Malyon Workplace

How Our Work Shapes Us – Kara Martin

Great article from Kara Martin describing how our work can shape and fashion us:

“We need to be more aware of the different forces working on us, while we work: shaping our worldview, forcing us to choose, impacting on our character. How do we react to different people that we work with? How does the culture of our workplace impact on us: affecting our behaviour, the way we see ourselves, the way others see us? How do we make decisions, and what do those decisions indicate about us? Does our working draw us toward God? Does our working make us feel alien toward our faith?”

Competition? ?I always want to win?

?The trouble with the rat race is that even when you win you?re still a rat? ?Lily TomlinGJH PIC March12 b

Introduction

Is competition God?given, and therefore fundamentally good? ?Or a result of the fall and therefore fundamentally bad, or somewhere in-between? To what extent are you motiv
ated by your competitive instincts in your workplace? Like ambition, competitiveness can be a very positive Christian quality when it channels the drive to fulfil our God-given potential to be creative, to serve, to step out in faith. It can also be very bad when it leads to self-obsession, self-aggrandizement and self-promotion. [Read more…] about Competition? ?I always want to win?

The Gift of Work

Short article focussing on the themes of the purpose of work and vocation. ?

Lane Severson provides a helpful acronym for G.I.F.T.:

G is for “give.”?The first step in creating something beautiful is that we give something of ourselves to our work. This doesn’t mean that we have to be artists. I’ve seen people create excel spreadsheets that showed creativity and passion …

I is for “imagine.”?Your work today is probably not a beautiful garden. At best it is an empty field. And there is probably some garbage that needs to be cleared out before you can even get started with the hard work of creating something beautiful in your work. This is why imagination is so important. You have to have a vision for what your work could look like. I have a couple hints for doing this effectively. [Read more…] about The Gift of Work

?Fruitfulness on the Frontline? ? a six week course for equipping whole-life disciples

Fruitfulness on the FrontlineOur friends at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity have done it again!

They have just released a resource package that will without doubt be an outstanding success and a critical resource in helping Christians to be fruitful on their frontlines – workplace or elsewhere.

Full details of the package can be found here but in summary: [Read more…] about ?Fruitfulness on the Frontline? ? a six week course for equipping whole-life disciples

30 ways to bless your workplace

The following suggestions as to how you can bless your workplace come from this website.? It is interesting to notice how many of these very practical ideas for engaging people in the workplace involve food!

The workplace is an everyday?context where many people spend the majority of their time. It is important for us to know what it looks like to?bring gospel intentionality to our jobs. Hopefully this will help spark a few ideas for connecting with and blessing your coworkers.?

  1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.
  2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.
  3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.
  4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.
  5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.
  6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.
  7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month.
  8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.
  9. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.
  10. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job.
  11. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.
  12. Find others that live near you and create a car pool.
  13. Offer to throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby.
  14. Offer to cover for a co-worker who needs off for something.
  15. Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don?t be selective on the invites).
  16. Organize a weekly/monthly pot luck to make lunch a bit more exciting.
  17. Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you?re out.
  18. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.
  19. Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families.
  20. Visit coworkers when they are in the hospital.
  21. Bring sodas or work appropriate drinks to keep in your break room for coworkers to enjoy. Know what your co-workers like.
  22. Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook.
  23. Find out your co-workers favorite music and make a playlist that includes as much as you can (if?suitable for work).
  24. Invite your co-workers in to the service projects you are already involved in.
  25. Start/join a city league team with your co-workers.
  26. Organize a weekly co-working group for local entrepreneurs at a local coffee shop.
  27. Start a small business that will bless your community and create space for mission.
  28. Work hard to reconcile co-workers who are fighting with one another.
  29. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day.
  30. Lead the charge in organizing others to help co-workers in need.

 

Myth 6: We work to earn money, so you may as well earn as much of it as possible

This week’s workplace myth from the Threads team challenges our thinking about our pay packet and hy we work. ?I particularly loved this sentence from Sarah-Jane Marshall:

“I can still buy into the lie that my paycheck tells me how much I am ?worth? or that the social standing of my job determines my significance in the world.? And equally I can be snared by the falsehood that the good I am doing through my work earns me special favour in God?s eyes. I can still forget that my identity is ultimately in Jesus.”

Read the full article here.?