A noted portfolio investment manager said Tuesday a person's relationship with the Lord matters more than money and fame.

"God cares far more about our character than He does about our career," Bob Doll, chief equity strategist and senior portfolio manager at Nuveen Asset Management, told guests Tuesday at the CBMC Metro Prayer Breakfast at the Cox Convention Center.

A crowd of about 1,350 gathered for the 30th annual breakfast in downtown Oklahoma City. The popular Christian event, hosted each year by the Christian Business Men's Connection, brings business people together with local, state and national elected leaders for prayer.

Several speakers made references to issues currently making headlines.

Read the rest here. We're talking about it on our Connected Community for CBMC members.

“He taught the Scriptures in a manner I had never heard before,” Ray said. The next Sunday, he invited C.W. and his wife, Ruth, over to his home that evening, and after a long talk, the Kerwoods surrendered to the Lord.

“I learned C.W. was extremely active in CBMC,” Ray continued. “He discipled us and saw that we found a strong Bible-believing church.”

They saw physical results of their salvation within six months. For a long time, Ray’s wife, Donna, had had “raw and bloody” hands caused by her anxieties and hand-washing their clothes. Through their church, they were able to find a good, encouraging doctor to treated her hands.  He said a large part of her healing was the peace she found in Christ.

Ray thought C.W. Lee “was one of the few men who truly personified the Christian businessman whose life was filled by the preeminence of Jesus Christ. He was prominently in our lives from that day to his death in 2008.”

During those early years as a member of CBMC, Ray met Harry P. Musser, Jr., a chairman for CBMC in West Virginia. Harry invited Ray to a CBMC regional meeting one year, but Ray didn’t have the money for it. “Harry said, ‘Let me check with a Christian who feels he has fallen back on his giving,” Ray remembered. “If he is willing to give you the money, will you accept it?’” Ray agreed. At the conference, he felt greatly blessed when he joined a thousand men to sing “How Great Thou Art.”

Photo: May 7, 1954—Former CBMCI Chairman Arnold Grunigen, Jr., of San Francisco, addressed the annual spring banquet of the CBMC of Charleston, WV. In this photo, Grunigen is third from the right. Next to him is H.P. Musser, Jr. Sixth from the right is Maynard Davis.

Ray was moved by the testimonies given at that conference. He remembers one man pointing out the CBMC member who witnessed to him on the street. The man said, “I spat in his face, and he calmly replied, ‘Jesus loves you.’ Then he led me to Christ.”

Another testimony came from the owner of a car dealership whom the Lord saved through a CBMC man at a dealership meeting. He said his associates doubted the sincerity of his salvation, so they decided to test him. “After he checked into his hotel room, they paid a prostitute to knock on his door and invite herself,” Ray said. “After 30 minutes, they let themselves into his room only to find him reading the Bible and witnessing to her.”

C.W. Lee led CBMC in Charleston, West Virginia, with Maynard Davis, an agent with Investors Diversified, for many years. Maynard got the Charleston team off the ground by inviting men to join him at the Daniel Boone Hotel at 6:30 a.m. Thursdays and sticking with it for three months though no one else showed up. Thursdays was his regular day to witness to people in Charleston’s Jewish community, so he tried to begin that day casting the vision for discipleship to businessmen.

Ray said he would never forget Maynard’s final testimony. His church had a tradition of opening the floor to allow any volunteers to claim a Bible verse as their favorite for that year. Maynard claimed Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

“He had just learned that he had terminal cancer at age 52,” Ray explained. “He continued living as he had been, a most committed Christian for a number of years.”

“One day later that year, I was led to go to his house, where I met his devoted wife, who told me Maynard had chosen not to go to the hospital or take pain medicine in his last few days. I went to his bedroom and found a man in excruciating pain, praising the Lord with his every remaining breath. The next day, he was in eternity.”

Praise the Lord for the men God has used in CBMC of West Virginia: C.W. Lee, Maynard Davis, and Harry Musser. Their investment in the businessmen of their state continues to bring returns for the kingdom of God.

Patrick O’Neal, president emeritus of CBMC, and his wife, Tina, made the trek halfway around the world, and both agreed it was a time they will never forget. “It was a real joy being here with our African brothers and sisters.  Their hearts are excited, and they are wide open to the need for practical training on a host of topics,” Patrick said.

Many of the 38 Africans who attended, endured long lines at border checkpoints. Others traveled non-stop for three days to be there. Still others took expensive airline flights. Most agreed it was well worth whatever inconveniences they experienced. Patrick said, “I had the pleasure of conducting a class called ‘Doing Business as a Christian,’ and Tina spoke to the women on ‘How To Disciple Women.’ And the amazing part is, I never saw anything but willing hearts and smiling faces.”

Paul Johnson of Minneapolis echoed that sentiment saying the faces, the smiles, and the openness are things he will never forget. “What’s interesting to me is that a house captivated by Christ is the same no matter where I’ve travelled,” he reflected. Paul is well-qualified to make that statement having travelled the globe for CBMC, sharing Christ from village to village and town to town. 

“This trip to Africa was an overview trip, so we didn’t have time to drill down on many things we wanted to, like coaching and team training,” Johnson said. “The hope is to return at some point and conduct a ‘Train the Trainer’ series of classes so that African leaders can take this information and run with it.”

One of the most exciting classes, Connect3 training, was taught by Lee Atchley of Chattanooga, and those in attendance from eight African nations were especially interested in the practical applications of that popular offering.

Timo Plutschinski, president of Europartners (CBMC Europe), told African leaders that, like the United States, Europe stands ready to assist them in their quest to share Christ with others across their vast continent.

Baltimore-area Leader Chuck Whitmore was fascinated by what he experienced and believes that what the CBMC team shared will have a lasting impact on those who came. “It was a wonderful experience, and the various men and women there sincerely appreciated the materials and the overviews on how to best use them,” Chuck said.

Each day began at sunrise with devotions and sometimes the meetings and workshops were still going long after dinner. Paul observed, “Nobody much cared about what the clock was saying. We were all immersed in the experience of sharing and receiving Christ.”

No trip to Livingston, Zambia, would be complete without a trip to Victoria Falls but O’Neal and Johnson ignored the more sanguine approach.  Word is they boarded an ultra-light (a 2-passenger go-cart with wings) and flew over the mammoth falls.

As the curtain came down on this amazing trek, some went off to experience a true African sunset dinner cruise while others departed for Botswana for a photographic safari. Rest assured, thanks to the unwavering faith of men and women across Africa, CBMC is not only alive and well but looking for Christ’s work through our ministry to grow exponentially in the years ahead.

A native of Mainland, Pennsylvania, Les had enough of a religious background to pray fervently to the Lord to spare him from German artillery in WWII, but he didn’t convert in the foxhole. His salvation came through a CBMC luncheon in the 1950s. Invited by his brother, Les remembers the speaker talking about some business principles and explained how God doesn’t want us to clean ourselves up so he can accept us. He wants us to love him and surrender our lives and businesses to him. Les did that in his bedroom that night. He begged God to forgive him of his sins and give him new life. Unlike the days following his prayers in WWII, Les began to have new desires. Something had happened.

“As Les grew in his faith,” Scott Newcomer, CBMC Mid-Atlantic area director, said, “he was known to invite salesmen to visit him at Hatfield Packing on certain days just before noon, days when his CBMC team had outreach events planned, and Les would take these men to hear a businessman speak.”

CBMC men didn’t step up to disciple others back then, like they do today, Les says in his testimony. The emphasis on lifestyle discipleship came in the 1970s with Joe Coggeshall, the original writer of Operation Timothy.

“Les was perpetually meeting with another man, doing Operation Timothy,” Paul Lantz, a long-time friend, said. “Les and Kay were very humble people. They broke through and made things personal.”

Les has reached out to countless men, calling them to faith in Christ and to disciple other men. “In CBMC,” he said, “we focus on the men, because we believe that they are the key to the family. As the man goes, so goes the family.”

“Now that his world includes more interactions with the health care system,” Scott said, “I so enjoy his stories of sharing the gospel with nurses and aids. One story that sums up his style is what I experienced when I visited him in the hospital after he had a stroke.  As he sat there still in a fog, I asked him if I could read him any Scripture.  He said, Yes! and that he was working on memorizing Jeremiah 9:23-24.”

“Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NASB)

“From what I see, Les Clemens knows God also delights in what the Lord delights in,” Scott concluded.

Praise the Lord for this disciplemaker. He is a Paul of Pauls.

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The first-ever CBMC World Convention took place in 1977 in Seoul, Korea, when the ministry was a mere 47 years old. In 1981 Scotland welcomed CBMC marketplace Christians with open arms. From 1989 through 1997 Canada, Australia and Germany rolled out the red carpet. The last convention was hosted by the generous men and women of Singapore in November, 2010. (See photos)

In 2001, the United States hosted this marvelous global event. The second largest turnout in the history of the convention, more than 700 CBMC men and women representing 66 nations descended on Atlanta. For five days, prayer, fellowship, praise and worship, encouragement and leadership training echoed throughout the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Steve Garrison from California emceed that convention and his memories of that 2001 convention are still so vibrant today. “It’s funny but I can remember the dramatic parade of flags from all the nations, Bruce Wilkinson’s keynote addresses, the tribute we did to Ted DeMoss and so many little things. It’s like it was just yesterday,” recalled Garrison.

CBMC President Lee Truax (pictured below right) hailed the decision to bring the convention back to the United States, as “beyond wonderful, because this is a unique collaborative time in the history of CBMC.” He added, “To see this 82-year-old ministry pulling together fueled by the unified mission and vision to reach the world at-large is testimony to the fact that the Holy Spirit is fully engaged.”

Lee issued a charge to every CBMC network member to come and be a part of this magnificent gathering. “I guarantee you this: once you experience the global impact of this ministry you are a part of, you will be equipped to go back to your city or town with a renewed spirit, more excited and more passionate about your local mission than you can even possibly imagine.”  He quickly added, “But please don’t take my word for it. Plan to be a part of this global excitement and be blessed by the world of CBMC!”

Location, dates, speakers and agenda are still uncertain.  Watch for additional information here on the website, the Connected Community and your email.

“If you want to truly experience the power of CBMC, I want to encourage you to come and engage worldwide marketplace ministry at its finest,” concluded Firnstahl.

In 2003, two businessmen and I planned a fishing trip. We each agreed to invite one non-believer as a guest. Jake invited his fishing buddy, Chin. After the first trip, everyone had such a good time that our host asked if we would like to go fishing three times or so a year. Everyone jumped at the offer (picture below is from our first trip).

After a couple of more trips, Jake asked me to approach Chin about meeting with me in Operation Timothy (OT). I asked Chin if he would like to look at the Bible with me, and he declined. I asked him again a year later, and he accepted. He had become attracted to Christ by seeing the Christian businessmen who had become his friends. We spent one year in OT Book 1, and Chin invited Christ into his life. Two weeks later, he changed to a job that required extraordinarily long hours.  We didn’t meet for another three years. Then he found a new job and called me that very week to resume our discipleship relationship.

Now for the crux of the story! Chin has just started Book 3 in OT, and now he has his own Timothy who is a seeker. He has also introduced Jake to a new Timothy and has invited several non-believers to our next fishing trip this month. This paints the story of a nine-year process of bearing spiritual fruit. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness in seeing us through to this point.

“A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation;
I, the Lord will hasten it in its time” (Isaiah 60:22, NKJ).

South Africa is an astoundingly beautiful country with significant needs. It has high unemployment and high crime rates, but more than anything it needs the gospel. Thank God for CBMC men in South Africa, who are a solid core of Bible-believing Christians ready to share the Good News of hope in Jesus Christ.

This year, CBMC SA is celebrating their 40^th anniversary, and they invited Lee Truax and Ken Scherdell to serve at their national leaders’ weekend. CBMC in this country has had a significant influence on the South African ministry over the years. Our former president Ted DeMoss spent time there as did other ministry leaders.

At the retreat just north of Cape Town, the group focused on our first core value: the preeminence of Christ. Ken led the first part. Frik van Rensburg said, “His love for the Lord and His Word left a deep, lasting impression on all of us.” Lee led the second part. He gave his testimony and described CBMC’s vision and organizational processes. Frik said the South African leaders were inspired and encouraged that the purpose of CBMC has not changed.

Lee spoke throughout the week on CBMC and some of our current emphases and training programs. Frik said, Lee “was inspirational in the way he communicated his personal enthusiasm and witnessing.” Frik said some of his men recommitted themselves for service and others agreed to new leadership roles—an answer to many prayers!

“As we look back on the past nine days,” Frik wrote, “we are grateful for the input and tremendous impact Lee and Ken had on our local CBMC ministry. We are thankful that our relationship with CBMC USA is reinstated, and we are looking forward to working together to build up and expand His Kingdom.”

“Small tasks done well add up to a successful project,” Marr writes in Business Proverbs. “Watch the small steps, like the prompt return of phone calls to customers, packing each order securely, being courteous at the front desk, or serving meals hot and fresh in your restaurant.”

But what do we do when we are on the other side of these numbers, when we have done everything right and still our business or project fails? Do we doubt our faith, asking why the Lord didn’t provide for us? Do we blame sin in our lives or question whether we actually heard from God in the beginning? Let me suggest that though this failure may feel like a stumble through the valley of the shadow of death, it probably is the Lord’s work to equip you.

Think of the Lord’s people from the past? Did believers ever have their crops wasted, even when they did everything properly? Sure they did, and what was the Lord’s response? He called them to trust him. Though our plans may not work out as we expect, the Lord, who knows everything from beginning to end, will lead us through the struggle for his glory. Isn’t that what trust means—that we continue to carry on when we can’t understand the intended results?

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:11-12 ESV).

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation” (Hebrews 11:1-2 ESV).

CBMC is taking part in a number of Iron Sharpens Iron conferences across the nation in an effort to educate and encourage men about our ministry. CBMC President Lee Truax and National Director of Ministry Support Steve Casbon have been invited to attend a number of their conferences throughout the year, and we took an ad in their national program warning men that isolation is a dangerous place for most of us.

Our message is simple: we long to draw alongside them to help them lead a fully integrated life so that their Sunday worship experience at church flows abundantly into their Monday through Friday existence. What we are sharing is the value of “getting connected” to a group of godly men who will model how to transform their Sunday Only thinking into an exciting process where God is now visible 24/7 in their family, their business and their career. So far, the response has been very encouraging.

So is your relationship with God a significant part of who you are or is your relationship just, sort of, what you do on occasion. In other words, is what you’re living for worth what Christ died for? Spend a little time contemplating that and if you’d like to break out of your cell of isolation, go to cbmc.com/connect me and a man from CBMC in your area will respond.

If you’re already active in CBMC and not yet a network member, sign up right away and register. If you’re not sure, take a few minutes and BE SURE.

Luke warm… or red hot for Jesus; the choice is yours!

Event directors got only positive comments about their presence at the show. Local CBMC members volunteered to man the booth Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 9-12. 

Kathy Thorne of CBMC Lincoln says, “Nebraska Home Builders Show positively impacted Lincoln. In fact, John Degner, our metro director, prayed with several of the men who attended the show. We are praising God for allowing us to be present at this well-attended event.”