Faith & Life

The Most Important Thing

Rick Rescorla was a U.S. Army officer, and he served as a security officer at an investment bank in New York after his retirement. He trained employees to evacuate quarterly after the explosion in the basement of the building, and the training was done very strictly. It was so strict that people complained about disruption to work. “Life is more important than work. Training for crisis situations is essential.” Rescorla, who always stressed the need for training, died in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. When a terrorist attack was launched on the first building of the World Trade Center, an announcement was made not to leave the building in the second building. Noticing that was a wrong…

According to the Will of God

I never thought about having any other religion, under the influence of my grandmother who was a firm believer in Catholicism. When my sister and brother-in-law who were attending the Church of God told me about the truth, I was glad to know what was in the Bible, but that was pretty much it. I did not want learn further. However, my mind changed when I went to the Church of God once with my sister and brother-in-law. It seemed like the people in that place were filled with love. I also enjoyed studying the Bible. I learned about the secret of the forgiveness of sins and it answered more than enough of my question I had─why would people just…

Selenne Christine Sanchez from Los Angeles, U.S.

Focusing Illusions

When you are young, you believe you would be happy if you have what you want; when you are trying to get a job, you think you would be happy once you get the job you want; when you meet someone you love, you think you would be happy if you get married; and when you have to move often from one rented house to another, you think you would be happy if you own your own house. Focusing on one part and believing that you would be happy when such a condition is met is called a focusing illusion. But the thought, ‘I would be happy or my life would change if I just . . .’ is truly…

Page-turner

At a chamber orchestra or a piano recital, there is one person who is almost unnoticed to the audience though he stands on stage throughout the performance. He is a “page-turner.” As it explains literally, a page-turner is a person who “turns” sheet music “pages” for a pianist during a performance when it is impossible for the pianist to spare one hand to turn the pages alone. Though it seems like a simple job, not everybody can become a page-turner because a page-turner needs to be able to understand the pianist’s signals and follow the music to know when to turn the page for the pianist during a performance. A page-turner, known as “a hidden performer on stage,” does a…

Manage Family Finances through Communication

We are living in an era of consumption. On home shopping, they stimulate people’s consumption desire with the signs, “Almost sold out” or “Limited offer.” You only need one click to have an item delivered to your house. People say that they need to at least have a cup of takeout coffee that costs more than a meal. People can’t help but spend money as there is so much temptation to consume wherever they go. But we can’t have all we want to have or eat all we want to eat. Even if you satisfy your consumption desire to the fullest, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a happy life. If you want to obtain happiness—the ultimate goal of life, it…

Men Before Nature

The Himalayas are called the Roof of the World. Although it’s been over 60 years after New Zealand’s mountaineer Edmund Hillary left the first footprints on Mount Everest, which is 8,848 meters above sea level, in May 1953, the Himalayas are still called the Divine Realm as it is too rugged to approach. Apart from such dangers as steep ice cliff, unpredictable avalanches, crevasses (deep cracks on the surface of glaciers) hidden like mines, and altitude sickness, there is also the Death Zone over 8,000 meters above sea level, where oxygen decreases to a third due to low air pressure, the temperature drops to minus 30 to 50℃ (22–58℉), and all the exposed parts of the body suffer from frostbite.…

The Sound of Gospel Victory Resounds through Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea, a country that has more than 600 islands, over 800 local languages, unfamiliar animals, primitive jungles, unique culture, and biodiversity, is my home country. Ever since I received the truth while living in Australia, what I wanted to do most was to spread the blessing of salvation to my family who loved God so much back in my home country. I excitedly flew to Papua New Guinea and preached the truth, but the result was disappointing. As their pride in their faith in Christianity was great, their fixed ideas were impediments to knowing the truth. I had no choice but to come back to Sydney, retaining my sadness. As time went by, the light of hope was…

Lucille Langiri from Sydney, Australia

Mission

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential broadcasters in America. After a dark childhood and adolescence, she mentioned the four missions she realized, in her autobiography. One, if you have more than others, it’s not a blessing but a mission. Two, if you have pain more than others, it’s not a pain but a mission. Three, if you have something exciting more than others, it’s not a delusion but a mission. Four, if you have something burdensome more than other do, it’s not a burden but a mission. Whether she liked it or not, she regarded everything that has been given to her as a mission and has worked hard to serve. That sense of mission made her who…

For a Lover of Watermelon

“Watermelon Killer” and “Watermelon Lover!” These are the nicknames I gave my younger sister. It’s because she loves watermelons whereas I don’t because it is troublesome for me to spit out the seeds. When she comes back home after work, she takes out a container full of chopped watermelon my mom prepared from the fridge, and takes it to her room; then she enthusiastically eats it all. I see the scene almost every day in summer. When I asked my mom how often she bought a watermelon, she said she did at least once a week. My sister alone eats about five watermelons a month. I wonder how she doesn’t get tired of eating watermelons. Even in cold winter, she…

Hong Jeong-eun from Seoul, South Korea

How to Learn Well

When you have acquired knowledge, there is a way to see if you have fully understood it or not. It is to explain it to others. Although you know something, if you cannot verbalize it, it is hard to say that you have learned it completely. That is why the Jewish Havruta learning attracts much attention; this method has produced a lot of brilliant minds. The atmosphere of Jewish libraries is quite different from that of any other libraries where people are even careful not to make the sound of turning pages. In Havruta learning, people study and learn by heart, and then they sit face to face to discuss or to persuade each other. Through this process, they organize…

It Is Entirely Up to You

Even the same writing gives different feelings to different people. A word that is skimmed by someone can be a clue to precious realization to another. Sometimes, situations may change. The article, which was not inspiring much before, may move you a lot or the sentence, which touched your heart before, may seem to be a cliché now. The writing is the same. What changes is the mind of the reader. The manna that the Israelites ate in the desert had the same taste like wafers made with honey when God rained it down from heaven for the first time or after a long time. However, the complaintive hearts of the Israelites, who were tired of living in the desert,…

A Heart More Beautiful than a Crown

Khanittha “Mint” Phasaeng, a 17-year-old girl, won a beauty contest in Thailand in 2015. As soon as the contest was over, Khanittha ran straight to her mother and kneeled down before her to thank her for raising her. The mother, who makes a living by collecting rubbish, stroked her daughter’s back in front of large trash bins on the street. A witness posted this scene on a social networking site and many people applauded the girl’s filial love. Growing up in the poor family that couldn’t support her going to college, Khanittha assisted her mother in collecting recycling rubbish. With the help of Khanittha’s friend, she could participate in the beauty contest. For Khanittha who has a good heart as…

A Beautiful Mind

With the hope of giving our neighbors in need even a little bit of help so they could get through the winter, we planned a volunteer service to deliver the warmth of Mother’s love with Zion members. It was to visit senior citizens living alone and to clean and insulate their places. A community service center introduced us some elderly people and we were divided into a few teams. After promising that we would all gather at the senior citizen center of the village to clean up when finishing each team’s mission, we departed. My team arrived at the house of an old man who was slightly indisposed. Since our team leader had lived with her father-in-law, serving him, she…

Choi Yun-heui from Daegu, South Korea

A Lesson from a Spider

A troop of a country was defeated in a battle; it was almost wiped out. The general, who barely survived and hid in a cave with his remnants, decided to kill himself in shame and took out his sword. Then, he saw a spider spinning a web at the entrance to the cave. The spider failed weaving the web in a row because of the wind. However, it tried without giving up and finally succeeded in seven times. After watching the whole thing, the general put his sword back in its place and stood up. ‘I’ve only failed once!’ he thought. And then he braced up and went back to the battlefield again. This time his troop won big.

Make a Family Cheer Song!

A song has the power to make people closer together. The sense of closeness increases while all sing along the rhythm and melody in unison. Sports supporters and marching soldiers become one in mind by chanting together. What about a family song at home just like sports chants in the stadium and a military song in the army? Your precious family is always with you whether you are happy or sad. A family song in harmony, though imperfect, has great power in itself because the love and encouragement contained in it become infinite energy to each other. Make a song for your family this month and sing it together, so that your home can be full of happiness along with…

With Absolute Faith and Mother’s Love

I had desired to be a child of God since a long time ago, and I had been to many different denominations including the Catholic and Protestant churches. However, none of them convinced me that they were the true church. So I hesitated to go to church. A few years ago, I was staying in Washington D.C., USA, for my job. One day while shopping, I got a phone call from one of my friends. “Won’t you go with me to the church where God the Mother dwells?” I was very surprised. My friend said that I would be able to receive eternal life in the church where God the Mother dwells. I was curious to know what kind of…

Surimon Jindaprapaporn from Bangkok, Thailand

In the Apple Orchard

Whenever the harvest season comes, farmers need a lot of helping hands. They are so busy that Koreans describe the situation this way: “Even a poker which is used for stirring the fire has no time to lie on the ground.” And also, they are always short-handed. Feeling sorry for farmers, one sunny Sunday, the brothers and sisters of Zion gathered together for a volunteer service at the farm. We went to an apple orchard located in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk Province. The orchard presented a great sight with red ripe apples. First, the owner of the orchard explained to us what we were supposed to do. He explained what we needed to be careful about when picking the apples and how…

Lee Sahng-hwa from Daegu, South Korea

Good Weather

Just because the sun is hot, wind blows fiercely, or it rains, are you sometimes in a subdued mood or irritated? Sunlight helps generate vitamin D in the human body, and becomes the source of photosynthesis in plants. Rain washes dust in the air, and supplies water to creatures. Wind helps plants propagate and circulates the air. Lightning helps plants absorb nutrients, and typhoon keeps the earth temperature balanced. Sunshine, rain, wind, lightning, typhoon . . . None of them is unnecessary for the earth. We may complain about certain weather conditions, but cannot change the weather. Sometimes, even if you are uncomfortable due to bad weather, you need wisdom to learn how to adapt to nature. No matter how…

Turning a Weak Point into a Strong Point

A shark, the apex predator in the sea, has fatal weak points as a fish. It is that it doesn’t have an air-filled sac, namely, an air bladder which controls its buoyancy, and gill muscles. A shark has a liver which constitutes up to one fourth of its total body mass instead of the air bladder. The liver is filled with oil which is lighter than water, so it helps it float in the water. However, the liver’s effectiveness is limited, so a shark needs to constantly swim in order not to sink. Besides, it does not have gill muscles which are necessary for respiration, so it cannot stop swimming even for a moment to ensure a constant supply of…

A Blessed Mission, the Duty of Giving Love

A pastor couple of a small church used to live next door when I was young. As my mother was a close friend of them, I naturally started to attend their church because I had been a Christian since my birth. Sunday was the busiest day of the week for me. Since I hold various positions in the church—president of the youth group, manager of general affairs, secretary, etc., I had to go to church early in the morning and came back home around midnight, totally exhausted. Despite that, I loved working for the church. My only desire was to love God and do the work of God all my life. The church often got into trouble. There were many…

Yeong-ye Cha from Gimhae, South Korea