LOVE GROWN COLD

İ surf TV channels a lot, oftentimes coming across reality shows on animal lovers and their pets. 

A recent program featured animal hoarders---their lives turned upside down by unlimited numbers of pets which have made their once houses-of-humans, landmines of stink, barf, poo, pee and even animal corpses.

Analysts say animal hoarding is a disorder brought about by the sufferers' traumatic relationships with humans. They turn to animals like cats and dogs which, according to one, "are more loyal and won't hurt you." "Pitiful" and "sad" were the only words that came to mind. 

İn our country, on the other hand, we see children roaming the streets like stray cats and dogs, with not much of us paying attention to them. They knock on car windows but are most of the time shooed away. 


Count me guilty. Sometimes İ gave. Other times İ didn't, especially when İ'd realize giving to pan-handlers was against the law, or that behind these children were syndicates and lazy parents making these kids their palabigasan (source of livelihood). 

Why all this erratic behavior and our indifference? God's startling and all too piercing answer: "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold," Matthew 24:12. So many unfortunate things happening around us have caused even believers to remain quiet or afraid to be involved. 


Somehow, we've gotten used to just staying on the sidelines even while tragedies march in front of us. Isn't that the equivalent of a heart grown cold? 

Ah Lord God, forgive us. Let the Holy Spirit search our hearts. May we be sensitive to those who are alone and abandoned, and have turned to creatures or things to fill their emptiness. 

Help us not to slip into the same kind of defeatist or dysfunctional attitude. May we invite not just the animal protection agency to come into their situations, but to ask Jesus into their lives along with your compassion to help see them through. 

More important, may we be filled with love and compassion for helpless street children who have been abused by their parents and others who have lured them to a life of sin. 

We surely cannot solve all the abuse and poverty around us, but we can do something about every situation we encounter everyday. We can either turn a deaf ear or we can turn our head in their direction and have bread ready for them, along with a prayer for Jesus to save them. 

May we have the wisdom to do whatever little we can do with the little that we have. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48a) 

Or you can plan on having a more profound and lasting impact. Operation Blessing and World Vision are two of the more trustworthy organizations you can support to make sure your help for children, needy families and communities reach their intended beneficiaries: 

http://obphil.com/v2/  http://worldvision.org.ph/

Originally published at CBNAsia.org

photo credits: twolittlecavaliers.com, theseedoflife.wordpress.com, www.bluenc.com, deepwaters82.wordpress.com

THE APP THAT MATTERS

“I want to design apps,” my grandson Joaqui recently told his mother Lucci.

Joaqui  earlier declared he’d be designing cars. Quite smart—excelling in both Math and English (he devours books), he’s a ten year-old fifth-grader who’s determined to win.  

He could fly to the moon if he wanted to. Of course, that’s me, Lola (grandmother) speaking! Believe sa apo!

But when Lucci shared Joaqui’s new dream, this Lola’s brain started pole dancing with dollar figures.

Well, because I recalled this recent UK news that 17-year old Nick D'Aloisio created an app which was reportedly bought by Yahoo for a cool £18m: “Nick’s app provides bite-sized summaries of content from news and other sites. He joins an elite group of teenagers who have become internet millionaires.”

If Nick can do it, so could my apo!

App, for the uninitiated (grandmothers like me), is “application” abbreviated. In compu-speak, apps are software to make computing tasks easier—meant to make ordinary mortals’ lives like moi rosier.    

If you ask me, the more apps I’ve needed to use, the more confused— hilo—I’ve become. And the more confused I’ve become, the more thankful I am that I’m old—no longer working full time, needing to keep up with nerdy stuff.  

But my old soul grieves. Young people nowadays are so smart especially with techie things. Yet they’re reading less and less, or interacting superficially with others, and spending more intimate time with their unfeeling companions—social media and games. 

Oh yes, they’re fast and agile with their cellphones and computers, sharing more photos, videos and ha-ha stuff.  But why are so many young people disconnected? Why their seeming lack of vision and direction?

I’ve been teaching college students for many years. Every year, I seem to be facing bigger roadblocks trying to reach them. I get more blank stares and empty minds—not a sign of empty hearts I hope. But I’ve sensed that too.

As parents, we should give our kids a daily dose of the apps that matter.  Just like the vitamins you give them regularly for good health. I’m glad Joaqui and his sister Charlize get a lot of them.

The Word of God, the greatest app of all!

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deutoronomy 11:18-19

The app to success? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” Proverbs 1:7. All other apps follow suit.  

Joseph, in Genesis, rose from slavery to be Egypt’s second most powerful man—because He feared God, so He always went with him—even when trials seemed inevitable.

His Word alone, revealed in Christ, ensures greater victory over life’s many glitches. Did I say Joaqui loves this app better?

(Originally published at CBNAsia.org)

Photo credits: digitaltrends.com, blog.wordofgracechurch.com

LETTING GO

Nick Vujicic blew into town recently, drawing SRO crowds where he spoke, with audiences chewing his every word as he testified of God’s amazing grace. 

Without fail, this handsome and charismatic speaker  just let rivers of tears and conviction flow simultaneously from people who realized that if this guy without arms and legs can do it, so could they; because they have a God who enables—exceedingly—no matter how insignificant, down and out, or trash-worthy they think their lives have been. 

  

I won’t add anymore to the reams or bytes of e-texts, written about Nick.  Most of them have been deeply inspirational and life changing.

I’ve attempted this little message though for every mother currently struggling with feelings of condemnation, inadequacy or guilt that they have brought into this world a baby just like Nick.

No one could fathom how a mother’s heart dies when she is told that the baby she just gave birth to has been diagnosed as either missing or having some extra body parts, with a hole in his heart or a dextrocardia (heart turned to the right), blood abnormality, or has Down’s syndrome or any kind of disability. 

“What sin have I committed that my baby came out this way?”

“I can’t—I don’t know—how to deal with this.”

“Is there ever a way out of this? Will my baby ever be like a normal child?”  

“How can we cope with this? Financially? As a family?”

Guilt. Worry. Blaming yourself or looking for someone to blame, even blaming God. Helplessness.  Anger. All these come on you like a heavy ceaseless downpour, blurring everything; and sending you a downward spiral toward depression, even thoughts of, “It’s probably better to just end it all.”

And it may take years to extricate oneself out of it.

And what about mothers who have decided to abort or given their unwanted babies for adoption because they were simply not ready for the responsibility—then find themselves eternally hounded by their seemingly unpardonable sin? 

One such mother’s life-altering ordeal eventually led her to Jesus Christ. In the same way that Jesus became the answer to Nick’s helpless situation, this mother found her answer only in Christ. As she started to trust Jesus, she found hope in His promise to heal, to provide and to do exceedingly great on behalf of her baby.

What has happened has happened. We live in a fallen world where all sorts of tragedies occur. There are so many things we can’t explain; and we won’t know the answers until we see God face to face.

But Jesus is the only answer. Let the past just be a memory, something we learn from.  As you humble yourself now before God, let Jesus wash away all guilt and condemnation. He makes things brand new!

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans  8:1-2)

As you walk free from the past, believe too that Jesus will turn everything in your child’s favor. “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Mothers who have come to Jesus have never been disappointed. Ever!

Originally published at CBNAsia.com

(Photo credits: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org, paintingsbycynthia.com, paintingsilove.com)

SUPERBOOK IS BACK!

They were trapped, with  nowhere to go. With their pursuers immediately behind them and the sea in front of them, they faced death!

 

Refugees from a war-torn country like Syria? Escapees from an African nation wracked by violence and famine?

Pretty similar. But these were the Jews during Moses time. Almost cornered by Pharaoh's chariot-riding army, they didn't know where to turn. Then a miracle! The sea parted, making way for them to walk through dry ground as the waters continued to rage but as an enormous wall on both sides of them.

This is Superbook, returning with  bang. And just like any Hollywood or Disney animation movie, this particular episode was just as compelling. A page of history retold with the magic of animation. 

And that was just a sampler, viewed by a theatre-full of kids and moms and dads looking forward to the first airing of this relived, reinvented and reimagined series.

Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) starts airing Superbook every Saturday (starting June 1), 7:30am, on GMA 7; with Superbook Classic episodes shown Sundays (starting June 2), also at 7:30am on the same channel.

My children grew up being entertained in the eighties by Superbook---with its lovable trio Gizmo, Chris and Joy always travelling back in time and tumbling into scenes peopled by biblical characters.

Well, they're here to stay, backed by excellent imagineering technology.

But more than its entertainment value, Superbook the bible series teaches kids godly values like faith, love, joy, kindness, patience, perseverance, faithfulness; most of all, the greatness, awesomeness, lovingkindness, mercy and grace of our God as revealed in the Good Book.

Watch it with your kids. I love Kung Fu Panda and all those Hollywood and Disney animation movies. 

I guarantee you, Superbook will give you thrice the thrill and even blow your heart away. And your kids will surely learn heaps of life lessons from it while they get entertained and set aside their computer games for a while.

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it, Proverbs 22:6.

SUPERBOOK FANS TARA NA!

http://cbnasia.org/home/2013/05/superbook-super-launch-slated-on-may-25/

PRAYING MOTHERS

I don't know how Nanay and Tatay did it but during their time, you were an oddity if all you managed to have were one or two kids.  

My mother gave birth to eight children and İ could not remember her taking a leave off from work--- yet she did it all. 

İt helped of course that my elder siblings had been trained to mind the little ones, but I remember that even if Nanay was out making a living, Lola Felipa guarded us like a hawk---though my brother Dan and naughtiest sister Malu still managed to sneak out with their barkadas to either climb trees or frolic in the river. 

Well, all six girls and two brothers soon left town, studied in Manila, then had their own families---24 grandkids plus 24 great grandchildren multiplying Nanay's joy. 

İ still wonder how she did it, because when my turn came, i found motherhood a test of grit, patience and determination. Nanay was not a woman of many words but her modelling stuck with me, even if I rebelled sometimes. When my husband Jack and I had our kids, İ found myself doing exactly the same things she did.  

The scripture is so true! "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) How Nanay must have prayed! 

That's the very same secret place I discovered whenever I found myself helpless about our children's situations. And this mother's heart has enlarged some. Oh yes, I will always have a special place for our children and their spouses. But the bigger room has already been taken by the little ones! 

Just the thought of our grandkids sends joyful jolts to this grandmother's heart. Their presence alone can light up a dimly-lit room. 

Kind of makes me imagine our Father's heart. He loves kids, or those who are kids at heart---those who come to Him with a confidence that He will embrace and love them unconditionally, no matter what they've done. 

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14) 

Even if I'm officially a senior citizen and a mother twice over, I can come to Jesus---wrinkles, brokenness, inabilities, failures and all---and be assured that He will answer and grant my heart's desires. 

This mother desires only this: That my children and their children as well as those who will be born after them will honor the Lord with their lives and their substance all the days of their blessed lives. 

(Earlier published at CBNAsia.com)

A WELL OF A HEART

When God created man, He must have spent more time on the woman's heart, stretching it, making it as deep as a well for the heart-arresting issues she would need to contend with later. 

The yawning gap between a man and a  woman becomes really apparent when she becomes a mother.

A mother has a capacity to endure sleepless nights, to nurse, cuddle and burp her newborn baby even through colicky or feverish episodes. Add to that her matter-of-fact attitude when it comes to changing stinky diapers---while the fathers gag at even the prospect of it. 

She has the patience to discipline and coach, to continue teaching and guiding, even if her child is as stubborn  as a mule or unresponsive as a brick. 

And how she prays! Storming heaven's gates like her child were the only person in the whole wide world worthy of God's attention. Her persistence and faith, met with God's grace, are a potent combination.

Add to these the need to attend to day-to-day chores like cooking, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, gardening. Frankly, many moms fail to perform many of these nowadays, especially when most of them have careers outside the home. But mothers nonetheless definitely find ways to get things done, keeping their households orderly with a little help from kasambahays.  

And in rural and economically-depressed areas, one could see mothers carrying pails of water fetched from wells or rivers where they do their laundry. They plant rice or weed their husband's or neighbors'  farms. They cook viands and kakanins and sell them house to house.

Proverbs 31 says that a woman of noble character is worth far more than rubies and that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

Because women have their greater share of emotion than men, they hurt more when their kids take forbidden ways---like when a daughter gets pregnant in her teens or out of wedlock, or when a son gets  trapped in drugs, violence, pornography or gambling. Or when these kids fail in school!

But imagine too a mother's boundless joy when she sees her children following Jesus and reaping blessings as they do.

"Give her the reward she has earned; and let her works bring her praise at the city gates," says Proverbs 31:31.

Oh Jesus, İ pray that your hand would be upon mothers. Whatever they're going through, reach out to them. Comfort, strengthen and surround them with your love, joy and peace. Bring back their children who have taken dangerous paths. Call them in to their mothers and fathers. Remind them of your grace to accept and love them unconditionally. 

Likewise, Lord, bring home those women, who through no fault of their own, or because of wrong choices, have been away from their husbands and children. Restore families. Repair and mend broken relationships.  Give parents and children brand new hearts to start anew in Jesus Christ. Amen!

Photo credits: smashingmagazine.com, feronia.com, bandagedear.com