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 Thessalonians 1:4-5, 7 records, therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering......and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 

Suffering and persecution are part of the Christian package. The fact that we in America have not had such experience here doesn't make it less true. The church globally has suffered much since its inception and continues to suffer greatly in the Middle East, Asia, and parts of Africa.

Now too, those who love the Lord in America and stand for unborn life, marriage between one man and one woman for life, absolute truth, Jesus as the only means of salvation for the world, will suffer loss of job, negative marketing and possible legal persecution. Suffering and persecution identify us with Jesus, Who being in very nature God, came to us as man in order to offer Himself a human sacrifice to pay for the evil all mankind has ever done.

Since He Himself suffered at the hands of men He has appointed His people to likewise suffer until He returns again to claim His kingdom over all of heaven and earth. Instead of cowering, instead of acquiescing, instead of trying to please those who ignore God and disobey His commands, the Christian is to humbly stand with God by holding fast to the Word of God recorded in the Scriptures and lived among us in Jesus.

This is how the church has transformed the world, through being crushed by the world, they have changed the world. When the church becomes worldly it loses its power, its impact and its influence as we see today. If we call ourselves Christian we must embrace our call to suffer for His Name’s sake until He returns again or calls us home to reward us for our faithfulness to His call.

Our Opportunities

1. Don’t let the Coronavirus keep you from giving. Help us win and disciple business men through your donations at: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing
2. Step one to becoming an effective ambassador for Christ in the marketplace is to pray for unsaved men by name. The easiest place to gather for prayer is at your place of business. CBMC helps Christian men form prayer teams. Check out our program here then email Mike for helping getting one started at your company. 

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

October 26, 2020 

Creating An Atmosphere of ‘Creative Abrasion’

by Robert J. Tamasy 

Recently I read social media comments presented by a business consultant and coach, Tim Kight. I have never met him, but I appreciate his pointed, practical thinking. What he posted about was the power of “creative abrasion. In other words, the value of disagreement.” 

Kight added, “When we have different perspectives and then engage in creative abrasion to test and refine our ideas, we produce better solutions.” His observations are both old – and new. Especially for our times, when it seems we have misplaced or abandoned the fine art of civil discourse. 

Many colleges and universities, for example, have created “safe zones” where students can retreat without fear of seeing or hearing viewpoints that differ from their own. Is this learning? Not having their ideas challenged? As protests, followed by rioting, have taken place in different parts of the world, it has become evident that everyone is talking – even shouting – but no one is listening. 

Even with the coronavirus pandemic, a variety of opinions and perspectives have emerged. Rather than applauding the free exchange of ideas, however, the media and politicians have largely discouraged this. Which, it appears, is to the detriment of everyone. “Creative abrasion” is regarded as an alien concept, something to be feared rather than embraced.

This kind of friction, however, is something I valued, even when I was not familiar with Kight’s term. Especially during my years as an editor of newspapers and a magazine. In meeting with the editorial team to plan upcoming editions, we each had different ideas. We allowed them to be presented, then would discuss and often, debate them. In the process, we invariably discovered the whole (the finished product) was greater than the sum of the parts (our individual contributions).

The fact that creative abrasion is not supported in many environments is sad, because this is hardly a novel idea. In fact, The Bible advocates this strongly. Consider the following passages: 

Friction is mutually beneficial. Imagine the blades of two knives clashing together, each making the other sharper. The same occurs between people, whether in a workplace setting, a marriage, a ministry, or a sports team. Rubbing up against each other, even with civil, congenial conflict, we can make one another better. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). 

Value in differing viewpoints. In court cases, multiple witnesses are often asked to give testimony so the judge or jury can receive a full, accurate account. In a similar sense, we might be convinced of our opinion or viewpoint, but if we are willing to listen to other perspectives, we may discover we are wrong – or that the best solution is a combination of a variety of ideas. “What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?” (Proverbs 25:8). 

Correction can be helpful. Pride can be a great obstacle in our pursuit of success, especially feeling self-assured that we are in the right, whether our thinking or actions. “Creative abrasion” might cause some pain, but in the end we often find ourselves better off because of it. “Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear” (Proverbs 25:12). 

© 2020. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; and The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. 

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

October 26, 2020 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. In your own words, what do you understand is meant by the term, “creative abrasion”? 

1. Have you ever seen this – constructive disagreement – in action, used positive, productive ways? Explain your answer. 

1. Why do you think this idea, allowing for and even encouraging the free exchange of different ideas, including the freedom to disagree, often receives disfavor? 

1. Give an example of a time when you have seen the truth of “iron sharpening iron” being practiced in the workplace. 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Joshua 2:1; Proverbs 10:19-21, 12:14,18; Mark 6:7; Philippians 4:9, 2 Timothy 2:2 

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