Sports, Entertainment, Athletes and Games Network: 07/20/21

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13

How do you find God? Now, here’s a second question. If you have a child who gets lost, what do you do? You look for that child. Right? Neighbors and friends mobilize until that child is found. But are the two issues of finding God and finding a lost child the same?

Has God gotten lost and needs to be found? Or, rather, is it that we have gotten lost and need to be found by Him? The prophet Isaiah wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Paul indicted the world and said, “There is…no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).

God isn’t lost; we are! We are the ones who by our choices and our actions have wandered far from a loving Father. We are the ones who need to come home. OK, we admit that we need to find God. But how do we do it?

Frankly, the issue isn’t as difficult as many think it is. The fact is, most people aren’t looking very hard. Too often we search for Him about like a thief looks for a policeman. Yet there are times when people are diligent in their search for God; they are just looking on the wrong place. Religion has been described as man’s search for God. It’s a reflection of our hearts and natures which cry out for union with our Creator and Maker. It’s the inevitable outcome of looking at life realistically and saying, “There must be more to life and death than just earning a living, growing old, and then dying.”

Long ago, Jeremiah as God’s spokesman wrote, “This is what the LORD says…’I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart'” (Jeremiah 29:10-13). Those words which were spoken to God’s children in exile also apply to the person who wants to find God today.

The Bible clearly tells you how you can find God. Here it is:

Step #1: Look for God in the right place. The Bible tells you clearly how you can connect with God. Start by reading the third chapter of John in the New Testament.

Step #2: Acknowledge the fact that you have lost your way. This is probably the most difficult part, because we hate to admit that we are lost. This was the whole point in God’s sending His Son. Jesus said that He had come “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). He also described Himself as the Good Shepherd Who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The Gospel is that a loving God sent His Son to find us and bring us back into fellowship with the Father.

Step #3: Ask God to accept you as you are and receive you as His child. Remember the words of Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”? (Jeremiah 29:13). God said if you would seek Him, He would be found. In other words, He will find and save you.

Step #4: Take it by faith. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). You can find God, and when you do, you will never again be lost. It’s just that simple. Take His hand and walk with Him and He’ll show you the way back.

Resource reading: John 3:1-21

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/4-steps-to-finding-god/

Why ‘Ang Probinsyano’ keeps getting extended, according to Shaina Magdayao

Shaina Magdayao was originally set to star in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” for only two months, but has since stayed on for over a year, during which the iconic series hurdled both the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and ABS-CBN’s franchise denial.

Magdayao debuted in the primetime drama in February 2020, as Police Major Roxanne Opeña, who was assigned to team up with Coco Martin’s Cardo and Task Force Agila for a mission.

Once at odds with Cardo, Roxanne has since proven a loyal ally, standing by Agila, now tagged as fugitives, as they fight to reclaim the Palace from a terror group.

“My character is still alive, the show is still alive. We’ve been extended and extended and extended,” Magdayao told ABS-CBN News.

“It’s all because of the support of our Kapamilya, and our Kapatid, at ‘yung mga nanonood online. Who would have thought, that in the middle of the pandemic, magiging very successful pa ang ‘Probinsyano.’ I’m very, very grateful,” she said.

The series, which had been the consistent No. 1 TV show in the Philippines since its 2015 debut, migrated fully to digital in July 2020, after a congressional panel voted to reject the ABS-CBN’s bid for a fresh broadcast franchise.

It would keep GMA and TV5 as the sole free-to-air channels of the country.

Cardo would go on to mark numerous milestones in terms of concurrent viewership online — or those watching its live stream at the same time — from some 50,000 for its digital debut, to over 150,000 on YouTube alone in June 2021.

“Maski kami nagulat,” Magdayao said of the program’s recent record-breaking streak on Kapamilya Online Live.

Aside from the free livestreaming service of ABS-CBN on YouTube and Facebook, “Ang Probinsyano” is accessible via Kapamilya Channel, A2Z Channel 11, TV5, CineMo, iWant TFC, TFC, WeTV, and iflix.

That “Ang Probinsyano” has been extended numerous times, and is approaching its sixth year on air in September, are not only a testament to its enduring popularity — but also the “culture” behind the cameras that has allowed to program to push on despite crises.

“I’m part of a good culture. Our show was the very first show to resume working. We were called the frontliners pa nga noong una,” Magdayao said of the new-normal restrictions of filming amid the prevailing pandemic.

“‘Yung drive namin was, if hindi kami mag-so-show up, paano ‘yung mga katrabaho namin magkakaroon ng trabaho? Our crew, our staff? Right now, it’s more than just being an actress. It’s more than just having a show. It’s actually functioning as a unit. We function as a family,” she explained.

Fittingly, the series’ constant themes of family and faith, Magdayao pointed out, have been reflected in the team’s own journey of grappling with both the pandemic and ABS-CBN’s transition.

“Until now, I guess that’s why nai-extend nang nai-extend, because that’s our drive now. That’s our motivation now, more than ever. It’s not self-serving, kumbaga. Team effort siya talaga,” she said.

Magdayao also credited the leaders of ABS-CBN, specifically mentioning president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and broadcast head Cory Vidanes, for being “courageous” despite uncertainties.

“Sila talaga ‘yung perfect example of survivors who thrive. They just don’t survive, they’re thriving. When you look up to them and observe kung ano ang ginagawa nila, they are not doing this for themselves. They’re actually doing this for the network and for the employees,” she said.

Admittedly, Magdayao, who has been a Kapamilya for over 25 years, only recently understood the deeper meaning of the term, after the events of the past year.

“It’s family, more than ever,” she said, when asked what ABS-CBN means to her now. “The term Kapamilya never really set in until the last year.”

“It’s true, whenever you face challenges, whenever your faith is tested, that’s when you see who your true Kapamilya are.”

https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/07/20/21/why-ang-probinsyano-keeps-getting-extended-according-to-shaina-magdayao