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.

1 Kings 13.33-34 describes, after this happened, Jeroboam kept right on doing evil, recruiting priests for the forbidden shrines indiscriminately—anyone who wanted to could be a priest at one of the local shrines. This was the root sin of Jeroboam’s government. And it was this that ruined him.

Jeroboam’s root sin should be so familiar to us because it is so prevalent among us. What was his root sin, the sin we see everywhere around us and perhaps even within us?

Jeroboam refused to worship God or obey His commands as prescribed by God through His word. Jeroboam, in his arrogance, felt he could worship God and obey what Jeroboam thought best, in order to please God.

The decree of God was for kings to copy in their own hand the commands of God so that they would personally know the will of God. They were to read this word daily so that they could ingrain into their very being the ways of God so they would consistently do the will of God.

Today the Bible is abundantly available to nearly anyone, almost everywhere in the world. Yet most people today who believe in God create their own belief about who this god is and what this god requires – little to any of which agrees with the word of God given to us by the One True God.

We, like Jeroboam, worship God how we think God should be worshiped. We obey God according to what we think He requires. In essence, most people have their own religion, living their own way even while claiming to be a part of a wider religious majority.

God will not judge us based upon our own thoughts of who He is or what He requires. Our accountability before God will be measured by the Word of God given to us by God so that we would always live lives pleasing to God.

If we would live eternally with God we must live today according to the Word of God.

His Opportunities

1. November 3rd CBMC Central Michigan will be hosting Mark Whitacre for an evening of celebration and invitation for participation in the continuation of the ministry of CBMC in Lansing. Join us from 7-9pm for testimony and dessert. Sign up HERE 

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

October 22, 2018 

Effective Leaders Embrace and Nurture Change

by Rick Boxx

Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Edith Onderick-Harvey discussed what she called “five behaviors of leaders who embrace change.” She expressed the view that 70-90 percent of mergers and acquisitions fail to meet their objectives often because of the reluctance of leaders to accept and embrace necessary change. Since change is inescapable, let’s discuss these five behaviors that Onderick-Harvey cites. 

The first behavior is to share a compelling, clear purpose. Have you ever had a boss demand something without telling you why? People are more willing to embrace change if they understand the reason that is compelling and clear. As Proverbs 20:5 teaches, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” Wise leaders clarify for themselves – and their team – the purposes for change. 

The second behavior is to look ahead and see opportunity. The author contends that all employees should be encouraged to look forward and help surface opportunities. Marion Laboratories founder, Ewing Kaufman, understood the value in engaging his staff in looking forward. The company was famous for holding annual meetings with all staff to announce the winners of the most innovative ideas. 

Proverbs 20:12 says, “Ears that hear and eyes that see – the Lord has made them both.”The Lord gives each of us eyes and ears to scout out new opportunities. Unleash that quality in your staff and change will go easier. 

The third behavior is to seek out what’s not working. There is always a need for discovering problems, but especially when major change is taking place. I once worked for a CEO who started off well. He visited the branches and listened to views from all levels of staff. It didn’t take long, however, before this CEO isolated himself. There were many significant problems he rarely heard about. 

In Proverbs 28:22 we are told, “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”When change is in your midst, make sure your staff feels safe to express their concerns. 

The fourth behavior is to promote calculated risk taking and experimentation. When confronted with risky opportunities, many organizations tend to ask, “Why?” Companies that handle change well tend to ask, “Why not?” Without the opportunity to take calculated risks and to fail occasionally, innovation will be stifled. 

God gave man the freedom to make mistakes, even big mistakes. In Genesis 2, God said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” To manage change well, give your staff the freedom to innovate and take reasonable risks without fear of reprisal. 

The fifth behavior is to look for boundary-spanning partnerships. Many businesses have departments or “silos” that hinder a unified approach to advancing the business. A large bank was implementing a major technology change that was going to impact many different departments. A team was formed that included key people from each of the departments. This approach allowed us to learn and address the unique challenges for each department, bringing a unified resolution to the problem. 

Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Boundary-spanning partnerships can help your organization strive toward greater overall unity. 

Copyright 2018, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx,” a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. To learn more or to sign up for Rick’s daily Integrity Moments emails, visitwww.unconventionalbusiness.org. His latest book, Unconventional Business,provides “Five Keys to Growing a Business God’s Way.”

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

October 22, 2018 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Do leaders in your organization – including yourself – seem to welcome and facilitate change, or do they seem to make changes more difficult to implement than necessary? Explain your answer. 

1. What is the difference between viewing change as a problem – or an opportunity? 

1. Why is it important to not only effectively communicate what changes must be made and why, but also give everyone affected the opportunity to respond, ask questions and express concerns they may have throughout the process? 

1. How do you understand what is meant by “calculated risk taking and experimentation,” and what are the positives and negatives of encouraging this approach to change? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Psalm 37:4-5; Proverbs 3:5-6, 11:14, 15:22, 16:3, 19:20-21, 20:18, 27:1; Isaiah 43:18-19 

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