Our Vision

All men in the marketplace fully evangelized and discipled until every man lives as a godly leader in the home, the church and the marketplace resulting in all men experiencing the power of one God, the value of one man and the leverage of one team.

Gifts can be made today through the CBMC Store or mailed to “CBMC” 4708 Okemos Rd. Ste. 2 Okemos MI 48864.

Listen to Detroit Lions receiver Mike Furry's Message

from our April 18, 2008 event

Download Mike Furry message (MP3)

His Word

Romans 2.7 records we are to seek glory, honor and immortality. The Lord expects His people to do good works which glorify Him. Sin has moved the focus of glorifying God to glorifying men. Instead of using all of our personal resources and all of the earth’s resources to glorify God we use them to glorify ourselves. Instead of measuring ourselves by how much we have done to expand God’s Kingdom in the earth we measure ourselves by how great our fame and fortune has become. It is in our nature to seek glory, honor and immortality. However the seed God sowed into men was for those things to be based upon Him. Satan has twisted that seed through deceit causing us to want what truly belongs to God – glory, honor and praise. Men have tremendous capacity as noted by our accomplishments throughout history. This makes sense since we are image bearers of God and He has commanded we take dominion over the earth. God will hold men accountable for their works. He will not be impressed by our works done for our benefit. The Lord is a worker and He desires fellow laborers to join Him in His harvest. The faithful man whom God will greatly reward will be that man who has done everything he could to make the Father’s business bigger and better on the earth.

His Opportunities

Thank you so much.  To those men who have given so generously to help us continue the work of winning men to Christ I say THANK YOU. Through the end of July expenses exceeded income by more than 16k. This deficit resulted in paychecks being about 35% of what they should have been. BUT, August looks like income will exceed expenses resulting in a full payroll check – this sure makes paying bills easier! We praise God for the response of His people. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know Who holds the future. Thank you for your help.

Next Outreach Luncheon will be September 18th at the Country Club of Lansing. Our guest speaker will be Hondo Carpenter, sports director for WLAJ. Register here and begin praying for the unchurched men you will invite to attend this luncheon with you.

 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the world’s business community
A Publication of CBMC International

August 18, 2008

COMPETITION: HEALTHY OR UNHEALTHY?

By: Rick Boxx

Tom, a friend of mine, had a dilemma. His successful real estate business was facing a serious
challenge from a competitor that was aggressively seeking to lure his clients away. To make the issue more complicated, this competitor also attended Tom’s church, a member of the same spiritual family.

"How do I handle this situation with integrity?" Tom asked me. My response to him might surprise you.

In the Old Testament book of Proverbs we find these words of counsel: "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you" (Proverbs 25:21-22). Since we do not deal a lot with burning coals in our society, at least as we see in this passage, it may seem like a strange admonition. What is it talking about, “heaping burning coals”?

To help readers understand what this means in real life terms, one commentary on the passage refers to an old Egyptian ritual where an individual would carry a basin of burning coals on his head to reflect his change of heart. Putting this practice in the context of what we are told in Proverbs, it suggests that by being kind to our competitors, we may succeed in turning their hearts toward God.

So what was my advice to Tom: I recommended that he offer to become this person's mentor – to teach her proper business etiquette, and perhaps to win the professional friendship of someone who would reconsider her attempts to steal away his business. Most importantly, I told Tom, he would be pleasing God, no matter what the outcome.

Such a strategy certainly would run counter to the typical response to competition. When confronted with a strong competitor, our immediate impulse is to search for a way to gain an advantage or to undermine any inroads they had made to our business. Our first thoughts usually are not on how we can “kill them with kindness.” All we want to do is dispense with them entirely or at least minimize their impact on our companies, sales and profits.

Yes, in many ways this seems like a radical idea. It definitely seems to run counter to prevailing business “wisdom.” But this is one reason the book of Proverbs is known as a book of wisdom, one that has survived for thousands of years and transcended the shifting trends and prevailing ethical winds of the business and professional world.

Here is my suggestion to you, if or when a similar competitive situation arises: In your own business, try treating your competitors with respect and kindness, demonstrating the fairness and sensitivity with which you would like them to treat you. As unlikely as it may seem initially, you might find it possible to turn an enemy into a friend.

(Copyright 2008, Integrity Resource Center, Inc.) Adapted with permission from "Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx," a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. For more information about receiving Integrity Moments in your e-mail box, www.IntegrityResource.org.

 

 

Contact CBMC Mid-Michigan
Mike Winter, 4708 Okemos Road, Suite 2, Okemos, MI 48864
Phone: 517-321-4523, Fax: 517-321-4363,