the point. When we read God’s word and abide by it, things become much easier. Those words have been written as a guide for our lives. Not for us to read, agree with and then go off and do the opposite. Enough said!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, hold our tongues today as we enter the work place. We want to be wise with our words and show strength by being at peace – Amen!

 

quieter

We can’t all be CEO’S

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James 4:6

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

There’s role for all of us at work that God has planned out. When you feel like your itching to move on or your longing for more money and a grander title take stock of your current position and assess everything. And when you do that, look around you and look at the people who you work with, the ones you work for and the ones that work to you. Do they need you? Do you feel like you may have been put in the position for them? Even the ones that you work for? Has God got you right where he wants you to be? It’s possible he has. And as much as it’s tempting to go bigger you may be doing God’s work right where you are. It could be it’s where your meant to be. No higher. No Lower. It’s not often the way we look at our careers but The Bible tells us to be humble and to put others before ourselves. And anyway, even if you do end up in a higher position you’ll still be working for someone. God.

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, humble us today. We give thanks for the work we’re doing. Help us to put You first when we’re considering career changes – Amen!

Rest!

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Psalm 23:2

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters

As we get back into the swing of things at work it’s easy to go full on and not rest. We’ve had a few days over Christmas to rest so we feel like we have to work really hard to make up for it! But the verse above applies to all times of year. Notice the word ‘makes’ in the verse. He urges us to rest. For the good of our bodies and for the good of our relationship with Him. Leading us by still waters could be a stroll at lunch time. Or actually going out of the office to have lunch. Find a meeting room in the office to just sit and read. Even staring out of the window and giving thanks for all of our gifts and blessings is worth doing. Pace yourself this year, be at peace and make time for yourself and God. The work will still get done. You can trust God for that!

Pray with me

Heavenly Father, help us to rest and spend more time with You this year. We pray that our work will still get done and better! – Amen!