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THIS WEEK’S SUMMARY
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CANJET SUSPECT’S FATHER CHARGED WITH NEGLIGENCE—05/09/09
Earl Fray, the father of Stephen Fray, 21, who is accused of hijacking a Can Jet Airlines plane at the Montego Bay airport, has been charged with negligence by Jamaica’s police. The charge involves his failure to secure a firearm in an appropriate manner. Stephen Fray took his father’s .38-caliber revolver and used it to hold passengers and crewmembers as hostages on the plane.
JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT TO SPEND BILLIONS TO AID THE POOR—05/10/09
Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s government will spend JA$10 billion in fiscal 2009 to provide assistance to the island’s poor. The money will keep poor Jamaicans within the social safety net, especially in regard to health care and school nutrition.
JAMAICAN WOMEN DISCOURAGED FROM FITNESS—05/11/09
Dr. Eva Lewis-Fuller, director of health promotion and protection at the Health Ministry, is warning Jamaican mothers to improve their physical condition if they want to avoid health problems related to their gender. Dr. Lewis-Fuller says that Jamaica has seen an increase in lifestyle diseases related to lack of fitness, which increases costs for individuals, families, and the health sector in general.
DRINKERS GET RELIEF FROM BUDGET INCREASE—05/11/09
Alcohol drinkers in Jamaica will not see an increase in the price of their drinks. Audley Shaw, Finance Minister, had said that alcohol prices would rise due to an increase in the special consumption tax (SCT), which was designed to prevent higher taxes on soup, oats, and other consumer goods. However, J Wray and Nephew Ltd., the top producer of alcoholic beverages in Jamaica, will not raise prices on its products, despite the higher taxes.
JAMAICAN POLICE UNION HINTS AT WALKOUT FOR PAY RAISES—05/12/09
Officials in the rank-and-file police union in Jamaica have indicated that police officers could walk off their jobs to demand increases in their pay. Bruce Golding, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, has said that his government will not be “bullied” by this threat, however. The police federation represents almost 8,000 constables and inspectors.
BLADES HAILED AS SUCCESS ICON—05/13/09
The chairman and managing director of Mason Jamaica Ltd., Desmond Blades, received the Order of Jamaica, an honor bestowed by Governor General Dr. Patrick Allen at a ceremony at King’s House in St. Andrew. Blades, a businessman, is also the longest serving president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the chairman of Jamaica’s United Way charitable organization.
GOLDING AGREES WITH PNP, WILL QUESTION LABOR DAY PROJECTS—05/14/09
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding says “it doesn’t look good” and was in agreement with the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) concerning the staging of three national Labor Day projects in area in which members of Parliament (MP) could be involved in by-elections. Golding agreed to investigate whether there was any political motivation associated with the projects.
GOLDING CALLS FOR CARICOM UNITY—05/15/09
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding is stressing the need for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to be united as it faces the current worldwide economic challenges. In a speech during the Opening Ceremony of the 12th Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), Golding noted “together we can prevail.”
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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MANLEY CHOSEN TO PARTICIPATE IN AMERICAN FELLOWS PROGRAM—05/09/09
Tasha Manley, attorney at law in Jamaica, will participate in the American Fellows program administered by Partners of the Americas and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The program sponsors the exchange of outstanding civil servants in order to encourage mutual international understanding among the governments of the Western Hemisphere.
DELEGATES OF ANGLICAN COUNCIL ENCOURAGED TO BE “JOLLY”—05/10/09
The delegates to the 14th Anglican Consultative Council have been urged to be “jolly” as they engage with local members of the Anglican diocese in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. The gathering of Anglicans provides a chance for visitors to gain new understanding of their hosts.
JAMAICAN-AMERICAN LEGISLATOR INTRODUCES CENSUS BILL—05/11/09
Jamaican-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke of the 11th Congressional District of New York has introduced a bill that calls for a separate ancestry category for Caribbean nationals on the 2010 U.S. Census Form. The goal of the bill is to have an accurate count of Caribbean nationals in the U.S.
BAHAMIAN PRIME MINISTER CRITICAL OF IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS—05/13/09
Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, has slammed his country’s immigration officers for the ill treatment of Jamaicans and Haitians who come to the island. He particularly noted the attitude toward Jamaicans, citing “insolent behavior” shown by some immigration officers toward those arriving at Lynden Pindling International Airport. Jamaicans are the targets of “offensive behavior” at other ports of entry in the Bahamas as well, says Ingraham.
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SPORTS
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MARSHALL TO PLAY FOR WINDIES—05/10/09
Xavier Marshall has been recalled to play with the West Indies team in a 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 Championships in England in June 2009. Selectors rejected Marshall, 23, after one Test versus England due to poor form. However, the selectors have approved him now.
SURFING FILM TO SHOW POSITIVE SIDE OF JAMAICA—05/11/09
A 76-minute feature film, “Surf Rasta,” which combines scenes of surfing and skateboarding to highlight the journey of Anthony “Billy” Wilmot and his sons, will be released in the Caribbean region in June 2009. The film will show the emergence and continuation of surfing as a sport on the island.
BOLT BACK ON TRACK AFTER ACCIDENT—05/12/09
Olympic triple gold medal winner, Usain Bolt, 22, is ready to return to track competition after receiving injuries in a car crash on a Jamaican highway on April 29, 2009. Bolt will compete in Manchester, England in May, running the 150-meters street race, and in Toronto, Canada in June. Bolt underwent minor surgery to remove thorns from his foot, which he stepped on getting out of his car after the crash.
McCOOK SEES IMPORTANCE OF NUTURING ISLAND TALENT—05/13/09
Neville “Teddy” McCook, the secretary general of Jamaica’s Olympic Association, says that those involved with track and field in Jamaica should act to protect the interest of island athletes. Their success in the sprint at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing has focused international attention of Jamaican runners. McCook urges the continuation of discipline in the sport to protect its continuing development in Jamaica.
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DEVOTIONAL
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The Renewing of the Mind
The will of God for His children is that we be Christlike. Paul declares that the purpose of all the ministries and the provision of God is to bring us “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). The transformation of our individual lives to one that is acceptable to God is accomplished in the manner according to Romans 12:1, 2.
Most readers will know that Adam was created a spiritual being capable of fellowship with God. In order to communicate with God and fulfil his directive, Adam must have possessed great intellectual powers. After his fall, man lost his spiritual awareness and his mind was no longer dominated by the spirit, but by his senses; he became carnally minded and has been that way ever since. When we accept Jesus as Savior we bring to Him a mind controlled by the senses and filled with all of the ideas, biases, opinions, hurts, fears, and experiences of a time away from God. In our acceptance of Christ we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17); God forgave our sins and imparted to us a new life. The one thing that God did not do however was to blot out our minds. After conversion, we have the same mind full of stuff – good and bad – that we had before we were converted. The difference however is the awareness that we are now children of God.
Some have asked: “Why didn’t God reprogram our minds?” If we were programmed, worshipping God in Spirit and Truth would be purely automatic. It would not require us to use the power of choice to choose to be true worshippers, the kind the Father seeks to worship Him (John 4:24). Though God did not reprogram our minds at the time of conversion, He made provision for its renewing by the power of the Holy Spirit who would lead us into all truths (John 16:13-15). He would create the mind of Christ within us, and enable us to become that which God has made us in Christ Jesus. As children of God we begin to understand spiritual things – those things related to the will and purpose of God – because we are partakers of His divine nature. We now have the mind of Christ. Providing we submit to His leading in our lives, the Holy Spirit is more than capable, and willing, to help us in our resolve to “adopt” the mind of Christ in our life here on earth.
What does it mean to be transformed? The word “transform” in the Greek is “metamorphousthe”, from which we get the English word “metamorphosis” which means the change of something from one form to another. For example, a worm/larvae passes through various stages to become a butterfly. Mind renewal is not a one-shot deal. Paul’s use of the word “renewing” – present tense – suggests that it is an ongoing process, and something that the child of God have to undertake every single day. In Christ we are like the butterfly, but to grow in that new life we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
What is the state of your mind? Is it being renewed day by day?
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CREDITS/SOURCES
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The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.
