Our Mission

To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission. 

2 Corinthians 4.5,10 proclaims, we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants on account of Jesus.........always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.   

The evil one blinds men from understanding and thus receiving the truth from God commonly known as the gospel. This message from God; His creation of us and deep love for us, not understood by us, because of our rebellion against Him that must be reconciled, has been made possible through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This gospel, has been entrusted to His people for delivering to all people so that all people can be reconciled to God. 

The means of delivering this gospel effectively is for those with the gospel to serve wholeheartedly those without the gospel. We cannot fight men but must love men unto reconciliation with God. All these divisive issues in our culture must be pushed aside so that the gospel can be presented, blindness to truth can be healed, imprisonment to death can be broken, and ignorance of God can be replaced by faith in Jesus as Savior. 

How can the Christian become a slave to men? By living as Jesus did, dead to self and alive to the will of God which is the work of God; the seeking and saving of the lost to restore them to the Father thus building God's kingdom upon earth as it is in heaven. Death to self is the means of serving people unconditionally. Death to self is the means to loving God unequivocally so that we do everything possible to see Him known and obeyed by all men everywhere even as we ourselves know Him and obey Him everywhere. 

Living like Jesus means loving like Jesus by serving like Jesus so that all men come to know and love Jesus. This is God's will for God's people in Christ Jesus the Lord. 

Our Opportunities

1. Our first luncheon is scheduled for May 12th and our second luncheon is scheduled for November 2nd. Create a list of men you want to see come to saving faith in Jesus and begin now to pray for them. Make every effort to stay connected to them so that when you invite them to our luncheon the invitation is easy on your part and the acceptance easy on their part. Details will follow in the months ahead but planning to attend and praying for men is something you can do now.
   
   
2. Opportunities abound within CBMC for meeting with other men. Prayer Groups, CEO groups and young professional groups only need YOU to make them happen and to help you fulfill your ministry in the marketplace. Contact Mike today to join or start a team. 

1. You can partner with us here: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com

 MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

March 7, 2022 

5 Steps From Struggling To Thriving In Business

By Rick Boxx 

In my banking and consulting career, I helped many struggling companies become profitable. Many businesses have folded recently, and many more are doing all they can to survive. I would like to highlight five steps that can help your business become financially stable and move toward thriving. 

1. Know the Condition of Your Flocks. You need to know the true market value of your assets, have an accurate accounting of all debts and obligations, and understand your current cash flow, including your last month’s revenue and expenses. Proverbs 27:23 teaches, “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds.” This obviously applies to the well-being of your people because they are your greatest asset. However, your finances are equally important. If you do not have accurate financial information, find a good bookkeeper immediately! Without good financial information, your chances of survival are slim. 

1. Raise Cash. Struggling businesses are always cash starved. Many businesses have unproductive or underproductive assets. Let me suggest two ways for raising cash. First, many companies have underutilized equipment or inventory, or accounts receivable that can be converted to cash. Second, begin reducing unnecessary expenses. In Exodus 4:2, God said to Moses, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” God utilized an unproductive asset of Moses – his staff – to become a productive tool that stunned Pharaoh, the Egyptian king. What do you own that God can use to provide a much-needed infusion of cash for your business? 

1. Project a Realistic Future. Without a financial plan, you will continue with bad spending habits or miss your sales goals. If your company is struggling, strive to convince your creditors to work with you, to develop alternative payment strategies so you can stay in business. This, in turn, requires that you create a realistic plan for your company. Proverbs 21:5 instructs, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” Your plan needs to be a conservative projection using current sales numbers. If you build your expense structure and debt repayment around reasonable sales numbers, you will have a chance of attaining your goals. 

1. Communication. When I was hired to collect bad or defaulted loans at a troubled bank, I learned to appreciate those who openly communicated with me. Out of shame and uncertainty, people often refuse to communicate their struggles with their creditors. Instead of helping, this impedes chances for success. If someone communicates honestly with me, I can help develop a repayment plan. For those who “dodge” me, however, I will typically become inflexible. As Ephesians 4:25 admonishes, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” If you are struggling in business, cast pride aside and communicate candidly with your creditors. 

1. Focus on Customers. Since the pandemic, several restaurants I have visited have taken customer service to a new level. They realize their survival is hinged upon retaining and growing happy customers.
   
   
2. When a business is struggling for survival, there are so many urgent issues, it becomes easy to overlook the reason why you started the business – to meet the needs of your customers. As Romans 15:2 says, “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” To survive you need to take the steps we’ve been discussing, but somehow you also must find the time and energy to please your customers. 

Copyright 2022, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “UBN Integrity Moments”, a commentary on faith at work issues. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community. 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

March 7, 2022

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How would you assess the stability of your company or organization right now? Is it thriving, or is it struggling, working hard to survive? How has the pandemic and restrictions that accompanied it affected your business? 

1. Is cash flow a problem for your business – or has it been in the past? What assets might you have available that, if necessary, could be sold and converted into needed cash for immediate or future needs? 

1. Most of us would prefer to operate according to an optimistic, best-case-scenario perspective, but in troubled times it is usually best to make reasonable, even conservative projections. How then can we go about trying to forecast a realistic future? 

1. Why do you think customer service is an early casualty when companies are in difficulty? How can that common pitfall be avoided? What are positives that can result from an insistence to always focus on the customers’ best interests? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 11:14,24-25, 12:1,15, 14:4, 15:22,32, 16:20, 18:15, 19:20, 22:3, 28:20 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com