Faith & Life

Writers Who Exercise

“I learned many things about writing fiction while running every morning,” said Haruki Murakami, Japanese best-selling novelist. He runs every day. He wants to be remembered as a runner as well as a writer. Famous Dutch artist Guido van der Werve said, “Running makes me more focused and refreshed. After running, I sit in front of the piano and start composing.” Ernest Hemingway, a representative writer of the 20th century, who enjoyed boxing and swimming, said, “The mind and body are closely linked. If your body becomes dull, your mind may become dull, too.” Will the body movement help improve creative ability as they say? In 2014, Stanford University researchers tested the creativity of 176 college students when they were…

As If a Blind Man Touches an Elephant

Some blind people touched an elephant with their hands and made each different claim. The person who touched its body said, “The elephant is like a solid wall,” and the person who touched its leg said, “The elephant is like a round pillar.” The person who touched its nose said, “The elephant looks like a long tube,” and the person who touched its ivory said, “The elephant looks like a pointed arrow.” Like this, when a person talks as if he knows everything when he knows in part, he is likened to a blind man who touches an elephant. Although each of the blind knows only part of the elephant, there is a way to understand the actual appearance of…

Social Media Security as Important as Locking Your Doors

Social media is an online platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people by sharing information and communicating freely, such as Facebook, Twitter, Kakao Story, Instagram, Band, and YouTube. As the spread of smart phones increases, social media became available regardless of time and place, so it has become an inseparable part of the lives of modern people. A Korean web portal surveyed 693 members on the “Use Pattern of Social Media and the Status of Its Utilization.” It reports that 91.3% of the respondents are using social media, and that their purposes were for communication with others (63.2%), diverse information and trend research (60.7%), relieving boredom (46.9%), recording and sharing their daily life…

When People Need Comfort and Hope

“The government’s suggestion to take preventive measures against the pandemic while carrying on our daily lives does not mean that we are returning to the lifestyle before COVID-19. We might not be able to return to the lifestyle we had before the pandemic.” What I heard on the news gave me many thoughts. The nationwide restrictions which started simultaneously with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to have no end, and it became hard to even see the faces of the brothers and sisters, to say nothing of everybody gathering together for worship. As a missionary who carries out God’s will, I wondered how I should carry out the gospel work in this situation. Right around that time, Mother…

Gahng Gyeong-hun from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fastidious Mother-in-law and Her Polite Daughter-in-law

A woman who was fastidious and thorough in everything got a daughter-in-law who was a careless and easy-going person contrary to her mother-in-law. The villagers talked in whispers, “From now on, the daughter-in-law will have no good days,” thinking that the daughter-in-law would not bear up under the control of her mother-in-law. As the people anticipated, the mother-in-law forced her daughter-in-law to do lots of work in order to get the start on her at her early married life. Even at a small mistake of the daughter-in-law, the mother-in-law picked on her, saying, “Didn’t you learn such a basic thing from your parents?” Whenever the daughter-in-law heard that, she politely replied, “I make mistakes often because I’m not careful enough.…

The Most Special Day in Her Life

August 9 This is the name of a new cafe near my house. I thought it was very peculiar when I saw the signboard with a specific date written on it. Every time I passed the cafe, I was curious about the meaning. One day I entered the café out of curiosity. After ordering a drink, I asked the owner what the signboard meant while she was preparing the drink. She replied, “It’s the most special day in my life.” I asked if it was her birthday or wedding anniversary. Then she smiled and said: “It’s my son’s birthday.” It was an unexpected answer to me. “If it’s your son’s birthday, isn’t it the most difficult day for you?” “No…

Oh Jin-hui from Anyang, South Korea

How to Run Less Hard

Researchers from Ulster University and Swansea University in the U.K. conducted experiments on twenty-four men and women whose hobbies were running. It was an experiment to see what look of face and state of mind bring the best running economy. Running economy means how less energy you consume while running at a constant speed. The less energy you consume, the better running economy you have. Participants ran in four different ways: running on the treadmill while smiling; running with a frown; running without tension, imagining that you are holding French fries between your fingers; and running with the mind to finish the race quickly. The experiment results suggest that smiling is the most beneficial strategy to improve running economy. “Smiling…

Three Elements of Persuasion

Aristotle said that in order to persuade others, logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (ethics) are needed. Logos refers to clear proof and logic. Because man is a rational being, there must be a basis for making a reasonable decision. If the insistence, “Eating breakfast is beneficial,” is not supported with good reasons, it is unconvincing. Pathos refers to the psychological state of the listener. Because people react differently to the same word depending on the mood, you have to know the feelings of the listener while speaking. To the child who got upset after arguing with his friend, you’d better sympathize with him and let him open his mind by saying, “You must be upset to have quarreled with…

Maternal Love of Webfoot Octopus

Fishermen weave the shells of veined rapa whelks and put them down under the sea for a period of time and pull them up to catch webfoot octopuses. It is because webfoot octopuses take the shells as their homes. As the shell of veined rapa whelk is hard and its entrance is wide, it is very suitable for webfoot octopuses not only to enter it but also to lay eggs and protect them. When a webfoot octopus lays eggs, hundreds of eggs, which look like grains of rice, cling to the inside of the shell densely and wait to hatch. The webfoot octopus does not leave the eggs even for a while until they hatch, which takes about 55 days.…

Habit of Speaking Beautiful Language

I heard the news that the students of ASEZ, the World Mission Society Church of God University Student Volunteer Group, would carry out the “No More Verbal Abuse” campaign. I never expected that such a topic would be used for a campaign; because it was common sense that we should not verbally abuse other people, which we all learned from childhood through picture books, moral textbooks, and public advertisements. On ASEZ website, however, I was surprised to see the related card news and videos. I found out that verbal abuse does not only include swearing at and criticizing others. Distorting facts by thoughtlessly exaggerating them and belittling other people were all of verbal abuse; I might have unconsciously been committing…

Son Chae-eun from Daegu, South Korea

Resentment and Understanding

There was a man who felt bitter against his father. Since he had run away from home after quarreling with his father in his school days, he didn’t visit his father. After getting married, he got a son as precious as the apple of his eye. He resolved never to be like his father. One day, he met his old mentor and expressed his resentment against his father. “My father is inflexible. When I was a kid, he scolded me severely even for a little mistake. I was afraid to get close to him. All my six siblings called Mom if anything happened. Mom too suffered a lot because of my father.” The mentor who was listening silently said in…

Keep Your Distance from Digital Devices!

Smartphones that men and women of all ages carry in their hands, computers that have become necessities for work and education, and TVs that occupy the center of the living room. It is hard to imagine our life without these, since digital devices take up a big part of it. Thus, modern people tend to be too dependent on digital devices. Even while having a meal or talking with your family, your eyes might often be on TV or smartphone. In order not to lose your precious family time to digital devices, you need distancing. Keep your distance from digital devices this month and do small activities with your family. If you practice distancing from digital devices, you will get…

Refinement

“What do you say about a person who is poor but does not flatter, or a person who is rich but not haughty?” “He is a decent person. But he is not better than the one who is poor but enjoys life, or the person who is rich and keeps courtesy.” “The Book of Odes says, ‘A man of virtue cuts, sharpens, chisels, and refines.’ Is this what you mean?” “Yes. Now we can discuss the Book of Odes!” This is a conversation between Confucius and his disciple Zigong. Confucius says, “It is hard for a poor man not to flatter and for a rich man not to be arrogant. But what is harder is to enjoy life despite poverty…

Laying the Foundation with the Love of Serving One Another

Whenever I heard fragrances of Zion from the members who bore fruits of the gospel by making much effort and earnestly praying to God, I would feel a lump in my throat, because I could feel their burning heart. It was even more touching to hear that family members who didn’t open their mind for a long time eventually came into the arms of God. My wish to lead many people to God’s love grew stronger as time passed by. One day, I visited my husband’s family to attend a family event. Thinking that it must be a God-given opportunity, I recommended to my husband that we preach the truth to his family, and he willingly agreed, saying, “Yes, that’s…

Go Su-jeong from Yongin, South Korea

True Faith

In June 1859, a French acrobat, Charles Blondin, challenged himself to a feat to surprise the world. It was to cross the Niagara Falls by walking on a tightrope. Numerous people came to see the exciting scene. He stepped forward step by step, balancing himself with a pole on a tightrope, 160 ft (49 m) above the water. He succeeded in crossing the waterfall. He even showed other feats such as a handstand on a tightrope and a blindfold walk. He asked the cheering crowd, “Do you believe that I can cross the waterfall, carrying a person on my back?” The crowd yelled, “Yes, we do believe!” However, when asked who would be carried on his back, no one volunteered.…

Invisible Difference

In the 1990s, Anders Ericsson, a world-renowned psychologist, studied the students of a music academy in Berlin. The research focused on what factors differentiated the best musicians from the good or the mediocre ones. After dividing the students into three groups according to their performance abilities, he let them fill out questionnaires about music-related activities. Most students, regardless of group, started playing the violin at the age of about eight, and the time spent on the music curriculum was similar. There was no statistically significant difference. However, the difference in performance skill was in the invisible part. The group of best students spent an average of three times more time practicing alone than other group students. Deliberate practice during their…

A Happy Path of the Woman Pastoral Staff in Zion

I am the first born child in my family, and my parents always wanted me to be given over to God just like the mother of Prophet Samuel. My parents sent me to a theological seminary so that I could become a pastor and serve God. Before receiving the truth, my dream was only to be a pastor who serves God. In India, pastors are approved in society; they are honored and served by Christians as absolute beings to them. When they are registered in the association, they are guaranteed with lots of income. More than that, I had passion to serve God. Unknowingly, however, I had pride that I attended the second largest theological school in Asia, so I…

Angela Berry from Thane, India

Guide Runner

In the Paralympics, a major international sports event for physically challenged athletes, there are people who can participate in the Paralympics as the able-bodied. They are guide runners. Their role is to guide the way for visually impaired athletes to play safely without leaving the course. As for Alpine ski racing, the guide runner constantly informs the following racer of all the information such as course conditions, directions, and proper speed through wireless headsets. If the guide runner fails to keep a certain distance from the athlete or touches him or her, they are disqualified. So, the guide runner must keep checking the athlete following him, adjusting the speed. If the athlete wins a medal with the help of the…

Mother’s Last Beautiful Message

A 78-year-old woman living in Gwangju, Korea, died of cancer. Since her husband passed away, she alone raised her three sons and one daughter for 35 years. Feeding, clothing, and educating her four children, she could not look after herself. Despite that, she only thanked her children to the last moment for enabling her to bear up in the harsh world. Just like writing a graceful poem, just like making a shy confession, just like rubbing her children’s back, she wrote down her last message. It is so touching beyond comparison. Thank you for having taken care of me. / You were born in the world and called me Mom. / When you looked at me, nursed enough at my…

Small and Trivial Things Have the Butterfly Effect!

“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of the shoe, the horse was lost. For want of the horse, the rider was lost. For want of the rider, the battle was lost. For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost. And all from the want of a horseshoe nail.” It is an English folk song about a kingdom being lost because of a want of a horseshoe nail. How can one small nail ruin a giant kingdom? Although it is somewhat extreme, it shows that small and trivial things can lead to massive consequences as a result of chain reactions. People generally tend to take small and trivial things lightly. People take a matter that…