“Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” – Luke 8:8 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) economies will grow just 0.2% in 2016, according to projections unveiled by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in December 2015. According to the World Bank’s forecasts at the beginning of 2016, India will be …
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” – Joel 2:25 Three weeks ago I concluded: “Let us commit ourselves to the faith that is needed to achieve great results as we transition from the WICB and the WIPA to the West Indies Cricketing Trust. Let us …
“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 11:14 On November 30, 1966, the Union Jack was lowered and the Barbados flag raised at the Garrison Savannah. I was a student in London at that time and have no vivid memories of what …
“To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6 I promised two weeks ago to embark systematically on “the management and enterprise development” series of columns to address the specific needs of start-up and evolving businesses. After an interlude …
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 In any organization, it is necessary to have a strong corporate governance structure. It is not sufficient for sustainable business success, however, the organization must also be strong in the business systems of finance, marketing, people …
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” – John 15:4 Last week I shared with readers some facts and some of my experiences with the service organization, Rotary International. I …
“Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:4-5 The chronological sequence of the themes of my columns at the turn of the year is (1) “May The Power of the P’s – Public-Private Partnership – Profit, …
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” – John 1:5 As a senior practitioner in the business consulting field, one of my most gratifying experiences is the shepherding of young entrepreneurs. Many of them are full of ideas and innovations, willing to work hard to generate business growth …
“See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” – 2 Corinthians 6:2 Each one of us has been granted, by divine edict, a major time resource of 24 hours per day. Some of us may be affected by a spiritual belief system and/or by mental and physical disabilities that …
“For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:13 Many years ago, the late Trinidadian economist Dr. Trevor Farrell made the following statement: “Within reason, it does not matter at what level a country sets its exchange rate, …
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”- Romans 12:11 My new year started with a bang. Many independent and innovative ideas, initiatives, interventions and projects have fed my passion for sustainable business success in the Caribbean. Maybe it is a divine plan to share my knowledge and experience in …
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” – Colossians 3:16 The group at a small New Year’s eve dinner party which I attended lamented the disappearance of basic manners among …
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 David L. Washington published a paperback in 2012 entitled “The Power of the P’s”. It states that “From Prayer to Potential to Progress … there are countless words with the letter …
“The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.” – Psalm 18:28 I very much appreciate those readers who took the time to respond to last week’s column entitled “Love is the Answer”. I shall share with you the following 11 written responses, some of them very brief but each one was instructive to me for …
“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” – 1 John 4:16 I think that it is reasonable to state that: “A critical mass of people in the world strive for a sound foundation, internal and external protection, a vibrant life for the mind, body and …
“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” – 1 Corinthians 12: 14 The human body is made up of several systems which epitomize its foundation, protection, life, growth and sustainability. This constitutes the whole. In each system there are many parts. When all the parts fulfill their purposes and …
“Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.” – Proverbs 1:33. Last week I participated in a very interesting regional meeting of the minds in Trinidad, the specific objective of which was to craft a solution to the problem of successfully matching existing and augmented services from …
“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” – 1 Peter 4:10 Two weeks ago in my column of November 9 entitled “Agricultural Innovations”, I promised to reflect, in my next column, on interesting small economy innovations from the Caribbean Pacific Agri-Food …
“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” – Psalm 84:3 Last week I promised to share interesting small economy innovations from the Caribbean Pacific Agri-Food Forum which took placed in …
“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory.” – 1 Chronicles 4:10 It was very gratifying to receive supporting responses to my recent column entitled “Agriculture is Vital”, which highlighted the responsibilities to: feed the people nutritiously; use all our natural resources (land and marine); collaborate and grow more food at the …
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7 I share with you a simple exchange when a visitor unexpectedly came for breakfast last week: Me: “A piece of pawpaw?” Visitor: “Yes thank you!” Me: “Eggs, what style?” Visitor: “Scrambled please, I shall have two!” …
“I will take sickness away from among you.” – Exodus 23:25 The triple bottom line, also referred to as the three pillars of sustainability, measures the holistic performance of a corporation over time. It is an accounting framework with three parts: social, environmental and financial, also referred to as the three Ps: people, planet and …
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” – Romans 12:12 Last week, I was privileged to meet Trinidadian Vaneisa Baksh, a renowned writer on the game of cricket. The occasion was a meeting of the publishing sub-committee of the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Committee Ltd. (SFWMC) in Trinidad. The draft mission of …
“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence” – Galatians 5:13 In Trinidad, early last week, I was viewing and listening to a post budget panel discussion. It was clear that the country has suffered a significant reduction in export earnings due to …
“Wisdom is supreme – so get wisdom.” – Proverbs 4:7 Once again, I join my fellow Trustees of the Graham Gooding Trust Fund in commemorating the late E.G.B. Gooding (1915-1987) who was born in Britain of Barbadian parents and was educated at Harrison College and Cambridge University. He was a botanist, agriculturalist, food technologist …
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 The human body consists of 12 systems – www.innerbody.com. The skeleton (1) and the muscles (2) constitute the Core of the human body. The skin/hair/nails (3) protect the core from the external elements and, internally, the immune system (4a) detects and protects against …
“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” – James 3:18 In last week’s column we beseeched the social partners to unite under the leadership of the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Now, we wish that the youthful energy in the new Cabinet of the twin island …
“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1 The day after the Trinidad and Tobago general election, which was on Monday, September 7, two colleagues said to me, quite independently, that they observed a different atmosphere in the country as …
“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 My last two columns were entitled “Staying young at heart” and “In time to come”. There has been some interesting geographically diverse feedback which is very gratifying and which I …
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 On Saturday, July 25 I was privileged to be in the audience at the “Caribbean Kaiso Monarchs in Concert” performance, featuring …
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” – Matthew 19:26 Over the years, I have occasionally remembered the literary work “On His Blindness” by John Milton (1608-74). Now, please do not think that, by any stretch of the imagination, I am a literary scholar …
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6 I was minding my business a week ago last Saturday in Trinidad when, out of the blue, I received a phone call from the Antigua and Barbuda Hitz 91.9 FM radio station in St. John’s, asking whether I would sit …
“In him we live and move and have our being.” – Acts 17:28 Canadian Christian minister, author and radio personality Eric Butterworth (1916-2003) wrote: “God is not in you in the same sense that a raisin is in a bun… God is in you as the ocean is in a wave. The wave is nothing …
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9 In the 1960s the so-called More Developed Countries (MDCs) in the Caribbean – Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago (1962) and Barbados and Guyana (1966) – gained their independence from Britain. Singapore became independent in 1965 and is about …
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free.” – Romans 8:2 One of the first persons that I greeted last Friday morning as I arrived at St. Mary’s church for the official funeral of Lady Dorothy Springer, widow of my uncle Sir Hugh Springer, said to me: “I …
“And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving orders, you are really serving God.” – Ephesians 6:7 What a Week in Barbados! (1) An appeal by former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, to the Government to tell the people all about the recommendations of …
“Do not neglect your gift…”. – 1 Timothy 4:14 Each of us has been blessed with 24 hours a day and we have the free will to choose how we use this resource. If we waste the time, it is gone forever. Each of us is blessed with unique talents and abilities and we need …
“You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.” – Psalm 73:24 At this time of the year in particular, I give thanks for the spiritual blessings bestowed on me over the last year, take stock of my life, vision my future and put plans in place for the next year. One of …
“Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and it will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 Why is it so difficult to find a solution to sustainable Caribbean growth? The societies and economies in the Caribbean are in a state of …
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8 The human resource is our most precious resource and we must develop it to the fullest. This was the theme of a guest speaker from Singapore at a launch of The Knowledge Development Institute in Barbados in 1994, some 21 …
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11 On the occasion of International Consultants’ Day, June 4, 2015, I was honoured to be asked by the Caribbean Association of Certified Management Consultants (CICMC) …
“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” – Ephesians 5:14 Wherever we are in life, each of us can set the strategic vision for the rest of our life which could include communication with God, maturity in relationships (family, colleagues and friends), our physical and emotional fitness, success in …
“That this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.” – Psalm 48:14 International Consultants’ Day is now an established date in the diary of events of many management consulting institutes around the world. This year it falls on June 4. Management consulting is the practice of helping the public, …
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 Electioneering is warming up in Trinidad and Tobago and CNC 3 TV has mounted a weekly panel discussion on issues to be considered as the election campaigns get into high gear. During last …
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 The Barbados Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals 2008 was presented on Monday, July 7 by the late Hon. David Thompson, then Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (pp 103,106). Under the heading “Innovation”, the Minister of Finance …
“The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.” – Luke 2:40 The first week of May, may be referred to as the Springer grandchildren birthday celebration week. The world wide web facilitated, albeit virtually, participation in the celebrations. In each case there was the observation “Oh how much they have grown”. In the business …
“As a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” – Isaiah 61:11 On Saturday, April 25, the world received the news of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal. Amidst all the headlines and news stories informing …
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” – Matthew 5:9 One has merely to tune into local media outlets to be greeted by negative international, regional or national news. There are political and …
“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19 This weekly column is published in a series entitled “Serious Business”. However, one verbal comment recently at a casual meeting of a friend was “keep sending me those inspirational columns; I do …
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate”. – Mark 10:9 The opening paragraph of a February 2007 article by Sharon White entitled: “The Shrinking Global Village” reads as follows: “In the early 1960s, Canadian theorist Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “global village” to describe how television brought information, entertainment and culture …
“It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.” – Psalm 18:28 The first and last paragraphs from the Abstract of a 2013 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) study follow: “This survey posits that improving global prospects especially in the United States and Europe will …
“Who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” – Romans 8:24-25 I do not usually focus on political commentary in this column, but I thought I should rise in support of the editorial of the online media organisation “Barbados Today” on …