A Compendium of Project Management Humour to Make You Laugh
10 Things Every Successful Leader Should Do Everyday
As the new year begins the world is overflowing with resolutions and good intentions. We write lists, we vow to change bad habits and we feel that a ‘fresh start’ to the year can bring miracles and the success we aspire to. But how and when on earth are we supposed to do all that is the reply received from newly qualified project managers only weeks into their new positions when we describe some of the activities they should be focusing on to be successful as leaders.
You will know there are so many things to tackle on a typical day in the life of a project leader. Chances are you rarely end a day having done what you originally set out to do as day-to-day trivialities often get in the way. You spend most of your time solving unexpected problems. You might also feel very much out of control because what’s urgent–the daily work–always seems to take over what’s important–your ongoing work.
But with all of the idiocy that projects usually entail, did it ever cross your mind that between creating schedules and holding meetings that it’s important to make time to reflect? Most project managers are focused on routine and creating plans by nature and love the feeling of clearing the inbox and crossing things off lists as it makes them feel productive. However, there comes a time for most of us when we embark on a quest for greater fulfilment in our lives.
Here are ten things we ought to try to do every day. Cover these and you should be on your way to becoming a successful leader.
1. Sleep 7-9 Hours a Day
Slacking on sleep? Think six hours of sleep is enough? Think again. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, revealed that some people have a gene that enables them to do well on six hours of sleep a night. Disappointingly, this gene is extremely rare appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours doesn’t come close to cutting it. Most of us know that getting a good night’s sleep is vital, but too few of us actually make those eight hours between the sheets a priority. According to research “sleeping on it” does improve decision making. Naps are great too as they increase alertness and performance on the job, enhance our learning ability and help us purge negative emotions while enhancing positive ones. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) found that people who reduced their sleep time from seven hours to five hours or less had 1.7 times the risk of death from all causes.
So how much sleep do you need?
- Newborns (0-3 months): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day (previously it was 12-18)
- Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12-15 hours (previously it was 14-15)
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours (previously it was 12-14)
- Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours (previously it was 11-13)
- School-age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours (previously it was 10-11)
- Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours (previously it was 8.5-9.5)
- Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours (new age category)
- Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours (new age category)
2. Spend Time with Those You Love
Relationships are worth approximately £108,017 extra a year according to Daniel Gilbert, Harvard happiness expert. The longest-lived people on the planet all place a strong prominence on healthy relationships. Experts state that not feeling socially connected can lead to a heart attack, stroke, diabetes and people committing suicide. It is also proposed that 90% of the time we spend with our children is before they are nine years of age. In other words, there simply aren’t many things in this world more important than the connections we have with those we’re closest to, so make it a point to spend quality time with them every single day. Don’t take time for granted because you never know when yours will be up.
3. Pray and Meditate
Ever wonder why the world’s best leaders want to ‘meditate on it’? Well, there’s apparently a bright future for silence, especially in these shrieky, screechy times. We’re constantly cyber-connected, but never fully present. Rather than immediately checking your email and text messages in the morning, close your eyes and express gratitude for the new day. Appreciation unlocks a view of richness, as opposed to a shortage. After reflecting deeply on your blessings, pull out your project journal and write down your goals for the day as well as your big picture “vision” before taking the plunge. According to research prayer and meditation improves our relationships and can build an environment for aha moments. While stress narrows your perspective and that of your team and reduces empathy, negatively impacting performance. Prayer and meditation can help boost our mood and increase our sense of connection to others. Brain-imaging research suggests that meditation can help strengthen your ability to regulate your emotions. Steve Jobs did it. Hence the benefits should be considered by any smart manager.
4. Challenge Yourself
Do you think that successful people are just lucky or that they have a special potion they drink that propelled them to the finish line, no. They keep on keeping on, over and over and are not afraid to ask for help. The best way to stay competitive is to actively attempt to challenge your preconceived notions. Easier said than done, right? No. Increasing self-discipline just takes a little effort each day. Experts suggest that learning another language can keep your mind sharp and that music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging our beliefs reinforces our mind. Experts claim that not getting an education or taking advantage of prospects are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most. Make it a point to feed yourself knowledge every day, whether it be in the form of books, websites, television, etc.
5. Be Optimistic
Optimism is defined as “the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome.” – Mayo Clinic
Are you a “glass half-full” or a “glass-half-empty” kind of person? Have you ever met a successful pessimist? While the answer maybe no, we recognise that some people can be both. Optimism is the single most important factor to a leaders Success. Optimism can make you healthier, happier and extend your life. The Army teaches it in order to increase mental toughness in soldiers as being overconfident improves performance. Successful project leaders focus on the positive wherever possible — but not blindly! Optimism helps us spot opportunities we would miss if we were focusing on the negative. While you must always plan for the future and for potential pitfalls, you must believe there is a way across the chasms. Otherwise, you will turn back long before the journey is complete. Mindsets are like viral infections. One of the best things we can do is to surround ourself’s with successful people.
6. Keep Failure in Perspective
“This proverb says that if a person fails once, they should not lose heart. They should observe the mistakes that led to the failure and try to overcome them in their next attempt.” — Proverb
Once a project falls apart, we shouldn’t rush to blame the client or the team, instead, we should own up to what went wrong and forgive ourselves. It may sound soppy, but it won’t do us any good to torture ourselves over what we ought to have known. We ought to remember that failure is feedback and feedback is breakfast for champions.
We have all probably met project leaders who take pride in having a zero failure rate — or so they claim! Those people are usually dishonest or not as successful as they appear to be. Maybe they just got lucky or came into a large inheritance.
“Whatever humans have learned had to be learned as a consequence only of trial and error experience. Humans have learned only through mistakes.” – R. Buckminster Fuller
Never be afraid of failure. Remember, you’re trying to succeed brilliantly at something most people can’t do at all.
7. Learn to Say No
No is rarely celebrated unlike its cousin Yes that supports risk-taking, courage, and an open-hearted approach to life. However, sometimes you have to say “no.” Not every project proposition is a good one, and not all managers are right. Successful leaders know their limitations and will not take on every single project in the company. They know they sometimes have to back off and take care of themselves first.
Wielded wisely, no is an instrument of integrity and a shield against exploitation. It often takes courage to say no. It is hard to receive. But setting limits sets us free. Once you overcome your fear of saying no, you’ll realise how easy it is and how one little word can bring health, abundance, and happiness.
8. Laugh out Loud
“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Let’s face it: if we don’t like being at work, we’re just not going to do an amazing job. A day without laughter is a day wasted as humour is said to increase productivity and group effectiveness, trust, relieves stress, boost morale of the team and creativity. On the other hand, failure to laugh at work can make the daily grind a painful process that drags on at the speed of a turtle. Nevertheless, if workplace stress is too much to handle, stop reading this and start hunting for a more satisfying job. And remember
“If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.” — Proverb
9. Eat Healthy
Some people swear by it and brag about mental clarity, through-the-roof energy and weight loss. They go all day without eating, then, come dinner, fill their pie hole with whatever they want, bad idea. There’s a direct correlation between the foods we eat and our level of happiness. Spend time preparing at least one healthy meal every day, including vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains and lean meats or fish.
10. Exercise Everyday
Mounting scientific evidence supports the link between exercise and cognitive function. In other words, we cannot afford “not” to work out. Most successful leaders make physical fitness a top priority because a proper training program will help you have a better posture, exude more energy, and prepare you to handle the increasing demands of long hours and heavy travel schedules. Simply put, exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning. You’ll work smarter, not harder. President Obama breaks a sweat for 45 minutes, six days a week. Wendy Davis is no stranger to fitness. She’s “an avid runner and cyclist”. Warren Buffett doesn’t try to hide his less-than-nutritious food choices, but to make up for those indulgences, he’s taken to exercise, CNBC reported. Oprah Winfrey breaks a works out for 45 minutes six mornings a week. Exercise has been credited as Richard Branson’s No. 1 productivity secret and the No. 1 thing super-successful people do before 8 a.m.
Obviously, This list could be longer and represents just a handful ways good project leaders should use their day to fulfil the deeper imperatives of leadership, but you get the idea.
The Holy Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future
The Holy Spirit played an integral role in the birth of Jesus Christ. The Gospels tell us that Mary became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35).
The significance of the Spirit in Jesus miraculous conception isn’t just that Jesus was born of a Virgin, as true as that may be. As theologian Steve Studebaker explains, the Spirit enables the incarnation as the “Spirit creates, sanctifies, and unites the divine Son with the humanity of Jesus Christ.”
The role of the Spirit in Jesus’ conception is also significant because it also points to the fact that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah.
Anointed by the Spirit
When we read that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit played a dominant role throughout Jesus’ ministry. And this is, in part, what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah.
To be clear, being the incarnate Word of God does not make Jesus the Messiah—the Spirit does.
The Greek word Christ and Hebrew word Messiah both mean “the anointed one.” And in the Old Testament, the Israelites expected that the Messiah would be anointed with the Spirit.
When Jesus started his ministry, he was filled with the Spirit at his baptism. Afterward, he affirms Isaiah’s prophecy that “the Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor” (Luke 4:18).
As the Messiah (the anointed one), Jesus ministered “filled with the Holy Spirit’s power” (Luke 4:14). And long before his public ministry, we are reminded of this fact in Jesus conception.
Jesus Identity and Our Identity
The biblical stories of Jesus birth aren’t there just to tell us about how Jesus happened to come into the world. They are there to remind us of Jesus identity. As the angels told the shepherds, Jesus was not just any baby; he is “the Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
“The Spirit is central to both who Christ is and what he did.” The Spirit enabled the incarnation of the Son of God, and the Spirit-empowered Messiah came to bring redemption to the Israelites, and even for the whole world.
Likewise, the Spirit is central to both Christian identity and action. The Spirit gives believers new life, making them children of God. And the Spirit anoints Christians to continue in the Spirit-empowered ministry of Jesus.
May we be found faithful as we move forward into 2018.
Aussie Night Before Christmas
It’s great to have you mob (crowd) here today. Being an Aussie (Australian) I thought you might like to hear my Aussie Outback version of a Night before Christmas.
You’ll hear a bit of Aussie Lingo here this arvo (Australian language here this afternoon).
So let’s get a bushmen’s barbie going here (outback barbecue), with a Billy boiling on the campfire (Can for making tea)
You’ll hear a bit of Aussie Lingo (Australian language).
I want to tell you a story around the campfire about the Nativity. Imagine what it would have been like if Jesus was born in outback Australia.
Jesus, of course, was born in Bethlehem, not in the Never-Never (Outback Australia)
So our story is a bit of a furphy (a made up story) but only concerning the place, not the actual events. The events are all dinki-di from the Bible (The real story of these events are found in the Bible and are all true).
I won’t earbash you no more (I won’t talk a lot), so lets shake–a–leg (Let’s get on with it).
AN AUSSIE OUTBACK NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS; THERE WASN’T A SOUND. NOT A POSSUM WAS STIRRING IN BETHLEHEM’S TOWN. THE INN KEEPER’S TABLE HAD TUCKER AND BEER. BUT OUT IN THE STABLE, MARY’S BABY WAS NEAR; IF IT HAPPENED IN OUTBACK AUSTRALIA TODAY ON A HOMESTEAD UP NORTH, AND SO FAR AWAY WITH GOANNAS AND EMUS AND RED DIRT AND DUST WHERE CARS AND MACHINERY ARE COVERED IN RUST WHERE CROCODILES SNAP AND DEADLY SNAKES HISS I’VE GOT A FEELING IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS”¦ ON A HOT CHRISTMAS EVE, WE’D BE SAFE IN OUR BEDS, WHILE DREAMS OF PAVLOVA DANCE ROUND IN OUR HEADS; MUM IN HER NIGHTIE, AND DAD IN HIS SHORTS, WOULD HAVE JUST SETTLED DOWN TO WATCH TV SPORTS, AS THE KANGAROOS GATHER OUT ON THE PLAIN AND A KOOKABURRA LAUGHS IN THE GUM TREE AGAIN THE RED DOG STOPS BARKING. THE SKY’S PINK AND BLUE WE CAN HEAR DISTANT SOUNDS OF A DIDGERIDOO THEN UP IN THE NIGHT’S SKY A STAR SHINES SO BRIGHT; LOUD VOICES OF PRAISE WAKE US UP WITH A FRIGHT. WE RUN TO THE SCREEN DOOR, PEEK CAUTIOUSLY OUT, SNEEK ONTO THE DECK, TO FIND WHAT IT’S ABOUT. GUESS WHAT HAD WOKEN US UP FROM OUR SNOOZE, BUT A WHOLE HOST OF ANGELS DECLARING GOOD NEWS. AND ONE OF THEM STANDING ABOVE A GUM TREE, SAID THE SAVIOUR WAS BORN AND TOLD US WHERE HE WOULD BE. NOW, I’M TELLING THE TRUTH. IT’S ALL DINKI-DI. THOSE HEAVENLY ANGELS FILLED UP THE SKY. ONE LOOKED AT US KIDS, HIS WINGS WERE LIKE FLAMES, AND HE SPOKE TO US ALL AND CALLED OUT OUR NAMES. NOW, DAVO, NOW BAZZA, NOW, KYLIE AND SHANE! ON MAGGIE! ON SHAZZA! ON, STEVO AND WAYNE! GO TO THE KITCHEN, GRAB A QUICK DRINK, SCOOT DOWN TO THE BARN AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK!’ SO DOWN TO THE BARN IN THE OLD RUSTY UTE WITH HEARTS FULL OF WONDER, ALL OF US SCOOT, WE PARK BY A GUMTREE AND JUMP TO THE GROUND, THEN IN, THROUGH THE WINDOW, WE ALL LOOK AROUND. THERE WERE DROVERS AND SHEARERS, A MAN WITH A BEARD. AND HIS WIFE HAD A BABY WHOM THE WORKMEN REVERED; THEY WORE SINGLETS AND SHORTS, BECAUSE OF THE HEAT. THEY TOOK OFF THEIR HATS AND BOWED AT HIS FEET THE BABY AWOKE AND HIS EYES SIMPLY SHONE! BORN OF A VIRGIN, GOD’S ONLY SON! THREE SWAGMEN ARRIVED FROM FAR EAST OF THE STATION THEY’D BEEN SEARCHING ALL DAY FOR THE KING OF SALVATION A SWAG FULL OF PREZZIES THEY FLUNG FROM THEIR BACKS, AND WITH EVERYONE LOOKING THEY UNDID THEIR PACKS. THEY SPOKE NOT A WORD, BUT BENT DOWN ON ONE KNEE, AND PRESENTED THEIR GOODIES AND GIFTS. THERE WERE THREE”¦ ONE BROUGHT GOLD NUGGETS, A GIFT FOR A KING AND ONE BROUGHT HIM FRANKINCENSE, A STRANGE GIFT TO BRING AND THEN THERE WAS MYRRH FROM THE LAST ONE TO COME, WHEN HE SAW US HE WINKED AND HE HELD UP HIS THUMB; THEN THE ANGELS APPEARED CLEAR OUT OF THE BLUE; FLUNG OUT THEIR WINGS AND PREPARED TO SHOOT THROUGH. THEY BELLOWED OUT LOUD AS THEY SWOOPED PAST THE GATES – ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND GOOD-ON-YA, MATES!’
© by Ross Cochrane
Failure ‘Is a Stepping Stone to Success’
This proverb says that if a person fails once, they should not lose heart. They should observe the mistakes that led to the failure and try to overcome them in their next attempt.
In the course of my life, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss this concept with many people. And have learned that how you handle your failures, setbacks and mistakes will ultimately determine whether you soar with the eagles or gobble with the turkeys.
Once a project falls apart, don’t rush to blame the client or your team, own up to what went wrong and forgive yourself. It may sound soppy, but it won’t do you any good to torture yourself over what you ought to have known. Just remember that failure is feedback and feedback is breakfast for champions.
Did you know that every successful person who has ever lived has experienced more failure than success!
You may have heard the story about Thomas Alva Edison an American inventor and businessman. Thomas invented the electric light bulb, but when experimenting failed over one thousand times. While most people would have given up after the fifth attempt, Thomas kept going, he kept stepping out of that dark cave called failure until the light turned on. He later said,
“I’ve not failed; I just discovered ten thousand ways that wouldn’t work.”
Failure is one of the keys to success because it teaches us more. Surely someone’s told you to ’embrace failure’ before. If you find yourself in that place, you need to step out. But what might that involve?
It might mean making a phone call to confront a situation that you’ve been avoiding for a long time. It might mean opening a book that you’ve been meaning to study for a project because it feels so overwhelming. It may mean writing a letter or sending an email to get a new job that would be a dream to you or it may be trying to acquire a new skill that will lead to significant growth in your life.
Don’t listen to negative people. Fear of failure immobilizes you, restricts you to that dark cave, prevents you from moving forward in life and hampers your chances of success. If you get “knocked down”, get back up again.
“A mistake is only a mistake if we fail to learn from it.”
Have you heard of a man called Ray Croft. Ray tried many business ventures throughout his life and nearly every venture he tried failed. He was almost bankrupted. But he kept going and when he reached the age of 55 he had a brilliant idea to establish a restaurant. This restaurant would only serve burgers and milkshakes. The first one opened in the United States and people started flocking in. It was America’s first fast food restaurant. His logo was like golden arches. This restaurant was so successful that he said I have another idea, I’m going to build another one in another state, and he built another and another. In 1973 the first one was opened in Southeast London. Ray Craft became a millionaire because he refused to give up. Failure would not let him down, he said I’m going to keep going and out of failure came success.
Abraham Lincoln is arguably the greatest president the USA has ever had. I don’t know whether Donald Trump will surpass him. When Abraham Lincoln started out in life, he failed in many things. His first job was working as a stock keeper in a shop and he failed at that. Then he became a surveyor, but he failed at that. He then entered the army but failed at that. He started to practice law, but he failed at that. He then decided I’m going to enter into politics and he even failed at that, but he kept going. He kept trying until one day he was elected president of the United States. He didn’t give up and out of failure came success. It is the law of nature.
On the other hand playing it safe can also be risky. It puts you out of action. You choose to forgo potential opportunities and push yourself into mediocrity. Buckminster Fuller, the renowned American philosopher, architect, and inventor, popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture once said,
“Whatever humans have learned had to be learned as a consequence only of trial and error experience. Humans have learned only through mistakes.”
Remember failure is not the greatest enemy. But in action is. Have you ever heard the phase, it is better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all. It’s similar with failure. It’s better to have tried and failed then never to have tried at all, because in the end, in the act of trying there is exhilaration, there is power and learning taking place.
Never be afraid of failure. Remember, you’re trying to succeed brilliantly at something most people can’t do at all.
7 Simple Ideas to Become a Better Leader
Successful leaders are hard to find. The culprit behind this enormous change is our increasingly selfish, self-centred, self-absorbed “Me” culture courtesy of our growing obsession with personal branding and social media.
While that’s unfortunate, there is an unforeseen silver lining. If you have a burning desire to accomplish great things and be a successful project leader, you’ve got less opposition than ever before. All you’ve got to do is break from the regular crowd and embrace the seven simply traits that I believe make great project leaders, well, great.
1. Successful Leaders are Highly Authentic
“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.” Oprah Winfrey. It’s true; you can make it big with an enormous ego and an imposing personality. How else do you explain Donald Trump, with all due respect, of course? Customers, employees, and media all want to help authentic people to succeed. Leaders never try to be something they aren’t. I’d like to think of it as standing in your own truth. If you don’t know something, admit it. This is not just an endearing quality; it’s an extremely underrated and powerful leadership trait, as well. If you don’t agree with a statement someone else has made, don’t grin and bare it. Instead, honestly admit that you don’t see it the same way as the other person. Tomorrow’s leaders are transparent about who they are online, merging their personal and professional lives together. Warren Bennis had a knack for making stellar leadership seem both rare and attainable. “Becoming a leader,” he wrote, “is synonymous with becoming yourself. As a leader, you have no greater leverage than the truth.
2. Good Leaders Never Stop Learning
Are leaders born or made? The answer is both. Some amazing people enter the world with a natural ability to lead and attract followers, while other leaders are nurtured. However, I’ve never known a successful leader who lacked intelligence, critical-thinking skills, and an honest thirst for more knowledge. The key is to be curious. If you can master this you will be in good company. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” Curiosity makes you want to figure out why things happen and why people react in certain ways. It makes you want to read and write and talk to others about topics that interest you.
3. Successful Leaders are ultra-Likable
Most people have succumb to an incorrect belief that being likeable comes from natural, unteachable qualities that belong only to a lucky few—the good looking, socialites, and the astonishingly talented. However, I’d like to remind you that social skills, like any skills, are completely learn-able and will help you in your job and life. We often lose sight of the simple things – things that not only make us human, but can actually help us become more successful. Making a better impression on those around you and developing a stronger reputation can go a long way. The art of touch is equally important if you want to become more likeable. Touching eliminates the physical barrier of distance, and so it eliminates the emotional barrier that the distance represents.
4. Successful Leaders are Emotionally Secure
Insecurity runs through leadership in epic proportions. The trick is to discover and intercept the warning signs of insecurity within yourself. Successful leader’s don’t come from a place of insecurity. If you want to lead for the long haul, you need to be an emotionally secure person. You need to understood who you are, where you are from and where you are going and have an incredible clarity of mission and purpose. Start from a positive place and others will notice. Our insecurities kill our confidence. Learn how to recognize them within yourself, so you can eliminate them.
5. Successful Leaders are Fearless
I’m considered a very “safe” person. I tend to be very risk averse and only take a chance on something when I’ve analysed and calculated it to the extent that it is no longer a risk. Demonstrating leadership courage – whether it’s having an uncomfortable conversation, communicating when you don’t have all the answers, or making a decision to move ahead on a new project – can be scary.
However, I’ve never known a great project leader to back down from a challenge on an issue he or she felt strongly about. It’s time to ditch the rose-coloured glasses and face the facts. Real conversations may be awkward and uncomfortable, especially if conflict is involved. Expect people to perform and deliver on their commitments, and have courage to call them out when they don’t follow through. Remember that accountability begins with you so model the behaviours you expect of others.
6. Successful Leaders are Positive
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey
Positive leaders have a natural tendency to look at the cup as half full, not half empty and focus on what they can do, not what they can’t do. Positive people also have a high degree of self-respect, but refuse to take themselves too seriously! They realize that assertive, confident communication is the only way to connect with others in everyday life. They avoid judgmental, angry interchanges, and do not let someone else’s blow up give them a reason to react in kind. Positive people seek the help and support of others who are supportive and safe. Isn’t it enough that we have persistent negativity in news, on our homepages, and on social media. Be a light in a world. Being positive will make you a pleasure to talk to and more people will want be around you.
“Leaders are called to believe and see a beautiful, bright and expansive future for those who can’t see one for themselves.” Dean Jones
7. The Best Leaders Know How to Listen
“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway
Listening is a leadership responsibility that never appears in the job description. The workplace is fuelled with the stress and pressure of each day so when employees say they want their voices to be heard, they are really saying they want leaders who will not just hear them, but really listen to them. Great leaders listen to people and are open to new ideas. They know how to balance the head and the heart. If you are an old-school leader, don’t be afraid to express sentiment or feel that it will weaken your stature or authority as a leader. Ronald Reagan was a master of showing empathy towards others.
If you foster the above qualities, you’ll join the ranks of those who spend their holidays with friends, their sunsets at dinner parties, and their workdays surrounded by people that love and respect them for who they are, not what title or position they hold.
“As a leader, you have no greater leverage than the truth.” – John Whittier
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Jesus, Decor, Accessories and Throw Pillows
In the 1990s, the Bristol neighbourhood of Stokes Croft was a hub of unchecked creativity. The vast Victorian façades, many of which had been abandoned to the elements, were a ready-made canvas for street artists such as Banksy and Robert Del Naja (also known as 3D), who became household names. Sound systems piled into squats while the police turned a blind eye, fostering global stars such as Tricky and Massive Attack.
Two decades on, and Stokes Croft is increasingly home to artisan coffee shops, burger bars and craft ale pubs that signify urban modernity. The graffiti, once a marker of lawlessness, is now consigned to council-sanctioned tourist sites.
Is urban regeneration about more than the material? Absolutely ”¦ It’s about a piece of heaven on earthDoug Anderson
But every Thursday evening, its proprietors meet here to worship, where they stand in a circle and smile knowingly at one another: more yoga session than sermon. This is the LoveBristol church. Its members pursue idiosyncratic beliefs within a loose structure — a belief in prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the power of the Holy Spirit in instigating modern-day miracles.Advertisement
They also believe in urban regeneration. The church runs a range of startups and social enterprises in the neighbourhood, including a second-hand furniture shop and a vintage clothes store. These enterprises, which generate funds for charities and community arts projects, channel the ethics of Bristol’s famous street art: an active, communal idealism and an earthy, back-to-nature spirituality. A prominent mural on the wall above LoveBristol HQ reads: “Think Local: Boycott Tesco.”
The church has even invested in the property market. The Stokes Croft ethos of collective living (in the past, many of the large abandoned buildings around here were home to squatters) survives in a rather more cosmopolitan iteration: LoveBristol has bought two community houses for members, part of a network of religious communes throughout the city.
You don’t want areas to be deprived and people to have no opportunities ”¦ that’s what this area used to be likeNeko Griffin
In the context of Christianity, of course, gentrification takes on a new, existential dimension. This became clear in bizarre fashion last year, after a woman in Fort Mill, South Carolina, prophesied that Bristol was about to become “the healing capital of England”. Despite never having heard of Bristol, let alone visited it, she proclaimed that an “outpouring of healing is coming to that region … Seeds planted years ago have come to full maturity”¦ Winds of change are blowing and a changing of the guard is coming.”
3 Tips for Dealing with a Manipulative Project Co-Worker
Are you stuck working with a project manager who is manipulative and dishonest? If you are, you’re not alone!
Today’s workplace is a cut-throat environment with everyone trying to get ahead in some way, shape, or form. It’s no surprise that there are malicious, sneaky project managers who will do anything to get a leg up to succeed or survive, even if it means throwing you under the bus. Like a clever politician, these project managers keep their desires hidden, but underneath a friendly and charming exterior is a highly destructive individual whose goals are power and control. Pretending to pursue the greater good, he or she adopts the mantra of “company first” with a fervency that inspires admiration and respect, and most people accept his or hers claims of a selfless pursuit of noble causes.
Regardless of your industry, profession, experience level or company, these manipulative people exist and, if given the right opportunity, they can ruin your reputation and career prospects. They’ll tell you that the entire team hates you, thinks you’re arrogant, stupid, or incompetent, and attempt to manipulate you into believing that their opinions are objective facts. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology called it “social undermining” and “bottom line mentality.”
“According to a recent survey, roughly 90% of folks who read this post are presently working with at least one person who, mentally, would be described as a manipulator”.
Proving yourself in a new organization is hard enough. When someone manipulates and lies about you, it can hurt your relationships, your reputation, and your career. Luckily, Project Journal has 3 tips for effectively dealing with this workplace danger.
1. Don’t Ignore Your Gut
I should’ve seen it coming. Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear-cut answer to the question “Friend or foe.” If you find yourself putting up your guard around a co-worker, you might wonder if you’re imagining things and being paranoid? Well, maybe you are, but under no circumstances should you ignore your feeling. From experience, this is often the very first sign of trouble. Weak leaders sometimes resort to emotional deceit as a weapon for getting things done. Try to consider facts objectively. Manipulation is normally felt, rather than heard or seen, so you must listen to your gut.
What makes you mistrust this person? Do they constantly gossip? If so, be careful as those who gossip to you, will probably be doing the same about you too and like Mom always said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Plus, you don’t want to get caught up in the drama when people find out about this control freak’s gossiping.
Trust that you will be thrown under the bus when “stuff” hits the fan. If you’re still unsure, you should run their behaviour by objective people you trust. As trust is built on the foundations of a good relationship, instead of basing trust on someone’s words, observe their deeds.
2. Dealing with a Bad Apple
There’s a lot to be said for the old saying, “One bad apple can spoil the whole barrel.” Not only is that true for fruit, but it holds a lot of merit in the work environment. Rude behavior is contagious. Toxic manipulative employees have an unhealthy ripple effect that harms co-workers, managers, and subordinates alike. They lack positive personality traits, such as genuine concern for others, a generous and understanding nature, a desire to teach and encourage, a desire to have straightforward dealings with others. They dwell in a very dark place lit only by their own ambition.
“It takes just one malicious employee among the ranks to wreak havoc on your team’s culture.”
Healthy human interactions are not dominated by manipulation. If you feel you can’t trust them, don’t. Manipulators do not communicate openly. Instead, they resort to flattery or play the victim to gain your trust and sympathy. Through artful, indirect and devious methods, they influence and control others and have a fair amount of social support, most likely because no one wants to be on their bad side. But that doesn’t mean their behavior isn’t harmful.
Your priority in this situation must be to protect your professional standing. Begin documenting every instance of destructive behavior and take it to a higher authority. When a co-worker starts manipulating you and ignoring the behavior doesn’t work, distance yourself, if possible and keep all correspondences. When colleagues try to sabotage you, they might tell you lies to cause you to make mistakes. The more you cover yourself, the less you have to worry about. Change your passwords, shut down your computer when you leave your desk, and keep sensitive documents under lock and key. Remember to “choose your words carefully when sending emails so that things you write can’t come back to bite you. Unfortunately, if you lose your cool, you will be in danger of looking undignified.”
“When you know what a man wants you know who he is, and how to move him.”
’- George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
It can be tempting to excuse the antagonistic worker who seems zealous about his job, but clearly, those employees may be undermining the entire workforce. Being direct lets the other person know you’re aware of their manipulative behavior, and in some cases, that may be enough to nip it in the bud. If you stay out of their world of negativity, you will be a much more difficult target for their manipulation.
3. Counteracting Sabotage
Manipulators are blind to the serious defects in their character, but keenly aware of the slightest weakness or imperfection in others. They are judgmental, suspicious, demanding and calculating, all negative personality characteristics. Even their outward charm is cold and calculated. Before you can deal with the situation, you need to understand the impact.
Is it a small lie with little effect? Is it a big lie that requires damage control or even legal action? Consider how others might view the situation. Although it may be difficult, the best choice might be simply to move on as the people who make it in the long-term are the ones who are honest, hardworking and able to maintain their professionalism.
“According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, workplace sabotage is on the rise in this difficult economy.”
If you choose to directly address the situation. It is critical to use neutral language and tone of voice. Do not stoop to their level, it is important to keep your integrity. Consider having witnesses to your conversation so it’s not your word against theirs.
Your final action can be accepting an apology and moving on, or it can be reporting the lie to a higher authority. In extreme cases, it can be making a formal complaint or hiring an attorney. It’s smart to search for job postings, even when you have no intention to quit. Obviously, you don’t want to let one bad apple lead to your resignation but, if nothing else, knowing you have options can help you feel more empowered and in control of the situation.
Other signs sabotage may be in the works: You don’t receive a promotion or responsibilities you logically should have gotten; cold or averse behavior from management that is (seemingly) out of nowhere; sudden and unexplained alienation by individual co-workers or even entire cliques; or unwarranted and continuous kind behavior from someone that was formerly aloof, ambivalent or even aggressive.
Manipulative behavior is widespread, but fortunately, it doesn’t exist everywhere. Do you have manipulative co-workers? How do you dodge their requests and still manage to pave a successful career path? Tell us what you think?
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9 Inspirational Sayings from Dr. Benjamin Carson
Find out the mindset that transformed Ben Carson’s life, from a poor performing student to one of the greatest neurosurgeon in the world. Allow these quotes to inspire you to think bigger.
Read and be blessed.
- Sometimes you are unsatisfied with your life, while many people in this world are dreaming of living your life.
- A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of flying. But, a pilot on the plane sees the farmhouse and dreams of returning home. That’s life, enjoy yours.
- If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets. But only poor kids do that.
- If power ensures security, then officials should walk unguarded. But those who live simply, sleep soundly.
- If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages. But those who live simply, walk humbly and love genuinely!
- All good will come back to you!
- Man asks, “Where was God when Myles Munroe, wife and his associates were killed in a crash? He answers, “The same place I sat when John the Baptist my servant was beheaded. When Stephen my servant was stoned to death. When Paul my servant was murdered in Rome. The same place I sat when my only Son was brutally crucified, wounded, bruised and killed. I have not moved from my position.”
- I am the same. It is not the means of exit from earth that matters but the destination. Live simply. It’s all about God!
- If someone asks about your educational background, proclaim boldly that: Church is my college. Heaven is my university. Father God is my counselor. Jesus is my principal. The Holy Spirit is my teacher. Angels are my classmates. The Bible is my textbook. Temptations are my exams and overcoming Satan is my hobby. Winning souls for God is my assignment. Receiving eternity is my degree. Praise and Worship are my slogan.
Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American neurosurgeon, author, and politician who is the 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, under the Trump Administration. Prior to his cabinet position, he was a candidate for President of the United States in the Republican primaries in 2016. Born in Detroit, Michigan, and a graduate of Yale University and the University of Michigan Medical School, Carson has authored numerous books on his medical career and political stances. He was the subject of a television drama film in 2009. He was the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland from 1984 until his retirement in 2013. As a pioneer in neurosurgery, Carson’s achievements include performing the only successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head, pioneering the first successful neurosurgical procedure on a fetus inside the womb, performing the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins, developing new methods to treat brain-stem tumors, and reviving hemispherectomy techniques for controlling seizures. He became the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the country at age 33. He has received more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees, dozens of national merit citations, and written over 100 neurosurgical publications. In 2008, he was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
Successful People Always Leave the Office on Time?
Politics and Project Management, a Lesson in Leadership
We all know that the more power you have, the better you are able to get the job completed. The problem is most project managers have lots of responsibility, but hardly any authority and since most projects exist outside core business structures, they are forced to develop other methods of influence.
One unspoken evil that is often ignored on project management training courses is the politics of project management. While most of us view politics with disgust; there is no refuting that effective project managers are often seen as those who are equipped and able to employ fitting political strategies to further their project goals.
“In a Perfect World the Best Workers Would Be Promoted on Merit Alone and the Best Ideas Would Be Adopted Regardless of Personal Interest – but We Do Not Live in Utopia”
Have you ever included ‘office politics’ as a risk on your risk register? Probably not. Though, consider the potential implications of ignoring the ugly stepchild of project management?
“The Objective of Office Politics Is to Manipulate a Situation in Order to Achieve an Outcome That Will Benefit One Individual or Group at the Expense of Other Individuals or Groups.”
While it is unlikely that ‘office politics’ would be listed directly as a risk on your risk register, it is quite likely that one or more of the outcomes of it would. As a result, if you want to survive and prosper in the real world you need to combine good work with smart politics to ensure your own success and that of your projects. The biggest mistake a project manager can make is to assume that politics in project management doesn’t exist. After all, politics is human nature and has played an integral part in history since the dawn of civilization.
In a group where working interactions are fraught with tension and individuals have their own personal agendas or want to be “top dog” personal conflicts will often get in the way of the project aims. Issues between members of the team become the over-riding concern both for the individuals afraid and sometimes even the project manager. Meetings can consist of jostling for power or simply trying to justify your position and when that happens progress on the project will undoubtedly suffer.
For most project managers, playing politics is a form of slow, soul-destroying torture where logic, self-control, transparency and trustworthiness are replaced by deception, concealment, and sabotage. However, ignoring the external and internal politics surrounding your project or organization is dangerous. Successful project managers need to understand organizational politics and how to make them work for project success.
In the case of project politics you can use these key techniques in a constructive manner:
Carefully Manage Your Own Conduct
- The first rule is to at all times act in a way that commands respect and beyond that, respect others. That means not gossiping, spreading rumors or getting sucked into interpersonal conflicts and arguments. Maintain your honesty!
- Be positive as a positive outlook is a choice that you can always make and remain professional.
- Be confident and firm but not hostile and make sure you take organizational perspectives, not a personal one when voicing objections or giving criticism.
- Always assume things will be disclosed, so don’t rely on confidentiality.
- Over time you will learn what works in your organization’s culture and what doesn’t. Try to watch other people and identify successful behaviors that you can model to navigate the political minefield.
Review the Organization Chart
- Sit back and watch for a while. Identify the real influencers, those who are respected, champions, those who have authority but don’t use it, the mentors and last but not least the true brains behind the organization. Then re-map the organization chart in terms of political influence as politics will often bypass the formal organization chart.
Understand the Social Network
- Once you know who’s who in the organization, you have to understand the social networks. This involves identifying who gets along with whom, groups or cliques that have formed and ongoing interpersonal conflicts. Over time you will learn who has the most trouble getting along with others and the basis for the interrelationship whether it be friendship, respect or manipulation, including how the influence flows between all parties.
Build Good Relationships
- Now you need to build multiple networks but avoid aligning yourself with one group or another this way you can keep your finger on the pulse of the organization.
- Don’t be afraid of politically powerful people and instead, develop relationships that cross the formal hierarchy in all directions.
- Build your relationships on trust and respect and avoid empty flattery.
Use Your Social Network
- You will need to learn to use your social network to stay clear of negative politics. You can do this through positive political action.
- Use your network to gain access to information, build visibility of your achievements and improve difficult relationships.
- Attract opportunities where you can shine and seek out ways to make yourself, your team and your boss look good.
Counteract Negative Play
“The Expression, Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer” Couldn’t Be Any Truer When It Comes to Office Politics.”
- Your mapping of the organization will help you to identify those people who use others for their own political purposes, and not for the common good. Know that these people typically have low self-worth (that’s why they rely on destructive politicking to get ahead). Always be very careful what you say to them. Understand what motivates them, their goals, and how to avoid or counter the impact of their politics
- Remember loyalty is not a reliable factor in the workplace!
“It is easy to become a target if you’re ambitious or if you strive for change. One of the biggest mistakes we make in our career is to assume that everyone likes progress. This is not true’Å —’Å many are content with the status quo and will defend it with their life.”
Projects are rarely easy and office politics can compound other sorts of problems that arise so they need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly.
Story of ‘Samson’ Comes to Sight and Sound Theatres (Interview)
Sight & Sound Theatres rarely do anything small. So no surprise that its new show, “Samson,” is on an epic scale.
“This is our 27th original production,” Josh Enck, president and chief creative officer of Sight & Sound, told the crowd of almost 2,000. “And this is our 40th year. We started in 1976 and we are (now) the largest faith based theater in the world.”
Sight & Sound tells Bible stories. In the past, they’ve tackled the stories of Moses, Jonah, Noah, Daniel, Joseph and Ruth. Shows generally run a year and the tourism here gets a boost every spring when Sight & Sound opens a new show.
“It’s the biggest tourist attraction in the county, with an average of 800,000 people visiting the theater each year according to Sight & Sound.”
Plenty of souvenirs will be sold. The gift shop is filled with all things “Samson,” from magnets to T-shirts to mugs to water bottles.
How highly anticipated has this new show been?
When the “Samson” title was announced almost a year ago, more than 50,000 tickets were sold within 24 hours. A number of “Samson” shows are already sold out.
So how epic is “Samson”?
Well, the stage is so huge it requires three stage managers (most shows only use one).
The cast numbers 54 actors, 34 live animals are featured and more than 7,000 yards of material was used for the costumes. Bringing it all together has taken more than three years.
“Jeff Bender, the writer, producer and director of the show noted just how many people were involved when he joked, “What you are about to see here has so many finger prints on it, a CSI agent couldn’t figure out who’s responsible for it.””
And the tweaking continued almost to the end. “We had a pretty long night this week,” said Kerry Ashton, the production stage manager, who oversees the cast and the stage managers. “Mostly we were (tweaking) the lighting, staging and set changes in order to draw focus (on the right things).”
“Considering just how huge everything is, the team did a masterful job of guiding the audience where they wanted them to look. And the show glided along beautifully on opening night.”
The show is filled with a gentle humor, and a comforting Christian message that we all make mistakes in our lives, but if we turn to him, God will love us. It is a gentler message than shows in the past, which sometimes contained some fire and brimstone. There are solid performances by Michael Niederer as Samson, Johnny Russell as the nasty Philistine, Commander Gaza and Tricia Bridgeman as Samson’s mother.
“We have a lot of additional aspects with special effects, with stage combat, with stunt falls that are all a part of the show,” “Samson” actor Michael Niederer said, “so, it’s been amazing to bring it together and finally have it in front of an audience and they really seem to be eating it up.”
10 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About Animals
Here, I offer ten amazing facts about animals that should affect how we think about them and how we treat them.
1. God communicates with animals
This is the best explanation for the migration of the animals to Noah’s ark. In Genesis, God told Noah to build an ark in order to save himself, his family, and the land-dwelling creatures from the coming flood. However, he didn’t tell Noah to go out and round up the animals. He told him to bring them into the ark (Gen. 6:19), which meant to simply receive them. When it was time for the flood to begin, the text says the animals “went into the ark to Noah” (Gen. 7:9). The only explanation for the actions of the animals is that God drew them to the ark. God communicated with them directly, and they responded.
Another example of God communicating with animals can be found in the experience of the prophet Elijah. When Elijah fled from Ahab, king of Israel, he went to an area east of the Jordan River. The Bible says God commanded ravens to bring him food while he was there, and they did (1 Kings 17:4-6).
These examples don’t tell us that God is in regular communication with the animals, but they make clear that such communication has occurred. It is certainly plausible that God interacts with animals more than we realize.
2. God cares about the well-being of animals
We often quote Matthew 10:29-31 to emphasize God’s concern for humans. In this passage, Jesus helped his listeners grasp the extent of God’s concern for them: If God cares about the death of a common bird, he certainly cares about the needs of humans. That isn’t all we learn from this passage, however. Jesus also gave us insight into God’s attitude toward animals. True, humans are “more valuable” than a common little bird, but Jesus didn’t say that animals have no value to God. In comparison to humans, the little sparrow has little value, but God still values the life of that little sparrow enough to be moved by its death.
It isn’t just that God notices the sparrow’s death, like one might notice that the wind is blowing. Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that God is emotionally invested in that sparrow. He cares about what happens to it; he just cares more about what happens to people. Once we acknowledge that God is emotionally invested in birds, i.e., animals, as well as humans, we are now talking only about a difference in the degree to which he is, not whether or not he is.
The story of Jonah also offers insight into God’s concern for animals. After Jonah preached and the people of Nineveh repented, Jonah expressed his displeasure at God’s decision not to send destructive judgment on the people. In confronting Jonah about his hard-hearted attitude, God reminded Jonah that not only have 120,000 people been spared, “many animals” were also spared (Jonah 4:11). The well-being of these animals mattered to God.
In addition, Scripture teaches that God is personally involved in feeding the animals. Psalm 104:14 is instructive here. It says God “causes” the grass to grow for the cattle. The Hebrew text uses the causative form of the verb “to grow” to reveal this. God isn’t simply passively watching nature take care of its own. Verse 21 continues this theme when it says the young lions “seek their food from God.” Pulling these individual examples together, the psalmist speaks of animals in general, saying, “They all wait for You (God) to give them their food in due season” (v. 27).
3. God enjoys animals
In Psalm 104:31, the psalmist declared, “Let the Lord be glad in his works.” Clearly the statement speaks broadly of all that God has created, but it is preceded by a long description of God’s interaction with animals–wild goats, rock badgers, beasts of the forest, young lions, animals both small and great (see vv. 18-30). In a few more verses, the psalmist used this same word translated “glad” to describe his own joy in God. He said emphatically, “I shall be glad in the Lord” (Ps. 104:34).
It isn’t difficult to fathom that animals bring God joy when we consider the joy we get from watching our own children. We even enjoy watching animals with whom we have no creative connection. Given that, it is understandable that the one who created all things would enjoy them.
4. Animals reveal God’s sovereignty
When Job complained that God had mistreated him, God pointed to creation to help Job understand his sovereignty. Animals figure prominently in his response to Job’s attempted indictment. God reminded Job that it is he who provides for the animals (Job 38:39-41). He appointed them their place in creation (Job 39:6). God also pointed out that he is more powerful than the feared Behemoth and Leviathan by the very fact that he is their creator (Job 40:19; 41:10). While they may be beyond Job’s reach, they are not beyond God’s.
In response, Job acknowledged God’s sovereignty. He said, “I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). The fact God used examples from the animal world to convince Job of his sovereignty suggests strongly that this is part of God’s intended purpose for his creation of animals. God has built wonder into animals, and by design, they point humanity to him as the great and only sovereign.
5. Animals bring glory and praise to God
In Psalm 148, the psalmist called on everything to praise the Lord. He included in this call sea monsters, beasts, cattle, creeping things and birds (vv. 7, 10). The final verse of the final psalm of the entire psalter reads: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 150:6). Even though they don’t do so with words, animals still bring glory and praise to God.
By their very existence animals: (1) Point to God as creator. Animals are as much the product of God’s creative energy as any other part of creation. (2) Point to God as love. God loves life so much he creates it in seeming endless variety. (3) Point to God as designer. Animals fill a crucial part of the symbiotic relationship between all of creation. (4) Point to God as artist. Animals are a living display of the natural beauty God has built into creation.
6. Animals are reasoning creatures
Some deny that animals are capable of reasoning. They prefer to credit instinct for their decision making skills. They believe that animals are “as smart as they need to be” to survive. I believe this is simply not accurate. Animals are smarter than they need to be. I have witnessed my dogs on many occasions trying to communicate with me. They make up for their lack of language by finding other ways through their reasoning abilities to communicate their will.
In the Bible, God reveals animal intelligence through the unusual encounter of Balaam with his donkey (Num. 22:21-33). In that incident, the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way and moved aside. Balaam became angry with the donkey because it wouldn’t obey him. Yet the Angel of the Lord credited the donkey’s quick thinking for Balaam’s deliverance. He declared, “The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you” (v. 33). The donkey recognized the danger and made a decision to get out of the way of the Angel, whom Balaam couldn’t even see.
Furthermore, we have all seen animals use tools to get food. They don’t need to use tools to eat. They have sources that don’t require the use of tools, but they have the reasoning capacity to know that a tool will help them get food. Also, we have all seen animals run from danger. How does an animal know it’s in danger? It must understand something about life in order to seek to protect itself. We credit reason for human responses to avoiding danger. Why wouldn’t we credit animals with reason when they do the same thing?
We cannot completely eliminate the concept of instinct as we think about animals, but at the same time, we shouldn’t rule out the evidence that animals are also capable of reason.
7. Animals may have a more acute awareness of spiritual reality than we realize
The incident of Balaam and his donkey brings into focus another insight about animals. It reveals that it is possible for animals to see angels (Num. 22:21-33). In that incident, Balaam was spared death at the hands of the Angel of the Lord because Balaam’s donkey “turned aside” when it saw the angel. The text does not say the Angel of the Lord revealed his presence to the donkey. It tells us simply that the donkey saw the Angel.
Humans see angels when the angels want to reveal themselves. The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord without his self-revelation. In fact, judging from the Angel’s comments to Balaam (see v. 33), the donkey was actually acting contrary to the Angel’s intentions. We could understand it if the Angel said he wanted the donkey to help Balaam avoid the fate he had planned for him. But the text does not say that. A plain reading of the text suggests that the donkey was actually frustrating the plan of the Angel. The donkey saw the Angel without the Angel’s assistance.
This conclusion gains further support when we see that the Lord had to empower the donkey to speak (v. 28). If Moses recognized the need to tell the reader the Lord empowered the donkey to speak, he could just as easily have said the Lord enabled the donkey to see the Angel of the Lord. Yet, he doesn’t tell us that.
While we should not attempt to develop a major doctrine around this single event, it still raises significant questions about our understanding of the relationship of animals to the spiritual world.
8. Animals have the capacity to enjoy life
The psalmist was lighthearted when he described the joy animals feel. In Psalm 104, he said God formed the sea creature Leviathan “to play” in the sea (v. 26). The Hebrew word translated “play” occurs fairly regularly in Scripture. King David used this word to describe his celebration as the ark of God was being brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:21). He was ecstatic. The psalmist said this beast of the sea can also be ecstatic.
The book of Job supplies additional insight. There, God, himself, described the joy animals experience. He mentioned the ostrich flapping its wings “joyously” (Job 39:13), and the beasts of the field “playing” in their surroundings (Job 40:20).
This isn’t some foreign concept to us. We have all seen animals playing. The testimony of Scripture and our own experience remind us that animals are more than automatons driven by instinct. They are beings with the capacity for joy.
9. Animals teach us about the nature of justice
In Robert Bolt’s play, A Man for All Seasons, Sir Thomas More delivers a brilliant summation of God’s purpose for creating the angels, animals, plants, and humanity. Regarding animals, he observes God created them “for their innocence.” It is difficult to find a better description of animals than this. Animals appear to lack the capacity for moral reflection. They simply do what they do. Scripture supports this understanding. It was humans who ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not animals (Gen. 3:1-7).
This observation of animal innocence is not only important for our understanding of animals. It also helps us understand our sense of justice. When we ask why we are offended by cruelty to animals, we recognize we are reacting to an innate sense within us that is repulsed by wanton violations of their innocence and vulnerability. This recognition helps us understand some of our motivations for our criminal justice system. When we punish acts of aggression against our fellow humans, we are responding to violations of their innocence and vulnerability. Such violations should be punished. Our sense of justice demands it.
Furthermore, we learn about divine justice from animals. Israel’s biblically mandated practice of substitutionary atonement provides this lesson. Scripture teaches that rebellion against God is sin. God’s holiness demands a penalty in response to this rebellion. In other words, God requires justice. Either the guilty person or an acceptable substitute must answer for human sin. God created the sacrificial system in Israel to help his people understand this reality. He commanded that this system regularly kill innocent animals in order to satisfy the demands of his divine justice (Lev. 16:1-34). The innocent animals would bear the sin of the people. This bloody display served as a symbol for what was yet to come–when the innocent Son of God would offer himself as the true, eternal, substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of all humanity (Rom. 3:21-26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 10:1-18).
10. Animals belong to God
Psalm 24:1 states without reservation–“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.” This fact is repeated regularly in Scripture. While God commanded the first man and woman to “rule over” every living thing (Gen. 1:26), He was not relinquishing ownership of every living thing.
In fact, God did not relinquish ownership of anything (Col. 1:16; Rom. 11:36; Heb. 2:10). He put the man and the woman in the Garden to “cultivate it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). He even gave humans authority over it, and after the Flood, he gave us all of the rest of creation for food. But none of this assignment of authority and power included a transfer of ownership. Humans serve a stewardship role toward creation, not an ownership role (Gen. 2:15). This stewardship pertains to everything and is intended to include an attitude of respect (Lev. 25:3-5; Num. 35:33). The animals are subject to humans, but they are not ours to do with as we will. They belong to God (Job 41:11; Ps. 50:10-11).
Conclusion
The reader will no doubt notice that most of my biblical references are from the Hebrew Scriptures. When one looks to the New Testament for evidence of the place of animals in God’s creation, there is less to work with. There are good reasons for this dearth. First, the New Testament is built on the revelation before it. It assumes the foundation of the Hebrew Scriptures. So, there is no need to repeat what has been previously stated. Unless the New Testament affirms that its teachings supplant the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures, we are to accept their infallible guidance and truth as we do those of the New Testament. Second, the New Testament is dealing principally with the establishment of the church. The writings that comprise it are mostly related to the immediate demands of this endeavor.
Drawing from this entire biblical witness, we can make some important conclusions about how to think about animals. First, we must recognize that animals may very well be co-inheritors with us of the new creation. When we consider that animals were part of God’s original design for his creation, it is plausible that they are part of his eternal design, as well. In his letter to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul said all of creation was subjected to the corrupting effects of the Fall and that the day is coming when it too shall be freed from this corruption (Rom. 8:18-22). There is no reason to suspect that animals are not part of this vision of a redeemed creation. The prophet Isaiah saw a day when humans and animals would live once again in perfect harmony (Is. 11:6-9). The Apostle Paul may be telling us this is a vision of eternity, not only of the millennium.
I’ll confess that I am not one who believes that animals go to heaven when they die. I don’t see any biblical evidence for this. But given these statements from Isaiah and Paul, we should give more consideration to the place of animals in eternity. They may not be the same animals we have come to love in our lifetimes, but it seems they have a future beyond the Fall. Whether we are talking only about the millennium or about all of eternity, animals deserve to be treated with the dignity such a future bestows.
Second, we must lose some of our anthropocentric view of creation and replace it with a theocentric view, where God is engaged with all of creation, not only humanity. While a theocentric view of creation should not cause us to equate humans with the rest of creation, it should cause us to treat the rest of creation with more respect. God is interested in all of creation, not only humans. After the Flood, he covenanted with all flesh on the earth, including the animals, never again to destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 9:11-17). The fact that God would enter into a covenant with the animals tells us something of his love for them. We, therefore, should be more concerned about all of creation, including animals, too.
Third, these biblical truths about animals mean we should be engaged in activities that help the rest of creation fulfill God’s design and interest in it. Possibly, we don’t know all that means. For example, who would have guessed that God would use the ravens to feed his prophet? He might very well be doing similar things in some part of the world today. Consequently, we should help to empower creation, not as its slaves or its equals, but as its caretakers.
Fourth, we must abandon unbiblical notions about animals and embrace a more biblical view of our animal co-inhabitants. The Bible compels us to develop a better appreciation and respect for them. I’m glad science is revealing many enlightening truths about the animal world. But it is clear that Scripture has already revealed much of what science is discovering. Animals are much more complex than they at first appear to be. We should do all we can to better understand them and their place in God’s creation. It will not only be good for them, but us as well.
God put animals on the planet and gave them a mandate as well. Part of the human calling is to help them fulfill this mandate in a way that enables them to reach their full potential in creation. They not only enrich our lives. They point to the creator of all things. Animals are not only worthy of our respect. They deserve it.
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