Tomi's Gods

by Margaret W. Eggleston

Just outside the gate of a little Japanese town stood the shrine of the goddess Kishibojin. Every morning for many months, a young girl came to the shrine and bowed before it in earnest prayer. Sometimes she poured cold water over her body as she prayed. At other times she cut off strands of her hair and offered them to the idol. Tomi Kagata was determined to have the answer to her prayer, and she tried in every way she knew to make Kishibojin hear her. Still her prayer was not answered.

Each day, after Tomi’s prayer was over, she worked hard at a factory. Then, in the evening, she went home to care for her ailing father and two small brothers. Tomi was always tired, even in the morning when she went to pray.

Things had not always been so hard. Although Tomi’s mother was dead, her kind father and loving elder brother had taken good care of the home. Then disaster struck. First, her father became ill. At about the same time, Tomi’s brother, Matsui, began to drink. One day he struck a policeman. To avoid paying a large fine, he ran away from home. Now it was up to Tomi to provide for the family.

Quarantined!

by Adele R. Dewey

Did you ever stop to think about
This place we call the earth,
And why you’ve never left it
Since the moment of your birth?
And how the folks in other worlds
Can all go out and in,
While you’re restricted to this earth?
You’re quarantined for sin!

God put up the quarantine
With a bright and flaming sword,
When the Father sent our parents
From the Garden of the Lord.
But His heart was moved with pity
As He saw our sad estate,
And the world that He had quarantined,
He moved near Heaven’s gate.

Then He sent the Great Physician
To our world to save the lost,
And reveal the love of God to man.
He did not count the cost
Too great to pay; but gave His life
A ransom full and free,
So He could lift the quarantine
That’s over you and me.

In the glad day before us
When He comes to claim His own,
He will take the purified
Right to His Father’s throne.
With the quarantine now lifted,
We may all go out and in,
And tell how He redeemed us
From the quarantine of sin!

Thirty-three Cents

by Minon Auda Hiebert

I clutched the paper and stared. Thirty-three cents! My senior year of academy was only half over, and my account carried a credit of just 33¢.

Father was ill, and Mother could never manage to help me from her meager earnings. When I had arrived in September with my savings of $200, I had hoped that I could work off my expenses. But my wages were low, and expenses were high. Now I had just 33¢ for the rest of the year!

Umbrellas

by Michelle Chai Song

It was another day in Uijeongbu, Korea. The forecast had predicted heavy thundershowers—but I hoped the meteorologists were wrong. My cousin and I needed to take a trip on the subway.

I looked out the window and then turned to my cousin. “No rain yet. Maybe we can get to Chamshil village without getting wet.”

A few minutes later, we opened the door to leave. “Oh, no,” I groaned. “It’s pouring—and it looks like it’s getting worse! We’re going to be soaked from head to foot.”

“Well, you could always take these.” My mother held out a couple of umbrellas.

Supreme Court of the Universe

How much do you know about the Supreme Court? Whether you realize it or not, its decisions affect our laws in big ways. Here are the basics:

• The Supreme Court always has nine justices. No tie votes!
• The Supreme Court is mostly a court of appeals—it decides on cases that lower courts couldn’t settle.
• The Supreme Court accepts only about 100 of around 10,000 cases referred to it each year—the ones justices think will help clear up questions to do with Constitutional law.
• Before the court hearing, lawyers from each side of a case hand in written arguments. At the actual trial, each side has just half an hour to speak and be questioned.
• After the hearing, the justices discuss among themselves which side has the backing of the Constitution. Finally, they take a vote. 
• After the vote, a justice from the majority side writes a court opinion. The judges from the majority side review and revise the report. Finally, they sign it. 
• Once the opinion is made public, it becomes the official interpretation of the law.

Odd beginnings. During its first term in 1790, the Supreme Court had no cases and made no decisions—but the justices still convened. Some judges of lower courts still wore tall white wigs, but Justice William Cushing alone showed up at the Supreme Court wearing his wig. After the boys loitering outside made fun of Justice Cushing, Thomas Jefferson added his opinion: “Do discard the monstrous wig which makes the English judges look like rats peeping through bunches of oakum.” 1 The wig came off!2

Divine court. Daniel 7 describes the supreme court of the universe, where the Ancient of Days and His Son are the judges. In this court, the judge is also the lawyer for the defendants.3 He longs to pardon whoever He can! And unlike human courts, the divine court never errs. “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for Thou shalt judge the people righteously” (Psalm 67:4).