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.          

Psalms 40.9-10 declares, I proclaim Your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as You know. I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving help. I do not conceal Your love and Your faithfulness from the great assembly.

This is what we so desperately need at this time in America; the people of God proclaiming the ways of God so that all people will walk in obedience to God. The church, the people of God, have concealed the words of God being ashamed of the Lord their God resulting in men living in defiance of God. This defiance has led to the chaos, destruction, polarization, and breakdown in our society we see today.

The will of God is for us to love one another, to be at peace with one another, to accept one another where we are free to live differently but in obedience to God (think alcohol, smoking, movies etc) and be in unity with one another. The will of God becomes the will of men when men have surrendered themselves to the will of God. This surrender is the product of the gospel beginning with repentance from disobedience and turning toward God and then His people and God’s Word for direction, instruction, and encouragement to live God’s ways.

Those who know God can no longer hide from men. We must identify with Jesus, share Jesus, and live as Jesus lived. We must be willing to give our lives so that others may live. Like Jesus, calling men to faith in God will cause some men to hate us but it will cause most men to love God, become reconciled to God and open the door for them to live forever with God.

If we care at all for country, if we love our neighbor at all, if we truly love our God, then we will do that which is best for man and that is share the love of God in Jesus Christ and call men to obedience to His ways for in obeying God we find life everlasting,  a life of peace, joy and hope forevermore.

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. Wednesday, September 16th is National Business Day of Prayer. Join us in praying for the marketplace. Register and learn more here
3. 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

August 24, 2020 

Minute For A Mid-Year Goal Review?

by Jim Mathis 

 Each year my wife and I have an annual meeting, just the two of us, on New Year’s Day. That is what we did on January 1 of this year. Admittedly, that seems like a long, long time ago, given what the current year has already served us! Nonetheless, this annual meeting is the time we set aside to review our finances, coordinate our goals, and plan our vacations. We look at the previous year’s goals to decide if we accomplished what we intended to get done, as well as to assess whether see those goals might have been too big – or too small. 

Some years ago, there was a buzz word circulating in the business world, identified by the acronym, BHAG – Big Hairy Audacious Goal. It was a clever way of saying, “Shoot for something so big, so great, you can’t possibly see how it will ever happen.” Or as someone said, “Shoot for the stars and you might hit the moon.” If you conceive a big, hairy, audacious goal, you could achieve beyond anything you could have ever dreamed. 

Not everyone is eager to set goals, especially ones that seem far beyond reach. Failing to reach goals can be discouraging. For that reason – if they set goals at all – some people prefer reasonable goals that can be checked off. This builds momentum to keep us motivated. It avoids disappointment. But it also kills any chance we might have for accomplishing something memorable, so rewarding that it could even be life-changing. 

I just finished reading Jon Acuff’s newest book, Finish. He concludes with the statement, “Goals that you refuse to chase don’t disappear, they become ghosts that haunt you. Do you know why strangers rage at you online and are so easily offended? It is because their passion has no other outlet. Many a troll was born from the heartbreak of a goal he didn’t finish. A troll is just someone who gave up on his goals so many times, he decided to just tear down everyone’s else’s.”

If you have lost your joy, and find yourself criticizing everyone and everything, it might be a good idea to check your goals. They may be so big they discourage you, or so small that they don’t inspire passion or motivate you. 

Or worse, you discover you have accomplished the wrong goals. Maybe you have a great job, or are making lots of money, but still feel unhappy. Ask yourself if you are pursuing the right goals. It is never too late to re-evaluate or rewrite your goals. It is only too late when you make the determination not to pursue goals that might have proved more rewarding and fulfilling than you could ever have imagined. 

The Scriptures address this very well. I like Ephesians 5:16 in the Amplified Version of the Bible: “making the most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.” In other words, if we don’t take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself, it might be lost forever. 

We also find wisdom on how to know whether we are pursuing the right goals. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” If our primary goal is the please and honor God, we can feel confident He will guide us in the goal-setting process. 

As I said, my wife and I have found January to be an ideal time for doing a goal check. But why wait an entire year to make changes if your current goals are not working, or not bringing you joy. Today might be the best time to create new goals, even ones that seem impossible. What are you waiting for? 

© 2020. Jim Mathis is a writer, photographer and small business owner in Overland Park, Kansas. His latest book is The Camel and the Needle, A Christian Looks at Wealth and Money. He formerly was a coffee shop manager and executive director of CBMC in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. 

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

August 24, 2020 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Do you set annual goals? If so, what is the process you use – and what do your goals look like? How do you know when you have accomplished them? 

1. Have you ever established any of the “big, hairy, audacious goals” Mr. Mathis describes? How do you feel about that idea – does it challenge you, or does it intimidate you? 

1. The quote from the book says, “Goals that you refuse to chase don’t disappear, they become ghosts that haunt you.” What do you think about that? 

1. For setting goals, it is suggested to make God a central part of the process. Do you agree? If so, how do you think that should be done? How can we make God part of our decision-making and goal-setting? 

 NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Proverbs 10:4-5, 12:11, 14:23, 21:5, 29:18; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Romans 13:11-12

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