“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” – Habakkuk 2:14 I recall a conversation, perhaps several decades ago, with Dr. Courtney Blackman (now Sir Courtney). He was then the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados and made the following comment …
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” – Matthew 10:29-31 I have witnessed a number of visions of excellence …
“The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant”- Psalm 25:14 Whether we couch it in terms of Law of Attraction, Power of Positive Thinking or High Adversity Quotient, each and every one of us relies on an ongoing good relationship with God and must keep …
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” – 1 John …
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”-Matthew 16:24 -25 Sir Courtney Blackman recently wrote an article …
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work…Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness” – 2 Corinthians 9:8,10 …
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” – Mark 11:24-25 In examining the performance …
“But Jesus, said unto them, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” – Mark 6:4 Many of us, who are active in one form of endeavour or another, may be able to relate to the above text. It is very difficult …
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” – Matthew 7:7-8 The above text exemplifies the principles which have guided CBET’s innovative perennial …
“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” – 1 Peter 5:4-5 …
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” – Psalm 19:14 Last week was a landmark event in the history of CBET. The CBET partnership with the Barbados Government and the private sector, Barbados Business Enterprise Corp., approved the …
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 3:13-14 In my last column I was …
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” – 1 Corinthians 14:33 In a recent BBEC press release entitled “Invest in the Caribbean”, Jeremy Stephen, a 25 year old BBEC financial advisor, gave investment advice. An experienced Caribbean consultant from Manchester Trade, Ltd., D.C. responded …
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” – Isaiah 55:9 My first job after completing my formal education abroad in 1968 was as Biometrician at the Regional Research Facility, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, …
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL THRUST “Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass” – Deuteronomy 32:1-2 The heavens …
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you… Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” – James 4:7-10 The “Horror of Haiti” was described …
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” – Philippians 4:13 I begin this year with thanks and many inspirational blessings. The recognition of the above text is paramount both in reflection and in prospect. Bevan set the standard on December 31 with his weekly New York Amsterdam News article. Based on the email feedback …
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” – Revelation 21:4 Another Christmas Day has passed as many of us have celebrated the reason for the season. We …
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will …
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablise, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter 5:10-11 I have been involved in the Smart Partnership Dialogue …
“Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever” – Jeremiah 3:12 The book “In Search of Excellence” by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman” was first published in 1982. In it …
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” – Revelation 22:17 Last Monday night, the Central Bank of Barbados hosted the 34th consecutive annual Winston Scott Memorial Lecture at the …
“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” – 1 Peter 3:9 Last week was Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009. The launch of the Barbados Entrepreneurs’ Quick Response Venture Capital Fund took place just before the week began. …
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” – John 1:17 Last Friday night we successfully launched the Barbados Entrepreneurs’ Quick Response Venture Capital Fund (VCF) at George Washington House in the historic surroundings of the Garrison. The journey began 23 years ago when I visited Boston in …
“Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” – Jeremiah 32:17 The one thing that is constant in life is change and we need to strive for excellence if we want to induce positive trends …
“Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest” – Revelation 15:3-4 NYTimes.com published an article on October 26 …
“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” – Romans 12:10 In my column last week, I proposed a new paradigm for commercial banks that, given the advent of the CBET Shepherding Model, they should examine their risk assessment processes. This was in the context of the commercial banks’ …
“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” – Romans 12:10 The primary financial institution in many of the countries in the Caribbean is the commercial bank. Their clients are either businesses or individuals who are in need of loan finance to establish and grow their businesses or personal …
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” – Luke 10:19 We are currently preoccupied with the fallout from the current global financial crisis and its impact on small states like Barbados. However, on the …
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” – Lamentations 3:25-27 The global financial crisis …
“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” – Joel 2:13 We at the Barbados branch of the CBET family are now immersed, on a day to day basis, in the …
“They said, If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they’ll end up doing anything for you” – 1 Kings 12:7 In October 1998, the Caribbean Development Bank, as part of its mandate to contribute to economic growth in its …
“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” – Isaiah 40:11 When the CBET Shepherding Model™, currently being formally rolled out in Barbados, was first articulated, it was envisioned that the shepherd …
“Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money; choose insight over income every time” – Proverbs 16:16 Last Friday night Conde Riley, one of the Barbados Cricket Association’s representatives on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), called a press Conference to announce his resignation from the WICB. He stated that the reason for his resignation was the …
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” – James 5:16 Relatively recently, my mother’s brother, who is less than nine months away from being a nonagenarian, and with whom I visit most Sunday mornings, said to …
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” – Ephesians 4:29 Today the Caribbean celebrates the life of Independent Senator Sir John Stanley Goddard: a soft-spoken but effective business leader; a captain …
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee” – Psalm 84:11-12 This article is inspired by a fortuitous meeting last week with Paul Hadchity. …
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come…” Revelation …
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” Colossians 3:1-2 The National Vision of an emerging nation must address Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation, in general, and Socio-Economic Growth, …
“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” – Proverbs 13:22. Alex Pratt OBE is a serial entrepreneur, who started trading bankrupt stock at age 16, and is able to reach and inspire others. He has launched and led businesses in areas as diverse as the map reading lamps aboard spaceships and the …
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” – Psalm 23:1 Well, Well! Last week’s column generated so much discussion via email and casual face to face discussion that I have enough information to feed this column for weeks on end. But alas, I shall not be tempted lest I induce an avalanche or …
West Indies Cricket is certainly in a continuing state of flux. We seem to move from one issue to the next and it seems as though it gets more and more embarrassing on every occasion. There was the Patterson Committee which was commissioned by the to propose the restructuring of the WICB. What has been …
“I will mention the loving kindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses” – Isaiah …
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” – James 1:12 I am always quite amazed at the quantum and quality of information that is available on the Internet on whatever subject one may …
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” – Joshua 1:8 An optimal path to …
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” – 1 John 4:18 In my last column, “Shepherding in the Business Context”, my concluding paragraph was “The shepherds are committed to stay with the entrepreneurs and to protect them …
“Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you” – Genesis 28:15 The definition of the word “Shepherd” in the Concise Oxford Dictionary has been traditionally – “a man who tends sheep at …
“Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, this most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe he’ll turn around and …
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” – John 14:27 In the middle of last week Mr. Peter Boos, well known private sector leader in the Caribbean sent an open letter …
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand” – Psalm 37:23-24 As we continue to address the challenges of this changing world we observe powerful signals attempting to …
“The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” – Psalm 145:8-9 It was reported in the Rotary International News that Rotary International President-elect Dong Kurn Lee addressed incoming district governors at the January …
“Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels” – Revelation 3:5 Last week my column was entitled “The Value of the Human Being” and it was observed that a beautiful picture of human …