Peace with our friends---
Peace with our neighbors---
Peace with our parents---
Peace with our family members---
Peace with our relatives---
Peace with our Boss and co- workers---
And then Peace in the World-----
through............................................ PEACE IN OUR MIND--
We had a birthday party for our friend.
He had turned 60 just after Christmas.
His birthday party was held on Jan 29th.
Actually that day was his real birthday on the Heavenly Calender in our church which means Lunar Calender.
It is amazing!!!
I guess he is the first member who separable a birthday on the Heavenly Calender.
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under Heaven.(Ecclesiastes;3:1)
God has made everything beautiful in its time.(Ecclesiastes;3:11)
When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me that she wished I was a boy. I did not like this, and it made me very resentful.
When I was in second grade, my teacher told my parents that I did not show as much potential in my work as my siblings.
This made me determined to do better and go on to attend a good High School and even better college.
That was my goal in my life.
As a result, I was a straight A student through middle school, and went on to a good High School, just as I had hoped.
As a High School student, while my friends were busy studying and preparing to attend a good college, I was struggling with my life. I had many questions about life.
What happens after college and getting a job? What the purpose of life?
I thought without knowing the purpose of life, then life had no true meaning.
I read a book, which said, one day in the future, the computer would control the world. So I studied computer science from 1974-1976, and worked as a programmer.
Although, I was making money, I never had time to spend it on myself. I was a slave for my job. I became depressed and had feelings of wanting to die.
That is when I decided to join the Unification Church. I was 21 and so happy to know the Truth and God’s existence.
I thought I could die at anytime since I now know the Truth.
Because I was so happy, my parents, my brother, and my sisters attended the work shop in the church.
About 6 month’s later my parents arranged a marriage for my brother. This arrangement was set up for him to be married outside of the unification church. Although I was very happy my brother was getting married, I strongly disagreed for them not to be married in the church. I hoped for him to marry in the church center of God.
Because of that my father hit my face with a slipper. My eye was purple . Even so, I did not care for my terrible face. I was just happy to know the Truth.
2 years later, I became a full time member. My father was so upset because I quit my job.
My parents also used to read the communist Sunday News Paper (Akahata). I am sure they had a connection with that group.
The one day, my father and brother kidnapped me from my church. They kept me in a room and brought me food.
It was hard for them to keep an eye on me, which enabled me to escape after a week.
Then a few days later, they kidnapped me again. They brought me to my Father’s cousin’s house. My father thought he would change my mind by doing this to me. My father’s cousin’s wife had a religion as well. She told me that she wished she had as much faith as I did, and to do my best. I left their home the next day, and went back to the church.
My father and brother kidnapped me for the third time, and this time they brought me to a mental hospital. My father said I started to talk to myself. I said it was a prayer, but the doctor said it was not normal. I was so scared, I ran away without my shoes.
I asked a Taxi driver to take me to my church. I said I would pay him when we got there. He said it was too far and very expensive.
He told me he would bring me to the nearest station and I could take a train. He gave me his business card with money.
I felt God had sent him to help me.
After retuning to the church for a few days, my father and brother kidnapped me for the forth time, and said to choose either ‘church’
or my ‘parents’, and if I chose the church, he would kill me as well as himself. I said let me go to the church to think. I went back to the church.
I asked the church leader about what my father told me.
He said there was no parent who would kill their own child. But I could not believe what he said. I thought my father united with Satan, and he would really kill me. My only concern was that my father would become a killer because of me.
A few days later, for the fifth and final time, my father and brother returned to kidnap me. They brought me back to the house where a few relatives were already gathered.
It was really tense, just as if Jesus was being hang as the cross. I went to the bathroom several times to pray that Heavenly Father would guide me through this.
My father, once again, told me he would kill me with the kitchen knife if I decided to choose the church over my family. I finally had enough and told him to “ Kill me right now!”
One of my relatives then spoke out “ what is she doing wrong? She didn’t do anything.” That changed his spirit. He did not kill me. I could now escape again.
I was in Osaka, but my mission changed to Kyoto for 6months.
During that time, my father kept calling me. After I came back from Kyoto, an elder member in the church whose name was Mrs. Ooka took me to my house to talk to my father. My father told her with an angry tone that he did not need his daughter any more.
She said “ OK, I will adopt her.” Since I was so tired of my parent’s harassment, I decided to let Mrs. Ooka take care of me.
My last name changed from Koyama to Ooka. I was 25 years old.
Because of her support and love, I came to the USA next year to match with my husband in the church. And now I have a husband from England and 3 wonderful college age children.
Now I strongly believe that my dream and the purpose of life which is “One Family Under God” will come true.
There are two kinds of people.
They fell down by a stone.
Mr. A thought that he was lucky, he did not hurt at all.
Mr.B was upset and cursed the stone.
I think many people will be like Mr. A and world peace will be near here.
• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.
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I wish I could meet this mother and her children.
How can she control her children like this? It is amazing!
If her children still love their mother, and they are happy, I would like to read the book she wrote.
But I have a doubt.
I think the mom should respect their own will and give them a little freedom and responsibility.
But I like that they never attend sleepovers and they never have dates (to keep pure until marriage).
But I think that we should just trust them, without forcing.
Each child is special. They have a special gift which is a talent from God.
We should not make them in the same form like they're made in a factory.
I read an article a long time ago.
A man went to a Muslim country.
He took a taxi.
The Taxi driver suddenly stopped, and got out of the car and started bowing to Alar.
The man was angry and complained about this.
The Taxi driver said "I am afraid of God more than you."
There are two type of people, people who love God(type A), and people who don't care about God.(type B)
I would like to analyze type B.
I guess they do not like discipline, and they want to do whatever they want.
There are people who enjoy free sex, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.
You may say there is a lot of good people without believing God.
They often say that religion makes war and then they don't like religion.
All religion talks about is harmony, peace, and discipline. Unfortunately politics has been using religion for war.
Jesus said "So be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
What does "perfect" mean?
I think becoming mature for love.
What kind of religion guides us to become perfect?
That religion should explain God's painful heart and look for His children throughout history.
A happy face and a happy attitude are always an inspiration to others.
I kept thinking if Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and how courageous she was when her husband was assassinated.
The whole world praised her for her courage. She wouldn't allow herself the luxury of breaking down, and her strength had a tremendous impact on many other people. Lather, when they faced tragedies in their own lives, they remember how she kept her head up, not crying in public and they knew that they could do it, too.
I've received countless letters from woman telling me I was able to put on a happy face during my grief, I had inspired them to do the same things when they've suffered a tragedy in their own lives.
Life has many sad moments but living must always go on.
~~Mary Kay Ash~~
I love a happy face, you love a Happy face, everyone loves a happy face.
A happy face makes a happy family, a happy family makes a happy world.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company... a church.. a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past.. we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happen to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you.. we are in charge of our attitudes
By Charles Swindoll
If we use the power of choice wisely, which means how I react to it, we can change our lives.
Success or Failure depends on our attitude.
I will choose smile anytime.
Spend wisely your power of choice.
From hate, choose love.
From crying, choose laughing.
Rather than destroy, choose to create.
Rather than give up, choose your patience.
Rather than talk about man, choose to praise him.
Rather than hurt more, please choose to heal.
From stealing, please choose to give.
Rather than linger, choose to act.
Rather than falling, choose to grow.
Rather than cursing, choose to pray.
You can die, or you can choose life.
You decide.
We have a lot of choices; junk food or healthy food, junk television show or an educational one, a good friend or not, a good book or not.
Our conscience knows which one we should choose. .
I heard a lot of college graduates cannot get a job.
My daughter graduated college last year.
She has been working full time.
She has a plan to go to a graduate school.
I think she is lucky, but I realize today there is a reason.
She bought a leather jacket for her sister as a birthday gift.
She is so generous.
Every result has a cause. It is a science.
She has been enjoying giving a gift (about $100 value) to her family and friends.
The Positive philosophy says if you give joyfully you will receive 7 times more.
There were a lot of family activities in my church on Dec 31, Jan 1, and Jan 2.
It's good to give time to ourselves for reflecting on this past year and starting a new year, especially for our own birthday.
It is good to think what we accomplished in last year and what we want to do in this year.
It is good to have a resolution.
Someone said that "People with a goal succeed, and those without fail".
At any kind of party, people have alcohol.
Maybe they need it for social conversation.
But I cannot understand why they drink until they cannot control themselves.
Maybe they hope that alcohol will take away their burden and sadness even it is for a short time or
they just think drinking alcohol is cool.
My friend is so serious about eating healthy food, but she cannot control herself when drinking alcohol.
The mind should be strong enough to overcome these circumstances.
In order to have strong self control, strong belief is necessary.
