Faith & Life

Set Laughter Devices at Home!

Your smile makes those who see you as well as yourself happy. It’s also the best way to express your love to the people around you and to encourage them and support them. Set laughter devices all over the house to laugh more. Laughing out loud for more than ten seconds will increase the effect of laughing even more. Make good use of various laughter devices to laugh aloud together with your family. Unhappiness will run away and happiness will fill your house. Tip Laughter zone: Laugh whenever you’re in the zone. (Put up a sign, “Laughter Zone” or “LOL.”) Laughter line: Laugh whenever you cross it. (Put up a sign, “Laugh when you cross it.”) Laughter time: Laugh at…

Following Father’s Sacrificial Path for Seven Days

Having received the Holy Spirit of the latter rain on the Day of Pentecost, the Denver Zion formed a short-term mission team to participate in establishing God’s realm throughout the world. The brothers and sisters who volunteered for it prepared in a hurry to leave a week later. The areas to preach were Duluth and Rochester in the state of Minnesota, where there aren’t many Zions yet. Duluth was about one day away from Denver, and Rochester was four hours further from Duluth. Our schedule was going to be tight due to the distance. We planned to leave Sabbath day evening, arrive there Sunday evening, preach the gospel for two days from Monday till Tuesday afternoon, keep the Third-day service…

Short-term Mission Team from Denver, CO, USA

“Remember Birkenhead!”

In 1912 when the Titanic, called as a “Floating Palace,” was about to sink into the sea, the captain ordered to let women and children first get on lifeboats that were far from enough. Today, “Women and children first” is a common law, but this originated from the Birkenhead, a troopship of British Navy. In 1852, the ship was sailing along the African coastline with 472 soldiers and 162 women and children of their family. Unfortunately, the ship ran into a reef near the Cape of Good Hope. There were only three lifeboats left, with a capacity of 60 people each. As the ship began to sink, the commander, Sydney Seton, ordered all soldiers to assemble on the deck and…

The Secret of Longevity

A Korean TV program reporter asked a 107-year-old man, “Sir, what is the secret of your longevity?” Then he answered with embarrassment, “Did you call me Sir? Call me just friend!” The reporter asked again, “Oh, my friend! What’s the secret of your longevity?” This time he said, “No secret! I live a long life because I don’t die.” His answer raised a laugh. So the reporter asked him again, “My friend! There must have been many people you disliked while living so far. How did you bear all?” Then he replied, “Yes, some I didn’t like. But I let them do as they wanted. When they were in their 80s or 90s, they died. Though you don’t like someone,…

Learning Harmony Through Orchestra

In 1975, a special meeting was held in Venezuela. José Antonio Abreu, an orchestra conductor and economist, founded “El Sistema,” an orchestra made up of eleven impoverished children. Abreu wanted the children, who were exposed to various criminal acts in the streets, to be comforted with music and learn solidarity. After forty years, “El Sistema” has established itself as a free music training program, in which more than 300,000 children are participating across thirty different countries. “El Sistema” is an orchestra based upon children who learn harmony and fraternity through playing instruments together. Now, they are no longer wandering in the streets, but growing with dreams for the future.

The Greatest Decision

One day in August, 2012, my friend told me an astonishing secret of the Bible, beginning from the words in the Book of Genesis. I was overwhelmed while hearing the words but I couldn’t just simply be happy because I was worried about my parents’ opposition; they were diligent in the Catholic Church. After thinking about it for three weeks, I finally accepted the truth. It wasn’t an easy decision but I have no regret till now. The decision I made to follow Heavenly Mother was the greatest decision I’d ever made in my life. The most thrilling truth was certainly about Heavenly Mother because I always had a question, “Doesn’t God the Father have a wife?” since I was…

Charles Tespoer from Iloilo, Philippines

A Man Who Stumbled Over a Rock

A man was walking along a path. The sunlight shining through the dense forest and a fresh breeze made him feel happy and refreshed. Smelling the fragrance of nature all around him, he was walking slowly with his eyes closed. Then he tripped over a sharp rock on the ground. He was so angry that he decided to pull the rock out. He thought it would be easy, however, the deeper he dug the ground, the more he realized how big the rock was. His clothes were soaking wet with sweat, and the sun was already setting. Only then did he realize how silly he was to have tried to pull out the rock. He put the soil that was…

When Seen from a Different Angle

An art teacher handed out a portrait of Picasso to students and asked them to copy it. The students looked confused because Picasso’s drawing had two or three people’s faces mixed together. They didn’t know where to start, so the teacher asked them to put the portrait upside down and copy it. Then the students were able to copy it without any difficulties. When they put the copy of the portrait upside down, the students were now able to forget their preconceptions about what the picture was, and they could simply focus on the lines and shapes. When we take one step back and look at a problem from a different angle, we can find solutions we might have missed.

Are Couples’ Quarrels Soon Mended?

It is good to make up with each other right away after an argument, but it is better not to turn an argument into a quarrel. Husband and wife may quarrel like enemies, but then they soon make up with each other as if nothing happened. That is why there is a saying that goes, “Couples’ quarrels are soon mended.” However, it sounds invalid these days. The divorce rate keeps increasing year after year, and there are many accidents and crimes caused by quarrels between husband and wife, such as setting a house on fire out of anger. People say that after a storm comes a calm. But if it goes over the edge, the storm will be out of…

Sandwiches from the Sky

There is a sandwich shop where customers have to look up in order to receive their sandwich. What is unique about this is there are no tables, no chairs, and no counter. What is more, the shop is on the seventh floor, not on the first or second floor. You may think this is quite strange, but it has become popular and the street around the shop is crowded with customers who came after hearing about this unique spot. This is “Jafflechutes,” a sandwich shop in Melbourne, Australia. “Jafflechutes” is a combination of “jaffles” (a type of toasted sandwich) and “parachutes.” Customers pre-order and pay for their sandwich online and wait for it at an agreed time. Then their sandwiches…

So That There Won’t Be Any Soul Who Doesn’t Believe Because He Hasn’t Heard

“Have you heard about God the Mother?” “No. No one in my church has taught me the Bible. I want to learn it.” Everybody we meet says that they haven’t heard about Heavenly Mother. Santa Cruz is the capital of the Province of Laguna, where we can reach by traveling meandering mountain paths for about three hours from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. There, we met so many people who gave ear to the word of God. We, seven in all, flew to the Philippines to contribute to the movement to preach to seven billion people. Here, we offered prayers of thanks to God again and again for giving us an opportunity to preach the gospel to our hearts’…

Lee Gahng-hui from Incheon, South Korea

Weakness Turned Into Opportunity

Toscanini, a world-famous conductor, was first known as a promising cellist. Because of his poor eyesight, he was unable to read the sheet of music, so he had to memorize the entire score in order to play the cello. Then one day, his conductor was hospitalized right before an important concert. Since Toscanini was the only person in the orchestra who memorized the whole score, he became the conductor that day. Through that concert, his career as a famous conductor took off. If Toscanini had had good eyesight like the other members of the orchestra, would he have been able to gain fame as a conductor?

Mom Never Yields with the Power of Love for Her Children

My phone rang while I was washing dishes. It was Mom. I could guess why she was calling me. Mom must have called me to give me some side dishes. At the thought, ‘I should’ve called her first,’ I was sorry to her. I have four older sisters and one younger brother. Although I’m over forty, in the eyes of Mom I’m still a little girl who causes anxiety to her. The youngest child is my brother, but maybe because he’s a reliable son, Mom treats me like the youngest one. I answered the phone like a kid, “Mommy.” I guessed right. Mom asked me to come and take some fruit and meat because she had too many things left…

Lee Su-ja from Gumi, South Korea

Pinocchio Effect

Why did Pinocchio’s nose grow whenever he lied? Was there a lie detector inside of it? This story is not entirely groundless. Dr. Alan Hirsch, researcher of the Smell and Taste Treatment Research Foundation in Chicago, found out that when a person lies, his or her nose actually grows a little as it secretes the chemical, catecholamines, which enlarges the nose’s blood vessels temporarily. Due to the inflation of blood vessels, nerve tissue at the end of the nose become irritated, and the liar comes to rub or touch his or her nose unconsciously. This is called the “Pinocchio Effect.” In fact, when a person lies, it is not only his or her nose that responds. In anxiety and fear…

Championship Tips

In the Tokyo International Marathon 1984, a little-known Japanese athlete Yamada Motochi unexpectedly won the gold medal, defeating the favorites to win. People said he was just lucky, but two years later, in the Italian International Marathon, Yamada won the championship again. “Before each race, I look around at whole course and check it carefully. I mark some important points; for example, the first point is a bank, the second point is a tree, and the third point is a red house. I break down the whole marathon course into many small goals. When the race begins, I sprint 100 meters towards the first goal – the bank. When I reach the bank, I run towards the second goal–the tree–at…

Unusual Vacation Homework

“Walk on the ground barefoot, watch the sunset, hug a tree in the forest, talk to it, crouch down to a wild flower, whisper to it, clean your bathroom, scrub your toilet, cook food, set the table for your family, visit your parents’ workplace, go camping, and write a letter to your friends or teacher.” This is a list of summer vacation homework assignment at a boys’ middle school in Gangwon Province, Korea. As for vacation homework, we are familiar with keeping a diary, writing a book report, creating art works, etc. So the above homework is very inventive and interesting. The teacher said he wanted to instill emotion into the boy students who are usually lacking in emotions. Hearing…

With Love in Every Word

You have to walk a long way to reach the summit. Although it’s hard to walk up the steep path, if you keep on walking, you can feel the joy of standing on the top of the mountain. My journey of faith has been like climbing the mountain. The path was rough sometimes, but those rough paths made my soul healthier, and helped me enjoy more blessings and joy. My mother believed in Buddhism, but I always liked the word “God” ever since I was young. I believed that heaven where God dwells must exist. So whenever a new school year began, the first thing I did was to find a Christian in the class and go to her church…

Gwon So-young from Suwon, South Korea

The Secret to Success

There was a boy who grew up, listening to his father, a baker, always humming. He came to love music and wanted to learn it. However, he also wanted to study science or become a teacher. The father told his son, who was distressed with the decision of what to do with his life, “If you try to sit on two chairs at the same time, you will fall through the gap. Life is the same.” After much consideration, the son chose to become singer. Twenty years later, Luciano Pavarotti became a world-class singer.

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