Faith & Life

Until He Completes a Work

Goethe (1749–1832) was a poet, educator, painter, politician, scientist, and world-class literary man. One of his greatest masterpieces is Faust. Faust is a classic that shows Goethe’s diverse, wide view of the world. When he first conceived it, he was 22 years old. Deeply touched at Goethe’s other works, the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar1 asked him to serve as a statesman. Goethe accepted the proposal under the condition that he would work on writing. 1. One of the Saxon duchies However, while working as a high-ranking official, he gradually became far from literature. Mixed up, he traveled to Italy just like an escape and was deeply inspired by the art and architecture there. So he left office, went back to…

Empty Your Mind and Give Ear to Your Family!

A survey of a Korean portal found that conversation time among family members is less than twenty minutes a day. The biggest reason for such little talk with their family even though they live in the same house is there seems to be no one who hears them. In order for a family to live in harmony, the family members should talk to each other enough. For the rich and honest conversation, you have to listen carefully to the other person and pay attention to their words even if they are about trivial things: what your child has experienced at school, what your spouse has been through at work or with your neighbors, and what your parents are worried about.…

Wearing Pink Shirts for a Friend

In 2007, high school classmates David Shepherd and Travis Price in Nova Scotia, Canada, sent a message to their friends, “Wear a pink shirt at school tomorrow.” ‘What if people laugh at boys in pink?’ or ‘What if no one wears it tomorrow?’ Although they were worried, they plucked up courage. The next day, fortunately, a few students came to school in pink clothes besides the two. The next day more students participated, and the number of participants increased day by day, and finally about 800 out of a little more than 1,000 students wore pink clothes. The school became the sea of pink. The two students did this because one of the school students was bullied for wearing pink…

Seeking Humble Souls Who Long for the Truth

The Netherlands, the land of tulips and windmills, is well-known for having expanded its territory by filling wetlands and lakes with earth and building levees. The Netherlands literally means “low countries.” There are many low-lying lands there, so the Netherlands reclaimed land from the sea to prevent chloridation of farmlands by sea water. The newly reclaimed territory of the country is one sixth of the total area. So the Dutch people are very proud of themselves, saying, “God created the world but the Dutch created the Netherlands.” After we were sent to serve as missionaries to the Netherlands, we diligently preached the gospel together with the local members or short/long-term mission members, to seek the souls who were waiting for…

Ah Yeong-hun from Amsterdam, Netherlands

A Restaurant That Serves Wrong Food

What if you get dumplings when you ordered a hamburger steak? What if dessert comes before your order is served? You may wonder who would want to visit such a restaurant, but its diners said they’d love to come again. This is the story about a restaurant that opened for two days in Tokyo, Japan, in June 2017, in order to raise awareness of dementia patients at the suggestion of a Japanese producer at a broadcasting company. The restaurant, where the elderly with dementia received orders and served food, put a notice, “You might not get the dishes you ordered.” Probably because of this, the diners didn’t look irritated or unpleasant at all even though the food was different from…

Mother’s Voice

The sense of hearing develops first among five senses. Within a few days of fertilization in the mother, the fertilized egg begins to shape the ear when it is only 0.9 mm in size. In the third week of pregnancy, the inner ear (internal ear)1 develops, and the cochlea is differentiated in six weeks and connected to nerve cells in about 20 to 24 weeks. This means that the fetus can hear sounds. 1. The inner most part of the ear, surrounded by hard bones. It consists of the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals, and transmits vibrations of the eardrum to nerves. The fetus becomes able to hear while other organs have not yet grown, and emotions develop through the…

Duty as a Father

I was wandering around in the world, without anyone to rely on. Then, one day, my colleague in my former company introduced the Church of God to me. Unlike the heartless world, the Church of God had a bright atmosphere, and all the members looked happy. When I realized the Spirit and the Bride who give the water of life to my soul, I was overjoyed, thinking, “I’ve found where I should go at last!” and received a new life. Afterwards, listening to sermons became a part of my daily life. Through sermons, I was able to gain greater understanding about the principle of the soul, and the more I realized, the more I was reminded of my family. I…

Lee Jeom-do from Ulsan, South Korea

Eyes

The eye transforms an image of an object reflected on the retina into electrochemical information and delivers it to the brain through the optic nerve. The eye receives information more than any other senses of the body. It is so important that people say, “Eyes take 90% of the body.” However, it is very sensitive to external stimuli, so even a small dust particle can cause great inconvenience. This is why the eyeball, the main organ of the eye, is assisted by many appendages. First, the eyelid covers the exposed eyeball and protects it, moving up and down and washing the eye with tears to make it shiny and transparent. When it is exposed to wind or strong light, it…

The Effect of Hugging

At a subway station in Seoul, Korea, a drunk made a noise, arguing with police officers. Then, a man watching the scene approached the drunk and embraced him, patting his back. Soon, the drunk quickly calmed down. Those who watched this video on the Internet were impressed by the man who calmed the stranger by hugging him. Hugging the other person with open arms may seem like a simple action, but there is an amazing power hidden in it. A hug increases the secretion of oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel psychologically stable, while cortisol, a stress hormone, decreases. Hugs thus make you feel loved and comfort the exhausted. It also relieves negative emotions such as anxiety and fear.…

Living Room with Family Culture

A house usually consists of bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room, and each space has a different purpose. In general, the bedrooms are used for sleeping and keeping clothes and belongings; the bathroom is a room for washing and doing the family’s needs; and the kitchen is where the family cooks and eats. Then, what is the living room for? The living room in the center of the house is used in various ways as a space to receive guests and a place where family members use together. Above all, it is a place where all family members gather. People instinctively want to feel a sense of belonging, and in order to satisfy that desire, they need…

The Fruit of Patience

Participating in the gospel work in the continent of Europe has been accompanied by the love and blessings of Heavenly Father and Mother. Patience is one of many things I have learned while preaching diligently. Just as farmers grow and harvest crops with patience, Father and Mother have taught me the patience it takes for one soul to receive a new life. While preaching the gospel diligently in London, I had not been able to bear fruit for a long time. Many people showed interest in the words of God when we preached in the street, but that was just it. Many people did not keep their promise to meet again. Also, even after studying the Bible several times, many…

Pamela Lau from London, U.K.

Two Executives

The CEO of a company came up with an innovative idea after much consideration. If the idea would be shaped up after thorough market research, it would be an opportunity of great success indeed. The CEO called in two executives and ambitiously explained the idea to them who could be entrusted with the new work. He asked them with expectation. “Which department wants to take up the project?” Then, one executive answered with a somber look: “My department may not be able to do it. Manager Lee has a weak drive, and Assistant Manager Park is not flexible. Choi is lazy and often late for work. I can’t entrust any work to them. I’m frustrated with my department members, too.”…

On Behalf of My Parents

I’m the oldest of my eight siblings. When I was young, I did the housework and took care of my younger siblings on behalf of my working parents. My mom worked shifts as a certified nurse assistant. So, once she went to work, I couldn’t see her for thirty-two hours, sometimes sixty-eight hours. I prepared meals for her, washed and ironed her nurse clothes so that she could rest comfortably when she got home from work. She used to ask me like this. “My love, thank you for being my right hand. Help your younger siblings get ready for school. When you walk with them to the bus stop, make sure they are all in front of you and follow…

Lailahni Efa Rose Tuaila from San Diego, CA, U.S.

Good Persons

“Those who do the right thing even when no one else is watching.” “Those who have good manners towards everyone regardless of age, status, race, educational attainment, or wealth, and remember to say ‘Thank you’ and ‘Please.’ ” “Those who know that the earth does not revolve around them alone.” “A person who leaves an opening on the road when stopping in front of a driveway or thruway so that any car turning in or coming out can get through.” “Those who value others at least as much as they value themselves.” “Those whose automatic response to strangers is compassion and friendship.” “Those who make this world a better place than when they entered it by the time they leave…

How to Fall Well

Judo is a fighting game in which two players fight with their bare hands, using the power of the other player to throw, take down, choke, or push. If you start learning Judo, you’ll first practice break-falls, not attack skills. Break-falls are techniques that keep your body safe when it is thrown or falls suddenly. The process of learning break-falls is not easy at all. You come to have bruises and damages on your whole body, and you’re likely to get tired if you repeat them innumerably until you get used to them. Even though break-falls are not the techniques to defeat your opponent like throwing and grappling techniques, the reason players practice it for a long time is that…

Time to Start

The roof of a house was broken by a strong typhoon. The house owner could not even think about repairing the roof although rain fell from the ceiling when it rained. The owner thought, ‘When it stops raining, I’ll repair the roof.’ After the rain stopped, however, he once again changed his mind, seeing the clear sky. ‘This week, I need to weed out in the field, so I’ll repair it next week.’ A week later, the house owner even regarded it as annoying. ‘There will be no rain for a while, so I’ll repair it in the rainy season.’ While postponing it again and again, the rainy season returned and the house was messed up by heavy rains. British…

Love that Gives Strength

Last summer, an unprecedented rain spell caused severe flood damages. I volunteered for the flood recovery efforts with the Church of God Young Adult Worker Volunteer Group [ASEZ WAO]. As we arrived at the village, the residents were already cleaning the dust with sweat. Greenhouses were all ruined, and it was hard to recover their household items. Most residents barely pulled themselves together. I could feel the sadness from their worried faces. We moved to our allotted areas. We used shovels to scoop out the dust and garbage, which covered the greenhouses, put them in sacks, and brought them outside. The place was so sweltering that even the heatwave warning was issued due to the sizzling hot and humid weather.…

Mun Su-jeong from Gwangju, South Korea

Daughter of an Independent Activist

In 1915 when World War I was in full swing, a second-generation Korean American Susan Ahn was born in Los Angeles, California, U.S. When the Pacific War1 broke out, she volunteered for the U.S. Navy, but because of being Asian, she failed the officer test. But she tried again and became the first Asian American woman to join the U.S. Navy. Even after she became an officer, she was excluded from the code-breaking task for six months just because she’s an Asian. Later, however, her ability was acknowledged and she became the first Asian American cryptanalysis expert in the U.S. Armed Forces. 1. The war between Japan and the Allies from 1941 to 1945. As part of World War II,…

Understanding and Care Instead of Advice or Pointing Out

Family conflicts are often caused by hard-hitting words. Speakers often think that honest advice and pointing out will help the other person, while the person who hears it often get wounded or stressed. A Jewish saying goes, “A hundred harsh words of a stranger are bearable, but a single unkind word of your friend deeply hurts you.” It means that the wound we receive from a close person lasts long. The advice that offends the other person’s feelings leaves only scars, not much effect. But if you understand and sympathize with the other person with interest in what he says, many things will change. It is a kind of love to give advice and point out the shortcomings with sincerity…

Though We Cannot Meet

Ever since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) hit the world, our circumstances have changed drastically in the United States. Almost everything in our daily life had stopped, including our job, and we could not even go to church. Despite the situation, the work of salvation for souls has been remarkably fulfilled with God’s help. A sister called me one day and asked me if I could study over the phone with a brother’s wife who had all of a sudden shown interest in the Bible. I willingly said I was available. I studied with Debbie twice almost every week over the phone. Studying with her in a situation where we could not meet freely, I was anxious. I was worried if…

Amelia Kitinoja from Denver, CO, U.S.