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

MY HAPPY PLACE

Charlize recently whisked me away to my happy place:

Lolo and Lola land---that special palace in the sky reserved for those who, having experienced life's worst and best, now find themselves joyfully entrenched in the lives of people so small yet so compelling. Oh yes, compelling enough to have us always thinking and praying for them, and experiencing joy as a result. 

We never expected it, but when our first grandkid came, it was joy unspeakable. Each apo afterwards came with her own joy igniter. Joaqui is now ten years old, his sister Charlize six, and their cousin Natalie ten months old. 

She was four when İ last saw Charlize in person---in one of my APOstolic works. (Both of our children's families have chosen to make their homes overseas so we've dubbed our visits as APOstolic, or caring for grandkids, missions.) 

Creative in every way, Charlize staged her own kiddie shows, made up songs and stories as she went along, sang at the top of her voice especially when "The Sound of Music" or "Annie" played, drew a lot, and asked, "Read mo' books, Wowa," most times. 

Thank God for technology, we now bond with our grandkids via Facetime, an app easily downloaded through İpad. 

Surprise, suprise, Charlize herself called us the other day! And it came in the middle of me watching "American İdol," my favorite show ever. But when Apo calls, Lola drops everything pronto, even if Ryan Seacrest proves endearing. 

Charlize turned out to be more of a darling, too. For more than an hour, she regaled me more than the "İdols" could have: 

"We have a lot of fun in school and Miss is so funny." Then came her litany of fun things she does in Year one. 

Scrounging for her sketch pad, she shows off her drawings of dresses. She would like to be a fashion designer when she grows up. Hmm, she's got fashion spunk. "You should draw some more," I pipe in. 

"Bringing" me to her brother's room, she finds some hand puppets, placing their faces up close to me for a mhwa-mhwa. So I mhwa-mhwa in turn with my hand-turned-puppet from my side of the globe. 

Finding her book of nursery rhymes, she reads aloud. Not one or two, but lots! So sweet of her. A few years back, she often asked to be read to. 

Now that she could read, she must have thought, "Lola must be so old, I better be the one to read to her." And was I pleased no end! 

During all these, Joaqui slipped in and out, making his usual funny faces; and showing off some of his books as I let both of them see the new book I was reading. 

But Charlize kept on and on, even if she obviously looked sleepy after more than an hour of chatting. Poor girl, un-savvy yet to exit the scene.

"You should go to bed now," I insisted, making it easy for her to say nitey-nite. 

Then I turned off Facetime, glad to have connected with my apos even if they're in Australia and their Lola in the Philippines. 

That's our very same routine with my son's family in the US. It's as if we're part of baby Natalie's everyday as Facetime affords us a chance to talk to her, sing to her, pray for her; and just be there to watch her bloom---in full color and in motion---everyday. 

When our children got married and Jack and I found ourselves empty-nesters, we never doubted God's grace to make it well for us. 

We've never felt the emptiness, because around us are brothers and sisters, bible study and other friends who've always been there through laugh days and feast days,

bad hair and heart days, and really really bad days. 

"We are really blessed," remarked my sister-in-law Papoose, when İ told her recently how great it must be for her and her hubby Tony to have their grandkids Sofia and Maia always coming around or joining them on trips. 

A third apo bounded in recently so Lola Papoose has her plate full! Happy full! Apos just a walk away.

However grandparenting catches us, it is still the most blessed season of our lives. 

Facetime, Skype, Facebook, call, write, fly, visit, walk over, whatever---make it a point to connect. 

The world is never too big for parents and children and grandchildren to cherish each other dearly. 

For more grandparenting joys and woes, and assurance of God's wonderful plan for your family, check out "Grandparenting: Happiness and Hard Work," published by OMF Literature and available in OMF Lit, PCBS, National and Powerbooks bookstores. 

E-book order through Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Yay%20Padua-Olmedo&search-alias=books

SUNDAY DIET

İ love Sundays. Not that İ need them as a respite from work, now that İ'm retired from a full time job.

But even when I get busy once in a while, with writing and doing seminars or teaching some days, İ find myself goofing off a lot of times---sneaking off for some coffee times with my girl friends and relatives---any time someone hollers, "Tara go!" 

So why do İ love Sundays when I'm on R&R most days? Sunday truly is the day of the Lord! 

İt's like going on a picnic by a river on a hot summer day. Jumping into the river and wading to its deeper parts, you soon feel the the water enveloping, refreshing, envigorating and turning your body feather-light. "İ could stay here the whole day," you wish. 
 
Yesterday was one such Sunday. The refreshing came actually as a buffet of heavenly manna. Visiting my Citygate Christian Center family in the morning, I feasted on Pastor Brian Kairuz's anointed warning: 

Do not allow sin to rob you of your victory, so pursue Jesus, not money or women or men or fame. 

Come humbly to God first, repent. Don't say, "Kayang-kaya!" because if sin or pride is not dealt with, even the most mundane challenge will seem like a Goliath that you want to run away from. 

In the afternoon, Pastor Jeric Soriano of New Life Christian Center reminded us of God's love. 

It is a love so unconditional, it is not based on what we can do or perform, not if you've been a good or bad boy. God doesn't have bad days or tantrums. He loves us no matter what! 

Proof of that? He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2Peter 1:3). He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians1:3). And all of these are available in Christ! 

So isn't it wise to just do what Christ does, or follow what Christ teaches? And how I've been refreshed! 

Matthew 6:25-26: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" 

This was the very first lesson İ learned from Jesus in 1983 when İ confessed Him as my Savior and Lord. That too was when He changed my heart of stone to a heart of flesh, so that from then on, every Word He said became alive in my heart. 

İ ate every bit of it, relishing them as my daily bread, milk, butter, meat and veggie roll-in-one. Everyday has just been a basketful of masarap na baon. 

Life has never been more delicious---in spite of the sometimes acrid and putrid menu dished out by the temptations of this world, or during times that I dissed His word and followed instead old rotten me.

The "birds of the air" referred to here are sparrows, Pastor Jeric clarifies. Cheap birds, costing two pennies for five sparrows during Jesus' time. 

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God, says Jesus in Luke 12. 

İf you're prone to worrying, take a grip of this. İf God cares for cheap and seemingly worthless creatures like birds---protecting them from the elements, giving them food without needing to harvest and store them in barns---couldn't we believe that, we being His children, are secure in Him? 

He is our provider, our healer, our strength, our peace, our joy, our victory! Jesus is God İmmanuel, the God who is with us. He is the God who is more than enough. Best of all, He is our Lord and Savior. 

The answer to anything you will ever need and every situation you will ever face is in Christ! 

But this free gift of eternal life and security in Jesus is yours only if you commit your life to Him. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12) 

The best part about these Sunday refreshings is this: İt stays with you through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday as you read your bible and meditate on His greatness and love. 

By the way, this great heavenly food which gets deposited in us everyday must result in something, right? Love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness. The fruit of the Spirit.

Planted by rivers of living water who is Jesus Christ, this tree  (our life) must bear fruit. Dapat my demo, para paniwalaan! (Must be demonstrated to be believed!)

Making a difference is not a result of studying much, says Pastor Jeric. 

İt happens because Jesus lives in hearts constantly being changed by His Word. 

photo credits: dailydecorator.com, gdfon.com, garthright.blogspot, historicfortplain.com

REUNION LOWS AND HIGHS

"Boring!" must be the thought bubble of many kids attending family reunions. 

That ho-hum, "mom-could-we-go-home?" look was evident in every family reunion I've attended, while the elders regaled each other with oft-repeated adventures and misadventures of their childhood days.  

Introduced to their never-seen cousins and made to mano po (kiss the hands of elders as a sign of respect) unfamiliar adults who are supposedly their lolos, lolas, titos and titas, they would uncomfortably settle, stone-faced, on their seats.

It's different, of course today, since many of them would just play electronic games using their cell phones or PSPs---oblivious to the reunion frenzy around them. 

But what did you expect? Reunions are the stuff of those who've done that, been there---together. That's why they're called reunions. Having gone through much together in the past, you get all giddy to have that blast in the past once more.

Well, that is so true of class reunions. Of some women I know (in my age group or a bit younger) who'd made a decision to attend their class reunions, the countdown would start months prior, with weight reduction as priority number one.

"For who knows, my first love might come!" said one.

And one couldn't give a hint of looking losyang or pinagtampuhan ng tadhana (a has been or in a lowly state) after all those years. So one prepares.

I've heard quite a number of childhood sweethearts getting back into each other's arms after years of having their own families, turning up single again in the class reunion---a de-ja vu---then marrying! 

I attended one such high school reunion, excited to see the crush ng bayan. Never mind what I saw. But what was I thinking? That the same youthful, slim Justin Bieber look-alike would make an entrance? 

And look at me! I've changed, heavier, rounder and with more wrinkles---eye bags to boot (my then very very senior mother jokingly referred to them as "eyes bag" and tried to conceal them with glasses that didn't have any grade)---around my eyes. I wonder what my classmates thought in turn?

So to even think that time would stand still on your crush or yourself---you're dreaming!

So when they say, "You have not changed!" charge that to flattery or defective eyesight! Or maybe they're saying the essential "you" is still intact. 

We all get old and that's a fact of life.

I recently attended the San Miguel Packaging Products (SMPP) retirees' reunion, a first such reunion for me. 

It felt good to be with people who were once your bosses and colleagues. I looked forward to seeing dear friends Cynthia Cabasag and Ceci Talattad. 

Honestly, these two looked the same as when I last saw them eons ago! Walang flattery! Both have continued to pursue their own careers and ministry work outside of corporate life.

And so have others. Some are still active in the corporate world, a handful are pursuing varied advocacy work; many are completely retired. 

Former San Miguel Corporation president, Frankie Eizmendi (FCE)---to me the epitome of calm, cool and collected--- looked as dapper and handsome, except for the more obvious lines on his pinkish complexion. How does he manage to remain so healthy, even as a septuagenarian?  I quite remember him (when I used to be one of his staff assistants) always taking a power nap every lunch hour, no fail!

Ricky Gomez, my Marketing mentor, looked like he hasn't changed at all. Honestly! (Again!)

Both of them talked about SMPP as a great division of San Miguel, it being the breeding ground of SMC's top executives, many of them having made it to CEO and COO positions in the SMC family and elsewhere. 

Rene Gener and his able team of angel volunteers ably organized the reunion, with fun, laughter, entertainment, nostalgia evenly handed out. 

He called for one minute of silence for SMPP members who have gone ahead of us. But it turned out to be longer than that. Seeing my Kuya Tony's name in that list made me teary-eyed. He passed away just a year ago; and yes, these people were all his friends. 

And here they were, honoring one another. 

Glory days may pass. Days of accomplishing much are soon over. But relationships are meant to last.

Thank you Lord, for this rare opportunity to reconnect with my mentors and friends.

Reunions, we need them---even if our eyes are faltering or our bulges are jutting out.