The World Tonight | ANC (19 May 2021)

Why Is God The Light Of The World?

 For he [Christ] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  Colossians 1:13-14.

In her book, The Fourth Instinct, Arianna Huffington tells of the parents who brought a baby boy home from the hospital, joining an older sibling already in the family.  The four-year-old sister, however, immediately requested to be alone with the little boy.  The parents, though, were afraid that the sister might not handle the little infant with care.  “Why do you want to be alone with him?”  Unsatisfied, the parents ignored the request.  But finally, after persistent requests, the mother agreed; however, she stayed outside within reach should the baby cry.

After a few moments she heard the voice of the little four-year-old as she whispered to the baby, “Tell me about God.  I’m forgetting!”

Out of the mouths of babes!  Presuming that babies all come from God, that little girl wanted to know.  She was forgetting.  Those words reflect the heart cries of so many of us today.  “Tell me about God.  I’m forgetting!”

If you were to look up into the starry hosts on a dark night and ask, “God, what are you like?”  And you should hear a response, what do you think it would be?

Two clear statements come in response to that question, both found in the New Testament.  There you will find that John, one of the twelve who walked with Jesus, said that God is love and God is light.  The first predicate describes God’s relationship with us; the second describes the nature and character of God.

In John’s first letter, which was written towards the end of his life, John looks back and reflects, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).  What a claim!

Seven centuries before Christ, Isaiah looked down through the centuries of time and told of one who would walk by the Sea of Galilee and follow the path of the Jordan River.  He said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).

Jesus claimed to be that one.  He said simply, “I am the light of the world!” (John 8:12).  But Jesus didn’t stop there.  He made a second claim, even more bold in its implications.  He said that if anyone would follow Him, he or she, likewise, would never walk in darkness.  No one but God could make such a claim and back it up.  That, of course, is the issue.  If God is light, and Jesus claimed to come from the Father, then it should be no surprise that He likewise had that same quality.

Paul, the theologian of the New Testament, described the world as a kingdom of darkness; but he said that through faith in Jesus Christ, individuals move into a kingdom of light.  Here’s how he put it: “For he [Christ] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

If you would doubt that light and darkness still battle for the souls of people, I would like you to read the messages that have come to us from more than 100 countries of the world.  How to describe better the despair of drug users, the wretched loneliness of mates who have been deserted by the one who once vowed “to love, cherish, and protect ’til death us do part,” the burden of one who feels he can never find forgiveness for what he has done.

Thank God there is light today in a world of darkness. And He still rescues us from the kingdom of darkness and translates us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

Resource reading: 1 John 1:5-7

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-is-god-the-light-of-the-world/

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NBA: Grizzlies nip Kings in battle of second-stringers

Justise Winslow scored a season-high 25 points and matched his career best of 13 rebounds to help the Memphis Grizzlies notch a 107-106 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Xavier Tillman contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Killian Tillie added a career-high 16 points as Memphis (38-33) won its fifth straight game. 

John Konchar scored 15 points as the Grizzlies swept a back-to-back set with the Kings.

Louis King recorded career highs of 27 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (31-40). 

Damian Jones posted season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, Justin James scored 16 points and Chimezie Metu added 15.

Memphis held a six-point lead with 38 seconds remaining before the Kings made a late rush. 

Terence Davis hit a 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds left, but he saw his last-second 3-point attempt bounce off the glass and the rim before failing to go through the rim.

Sacramento's Buddy Hield, who scored 11 points, was the only one of the typical 10 starters on the floor for the teams. 

The contest had a summer-league feel one day after the Kings were eliminated from postseason contention for the 15th straight season.

The contest also was meaningless for the Grizzlies, who held out starters Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Anderson and key reserve Brandon Clarke to keep them fresh for Sunday's road clash with the Golden State Warriors.

The winner of the Memphis-Golden State game will land the No. 8 position in the Western Conference play-in round and the loser will be No. 9.

The Grizzlies' other starter, Grayson Allen, missed his sixth straight game due to an abdominal injury.

Sacramento starters De'Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols), Harrison Barnes (adductor), Marvin Bagley III (groin) and Richaun Holmes (knee) missed the game.

Winslow capped a 10-3 run with a 3-pointer to give Memphis a 93-89 lead with 6:08 left. Sacramento scored 10 of the next 15 points to take its final lead at 99-98 with 2:44 remaining.

The Kings shot 38.5 percent from the field, including 10 of 42 (23.8 percent) from 3-point range.

The Grizzlies connected on 44 percent of their field-goal attempts and made 11 of 33 from behind the arc.

King scored 16 first-half points and Jones added 12 as the Kings led 57-53 at the break. Winslow had 12 points for the Grizzlies before halftime.

The Kings led 70-59 after Davis drained a 3-pointer with 7:59 left in the third quarter. The Grizzlies responded with a 16-4 run to take a one-point edge en route to a 79-76 advantage entering the final stanza.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/15/21/nba-grizzlies-nip-kings-in-battle-of-second-stringers

WATCH: PCSO 2 PM Lotto Draw, May 19, 2021

GMA to invest P20B until 2023 for expansion, new state-of-the-art studios

GMA Network Inc. is set to invest P20 billion in the next three years for its capital spending and production costs, a top network official announced on Wednesday.

During the company's annual stockholders' meeting, GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe Gozon said the funds are in line with the network's investments in long-term sustainable developments.

The amount includes costs for the construction of a new building and state-of-the-art studios inside the complex in Quezon City.

The funds will also cover the expansion of GMA's digital television reach, as well as various projects in the regions to strengthen its presence across the country.

"We will continue to be focused on providing meaningful and superior content," Gozon said.

This year alone, GMA Network plans to launch around 100 programs consisting of network-produced and acquired foreign programs.

"What we are doing right now is we are converting most of our facilities from analog to DTV-broadcast capable," said Gozon.

This year's spending program covers the construction of storage facilities and a disaster recovery system, new hubs in Zamboanga and Batangas, and the upgrade of radio transmitters.

GMA Network ended the first quarter with a 246% climb in net income to P2.018 billion from P583.42 million in the same quarter last year.

Revenues for the period jumped 55% to P5.457 billion from P3.531 billion, while operating expenses grew 5% to P2.837 billion from P2.691 billion.

Optimistic about 2021

The company is looking to sustain its growth momentum this year.

Gozon said he is optimistic that the company will book double-digit growth in 2021.

"On the optimistic side, I think we can project hopefully — and I underscore the word hopefully — a 15% increase in 2021 over 2020," he said.

For the full-year 2020, GMA's net income surged to P6.00 billion from P2.639 billion in 2019.

Revenues for the 12-month period rose to P19.335 billion from P16.439 billion, while expenses grew to P6.847 billion from P6.325 billion.

"The year 2020 was by far our best in our 70-year history," Gozon said, as the company recorded all-time high results across all financial indicators.

Gozon noted, however, that definite guidance for 2021 is hard to set as the quarantine restrictions across the country continue to be adjusted depending on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The situation is really fluid and dynamic as you know, because of the changing health protocols depending on the changes of the occurrence of the pandemic, and so it's going to be a difficult job to project the total 2021 earnings and net income," he said.

The chief executive said that the 15% earnings projection is dependent on the sustained climb in gross revenues, and costs remaining at their current levels.

Shares in GMA Network Inc. were trading down 1.87% or 17 centavos at P8.94 apiece as of 12:43 p.m. on May 19.

GMA News Online is the official news platform of GMA Network Inc. —KBK/KG, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/788065/gma-to-invest-p20b-until-2023-for-expansion-new-state-of-the-art-studios/story/

Sakto | Teleradyo (19 May 2021)

ALL FOR ONE - Kape't Pandasal kasama si Fr Nono Alfonso, SJ