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.

Joshua 5.14 observes, Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, What orders does my Master have for His servant?

When we encounter God our response to Him is simple, what would you have me to do? It’s not complicated really. He is God, our Creator, our Sustainer, the One Who brought us into His world and allows us to live upon it. If we chaff at this idea of responding to God humbly and obediently it is because we are poor in at least two areas.

First, we don’t know God. If the word Master in describing God seems harsh to us it is because we do not know His heart. God describes Himself as humble and gentle, seeking to make our burden easy and our load light. A popular Christian song now describes well His character: God is a good, good Father.

God wants what is best for His world including our formation into holy people so that we become holy as He is holy. This means sometimes our lives are hard, like the work in losing weight, but the result is for our good and His glory which also results in our good. Obedience to God brings us abundant life.

Second, we don’t understand who we truly are if responding to God as a servant is unseemly to us. We did not choose to enter this world, neither have we chosen our looks, abilities, or opportunities, even our lifetimes. Certainly hard work with the talents and opportunities we have been given has paid dividends if properly applied but only because God gave us this time and place to appropriate them.

We have no power. We have no real strength. We really can’t do anything of great significance of our own accord. We cannot stop the common cold nor the death that awaits every person. No, while we are here on earth, we have one appropriate response to God Who placed us here, speak Lord, your servant is listening, what would You have me to do.

His Opportunities.

1. Tuesday, July 17th at the City Rescue Mission from noon until 1pm is your next CBMC Rescue Luncheon. This is your opportunity to serve lunch to the men and women who depend upon the Mission for their meal. Can’t attend but wish to cover the cost for the lunch? If interested in either, commit Here
   
   
2. June’s CBMC Rescue Lunch was sponsored by the National Restaurant Association. Let us know if you would like to sponsor the luncheon this month.
   
   
3. Join me August 9-10 for the global leadership summit. The Global Leadership Summit 2018, is an annual premier training event. It is expected to draw some 400,000 church and business leaders from around the world to conference sites in more than 550+ locations around the U.S. and many more internationally, where talks from world-class leadership experts will be beamed live via simulcast. If enough men wish to attend we can get a group discount, or form your own corporate group. It is being held at Trinity Church in East Lansing. More details HERE, let me know if you plan to attend as part of a CBMC group. 
   
   
4. CBMC is looking for more ministry partners in 2018. Join the Team Today.  COMMIT now.

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

July 9, 2018

Clarifying the Confusion Over Leadership

by Jim Mathis

An intriguing discussion topic these days is leadership, whether within the context of the marketplace, politics, the culture, sports, even the home. Many people seem eager to attain positions of leadership, but sometimes when we take an objective look at our world, it seems there is either a lot of confusion about what it takes to be a true leader, or a serious shortage of quality leaders.

What exactly is leadership? The best definition of leadership I have heard is one word: Influence .If you have influence over somebody, you are a leader. It may be as a parent with influence over children; a teacher with influence over students; or a business person that influences employees or customers. The ability we have for exerting that influence is called leadership.

We often think of leadership in terms of a position, such as a boss, CEO, or president. In reality, leadership has to be earned through respect, a history of good judgment, and the willingness of those you are assigned to lead to follow you. No matter what your title may be, if those under you do not respect you, or do not have a desire to be influenced by you, you will not be their leader.

So how do we know what it requires to be a good leader? What are the traits necessary for effective leadership? The apostle Paul, in Galatians 5:22-23, lists what he calls the fruit of the Spirit which are available to any follower of the greatest leader of all, Jesus Christ. These qualities also happen to be the characteristics of a good leader: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Let’s take a look at each of these, within the context of leadership.

For the leader, “love” involves compassion, understanding, and seeking to know the other person’s story. Joy makes itself known through a positive attitude, being an encourager. Leaders are peacemakers. They work to resolve and smooth over conflict in productive ways. Parents show peacemaking skills when they help their children get along with one another.

Business leaders strive to keep the workplace free of conflict and encourage friendly competition, not bitterness, with their competitors. Leaders also are patient; they do not jump to hasty conclusions or make rash statements.

True leaders cannot be influential without being kind. Kindness and gentleness are essential ingredients for any relationship where we want to influence somebody’s behavior in meaningful ways. Faithfulness is similar to integrity, displaying honesty, reliability and consistency. Finally, we have self-control. If we cannot control our own negative habits, we will not be able to effectively influence others. Overeating, overdrinking, foul and abusive language, or any other bad habits that show lack of self-control, minimize a person’s ability to lead.

All of us are in some position of leadership, whether we know it or not. Somebody is looking to each of us for guidance, whether by observing and copying our actions, or by verbally asking for some understanding or insight from us.

This list of qualities outlined in Galatians, the fruit of God’s Spirit, is instructive. We would be wise not only to learn and live them ourselves, but also to use them as a guide for considering and choosing what leaders we will follow. Ultimately, we can seek to demonstrate these traits by our own effort, but only through the power of Jesus Christ can they be fully manifested in our lives.

Jim Mathis is the owner of a photography studio in Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in executive, commercial and theatrical portraits, and operates a school of photography. He formerly was a coffee shop manager and executive director of CBMC in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com

 MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

July 9, 2018

 Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. How would you define “leadership”? Or what it requires to be a good leader?

1. From an overall perspective, what is your opinion of the quality and caliber of leadership you have observed – both in person, at work and in your community, as well as what you see presented through the mass media?

1. What do you think of the suggestion about following the biblical listing of “the fruit of the Spirit” as a guide for effective leadership?

1. Which of the items included on that list seem most important for effective leadership, from your point of view?

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Proverbs 20:28, 22:4, 27:23-27, 28:2; Mark 10:45; John 10:1-16; 1 Corinthians 13:13

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com