But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

I was at the recently concluded Lagos Economic Summit Group where issues where being deliberated on with regards to making Lagos the “Mega City” of Africa. Featured speakers included Dr.Liu Thai of Singapore and Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota in Columbia. I couldn’t hide my excitement at the level of professionalism, insight and knowledge that was unveiled at the summit.

Apart from the fact that I had an interesting time meeting some state and national icons and a few other highly placed private professionals and listening to some of the most inspiring, encouraging and developmental jaw-jaw. I have no doubt in my mind that Lagos State led by such dynamism and vision would develop into a model megacity only if………… (more…)

Can major disagreements be avoided?

Amos 3:3 contains a vital message that applies to married couples. It says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Often a couple will marry without first discussing important topics, such as money, sex, children, employment, etc. When these issues surface later in the relationship, couples may find their views differ greatly. The resulting tension and arguments place unnecessary strain on a marriage relationship.

Can these disagreements be avoided? How can couples resolve their differences on such important issues? The answer lies in one simple word: vision. Couples who are able to define a clear vision for their marriages find that the arguing and fighting over key issues is greatly minimized.

In the April Rock Solid Marriage resource, Jimmy Evans is joined by his wife, Karen, and David and Linda Smith, to discuss the importance of vision in a marriage. They also offer practical steps to help couples define and implement that vision. Here are excerpts from this helpful teaching: (more…)

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are close personal friends. Gates sits on the Berkshire Hathaway board, and Buffett has pledged to donate most of his personal fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Despite the mutual friendship, and despite his admiration for Microsoft, the Oracle of Omaha has never invested a meaningful stake in the company. Buffett says this is because he doesn’t know the company well enough and can’t confidently predict where computers will be 10 years from now.

But what about Google? Considering that he included Google in the section of his letter that begins “Let’s take a look at what kind of businesses turn us on,” you have to assume Buffett is an admirer.

But as much as he may admire it, he’d probably never make an investment in the company. As with Microsoft, he probably doesn’t know the company well enough and can’t predict what Google might look like five or 10 years from now.

Is that a mistake? It could be.

The Buffett test
Let’s run Google through Buffett’s four secrets to investing success. (more…)