Faith & Life

The Miracle of the Team in the Last Place

An English football club of which the transfer fee of all 11 players in total is less than half of the transfer fee of one player in a prestigious club; 14th place during the 2014–2015 season at the Premier League champions, 19th place in the following seasons, and 0.02% of winning rate; it is Leicester City FC, the poorest club in the professional football world, where capital is led to championship. At the moment when the winner of the 2015–2016 Premier League was declared, they hugged each other in cheers because Leicester City FC was the champion. How could this miraculous thing happen? According to the analysis by football experts, Leicester City players lagged behind the prestigious teams in terms…

No Matter How Much You Have

Charles F. Feeney, known as a rich Irish American, has kept his promise to return all his property to society by donating $7 million to his alma mater, Cornell University. The total amount of contribution he made over the past 35 years reaches $8 billion. Media once criticized him as a cool-tempered person who was crazed about money, but he established a charitable foundation long time ago and has been steadfast in his good work, never showing what he did. If his business didn’t get involved in a dispute and the accounts had not been disclosed, his tremendous donation would have been kept secret until the end. He is now living in a rental apartment with his wife, enjoying his…

Mother’s Prayer That Leads Me to Life

On the earth, God creates life. Human mothers carry their children before they are finally given life. In that time, the children can hear and know their mothers’ voices even before they are born, though they have never met them. I realize this is the same with Heavenly Mother and our spiritual life. I am certain that it is no coincidence that Mother gave me birth, prays for me, and thinks of me. Even before I was born on the earth, Mother was with me, guiding my entire life, and finally led me to Her. For this, I am so thankful and I would like to share my fragrance of Zion regarding this. When I was eight or so, I…

Lachae Garrine Berrien from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

In the Same Daily Routine

Are you bored and tired of your repetitive daily life? In a survey conducted by a job portal site, the most skeptical moment for employees is when they feel that the same routine is repeated every day. If you continue to do the same thing day after day just like a squirrel running on a wheel, you sometimes get tired and bored. But changing your mind will change your life. A sushi master chef who has made sushi for over 60 years has said, “The way to become a master is to repeat the same thing every day.” If you keep doing one thing, you will become a master or a great expert in the field. Competence is not built…

Learning from a Plant

Gang Hee-an, who was a representative writer and painter in the early years of Joseon Dynasty, was also good at gardening. In his book, Yanghwa Sorok, he recorded the properties of plants and cultivation methods, which he discovered while raising plants. This book, which has the information about sixteen plants such as chrysanthemum, sweet flag and orchid, can stand comparision with the book that teaches fine character of men. Gang Hee-an says that the purpose of growing flowers and plants is to cultivate the heart, throw away arrogant mind, and strive after virtue; we should learn unwavering integrity from pine tree, the way to lead a quiet life from chrysanthemum, and dignity from plum flower. And he also emphasizes the…

Men and Women Are So Different, but That’s What Makes More Harmony!

The book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus has been one of the best sellers ever since it was published. The book introduces an interesting idea of how men and women are different in their characters and their ways of thinking because they are from different planets. It also explains how men and women feel and think differently, which has elicited public sympathy. Actually, even people of the same gender sometimes have problems understanding each other. There is a conflict between a mom and a daughter, a dad and a son, a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. So we cannot jump to a conclusion that the cause of misunderstandings is a gender difference. Moreover, it is not right to…

Uncomfortable Happiness

When an opponent team made a mistake in an athletic match, when a boss I dislike was scolded by his boss, when a friend in a similar grade mismarked answer sheets, when a hotshot politician’s corruption was exposed, or when my rival was gossiped... we may find pleasures in them rather than feeling bad for them. Everyone might have experienced this. Dr. Richard H. Smith, a professor of psychology in the U.S., defines the pleasure derived from the misfortune of others as Schadenfreude. He says this is human nature which comes from an idea that when people around us have bad luck, we look better. So he recommends we should refrain from it because if this mentality persists, we may…

Mother’s Love to a Dry Land

The land of Spain at the western end of the European continent was where Apostle Paul, who went out for several preaching trips, was unable to reach. We went on a preaching trip to Barcelona in Spain by adding our passion to Paul’s earnestness. We made a resolution before leaving, but the wall of reality was high. We couldn’t find anyone interested in the matters about the soul or God because the people of Spain were enjoying their life well supported by their social welfare system without any lacks. First day, second day, third day⋯. We haven’t met a person paying attention to the words of God even after a week. We got tired little by little. A member showed…

Kang Min-jeong from Daegu, South Korea

A Life Saved by a Piece of Bread

During the First World War, a German soldier raided the enemy’s trenches, entrusted with the task of capturing enemy soldiers. An enemy soldier got caught in his hand. The enemy soldier, who got caught in the middle of the meal, gave him a piece of bread he was holding. The German soldier was hungry. So he took the bread and ate it deliciously. Then in return, he released the enemy soldier because he was grateful for the bread he had taken. Ultimately, a piece of bread saved the enemy soldier’s life.

The Seed of Positive Words

Our family shared the Family Love & Communication article entitled, “Positive Words Design Happiness” after having the Happy Home worship. It was an enlightening article about the power of words. What was impressive was about the South Korean fencer in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, who was able to overcome his opponent with the repetitive words, “I can do it, I can do it!” Even though the fencer was nearly defeated and the odds of him winning were slim, he amazingly was able to make a “dramatic turnabout” and win the fencing match. Around then, my 7-year-old son had struggled with his basic math skills. Because of it, we were in touch with his teacher quite often. She emphasized…

Roxanne K. Miller from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

To Become King

The education for the crown prince in the Joseon Dynasty of Korea was very strict. The prince had to be thoroughly educated because he was the pillar to become king in the future and the figure to hold the destiny of the dynasty. The education started with the antenatal training. When the queen had a child, she was prudent in her conduct. She read aloud the teachings of the sages engraved on the jade tablet, listened to the performances of the court musicians, and ate daintily as well. When the first prince was born, an institute called Boyangcheong looked after the prince and raised him. When he became four to five years old, another institute called Ganghakcheong was in charge…

Time Horizon

The horizon is the line where the earth or sea seems to meet the sky, and it is also used figuratively to mean vision or possibility in a particular field or activity. When we add the word “time” before it, we get a theory that is applied to life planning—it is called, “Time Horizon.” According to a study, the distinction between those who succeeded in life and those who failed rests mostly on how long their time horizon is. This in turn means that your road sign of life can change, depending on how long your time horizon is. Those who have a long time horizon invest their time, not seeing a tree right before their eyes but a huge…

Something More Valuable than a Gold Medal

There are not only gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games. There is also a medal that has nothing to do with the game result and can be won even if it is not an active player. The Pierre de Coubertin Medal goes to the person who embodies the spirit of sports. The medal is named after the founder of the modern Olympic Games. There have been many gold medalists at the Olympics. However, a total of only seventeen people won the Coubertin Medal from 1964 when it was established until 2016. That’s why it can be a more honorable award than a gold medal. Lawrence Lemieux from Canada, one of the seventeen winners, participated in the Seoul…

With Mother’s Mind and Mother’s Hands

Around noon on April 25, 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. All of a sudden, everything began to shake, and it seemed like the sky was falling and the ground was sinking. The members who were having a peaceful Sabbath day were shocked by the violent shaking; they held on to the pillars or banisters, and some lost their balance and fell. I never knew how frightening an earthquake could be until that day. When the shaking stopped, we went out to look around. Thanks to God, there was almost no damage to the church building, and the members were all safe. However, so many places, including the downtown of Kathmandu, had been ruined; buildings collapsed helplessly, and countless people…

Tejendra Gautam from Kathmandu, Nepal

A Tree and Grass

A tree in the forest asked the grass that lied down flat on the ground, “Hey, how can you live here with such a small and weak body?” Then the grass answered, “I just keep my position.” As soon as the words of the grass were over, a strong wind began to blow somewhere. The grass swayed by the wind side to side and waited with patience. But the tree laughed at the grass and stood up stiffly to show off. The wind grew violent more and more. The tree that could not withstand the fierce wind fell down and was uprooted in the end.

Relieve Your Family’s Fatigue!

Fatigue accumulates in your body because of what you do at school, at work, or at home. If fatigue lasts long, it can have a bad effect on your body and mind; so you must relieve it each time. Among many ways to recover from fatigue, there is more powerful fatigue-reliever than anything else. It is family love. Even though you have had a hard day, you come to have peace of mind at home after talking and laughing enough with your family. Then, your stress will vanish. This month, relieve your family’s fatigue by practicing family love. While making efforts to encourage your loved ones, you will be able to blow off your fatigue, too. Tip Relieve your family’s…

Opportunity

After I entered university, I commuted to school, a round trip for over four hours. I was sad not because I was tired but because I didn’t have enough time for the gospel work while spending my time on the way. I thought I couldn’t do it anymore and decided to live alone near school. I was worried about my first time living alone, but I was happy that I could go to Zion often for gatherings, and carry out the young adult gospel activities. However, an unexpected ambush appeared. As my body felt comfortable, I became lazy. “This wasn’t what I intended . . . " My attention was drawn to friends enjoying their lives rather than focus on…

Seon Ha-na from Seoul, South Korea

While You Don’t Know

In the dramatic poem, “Pippa Passes,” by Robert Browning, a representative English poet, the main character Pippa is a poor girl who works for a silk factory in Venice. When Pippa has a vacation which is only one day in a year, she sings a song full of joy, passing four houses of people who are considered to live the happiest life in her town, one by one. Actually, these four families have been having hard times that others do not know, but when they hear Pippa’s song, they feel peace and freedom that they have not tasted up until that day. Without knowing what a great work she did, Pippa goes to sleep with regret that she spent her…

Volunteer Service, a Special Time

One Sunday in December, around two hundred student members, young adult members, male and female adult members from the Donghae, Samcheok, and Gangneung Zions gathered together in a hilly village by Mukho Port in Donghae, Gangwon Province, Korea. We gathered to deliver two thousand coal briquettes to four senior citizens who were living alone—five hundred coal briquettes to each one of them. This village has narrow and steep stairs, which even young people find it difficult to go up and down. How much harder it must be for senior citizens! When the weather gets cold, it becomes more difficult for them to get through winter because the coal briquette provision, essential for spending winter, is not smooth. No company wants…

Hong Sun-tae from Gangneung, South Korea

They Just Have Not Realized Yet

Benjamin Zander is a prominent conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and a renowned orator on leadership and the value of life. This is what a child said when he performed to comfort people in a troubled region: “I’ve heard this kind of music for the first time. While listening to your performance, I remembered my brother who died last year and tears came out. That felt so good.” At that moment, he was convinced that anyone would like classical music and it is necessary for everyone and more people would love classical music. It is said that only 3% of the people in the world love classical music. But he believes that all people of the world, except 3%,…