Leaders in CBMC serve the men around them with the Word of God. In easy times and difficult times, they try to point other men to Christ Jesus, because everyone has been made for worshipping the Lord, no matter what their job or heritage.

Lee Atchley and Wayne Smith, field staff in Chattanooga, talked to us for a few minutes recently about their work in CBMC. One of the first things they said was that a leader will try to be sensitive to the needs and beliefs of the men around him so that the Lord will work through him to say what needs to be said. A bold challenge or encouragement—whatever is needed to meet someone where he is. “That’s what the Lord does,” Lee said. “He meets us where we are.”

Many stories of men in CBMC can’t be told for the sake of confidentiality, but since there is no temptation but such as is common to man, the stories overlap each other. Some of us have difficult relationships. Some wrestle with doubt. There are besetting sins and problem marriages. You can change the names in one story and have a rough copy of another.

Lee acknowledged there has been a ramp up of work-related struggles. “That can lead men to ask about God all the more,” he said.

For example, business owners are making very difficult decisions, personally worrying about the welfare of employees who have been laid off. “I tell him he’s a steward of his business,” Wayne said, meaning a business owner is not solely responsible for his company or his employees. “Now, some [businessmen] need to take responsibility, but some do care and need reminding that God is caring for their employees more than the boss is. It’s debilitating to take the Lord’s role in trying to care for people.”

Lee recommended a new book by Patrick Morley, entitled, How to Survive the Economic Meltdown, available online and in print. It offers common sense spiritual and financial advice, such as quieting our minds by focusing on God’s Word. CBMC recently joined hands with FCCI and Man In the Mirror to host a two-day event in Raleigh-Durham, NC where Morley addressed more than 200 men and women on the critical importance of following God’s plan in these turbulent times.

Wayne noted, “We’re in a battle. Some men feel isolated in a crowd and need to talk to someone they can trust. The temptation is to concentrate on circumstances instead of the Word of God. I give them a pat on the back or a kick in the pants then send them back in the game—with words of encouragement and warning.”

By “encouragement,” Wayne means to remind men the Lord will provide, that Christ Jesus atoned for our sins, and that the Spirit will help us persevere. By “warning,” he means to rebuke them for loving an idol, for treating sin with kid-gloves, or for acting on what they know is right even if it risks putting them at odds with their offender. This approach works best when you have a “deeply personal relationships where people know you can be trusted,” Wayne said.

In CBMC, we call others to a deeper walk with Christ Jesus. Wherever a man is on the narrow road to heaven, we encourage him to walk farther down the path. In doing so, the Holy Spirit draws alongside us and inspires us to continue on that path of life.

“Some guys are too weak to come to the Lord themselves,” Wayne suggested. “They need a brother to help them.” In essence, what they need is someone further down the path to point the way and to encourage them. “When we’re following the Lord, we look like sheep from the front and a shepherd from behind,” he said.

(photo of Suffolk sheep & shepherd by Elly Kellner/SXC)