A man looking at his phone while reclined and smiling

Our Blog

Grow in your faith and professional life.

ALL ARTICLES

  • THE POWER OF ‘NO’

    THE POWER OF ‘NO’

    What did you say “No” to today?

    Most of us rush to count our “Yesses” – new projects, new clients, new commitments, new opportunities. We stack them high like trophies, convinced that activity equals value. But it is not the things we say “yes” to that define us. It is the things we say “no” to that make the difference. Ronald Rolheiser once wrote, “Every choice is a thousand renunciations.” To say yes to one thing is to say no to a thousand others. You cannot avoid it. The question is not if you will say no; it is what you will say no to.

    We find the perfect example in the Bible: Jesus lived with that kind of clarity. After a long night of healing in Capernaum, His disciples came searching. “Everyone is looking for you,” they said, as if that were reason enough to stay where they were. But Jesus said no. “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out” (Mark 1:38). He was not being callous or careless. He simply knew His “yes” was already spoken for. That freed Him to say no, even to good and urgent things.

    Saying “yes” out of fear. That is where many of us fall apart. We keep saying yes out of fear – fear of missing out, fear of disappointing people, fear of being left behind. But endless yeses are not signs of strength. They are symptoms of slavery. A yes to everything eventually becomes a no to what matters most. It is exhaustion dressed up as importance.

    A season for everything that matters. The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it simply: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (3:1). That is not a sentimental verse to print on a coffee mug. It is a line of spiritual defiance against the tyranny of the urgent. You cannot do everything at once and call it obedience. There is a season for what God has assigned to you right now; having the courage to guard it with a “no” is what keeps it holy.

    Discernment over drive. The apostle Paul gets more direct with followers of Jesus in ancient Ephesus: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Wisdom is not about squeezing more into your calendar; it is about naming what matters most and refusing what does not. The wise do not run faster. They run truer. They understand that discernment is more powerful than drive.

    Understanding your essentials. Think about your week. Every yes costs you something: time with your spouse, being present with your kids, attention to your soul, and a deepening friendship with God. If your life feels packed and thin, it is not because you are too important. It is because you have stopped protecting the essentials. The marketplace will never do that for you. Your company will always ask for more. Your industry will always push harder. You have to be on guard; protect what is sacred yourself.

    Faith. Marriage. Family. Fellowship. Calling from God. These are the load-bearing walls of your life. If they collapse, everything else caves in. So, pause. Take time to breathe. Ask the question again: What did you say “No” to today? Not out of laziness. Not out of fear. But because your “Yes” was already spoken for, already committed in the presence of God.

    © 2026. C.C. Simpson is dedicated to fostering a bold and triumphant Christian faith within the global marketplace. Before becoming President of CBMC International, Chris dedicated 28 years to a distinguished career in the public sector – as a Commanding Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, and serving in the U. S. Secret Service, responsible for protecting seven American presidents and leading elite teams in complex, high-stakes international missions. With his wife Ana, Chris resides in Boca Raton, Florida.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. What drives most of your yesses right now – faith and purpose, or fear of missing out, falling behind, or disappointing someone?
    2. Which relationships or spiritual habits have quietly suffered because your schedule is too full to protect them?
    3. Where is God inviting you to draw a boundary at work or in ministry – not to quit, but to make space for what actually sustains your soul?
    4. If someone looked at your calendar this week, would they see evidence that your “yes” belongs to Jesus – or that it is already sold to something else?

    NOTE: If you would like to explore more on endurance in the Christian life and workplace, consider these Bible passages: Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Ecclesiastes 5:2-6; Matthew 5:33-37; James 5:12;

    Challenge for This Week

    As you have read this Monday Manna, have you realized you have become a “yes man” or “yes woman”? If you find yourself agreeing to do something simply to please others or out of fear that they might think less of you, this week might be a good time for a “reset” on your commitments.

    Discuss this with someone else – a trusted friend or advisor, mentor, or a small group in which you can confide. Perhaps they also are struggling to say “No” at times. Oswald Chambers has said, “Good is the enemy of the best.” Talk about how saying “No” to the good can enable you to say “Yes” to the best.

    Matt Trayler

    ,
    , ,

  • USING THE ‘CHRIS PAUL EFFECT’ AS A GUIDE

    USING THE ‘CHRIS PAUL EFFECT’ AS A GUIDE

    By Rick Boxx

    Readers of Monday Manna come from many backgrounds. Some people are high-ranking executives, even CEOs. Most would fit into other classifications: Managers, department heads, salespeople, retail clerks, administrative assistants, entrepreneurs, professional people like physicians, attorneys, CPAs, and engineers. The list could go on. We all have different levels of authority and responsibility. However, even if you are not a CEO or business owner, at any level you can still have incredible influence on your team.

    A recent article in the respected periodical, Harvard Business Review, was titled, “Every Team Needs a Super-Facilitator.” It highlights longtime professional basketball player Chris Paul as a super-facilitator. Four times he has joined a new team, and within two years, each team experienced its best record ever.

    Chris Paul has become known for encouraging and getting the best from his teammates. According to the authors of the HBR article, teammates can add tremendous value to any team by learning to encourage and maximize the diverse expertise of their peers and cultivating trust.

    This principle is not limited to the realm of sports. It applies to virtually every area of life, including the business and professional world. We all work on teams. Even entrepreneurs rely on skills and abilities that others possess that they do not. So, while we are seeking to benefit from them to accomplish our goals and objectives, we can also strive to be like Chris Paul – to bring out the best in them.

    Reading through the Bible, we find much being said about the power and effects of encouraging others and building up one another. Here are several examples:

    Providing motivation. True leaders are people who prove to be worth following. That means they have vision and communicate it to others, work with enthusiasm, demonstrate how things should be done, and understand and value the capabilities of everyone on their team. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

    Setting the example. Working with excellence, integrity, determination, and humility are just some of the qualities that inspire others. When we set high standards of conduct and behavior for others, the impact cannot help but influence others in positive ways.  “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

    Sharpening each other’s abilities. Have you heard of creative friction? This occurs in the process of developing ideas, planning, and actual implementation of plans. Sometimes this results in constructive conflict, the offering and discussion of differing opinions and perspectives. Just as metal blades become sharper as they come into contact with each other, we too can become sharper and more effective in doing our jobs by rubbing shoulders with one another. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

    Receiving mutual support. Inspiring others and seeking to motivate them to perform at their best is not a one-way pursuit. Often, there is a reciprocal benefit, receiving encouragement and support as we are striving to provide those things to people we are teamed up with. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

    Regardless of your position, look for ways to encourage each teammate and their collective value. 

    © 2026, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “UBN Integrity Moments”, a commentary on faith at work issues. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. Can you think of someone you know or have worked with who exhibited traits similar to the basketball player Chris Paul, who was described? What do you remember most about that person and the effect he or she had on other people?
    2. How do you think someone becomes a “super-facilitator,” being able to bring out the best in others?
    3. Consider the team in which you are currently working. Is there someone – even yourself – that would be an example of this “Chris Paul effect”? What steps do you think you could take to be more like that kind of person?
    4. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, striving to serve and represent Him in the workplace, you understand He was the ultimate example of motivating others and challenging them to do and become the best they could be. How can your relationship with Christ enable you to become a stronger, more impactful member of your team?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Matthew 16:24; John 13:15; Ephesians 5:1; Philippians 3:17; 1 Peter 2:21; Hebrews 13:7

    Challenge for This Week

    The challenges, demands, and stresses of the 21st-century marketplace are enough to wear down even the strongest among us. Take some time to do a personal evaluation: What is your typical attitude from day to day? Are you someone people look to for encouragement and inspiration? Or are you more likely to draw energy away from them?

    It would be helpful to share your conclusions with someone else – a close friend or coworker, accountability team, mentor, or group of advisors. Discuss – and pray about – how you can motivate one another to become “super-facilitators.”

    Matt Trayler

    ,
    , , , ,

  • THE LONG GAME OF COMPOUNDED FAITHFULNESS

    THE LONG GAME OF COMPOUNDED FAITHFULNESS

    What if I gave you two choices: one million dollars right now, or a single penny that doubles in value every day for 30 days? Which option would you take? Most of us would not even pause. A million feels immediate, secure, and transformative. A penny feels disposable, barely worth the space it takes up in your pocket. But here is the hidden math: That one cent, doubled every day, would grow into more than $ 5.3 million in a month! In just the first week, it would increase, one penny, two pennies, four pennies, eight pennies, 16 pennies, 64 pennies.

    But then we would experience the quiet power of what the finance industry calls “compounding.” By day 10, only $5.12. But by day 20, just over $5,000. Still not overly impressive. But in the remaining days, the growth curve explodes. What once seemed invisible suddenly becomes overwhelmingly apparent.

    In the Bible’s New Testament, the apostle Paul points to a reality that relates directly to this principle of compounding: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). In the marketplace doing good, walking in integrity, practicing generosity, and staying faithful to Jesus Christ in ordinary ways rarely feels dramatic. It feels small. Hidden. Like that first single penny. Yet every act is a seed sown in God’s field, and seeds compound in ways we cannot predict.

    The challenge is enduring and persevering. Paul warns: “Do not grow weary.” Why? Because weariness tempts us to quit before the harvest, the fruit of our labors. Being faithful in obscurity does not always feel rewarding. It often feels unnoticed: A kind word in a meeting no one remembers. A prayer whispered at your desk with no immediate answer. An honest report when no one is checking. Each seems forgettable. But they are not. Every choice is a seed, and Paul promises the harvest will come in God’s time.

    This runs against the culture of the marketplace. The system around us idolizes speed and scale. Quarterly profits. Fast deals. Shiny shortcuts. But the kingdom of God moves at a purposeful, deliberate pace. It treasures small beginnings, steady obedience, and the unseen faithfulness that builds quietly until, in God’s timing, it explodes with fruit beyond imagining.

    Think about how this plays out in your work:

    • A short conversation over coffee plants the first seed of the Gospel in someone’s heart.
    • A mentor’s steady investment in one young professional can shape generations of people to come.
    • A faithful pattern of generosity, compounded over decades, fuels Gospel work around the globe.

    None of this looks impressive at first. They are pennies dropped into God’s economy. But left in His hands, they multiply in ways we could never manufacture. So, as Paul says, do not grow weary. Keep planting. Keep sowing. Keep doing good. Not because results come quickly, often they don’t, but because the Lord of the harvest sees, and He is faithful. Obedience always produces fruit in due season.

    The marketplace will tempt you with shortcuts and instant millions. However, Jesus calls you to the penny: the daily choice of faithfulness, one small act of obedience at a time. And one day, you will see how He multiplied it into something you never could have imagined.

    © 2026. C.C. Simpson is dedicated to fostering a bold and triumphant Christian faith within the global marketplace.
    Before becoming President of CBMC International, Chris dedicated 28 years to a distinguished career in the public
    sector – as a Commanding Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, and serving in the U. S. Secret Service, responsible for
    protecting seven American presidents and leading elite teams in complex, high-stakes international missions. With
    his wife Ana, Chris resides in Boca Raton, Florida.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. Paul warns us not to “grow weary” in doing good (Galatians 6:9). Where are you most tempted to give up because results feel slow or unseen?
    2. How have you seen the principle of “compounding faithfulness” demonstrated in your workplace: small daily actions that eventually carry great influence and impact?
    3. The marketplace often celebrates speed, scale, and shortcuts. How can Christians resist those cultural pressures while practicing endurance and integrity?
    4. What is one “penny of faithfulness” you can commit to this week: something small, but consistent that could reap long-term fruit in God’s economy?

    NOTE: If you would like to explore more on endurance in the Christian life and workplace, consider these Bible passages: Proverbs 14:23; Matthew 13:31-32; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9-10; Hebrews 10:36

    Challenge for This Week

    Do you ever find yourself becoming “weary in well-doing,” wondering what the point of the hard work you are doing without seeing any visible results is? At such times, we need to remind ourselves of God’s promises that “our toil is not in vain in the Lord.” It also helps to have someone to encourage us when our faith is wavering.

    Seek out someone this week, maybe a small group you meet with regularly, and explain about any situations at work or in your personal life that are tempting you to give up because you are growing weary in doing good. Pray for one another fervently, with earnest expectation.

    Matt Trayler

    ,
    , , ,