[Sept. 1999]  Introduction  (Timely Words 0001)

It was on September 1, 1980, that the "Daily Word" telephone service was begun from my home in Nagoya, Japan. The purpose of the 90-second daily message was to give Japanese students of English an opportunity to listen to an interesting, informative, meaningful message spoken by a native speaker of English at anytime of day or night. From this inauspicious beginning, the service developed in a very surprising way following reports that appeared both in newspapers and on television. Eventually taken over by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone), over the next 18 years, it averaged about 120 calls per day for a total of almost 900,000 calls. After being introduced into the NIFTY-Serve computer network in Japan and onto the Internet worldwide, there were more readers than listeners. Two textbooks for English students were published and messages were made available in Braille accompanied by cassette tapes at a library for the blind in the city of Kobe. Meetings of listeners/readers were held periodically in Nagoya where we spoke with one another in English. The service was discontinued at the end of February 1999, a couple of weeks before my wife and I left Japan after 47 years of missionary service there. In response to the expressed desire of "Daily Word" fans in Japan, I have decided to reactivate the service on a web page from our home in the retirement community in Penney Farms, Florida, U.S.A. where we are now residing. The messages may not be changed daily, but I hope that all readers (not only students of English) will find them interesting, informative and meaningful as well as entertaining and, at times, even inspirational.

[Sept. 1999]  Florida  (Timely Words 0002)

How many of the 50 states in the United States of America do you think have a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean and which one do you think has the longest one? Those of you who can evoke a mental image of the U.S.A. will recognize that the state with the longest such coastline is the state of Florida, located on a peninsula in the southeastern part of the country, but how many of the other 13 states bordering the Atlantic Ocean can you name? And can you imagine the meaning of the name 'Florida'? There are other English words that are derived from the same Latin root, including flora, floral, florist, florid and floriculture. All of them are related to flowers and so is Florida, which was named by the Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon, in 1513, because it was a flowery place. My wife and I are now living in the northern part of this flowery state about 55 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. As we see the pretty flowers here and recall the beautiful, but very transient, cherry blossoms of Japan, we are reminded of biblical writers using the temporary beauty of flowers to symbolize the temporary glory of human beings. In I Peter 1:28-29, we read: "All mortals are like grass; all their splendour like the flower of the field; the grass withers, the flower falls; but the word of the Lord endures forevermore."

[Sept. 1999]  Penny, Pennies and Pence  (Timely Words 0003)

The word "penny" denotes a small coin. In American currency, a penny is also called a "cent", from the Latin word for "hundred", for it is equal to one one-hundredth of a dollar. An American penny is made of copper and has the likeness of Abraham Lincoln engraved on it. In American English, the plural of penny is "pennies", but in British English, the plural is "pence" and it takes one hundred pence to make a pound. In the classical King James Version of the New Testament, this word is used to translate the Greek word for a small coin used in the old Roman Empire. In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 13-17, when Jesus was asked about paying taxes to Caesar, the Roman emperor, he asked to see that coin and enquired whose likeness was engraved on it. The reply was: "Caesar's". Then he told his questioners to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. According to the Old Testament story of creation, human beings were created in the "likeness of God". If a second "e" is inserted into the word "penny", it becomes a proper noun. "Penney" is the name of the retirement community in which I am now living and I will explain about it in the next message.

[Sept. 1999]  Penney Retirement Community  (Timely Words 0004)

The name, J. C. Penney, is well-known throughout the United States for many department stores around the country bear that name. That store chain was founded by James Cash Penney, the son of a clergyman, over 75 years ago. In 1925, J. C. Penney purchased a large tract of land in the northern part of Florida, expecting to use it for farming. On it was a burned-down lumber mill and thirty-five small cottages which had been used to house the workers. He decided to make those cottages available to retired ministers, missionaries and YMCA workers. That was the beginning of the Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida which now houses over 450 residents in single dwellings, duplex and triplex cottages and two-story apartment buildings surrounded by green lawns and pretty trees in which many squirrels and a variety of birds may be seen. My wife and I began living here last March and quickly made many friends. A church is at the center of the community. Volunteerism is emphasized and both of us are actively involved in a number of volunteer activities. Because of the considerate care given to those who become ill, we are able to face the future with peaceful minds.

[Sept. 1999]  Birds  (Timely Words 0005)

As I sit at my desk in this retirement community in northeastern Florida, I am able to look out the window and see a grassy lawn, a variety of bushes and a few tall trees. Frequently, I see birds flying in the air, walking along the ground or resting in the bushes. Along with the large, black crows that are not so beautiful, there are smaller, prettier birds of various colors whose names I do not yet know. I often hear the chirping or singing of birds, but I have not yet associated a particular twitter with a particular bird. On the other side of our house, we have seen a small flock of ducks waddling together along the street. The two larger ducks were white, but a number of smaller ducks of various colors followed along in orderly fashion. They were probably on their way to a pond a little farther away. When Jesus advised his disciples to stop worrying about food and clothes, he told them to look at the birds and perceive God's loving care for them (Matthew 6:26). He also taught that God cares for each individual by explaining about God's care for small, inexpensive sparrows. It is interesting to compare the two passages where this teaching is given, for there are different prices listed for the sparrows. Evidently, in one case, there was a special sale on sparrows (Matthew 10:29; Luke 12:6).

[Sept. 1999]  Crabs and Crabgrass  (Timely Words 0006)

Around our house in this retirement community, there is a spacious, green lawn. A concrete walkway extends through the lawn from the street in front of our house to the front door. An employee of the maintenance department regularly mows the lawn while sitting on a large mowing machine, but a certain kind of coarse grass grows over the side of the walk at various places. It is a pesky kind of grass called crabgrass. A "crab", of course, is a kind of shellfish. The meat of some crabs is considered delicious by some people. A "crab apple", however, is a small, sour apple that few people would consider tasty. It is from the sour crab apple that the term "crab" came to be used for a person who has a sour disposition and is always complaining. Because the ugly crab grass displaces the prettier kind of grass in our lawn, I may become a bit crabby as I trim the grass along our front walk and I recall a parable that Jesus told about weeds an enemy sowed in a farmer's wheat field in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 24 to 30 and his explanation of that parable in verses 36 to 43.

[Sept. 1999]  Fire Ants  (Timely Words 0007)

An insect called hotaru in Japanese is very well-known in Japan and people enjoy seeing them flying in the air on summer evenings. They are called "fireflies" in English for they produce a flashing light like a fire as they fly. A "firefly" is completely different than a "firebug", however. A "firebug" is a person who deliberately sets fires. Another kind of insect, a "fire ant", which is found in the southern United States, has two characteristics. Fire ants build conspicuous mounds, or anthills, and they can inflict a painful sting. Recently, outside of my home in the southern United States, I encountered these insects and am able to confirm both of their characteristics. While clipping the crab grass along the edge of our front walk, I damaged a number of anthills that must have made the ants very upset. Unfortunately, I was not wearing gloves and was unaware of the character of these particular ants, some of which crawled on my hands. It was a few hours later that I discovered fifteen painful stings on my two hands as I recalled the words of the Old Testament book of Proverbs, chapter 6, verse 6 which urges the reader to learn something important from ants.

[Sept. 1999]  Seminary and Cemetery  (Timely Words 0008)

I presume you know the difference between a "seminary" and a "cemetery". A "seminary" is a theological school for the training of ministers. I attended seminaries in New York and Chicago. The root of this word is semen, the Latin word for "seed". In seminaries, seed is sown in the hearts and minds of the students which will bear fruit during their ministries. A "cemetery" is a place for burying the dead, a graveyard. This word is derived from a Greek word meaning "to put to sleep". In the Bible, "sleep" is often used to mean "dead". The account of the first Christian martyr, related in the 7th chapter of Acts, ends with the words "he fell asleep." Although there is a big difference between a seminary and a cemetery, it is a fact that some seminary professors also put their students to sleep. Since I became a resident of the Penney Retirement Community in Florida, I have joined the Cemetery Maintenance Group that works in a cemetery for a couple of hours every Monday morning to keep the grass mowed, the bushes trimmed and the grave markers clean and visible. In our part of the town's cemetery, all of the grave markers are flat, even with the ground, which makes mowing the grass much easier.

[Sept. 1999]  Alzheimer's Disease Patients  (Timely Words 0009)

In the retirement community in which I am now living, there is a special facility where persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease are cared for. People suffering from this severe illness are no longer able to think, speak or move in a normal manner. They require constant care and supervision. One of the volunteer activities my wife and I have been doing is to visit that Care Center once a week on Wednesday afternoons for one hour and try to entertain or provide some diversion or exercise to those who come and sit in a circle on the reclining chairs in the central area. There are ten patients there, but not all of them gather together and those that do are in different stages of the disease. A couple of them may simply lay back and sleep for the whole hour. Those who stay awake all respond to our activities in different ways. Some are completely uninterested. Others will respond very quietly in some way or other to questions or comments we make. One man is constantly making loud noises and moving around. I often use a large ball to play catch with them and my wife may hit a balloon back and forth with them. We do not know what effect our efforts have on them, but we hope there is some sense of loving care that is being communicated.

[Sept. 1999]  Computer/Internet Problems  (Timely Words 0010)

Computers are very "wonderful" devices. They are literally "full of wonder" for me. They may be considered "awesome" when they work as expected and without problems. But they can also be "awful" frustrating when they do not perform as they should. After my "Daily Word" telephone service in Japan was taken over by NTT, my messages were recorded on a chip in the telephone office as I called them in on a push-button telephone. The written messages appeared on the Internet after I sent them by a modem from my home computer to the office of an NTT affiliate. Amazing! I didn't understand how such things were done, but they were accomplished with the use of computers. Until now, I have had no problem in introducing new messages onto the "Timely Words" homepage I have established on the World Wide Web. But for the past few days, some problem has interfered with that process and the following message, which was composed during our recent hurricane here in Florida, was not added as expected. Consequently, I presume readers of this homepage have also been confused and maybe frustrated. I hope things are now back to normal. Incidentally, for the information of those interested, I plan to add a new message to the page approximately every other day. Since I am now "retired", I do not wish to be unduly pressured, but I will aim to introduce a new message in the evening of Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Florida time if I don't forget to do so.

[Sept. 1999]  Typhoons and Hurricanes  (Timely Words 0011)

During our years in Japan, we experienced many wind storms called typhoons, which in Japanese are called taifuu. This word is made up of two Chinese characters. The second character (fuu) means "wind". And since the first character (tai) is the same as the first character in "Taiwan", I used to think that a taifuu was a wind from Taiwan, but actually, there are three different theories about the origin of this word, rooted in Chinese, Arabic or Greek. Now that we are in Florida, the wind storms we experience here are called hurricanes. My dictionary defines a "typhoon" as "a severe tropical hurricane" and a "hurricane" as "a severe tropical cyclone". Recently, a severe hurricane passed near the Florida coast and warnings of possible emergencies were broadcast. Many people who lived near the coast or in flimsy homes elsewhere left their homes to go to designated evacuation centers. One such center was in our Penney Retirement Community, about 65 kilometers from the ocean. My wife and I were in charge of that evacuation center from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. on that Wednesday morning. Fortunately, the hurricane did not cause any great damage in our area, but we did have periods of wind and rain. The poet who wrote the 135th Psalm attributes all of the movements of nature to God. In verse 7, it is written: "He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses."

[Sept. 1999]  "English" and "Japanese" in Tennis  (Timely Words 0012)

In the retirement community where I am now living, there are various sports for retirees to engage in. There is a golf course, tennis courts, shuffleboard courts and a swimming pool. In Japan, I considered golf a rich man's game and never found it an attractive form of exercise. Rather, I played tennis and now I am a regular member of the group that meets on the tennis courts two or three times a week. Tennis players have their individual styles and, in my case, I frequently put a spin on the ball so that it will confuse my opponent or bounce out of his or her reach. In American English, we call the spin put on a ball "English", whether it be in the game of billiards, baseball or tennis. It may be that this term was first used by enemies of Englishmen to denote the deceitful actions they associated with the English. Since I came to this community from Japan, some players who dislike the spin I put on the ball call it "Japanese". I hereby offer an apology to my Japanese friends for the disrespect I have brought on that name. Sometimes, I even make a Japanese-style bow of apology on the tennis court, following an especially successful deceptive bounce.

[Sept. 1999]  By Wheelchair to Fitness Center  (Timely Words 0013)

There are many different kinds of transportation. Except for boats that float on water and sleds that slide over snow, a common characteristic of conveyances that transport people or goods is their wheels. The wheel was one of the most remarkable inventions and is found in all types of machines as well as vehicles. In this retirement community, among the vehicles we see are bicycles, tricycles and wheelchairs. On the two-wheeled bicycles and three-wheeled tricycles, the rider sits on a seat above the wheels, but in a wheelchair the rider sits on a lower seat in between two large wheels. Wheelchairs are used by men and women who are disabled and cannot walk normally. As one of my volunteer activities, I regularly push a man who suffered a stroke some months ago in a wheelchair to the Fitness Center. A fitness center is a place where there are a number of devices which people can use to exercise particular parts of their bodies and thus make them more fit or increase their fitness. As I push him from behind, I give thanks to God that I am able to walk and run on my own legs and pray for God's blessing so that the man I am pushing will, indeed, become more fit and that I will become more fit in God's sight as well.

[Sept. 1999]  Autumnal Equinox  (Timely Words 0014)

September 23rd was a cool day in northern Florida, quite a change in temperature from the preceding days. It was the day of the autumnal equinox. "Equinox" is derived from Latin words meaning "equal night". There are two days in the year when day and night are equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, these days mark the climatic beginning of spring and autumn. In Japan, where, traditionally, seasonal changes have special significance, both of these days are legal holidays. In many homes there, extended families gather together on these days and perform ceremonies in remembrance of departed ancestors. The instrument used to indicate the temperature is called a "thermometer", derived from Greek words meaning "heat measure". Most thermometers make use of mercury in a bulb in the bottom of a glass tube. This liquid expands and rises as the temperature increases. The German physicist who, in 1714, first made use of this kind of thermometer was Gabriel Fahrenheit. According to the scale he devised, the freezing point of water is 32 degrees and the boiling point of water is 212 degrees. In the more logical Celsius scale, water freezes at zero and boils at 100 degrees. On the autumnal equinox in our area, the temperature rose to a high of 71 degrees Fahrenheit, or 21 degrees Celsius. How does that compare with the temperature in your area?

[Sept. 1999]  Circus  (Timely Words 0015)

In our retirement community, there are many different activities in which residents may participate. Some of them are conducted within the community itself, while others are held elsewhere. Those who are interested sign a sheet on the bulletin board if they want to be included in a group going together in our community's bus to a program outside the community. Recently, my wife and I went with a group to a university stadium where we enjoyed watching a circus performance. "Circus" is derived from the Latin word for "circle" and, sure enough, there were three large circles on the floor of the stadium which formed the stage for the performers. In that circus, there were a few trained animals and a number of clowns but we were especially impressed with the acrobats and jugglers. Both acrobats, who perform on ropes or trapezes in the air, and jugglers, who keep many objects in the air at one time by alternately tossing or catching them, are very agile and skillful. Onlookers should recognize the value of persistent practice to reach their goals. The one biblical reference to a "circle" is found in Isaiah 40:22 and we could imagine it to be similar to a "circus". There it speaks of God's enthronement above the "circle of the earth," whose people appear "like grasshoppers", over which he spreads out the heavens "like a tent". This passage teaches that God is in control of the world.

[Oct. 1999]  Clowns  (Timely Words 0016)

One of the special attractions of a circus are the clowns. Clowns are dressed in bright, colorful costumes and have colorful, painted faces. Some clowns have happy faces and others have sad faces, but both their appearance and their antics are aimed at amusing or entertaining people and making them laugh. You may be surprised to know that there is a group of clowns in the retirement community where my wife and I reside. And those of you who know my wife may be more surprised to know that she has joined this group of clowns. She recently made her debut as a clown in a Sunday evening program in the assembly hall. Her face was painted white with exaggerated red lips, red cheeks and a bright red nose. She wore a baggy red suit and a glittering wig under a tall red and white hat. The name she chose for her clown, which was written on the large, round badge attached to her costume was "Piero", which is the Japanese name for a clown that was used in the Nursery School where she taught in Japan. Actually, it is the Japanese form of the French term "Pierrot". She and the eight other clowns performed a pantomime skit, in which no words are spoken. The point of the skit was that true joy or happiness is not dependent upon money or material possessions. Rather, it is a spiritual quality that is the result of our relationship with God.

[Oct. 1999]  Chicago Cubs  (Timely Words 0017)

According to a Japanese proverb, "The soul of a three-year-old child (stays) until a hundred". The meaning is similar to an English proverb "The child is father of the man". I am not yet a hundred, but I recognize the validity of the saying as I consider how some childhood preferences have remained with me even now that I am in my seventies. From my childhood, I enjoyed certain sports, including baseball. In my hometown in northern Illinois, the closest professional baseball teams were in Chicago. The Chicago White Sox, in the American League, played in Comiskey Park on the south side of the city and the Chicago Cubs, in the National League, played in Wrigley Field on the north side. Wrigley Field was closer to my home and the Cubs became my favorite team. The word "cub" may be used for the young of certain mammals, including bears, wolves, lions, tigers, foxes and whales. It may also be used for an inexperienced, awkward youth. Although the Chicago team has played like "cubs" of one kind or another for many years and are usually quite low in the league ranking, they have remained my favorite team. Sammy Sosa, the outstanding homerun hitter, has brought worldwide attention to the Cubs and I can hear the latest report about his homeruns on an NHK news broadcast from Japan I listen to for an hour every evening. That news report also informed me that my favorite baseball team in Japan, the Nagoya-based Chunichi Dragons, have won the Central League championship.

[Oct. 1999]  Metric System  (Timely Words 0018)

A recent news article began with these words: "A mix-up over metric and English measurements likely caused the loss of the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter as it started to circle the planet last week." Reading it brought back memories of the time when my wife and I first went to Japan. We were confused at the various units of measurement, whether for length, weight, quantity or area. To our way of thinking, they were very irregular even as our English measurements were. Japan, however, early recognized the benefit to be gained from becoming a part of the global community and changed to the simpler and more logical metric system. Since that time, even Great Britain and the Commonwealth nations have changed to that system, leaving the United States as one of the very few countries that continues to make use of the irregular, illogical English system of measurements. In this case, the U.S. is much more tradition-minded than Japan. In fact, beginning in 1866, the U.S. government has repeatedly tried to institute the metric system, but, unlike the Japanese, Americans are not so subservient or obedient. The English word "meter" is derived from the Greek word "metron", meaning "measure". It is the word used in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 2, where Jesus warns his disciples not to judge others, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

[Oct. 1999]  Trip to Tallahassee  (Timely Words 0019)

In some American states, the largest city in the state is the state capital. This is not so in the state of Florida. The larger populated areas in this state are along the seacoasts of its peninsula whether on the eastern coast on the Atlantic Ocean or the western coast on the Gulf of Mexico. But Tallahassee, the capital, is in the northwestern part of the state. Its name, derived from a Native American language, means "town-old" and the Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto, found a Native American settlement there when he arrived in 1539. Recently, my wife and I joined 15 other residents of our retirement community on a 3-hour trip to Tallahassee to support the request of our Penney Memorial Church for a $183,000 grant from the Historical Preservation Advisory Council for the repair of the roof of the church, a historic building, built in 1926. We all wore white T-shirts with a picture of the church on the front and carried umbrellas to symbolize the need for a new roof to stop the leaking. Following our attendance at the council meeting, we attended a reception where we all talked with council members, carrying our umbrellas to strengthen the impression left on their minds. We left the meeting with a positive impression and we hope the impression of the council members was positive also.

[Oct. 1999]  Running Red Lights  (Timely Words 0020)

"Run a red light? You're not alone" was the title of a recent news article. When I read it, one thought that came to mind was that foreign students of English might find it difficult to understand the meaning of "run" in that title. Checking my dictionary, I found that there were 27 different definitions of "run" as an intransitive verb and 27 additional definitions as a transitive verb. In this case, the meaning is "to evade and pass through". Of course, car drivers are supposed to stop at red lights at intersections, but the article noted that, according to a recent survey, 55.8 percent of the licensed drivers questioned admitted running red lights, even though 98 percent acknowledged that it is dangerous. As I recall my driving experience in Japan, I think it is more common to see drivers running railroad crossings than running red lights at intersections. In Japan, drivers are supposed to come to a complete stop at all railroad crossings whether or not the gates are up or down, whether or not the red lights are flashing and whether or not a train is approaching, but many drivers do not obey this law. As citizens of a certain country, we should obey its laws and as citizens of a world community, we should obey the moral laws that underlie it. In Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus taught us to obey laws, but he emphasized that one's inner spirit is more important than outward compliance.

[Oct. 1999]  More Running  (Timely Words 0021)

Running red lights is not as newsworthy in the United States these days as another kind of "running". Newspapers and television programs are filled with reports of people running for president. In this case, "run" means "to compete in a race for elected office". In the United States, presidential elections are regularly held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, which means that Americans will vote for a new president on November 7, 2000. Some months before that, however, individual states will hold primary elections and political parties will hold conventions to determine the official candidates of their parties. Those who aspire to be a party candidate or an independent candidate are now "running" a political campaign which requires much money, an efficient organization and great perseverance. Each candidate is trying to persuade voters that he or she is best qualified to "run" the national government and the country for the next four years. In this case, "run" means "to control, manage, or direct". In I Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 24-25, the Apostle Paul writes about running a race. Though there are many runners, only one gets the prize. He encourages his readers to "run in such a way as to get the prize" and those who faithfully run the race of life will gain "a crown that will last forever".

[Oct. 1999]  Symposium  (Timely Words 0022)

There are a number of English words that begin with s-y-m. They are derived from Greek words that begin with sun, meaning "with". Combined with the word for "emotion" or "feeling", the word means "feel with" or "sympathize". Combined with the word for "sound", it means "sound together", "harmony" or "symphony". So what do you suppose was the original meaning of "symposium"? This word is a combination of "with" and "drink". Among the ancient Greeks, a "symposium" was a drinking party, which included drinking, music and intellectual stimulation. "Symposium" was the name of one of Plato's works. It entered the English language hundreds of years later to denote a meeting on a particular topic followed by discussion. At the Penney Retirement Community, a symposium is held twice a month in the church lecture room at which one of the residents reads a scholarly paper he or she has prepared, after which questions or comments are made by the listeners. Such intellectual stimulation is an important element in maintaining good health for elderly people. Just as appropriate exercise and nutritious food is needed to keep our bodies healthy, our minds also require nourishment and activity. But we also recall the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:17: "the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."

[Oct. 1999]  Kites  (Timely Words 0023)

There are three different Japanese words pronounced tako. One of them denotes the sea creature having eight tentacles which is called an "octopus" in English. This English word is derived from Greek words meaning "eight feet". Another kind of tako is called a "callus" in English. This word is derived from a Latin word meaning hardened skin and has the same meaning in English also. The third kind of tako is what is called a "kite" in English, but there are different meanings of this English word also. Two very different kinds of "kites" may fly in the sky. One such "kite" is a bird of the hawk family. This kind of kite is not easily recognized by most people. But the other kind of kite, or tako, in Japanese, is made of paper attached to a light wooden frame at the end of a long string and would be recognized by everyone. Children like to fly such kites on days when there is a brisk wind. Japanese kites are usually more ornate than those in the United States, but if an American tells you to "go fly a kite", his words are not to be taken literally, for this colloquial expression means to go away, to leave or to "get lost".

[Oct. 1999]  East and West  (Timely Words 0024)

Since returning to the United States, I have had a number of opportunities to give talks on Japan. At such times, I often begin with the question of where Japan is located. I surprise most listeners by my statement that Japan is located in the far west for it is commonly thought that Japan is in the Far East. Nevertheless, when going from the United States to Japan, it is usual to travel west. World maps printed in the United States usually have the U.S.A. in the center and Japan is located in the far western area of such maps. It is on world maps with Europe at the center that Japan is located in the far east. Of course, maps made in Japan have Japan at the center and on such maps, the United States is in the far east. So it all depends on one's perspective. We tend to look at the world with our homeland at the center and at other people with ourselves as the standard. One of the advantages of living for a while in a foreign country is to be able to view our own culture, traditional customs and ways of thinking from a different perspective. It can be a very broadening experience and should result in a better understanding of our own nation and both its positive and negative aspects. On a global map, there are north and south poles which indicate the limits of those directions, but it is not so for east and west. To express the unlimited nature of God's compassion, in Psalm 103:12, it is written: "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our trangressions from us".

[Oct. 1999]  Teaching About Japan  (Timely Words 0025)

The Florida town of Penney Farms is named after J. C. Penney, who founded the department store chain which also bears his name. This town is located in Clay County, which is named after Henry Clay, an important American statesman in the 19th century. In the neighboring town of Green Cove Springs, in which sulphur springs are found, the C. E. Bennett Elementary School is located. This school is named for the former Congressman from this area who arranged for the land to be granted to the school for its building in 1954. There are now some 1150 pupils in that school ranging from 3-year-olds who attend Pre-Kindergarten classes through 5th graders. Recently, my wife and I went to that school daily for a week and made 30-minute presentations about Japan to almost 50 different classes. The pupils, along with their teachers, filed into and out of the room in which our presentations were made at 30-minute intervals. We told them about Japanese life and customs, showed some pictures and slides, exhibited items we brought from Japan and taught them a few Japanese words. These children from different ethnic backgrounds seemed to be interested in what we said and we enjoyed speaking to them, although it was a tiring experience. We hope that, as a result, their minds were broadened and they came to better understand another part of their global community.

[Oct. 1999]  St. Johns Chamber Players  (Timely Words 0026)

An "orchestra" is a large group of musicians who play musical instruments together. An orchestra usually included strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments. This word is rooted in a Greek word meaning "to dance". A smaller group of musicians who perform together may be called an "ensemble", which is derived from Latin words meaning "at the same time". And "chamber music" is music that is appropriate for performance in a small room, or chamber. Recently, my wife and I joined other members of Penney Retirement Community on a short trip on the community's bus to a concert put on by the St. Johns Chamber Players. "St. Johns" is the name of both a county and of a main river in this state of Florida. The concert was held in a church and the five musicians, who are members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, played beautiful music on the violin, viola, cello, harp and flute. The harpist was a Japanese lady, a graduate of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, who has performed with all the main orchestras in Japan. When I spoke to her in Japanese following the performance, she peered at me with a quizzical look and asked if I was Japanese. It made me feel good for I felt that I had not lost my ability to speak that language in an understandable way.

[Oct. 1999]  Golf Carts on the Campus  (Timely Words 0027)

The word "campus", derived from the Latin word for "field", is usually used to denote the grounds of a school, a college or a university; buildings surrounding a rectangular area on some campuses are called a "quadrangle". On the "campus" of Penney Retirement Community, there are over 180 individual housing units beside apartments in the "quadrangle" and assisted care units. Other buildings include a church, a meeting hall, an arts and crafts center, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center with exercise machines, a nursing home and an out-patient clinic. Administration offices, the dining hall and a library are also in the quadrangle. Intersecting the campus are 5 streets running east and west and 6 streets running north and south. Garages are available for residents who have cars, but on the campus itself, most residents walk or ride bicycles, tricycles or golf carts. Golf carts, usually used on golf courses, are powered by electricity, so they produce neither noise nor pollution. They are very handy for going a short distance. In most golf carts, one passenger can sit beside the driver, but there are a couple of longer carts here that can carry five or seven passengers. These are used for taking residents from the nursing home for an outdoor trip around the campus or to transport groups from an assisted living unit to some other place on campus. I recently drove such a group to a party and was impressed with the quiet simplicity of the operating system of a golf cart.

[Oct. 1999]  "Hail" and "Hale"  (Timely Words 0028)

There are four different English words pronounced "heil" and there are two different ways to spell them. Two of them are spelled h-a-l-e and two of them are spelled h-a-i-l. One of them denotes the small, rounded pieces of ice that sometimes fall during thunderstorms. These frozen raindrops may be very destructive for crops. How do you spell that kind of "heil"? Another kind of "heil", which has a very positive meaning, is used to describe a vigorous, healthy person. We may say that a certain man is "'heil' and hearty". How do you spell this kind of "heil"? A third kind of "heil" is used as a verb meaning to pull forcibly, to drag or to force a person to go. Thus, we may say that a "'heil' and hearty man was 'heiled' into court". Do you know how to spell this kind of "heil"? Finally, the fourth kind of "heil" may also be used as a verb meaning to shout in a greeting or as a noun for the greeting itself. I may "heil" a friend and call out "heil"! According to the classical version of Matthew 26:52, this was the greeting Judas gave Jesus when he betrayed him. How is this "heil" spelled? In answer to the questions posed in this message, the first and last kinds of "heil" are spelled h-a-i-l, while the middle two are spelled h-a-l-e.

[Oct. 1999]  Squirrels  (Timely Words 0029)

As I look out my window on the other side of my desk, I see a small rodent runing across the grass and up a tree. It is a pleasant sight, for this particular kind of rodent is called a "squirrel" in English. In Japanese, it is called a risu. The Chinese characters for risu literally mean "chestnut rat". A "rat" is another kind of rodent which is bigger than a "mouse". The Japanese word nezumi may be used for either a "rat" or a "mouse", but, for some reason, a "mouse" is also called a "twenty-day rat" in Japanese. In English, there is a big difference in meaning between a "rat" and a "mouse". In English slang, a "rat" denotes a despicable person while a "mouse" denotes a timid person. The English word "squirrel" is rooted in Greek words meaning "shadow tail" for the long, furry tail of the squirrel may become a sunshade when it is raised. One characteristic of a squirrel is that it descends from trees head first. Cats and other animals come down tail first. If we compared our lives to that of tree-climbing animals, would we resemble a squirrel or a cat? Which do you think is preferable, to go through life head first or tail first?

[Nov. 1999]  Bushes  (Timely Words 0030)

In the spacious lawn around our house, there are a number of different kinds of trees. Some are very tall with large, long branches. Others are shorter, but all of them have green leaves of different sizes and shapes. At one end of the lawn, along the sidewalk that runs alongside the street are a number of bushes that are also full of green leaves. We also have bushes along side of our house which sometimes bear white flowers. A "bush" is a low, branching woody plant that is usually smaller than a tree. It may also be called a shrub. Unlike a tree, a shrub has several stems rather than a single trunk. At times, I use a clipper to clip the bushes around our house so that they are of uniform height. When I do so, I am reminded of the Japanese proverb that "the post that sticks up gets hammered down", but in this case, it is "the twig that sticks up gets clipped off". Jesus made use of an illustration related to bushes in Luke, chapter 6, verses 43 to 45. There, he taught that a tree is known by the fruit it bears. "You do not pick figs from thornbushes or gather grapes from bramble bushes", he said. Likewise, the character of a person is known by the fruit that person bears, by the way that person lives.

[Nov. 1999]  President Bush's Visit to Japan  (Timely Words 0031)

While composing the previous message on "bushes", I recalled the following article which appeared in the "Asahi Evening News" in 1995: "Clark Offner, an American missionary in Nagoya, whose telephone message was featured in an article on this page on June 26 under the headline, 'And now a message from the messenger,' has sent AEN the full text of the Jan. 8, 1992 telephone message about former President George Bush's visit to Japan. Offner said parts of the message which were carried in the article did not include its 'punch line.' Some readers would be interested in the whole message, he said. The following is the entire message: "A bush is a low, branching woody plant, usually smaller than a tree. There are various English expressions related to this word. To 'beat around the bush' means to speak indirectly, to talk around a subject without getting to the point or to purposely avoid giving a direct answer to a question. This is a common occurrence in Japan—especially among politicians. . . . 'To be bushed' is an informal expression which means to be very tired or exhausted. . . . Mr. George Bush, the 42nd president of the United States is now visiting Japan. For the good of the mutual relationship between these two important countries, I hope that both sides will not beat about the bush in their conversations but will make their respective positions clear. The president will probably be bushed by the time he heads for home, but I am reminded of the miracle recorded in the 3rd chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus. There, we are told, God spoke through a bush and, as a result, a new chapter in world history began. Would it be possible for a similar miracle to occur today?" Offner said that he informed the U.S. Embassy of the message beforehand, 'but I do hope that it did not contribute to the President's upset stomach on that day.'"

[Nov. 1999]  Post Office  (Timely Words 0032)

There are three different English words spelled p-o-s-t. These words are all pronounced the same. One kind of "post" is a stake made of wood or some other material that is set upright into the ground to serve as a marker or support. In Japan, where conformity is emphasized, there is a well-known saying that "the post that sticks up gets hammered down". In other words, just as all the posts or pickets in a fence should be the same height, no individual should stand out from the others in his or her group. Another kind of "post" is a military base where troops are stationed or an assigned position. But the "post" of "post office" is not related to either of these posts. This "post" signifies mail service. In the Penney Retirement Community, where I am now living, mail is not delivered to the individual homes or apartments in the community. Rather, all residents have a post office box in the post office where mail is placed every morning. Each of us has a key to our post office box and we regularly meet friends and neighbors when we go to pick up our mail. Many of the residents here have come from distant places and look forward to letters from friends and relatives. In the warm Florida weather, we recall the words of Proverbs 25:25: "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land."

[Nov. 1999]  Monopoly, Monarchy and Monotheism  (Timely Words 0033)

Recently, a couple of newsworthy events occurred in the United States and Australia that were unrelated in content but were related by two key words used in news reports about them. These words began with the letters m-o-n, a prefix derived from the Greek word for "one". Other words beginning with that prefix include "monologue", which is a long speech made by one person, and "monogamy", which denotes marriage to one person for life. A "monopoly" is a company that has exclusive control over some product or service and does not permit competition by others. In the United States, monopolies are illegal and a judge has found Microsoft, a company that makes software for computers, guilty of becoming a monopoly. "Monarchy" denotes rule by one sovereign ruler, such as a king, queen, emperor or sultan. Actually, there are very few real monarchies in the world today, but the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is called a "constitutional monarchy". Although its queen has very little political power, she was again endorsed as the "head of state" in the commonwealth of Australia. Another word that begins with the same prefix is "monotheism", which is the belief that there is only one God, Judaisn. Christianity and Islam are all monotheistic religions, but Christians believe that God is most perfectly and fully revealed in the person and ministry of Jesus, the Christ.

[Nov. 1999]  Security  (Timely Words 0034)

One definition of "security" is "freedom from risk or danger; safety". A second definition, related to one's mental state, is "freedom from doubt, anxiety or fear; confidence." Obviously, these two meanings are closely related for our mental state is connected to our physical circumstances. A reader of these messages in Japan, after reading about the golf carts, bicycles and tricycles used on the campus here, has enquired about the security situation in this community. She wonders if these vehicles are ever stolen. In this Penney Retirement Community, there are approximately 450 residents, which make up about two-thirds of the population of the town of Penney Farms. Clay County, in which Penney Farms is located, appoints one of its policemen to be responsible for this community, but I have never seen him and I think there is very little for him to do here. All of the vehicles on campus here have a number tag attached to them and the owner and number are recorded in the office so the owner of any lost vehicle can be identified, but I have never heard of a vehicle being stolen. One night, some months ago, a house close to the state highway which runs along one side of this community was broken into while the owners were away, but that was very unusual. We feel very safe and secure, both physically and mentally in this retirement community.

[Nov. 1999]  Broom Tree  (Timely Words 0035)

In our church in Japan, the person who led the worship service was called a shikaisha, which literally means "meeting leader". In the interdenominational church at the center of this retirement community, that person is called a "liturgist". "Liturgy" is a religious ritual and since many of the residents here are retired ministers or missionaries, we take turns serving as liturgists and preachers. The first time I served as the liturgist, the Old Testament reading was from the first part of the 19th chapter of I Kings, where it is written that the prophet Elijah withdrew to the desert, sat under a tree and prayed that he would die. I was surprised to find what that tree was called. In the modern English version I used, it was called a "broom tree". After reading it, I wondered, "what kind of tree is a 'broom tree'?" Checking other translations of the Bible, I found a couple of other names for that woody plant and one of them did not give any name. A "broom", of course, is a brush made of twigs or straw with a long handle, used for sweeping. According to a dictionary, the woody plant called "broom" is a bush with small leaves, slender branches, and flowers of yellow, purple or white and it is because brooms were originally made of twigs of the broom tree that they were called "brooms". An enquiring mind can discover different kinds of knowledge, or truth, in the pages of scripture.

[Nov. 1999]  Birthdays  (Timely Words 0036)

In the United States, it is customary to have a special celebration on a person's birthday. Nowadays, this custom has become common in Japan also, but in years gone by, all Japanese celebrated together on the first day of a new year and considered themselves a year older from that day on. Even a child born in late December was considered a year old on New Year's Day. Articles about common people In Japanese newspapers, usually include the age of those mentioned in the article in parenthesis following the first mention of the person's name. My wife, however, customarily refused to divulge her age when asked by reporters, telling them that American women do not publicize their age. In this retirement community, at the noon meal on the first Wednesday of each month, a special celebration is held in the Dining Hall for all residents who have birthdays during that month. The type of program varies, depending upon the person who has been asked to prepare it. Often, some simple decorations are displayed and a word game, or puzzle, is placed on the tables for diners to work on while waiting for their table number to be called. Special music may be provided, some light-hearted but meaningful words are spoken, a prayer for those having birthdays is offered and, of course, we all join together in singing "Happy Birthday" to them. This contributes to the family atmosphere of this retirement community.

[Nov. 1999]  Shuffleboard  (Timely Words 0037)

In the Penney Retirement Community where my wife and I are now residing, residents have a choice of various sports to participate in. There is a small golf course, tennis courts and shuffleboard courts. In fact, there are a couple of shuffleboard courts very close to our house, but until now we have only used them briefly when our son and granddaughter came to visit us in June. The word "shuffle" may mean to mix together playing cards before the beginning of a card game. It may also mean to walk in a somewhat clumsy manner. But the name of this sport is derived from an older name for it which was "shove-board". In this game, disks are shoved, or pushed over a smooth, level surface which is about 2 meters wide and about 16 meters long. At both ends of this shuffleboard court there is a triangle of numbered squares and the aim is to make the disks stop on one of the numbered squares. The player who first attains a certain score is the winner. The disks are shoved, or pushed, with a long stick about 160 centimeters long which is called a "cue". This cue has an attachment at one end that fits around part of the disk making it easy to push the disk. Another meaning of "cue" is a signal on a stage for an actor to do or say something. And "cue" is also used as the spelling of the 17th letter of the alphabet. The saying "Mind your P's and Q's" means to be very careful about your behavior. When learning the alphabet, children must be careful to distinguish between a 'p' and a 'q'.

[Nov. 1999]  Odd Numbers  (Timely Words 0038)

In normal conversation, to speak of something or someone as "odd" means that that thing or person is not ordinary. It, he or she is unusual or strange. Most people do not like to be called "odd"—especially in places like Japan where group conformity is so important. "Odd numbers" (which cannot be divided by 2), however, are considered lucky in Oriental thought. In Japan, traditional festivities are held on the 1st day of the 1st month, the 3rd day of the 3rd month, the 5th day of the 5th month, the 7th day of the 7th month and the 9th day of the 9th month. And on November 15th, a special celebration is held for children aged 7, 5 and 3. In the United States, the 11th day of the 11th month, the day an armistice was signed in 1918 to end the fighting of the First World War, is a holiday, now called Veterans Day. On November 19th, I was asked to respond on behalf of the "newcomers" to this community to the welcome given to us at a special ceremony. In my short talk, I noted the above facts and concluded with the observation that that day must be an especially lucky day, a unique day in the whole millennium, for the first and last odd digits are the only digits in that date and there are four of each of them: 11-19-1999. This is the only such occurrence in the 2000 year history of the world. The numbers assigned to certain dates, however, do not make a day lucky or unlucky. How we live during that day is what makes it good or bad.

[Nov. 1999]  Remembering Names and Birthdays  (Timely Words 0039)

I have sometimes jokingly said to people "there are three characteristics of old age, one of which is that our memory gets poorer—and I cannot remember the other two." Since coming to this retirement community, we have met many people whose names we try to remember. We also have a pictorial directory of residents which we often use to remind us of their names. When we meet people along the street, in the dining hall or at meetings, we like to greet them by name, but we realize that our memories are not as sharp as they used to be. How to remember birthdays of family members may also be a problem, but in the case of the family of one of our sons, it is not so difficult. This son was born on November 11th, which is a holiday in the United States. Originally called Armistice Day, it is now called Veterans Day. His wife's birthday is easy for us to remember, too, for it is February 22nd, George Washington's birthday, which is also celebrated in the United States. And the birthday of their younger daughter is also easy for us and Japanese people to remember. In Japan, years continue to be numbered according to the year of the reigning emperor and she was born on the 26th day of the 11th month in the 62nd year of the Emperor now known as Showa, so her birthday can be read in either direction as 62-11-26. Incidentally, Showa 62 is 1987.

[Nov. 1999]  Stamp Club  (Timely Words 0040)

The basic meaning of "club" is a stout, heavy stick which may be used as a weapon. Before the advent of swords and guns, clubs were often used to settle disputes. For some strange reason, the black symbol on a playing card in the shape of a clover leaf is also called a "club". A third kind of "club" is a group of people organized for a certain purpose. Such clubs originated in England over 300 years ago when men having a common interest gathered together in coffee houses or taverns. In this retirement community, there are a number of clubs that meet regularly to give residents opportunities to think and talk about subjects that interest them and develop further skills related to their interests. One of the club meetings my wife and I recently attended was the Stamp Club. In this club, members do not "stamp" their feet; they talk about postage stamps. Although I have no expertise in philately, I have been a stamp collector from my childhood and now have over 5200 stamps from over 115 different countries. And since I have lived in Japan most of my life, I had been invited to give a talk about Japanese stamps. Those present were interested in seeing the variety of Japanese stamps, especially the pretty commemorative stamps and the places, events or people they commemorated. It is good to remember and commemorate meaningful events and to give thanks to God for divine blessings.

[Nov. 1999]  Sunday/Sonday  (Timely Words 0041)

Most countries throughout the world divide time periods into weeks with seven days. That's an odd number, but in the Bible, it is considered a sacred number, a perfect number. According to the Biblical account of the creation of the world, found in Genesis, chapter 1, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. That became the basis of one of the Ten Commandments given through Moses in Exodus, chapter 20, which stated that people should work six days and rest on the seventh day, which was called the "sabbath", meaning "rest". Today also, Jews continue to rest on the sabbath, the seventh day of the week. In the Christian Church tradition, however, the day for rest and worship was changed to the first day of the week, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on that day. In both the Romance languages of Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese and in Japanese, the names of the days of the week are derived from the sun, moon and the five planets of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn in that order. Interestingly, there are two English words with three letters beginning with "s" and ending with "n" that are both pronounced "sun". The one spelled with a "u" denotes the bright, shining star at the center of our solar system. The one spelled with an "o" denotes a male child. Since in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called the "Son of God", Christians may consider Sunday, the first day of the week as the "day of the Son" rather than "the day of the sun." Christians believe that both of these "suns" shine forth light into the world.

[Dec. 1999]  Shopping  (Timely Words 0042)

The retirement community in which my wife and I live is located in the Florida town of Penney Farms. This is one of four incorporated towns in Clay county. There are other communities in the county where people live, but they are not incorporated. The 450 residents of the Penney Retirement Community make up over two-thirds of the entire population of the town of Penney Farms. In this town, there is a small post office, a town hall and a fire station, but there are no stores or shops. Both "stores" and "shops" are places where items are on sale, but a "shop" is usually smaller and less elaborate than a "store". Both of these nouns may also be used as verbs. To "store" is to put away for future use, but to "shop" is to look for something in order to buy it. My wife and I usually go shopping on Saturday afternoons. We go by car to a shopping area about 12 kilometers away. Along the highway in that town, there are many shopping places, including a large "mall". In a "mall", many small shops and a few stores line the long walkways along which shoppers may "window-shop" as they walk along. The word "mall" comes from the name of a broad thoroughfare in St. James Park in London, where Charles II and his courtiers used to play a game called "pall-mall". Perceptive shoppers who live in affluent countries soon recognize that material goods do not bring spiritual satisfaction.

[Dec. 1999]  Community Spirit  (Timely Words 0043)

The word "community" is rooted in a Latin word meaning "common". A community is a group of people who have something in common. Ideally, "unity" and "communion" are important elements in a "community". When my wife and I entered the Penney Retirement Community, we spent our first two nights in the guesthouse. While there, for the first time, we saw the house which was to become our home. Except for a stove and a refrigerator, it had no furniture and we had not brought any with us from Japan. The spirit of the community may be perceived in the experiences we had in the first few days after our arrival. When the couple we happened to be eating with in the dining hall heard of our lack of furniture, they graciously offered to let us use a large, double bed sized air mattress until we procured a bed to sleep on along with a couple of lawn chairs on which to sit. Our next door neighbor kindly lent us a card table at which we could eat and a lady across the street considerately offered to take us to a shopping area since we did not yet have a car. Needless to say, it did not take us long to become a part of this community. In the center of the community is the church, which is at the heart of the community. There, the spirit of unity is fostered, communication between residents themselves and between residents and God is encouraged and communion services are regularly held.

[Dec. 1999]  Measurements  (Timely Words 0044)

My wife and I are now comfortably settled in our home in this retirement community, but right after arriving here we began looking for suitable furniture. Some residents who were moving to other locations sold us some of theirs. We also made frequent visits to secondhand stores in a neighboring town. At such times, my wife always carried a tape measure and a list of the appropriate measurements of the pieces of furniture we were looking for. When she saw an article that seemed suitable, she would take out her tape measure and measure it to see if it was the right size. I was reminded of this measurement exercise recently when I read a news article that Tanzanian and German scientists had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and, with the aid of modern measuring devices, concluded that the mountain is 10 feet (or 3 meters) shorter than previously thought. The reason why the mountain became shorter is said to be due to the rising sea level, which has resulted from global warming, compression of the mountain over the years and previous measuring errors. As I read the article, I wondered how anyone could accurately measure the height of a 5,930-meter-high mountain. And I recalled the words of Jesus: "in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7:2). The Greek word used for "measure" here is "metron" from which the English word "meter" is derived.

[Dec. 1999]  Correction  (Timely Words 0045)

I enjoy preparing these messages and am happy to receive any comments or questions which readers may have. Such comments or questions indicate that the messages are not only being read and understood but stimulate thought as well. Recently comments from three readers in Japan were received that pointed out an error in the message last month on "Birthdays". In it, I wrote that "in years gone by, all Japanese celebrated together on the first day of a new year and considered themselves a year older from that day on. Even a child born in late December was considered a year old on New Year's Day." Their correction reminded me that my memory is not as sharp as it once was. Actually, in old Japan, a child was considered one year old at the time of birth, so a child born in December became two years old on New Year's Day. I am grateful for their correction and apologize for the mistake. A couple of days after receiving their comments, I read an interesting newspaper article about a 100-year-old man in the state of Ohio who continues to pilot an airplane. He had stopped flying in the 1940s at his late wife's request, but he has now purchased his own plane and has obtained a student pilot's license. He is probably the oldest licensed pilot in the world. Reading the article, I was reminded that a person's mental and physical dexterity may still remain sharp in old age and I will try to avoid making any more embarrassing mistakes resulting from a poor memory.

[Dec. 1999]  "Cool"  (Timely Words 0046)

The state of Florida is known as the "Sunshine State". Its southern tip is the southernmost point of the continental United States and because it is usually comparatively warm in the winter, it is a popular place for northerners to visit during that season of the year. Its reputation as a warm state was one of the main reasons my wife desired to come here when we retired. Since beginning this final month of the year, however, we have found out that it may get quite cool, or even cold. On the first couple of days of this month, the temperature dropped below freezing and we saw frost on the ground. Some people called it "cool", but others said it was "cold". Of course, these adjectives are relative and their precise meaning will vary depending on the circumstances and the perspective of the speaker or writer. In modern English, the word "cool" may have a number of meanings, not all of which are related to temperature. A person who does not get excited, who remains calm in a troubled situation may be said to be "cool"; and a person who is unenthusiastic, indifferent or impudent also may be called "cool". Nowadays, "cool" is used by young people especially to describe something or someone that is fine, favorable or excellent. It is considered a great compliment to be called "cool". In keeping with the words of II Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 21, we should seek to be "cool" in the eyes of God as well as in the eyes of those around us.

[Dec. 1999]  Salvation Army Bell Ringer  (Timely Words 0047)

Over 120 years ago in London, William Booth organized a "volunteer army of converted working people" to share the message of God's love and salvation with the poor and underprivileged who were reluctant to enter the doors of "respectable" churches. Named the "Salvation Army", this organization is characterized by its military ranks, uniforms, flags and bands and by its efforts to proclaim the Gospel, or "Good News", of God's love not only through pleasing words but through concrete deeds. It provides food and shelter and other necessities for the destitute. It helps abandoned or abused children, battered women, men and women seeking to free themselves from dehumanizing habits. It also points them to the spiritual answer for their deepest needs. It has been called the purveyor of "soup, soap and salvation." In this pre-Christmas season, the world at large becomes aware of the Salvation army and its work on behalf of needy people when the sound of a trumpet, drum or bell in a public place directs their attention to a person standing by a bucket into which offerings may be placed. This year, for the first time, my wife and I served as bell ringers in front of a supermarket in a nearby town for a couple of hours. We wore a red smock with the words "I am a Salvation Army Bell Ringer" on it and we were happy to assist in this worthy endeavor.

[Dec. 1999]  The Pavilion  (Timely Words 0048)

The word "nurse" is derived from a Latin word meaning "nourish". When used as a verb, "nurse" primarily denotes a mother feeding an infant child at her breast. Another meaning is the special care given for a person who is ill. And a person who "nurses" another may be called a "nurse". Many elderly people need to be nursed as they get older so a hospital specializing in care for the aged or for people with long-lasting illnesses is called a "nursing home". It is advisable for a retirement community for senior citizens to have such a place for its residents when needed. In the retirement community where I live, the nursing home is called the Pavilion for Health Care. The basic meaning of "pavilion" is a large tent and in the Old Testament, before the building of a temple, the Israelites considered a tent, or tabernacle, as the dwelling place of God. The name of this nursing home comes from Psalm 27, verse 5, where it is written: "in the day of trouble, he will hide me in his pavilion". Patients in the Pavilion here are confident that not only nurses and doctors are taking care of them but that God is watching over them as well. Regular programs are presented in a meeting room in the Pavilion for those who are able to attend—either on foot or in wheelchairs. I present a monthly program there called "Japanese Insights" in which I teach a little about Japan, its land, its people and its language.

[Dec. 1999]  Xmas in Japan  (Timely Words 0049)

The monthly talk on "Japanese Insights" that I gave at the Pavilion for Health Care in December was about the celebration of Christmas in Japan. My talk was an amplification of an article I had written for the "Chunichi Shinbun", a Japanese newspaper, dated December 24, 1983, entitled "Nihon no Kurisumasu" ("Japanese Christmas"). In it, I noted my initial surprise that Christmas was celebrated so widely in Japan despite the fact that Christians total less that one percent of the population. Christmas decorations are seen and Christmas music is heard in many public places. In many homes, a special Japanese pastry called "Christmas Cake" is enjoyed by the family. As I came to better understand Japanese thinking and the nature of Japanese religions, I realized that this was not so strange for, in Japanese tradition, form is more important than content. The mood or atmosphere of the celebration can be enjoyed despite a lack of understanding of or belief in its meaning. For many Japanese, it is a celebration of "Xmas" rather than "Christmas" with the "X" denoting an unknown quantity as in mathematics. Actually, "X" is the first letter in the Greek word for "Christ", which means "Messiah" or "Anointed One", a term used by Old Testament prophets for the One who was to come and bring salvation. The birth of the Savior is celebrated at Christmas and the atmosphere of joy and peace that characterizes this season comes from our belief in the Good News he revealed.

[Dec. 1999]  The Dining Room  (Timely Words 0050)

Since entering this retirement community, our noon meal has become the main meal of the day. Thus, it is more correct to call it our "dinner" rather than our "lunch". We usually eat a light breakfast and a light supper in our home, but we usually eat our noon meal, or dinner, with other residents in the Dining Room. Eating in the Dining Room, which is located very close to our home, has another attraction beside the delicious food that is served there. It is there that we not only share a table but also engage in interesting conversations with other residents whom we meet there. When our table number is called, we choose our food from the varieties available on the food counter and carry it on a tray to a table in that large room. Volunteer tray-carriers assist those who are unable to carry their own trays. The tables are different sizes and shapes. Some are square; others are oblong or round. From four to eight people may sit at them. Since many of the residents in this retirement community have served as missionaries in different countries or as pastors or church-related workers in different parts of the United States, conversations at the dining room tables are always interesting. Not only do we learn of customs and traditions of many different places, we have been surprised how many times we have eaten with people who knew, or are related to, people that we also knew, or are related to. We clearly recognized anew that we indeed live in a small world.

[Dec. 1999]  Special Meals at the Dining Room  (Timely Words 0051)

The main meal in the Dining Room in this retirement community is at noon, but breakfasts and suppers may also be eaten there. On regular weekdays, there are paper place mats on the tables in front of every chair. These mats, which often contain a colored decoration related to the season, are discarded after they are used. On Sundays or days when special meals are served, however, instead of paper place mats, tablecloths cover the tables. And beside the paper napkins in which the silverware is wrapped, cloth napkins are provided for every diner. Dinners on Sundays are more expensive than those on weekdays and for special meals on such days as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, reservations must be made in advance and tickets are sold. Some residents leave the community during those holidays to spend time with family members elsewhere; others enjoy the visits of relatives here. In our case, our younger son and family who live in Japan and our daughter who lives in Thailand are not able to be with us, but our elder son who lives in New Mexico is now visiting us with his ten-year-old daughter. Places for them have been reserved at the Christmas Dinner where we all will enjoy not only delicious food but a fine program as well. As people who have served God in many different countries eat together in the dining hall, we are reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 13:29 about people from all countries who will "take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God".

[Dec. 1999]  Christmas Decorations  (Timely Words 0052)

This is the first Christmas season my wife and I have spent in our homeland, the United States of America, in 22 years. Since a number of Christmas customs from Europe and the United States have been transmitted to Japan (often with the enthusiastic support of the commercial interests which profit from them), a certain kind of Christmas atmosphere is engendered, even in that non-Christian land and, frequently, our children from abroad were able to return to that land of their birth to celebrate Christmas with us there. There are two major impressions we have received related to the Christmas decorations this year in the area of Florida in which we are living. First, there are many more of them in and around private homes than in Japan. In some neighborhoods, almost every home has Christmas decorations—both inside and outside the house. Second, much greater use is made of small, electric, uncolored lights in the decorations than when we were here before. Especially in the outdoor decorations, these small uncolored lights in various patterns are quite fascinating. On some spacious lawns, illuminated figures related to Christmas stories may be seen. Since my wife has become Coordinator of the Flower Committee, she has been busy helping to decorate the church with wreaths, bows and over 30 poinsettia plants. Surrounded by many symbols of God's self-giving love, I wish you a merry and meaningful Christmas season.

[Dec. 1999]  Frustrating Christmas Trip  (Timely Words 0053)

My wife and I were happy when our elder son called us from New Mexico to inform us that he and his ten-year-old daughter were planning to come and visit us over Christmas. In previous years, they had made the trip to Japan over the Christmas/New Years holidays. When they came here to visit us last June, our son drove his car but this time they were flying and were scheduled to arrive at Jacksonville Airport at 4:13 p.m. On the day of their arrival, I had taken our car out of the garage to drive to the airport and was waiting for my wife to get in when the telephone rang. It was our son who informed her that they would be arriving at 8:35 on a different airline. We delayed our departure and arrived at the airport shortly after 8 o'clock. We found a new arrival time of 8:55 had been posted, which was later changed to 9:55. They were among the last passengers to deplane and we were very happy to greet them. While walking to the baggage retrieval area, we heard their story. After a 3-hour drive to the first airport, the airplane was delayed, so they missed their flight at the second airport. They had to change to a different airline and wait. A mechanical problem delayed the takeoff of the third airplane they had boarded at a transfer point. We waited for their luggage but it never appeared. We then had to wait for over an hour at the baggage offices of the two airlines to make arrangements for it to be delivered after it arrived. When we returned home after 1:00 a.m., the phone call came informing us that the luggage had arrived and would be delivered. I asked the airline to reimburse me for the high parking fee that I had to pay because of the plane's late arrival and the problem with the luggage, but they refused.

[Dec. 1999]  Millennium  (Timely Words 0054)

As we approach the end of the year 1999 according to the Gregorian calendar used throughout most of the world, there is much talk about the end or the beginning of a "millennium". This word is derived from two Latin words meaning "thousand years". Two other words designating a definite number of years, "century" and "decade", are rooted in a Latin word for "hundred" and a Greek word for "ten". On what years do decades, centuries and millennia begin and end? If we speak of the "decade of the 50s", most people will think of the years 1950-1959. Likewise, it is common to think of the 20th century as beginning in 1900 and ending this year, in 1999. Following that numbering system, the 2nd millennium is about to end. Nevertheless, the chronologist who, in the 6th century, mistakenly calculated the year that Jesus Christ was born, designated that year 1 A.D., the first "year of the Lord", or "anno Domini", in Latin. Thus, the first decade of this "new era" ended with the year 10, the first century ended with the year 100 and this 20th century and 2nd millennium should end with the year 2000. Since it is now recognized that Jesus was born a few years before 1 A.D., determining what year this millennium ends and when a new one begins is really not that significant, except in relation to our present computerized society and the problems that may result from the change from 1999 to 2000. When a year, a decade, a century or a millennium begins or ends is an arbitrary human calculation, but it is comforting and reassuring to perceive a divine purpose behind the past, the present and the future.

[Jan. 2000]  Parade  (Timely Words 0055)

A "parade" is "a public procession on a festive or ceremonial occasion." There are many different reasons for parades. Some parades have religious significance; others are held for political purposes, to invite popular support or to call attention to some issue. Some American cities hold annual parades which have become famous, including the one held in Pasadena, California on New Year's Day before the famous football game in the Rose Bowl. A new parade was recently held on the day before Christmas in the town of Penney Farms, Florida which may also become a tradition. In it, residents of the Penney Retirement Community joined Afro-American residents of the New Hope Community, which is also a part of the town, walking or riding in golf carts or other vehicles to the small park in New Hope where a barbecue meal was served. The PRC Sunshine Band rode in the back of a large open truck and played music along the way. The PRC clowns also rode in a long golf cart. My wife is one of them and since our 10-year-old granddaughter was visiting us at the time, she joined the group of clowns for that occasion. The word "parade" is rooted in a Latin word meaning "to prepare". It always takes my wife a long time to prepare her clownish face and garb, but for this parade she also had to prepare her granddaughter. We hope this parade exemplifying the unity of this ethnically diverse community will become a meaningful tradition in the years to come. Happy New Year!

[Jan. 2000]  Chalk Talk  (Timely Words 0056)

There are a number of short words ending in a-l-k, in which the l is silent. How many of them can you think of? Some people like to talk as they walk, while others may balk at doing so, but in a baseball game, a balk by the pitcher will let the batter walk to first base. If we go for a walk in the countryside, we may see stalks of corn or rice along the road. Along with the words "talk", "walk", "balk" and "stalk" is the word "chalk". Hard chalk may be used to write on a hard surface, such as a blackboard. Some teachers or lecturers wrote on a blackboard with chalk while they talked and from this custom the term "chalk talk" was coined. Recently, during the Christmas season, a "chalk talk" by one of its residents was listed on the schedule at the Penney Retirement Community where my wife and I are now living. While attending the meeting, however, I realized it was not, literally, a "chalk talk" for no "chalk" was used and the artist did not "talk" while he was drawing the pictures. Rather, because he had no soft chalk, he used crayons called pastels on large sheets of paper. While the audience sang Christmas carols accompanied by his wife at the piano, he drew related scenes on the paper which the audience could see. Both he and his wife are over eighty years old, but they continue to be active in various ways in this retirement community and provide a good example for us "younger folks".

[Jan. 2000]  Luminaries  (Timely Words 0057)

Returning to live in the United States after spending most of our lives in Japan, we find that both certain customs and meanings of words have changed over the years. During the Advent and Christmas seasons, we were introduced to a new meaning of the word "luminary". In my dictionary, the primary meaning of this word is "an object, as a celestial body, that gives light" and I have always thought of the stars as luminaries. Now, in the U.S., however, "luminary" is the term used for a special decoration consisting of a short, stout candle placed on sand in the bottom of a white or brightly colored paper bag that remains open at the top. When such bags are placed along the sidewalk outside a home and the candles are lit, they provide a soft light seen through the paper bag. My wife bought twenty such luminaries and placed ten on each side of the sidewalk leading from the street to our front door on New Year's Eve. The candlelight lasted for a total of about eight hours during which time these luminaries added a special aura to our residence. A second meaning of "luminary" is "a source of intellectual or spiritual light." In this sense, we may speak of Jesus Christ, whose birth was celebrated on Christmas Day, as a luminary. In chapter 9 of the Gospel of John, Jesus called himself "the light of the world", but in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, he told his disciples: "You are the light of the world." In the present age, Jesus' disciples should be luminaries to continue to bring spiritual light into a world of darkness.

[Jan. 2000]  Lights  (Timely Words 0058)

Thankfully, the so-called Y2K fear that computers would be confused by the change from 1999 to 2000 did not materialize. Electric power was not interrupted and the luminaries in heaven and on earth continued to shine. Some days ago, I heard on the shortwave broadcast from Japan I regularly listen to that people in a town in central Japan (not far from where my wife and I lived and the center of the candle manufacturing industry in that country) were working overtime to produce enough candles to fill the increased orders by people who feared they might be without electricity from New Year's Day on. We thought about that fearful possibility when we visited Cypress Gardens in central Florida with our son and granddaughter a few days before Christmas. The shows, exhibits, shops and restaurants there were all bathed in holiday lights. It was announced that there were five million lights throughout the park. In fact, there were said to be 25,000 lights on the 35-meter tall Christmas tree. We had a small Christmas tree in our home that my wife had purchased at the rummage sale held weekly here. Despite its broken stand, she made it stand erect and decorated it with lights and ornaments. In contrast to the tree we used in Japan, however, we did not disassemble this tree nor take off the lights and ornaments before storing it for use again next Christmas. We hope that its lights will shine again then and that our "lights" and yours will continue to shine throughout the year.

[Jan. 2000]  Naps  (Timely Words 0059)

Following my first year in college, I spent part of the summer vacation in Mexico City, where I lived with a Mexican family and attended classes at the University of Mexico. At that time, it was customary to take a siesta after lunch. This Spanish word denotes a time of rest and relaxation usually taken after the midday meal. During that hot time of day, many shops were closed as shopkeepers also rested. "Siesta" is derived from the Spanish word for "sixth", for in the old method of calculating time, the sixth hour after sunrise was noontime. This word is also used in English and now that I am retired, I sometimes take a siesta following our noonday meal. The more common English word is "nap". But there are different kinds of "naps" and even different ways to spell words with that pronunciation. It may surprise foreign students of English to know that there are two different "knaps" that begin with a "k". These words are not so common, but one of them means to strike sharply or to bite suddenly and the other denotes the top of a hill. One word spelled n-a-p denotes the soft, fuzzy surface on a fabric, but the more common word means a short sleep. It is this kind of nap that I sometimes enjoy after my dinner. According to George Bernard Shaw, a nap is "a brief period of sleep which overtakes superannuated persons when they endeavour to entertain unwelcome visitors or to listen to scientific lectures."

[Jan. 2000]  Adults Day  (Timely Words 0060)

On the second Monday afternoon of the month, I regularly give a short talk related to Japan, its people, language and customs at the nursing home in this retirement community. In January, that second Monday fell on the 10th day of the month. In my talk, I noted my surprise seeing a calendar for this year sent from Japan which showed January 10th as a red letter day, a national holiday. Since 1948, January 15th has been celebrated as Adults Day, or Coming of Age Day, in Japan, but I surmised that the American custom of shifting holidays to provide a longer weekend had influenced Japan to transfer that holiday to a Monday. In my talk, after explaining Japanese customs related to the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one, I spoke about "Seijin no Hi", or Adults Day. (Incidentally, it should be noted that the Latin roots of the words "adult" and "adulterate/adultery" are different. The root of "adult" means "to grow up" while that of "adulterate/adultery" means "to pollute".) On "Seijin no Hi", ceremonies are held throughout the country to celebrate the "coming of age" of all those who had reached the age of 20 during the preceding year. From that day on, such people are officially adults and have all the rights and privileges of citizenship. Many young ladies dress in traditional, colorful kimono when they attend such ceremonies. Emphasizing the demarcation between childhood and adulthood is a good thing, but reaching true maturity of mind as well as of body is actually a lifelong process.

[Jan. 2000]  Martin Luther King, Jr.  (Timely Words 0061)

Thirteen years ago, the United States Congress declared the third Monday of January a federal holiday, a time "to reflect on the principles of racial equality and non-violent social change" that guided the civil rights leader who was born on January 15, 1929, whose name was Martin Luther King. Of course, it is natural to suppose that this man was named in honor of the great Protestant reformer of the 16th century, but actually, he was named for his father who has the same name. Thus, following the birth of his son, the father added a "Sr." ("Senior") after his name and the name of the son was, officially, Martin Luther King, Jr. From the year of his assassination on April 4, 1968, efforts were begun to designate a federal holiday in his honor. These efforts finally attained their goal in 1986 with the establishment of the first federal holiday named for a black American. Dr. King became the central figure in the movement for civil rights and racial equality through non-violent means. His most memorable speech, delivered on August 28, 1963 before 200,000 blacks and whites gathered in the nation¡Çs capital, was about his dream that "one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal'", a dream that in this nation, people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character". His dream has not yet become a reality but it is closer because of his influence and conscientious Americans continue to work to make his dream come true.

[Jan. 2000]  January  (Timely Words 0062)

In present-day English, the term "two-faced" does not have a good meaning when used of people. It means they are hypocritical, double-dealing or deceitful. That was not the case with the Roman deity named Janus, however. He had two faces which faced in opposite directions. He was thus able to look ahead and behind, at both the past and the future at the same time. His name is also related to the Latin word for "gate" and he was considered the god who watched over gates and doorways. He was also thought to be the god of new beginnings and the name of this first month of the year is derived from the name of this Roman god. Another English word related to "janus" is "janitor". Although now, the common meaning of this word is one who attends to the maintenance or cleaning of a building, this word may also denote a doorman or doorkeeper. The God who is revealed in the Bible is the Creator of all that is and is thus the true God of beginnings. The first words of the Bible are "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". And the first words of the fourth Gospel are "In the beginning was the Word" followed by the assertion in verse 14 that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". Here, the Word is clearly identified with Jesus Christ, who in the last chapter of the last book in the Bible is called "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End". From the Christian/Biblical viewpoint, the beginning, the end and all the time in between is in the hands of the Almighty God who was revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus, the Christ.

[Jan. 2000]  Anonymous  (Timely Words 0063)

There are a number of words that end in "nym" which is derived from a Latin word meaning "name". Among them are "synonym", "antonym", "homonym", "pseudonym" and "anonym". A "synonym" is a word having a similar meaning to another word in the same language. An "antonym" is a word having an opposite meaning to another word. A "homonym" is a word with the same sound and maybe the same spelling as another word but having a different meaning. A "pseudonym" is a fictitious name, or pen name, used by a writer. And finally, an "anonym" is a person with an unknown or unacknowledged name, who is, in other words "anonymous". Sometimes, people who wish to remain unknown write anonymous letters to newspapers, public offices, organizations or individuals. Such people may also use pseudonyms. But at other times, a person may be anonymous unintentionally. Among the Christmas cards my wife and I received from Japan last month was one from an anonym whom we are sure was unintentionally anonymous. After checking the postmark, we think we know who the sender was, but we are not certain. Some people who offer unpopular or controversial proposals wish to remain anonymous, but if we have something of importance to say in a society where freedom of speech is recognized, we should be willing to associate our real name with our opinion. According to Proverbs 26:24, it is "a malicious man [who] disguises himself with his lips."

[Jan. 2000]  Leaves  (Timely Words 0064)

The house in which we lived in the Japanese city of Nagoya was on the edge of a large wooded area. In our yard also, there were a number of trees, including some cherry trees. At two seasons of the year, I went out with a broom, a rake and a bag or bucket to sweep off our steps and gather together the short-lived cherry blossoms in the spring and the larger, dead leaves of the trees in the fall. In the American state of Florida where we are now living, there are also many trees in our neighborhood. There are no cherry trees, however, and the autumn leaves of the other trees do not display the pretty colors of trees on the mountainsides in Japan. Now, the grass on our lawn continues to have a green hue, but it is interspersed with patches of brown due to both dried grass and fallen leaves. Branches of some of the trees are now bare, while other trees and bushes continue to have green leaves or pine needles attached. We may use the word "leaf" to denote the page in a book or the removable section of a table, but the more common meaning is the bladelike growth on tree branches that perform the important task of producing oxygen for us to breathe. It is natural for the leaves of most trees to dry up and change color in the fall, but in the first Psalm, the person who meditates on the word of the Lord is said to be like a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither. This is a good way to keep spiritually alive.

[Jan. 2000]  The Mikado  (Timely Words 0065)

An "opera" is a dramatic performance set to music. This word is derived from "opus", the Latin word for "work" and is thus related to "operate", "operator" and "operation". An "operetta" is a light opera which often includes amusing elements. Many popular operettas were written and composed by a couple of Englishmen, Sir William Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. Among them was "The Mikado", which was presented recently by talented residents of the Penney Retirement Community. In Japanese, "mikado" is the term used for 1) a respected gate, 2) the gate of the imperial palace, 3) the imperial palace itself or 4) the emperor who resides there. In this comical operetta, along with the Mikado himself, characters with such names as Poo-Bah, Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo and Nanki-Poo appear to sing their stories in solos, duets or trios accompanied by a pianist. Some weeks before the performance, my wife and I were contacted by participants and asked to loan some of our Japanese apparel as costumes for the singers. We were happy to do so and enjoyed seeing our summer kimono, or "yukata", being worn by people on the stage. While laughing at the comical spectacle of old Japan that was presented, we were again amazed at the wide range of abilities of the senior citizens in this community who are able to sing, act and play musical instruments so commendably. And we were encouraged to continue to make use of our talents as long as we are able.

[Jan. 2000]  Visit to the Zoo  (Timely Words 0066)

Anyone who has been involved in translating from one language to another knows that some words have no exact equivalent in the other language so words with a similar meaning must be used. In some cases, a certain word in one language has a wide range of meanings, only one of which is expressed in the word chosen as its translation in the second language. Take the English word "life" for example. There are three different words in the Greek New Testament which are translated "life" in English. Each of them has a special nuance and each one has become the root of an English word signifying a particular branch of science. "Biology", derived from the Greek word "bios", is the science of living organisms. "Zoology", from "zoe", is the biological science of animals. And "psychology", rooted in "psukhe", is the science of mental processes. The suffix, "logy", is derived from "logos", the Greek word for "word". Recently, my wife and I went with a group of friends to the Jacksonville Zoo, but our purpose was not to study zoology. We went to view the many different kinds of animals kept there. We were especially impressed with the layout of the zoo whereby the visitors follow a defined, safe trail through a variety of settings where the animals freely roamed without being confined in cages. From the explanation of an elephant trainer, we realized that these animals also have individual, psychological characteristics similar to human beings and the one with the domineering nature becomes the leader of the herd.

[Jan. 2000]  Ethnic Food Restaurants  (Timely Words 0067)

My wife and I enjoy eating at restaurants specializing in ethnic cooking. In Japan, we frequently ate with our son and his family at a Chinese restaurant and here we have eaten at Mexican and Japanese restaurants. At one Japanese restaurant, we ordered a dish we frequently ate in Japan, called "oyako-donburi", literally meaning "parent-child bowl", which is a bowl of rice, chicken and eggs. The first time we went to that restaurant, we noticed that "tsukemono", or "pickled vegetables", were not served with it as is customary in Japan. When we mentioned this to the Japanese waitress, she informed us that most Americans do not like those pickles, but we told her we missed them. The next time we visited that restaurant and ordered that dish, the waitress surprised us by bringing the "tsukemono" which she had the chef prepare for us specially, since she had remembered us and our conversation. Recently, we went with friends to a restaurant serving Mideastern food. I was not only impressed with the food but also with a sign hanging behind the cashier. On it was the English word "Peace" under the Hebrew letters for "Shalom" and the Arabic letters for "Salam" which also mean "peace" in Hebrew and Arabic. I thought it very significant and pray that there may soon be peace between the Israelis and the Arabs—and between other nations and ethnic groups as well.

[Jan. 2000]  Super  (Timely Words 0068)

In the small town in northeastern Florida where my wife and I live, there is only one newspaper that is available for home delivery. It focuses on local events in particular and for many weeks in January, reports related to the "Super Bowl" dominated the front page headlines. On Sunday afternoon, January 30th, the Super Bowl (American) football game was held in Atlanta, Georgia between the champion teams of the two American leagues, but the favorite team of this area was not one of them because of its disappointing loss the week before. Checking my dictionary, I was surprised to find over a hundred words listed beginning with the prefix "super", which denotes something above, over, superior or more inclusive. The Super Bowl game is considered the climax of the football season in this country and the winner of that game may, temporarily, feel superior to the other teams, but long-lasting feelings of superiority, for whatever reason, are not justifiable for no human being is, in all respects, superior to any other. A "supermarket" is "a large self-service retail market that sells food and household goods." On the day my wife and I go out shopping, we sometimes stop to eat at a restaurant near the supermarket called "Souper Salad". In it, diners may go repeatedly to a counter where there are many varieties of both soups and salads to choose from. The unusual name may be interpreted to mean either "Soup or Salad" or "Super Salad" and either interpretation is appropriate.

[Jan. 2000]  Horse Show  (Timely Words 0069)

Recently, my wife and I attended a Horse Show at the agricultural center of a neighboring town. Two dozen horses and riders took part in the "Grand Prix" ("grand prize") competition. In the arena, there were a dozen or more hurdles of different colors, shapes and heights that were placed at varying distances from one another. We enjoyed watching the expertness of those horses that leaped over them all without touching them as well as the inadeptness of others who knicked the horizontal poles or bars of hurdles and knocked some of them off. And there was one horse that was disqualified for refusing to leap over the first hurdle three times. Speaking of horses, there are a number of English expressions related to them. "Iron horse" is an informal term for a locomotive. A 'dark horse' is an almost unknown contestant regarded by only a few as having a chance to win. 'Horse of another color' denotes an entirely different matter and 'straight from the horse's mouth' signifies the direct source of information which cannot be questioned. And there are a number of references to horses in the Old Testament Psalms. It is noted that some nations trust in chariots and horses (ancient symbols of military power), but believers trust in God (20:7), for 'A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its strength it cannot save' (33:17). And readers are exhorted to not be like a horse or mule that has no understanding, 'but must be controlled by bit and bridle' (32:9). Such truths should be remembered today.

[Feb. 2000]  A Surprising Incident  (Timely Words 0070)

At the end of last year, I was surprised to receive a letter from Japan from a man whose name I did not recognize. In his letter, the man stated that he had read an article in a Japanese newspaper last March about my wife and me departing from Japan after serving there for over 47 years. He then called the newspaper office to inquire about my address in this country. According to his letter, in 1956, his final year in high school, with a couple of classmates, he attended an English Bible Class I taught at the church where I served as pastor. That was our only contact and it lasted for only a short time, but he was impressed with the teaching and character of the class. Reading the news article brought back memories and inspired him to contact the only other classmate who accompanied him that is still living and to write the letter. He is now working for a Japanese company that has a 'joint venture' with a company in the United States. Recently, I received a telephone call from him from a Florida city where he was attending a board meeting. For a few minutes, we conversed in Japanese—one of the few conversations I have had in that language since arriving in this land. It was very enjoyable and I am grateful to know that seeds sown 44 years ago may still bear fruit even today. And I am reminded of the words in Isaiah 55:10-11 that when the word of God is sown, it will not be without effect but will accomplish God's purpose.

[Feb. 2000]  Deceptions  (Timely Words 0071)

In the United States, February 2nd is called Groundhog Day. According to an old legend, on that day the groundhog emerges from its winter hibernation. If it is a sunny day and it sees its shadow, it will become frightened and return to its burrow and cold weather will continue for another six weeks. If it is a cloudy day, however, it will not return to its burrow and balmy weather will soon arrive. What kind of animal is a groundhog? It is not a 'hog'. Checking my dictionary, I found a very simple definition: 'woodchuck'. And I recalled a tongue twister I heard in my youth: 'How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck would chuck wood?' Looking up the definition of this word, I found that it is 'a common rodent of North America'. To me, both words seemed a bit deceptive since they could not be accepted at 'face value' for the names did not accurately identify the animals. It was on Groundhog Day that our newspaper contained an article about a deceptive Florida jeweler who defrauded customers of millions of dollars by selling cheap imitations of rare jewels. Reading the article, I realized that anything of value is often counterfeited to deceive gullible persons, who may be called 'gulls'. This is true not only in the case of money or jewelry but in the fields of medicine and religion as well. We must be careful not to be deceived by those who make fabulous promises related to the extraordinary effect of certain medical treatments or religious practices which require an extraordinary sum of money.

[Feb. 2000]  Hare and Hair  (Timely Words 0072)

There are two different English words pronounced hare (hair). The one spelled h-a-r-e, denotes a small animal similar to a rabbit, but having longer ears, large hind feet and long legs adapted for jumping. North American hares are also called jackrabbits. (Unlike the term 'jackass', this word does not apply only to male hares.) The other word with the same pronunciation is spelled h-a-i-r. It signifies the thread-like growth on the skin of mammals. The hair of hares, however, is not called 'hair'. For some reason, dogs, horses and goats have 'hair', but cats, foxes and hares have 'fur'. I have more hair than most male residents in this retirement community, so I regularly go to have it cut at the same place that women go to have their hair taken care of. The place where women have their hair cut is often called a 'beauty shop' while men go to a 'barber shop'. It may be that women go to the beauty shop to become more beautiful but men go the barber shop simply to get barbered. In this retirement community both men and women have their hair cut in the 'Pamper Room' by a lady hairdresser. To 'pamper' means to 'treat with excessive indulgence', but I really don't feel pampered when I go there. To portray the wonderful loving care of our heavenly Father, Jesus said to his disciples, in Matthew 10:30, 'even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.'

[Feb. 2000]  Exercise  (Timely Words 0073)

A recent news article in a Florida newspaper was related to the growing number of obese people in the United States. Of course, one reason for this development is the diet of some of those people. They eat too much food that contains elements that produce fat. But this article emphasized the important place that appropriate exercise plays in keeping one's body in good shape. The English word 'exercise' is rooted in a Latin word with a prefix meaning 'out' and a verb meaning to 'restrain' or to 'enclose'. It was used to denote driving farm animals out of an enclosure to work. One of the meanings of the English word is an activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness. As we grow older, regular exercise is important to keep both our bodies and minds healthy. In the Fitness Center on the campus of this retirement community, there are a number of machines, which may be called 'exercisers', which are used to exercise muscles. But mental exercise is also important. What kind of exercise are we giving our minds? Some English students in Japan use these messages as a kind of exercise to develop their comprehension of English. In the New Testament Letter of I Timothy 4:8, we are taught that bodily exercise has limited value but godliness has much greater value, not only for the present but also for the future.

[Feb. 2000]  Saint Valentine's Day  (Timely Words 0074)

On the second Monday of the month, I regularly give a short talk related to Japan at the nursing home in this retirement community. The second Monday of February this year is not a holiday, but it is a day of special significance in the West and, like many such days, has stimulated some exotic customs in Japan. It is called Saint Valentine's Day, but little is known of the 3rd century Christian martyr with that name whose feast day it is. The romantic customs related to that day probably developed from an ancient Roman festival associated with love which was observed about the same time. In America, greetings or gifts, called 'valentines', are given to those who are loved, but in Japan, it is mainly chocolate candy that is given, by ladies to men—including men who are their superiors, with a sense of obligation. As a peculiar Japanese custom, men are expected to give the ladies from whom they received such a gift, a reciprocal gift of white chocolates on March 14th, also known as 'White Day'. In my talk, I focused on the biblical meanings of the words 'saint' and 'love'. In the New Testament, 'saint', meaning holy or consecrated person, was the term used for all Christians who had been set apart, or consecrated, by God for his service and 'love' is not a fleeting feeling but a profound expression of benevolence which includes the sacrifice of oneself for the one loved. It is most clearly seen in the life of Jesus Christ who lived and died for others. His followers, 'called to be saints' (Romans 1:7), should also be characterized by that kind of love (John 13:35).

[Feb. 2000]  Chocolates  (Timely Words 0075)

A recent news article made clear that it is not only in Japan that chocolates are the favorite gifts on Valentine's Day. That article stated that 75 percent of the anticipated $1.053 billion in sales for Valentine's Day gifts in the United States would be spent on chocolates. Sales of chocolates have been consistently rising every year recently and an estimated 36 million boxes of chocolates were expected to be sold for Valentine's Day this year. The article contained a strange word which I presume was coined for that article: 'chocoholic'. Obviously, it is derived from 'alcoholic', which may be used for a person who cannot resist drinking alcoholic beverages, from which the term 'workaholic' also was coined to denote a person who cannot stop working, who works compulsively. From the context, it is clear that a 'chocoholic' is a person who cannot resist eating chocolates. In the early 16th century, chocolate was first introduced into England from Central America as a drink. The English word is derived from the Spanish pronunciation of an Aztec word literally meaning 'bitter water'. According to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 24, verse 9, a bitter drink will be a sign of God's curse upon the land, but there is an interesting word that seems to be self-contradictory, a kind of oxymoron. It is a combination of a pair of opposites: 'bittersweet'. Some chocolates are bittersweet—and so are some experiences. And it Is usually from such experiences that we can learn much.

[Feb. 2000]  'Message for Today'  (Timely Words 0076)

As noted in the 'Introduction', this 'Timely Words' homepage is a kind of continuation of my 'Daily Word' telephone service in Japan which eventually appeared on a computer network in Japan and on the worldwide internet. 'Daily Word' was, in turn, preceded by another telephone service which was transmitted from the Japanese church I served as pastor. That Japanese language telephone service, called 'Kyou no Messeji' ('Message for Today'), was begun on January 1, 1979. The messages included my foreign viewpoint of Japanese customs, thoughts related to special days or seasons, comparisons of Japanese and English proverbs and literary expressions, but every message was related to a passage from the Bible. Before that service was discontinued in May 1998, a book of those Bible-based messages, one for every day of the year, was published by a Christian publishing company in Tokyo, the Kirisuto Shinbunsha, and copies of the book, entitled 'Kokoro no Sanpou Michi' ('Pathway of the Heart'), are still in print. In fact, I read a message from that book every morning myself to keep up on my Japanese language ability. Recently, the two most popular newspapers of central Japan included articles about this 'Timely Words' homepage. As a result, the number of Japanese readers of these messages has increased. I hope that readers in Japan will continue to find these messages helpful for their study of English and that the messages will expand their international understanding and encourage them to think seriously about important themes.

[Feb. 2000]  Strings  (Timely Words 0077)

The common meaning of 'string' is a cord used for fastening, tying or lacing. We use strings to tie our shoes or to wrap a package. Something having a long, thin shape may also be called a 'string', such as a 'string of spaghetti' or a 'string of beads'. This word is also found in certain informal expressions. A gift 'with no strings attached' means the gift is without any conditions and 'to pull strings' denotes using one's influence to gain some advantage. The cords stretched across the sounding board of some musical instruments are called 'strings' and that is the term used to designate those instruments. Recently, my wife and I attended an orchestra concert where all the instruments were strings. There were violins, violas, cellos, bass viols and a harpsichord, but there were no harps or pianos, which also fit that category. The music produced by strings is softer than that produced by woodwind, brass or percussion instruments. In the 150th Psalm, examples of all four categories of musical instruments are noted in the call to 'praise the Lord'. Following the concert, we returned to our community where a special celebration was held for all residents who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this year. There were six such couples but there are 65 other couples on campus who have already celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. My wife and I celebrated ours last year, but we entered this community a couple of weeks after the special celebration for that year was held.

[Feb. 2000]  Capital Punishment  (Timely Words 0078)

The two different words spelled c-a-p-i-t-a-l and c-a-p-i-t-o-l are pronounced the same. The second word denotes the building in which a state legislature meets. When spelled with a capital C, it denotes the building in Washington, D. C. in which the United States Congress meets. This name is derived from Capitolium, which was the name of Jupiter's temple in Rome. It, in turn, is derived from 'caput', the Latin word for 'head'. The first word may signify the city or town that is the official seat of government of a state or nation. Thus, there is usually a capitol in the capital. When used as an adjective, 'capital' denotes something very important or very serious. A 'capital ship' is a battleship of the largest class and 'capital punishment' denotes the execution, or killing, of a criminal. In some countries, decapitation (cutting off the head), was the form of capital punishment, but in Japan, execution is done by hanging. In the United States, some states do not have the death penalty while others use the gas chamber or the electric chair. In some advanced countries in the world, capital punishment is no longer practiced. Personally, I am opposed to capital punishment because I am against the killing of human beings, even by a government, and there are too many cases where innocent people have been killed and the process which ends in execution is too often unfairly weighted against the poor and those discriminated against.

[Feb. 2000]  Church Pipe Organ  (Timely Words 0079)

At the center of this Penney Retirement Community is the Penney Memorial Church. This historic building was dedicated in 1927, the year I was born. Its tall arches were hewn from timber grown nearby. It has beautiful stained glass windows and a melodious pipe organ. Many of the larger pipes may be seen behind the altar. Connected to the church is a library in which there are many reference volumes and other books that appeal to retired Christian workers. A number of books there were written by current or former residents of this community. One day when I was in the library, the music director came in and I asked him a few questions about the pipe organ. He then took me up a narrow, winding staircase behind the larger pipes that are visible in the sanctuary and opened the door to a small room in which, according to him, there are over a thousand pipes of different lengths and circumferences. I was amazed to see such a sight and to realize that the same air forced through those pipes produces a different sound in each one and that those melodious tones, from the tiny pipe only a few centimeters long to the big ones seen in the sanctuary, are all transmitted to the worshippers by simply pressing the organ keys. Christian worship has been characterized throughout its history by harmonious singing of praises to God, using many different kinds of musical instruments, as noted in the final, 150th Psalm.

[Mar. 2000]  Crop Walk  (Timely Words 0080)

To keep healthy, it is important to engage in regular physical and mental exercise. In the retirement community where my wife and I live, there are many opportunities to exercise both our minds and our bodies, whether in group activities or by ourselves. The types of regular physical exercise we have chosen are tennis and walking. Customarily, I play tennis twice a week for a couple of hours each time, while my wife goes for a walk through a wooded area for about half-an-hour. On a recent Saturday morning, however, we went out walking together; and we were not by ourselves. We were in a group of about sixty of the residents who joined together in what is called a "Crop Walk". This is an annual activity sponsored by Church World Service to raise money for needy people in many countries. Those who take part in the Crop Walk are asked to make a monetary contribution themselves and to enlist relatives, friends and acquaintances to do the same. Some of the funds raised will be used to provide food or to raise crops, but the word "Crop" may also be understood to mean "Christian Rural Organization (or Overseas) Project". The route we followed, which began and ended at Our nearby church, was about 2 1/2 miles, or 4 kilometers, long. Midway, we stopped at the church in the neighboring Afro-American community where we were given a drink of water. For those who desired them, coffee and donuts were available at the finish line. Since we talked while we walked, this activity exercised both our bodies and our minds and resulted in over 4000 dollars being raised for needy people.

[Mar. 2000]  Committees  (Timely Words 0081)

It is widely recognized that keeping busy with meaningful activities is beneficial for elderly people. When accompanied by appropriate exercise and a proper diet, it helps to promote good health for senior citizens. My wife and I are happy that our retirement community provides opportunities for us to get good exercise, eat healthful food and serve others. Among the various areas of service in which we are involved are two committees which are somewhat related. My wife is a member of the TLC Committee. TLC stands for "Tender Loving Care". This Committee provides a luncheon for relatives who come to attend the funeral, memorial service or interment of a resident who has passed away. Such events occur quite often in this community of older folks. I am a member of the Cemetery Maintenance Committee which is in charge of keeping the community's cemetery in good condition. This includes keeping the grass mowed, bushes trimmed and grave markers tidy. On the day of an interment, we also serve as traffic managers, indicating where cars are to be parked during the ceremony. Thus, on one particular day, my wife helped out at the luncheon for the bereaved relatives at noon and I helped direct them and others to the parking places in the cemetery an hour or so later. Through such volunteer activities, it is possible to be helpful to others and to help ourselves as well.

[Mar. 2000]  English Measurements  (Timely Words 0082)

The English system of measurements is very irregular and difficult to understand by residents of countries where the more logical metric system is used. How did the system originate? Why are there 12 inches in one foot, 3 feet in one yard, 1,760 yards in one mile, 16 fluid ounces in one pint and 2 pints in one quart? And why do traditionalists in both the United Kingdom and the United States insist upon maintaining such a complicated system when the much simpler metric system is available and used by the scientific community and the world at large? In 1971, Britain changed its currency system to conform with that of other nations of the world, but the traditional units of length, weight and volume continue to be used both in the U.K. and the U.S.A. even though Britain is officially changing, as of the beginning of this year. The traditional explanation for the traditional units of length is related to characteristics of certain kings of England. Originally, an "inch" was the length of the knuckle of the thumb of King Edgar and a "yard" was the distance from the tip of his nose to the tip of his outstretched middle finger. Two centuries later, King John stamped his foot on the ground, pointed to the indentation and declared: "There is a foot; let it be the measure from this day forward!" Although a different system of measurements was used, honesty in using weights and measures was required by the Old Testament law which clearly stated that God detests anyone who deals dishonestly (Deuteronomy 25:13-16).

[Mar. 2000]  Picnic in Punta Gorda  (Timely Words 0083)

A picnic is included in this month's schedule of events at this retirement community. A "picnic" is a meal eaten outdoors, surrounded by the beauty of nature. Recently, my wife and I went on a picnic. It was not nearby our home nor was it a community activity. It was the fifth annual picnic for people now living in Florida who were residents of my hometown of Zion in northern Illinois. Some of these people may be called "snowbirds", an informal term for those who come south to the warmer weather of Florida during the winter to avoid the cold and snow of the north, but others now have homes in this southeastern state. The picnic was held in the city of Punta Gorda, about 6 hours by car south of Penney Farms. "Punta Gorda" is a Spanish term meaning "Fat Point" and the city is located on a rounded point of land along the west coast of the peninsula, near the Gulf of Mexico. On the way to the picnic, we spent a night at the home of an old seminary classmate who now lives in the city of Lakeland, in and around which there are many lakes. The picnic was held in a pavilion in a park along the Peace River. About forty people attended, most of whom I knew many years ago. We enjoyed our time there. The next day we attended both the Sunday School class in a Lakeland church taught by my friend and, with him and his wife, attended the worship service there. After eating lunch with them, we drove for four hours and arrived in time to attend the Sunday evening meeting here at the close of a tiring, but very enjoyable, weekend.

[Mar. 2000]  Lent  (Timely Words 0084)

The word "lent" is the past tense of the verb "lend". Thus, I may say that I lent a book to my friend yesterday. When spelled with a capital "L", however, this word denotes the pre-Easter season in the Christian Church calendar. Easter is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and Lent lasts for forty weekdays before Easter. The date of Easter, which falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox, varies from year to year. This year, Protestant and Roman Catholic churches will celebrate it on April 23rd, so for those churches, Lent began on Wednesday, March the 8th. This word is related to the word "lengthen" and it is because the days are now lengthening that the word was chosen to designate this season. In the more ritualistic churches, Lent is observed as a time of self-examination and penitence. This custom seems to have originated in the 4th century. The forty-day period reminds us of the forty days of Jesus' temptation in the desert before he began his public ministry as recorded in the 4th chapters of the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke. In these accounts, Jesus withstands the temptations of the devil by quoting verses from the Old Testament. One of the benefits of memorizing Bible verses or remembering Biblical truths is that they may strengthen and encourage us in times of testing or temptation. During Lent, Christians seek to quietly and prayerfully prepare themselves for the climactic celebrations of Jesus' death and resurrection.

[Mar. 2000]  Coffee Concert  (Timely Words 0085)

The Travel Committee of Penney Retirement Community schedules regular trips for residents for cultural or recreational activities. Included in the cultural events are concerts of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performed in a beautiful concert hall about an hour's drive from our community. Although the formal concerts are held in the evening, less formal concerts, called Coffee Concerts, are held on Friday mornings. These concerts seem especially attractive to the residents of PRC. During the hour before the beginning of the concert, coffee, tea and cookies are available in the lobby of the concert hall. There, concertgoers may enjoy friendly conversation and a hot drink before they enter the hall. My wife and I have joined the group of music lovers who go by bus to these Coffee Concerts where the musicians do a great job of producing fine music. Whenever I attend such a concert, I am always amazed at a couple of things. I am amazed at the beauty of the music produced by so many different instruments in such a harmonious way. Obviously, much practice and concentration is required to produce this result. Personally, I have never played any musical instrument other than a piano so I am also amazed at how the violinists can all tune their violins at the same time before the concert begins. It must take a well-trained ear to distinguish and adjust the tone of one's own violin when many others are being tuned at the same time. A strong will and sustained effort are required to create a beautiful result.

[Mar. 2000]  Reign/Rein/Rain  (Timely Words 0086)

One of the problems faced by foreign students of English is the strange, illogical and inconsistent way words are spelled and pronounced. The three different words in the title of this message are all pronounced the same despite their different spellings and different meanings. We may say that "the reigning emperor held the rein tightly as he rode his horse in the rain". In that sentence, "reign" denotes the term during which a sovereign rules, "rein" means the long, narrow leather strap attached to the bridle to control a horse, and "rain" signifies the water that falls to the earth in drops. Whether rain is something to complain about or to be thankful for depends on the circumstances. There is a Persian proverb that "The drowning man is not troubled by rain". Farmers and people who enjoy natural beauty are usually happy to see rain, but too much rain may cause floods. Samuel Johnson, the English lexicographer, essayist and poet, is said to have said, "Rain is good for vegetables, and for the animals who eat those vegetables, and for the animals who eat those animals" which is quite an inclusive statement. Nevertheless, those of us who regularly play tennis on an outdoor court would prefer that it not rain during our "play time". To teach the universal love of God for all people without exception, Jesus said, "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). Let us be thankful for rain and for God's love.

[Mar. 2000]  Hats  (Timely Words 0087)

A "hat" is a covering for the head. There are many different kinds of hats and whether or not it is customary to wear a hat and on what occasions it is considered proper to do so depends upon the particular tradition and culture in which one lives and works. The favorite college professor of both my wife and me, the minister who complied with our request to officiate at our wedding, thought a minister was not properly dressed unless he wore a hat. Since I became a minister, I lived most of my life in Japan where I never wore a hat. My wife also, literally, did not wear a hat in Japan. Nevertheless, recently she gave a talk at the nursing home here about the different hats she, figuratively, wore there. In a figurative sense, a "hat" may denote the role one plays or the office one holds. She spoke of the "hat" of a student while studying the Japanese language. She also wore the "hats" of a wife and a mother of our three children who survived infancy. Of course, she also donned the "hat" of a missionary and finally that of a teacher. She taught English to little children and their mothers, to students in high school and university classrooms. She also taught a class in American etiquette and American cooking. Finally, during our last 22 years in Japan, she taught Japanese and foreign children in the Nursery of Nagoya International School. Hearing her talk, I could not help but "take off my hat to her", which means to "respect, admire or congratulate" her.

[Mar. 2000]  Clerks in the U.S.  (Timely Words 0088)

On a recent trip to a shopping mall, I clearly recognized differences in the attitudes and efficiency of clerks in the United States and Japan. In the electrical appliance section of a department store, I saw three male clerks with no customers to attend to. Instead of standing somewhat formally by their merchandise as would be the case in Japan, all three of them were sitting on washing machines with their feet off of the floor talking with one another. When I asked about a certain article, they told me of a shop over a kilometer away that might have it. The atmosphere was very friendly, but I could not imagine having such an experience in a Japanese department store. I then went to a post office to buy some stamps. The postage for an airmail letter to Japan is sixty cents and I prefer using special stamps on my letters. I found a 48-cent stamp with a picture of Niagara Falls that appealed to me, so I chose twenty of them. I then needed twenty 10-cent stamps and twenty 2-cent stamps to make up the total of sixty cents. I also chose thirty each of two different kinds of pretty 33-cent stamps for domestic mail. After paying the clerk the amount she requested and leaving the post office, I realized she had made a mistake in her calculations and had undercharged me. I returned to the counter and explained the situation to another clerk. She figured up the amount and came to a different conclusion than the first clerk, but it was still less than the correct amount according to my calculations, so I told her to figure it up again. This time, she came up with the correct amount and I paid what I owed. Both clerks were very friendly, but I cannot imagine such a thing happening in Japan.

[Mar. 2000]  Holy Communion at "Higan"  (Timely Words 0089)

At the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, he gave them bread and wine, symbolizing his body and blood, which he was about to offer up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He told them to remember him whenever they partook of those elements. Today, all Christian churches regularly observe a ritual of remembrance. Depending on the church, it may be called the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion and may be observed weekly, monthly, quarterly or on special occasions. In this retirement community, a weekly Communion Service is held in one of the assisted living units at which various clergymen officiate. I officiated at that service this month during the Japanese week of "higan", meaning "yonder shore". The two equinoxes, when day and night are equal, are legal holidays in Japan. They are at the center of the week of "higan" when Japanese traditionally visit family graves and hold memorial services for the departed in their homes because on that day, the sun sets directly in the west, the direction of the Pure Land, or Paradise, according to Japanese Buddhism. In my remarks, I noted that, during this Lenten season in which we meditate on the meaning of Jesus' death, we may also think of the "other shore" of the river that separates the living from the dead as we consider the deep meaning of Jesus' words, in Mark 8:34, that to become his disciple, one must deny one's self, take up one's cross and follow Jesus in giving up one's life for others in order to experience true life.

[Mar. 2000]  "Dummies"  (Timely Words 0090)

The literal meaning of the word "dumb" is "lacking the power of speech; mute." It is used informally, however, to mean "stupid". And one of the meanings of "dummy" is "a stupid person". There are now many books with the words "For Dummies" in their title. Such books are written about certain subjects in an easy-to-understand style. My wife is now making use of a book entitled "Gardening for Dummies". She wants to plant some flowers or bushes around our house to prettify our yard, but she has had little experience in this area so she is asking questions of neighbors who have pretty flower gardens and also reading this instruction book. Recently, she went to a neighbor's house and brought back several bags full of mulch. It was then that I realized that I was a "dummy", for I had to ask her the meaning of "mulch". According to a dictionary, "mulch" is "leaves, straw, or other loose material spread on the ground around plants to prevent evaporation of water from soil, freezing of roots, etc." We have a spacious green lawn in front of and along the side of our house. At the present time, my wife feels like a "greenhorn" in this area, but if she discovers that she has a "green thumb", our surroundings will become more beautiful. Of course, her husband is giving her the "green light" to proceed and will cooperate, by following her instructions, to help make the world more beautiful, which should be a constant aim for all of us "dummies".

[Mar. 2000]  March  (Timely Words 0091)

We are approaching the end of the third month of this year. March, the English name of this month, is derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars is also the name of one of the planets that circle the sun. Viewed from the earth, it has a reddish appearance and scientists are continuing to investigate whether there might be forms of life on Mars. In the ancient Roman calendar, there were ten months in the year and the present English names of the months of September, October, November and December reflect that historic fact for the first syllables of those names are related to the Latin numbers 7, 8, 9 and 10. In that calendar, March, the month in which spring arrives and vegetation manifests new life, was the first month of the year. A well-known saying related to March is "Mad as a March hare". It is said that hares appear especially shy and wild in March because that is their mating season. According to another saying, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb", meaning that March begins with rough, stormy weather but ends very calmly. I wonder if March will end that way this year. Usually, a lion and a lamb are thought to manifest opposite characteristics, but in the strange, apocalyptic vision recorded in the final book of the Bible, Revelation, chapter 5, the same person appears as both a lion and a lamb. The person is Christ, who has great strength, but who voluntarily offered himself up as a sacrifice for others. Thus, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5) became the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

[Mar. 2000]  Months of the Year  (Timely Words 0092)

There are twelve months in the year, according to the Gregorian Calendar now used in most countries of the world. Seven of those months have 31 days, four of them have 30 and one has only 28 in regular years but 29 in leap years. While it is easy to remember that February, the 2nd month of the year, is the odd month with fewer days, how to remember which months have 30 days and which have 31 is a problem. Children in English-speaking countries usually memorize the following rhyme: "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November, All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone." But for Japanese children, there is another method. In Japanese, months do not have names. They are known by their numbers. January is Month 1, February is Month 2 and so on until December, which is Month 12. The Japanese expression "Nishi Muku Samurai", literally meaning "West-Looking Warrior" is memorized by children to remember which months do not have 31 days. The first four syllables in this expression may also denote numbers: "ni" is 2, "shi" is 4, "mu" is 6, and "ku" is 9. And one of the characters meaning "samurai" is composed of the two characters for 10 and 1, thus it may denote 11. Recalling this expression, Japanese people know that February, April, June, September and November are the months that do not have 31 days and all the rest do. In Japan, the 31st day of March marks the end of both the fiscal year and the school year. A new year begins with April and I hope it will be a happy, new beginning for you.

[Mar. 2000]  Tall Men  (Timely Words 0093)

The title of a recent news article reminded me of my early days in Japan. My wife and I arrived there in 1951. For a year-and-a-half, we lived in Tokyo and attended a Japanese language school. We took a train and subway to and from the school. While standing in a train or subway or other crowded places, I felt I had an advantage because I was taller than most Japanese and could see over the heads of the others. Since then, Japanese have become taller and now most young people are taller than their parents. The recent news article I saw was titled "It's a tall world, after all". According to medical records of about 3,200 Polish men aged 25 to 60 studied by Polish and British scientists, "taller men are more likely to marry and have more children than short guys." The records, collected from 1983 to 1989, showed that bachelors were about an inch [2.5 centimeters] shorter on average than married men, that childless men were on average 1.2 inches shorter than men who had at least one child and that tall men in their 20s, 30s and 40s all had more children than their shorter peers. One conclusion drawn from this study was that "women favor taller men". According to the story found in the Old Testament book of I Samuel, chapter 16, when Samuel went to anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be king, he was attracted to the older son, but God said to him "Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (7).

[Apr. 2000]  Letter Writing Month  (Timely Words 0094)

From the time I began the "Daily Word" telephone service in Japan, I knew how many calls were being made each day, but I did not know who was calling and from where. Six months later, we held our first Listeners Meeting to which callers were invited to come and meet the man behind the voice and his wife, who served homemade refreshments, and to talk in English. Since then, it was our custom to hold such meetings regularly on the afternoons of the fifth Sunday of a month. Because there is no counter available for the type of homepage I am now using, I do not know if it is being read unless readers inform me. Of course, I would like to know if people are reading it and why they do so. Are the messages interesting or helpful? In what country do readers live and what kinds of messages do they prefer? Are they native speakers or students of English? This month of April (whose name may be derived from a Latin word meaning "to open") is the month when the buds of trees and flowers open. It is the month when both schools and fiscal years begin in Japan and I hope it will be the opening or beginning of a new season in the history of "Timely Words". In Japan, July is considered Letter Writing Month, but I hope this will be Letter Writing Month for readers of this homepage. Please send an e-mail message to the address given in the Introduction and inform me of your country, how you learned of this homepage, how often you read the messages, what kinds of messages you prefer and any comments, suggestions or criticisms you may have. I will be looking forward to hearing from you!

[Apr. 2000]  Bird Cage  (Timely Words 0095)

The 6-room cottage in which my wife and I reside in the Penney Retirement Community is located near the center of the community. It is a very convenient location, not far from the dining hall, the administrative offices, the meeting hall, the arts and crafts shop, the church, the library and another very popular place on the campus, known as the Bird Cage. Can you imagine what is meant by a "Bird Cage"? As noted in a previous message, there is no home mail delivery in this community. All residents have a post office box in the centrally located post office and go there to pick up their mail. In a small building near the administrative offices there are small compartments, similar to unlocked post office boxes, for all of the residents. These small, open compartments may be called "pigeon holes" and the building in which they are found is called the "Bird Cage". Into these small chambers, each of which bears the name of a resident, official announcements from the administration as well as communications between residents themselves are placed. In front of the Bird Cage is a large bulletin board in which announcements of community activities, club meetings, travel opportunities, etc. are posted. Thus, most residents make a daily trip both to the post office and to the Bird Cage to get the latest news. Fortunately, this retirement community is not fenced off from the surrounding area, so we do not feel like we are living in a cage.

[Apr. 2000]  Bullying  (Timely Words 0096)

In the small town in which we are living in northeast Florida, there is only one daily newspaper that is delivered to the homes of residents. Most of its news is related to local events. Some articles are of national interest, but there is comparatively little international news. Although we prefer a newspaper with a broader perspective, such a paper would be sent by mail, which means it would not arrive before breakfast when we prefer to read our paper, so we subscribe to the local newspaper. Recently, I found a page of a different newspaper in our "Bird Cage" box. A friend had put it there because he thought we would be interested in the main article on that page, entitled: "U.S. bullies Japan like no other nation". To "bully" is to intimidate with superior size or strength. Bullying is a problem in some Japanese schools, but there it is condemned and it should not be engaged in by a friendly government. According to the article, the U.S. government is upset with the high telephone rates in Japan, Japanese reluctance to open up its markets to more American imports such as auto parts, glass, photo film and insurance. U.S. trade officials also have ideas about how the Japanese government can shorten hospital stays, reduce drug prices, increase the number of self-serve gas pumps and promote competition among retailers and are said to be pressuring Japan to change. In the past, foreign pressure has brought changes in Japanese life, but bullying is not a suitable tactic for a friend. A more suitable policy is advisable.

[Apr. 2000]  Orient and Occident  (Timely Words 0097)

There are different ways to divide the countries of the world into geographical units. One way is according to the land masses called continents. There are six or seven continents, depending on whether or not Antarctica is included. Another way is to designate hemispheres; "hemisphere" literally means "half a sphere". The dividing line between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is clear. It is the Equator. The line between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, however, is not so clear, but usually, the Western Hemisphere includes North and South America and islands in the Pacific Ocean. The terms "Orient" and "Occident" are rooted in Latin words relating to the direction of the sun's rising and setting. Thus, the Orient is the East and the Occident is the West. A distinguishing feature of Occidentals in Japan is their big noses and I am suspicious that the Japanese term for "proud" or "boastful", "hana ga takai", which literally means a "high, tall, lofty, exalted, noble, elevated or superior" nose is related to the attitude shown by many Occidentals toward Orientals. My grandchildren who live in Japan have a Japanese mother and an American father. They thus share characteristics of their small-nosed, black-haired Oriental mother and their big-nosed, red-haired Occidental father. A somewhat disparaging term for such children is "half" (for "half-breed"), but I tell them they are not "half" but "double".

[Apr. 2000]  Baldness and Heart Disease  (Timely Words 0098)

Americans come from a variety of national and ethnic backgrounds. Consequently, there is a wide variety of natural hair color in this country and the widespread use of artificial hair coloring has increased the range of hair colors. When describing a particular person, the color of that person's hair is often mentioned. In Japan, however, the natural hair color is basically the same so it is not a distinguishing factor. In a retirement community also, hair color is not usually distinctive because most residents have white or grey hair. Among men, however, we may distinguish men who have hair and those who do not. A recent news article brought this distinction to my attention. Entitled "Study finds link between baldness, heart disease", it told of research conducted by doctors in Boston who analyzed baldness patterns of 22,000 male doctors, aged 45 to 84. Their study indicated that men who are losing hair on the crowns of their heads have up to a 36 percent greater risk of experiencing heart problems and should pay special attention to their blood pressure and cholesterol levels and lead a healthy lifestyle. Men who have simply a receding hairline are not considered to be at increased risk. Reading the article, I was reminded of an incident recorded at the end of the second chapter of II Kings in which an Old Testament prophet was derisively called a "baldhead" and of the implication in Isaiah 3:24 that "baldness" would be a sign of God's judgment upon his people. I am thankful that I still have a fairly abundant amount of hair, even though it has become grey.

[Apr. 2000]  Buffet  (Timely Words 0099)

One reason English is difficult to learn as a second language is because the pronunciation of words is so irregular. A reason for such irregular pronunciation is because many words have been introduced into English from foreign languages without changing their peculiar pronunciations and spellings. One such word is "buffet", a French word for a piece of furniture having drawers and cupboards for dishes. In English, it may also denote the counter in a restaurant on which food is displayed and from which customers may take the food they choose. Recently, my wife and I joined a group of other residents in this retirement community to eat at a Chinese restaurant with three double counters, or buffets, of Chinese food. The name of the restaurant was "China Buffet". We had a very enjoyable time there and relished the tasty food. You may be surprised to know that there is another English word with the same spelling but with a more traditional pronunciation which is accented on the first syllable. It may mean to hit a person with the hand and is the word used in the classical translation of Matthew 26:67 for how Jesus was treated at his trial before the Jewish Council. During this Lenten season, Christians think about Jesus' sufferings: why was Jesus spat upon, buffeted, scourged and finally crucified? The answer given in I Peter 2:21-24 is that it was for us that he suffered, both to leave us an example and to save us from sin.