Fabrice Muamba is showing small signs of recovery. This is brilliant news. Maybe its even more proof that prayer works. I have been interested to note the number of folks who I would not previously have labelled religious in any way, who have been coming out and saying that they are praying for him. Or they are exhorting us to join them in praying for him.

Don't get me wrong, I think its great when people pray. And I also think its super that people have surprised me by saying they are praying. A lot of hard-nosed footballers who I would have expected not to believe in a god are now wearing t-shorts saying Pray 4 Muamba. Brilliant.

Do they really believe that prayer works? Are they seriously expecting people to get to their knees? Who are they wanting us pray to? I find it strange sometimes that people proclaim loudly that God doesn't exist when things are going well but yet instinctively resort to prayer when the chips are down. Remember how full the US churches were in the immediate aftermath of 9/11?

I'd like to think that if prayer is an important part of our makeup then we will pray all the time. If its not then why do we do it at all? Are we guilty of borrowing other people's values when it suits us because our own don't fit the current situation? Does it lead us to question our own values and possibly change them after the event?

Maybe people simply have never stopped to consider what is really important to them and it is only times like these that make them look at their own lives. Bill Shankly was quoted as saying that football was not a matter of life and death, it was more important. Powerful rhetoric that falls apart during events like Sunday. When it comes to actual life or death, everything else pales into insignificance and we do well to remember that more often.

So yes, please continue to pray for Fabrice Muamba. And anyone else you know that needs help, comfort or healing. Not to mention the people of Syria and other strife-blasted regions. And after you pray, take five minutes to consider what is really important in your own life. Then live it with this at the front of your mind. Always.

Sportsmen and women, like leaders need to be competent at what they do if they want to have an effect on the world around them; their competition or their organisation.If they are not capable of the technical requirements of their job then they won't last long. Compare someone like Jessica Ennis who today is competing in the World Indoors pentathlon and setting records. She is obviously very good at what she does. Likewise, we want to be proficient at what we do, whether it is for a job or for leisure, so we can develop and grow.

That's not all there is to it though. In sport and in life, we need to be people of good character if we want to cope with the power that comes with being competent. Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker of Ranger FC have been in the news today because they are willing to take a 75% cut in their wages. Contrary to popular belief, top footballers are not motivated to play by huge sums of money. These two, and by the sound of it most of the other playing staff, are keen to see their team survive and succeed again and their loyalty has over-ruled their bank manager. Too often recently we have witnessed footballers being dishonest, unprofessional, petulant or downright  illegal in the way they have conducted themselves. Politicians have made the news for similar reasons. How heartening it is then to hear of these Rangers players leading the way in a good sense.

Lets have more of that, in the news and in our own lives. 

Could you work with Vladimir Putin? Reports this morning say he has announced that he has won the election and is back in power but there are questions around the legality of the elections.

Do you have people that announce things that benefit themselves, without consideration of any consequence for others? Are there people in your work place who take things that may or not be theirs to take? How do you react and how do you let it affect you?

Some of us get angry and annoyed. It's easy to do. It feels justified - the other person was obviously wrong and the more we tell ourselves that, the more convinced we become. Before you go too far down that route though, stop and check. It could be they are entitled to make the announcement and that it is not their responsibility to check how you will feel first. Deal with it - in this case you are the one causing yourself the problems by choosing to feel aggrieved or annoyed. You also have the choice not to feel that way but . accept the situation and move on instead. Likewise, if they have taken something, it could be that actually it does by rights belong to them. Again, deal with it.

If however they have taken something that you believe they have no right to, then something maybe needs to be done. First, check whether your perception is indeed the correct one. It could be they have simply borrowed it and neglected to ask first. Alternatively the question of ownership may not have crossed their mind since they assumed it to be company property available to anyone. Before you shoot your mouth off, making life more difficult for you and others, get the facts and try to understand other people's viewpoints. If it is just that you got the wrong end of the stick then the situation can be dealt with quite easily - you accept that you are the difficult person to work with and, assuming that's not what you want, you can make some changes.

On the occasion that you are right, you may need to actually involve other people if the individual has contravened one of the written or assumed company policies. In that case, clear up the matter as quickly and tidily as you can, retrieve the article and then forgive them. Move on. Metaphorically or possibly to a new job if you've just blown the whistle on a senior manager.

Alternatively, hold a grudge against that person for ages into the future, adding it to the other misdemeanours that stick to your jaundiced and stereotypical view of them thereby making it even harder to work alongside them in the future. Your call.

So people think the government's work placement scheme is unfair and consequently businesses are pulling out. Am I alone as a youth worker in thinking that there is lots of merit in it? At the xpand Life College, we see placements as being an integral part of young people learning what it is like to be at work, even when that work is not what they ultimately want to spend their whole career doing. They learn the essence of professionalism, workplace etiquette, social competence and they get practice of getting up every morning and showing up. They don't get paid for it but recognise that there is merit in it for them and so they carry on going. Some of them enjoy it too but they all learn from it.
Now I'll admit I haven't delved deep into the detail of the scheme and am merely shooting my mouth off based on what I have heard on the radio today, and Radio 1 at that but my thoughts are:
1) It sounds like some of the people who are receiving money from the government because they are seeking a job, are complaining that they have to do work while they wait for their job to appear. Surely if they just want to sit around and do nothing then they technically aren't seeking very hard and merely sponging.
2) Can people not see that in the current climate a job of any description, voluntary, placement, low-paid or whatever is a better stepping stone to the next job than doing nothing? A hole on your CV never looks impressive.
3) There seems to be a complaint that if they choose to leave their placement then they get their benefit cut off. Is that not good practice for the way it is in proper work? I'm guessing the rules are the same as when I last signed on that if you leave a job voluntarily you can't claim benefit immediately. Making the rules similar for these placements would provide another source of learning from experience that if you can't stand the heat and decide to get out of the kitchen then you shouldn't expect Nanny State to come and bail you out immediately.
It seems many employers are crying out for workers with more resilience, who are willing to work hard and possibly even get their hands dirty but who above all are able to conform to the ways of working that our society requires. They want people who are willing to be part of a team who all pull together rather than individuals who are merely out for personal gain; rights without responsibilities. Surely these are things that people will gain from work placements.
I certainly wouldn't condone employers taking advantage of these job seekers, which I can imagine does happen occasionally, but I also don't want to see society lapsing into a state where everyone is happy to shirk any responsibility that might come their way in the hope that someone else will provide financially for them.
I will end now and prepare for teaching the Life College students about resilience - it'll be hard but I expect them to thank me for it later.

My latest newsletter was about dealing with people you find hard, because you don't like or respect them. (If you haven't subscribed yet then click here to read it). One of the things I talked about was not bitching about them behind their back. Today, amidst all the talk of giving up things for Lent to make yourself a better person, I suddenly thought, "why don't we ever use this time for personal development, for changing our attitudes for the better". We only tend to talk about fasting and missing out food like chocolate but increasingly people are looking at a broader understanding of giving up things. Granted, the idea of giving something up is as a sacrifice, to prepare us for Easter and to mirror Jesus fasting in the desert so maybe developing ourselves by giving something up might not fit for some of you.

If you have no other plans for Lent though, consider sacrificing one of the habits that you are least proud of. Maybe it will be something related to how you deal with your colleagues and co-workers. What could you do differently that will make you easier to work with? How could you stop being annopying in return, to the person who constantly winds you up? What poor reactions do you want to stamp out when someone frustrates you at work?

Whilst this might be harder than giving up chocolate and may not have such a visible effect, it could be the start of new ways of behaving that ultimately make you a more attractive person to deal with. If you need help working out how to manage the change or make it stick then get in touch for a free chat

I've had to find a new video editor after my previous online site shut down. So to celebrate I went out biking, strapped my camera to the handle bars (who needs a headcam?) and made a short video. Watch the Youtube version here:

So you want to start something, poke the box, step out in faith to do something risky? Great! When are you going to do it? Oh you haven't decided that bit yet, its just an idea you want to get going on sometime soon?

Does this sound like a familiar conversation from your head or with people around you? I suspect that we are all guitly of procrastinating, especially when time is precious and initiatives are risky.

You really need to put some dates in your diary though, for time that you will spend doing these things that you want to start. Stop reading and go fetch it, or your calendar or whatever planning device you use and mark in it the day or hour when you plan to start.

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Right, now that you have done that, here is another new idea for you, with dates already associated with it. When was the last time you stepped aside to consider your spiritual position, to reflect on your higher purpose and to strengthen that aspect of your existence? Maybe you go to prayers regularly or have a planned time of meditation or similar. Many of you probably don't though, but might have considered doing something. But what is 'something'?

I am part of a group who runs wilderness retreats for people just like you, who want to take some time aside and consider life in all its fullness. These wilderness retreats will take you to an island and give you time to reflect but also guide you in some activities that assist you in that process. Generated from a Christian perspective they are designed to be inclusive and give you space for your own expression and thoughts in an inspiring and wild setting.

To know more, read the flyer below and then contact us for any further discussion of how it works.

_ To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To live is to risk dying,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.
Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
And the realist adjusts the sails.