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.             

Luke 16.8-9 observes, here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right —using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior. MSG

What does it mean to be kingdom street smart? For this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. A clue is found in this passage, we are to be focused on the things above and not be sucked into the things of this world. Like the man on the streets who is wary of the pimp, the drug dealer, the gang leader who might grab him for his own evil purposes, so too the man of God must be wary of the allurement of power, pleasure, and possessions from taking him off God’s purposes.

The man of God is concerned with getting to heaven not living well on earth. His goal is to be kingdom rewarded not earthly recognized. This means he cannot get trapped by the things of the world, the pursuit of power, pleasure and possessions but must remain vigilant to avoid those things. Therefore, to survive he must eat, he must find shelter, he must look for safety. These things are found in the Word of God, the presence of God and the work of God.

The Word of God is our food, the presence of God is our refuge, and the work of God is our reward by which we are recognized as His both now and in the age to come. The heavenly wise man places his priority on daily eating from God’s Word so that he can truly live. He seeks solitude with God so he can be comforted and secured in the love of his Creator. He remains active in helping others find Jesus so that he can be found busy at his Master’s business. The man of God knows when Jesus returns it will be unexpectedly to judge each man by His will as recorded in His Word and he does not want to be found wanting.

Being heavenly wise is to be focused on the kingdom of God by not allowing ourselves to be sucked into the ways of this world; the pursuit of power, pleasure and possessions, but by knowing God’s Word, seeking God’s presence and doing God’s will.

Our Opportunities

1. Celebrate Good Friday with CBMC. In partnership with Redemption Fitness, CBMC is sponsoring the Passion WOD. Be reminded of Jesus’ lashings through jumping rope 200 times, remember His cross by carrying 95pds 800 meters, participate in His death and resurrection by completing 100 burpees. Join us, anytime between 10.30am and 12pm, April 2nd at Redemption Fitness in Holt,  with an unchurched friend so they can hear the gospel presented upon completion of this workout using these exercises as our means to share what Jesus did for us. Register here 

1. Our first outreach luncheon since COVID is now scheduled. Mark your calendars for our zoom outreach on April 22nd. Our speaker will be Mr. Brian Moran. Brian is a NY Times bestselling author and is a highly sought-after international speaker and widely recognized leadership thought leader and productivity and execution expert. Begin now to pray and think how you can invite 1-3 unchurched men to join you for lunch at your office conference room to hear our CBMC speaker share his faith in Jesus the Savior. COVID constraints are not allowing us to meet in person but we can still do the work of an evangelist if we plan, think, and pursue the means for sharing Jesus with men. Join us at noon on April 22nd,  and register here. A zoom link will be sent you the day before the event.

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 8, 2021 

Wanted: Organizational Vision

by Stephen R. Graves 

One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Proverbs, and one verse always stands out for me: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). When Proverbs speaks of “vision,” it means the kind of message a prophet brings. But I think this principle is not limited to Old Testament prophets. People, wherever they are, need a compelling vision to move past today’s reality into tomorrow. 

We need to imagine; to imagine what could be. Imagination can serve as the fertilizer of hope. Effective leaders need to create an organizational vision. People need to see a compelling picture of what they are working toward before they can do their best work. As businessman and writer Alvin Toffler said, “You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things so that all the small things go in the right direction.” This is true for organizations of all types and sizes. 

Who are we as organization? What are we about? What are we aiming to do? These are hard questions for leaders to answer, as feedback to a podcast on church small groups demonstrated. One writer commented, “Your small group is destined to die a slow, complacent, even cordial death without direction.” The same can be true for any business or non-profit. 

In one of his books, author Peter Block wrote, “One’s vision is not a road map, but a compass.” Perhaps I can help point you in the right direction for crafting an organizational vision for your people:Ask the “What if” question. What is the impact you dream of having? Spend some time with your key people brainstorming an answer to this question. What would be the effect of realizing your dreams and aspirations? “What if”?What if you formulated a driving vision for passing on your business or organization to the next generation? In times when many around us are struggling mightily, what if your company looked beyond pure profits? What if it became a voice for collaboration and reached out to three or four other entities in the communities, even pooling resources for the greater good? 

Create some tailwinds. I have written about the concept of “tailwinds” elsewhere, but basically it means you need some momentum working in your favor. Do you have signs of any tailwinds? Maybe a few key additions to your team? A new vision for the work – the mission – you want to pursue? How do you position yourself in front of those tailwinds? Are there other tailwinds, other forms of momentum, that you need to properly answering your “what if” question? How do you chase those down? 

Make the vision clear. One of the Old Testament prophets, a man named Habakkuk, received a vision from God and instructions on how to use it: “Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it” (Habakkuk 2:2). Most of the time, your people must learn it to own it. So, communicate it regularly – and in clearly understood, memorable ways. 

Leaders often are clear in their own minds about the vision, but for some reason fail to impart it to those around them. Get the vision clear in your head and then transfer it to others. That kind of inspirational transfer could very well create a groundswell, a growing movement around you. Jonathan Swift said, “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” As a leader, you must get the vision out of your head and into the hearts of your people. 

Dr. Stephen R. Graves describes himself as an organizational strategist, pragmatic theologian, and social capitalist. He advises executives and business owners, as well as young entrepreneurs. He is author of numerous books and many articles, and a public speaker. His website is www.stephenrgraves.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

March 8, 2021 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How would you define “vision”? What does having vision mean to you personally? 

1. What does it mean to have an organizational vision? Does your company or organization have a clear vision right now? Explain your answer. 

1. Why do you think it is important not only for the leader to possess a clear sense of vision, but also to be able to effectively communicate it to others? 

1. From your experience, when people are introduced to a new vision and then begin to accept and implement it, what happens? Is there a role for faith in the development and carrying out of organizational vision? Should God be permitted to participate? Why or why not? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Psalm 74:9; Proverbs 16:3,9, 19:21, 20:24; 29:19; Matthew 9:37-38; Luke 10:2; John 13:12-17

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