00/12/15  Lost and Found  (Timely Words 0200)

Among those who attended the meeting at the Kariya Church was a man now living in Tokyo who began attending English Bible Classes I taught in that church during his high school days 37 years ago. His interest in English continued and he became a translator. His work includes translating for a well-known company that makes electric goods and for a television station in Tokyo. He has also written poems in English and, some years ago, I wrote the Introduction to a book of English poems he had published. After the Sunday morning worship service, he presented me with two recently published booklets, one in English, one in Japanese, that included some of his poems, in which he had written kind words of appreciation on the introductory pages. I took the booklets with me to read during our trip. After looking through my attache case in our lodging place in Hiroshima, I realized I had left them in the pouch on the back of the seat ahead of mine when I changed cars on the train. Later, when I called the railway's Lost and Found Department, I was greatly relieved to be informed that they had been retrieved and that I could pick them up at Nagasaki Station where we were going the next day. I recalled stories Jesus told in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke of the joy felt by people when what was lost was found. The first thing I did upon our arrival at Nagasaki Station was to go to the Lost and Found Office there and receive these booklets. And I gave thanks for the honesty and efficiency of people in Japan.

00/12/16  Nagasaki  (Timely Words 0201)

Japan consists of many islands, four of which are major ones. Our activities while living in Japan, were limited to the main island of Honshu, so on our present trip, we visited the southern island of Kyushu. The port city of Nagasaki, meaning "long promontory", holds an important place in Japanese history. It was through this port that foreign influences entered Japan: first, cultural elements from Korea and China, later, technology from Europe. Nagasaki was also the site of early Christian expansion followed by severe persecution and the dropping of the second atomic bomb, so there is much for tourists to see in this city. Arriving in the afternoon, we placed our luggage in a coin locker in the station and walked to the site where, in 1597, 20 Japanese and 6 Europeans were crucified for refusing to renounce their belief in Christianity. Next to the monument erected in honor of these martyrs, who have been designated saints, is a museum which documents the history of Christianity in Japan. We also visited the Atomic Bomb Museum which depicts the devastation caused by the bomb and the nearby Peace Park with its meaningful statue. In the dark, we took a taxi to our lodging place, stopping en route at the station to pick up our luggage. The following morning, we walked around the man-made island of Dejima, the only place Europeans were allowed to enter during the 250 years of Japan's isolation, and took a streetcar to another Catholic Church dedicated to the 26 martyrs and Glover Gardens, where Western-style houses were built in the late 19th century. Around noon, we boarded a train for Kagoshima.

00/12/19  Advent  (Timely Words 0202)

The word "advent" is rooted in a Latin word meaning "arrival". It may be used as a common noun to signify the arrival of someone or something. During cold winter days, many people living in the Temperate Zone look forward with great anticipation to the advent of spring and a newly-married couple may joyfully anticipate the advent of their first child. When the word is capitalized, it denotes the coming of Christ and the first season of the church year. Advent is the season that precedes Christmas. There are four Sundays in Advent, which begins on the Sunday nearest November 30th, St. Andrew's Day. This season has been observed since the 6th century as a time of solemn preparation for celebrating Christ's birth. As my wife and I are now in Japan, where we will celebrate Christmas with our son and his family and our daughter who will join us from Thailand, we have been impressed once again with the pre-Christmas customs in this non-Christian land. In the United States, it is common to see Christmas decorations in stores and other public places after Thanksgiving Day, the 4th Thursday of November. This year, that American holiday coincided with the Japanese holiday, called Labor Thanksgiving Day, which is November 23rd. But even before that time, we heard Christmas carols and other songs related to the Christian Christmas season in department stores and other public places, which reminded us of the Japanese fondness for all kinds of celebrations. But we hope that some people here will consider the words and meaning of the carols they hear and be impressed by the spirit of the season.

00/12/22  Christmas  (Timely Words 0203)

Christmas is certainly one of the most widely celebrated holidays throughout the world. In the West, the birth of Jesus, the Christ, has been celebrated on December 25th since 336 A.D., but not only is the month and the day of his birth uncertain, we are not even sure of the year he was born. According to the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus (27 B.C.-14 A.D.). According to the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, he was born during the reign of Herod, King of Judea (37 B.C.-4 B.C.) who died in 4 B.C. Thus, the later calculation that Jesus was born in the 1st year of the Christian Era is mistaken. He was probably born around 6 B.C. One of the reasons December 25th was chosen to celebrate his birth was to counter the pagan worship of the sun in the Roman Empire on that day near the winter solstice when days become longer. Even today, many popular customs associated with Christmas can be traced back to pagan origins. For Christians, Christmas is a time to thank God for the gift of our Savior, the Word of God who "became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:1-14). Although at the present time, Christmas is the most popular Christian celebration, in the Christian tradition, it is superseded by Good Friday, Easter and Pentecost, which commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. It is when the deep meaning of these events are understood that the true joy of Christmas may be experienced.

00/12/23  Christmas Customs  (Timely Words 0204)

A few days after our arrival in Japan, a telephone call was received at the home of our son from a teacher at a Roman Catholic school in Nagoya. Having read a newspaper article about our visit to Japan over the holidays, he called to ask if I could again give talks about Christmas and Christmas customs in my childhood in the United States to the middle school and high school students of that school as I had done some years ago. Of course, I was happy to do so. I told them of the tall Christmas tree which was set up in the living room of our home that reached to the ceiling which we all helped decorate. Under the tree, gifts were placed. It was the custom for all of us six children and our parents to give gifts to each other, so there were many prettily wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve, we heard a sleigh bell ring outdoors and were visited by Santa Claus with his long, white beard in a bright red suit and hat with a bag of gifts on his back. One gift was given to all the "good" children. I never realized that our father was never present when Santa Claus arrived, until one year (I do not remember how old I was at the time) I noticed that the gold ring with his initials on it that my father always wore was on the finger of Santa Claus and I realized who that Santa Claus really was. On Christmas morning, after reading a Bible passage about the birth of Jesus, the gifts under the tree were distributed to those whose names were on them and, joyfully, opened. Later, we enjoyed the Christmas dinner our mother had prepared, giving thanks to God for the gift of his Son and for all his blessings.

00/12/26  Nagoya Activities  (Timely Words 0205)

Most of our two-month visit to Japan during the holiday season was spent in the Nagoya area, where we had lived and worked for over 45 years. Beside the meetings in churches, we enjoyed meeting and eating with friends in their homes or at restaurants. We attended concerts and sports events at the Nagoya International School, which we had helped establish, where I had served on the Board and where my wife had taught in the Preschool Department. We were happy to see our 15-year-old granddaughter make a goal during the girl's soccer game with another school and one day, my wife startled pupils and teachers when she visited some classrooms in her clown costume and face and spent a few minutes talking with them. One evening, we attended an extraordinary concert in the Nagoya Dome at which the Nagoya Symphony Orchestra played and well-known soloists sang along with a choir of over 2000 singers ranging in age from preschool children to senior citizens; our 13-year-old granddaughter was one of the four singers from NIS. I was happy to speak at the inter-religious dialogue group that I began 20 years ago and which has continued to meet following my retirement and we enjoyed our meeting with former "Daily Word" fans one Sunday afternoon. One of those fans was kind enough to come and offer suggestions and instruction about upgrading this homepage to make it more attractive and useful, which have been followed to make it like it is. I would be happy to read your reaction to the changes made.

00/12/28  Yearend in Japan  (Timely Words 0206)

Traditionally, Japanese people are very conscious of seasonal changes. Farmers, in particular, are concerned about the seasons as they plant, transplant, irrigate and harvest the rice which is so important in the life and culture of this land. Although the rural population has been decreasing in recent years as young people leave farming communities for the more convenient life of cities, people continue to be sensitive to seasonal variations. In modern Japan, months of the year are indicated by a number, but each month also has a traditional name that often is related to the season. The name for this 12th and final month of the year literally means "Teacher Run", but it is not only teachers who are especially busy during December. In traditional Japanese thought, all outstanding bills needed to be paid by the end of the year so one could begin the new year with a clean slate. Gifts are presented to those to whom one feels especially indebted. Special New Year's cards are prepared and addressed. One's living quarters as well as one's place of work or study must be thoroughly cleaned in order to begin the New Year in a pure and proper manner. Preparations for the special New Year's activities need to be made. In the past, special food was prepared for meals in the coming days for all stores were closed at the beginning of the new year. As the year draws to an end, temple bells peal 108 times to remind people of the 108 worldly desires that tempt them. For the thoughtful person, the end of the year should be a time of giving thanks to God and to all who have made our lives happier during the year.

00/12/31  Japanese New Year Customs  (Timely Words 0207)

In traditional Japanese thought, the New Year period is the happiest, most enjoyable time of year. In the past, on New Year's Day another year was added to one's age. Even today, some older people, when asked their age, make a distinction between their actual age and their age according to the older, traditional method of counting. Following the busy time of the yearend, no work was done during the first few days of the New Year. Special New Year's food which had been prepared earlier, including special rice cakes called "mochi" and particular herbs, was enjoyed. It was customary for people to dress in kimonos and visit the neighborhood shrine. Girls wearing kimonos might play a game of battledore and shuttlecock while boys might fly kites. A special card game was played related to famous poems. The entire poem was written on one group of cards and the ending of the poem on the other group. When the beginning of the poem was read, the player who first found the card with the ending on it won the card so those who remembered famous poems had an advantage. New Year's holiday activity also included making visits to respected superiors to whom one felt obligated and to request their continued help in the New Year. Nowadays, times have changed. Fewer and fewer colorful kimonos are seen, but shrines continue to be crowded with countless worshippers, many of whom are seeking particular benefits in the coming year and others who are simply following tradition. When we participate in religious rituals, we should consider both their meaning and our own motivation. Why are we performing them?

01/01/02  Japanese Trains/Kagoshima  (Timely Words 0208)

A basic characteristic of train travel in Japan is that trains arrive and leave as scheduled. During our trip, I carried with me a train schedule of trains that run throughout the country, made our detailed travel plans as we went along and the trains were always on time. Sometimes we had to rush from one platform to another to make the next train at a transfer point, but we could depend on trains arriving and departing on time. Arriving at Nishi Kagoshima Station, I told the taxi driver the name of the hotel to which I had phoned a reservation from Nagasaki the night before. It has an English name, but since I did not give it the Japanese-style pronunciation, at first he did not understand. An interesting feature of that hotel was that when the key to the door of our room was placed in the receptacle on the wall next to the door, electric power was activated and the lights came on, but when the key was not in that receptacle, there was no electric power. The next morning, we walked to the ferry terminal and boarded a ferry for the 15-minute ride to the volcanic island of Sakurajima. During our short visit there, this active volcano did not erupt. After returning to our hotel, we got our luggage and walked to Kagoshima Station. There we boarded a train bound for the city of Miyazaki, where we transferred to a train to Oita. There, during an hour's wait for our next train, we walked out of the station and saw hundreds of birds flying together in flocks and settling on a high antenna tower. Taxi drivers informed us that they were starlings and are seen often at this time of year.

01/01/04  Yufuin Onsen  (Timely Words 0209)

Japan is a land of few natural resources but of great natural beauty. One is never far from a place where beautiful scenery, including high mountains and an expansive body of water or winding rivers, may be seen. Many mountains are either active or dormant volcanoes and the underground volcanic activity is related to numerous hot springs, or "onsen", which are found in many places. Hot springs on the island of Kyushu contain minerals which are said to be eneficial to those suffering from certain physical ailments. We chose to enjoy the hot springs on a comparatively secluded plateau beside Mount Yufu, called "Yufuin". The "in" in this placename is a character used for both temples and hospitals and soaking in the hot mineral springs may have a soothing effect on both mind and body. The spa at which we had reserved a room sent a car to pick us up at the station and took us back to the station the next day. We enjoyed the typical Japanese food for both our evening and morning meals. In the thermal bath, we could not sit over the place where the natural hot spring enters because it was so hot, but a trickle of cool water constantly dripped from a bamboo pipe to temper the heat. Unfortunately, we were unable to enjoy the outdoor bath the next morning because it began to rain. From the train along the coast, we could see both mountains and water and we thanked God for the beauty of his creation. Our return to the island of Honshu was through a tunnel beneath the narrow strait separating these two islands.

01/01/06  Ogori/Izumo  (Timely Words 0210)

The first stop on our trip after returning to the island of Honshu from Kyushu was Shimonoseki, where we had to wait an hour for the next train. While waiting, we walked out of the station and into a shopping area. There, while I sat at a table with our luggage and read, my wife did some window shopping. At the transfer station of Ogori, we had a one-and-a-half-hour wait for the train to take us to the Japan Sea side of the island. We inquired at the station about any special places of interest within walking distance and were told of an historic place called Gochuan where a famous Haiku poet, Santoka, wrote poetry. Putting our luggage in a coin locker at the station, we walked through the town and up a hill to that place. On the way back, we stopped at a travel office in front of the station and reserved a room at an inn in Izumo, where we had decided to spend the night. A famous shrine in Japanese history and mythology is located in that town on the Japan Sea coast. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect my laptop computer to the telephone line at that inn. The inn manager suggested I take my computer to the nearby station and try to use a telephone there. I was unsuccessful, so he then went with me to the station, but the result was the same. Finally, he contacted a friend of his at another inn who had a computer and had access to the internet. Even though it was at night, I took my computer to that man's office, where I was able to add my next "Timely Words" message and to read our e-mail. I was grateful for the help of the inn manager and for the kindness of his friend.

01/01/09  Tottori/Kyoto  (Timely Words 0211)

From Izumo, we enjoyed the train ride along the coast of the Japan Sea. At Tottori, a city famous for its sand dunes, we put our luggage in a coin locker and walked to a folkcraft art museum. Then we returned to the station and boarded a bus that takes a circular route with stops at a number of places of interest around the city. We got off at the first stop in front of a three-story building in which children's toys, games and dolls from around the world were displayed. In one section, children (or adults) were able to play with the games themselves. The history behind the games was explained and, in a separate section, children's songs were introduced. It was a very interesting place and my wife was particularly interested because she was a teacher of preschool children for many years. Checking the time and the bus schedule, we realized that taking the bus on its loop route would not get us back to the station in time for our train, so we hurried back to the station on foot, for twenty minutes or so, and were able to board the train for Kyoto along with our luggage. As is customary, the conductor on this Japan Railway train was a man wearing a black uniform, but along the way, we were surprised to be told by a female conductor in a brown uniform that that express train, headed for Kyoto, had now entered a non JR line on which our Japan Rail Pass was not recognized, so we had to pay an extra fare for that 56-kilometer portion of our trip. In Kyoto, which we had visited before, we stayed in an inn in front of the station and left the next morning to visit friends on our return to Nagoya.

01/01/12  Homeland  (Timely Words 0212)

Since my wife and I left the United States and went to Japan as missionaries when we were in our early twenties and continued to minister there after we had reached our seventies, we feel at home in both countries. Although we had been granted "Permanent Resident" status in Japan, our legal citizenship remained in the U.S.A., which we call our "homeland". Since our official retirement in the Spring of 1999, we have been living in retirement in the town of Penney Farms in northern Florida. We returned to Japan in November of 2000 for special meetings in the churches we had planted in Aichi Prefecture and to spend time with our son and his family who continue to live in the Nagoya area. We also traveled to the island of Kyushu and visited many old friends. Our daughter from Thailand also joined us for Christmas and New Year's celebrations. A couple of days before we were scheduled to return to the U.S., we attended a meeting of missionaries near Mount Fuji and returned to Nagoya at noon on the day of our departure. It was a very busy day, since we had business to take care of at the post office and the bank as well as to make adjustments on this homepage. We did get to the airport in time to greet those who came to see us off and to board the plane for Honolulu, where this message was written. We were happy to spend the afternoon with a couple we knew well in Nagoya who have now retired here in their "homeland". Where is one's "homeland"? One answer to that question is: "Home is where the heart is" and we can "feel at home" in many different locations.

01/01/13  Pearl Harbor/Perspectives  (Timely Words 0213)

Because the world has a spherical shape, "north" and "south" are the only directions that have a point marking their beginning and end: the north and south poles. "East" and "West" have no such points, so we can continue going "east" or "west" around the globe. Consequently, "far east" or "far west" are relative terms related to what is considered the center of the world on a two-dimensional map. Although California is on the west coast of the continental United States, it is not the westernmost state. My wife and I went west from the U.S. to Japan, which is said to be in the "far east". We then went east to the "far western" state of Hawaii. During our stay in Japan, we had visited museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which directed our attention to the cruel atomic bombings that caused great destruction and many deaths but brought an end to the Pacific War. In Hawaii, we visited two museums at Pearl Harbor. One was erected over the sunken battleship "Arizona", in which 1177 sailors died from the Japanese bombing that began the Pacific War. It was customary to give American battleships the name of states. The last world's battleship in operation, the "Missouri", is now anchored in Pearl Harbor as a memorial museum. It was on the deck of this ship that the instrument of surrender was signed by both the Japanese and Allied Powers which brought an official end to the Pacific War. Which historical events we choose to emphasize also depends upon our perspective and what we put at the center of our interest.

01/01/17  Lost and Found/Back Home  (Timely Words 0214)

Checkout time at our hotel in Honolulu was noon, but our plane did not leave until evening, so we left our luggage in storage at the hotel and went out to eat with a friend. Afterward, my wife went shopping with the friend while I returned to the hotel lobby to read. We went to the airport on a shuttle bus, the back of which was filled with the luggage of passengers who were taking various airlines. The first airline the bus stopped at was the one my wife and I were taking, so we got off with our four suitcases plus two items each to carry on the plane with us. My carryons were an attache case and a laptop computer. As we were standing in line to check in, I realized that my attache case, in which were important documents and books, was not with me. I went out to the curb to make sure it was not left there. I called the hotel and asked them to call the bus driver. They called back to the public telephone I was using, informed me that the attache case was not left on the bus and suggested I check with the airport security office. I did so and was told that the attache case had just been delivered to the "Lost and Found" desk. I ran there to retrieve it and was told by the clerk that 50,000 yen had been left in it. As I ran to the gate to board the airplane, I heard my name being called on the public address system and at the boarding gate, I was asked if I had retrieved my attache case. I was very grateful that I was able to get it back and to have it with me on the plane. After a flight to Atlanta and then on to Jacksonville, we were met by friends from our retirement community who drove us back home.

01/01/19  Nova Scotia  (Timely Words 0215)

Do you know where Nova Scotia is located? After receiving an e-mail message from a "Timely Words" reader there, I realized that I knew comparatively little about the country of Canada, our northern neighbor, the second largest country in the world (after Russia) which occupies the major part of the continent of North America. Actually, the term "American" should be applicable to Canadians, Mexicans and all the other nationalities in Central and South America as well as to citizens of the United States of America, but there seems to be no other short, suitable term to denote the latter group. The U.S.A. is divided into 50 "states" and one "federal district" and Japan has 47 "prefectures", but Canada is a federation composed of ten "provinces" and two "territories". Nova Scotia is one of the three Maritime Provinces on the eastern coast of the country. In the United States, there are a number of cities or areas whose names have been derived from European cities or places with the word "New" added. The most widely known places so named include New York, New Orleans, New London and New Hampshire. Similarly, the name "Nova Scotia" is the Latin form of "New Scotland". Formerly ruled by both France and England, during the early 19th century, thousands of Scots and Irish emigrated to Nova Scotia and, in 1867, it became one of the four original members of the Canadian confederation. Both mining and fishing are important industries and there are many beautiful sites that attract tourists.

01/01/21  "The Metric Martyr"  (Timely Words 0216)

Most of the industrialized world now uses the metric system of weights and measurements which is much simpler and more logical than the older, traditional systems it replaced. In the United States, however, the older system of inches, feet, yards and miles, ounces, pints, quarts and gallons, ounces, pounds and tons is still being used. This American system, of course, was brought from Europe by the immigrants from across the ocean. Now the European Union has decreed that the metric system must be used by shopkeepers, but a British greengrocer has been arrested for selling bananas by the pound instead of by the gram. Trade officers have seized two of the shopkeeper's scales because they were marked in pounds and ounces instead of grams. He has been called "the metric martyr" by supporters who claim that British law allows shopkeepers to use either metric or imperial units. British lawyers are now arguing over whether British merchants are required to obey European Union directives. The U.K. Independence Party, which advocates British withdrawal from the European Union, is supporting the greengrocer and questions whether Britain must submit to all the rules, regulations and directives of the E.U. When the requirements of different authorities re divergent, the problem of which authority we should obey is one that many of us have faced. The Bible teaches that we must submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7), but when those authorities seem to conflict with the commands of God, we must choose which authority to follow and, for the Christian, God's Word has priority.

01/01/25  Inaugurations  (Timely Words 0217)

Last week, crucial changes took place in the leadership of three important countries on three different continents. President Laurent Kabila of the Congo was assassinated by a bodyguard and was succeeded by his son, Joseph, who faces the difficult task of trying to rule a country nearly half of which is controlled by rebel factions. In the Philippines, President Joseph Estrada resigned in the midst of a trial charging him with plundering government funds. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former vice-president from another party, is the new president there. And, after a controversial election in which he received fewer votes of the general public than his main opponent, George W. Bush was inaugurated as the president of the United States of America. At his inauguration, he placed his hand on a Bible and solemnly swore to uphold the Constitution with the help of almighty God. To "inaugurate" means to induct into office by a formal ceremony. The "inauguration" of a president in a democracy is different than a "coronation", or crowning ceremony, of a king or queen in a monarchy. Under the present Japanese Constitution, the emperor is the "symbol of the State and of the unity of the people". There is an "enthronement" ceremony for the emperor, but not a "coronation". In the Old Testament, kings of Israel and Judah were "anointed" with oil by a priest, signifying their consecration to their divinely appointed responsibility. The Biblical terms "Christ" (from Greek) and "Messiah" (from Hebrew) literally mean "Anointed One" and that is what Christians believe the man named Jesus was.

01/01/26  Are/Air/Heir/Hare/Hair  (Timely Words 0218)

In contrast with languages in which a certain letter, symbol or character always has the same pronunciation, the pronunciation of English words is very irregular. The word spelled a-r-e, which is a plural form of the verb "be", has the same pronunciation as the 18th letter of the alphabet. And the word spelled a-i-r which denotes the atmosphere around us, has the same pronunciation as the word spelled h-e-i-r, which signifies a person who has inherited something. But if an 'h' is added to the beginning of those two words, their pronunciation becomes identical. Which is to say that "hare" and "hair" are pronounced the same. A "hare" is a small mammal resembling a rabbit, but having longer ears, larger hind feet and longer legs adapted for jumping. "Hair" is that which grows on the heads of human beings. In the past, it was usual for women and girls to let their hair grow longer than that of men and boys, but this is no longer necessarily so. It would be very difficult to count the number of hairs on a person's head, but to illustrate his teaching that God knows everything and has a deep concern for every human being, Jesus told his disciples, in Matthew 10:30, that even the number of hairs on their heads was known to God. According to a reliable reference book, there are about 100,000 hairs on a human head, of which from 25 to 125 are lost every day. Those hairs that are lost are replaced by new hairs unless the balding process has begun. Those of us who still have a fair supply of hair on our heads should be thankful—even if it is turning gray or white.

01/01/28  Symphony Orchestra Concert  (Timely Words 0219)

Recently, my wife and I attended a Coffee Concert of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra with other residents of this retirement community. The word "orchestra" is rooted in a Greek word meaning "to dance", but it may signify the area in front of and below the stage where musicians sit as well as a group of musicians playing together. "Symphony", derived from Greek words meaning "sound together", denotes the harmony of sounds made by musical instruments, and "concert" comes from Latin words also signifying agreement or harmony. Formal orchestra concerts are usually held in the evening but informal coffee concerts are held in the morning. Coffee, tea and cookies are available without charge in the lobby of the concert hall where concertgoers may meet and talk together before the concert begins. At the concert we attended, the conductor and all the musicians were dressed in black. According to the printed program, there are 84 members of this symphony orchestra, 49 of which play stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello and bass), 17 play woodwind instruments (flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet and bassoon) and 11 play brass instruments (horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba). The musical pieces were related to dramas of William Shakespeare and before certain selections a professional actor and actress, also dressed in black, performed short portions of the relevant dramas. In this peculiar English language, Shakespeare's surname may be spelled 44 different ways. According to Isaiah 43:1, God calls people by name, but there is no problem about its spelling in any language.

01/02/02  World Religions  (Timely Words 0220)

A basic characteristic of human beings is the ability to believe in what cannot be apprehended by their physical senses. Even though we may not see, hear, feel, taste or smell the object of our faith, we still believe in its existence. It is possible to present logical arguments in support of our beliefs, but finally they are accepted on the basis of faith rather than on reason. Despite the great variety of cultures, languages, geographic and atmospheric conditions, anthropologists have never found a society that is without beliefs that are expressed through religious rituals. Some religions are limited to certain areas or ethnic groups, but others reach across national and ethnic boundaries and are recognized as world religions. A recently compiled statistical survey indicates that Christianity continues to be the world's largest religion with some 1.9 billion believers or 31 percent of the world's population, accepted by a majority of the population in two-thirds of the world's 238 countries. The second largest world religion is Islam, with 1.2 billion adherents, followed by Hinduism with 811 million and Buddhism with 360 million. The statistics indicate that, during the past century, Christianity has evidenced remarkable growth in the so-called developing countries. Although some 768 million people consider themselves "non-religious", they also live their lives and make important decisions on the basis of an underlying faith, even though it is not expressed in certain religious formalities. Others are nominal members of a religion but do not live according to its teaching. What about you?

01/02/04  Rain/Reign/Rein  (Timely Words 0221)

The other day my tennis game was interrupted because of the drops of water from the sky which began falling upon us. While walking home in the rain, I recalled the oft repeated sentence in the popular musical, "My Fair Lady": "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain". Four words in that sentence include the long vowel sound the teachers of "proper English" were trying to teach the "commoner" in that movie. And I thought of other words having the same pronunciation but which are spelled differently, including "pain" and "pane", "main" "mane" and "Maine", "plain" and "plane" and "rain", "reign" and "rein". In fact, my dictionary indicates that there are eleven different combinations of letters which may be used to produce that same vowel sound in English. Such irregular spelling is one reason that English is such a difficult language for non-English speakers to learn. Looking through the pane of a window, we may feel pain if we see the mane of the main horse in a Maine farmyard being roughly cut with a plain plane. On my way home from the tennis court on that rainy day, I recalled that Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew 5:45) that our heavenly Father does not discriminate against evil people but "sends rain on [both] the righteous and the unrighteous." The final book of the Bible records a song that was, or will be, sung in heaven: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15), but there is no mention of any reins on the horses in the vision in chapter 6.

01/02/07  Interview  (Timely Words 0222)

There are a number of English words that begin with the prefix "inter", from a Latin word meaning "between". Among them are "intercede", "intercept", "interject", "intervene" and "interview", derived from Latin roots meaning "to go/seize/throw/come/see", respectively. This message is related to the word, "interview", "to see between". In modern English, this word may denote a formal conversation, such as that conducted by a reporter, the "interviewer", to obtain information from an "interviewee". One of the distinctive characteristics of this Penney Retirement Community is the great variety of abilities, interests and experiences of its members: missionaries, pastors and church workers who have served in many different countries. In order to help residents learn more about their neighbors, recently a new program was begun to interview those who have particularly interesting stories to tell on the stage of the meeting hall. The interview is videotaped and then put in the library. The interviewer is a former pastor from Washington, D.C., who had a regular radio program in that area on which he interviewed important people. The first man to be interviewed here was the new administrator of this retirement community. The second one was a man who had served the church in China and the Philippines and who, with his wife, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from England to the United States in a 9-meter-long boat. And, recently, at the third such meeting, my wife and I were interviewed regarding our life and activities in Japan. Of course, we mentioned this homepage.

01/02/09  Cheating  (Timely Words 0223)

In some of the more complicated Chinese characters, or ideograms, used in writing Chinese or Japanese, there may be three or four other characters included. In many English words also, shorter words are sometimes included. For example, the word "cheat", our word for today, includes the words "heat", "eat" and "at". To "cheat" is to deceive by trickery, to act dishonestly. According to a survey conducted by the Center for Academic Integrity, 68 percent of college students in the United States have engaged in one form or another of serious cheating. This includes such offenses as plagiarizing passages, turning in someone else's work as one's own or using a cheat sheet on examinations. An earlier survey indicated that 80 percent of high school seniors also had admitted to cheating. Furthermore, in the collegiate study, 88 percent of faculty members admitted they had observed some form of cheating in their classrooms but 32 percent never did anything about it because of administrative hassles and fear of being sued by an accused student. This is a sad commentary on the present state of morality in this country and may help us understand the reason for the kind of deception and dishonesty evident among some politicians, businessmen and ordinary citizens. In the New Testament Letter to the Ephesians (4:25), it is written: "each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor" and Sophocles, the Greek philosopher, wrote (in 409 B.C.): "I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating."

01/02/11  New Format  (Timely Words 0224)

Those of you who began reading these "Timely Words" messages before my recent trip to Japan are well aware of the significant changes that have taken place in the format of the homepage in the past two months. Although I am sure that during that time you were confused at times regarding the changes that were being made, the present format is much more attractive and practical than before. The man who is responsible for these improvements is a dentist by profession but is very knowledgeable about computers and how to make effective use of them. He attended the meeting of "Daily Word" fans that was held in Nagoya during my visit there in December and volunteered to give me instruction about adding voiced messages to the web site. He has very unstintingly given much time and effort to offer me instruction and to improve the homepage. Another man from Shiga Prefecture who also attended that meeting teaches at a university in Kyoto. He previously uploaded the "Daily Word" messages onto the NIFTY-Serve computer network, has faithfully preserved previous messages of "Timely Words" and has now made them available as one of the options on the homepage. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the faithful, voluntary work of these two men. I am quite happy with the present format of the homepage, but comments or suggestions of readers are invited in regard to how it is now being used and other possible improvements. You may make use of the BBS (Bulletin Board System) in the "Guest Book" option or the "Mail" options to express your opinions.

01/02/14  February  (Timely Words 0225)

"February", the name of the second month of the Gregorian calendar now used around the world, is derived from the Latin name for the feast of purification which was observed that month in preparation for the new year which originally began in March. "Kisaragi", the traditional name for this month in Japan, originally denoted a regeneration of vegetation. In the United States of America, birthdays of the two most highly respected presidents are observed during this month. Public holidays in the U.S.A. are determined by the individual states, but the president and the U.S. Congress can designate holidays for the District of Columbia and for federal employees. These two presidents are the only ones whose birthdays have been so designated. Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February 12th and George Washington's is the 22nd. At the present time, the observances of both of them are combined into Presidents' Day, celebrated on the third Monday of the month. In Japan, February 11 is a public holiday called National Foundation Day commemorating the enthronement of Japan's first emperor, Jinmu. According to a mythological story, that event took place in 660 B.C. on what is now February 11 in the Gregorian calendar. Since that day fell on a Sunday this year, the 12th was observed as the substitute holiday to encourage patriotic spirit. Midway between these two Monday holidays in Japan and the U.S. is St. Valentine's Day, which is observed by many people in both countries. There are two different martyrs in the 3rd century who are called "St. Valentine", but how their feast day became associated with lovers is an enigma.

01/02/16  Home/Homework/Homely  (Timely Words 0226)

At times, the words "house" and "home" may be used to convey the same meaning. Often, however, a distinction is made between them. "House" denotes a material structure while "home" implies an emotional attachment to a place of domestic memories. There are a number of words or expressions that begin with "home". Just as "hometown" signifies the town of one's birth, the meanings of "homegrown", "homemade" and "homespun" are easy to imagine. "Home run" and "home plate", however, are terms used in baseball; "home rule" is a political term and "home room" and "homework" are related to schools. A "home room" is the classroom where pupils are required to report at the beginning of the school day and "homework" is the schoolwork expected to be done at home. A newspaper article reported that many parents of school children in the United States have complained that their children are overworked and stressed out because they are given too much homework and are unable to be involved in other activities. Research has found little relation between the amount of homework done and scores on achievement tests. Consequently, a school board in New Jersey has set limits on homework assignments: thirty minutes in grades one to three and two hours in high school. A lady who manages a household may be called a "homemaker" and one whose interests center on the home may be called a "homebody", but she would not like to be called "homely" because that means "not attractive or good-looking."

01/02/18  Beef  (Timely Words 0227)

In some ways Japanese terms are easier to understand than those in English. For example, when speaking of different kinds of edible meats, the particular kind of meat is identified by simply placing the character for the animal before the character for "meat". In English, however, completely different words are used. Sheep meat is called "mutton". Pig meat is "pork". Deer meat is "venison" and cow meat is "beef". As a slang term, "beef" may mean a complaint and the slang expression "beef up" means to reinforce or build up. Compared to prices in the United States, beef in Japan is very expensive. A recent study by the University of Florida related to beef consumption indicated that the higher one's level of education, the less beef one consumes. Also, as people get older they eat less beef. On the other hand, as the income level rises, more beef is consumed. Likewise, as family size goes up, beef consumption tends to rise in relation to poultry, pork and fish. Other studies likewise indicated that people who eat much chicken tend to be middle-aged and have college degrees. In fact, chicken consumption has now surpassed beef consumption with the average American consuming 81 pounds of chicken per year compared with 68 pounds of beef. According to the Old Testament law, some meats were considered unclean, but following the story related in the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Mark regarding the meaning of "unclean", Jesus "declared all foods 'clean'".

01/02/21  Kindergarten/Kindermusik  (Timely Words 0228)

Although my grandparents or great-grandparents came to the United States from Germany and even though I once visited some distant relatives in Germany on my way back from Japan, I never learned to speak, read or write German. If I had done so, I would have recognized the origin of the English word "kindergarten". "Garten" is the German word for "garden", but "kinder" does not imply that that garden is "kinder" than others. Rather, in German, "Kinder" is the plural of "Kind" which means "child". Thus, "kindergarten" literally means "children garden". With that in mind, I understood the meaning of a new term I found in a newspaper article about the international "Kindermusik" program that has been introduced into a community recreation center in the state of Georgia. This program brings music into the lives of children from birth to age 7. Children respond to the music by smiling, waving their arms, bobbing in rhythm, dancing in a circle or resting on the floor. It is said that classical music stimulates a certain part of the brain that helps in building balance as well as stimulating language development and self-awareness. A tape or CD of classical music is now made available to the parents of every newborn baby in Georgia. Music has always played an important part in Christian worship and serves both to create an atmosphere and to express the emotions of worshipers. The 95th Psalm begins with these words: "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord . . .. Let us extol him with music and song."

01/02/23  Talk Title: "The Church in Japan"  (Timely Words 0229)

Many residents of this retirement community have served in foreign lands in various capacities and have had specialized training in particular areas. All have had interesting experiences which may be instructive or inspiring to others and opportunities are provided for us to share our experiences, expertise or the results of our research. Recently, I was asked to give a talk on "The Church in Japan". I began my talk with a somewhat intensive analysis of the meaning of that title. As I often do when speaking about Japan, I reminded the listeners that, although Japan is said to be in the "far east", actually it is in the "far west" on world maps which have the United States in the center and usually we go west to Japan from the United States. It is on maps with Europe in the center that Japan is in the "far east". I then displayed a world map from Japan in which Japan is in the center and America is in the "far east", reminding them that our view of the world (and of life) depends upon our viewpoint, what we put at the center. I explained the meaning of the name "Japan": a mispronunciation of "Nippon", meaning "sun-source", for Japan was considered the land of the rising sun. Next, I mentioned the unfortunate translation of the term "church" into Japanese, using two Chinese characters which literally mean "teaching meeting". I also noted that, in Japanese grammar, there is no definite article equivalent to the English word "the". My talk on "The Church in Japan" included a report of our recent visit and activities there, not all of which were related to a "church" in the narrow sense of that word.

01/02/25  Pronunciation of "L-i-v-e"  (Timely Words 0230)

Among the many irregularities and inconsistencies of the English language are those related to the pronunciation of certain letters and combinations of letters. The English vowel, "i", for example, has at least three different pronunciations and its pronunciation in a certain four-letter word depends upon the meaning of that word, whether it is being used as an adjective or a verb. The word is spelled l-i-v-e. When used as an adjective meaning "having life, living", the vowel is pronounced like the personal pronoun "I" or the word "eye" as in the word "lie" or "alive". This same pronunciation is given in such related words as "lively", "livelihood" and "livestock". As a verb meaning "to be alive, exist", however, the vowel is pronounced as in the words "lip" and "lid". This pronunciation is also found in such related words as "living" and "livable" as well as "livid", "liver" and "livery" which are derived from different roots. There are a number of reasons why some letters have different pronunciations depending on the word in which they are used, but the major reason is that English words have been derived from different languages with their varied pronunciations. Japanese words that have been transliterated from foreign languages are written in a special script. Although the pronunciation in Japanese may be different from that of the original language, the pronunciation of these special Japanese characters, each of which represents a syllable, does not change.

01/02/28  True Life  (Timely Words 0231)

Even as the word spelled l-i-v-e may be pronounced differently, the content of such words as "life" or "alive" may vary depending on the context and the speaker. A basic philosophical question is related to he nature and origin of life. What is "life" and where and how did "life" begin? The final answer to such questions is related to faith rather than to scientific research. We may clearly discern the difference between a living thing and a non-living thing, between what is alive and what is no longer alive, but what is "life" and where does it come from? According to the first book of the Bible, called Genesis, derived from a Greek word meaning "origin", the world and all that is in it is the result of the creative acts of God who bestowed "life" upon all living things. There is an obvious difference in the kind of "life" seen in plants, animals and human beings, but the source of that life along with the origin of matter itself is a question that is answered by faith, whether of scientists or of philosophers, of believers of a certain religion or of unbelievers. In the final analysis, all thinking people have a certain faith and the kind of faith they have is seen in the decisions they make in their daily lives. The Bible teaches that an almighty, loving God is the Creator and Giver of life and that a meaningful and satisfying life is found through faith in God, who was most fully revealed in the life and teaching of Jesus, the Christ. The Gospel of John begins with the same words as the book of Genesis, but proceeds to inform readers how true, abundant, eternal life may be received (John 1:1-5,14; 3:16; 10:10).

01/03/02  "Church"  (Timely Words 0232)

In a recent message, I noted "the unfortunate translation of the word 'church' into Japanese, using two Chinese characters which literally mean 'teaching meeting'". After reading that message, a man in Japan requested elaboration on the meaning of "church". This message is my response. In the New Testament, the Greek word translated "church" literally means "called out" and had been used for those "called out" to serve in a political assembly of citizens. Those who have chosen to be disciples of Christ, are "called out" by God to be his representatives in the world. The English word "church" is derived from a Greek word meaning "belonging to the Lord". Unfortunately, in the minds of many, "church" simply denotes a certain building or an organization, but originally the "church" was a fellowship of believers who had been "called out" of the secular world and boldly confessed that they "belonged to Christ, their Lord". Now, the church is composed of those who have made a certain profession of faith, which has been solemnized by the rite of baptism—whether prior to or following that profession. Nevertheless, in a deeper, spiritual sense, it is not simply an outward profession or a ritual that determines who are included in that spiritual fellowship but an inner commitment to follow Christ that is evident in one's daily life. Only God can see the heart and determine who has truly responded to the call to enter the family of those who belong to the Lord. Finally, the purpose of the church is not to judge others but to faithfully proclaim the Gospel and to minister to those in need.

01/03/04  Top Second Language  (Timely Words 0233)

The European Union is composed of fifteen different countries located in Europe. Most of those countries have a national language of their own, but since many of them are comparatively small and adjacent to one another, over half of their citizens speak more than one language. And what language do you think is the most popular second language? According to the results of a survey conducted last December of 16,000 people in the European Union, English is the top second language of choice, followed by French, German and Spanish. Forty-one percent of Europeans can speak English but in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, almost 78 percent of the population speak English as a second language. In the smallest country of Luxembourg, which is surrounded by France, Germany and Belgium, 78 percent of the people speak languages other than their own, while 66 percent of the insular British people can speak only English. In Asia, Africa and South America also, English is a popular second language. Recently our son, who teaches English at three different universities in Japan, visited us on his way to a TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference in St. Louis, where he was to make a presentation. He was accompanied by his Japanese wife and their youngest, 3-year-old, child, who remained with us for a couple of days after he left. Our grandson speaks in English to us but in Japanese to his parents. The best time to learn a foreign language is in early childhood as implied in the Japanese proverb: "The soul of a three-year-old (stays) until a hundred".

01/03/07  Dialogue  (Timely Words 0234)

In the Christian retirement community where my wife and I live, there are many former pastors and missionaries. On Sunday mornings, three different kinds of classes meet before the worship service. Two of them, the Men's Class and the Women's Class, are taught by one of the members and follow the traditional Sunday School pattern, which is similar to a Japanese classroom with a teacher standing (or sitting) before pupils and giving instruction from the Bible. The third class, which my wife and I attend, has a different character. Called the Dialogue Class, it does not have a regular teacher. Although repeated reference is made to the Bible, its textbooks are related to a variety of subjects. Each week a different member leads the discussion on a stated topic on which those present are encouraged to offer their comments and engage in "dialogue". In that class, there are members who have served in India, China, Japan, Burma, the Philippines, Mexico, Haiti, the Congo, Kenya, Zambia, Iran, Oman, Bahrein, Kuwait, Norway and Sweden, so there are a great variety of perspectives. The word "dialogue" is derived from the Greek noun, logos, meaning "word" or "reason", preceded by the preposition dia, meaning "between". "Dialogue" signifies talking or reasoning between people, discussing, sharing, exchanging ideas or opinions. In Japan, I learned much from an inter-religious dialogue group at which clergy and laity of various religions, or of no religion, met and discussed matters from their particular viewpoints. I began that group 21 years ago and it continues to meet once a month even now.

01/03/08  Apology  (Timely Words 0235)

Continuing the trend of the previous message, the opposite of "dialogue", which denotes people talking to one another, is "monologue", which signifies one person talking by himself. In traditional Japanese comedy, there is a difference between a comedian who makes a speech by himself in a monologue and a dialogue between two comedians, the difference between "rakugo" and "manzai". "Monologue" and "dialogue" are just two of many English words derived from the Greek word logos, meaning "word". Other examples include various fields of study such as "biology", "zoology", "anthropology", "theology", "psychology", "genealogy", "geology", "ecology", "ideology" and "mythology". In a recent meeting of the Dialogue Class, I noted that Japanese families of victims whose lives were lost when their ship was accidentally sunk by an American submarine were unhappy because the submarine commander had not offered an appropriate "apology", which is a statement expressing regret for a fault. Then, I was asked what kind of "apology" Japanese consider appropriate. As part of my answer, I noted that form is very important in Japanese thinking and, in this case, the form may include, along with a very deep bow which may bring the man's forehead in contact with the floor, his resignation. But, in any case, a sincere expression of contrition by the man himself, not simply through a representative, should have been made more quickly along with an effort to save or retrieve crew members and passengers of the damaged ship. Genuine regret, like genuine faith, will be seen in deeds, not simply in formality.

01/03/11  Recess  (Timely Words 0236)

A number of English words begin with "re" from a Latin prefix meaning "back". One example is "recede", which means to move back or away from some place. Related words are "recess", "recession" and "recessional". One kind of "recession" is the "procession" of the minister and choir from the front of the church to the back following a church service and one kind of "recessional" is the hymn that is sung at that time. A "recess", however, is a temporary cessation of customary activities. When I was in elementary school, it was customary to have a short recess in both morning and afternoon. At that time, we left the schoolroom and went outdoors or into the gymnasium to play or to enjoy ourselves doing whatever we wanted to do. According to a newspaper article, during the last quarter century recess has slowly disappeared from the schedules of many elementary schools as administrators struggle to find time for additional academic programs and consider the legal liability issues when children hurt themselves during free time. In fact, some administrators describe recess as "a waste of time." Other research, however, makes clear that, during recesses, children are able to develop socially and physically in ways they are unable to match in the classroom. Not only children, but adults also need a time of recess or relaxation when they are able to withdraw from the busyness of daily life. It was for that reason that a "Sabbath" day for rest and worship was included in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11) and is observed by Jews, Christians and other intelligent people even today.

01/03/13  Abacus/Soroban  (Timely Words 0237)

An "abacus" is a calculating device made up of wooden beads attached to short rods set in a frame. The word is derived from a Greek word meaning "slab", but the device probably originated in Babylonia before being introduced into China from which it entered Japan, where it became very popular. Called a "soroban", the word is often ritten in Japanese script, but the Chinese characters used for it literally mean "calculating board". Yokota, a town in Shimane Prefecture, with a population of about 8000, is considered the "soroban capital" of Japan. It produces around 70 percent of the sorobans made in Japan each year. Since electronic calculators have become very popular, however, the number of sorobans being produced has fallen. In 1978, twenty soroban factories in Yokota made about 1.2 million abacuses, but in 1999, only about 250,000 boards were produced by the remaining four factories. An Abacus Museum has been built to attract visitors and to combat the decline in abacus-related income. Abacuses from China, Korea and Russia are displayed there along with one of the first Sharp calculators. Abacus instructors have been sent to an underdeveloped province in Thailand to train teachers in the use of this manual calculator. Some 18,000 used and repaired abacuses have been sent to Thailand and the Thai Education Ministry is considering introducing the abacus into the nationwide elementary school curriculum. It is said that learning how to use the abacus develops one's ability to handle figures and improves logical thinking. So it is that some old-fashioned, outmoded customs may have lasting value.

01/03/16  Right/Left, Even/Odd  (Timely Words 0238)

As noted in a previous message, when driving in Japan, the right side of the street is the wrong side and the left side is the right side. In that sentence, the word "right" has two quite different meanings. As the opposite of "left", it signifies the side of a body. As the opposite of "wrong" it means correct. In the British Parliament, representatives of conservative parties are seated on the right side of the House and those of liberal parties are seated on the left. Because of this custom, "right" became associated with conservatism (which, I presume, was considered "correct") and "left" was used for liberalism. We may find a similar distinction between what are called "even" numbers and "odd" numbers. One meaning of "even" is "level" or "smooth", and one meaning of "odd" is "strange" or "peculiar", but when used of numbers, "even" numbers can be divided by 2, but "odd" numbers cannot. In Oriental thought, odd numbers are considered lucky. In the traditional Japanese almanac, the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th days of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th months respectively all have a special significance. Superstitious people may consider the alignment of odd digits in a date as especially propitious. The last date made up of odd digits (in the Gregorian calendar) was 11/19/1999 and the next one will be 1/1/3111. The last even-digit day was 8/28/2000 and the next one will be 2/2/2002. Rather than being concerned about numbers, however, it is better to repeat the words of Psalm 118:24 everyday: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

01/03/18  Suspenders/Suspend/Suspense  (Timely Words 0239)

Some men wear "suspenders" to hold up their trousers. "Suspenders" are a pair of straps, often elastic, worn over the shoulders to support the trousers. In one sense, the trousers are "suspended" from the "suspenders", for one meaning of "suspend" is to hang down. In a corner of our living room and in a corner of our front porch, there are a couple of flower pots "suspended" from the ceiling which my wife keeps supplied with pretty flowers or graceful vines so I never feel any "suspense", or uncertainty, regarding them. Other meanings of "suspend" are to bar from an office or position for a certain period of time and to render ineffective. A newspaper article noted that a couple of doctors in a Brooklyn hospital were "suspended" recently for making a mistake in the surgery they had performed on a man with a life-threatening blood clot in his brain. They operated on the left side of the man's brain, which was the wrong side. The problem was that the x-ray they viewed before the surgery was placed on the screen backwards and they thought the left side was the right side on which to perform the surgery. After they realized their mistake, they performed a second surgery on the right side of the man's brain, which was the right side. It is odd that such a mistake was made by experienced doctors and assistants even in a hospital with modern equipment. Whether in a submarine or a hospital, those in responsible positions must be especially careful. They must not "suspend" any judgments or procedures which may cause injury or deaths to others. And they should not be in "suspense" themselves.

01/03/21  Berets  (Timely Words 0240)

There are various kinds of headgear for human beings. Whether or not anything is worn on one's head and the particular kind of headdress chosen is related to climatic conditions, ethnic and religious customs as well as personal preference. Most headgear may be called a "hat" or a "cap", but the following words indicate particular kinds of headgear. How many can you identify without using a dictionary? Derby, turban, bonnet, fedora, fez, sombrero, helmet, beanie, yarmulke, beret. A "beret" is a round, visorless cloth cap. Since this word comes from French, even though it ends in r-e-t, that syllable is pronounced the same as r-a-y. At present, in the United States Army, three units are permitted to wear berets and each of them have a distinctive color. Airborne units wear maroon berets. Special Forces wear green (and are well-known as the Green Berets). And the elite Rangers wear black berets. It has been decided, however, that beginning in June, black berets will become a standard part of the regular army uniform. In order for the Rangers "to maintain the distinctiveness of the unit and reflect the legacy of more than two centuries of Ranger history", special permission has been given for that unit to change the color of its beret from black to tan. These particular units may be identified by the color of their berets. Certain occupations, nationalities, religions or ethnic groups may also be recognized by their distinctive headgear. The kind of turban worn by the Jewish high priest, along with the rest of his priestly garments, is noted in the 28th chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus.

01/03/23  Dyslexia  (Timely Words 0241)

My dictionary lists 22 English words that begin with the prefix "dys" (spelled d-y-s). "Dysentery", an infection of the lower intestinal tract producing pain, fever, and severe diarrhea is the best known, but all of them denote a condition that is abnormal, impaired, difficult or bad. "Dyslexia" denotes an impairment of the ability to read. It is a disorder that makes it difficult for a learning reader to connect verbal sounds with the letters or symbols that "spell" that sound. Such connections are essential to learn to read. Dyslexia is especially prominent in English-speaking countries. Recent studies have shown that the rate of identified dyslexics in Italy is about half that in England and one reason is that there are so many different ways to spell sounds in English. In Italian, there are 25 different sounds, all represented by just 33 letters or spellings. In English, in contrast, there are 40 sounds, but there are more than 1,100 different ways to spell those sounds. Any student of English is well aware of the amazing number of ways to spell the same sound and the number of different sounds the same letters may express. For example, there are three different words pronounced like the letter "i" (I, aye, eye), three different words pronounced "too" (to, two, too), two words pronounced the same as the letter "u" (you, ewe) and the pronunciation of the "i" in the simple words "mint" and "pint" is completely different. No wonder English is such a difficult language to learn. Students of English or any other subject must remember that effort and perseverance are required to reach any worthy goal.

01/03/25  Litter  (Timely Words 0242)

There are two words in Japanese pronounced "kago". The Chinese character used for the first one includes the character for "bamboo" for it denotes a basket or crate originally made of bamboo. This word is also used for a cage or coop in which a bird or some other animal is kept. When a second Chinese character, meaning "conveyance" is added to the first one, the pronunciation remains the same but the meaning is changed to a cage-like conveyance hanging from a pole which is carried on the shoulders of two men, one in front and the other behind. In old Japan, it was customary for feudal lords or others of high ranking status to be carried in such a conveyance, called a "palanquin" or a "litter". Nowadays, we do not see such conveyances, but a different kind of "litter", made up of a sheet stretched over a simple frame, may be used to carry sick or wounded persons to an ambulance. A story in the 2nd chapter of the New Testament Gospel of Mark tells of four men who carried a paralyzed man on a simple bed, or pallet, to Jesus, hoping that he would be healed. The house was so crowded that they could not enter, but they were so resolute in their aim that they made a hole in the roof above the place where Jesus was speaking and let down the paralyzed man in front of him. When Jesus saw the extraordinary faith of these men expressed in their actions, he responded graciously, forgave the sins of the paralytic and healed him. This story is related to both teach about genuine faith, which is seen in actions, and about the character of Jesus, who is able both to forgive sins and to restore us to good health.

01/03/27  Literary Words  (Timely Words 0243)

One of the many clubs that are active in this retirement community is the Literary Club. At its meetings, one of the members reports on an important book or author which is of interest, followed by questions and discussion by those who attend. Following one such meeting that I attended, I decided to write a message about the word "literary" and related words, all of which are derived from the Latin word littera, meaning "letter". After I began my preparation, however, when I read that Latin word, my thoughts were nudged in a different direction and I ended up writing about "litter" instead. In that message, I did not mention that "litter" has another meaning: "carelessly discarded waste materials or scraps", so in public places, we may see signs urging people not to litter the ground. Furthermore, if one of the "t"s is discarded, the vowel in the new word, "liter", denoting a metric unit of volume, is elongated. Returning to words related to "letters", "literature" denotes a body of writings in prose or verse and "literati" signifies scholarly or learned people who are well acquainted with literature. "Literate" means to be able to read and write and those who are "illiterate" are unable to do so. The Bible is the most highly respected book in English literature and not only the literati, but all who desire to understand Western culture need to be acquainted with its teaching. How "literally" to interpret portions of it, however, depends upon the interpreter. "Literalists" insist that its words be accepted in a very "literal" sense while others are content to simply comprehend the underlying truth.

01/03/29  Sharks  (Timely Words 0244)

Although I made at least ten trips from Japan to the Philippines to visit the work of our churches there, on only one occasion did I take time off to go swimming. It was in a small bay along the southern coast of the southern island of Mindanao. A group of people gathered along the sloping coastline to observe what a so-called "white man" would do in the water. Before long, I realized they were calling and motioning for me to come out of the water. When I did so, I was informed that they had seen a shark swimming nearby and were afraid it would attack me. I jokingly told them that I did not think sharks liked "white meat" but I followed their advice and did not go back in the ocean. I was reminded of that experience recently when I read in a newspaper that 79 shark attacks were reported last year, the highest number in the four decades that records have been kept, and that ten of them were fatal. The area having the highest number of attacks was the U.S. state of Florida with its long coastline along tropical waters, many residents and a large influx of tourists. Sharks are large fish with pointed snouts and several rows of sharp, triangular teeth. But a ruthless, greedy, or dishonest person also may be called a "shark" as may a person who is unusually skilled in a particular activity such as a "card shark". Sa'di, a Persian poet in the 13th century wrote: "Were the diver to think on the jaws of a shark he would never lay hands on the precious pearl." When tempted to be fearful, let us remember the words of the Lord found in Isaiah 41:10: "do not fear, for I am with you."

01/04/01  Clowning  (Timely Words 0245)

A "clown" is a person who entertains others and tries to make them laugh by doing foolish things. Professional clowns in circuses dress in funny costumes and have painted faces that also invite laughter, but ordinary people who do silly things to make others laugh may also be called clowns. In answer to the question about the difference between a clown, a comedian and a humorist, it has been said that a clown wants you to laugh at what he does, a comedian at what he says and a humorist at what he thinks. "Clown" may also be used as a verb meaning to behave or perform like a clown. Nowadays, there are some clowns who are dressed and made up as professionals but who perform for or visit people who need to be cheered up. For such clowns, clowning is considered a ministry to stimulate happy feelings. There are a group of clowns in this Penney Retirement Community who periodically perform as a group at special programs or who make individual visits to patients in the nursing home and residents of assisted living units before joining diners in the Dining Hall. Recently, a clown dressed in red with a tall red hat, a big, round red nose in the center of a white face above large, red, smiling lips sat at the dining room table next to me. On her hat was her clown name, "Smiley". During the meal, she talked with those of us at the table and afterward she even followed me home for, you see, she was my wife. After spending an hour carefully applying her make-up, she had left home a couple of hours before to make her visits to the rooms of those needing some "cheering up" before coming to the Dining Hall.

01/04/04  Passion  (Timely Words 0246)

The word "passion" is rooted in a Greek word meaning "suffering", but can you imagine what "passion fruit" is and why it was given that name? "Passion fruit" is the small, pale-yellow, edible fruit of a "passionflower". In Japanese, this flower is called "tokeisou", which literally means "clock grass" or "clock plant", and was given that name because the shape of that flower seemed similar to the face of a clock. In English, "passion" is not necessarily related to suffering. It may denote a number of different strong emotions, including love, joy, hatred, anger or greed and a person showing such strong feelings may be called "passionate". When spelled with a capital P, the word signifies the sufferings of Jesus Christ in the days just before his crucifixion. In some Christian churches, the second Sunday before Easter is called Passion Sunday and the following week is called Passion Week (which is this week this year). It is said that 16th century Spanish missionaries to South Africa named a plant "passionflower" for in its flowers they fancied resemblances to things involved in Jesus' passion, including a spear, five wounds, scourges, three nails and a crown of thorns. A play representing the Passion of Christ is called a Passion play. The church in my hometown of Zion, Illinois, of which I became a member, began presenting the Zion Passion Play in 1935 and continues to do so even today. I also took part in that dramatic production until I left town to go to college. The Bible teaches that the passion, or suffering, of Christ was to provide salvation for all people and an example for all to follow (I Peter 2:21-25).

01/04/06  Palms  (Timely Words 0247)

As has often been pointed out in these messages, there are many English words with irregular pronunciations. For example, in words ending with a-l-m, such as balm, calm and palm, the "l" is silent. This message is related to "palms". First, that is what the inner surface of one's hand is called; the palm of the hand extends from the wrist to the base of the fingers. "Palm" may also denote a unit of length equal to either the width or length of the hand and may signify the blade of an oar or paddle. This word is also used to identify a certain kind of tree found in the tropics. These trees do not have branches coming out of their trunks, but they have a bunch of huge leaves at the top. Some palm trees produce coconuts; others produce dates. For some reason, from ancient times, the large leaves of palm trees have been used as emblems of victory, success or joy, so the expression "bear the palm" means to win the prize in a given contest. There are two passages in the New Testament that mention palm branches. In the vision related in Revelation, chapter 7, beginning with verse 9, there was a multitude of people wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And, according to John 12:13, people took palm branches when they greeted Jesus with shouts of "Hosanna" as he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey before he was crucified. In commemoration of that event, the first day of Holy Week in the church calendar is called Palm Sunday. In some churches, palm branches or small crosses made of palm branches are distributed to worshippers on that day, which is next Sunday this year.

01/04/08  Wholly/Holy/Holey  (Timely Words 0248)

Sir Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, writer and statesman some three centuries ago, wrote the following words about books: "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention." One of the books which should be read "wholly" is the "holy book" called the Bible. In the Biblical sense, "holy" is an adjective that is applicable primarily to God, who is separated from all that is sinful or unclean. In a secondary sense, that which has been set apart or consecrated for a sacred or divine purpose whether it be a book, a place or a person, may be considered "holy". The town in northern Illinois in which I was born and raised, called Zion, was considered a "holy city" because it was founded as a religious community with various laws and customs aimed at keeping it pure. As a teenager, I jokingly said that at least some of its streets were "holey", but I coined a new word to express the fact that there were holes in some of the streets that needed repair. In the Christian calendar, the week before Easter, which falls on April 15 this year, is called "Holy Week". It begins with Palm Sunday, which commemorates the "Triumphal Entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, a symbol of peace, while the crowds around him waved palm branches to welcome him and show their approval. The day commemorating Jesus' death on the cross is called "Good Friday". Can you imagine why such a day is called "good"?

01/04/11  "Two Thieves at the Cross"  (Timely Words 0249)

Many retired clergymen, ministers of various denominations, reside in this Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida. Many of them have served as pastors of congregations in the United States; others served as missionaries in various countries overseas. Most of these men and women are willing and able to preach at worship services in the church here or to speak at other meetings in the community so we enjoy a variety of speakers or preachers with a variety of viewpoints. I was asked to give the final Wednesday evening talk of the 6-week Lenten Series on "They Met the Master". Previous messages were related to stories in the Gospels of women and men who had met Jesus and how that meeting changed their lives. The topic given to me was: "The Two Thieves at the Cross". Since the date of my message was the 4th day of the 4th month, at the beginning of my talk, I noted that the number 4 was an unlucky number in Japan because it has the same pronunciation as "death". Furthermore, I noted that among the ancient Hebrews, 13 was considered an unlucky number because of its association with "death" also. In Hebrew, numbers are indicated by letters of the alphabet and the 13th letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which corresponds to the English letter M, is the first letter of the Hebrew word for "death". The story of the two thieves "meeting Jesus" on their crosses is found in Luke 23:32-43. Their words to Jesus are very different from each other and Jesus' response to the penitent thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise", is worthy of deep consideration.

01/04/13  "Good" Friday  (Timely Words 0250)

My dictionary lists 15 different definitions of the adjective "good", 8 of which are divided into two or three subsections. Consequently, there are 25 definitions to choose from. This term is used in many common greetings, such as "good morning", "good afternoon", "good evening", "good night" and "good day". The original thought of such greetings was to wish the hearer a pleasant, enjoyable time, but "good-bye", the greeting used in parting, is actually a shortened form of "God be with you". The Friday of Holy Week, the week before Easter, is the day commemorating the unjust and extremely painful death of Jesus on a cross. In the church calendar, it is called "Good Friday", but how to define "good" in this case is a problem. Some people affirm that "good" and "God" have the same root and are thus naturally related. Others reject this idea, but in the case of "Good Friday", it is generally recognized that "good" is related to "God" and this day was also called "Holy Friday". It is the Christian conviction that Jesus' crucifixion was not for his sins but for ours and that his shameful, voluntary death was the highest expression of God's love for us sinful human beings through which we may experience a new life characterized by joy, peace and hope. Thus, for the believer, it is a genuinely "good" Friday. This year, that "Good Friday" falls on Friday, the 13th, which some superstitious people consider an unlucky day because Jesus died on a Friday and there were 13 present at the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples.

01/04/15  Eastertide  (Timely Words 0251)

People who live along a seacoast or who often go swimming in the ocean know very well that the dividing line between water and land constantly changes. That is because of the "tide", which is a variation in the surface level of oceans caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon. The original meaning of "tide", however, is "season" and it is still used with that meaning in such terms as "Christmastide" and "Eastertide". The season in the church year, beginning with Easter Sunday (April 15th this year), is known as Eastertide. Although many people may consider Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, to be the major Christian festival, actually, the most important festival is Easter, which celebrates Jesus' resurrection. According to the complicated method of determining the date of Easter to relate it to the lunar calendar used by the Jews of Jesus' day, Easter is now celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. But it may also be said that Jesus' resurrection is celebrated every week, for Christian worship services are held on "the first day of the week" to commemorate that event. Eastertide continues for forty days until Ascension Day. The word "Easter" comes from the name of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring whose festival was observed in the spring. In the King James Version of the Bible, this word is found once, in Acts 12:4, where it is a mistranslation of the Greek word denoting the Jewish festival of Passover, which is the translation in the 28 other passages where this word appears.

01/04/18  Pamper Room  (Timely Words 0252)

To "pamper" means to treat with excessive indulgence, to coddle. This word is usually used to indicate an adult's attitude or actions toward a child. It is the impression of my wife and me that, generally speaking, Japanese parents tend to pamper young children while Americans are more strict. The English poet, John Dryden, in one of his poems, described the Jews as "God's pampered people, whom, debauched with ease, No king could govern nor no God could please". Pampered children are often very difficult to control. Although no children are residents of this Penney Retirement Community, there is a room on the campus here, next to the Post Office, called the "Pamper Room". Can you imagine what kind of service is provided for residents there? Ladies might call it a beauty salon, but for men, it is a barber shop. In the Pamper Room, there are two women who take care of the hair of those who call for appointments. Both my wife and I make use of their services. The last time I entered that shop to keep my noontime appointment was during a heavy downpour of rain accompanied by a strong wind. Before I left home to walk there, the electricity in our house went off, but fortunately I had disconnected my computer before that happened. The Pamper Room was dark because there was no electric power. Some ladies who had been under hair dryers were preparing to leave and the barber's chair was in a dark area of the room, but the "pamperer" told me to sit in a chair near the large, streetside window. It was in that unusual place that she cut my hair and I was pleased to be "pampered".

01/04/20  "Holey Dictionaries"  (Timely Words 0253)

A coin is a small, flat piece of metal which is used as money. When used as a verb, however, "coin" may mean to make coins or to invent a new word. In a recent message titled "Wholly/Holy/Holey", I presumptuously stated that, in my youth, I had coined a new word when I said that some streets in my hometown were "holey" streets, meaning they had holes in them and needed repair. The day after that message appeared, our elder son, who lives in the state of New Mexico and calls us on the telephone on Sunday afternoons, informed me that I had not coined that word for he had found it in a dictionary. Before composing that message, I had consulted a dictionary and the word was not listed in it. While talking to my son, however, I looked in an older, somewhat larger dictionary and found that word in it. My son also looked at another of his dictionaries and did not find that word. Later, I looked in a number of different dictionaries on sale at a book store. Some of them contained the word and others did not, so we may say that, even some dictionaries have "holes" in them and could be called "holey". Dictionaries are considered to be authoritative reference books, but we must remember that they also are compiled and edited by fallible human beings. The words included in dictionaries and the definitions given are also related to the time of their publication and to the status of the readers for whom they are written. For that reason, dictionaries also need to be periodically revised. Similarly, modern translations of the Bible may be better and easier to understand by young people today.

01/04/22  Tribes  (Timely Words 0254)

When Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean, in 1492, and arrived on an island southeast of the present United States of America, he thought he had reached India and mistakenly called the natives "Indians". Since that time, the natural groups of the native inhabitants of the American continents were called "American Indian tribes". Nowadays, both the terms "American Indian" and "tribe" are considered objectionable and "politically incorrect". Instead of "American Indian" the term "Native American" is preferred and a substitute is recommended not only for the natural groupings of Native Americans but for those in the African and Asian continents as well. In the minds of many people, the term "tribe" has a connotation of primitiveness, backwardness, superstition and savagery. European colonists considered the "nations", "peoples", "kin-groups" or "communities" of Africa and America on a lower level of civilization and looked down on them as lower class human beings. As a result, some of them were bought and sold and put to work as slaves. Of course, an objective view of human history will find many other examples of nations, tribes or ethnic groups with superiority complexes which have also despised other groups and treated them inhumanely. Now it is generally recognized by enlightened, educated people that all human beings are of the same "tribe" in the broadest sense and should be shown respect. In the Bible, God is described as the Father of the whole family of human beings. Consequently, we are all brothers and sisters despite our physical and cultural differences.

01/04/25  Soft Drinks  (Timely Words 0255)

The number of Americans who are obese, or extremely fat, is increasing year by year. This is evident among children as well as adults. It is reported that the prevalence of obesity among children in the United States increased by 100 percent between 1980 and 1994. It is estimated that, at the present time, 24 percent of American children are obese. Obviously, various factors are involved in this unhealthy development, including a lack of healthy exercise and a poor diet. A recent study of 548 children aged 11 or 12 from public schools in the commonwealth of Massachusetts for two school years until May 1997 indicated that there is a definite relationship between drinking sweetened soft drinks and gaining weight. Its conclusion was: the odds of becoming obese increased significantly for each additional daily serving of a sugar-sweetened soft drink. A "soft drink" is a nonalcoholic beverage, which is usually carbonated. In the dining hall in our retirement community where we usually eat our noon meal, there is a soft drink machine from which we may get small chunks of ice as well as a variety of soft drinks. I regularly go to that machine to get a glass of ice water with a slice of fresh lemon in it for my wife and a soft drink of some kind for myself. There are a number of English terms that begin with the word "soft". "Soft soap" may denote "a fluid soap" or "flattery" and "to soft-pedal" may mean to weaken the tone of a piano or to make something less emphatic. The person who is "softhearted" and "soft-spoken" usually "soft-pedals" his or her arguments.

01/04/27  Orchestra Concerts  (Timely Words 0256)

The Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida, where my wife and I reside, is about 45 minutes by car from Jacksonville. This largest city in the state has a symphony orchestra that holds weekend concerts. A group of us from PRC attend the monthly Coffee Concerts held on Friday mornings. Before the concert begins, coffee, tea and cookies are available in the lobby of the Symphony Hall. At a recent concert, my wife asked me what was the difference between a "symphony orchestra" and a "philharmonic orchestra". I promised to investigate and this is what I found: there is no difference. "Symphony", derived from Greek words meaning "sound together", may mean "harmony" and "philharmonic" from Greek words meaning "loving harmony", may mean "pertaining to a symphony orchestra", which is defined as "a large orchestra composed of string, wind and percussion sections, designed for playing symphonic works". Giovanni Gabrieli, organist at St. Mark's Church in Venice in the late 16th century, is said to have been the first composer to specify certain instruments for particular portions of a musical composition and, thus, became "the father of the modern orchestra". In modern symphony, or philharmonic, orchestras, strings (violin, viola, cello, bass) are in the majority, followed by woodwinds (flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe, bassoon), brass (horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba) and percussion (drum, harp, keyboard, piano) instruments. We continue to be amazed at how these many varied instruments can be played in such a manner to produce such beautiful, symphonic harmony.

01/04/29  Whey/Weigh/Way  (Timely Words 0257)

A nursery rhyme is a short poem with lines that rhyme that is taught to small children. A famous nursery rhyme which is well-known by American children is about "Little Miss Muffet". "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet / Eating her curds and whey / Along came a spider / And sat down beside her / And frightened Miss Muffet away." Although I knew this nursery rhyme in my childhood, I did not understand the meaning of "tuffet", "curds and whey", but now I do. A "tuffet" is "a clump of grass", and as milk sours or is turned into cheese, it separates into liquid and solid parts; the solid part is called "curds" and the liquid is called "whey". But I still do not know why Little Miss Muffet was ingesting "curds and whey". The word "whey", spelled w-h-e-y, is pronounced the same as another word spelled w-e-i-g-h, which means to determine the weight of something using a scale or to ponder or evaluate something in one's mind. And there is still another, more common three-letter word with the same pronunciation. This "way" is a road or a path to somewhere. We are all traveling along life's road, but we must take care about where the road is going. In Proverbs 14:12, it is written: "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." And Jesus also, in Matthew 7:13-14, spoke of a "wide" gate and an "easy" road that leads to destruction in contrast to the "narrow" gate and the "hard" way that leads to life. Finally, on the night before his death on the cross, Jesus said very plainly to his disciples: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

01/05/02  Spanish Moss  (Timely Words 0258)

In this Penney Retirement Community, residents are encouraged to take part in volunteer activities that serve the community and reduce the need for more paid employees. One of my volunteer activities is to work with a group of men in the PRC cemetery every Monday morning for two hours to keep the grass mowed, bushes trimmed and grave markers in good condition. There, I often trim bushes and scrape off or pull off such parasitic growths as lichen and Spanish moss. I had to ask the name of the green, fungus-type growth called "lichen", but I had seen the gray, threadlike stems of Spanish moss drooping in long, densely matted clusters from trees in Hawaii as well as in Florida. It is interesting that the Chinese characters used in the Japanese translation of "lichen" literally mean "earth garment". I am not sure of the relation of Spanish moss to Spain, but I recall other words used to designate something unfavorable that contain the name of a country or area from which it supposedly came. They include such illnesses as Asian flu and German measles and such pesky pests as Japanese beetles. Whether or not moss is considered something good and beautiful or bad and despicable depends on one's perspective and cultural background as seen in the different interpretations given to the English proverb, "A rolling stone gathers no moss". Those who consider moss a hindrance see this proverb as a call to keep active, busy and moving from place to place. But those who appreciate the beauty of moss interpret the proverb to mean one should stay settled in one place. Which interpretation do you prefer?

01/05/04  Golden Week  (Timely Words 0259)

From ancient times, gold has been considered a very precious metal, so the term "golden" has been applied to things of great value or importance. A "golden age" is a time of peace, prosperity and happiness, but the particular period so designated depends on the nation involved. This week in Japan is known as "golden week" because there are a number of holidays in it and, in years gone by, it was an especially prosperous time for the owners of movie theaters. This year, there are legal holidays on April 29th and 30th, May 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. Also, May 1st is a special day for workers. April 29th was the birthday of the late emperor. While he was alive, that holiday was called "Emperor's Birthday", but since his death,12 years ago, the name was changed to "Green Day" and attention is directed to the natural greenery of the world around us. Since April 29th falls on a Sunday this year, the following day is observed as a "substitute holiday". May 3rd is Constitution Day, commemorating the day in 1947 when Japan's new Constitution went into effect. May 5th is Children's Day. Traditionally, this was Boy's Day, even as March 3rd was Girl's Day. In recent years, May 4th has also been declared a public holiday to provide a longer period of relaxation and, this year, May 6th is a Sunday, which extends the "golden week" even further. In the United States, the strait leading into San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean is called the "Golden Gate" and the teaching of Jesus, in Matthew 7:12, that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us is commonly called the "golden rule".

01/05/06  Diamonds  (Timely Words 0260)

Silver is another precious metal, but it ranks below gold in its value. In the Olympics, winners receive a gold medal and those coming in second receive a silver medal. Likewise, a "silver age" is less auspicious than a "golden age". It has become customary to relate certain metals or gems to certain anniversaries. The most widely recognized ones are the "golden" and "silver" anniversaries which are the fiftieth and twenty-fifth anniversaries respectively. Diamonds are associated with a seventy-fifth anniversary, but needless to say, few couples celebrate their "diamond wedding anniversary". The primary meaning of "diamond" is a mineral, the hardest natural substance known, which is also considered a gemstone. "Diamond" also denotes a certain shape, having four equal sides with two wide angles and two narrow ones. Because of its shape, the baseball playing field is called a "diamond" and that is also the name given to a group of playing cards that contain a diamond-shaped figure on them. This Penney Retirement Community is in the process of celebrating its "diamond anniversary" this year, for it was founded by J. C. Penney in 1926. The weekend of April 27, 28 and 29 featured various activities, exhibits and programs to mark the beginning of a year-long celebration of the "Diamond Jubilee Anniversary". A person who obviously has great ability but lacks training may be called "a diamond in the rough" and in the classical English translation of the Bible, a diamond was included in the breastplate of the high priest (Exodus 28:18), but later translations used different words for that gem.

01/05/09  Orient/Occident/Paradise  (Timely Words 0261)

According to an ancient Chinese document, in the year 607 a letter from the Japanese ruler was delivered to the ruler of China that began: "The Son of Heaven in the land where the sun rises to the Son of Heaven in the land where the sun sets." The Chinese ruler considered this description of the two countries unacceptable for it seemed to imply the superiority of Japan. In modern English, the words "orient" and "occident", derived from Latin words referring to the "rising" and "setting" of the sun, denote countries of the east and countries of the west with no implication of superiority or inferiority. In fact, although Japan is located in the "Orient", it lies to the west of America and although the United States is in the "Occident", it is located east of Japan. In Japanese, it is common to use the Chinese characters literally meaning "rice country" for the United States and the technological preeminence of the West is generally recognized. This is not related, however, to the conception of the major Japanese Buddhist sect that the "pure land", "paradise", "the abode of the departed" is in the west. In fact, the two times in the year when day and night are equal, (the "equinoxes") are holidays in Japan when family graves are visited and memorial services for the departed are held because on those days the sun sets directly in the west. "Paradise", from a Persian word for an enclosed garden or park used by Persian kings, was used by Greek translators of the Old Testament for the Garden of Eden in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 2:8) and for the abode of God and of the righteous dead in the last book (Revelation 2:7).

01/05/11  "Japanese" Restaurant  (Timely Words 0262)

There is an eighty-three-year-old resident of this retirement community who had a stroke a couple of years ago. As one of my volunteer activities, on Friday mornings, I push him in his wheelchair to the Fitness Center, where he makes use of exercise machines to strengthen his muscles. He has an interest in orchids which he used to grow in a greenhouse. Therefore, when we were informed of a special exhibit featuring orchids in the city of Jacksonville, about one hour away by car, we decided to take him there after his workout at the Fitness Center. We were able to collapse his wheelchair and put it in the back seat beside my wife. After looking at the exhibit, we decided to stop for lunch at a Japanese restaurant on the way home since he also had worked in a mission office in Tokyo and taught in a school in Yokohama. In the restaurant, there was a sushi bar and a separate section where meals are cooked by chefs on large, flat, metal griddles in front of the diners. The restaurant employees were all Oriental, but when I spoke in Japanese to the waitress and the chef, they did not understand. I was told that there were Koreans, Chinese and other Asian nationalities on the staff, but surprisingly, there were no Japanese. The Chinese chef did a good job of cutting up and frying our meat and vegetables which we enjoyed along with the soup, steamed rice and green tea, all of which reminded us of Japan—as did the faces of the workers, which most diners would think were Japanese. And I was reminded of the fact that many of us may appear to others to be different than we really are.

01/05/13  Daruma  (Timely Words 0263)

This message was inspired by a recent visit to a Japanese restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. The name of the restaurant was "Daruma". When my wife and I saw the name of that restaurant, we were reminded of the sushi restaurants in a couple of cities in Aichi Prefecture in Japan where we had served churches. This name is derived from a Sanskrit word denoting Buddhist teaching and was part of the name of the Buddhist patriarch, Bodhidharma, who established Zen Buddhism in China. It is said that this monk sat facing a wall in meditation for nine years and, as a result, lost the use of his legs. Nowadays, when most Japanese people hear the word "daruma", they think of a doll with no arms or legs, representing this monk. Weighted at the bottom, when this tumbler doll is tipped over, it always returns to an upright position, symbolizing patience, perseverance and an undaunted spirit, in keeping with the Japanese proverb "fall seven times, rise eight times". The round, roly-poly doll has two large, white eyes. Some people paint in the black pupil in one of the eyes when they make a wish and will paint in the pupil in the other eye if the wish comes true. In recent years, it has become customary for political candidates to paint in one of the eyes of a large daruma doll at the beginning of an election campaign and paint in the other eye at a special celebration if their campaign is successful. Wishes do not always come true; all candidates are not elected. But it is comforting to have faith in a righteous God of love who is in control of events and who will finally work out all things for a good purpose.

01/05/16  Long and Short Names #1  (Timely Words 0264)

"The long and the short" is a well-known English expression. In fact, it is so often used that one reference book calls it "a hackneyed phrase". "Hackneyed" is defined as "overused and thus cheapened, trite". "The long and the short" means the substance, gist or basic point of something. Today's message, however, is related to long and short names. Of the 190 countries in the United Nations, which one do you think has the longest name in its English form and which ones have the shortest names? There are fifty states in the U.S.A. Among those whose names you know, which ones have the most letters and which ones have the fewest? I will give my answer to these questions in the following message, but I would like to know your opinion about this experiment of posing a question in one message and then supplying the answer in a subsequent message. What do you think about it? You may express your opinion by writing in the "Guestbook" on the homepage or sending me an e-mail directly. I would like to know the reaction of many readers. You may be surprised to know that the original, long name of the third largest city in the U.S.A. was El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Porciuncula. This was the Spanish name given to a settlement on the Pacific Ocean by a Spanish explorer in 1679. In Spanish, it means The Town of Our Lady of the Angels of the Little Portion. In this case, "our Lady" was the Virgin Mary and "the Little Portion" was the name of a Franciscan shrine which was also given to a nearby river. Later, that name was shortened to Los Angeles, which, in Spanish, means "The Angels".

01/05/18  Long and Short Names #2  (Timely Words 0265)

This message contains answers to questions posed in the previous message. If you did not read that message, you may want to read it before reading this one. According to the reference book I have on hand, the country with the longest name in English is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which has 45 letters in its name. In the list, in English, of members of the United Nations, there are ten nations whose unofficial names have only four letters in them. I wonder how many of them you can locate geographically. Their names are Chad, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Mali, Oman, Peru and Togo. There are three states in the U.S.A. which have 13 letters in their names. They are Massachusetts, North Carolina and South Carolina. And the three states with only four letters in their names are Iowa, Ohio and Utah. For your further information, there is only one state whose name is just one syllable. Do you know the name of that state? Known as the Pine Tree State, it is located on the northeastern tip of the country. People who live there probably consider it the main state, for it is the state of Maine. Incidentally, the longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched." In regard to long or short prayers, Jesus taught that short prayers are preferable (Matthew 6:7; Luke 20:40). Please inform me of your reaction to this experiment of posing a question in one message and giving the answer in a subsequent one—along with any other comments or suggestions you have about these messages. You may do so by writing in the Guestbook or sending an e-mail message directly to me.

01/05/21  Happy News  (Timely Words 0266)

If I am at home in the evening, I try to listen to a short-wave radio broadcast in Japanese from 6:00 to 7:00 o'clock (Eastern Daylight Saving Time). That is the regular program of Japanese news which is broadcast in Japan from 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning of the following day. Along with other news, I am informed of the results of sumo matches and baseball games and how major league baseball players from Japan are doing in this country. Recently, the main news story was related to the pregnancy of the crown princess and various ceremonies that will be observed prior to and following the expected birth in late November or early December. The day after listening to that happy news on the radio, our morning newspaper included a major article related to it and the joyful atmosphere in Japan where an heir to the imperial throne is now eagerly anticipated. Princess Masako, a graduate of Harvard University, is 37 years old and married the crown prince about eight years ago. On another page of that same newspaper there was a short, less conspicuous article about a birth that occurred in the American state of Massachusetts. These two articles indicate some differences between Japan and the U.S.A. The 36-year-old mother who gave birth to twin girls the night before is the governor of that state, the country's youngest governor and the first woman in the nation's history to give birth while serving as a state governor. The future of these baby girls is unclear, but if the crown princess gives birth to a girl, there is a rumor that the Japanese Constitution may be changed to permit her to become the empress.

01/05/23  Chickens  (Timely Words 0267)

In the backyard of my childhood home there was a chicken coop. Everyday someone went to that coop to feed the chickens and to collect the eggs. At times, chickens not only provided eggs for our family, they provided the meat as well. Although I enjoyed eating the meat, I did not like to see my father take a hatchet and cut off a chicken's head. There are a number of expressions related to chickens. A person who is timid or afraid may be called "chicken" and both "chicken-hearted" and "chicken-livered" mean cowardly or timid. "Chicken feed" denotes a trifling amount of money. The question "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" is often used to conclude a non-productive exchange of circular reasoning. And as a warning against speaking or acting as if something were already obtained before it actually was, we advise "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched". Regarding the person who is suffering because of his sins or foolish deeds, we may say that "His chickens have come home to roost". A young chicken may be called a "chick", which is also used for the young of other birds and even for a human child or young woman. In the Bible, the only place where chickens or chicks are mentioned is in the words of Jesus as he was approaching the city of Jerusalem, where he would be arrested, tried and executed. Both his disappointment and compassion are reflected in these words in Matthew 23:37: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

01/05/25  "Highs"  (Timely Words 0268)

A common, informal greeting in America is the simple word "hi", spelled h-i. When an e is added to this word, a new word with the same pronunciation is formed. "Hie" means "to go quickly, hasten". When the letters g-h are added, we gain yet a third word with the same pronunciation having a variety of meanings. When speaking of distance, "high" denotes something of great elevation, such as a "high mountain". When speaking of sound, a "high voice" has a shrill, piercing tone. A person who is in a superior position may be called a "high official". One with an exemplary character may be said to have "high morals" but "high treason" is a very serious offense. In regard to price, something expensive is "high" and "high living" is used for a person living in luxury. An intoxicated person may be said to be "high" and an excited person has "high spirits". A "highball" is not a baseball term but a kind of liquor and a "highlight" may denote an outstanding event or occurrence. As a verb, however, "highlight" means "to make prominent, emphasize." When using a computer, we highlight passages we wish to erase or copy. A recent highlight in our lives was the visit of my elder brother and his wife. They drove here on the highway and while they were here we had some high-flown, high-minded conversations. In the Bible, God is said to be "on high" but "he looks upon the lowly" (Psalm 138:6) and according to the word of the Lord found in Isaiah 55:9, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts".

01/05/27  Dining Room Conversations  (Timely Words 0269)

Residents in this retirement community may go to the dining room for any or all of their daily meals, but my wife and I usually eat only our noon meal there. At the dining room tables, which are square, round or oblong, from four to six people sit and eat together. When we enter the dining room, we pick up a table number at the desk. Then we look around to see if there are any open places at tables of those already seated with whom we would like to eat and talk. When the servers, food and drinks are all ready, the person sitting at the desk begins calling table numbers in chronological order. As each number is called, those seated at the table with that number get up, take a tray and form a line which moves along the counter where the food and drinks are served. At least two kinds of main dishes and a variety of salads, vegetables, desserts and drinks are available. After returning to their table, diners hold hands while one of them offers a prayer of thanks. Since residents have served in a variety of interesting positions in many different countries or areas in the United States, stimulating conversations are carried on at every meal. Recently while eating at table #4, I noted that that was considered an unlucky number in Japan. After a man who had served in Costa Rica informed us that among Native Americans an owl was a symbol of bad luck, the man sitting next to me informed us that, according to his daughter-in-law, who is Japanese, in Japan, a cricket was a symbol of good fortune. My wife and I were not aware of this even though we had spent most of our lives in Japan.

01/05/30  Penney Buddies  (Timely Words 0270)

A "bud" is a small swelling on a plant which may develop into a flower. On a tall stalk just outside the window of my study, I can see a couple of pretty red roses and a number of small buds. The expression "nip in the bud" means to stop something at the very beginning. "Bud" is also a slang term for a man or a boy. In this case, it is an abbreviation of "buddy", which may denote a good friend or companion. A "buddy system" is an informal arrangement in which persons are paired for some special purpose and there is a "buddy system" at this Penney Retirement Community. Men and women whose applications for membership have been accepted and who have definite plans to move in are assigned a "Penney Buddy", or a couple of "Penney Buddies", to help them make the move with ease. There are many adjustments to be made by senior citizens when moving into any new community and there are special activities and arrangements here at PRC to which new residents should be introduced. When my wife and I moved here from Japan, our Penney Buddies had been missionaries in Burma who had entered the community a couple of years earlier. Now it is our turn to serve as Penney Buddies to a new couple who previously served in Japan but have now come from Kansas, where the husband has been a seminary professor. Introducing them to facilities, activities, people and customs of this community as well as to shopping places in the surrounding area, we have tried to make them feel at home. Indeed, here we all feel a part of a great, happy family, the "family of God".

01/06/01  Cougars  (Timely Words 0271)

This message was stimulated by a recent newspaper article which bore the title: "Cougar encounters increase in the West". The newspaper was published in the southeastern state of Florida so "the West" in the title denotes the western part of the United States. But it was the word "cougar" that attracted my attention. What is a "cougar", I thought. I don't recall ever seeing a cougar, but the article noted that a lady who lives in a wooded area on the outskirts of a large city in the western state of Oregon saw a cougar come into her yard from the woods. She screamed and stared at the animal, which looked straight back at her and slowly wandered back into the brush. Checking my reference books, I found out that a cougar is a mountain lion. It is also called a "puma". These large wild cats are still found in many places in North and South America. The article noted that there are an estimated 34,000 of them roaming the United States and Canada. They have been mostly eradicated from the eastern states by ranchers and hunters, but in some western states they are protected, so it is illegal to kill them. As western states become more populated, however, encounters with cougars or pumas have increased. Although they usually avoid contact with human beings and seldom attack them, 36 attacks by mountain lions have been reported since 1990, seven of which resulted in the deaths of the human beings. Lions have been called the king of beasts, but according to Ecclesiastes 9:4, "a live dog is better off than a dead lion."

01/06/03  Chiropratic  (Timely Words 0272)

Some people have ideas or dreams of things that are very unrealistic, but if we say that an idea is "practical", it means that it can be put into "practice" and thus be made useful and effective. To "practice" may mean to do something regularly and there is an English proverb that "practice makes perfect". Both "practical" and "practice" are rooted in a Greek word meaning "act" or "do". There are a few English words beginning with the prefix "chiro", derived from a Greek word meaning "hand". "Chiromancy" is the art or practice of telling a person's future by studying the palm of that person's hand, which is also called "palmistry". And "chirography" is a more sophisticated word for "penmanship". When we combine "chiro" and "practic", we get "chiropractic", which denotes doing something with the hand which should be effective. "Chiropractic" is a system of therapy in which small bones in the spinal column or elsewhere are manipulated to ease the pain of a patient. A person who practices chiropractic is called a "chiropractor" and the first chiropractor in the United States began his practice in 1895. Since the residents of this retirement community are all senior citizens, many of them experience back pains and regularly visit chiropractors to get relief. Sometimes the handiwork of the chiropractor is effective, but at other times it is not. We must be careful when choosing the person into whose hands we entrust our bodies, but we may find comfort and assurance in the final words of Jesus before his death, recorded in Luke 23:46: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

01/06/06  To Japan Mission Connection  (Timely Words 0273)

Monday, May 28th, was a holiday in the United States of America. It is called Memorial Day and on that day many people visit a cemetery to pay their respects to relatives, friends and others who have given their lives in the service of their country. At the Penney Retirement Community, a memorial service was held in the Community's cemetery. Before the short meditation, the names of about forty present members of PRC who had served in the Armed Forces were read. In the morning of the following day, my wife and I left in our Toyota Camry for northern Illinois where the Japan Mission Connection was scheduled to be held on a university campus from May 31 to June 3. On our first day of traveling, we drove about 900 kilometers to Nashville, Tennessee. There, we spent the night in a motel. The second night, we stayed in the home of my elder brother in Urbana, Illinois, where he taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Illinois for over forty years. On the following day, we drove to the home of my eldest sister in DeKalb, Illinois, west of Chicago, and had lunch with her. Afterward, driving through heavy rain, we arrived at our destination, north of Chicago, a few minutes before the meeting began. About 120 former missionaries to Japan gathered there for times of stimulating talks, singing, worship, meeting old friends and reminiscing. We personally knew about 80 of those in attendance. I served on a panel that discussed "The Christian Movement in Japan" and also led a Mini-Group on "Japanese Ancestor Worship".

01/06/08  Population Changes  (Timely Words 0274)

Many English words are rooted in, or derived from, words of other languages. The most popular such language is Latin, which is now considered a "dead language" because it is no longer spoken among common people today. The word "popular" is derived from a Latin word meaning "the people". Related words include "popularity", "populous", "populace", "populate" and "population". One hundred and ten years ago, a new political party was organized in the United States of America called the Populist Party which sought to represent the populace, meaning the common people, especially farmers and laborers, but it was not successful. "Population" denotes the total number of people living in a specified area. In many countries in the world today, a regular census is taken to determine the population of that country and to note how it changes. The U.S. Census Bureau has indicated that the population of the U.S.A. is now more than 281 million, which makes it the third most populous country in the world, following China and India. What is of special interest is the fact that the 32.7 million increase in population between 1990 and 2000 was greater than in any other 10-year period in American history. In China, there are laws which limit the number of children in a family and in Japan, the number of births has declined without legal restrictions, but immigration into the United States continues to be popular and increases the population. It should be remembered, however, that it is not only the number of people but their quality and character that is important.

01/06/11  Dimples and Ridges  (Timely Words 0275)

On the faces of some people, dimples appear when they smile. Dimples make faces more attractive and, in some cases, make attractive faces beautiful. A "dimple" is a small, natural indentation in the flesh on a part of the human body, especially in a cheek. A "cheek", of course, is that part of the face below the eye and between the nose and the ear. We may also call a slight depression in the surface of anything a "dimple". If you look closely at a golf ball, for example, you will see that it has many "dimples" on it. Can you guess how many there are? I have not counted them myself so I cannot verify it, but I read that there are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. I cannot imagine someone taking the time to accurately count all of those dimples. Nor can I imagine someone counting the ridges around the edge of a coin. A "ridge" is a long, narrow section of something. Some coins have ridges around their edges, including American silver dollars, half dollars, quarters and dimes. A dime is a silver coin that is equal to one-tenth of a dollar, or ten cents. The phrase "a dime a dozen" denotes something easily obtainable and thus considered cheap. In my childhood days, a "dime store" was a store where a wide variety of low-priced articles were sold, many for five or ten cents, but nowadays, low-priced articles may be found in what is called a "dollar shop". Again, I cannot verify the statement I have read that a dime has 118 ridges around its edge. The coins in use in Palestine in Jesus' day included the Jewish shekel, noted in Matthew 17:27, and the Roman denarius, noted in Matthew 22:19.

01/06/13  Sophomores  (Timely Words 0276)

At most colleges and universities, it requires four years of study to graduate and there are different words to indicate which year of study a student is in. A first-year student is called a "freshman", for that student is still "fresh". A fourth-year student is called a "senior", indicating a superior rank. If there is a "senior", there must also be a "junior" and that is the name given to a third-year student. The most interesting class name, however, is for second-year students. They are called "sophomores". This word is a combination of two Greek words with opposite meanings. "Sophos" is the Greek word for "wisdom" and "moros" is the Greek word for "foolish". The implication, therefore, is that a "sophomore" is a person who may be both wise and foolish, a person who is "on the way up". This term could apply to most people, whether students or not. Do not all of us have times when we appear to be quite "sophisticated" while at other times we seem quite "moronic"? A scholar or thinker may be called a "sophist", but "moron" denotes a mentally retarded person or one who is stupid. Thus, we may consider the word "sophomore", signifying a "wise fool", a kind of "oxymoron", which is an expression in which contradictory terms are combined. Most of us may go through life in a sophomoric mood, but it is preferable to maintain the spirit of a "freshman" even as we approach the rank of "senior citizen", remembering the advice found in Proverbs 16:16 that it is better to get wisdom and understanding than to get gold or silver.

01/06/15  Former Missionary Gathering  (Timely Words 0277)

The University of St. Mary of the Lake is located northeast of Chicago on a beautiful campus which includes a pretty lake. The Center for Development in Ministry, related to this university, was the place where the gathering of former missionaries to Japan was held that my wife and I attended the first couple days of June. After two days of driving almost 2000 kilometers from our residence in Florida, we arrived shortly before the conference began. We were happy to meet and talk with former missionary friends we had known in Japan, some of whom we had not seen for many years. One couple who had also served in the Nagoya area now lives in a house very close to the meeting place. They invited us and a couple of other former Nagoya area missionaries to their home during a free period. At general sessions, our attention was focused on "The Christian Movement in Japan" and the "Ainu". During "mini group" sessions various specific topics were considered. The only "outside" speaker was the young Japanese lady who serves as Japanese Vice Consul in Chicago. We enjoyed the worship services and times of fun and fellowship along with the meal times when we talked with friends while we ate. On the last day, a Sunday, the final meeting ended earlier than scheduled, so instead of staying for lunch, we hurried away and were able to get to the church in my hometown, about 20 kilometers away, before the end of the worship service there. Following that service, we were able to meet many friends and then went to the home of my sister who continues to live in that town.

01/06/18  Trip  (Timely Words 0278)

One meaning of "trip" is to stumble or to cause another person to stumble. If we look carefully as we walk, we can avoid tripping and we should also try to avoid tripping others. This is also true in relation to our "journey" through life. If we can go through life without "tripping" in a moral or spiritual sense or causing others to "trip", we will be very happy. In another sense, "trip" is a synonym of "journey". My wife and I are now back in Florida, following our two-week trip that totaled almost 4600 kilometers, while passing through twelve different states. The trip was made in the 1993 Toyota Camry we purchased second-hand after our arrival here in 1999 and, since my wife does not feel confident about driving in this country, I did the driving. Most of the time we used interstate highways on which there are no traffic lights or stop signs and where the speed limits are high. To get gasoline or food, however, it is necessary to get off of the interstate highway. We chose routes to and from the conference in the Chicago area so that we could stop and visit each of my five siblings and a couple of other friends along the way. While driving such a long distance, we may spend time talking or listening to the radio, but we both enjoy listening to a variety of tapes. Some of the tapes are musical. Others include lectures or sermons of famous scholars or ministers. But those we especially enjoy include the voices of our parents or of our children many years ago. Listening to these tapes and stopping to spend time with my brother and four sisters plus a couple of others made this an especially enjoyable trip.

01/06/20  Death Penalty  (Timely Words 0279)

When used as a noun, "capital" may denote the city where the official offices of a government are located. It may also denote wealth in the form of money or property. And it may even mean simply a capital letter. When used as an adjective, however, it signifies something of great importance or very serious. "Capital punishment" means killing a person to punish that person for a crime he or she had committed. Recently, in the United States, amidst great publicity, a criminal was executed, put to death, killed, by the federal government because he had blown up a federal building and caused the deaths of many men, women and children. There was no question about the guilt of this person and the heinous nature of his crime was recognized by all. Nevertheless, because of the widespread interest in this particular case over a number of years, questions about the legitimacy of the death penalty itself are again being raised. Along with the question of its legitimacy are questions related to the fairness of its application. The so-called "law of retaliation" ("an eye for an eye, a life for a life") seems logical and is included in the Old Testament as an important concept of justice (Deuteronomy 19:21). In the New Testament, however, Jesus' teaching had a different emphasis that superseded the Old Testament law (Matthew 5:38-48). And the one time when he was faced with the question of whether to approve of the death penalty prescribed in the Old Testament, he refused to do so (John 8:1-11). It is well for us to again seriously consider the various aspects of this moral issue.

01/06/24  Nuts  (Timely Words 0280)

The theme of today's message is "nuts." There are a number of different meanings of this word, not all of which will be noted in this message. One kind of "nut" is a small block of metal with a threaded hole in the center for screwing onto a bolt. This kind of "nut" is used by carpenters and others to connect things together. In colloquial English, a queer, foolish or eccentric person may also be called a "nut" as well as a person who is very enthusiastic about something. These days there are an increasing number of computer "nuts." The more common meaning of "nut," however, is the small, hard, dry kernel, or fruit, produced by various trees or bushes. Such nuts are eaten by birds and animals and provide nutritious additions to the diet of human beings as well. Most nuts have a high content of oil as well as ample amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. The fruit of the large oak tree is a tiny acorn. Other common nuts that are used in baking or as snacks include chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, pecans and walnuts. Peanuts are grown on a vine and ripen in seed pods underground. There are many uses of peanuts; it is even one of the ingredients of dynamite. In English slang, "peanuts" denotes a small, insignificant amount of money. I will close with a couple of encouraging rhymes for your consideration related to acorns. "Large streams from little fountains flow, Tall oaks from little acorns grow." So, "don't worry if your job is small and your rewards are few. Remember that the mighty oak was once a nut like you."

01/06/27  A New Psaltery  (Timely Words 0281)

Two years ago, when my wife and I celebrated our golden wedding anniversary, my brother and sister-in-law gave us a couple of blue T-shirts with our first names printed in small, gold letters on the front and the words "50 YEARS OF HAPPINESS" printed in large gold letters in the shape of a circle on the back. We wore them when we visited Disney World with our son and granddaughter on our anniversary and were given special consideration by park attendants. Many people greeted us with their congratulations also. Since then, we had a "plus" sign added after the number "50" to more accurately reflect our present situation. We wore them again recently when we visited the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in northern Florida on our 52nd wedding anniversary. In her childhood, my wife had been informed by her father that she was a distant relative of this famous songwriter, so we had a special interest in the life and work of this man. The Folk Culture Center is located about 110 kilometers from our retirement community along the Suwannee River which became famous because of a Foster song which became the State Song of Florida. In the Craft Center of that park, we met a craftsman who constructs psalteries and harps. A "psaltery" is an ancient stringed musical instrument which is noted in the Old Testament book of Psalms. In some modern versions, it is translated "lyre", but we bought one for my wife and she will now begin making music on it to "praise the Lord" as the Psalmist commands (in Psalm 150:3 and elsewhere).

01/06/29  Dinners and Diners  (Timely Words 0282)

It is customary for citizens of prosperous countries to eat three meals a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. The morning meal is called "breakfast", for at that time the "fast" which continued throughout the night is "broken". The main meal of the day is called "dinner." If it is taken in the evening, then the noon meal is called "lunch". If dinner is taken at noontime, then the evening meal is called "supper". The verb "to dine" means "to eat dinner" and people who dine may be called "diners." But there are two other meanings of "diner". The railroad car in which meals are served is one kind of "diner" and a restaurant with a long counter and booths that originally resembled such a railroad car is another kind of "diner." Before the proliferation of fast food restaurants, there were many such diners in the United States and many people enjoyed eating at these diners. According to a news article, the American Diner Museum recently held its fifth annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reported an increase in the number of diners in operation today. According to the report, there were 6,000 diners in the U.S.A. in the 1950s, but there are only about 2,500 today. However, there is a renewed interest in diners at present and even some well-known fast food restaurants are remodeling their restaurants to look like diners. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14, verses 1-14, there is a story of Jesus having dinner at the house of a prominent religious leader followed by the teaching he gave after observing how the diners acted and his advice about whom to invite to such dinners.

01/07/01  Sunday Morning Worship  (Timely Words 0283)

In most Protestant Churches in the United States of America, there is an ordained minister who regularly preaches the sermon at the worship services on Sunday mornings. In larger churches, this senior pastor is assisted by a pastoral staff, one or more of whom may also share in the Sunday morning preaching at regular or irregular intervals. Church members have other responsibilities related to the worship services. The majority of residents of the Penney Retirement Community here in Penney Farms, Florida are retired ministers, missionaries or church workers from over two dozen different denominations. Until their retirement, most of them were actively involved in preaching, teaching or ministering in other ways on Sunday mornings. Now we take our turns at a variety of tasks related to the worship services at the single church in the center of this community, whether preaching, leading the service or ushering. Every Sunday morning, there is a different preacher, who may have a different theological viewpoint or Biblical interpretation and come from a different church tradition than the preacher at the previous worship service. Preachers choose their own worship service leaders to assist them, but the ushers, who greet worshippers and hand out the Order of Worship at the entrance, take the offering and serve communion on Communion Sundays, are selected differently. We are happy to voluntarily fulfill the responsibilities given to us and thoroughly enjoy the variety of backgrounds that are represented in this enlarged Christian "family".

01/07/04  Manatees  (Timely Words 0284)

Reading a recent newspaper headline, "New manatee rules too restrictive", I wondered "what is a 'manatee'?" for I did not know the meaning of that word. Checking a couple of reference books, I found a couple of surprising facts. First, another name for a manatee is "sea cow". Although we often see cows in pastures near our retirement community, I did not know that there were "sea cows". Second, while looking up this term in the dictionary, I found other marine animals called "sea horse", "sea dog", "sea lion" and "sea elephant". I presume they were given such names because of resemblances to the land animals with those names. The article stated that there are an estimated 3,200 manatees in the world today, about 2,500 of which are in the U.S. state of Florida. The average adult manatee is two to three-and-a-half meters long and weighs about 500 kilograms. They are the only marine mammals that feed exclusively on vegetation and they must surface for air every fifteen or twenty minutes. They tend to stay in shallow, slow-moving rivers or bays, but because they are considered an endangered species, there are rules regulating the speed of boats in waters where they are found for there have been many injuries or killings that resulted from their being hit by speeding boats. Boaters complain that the rules are too restrictive. This is another example of the need to make a difficult choice between protecting an endangered species or the environment and human enjoyment or convenience. When establishing priorities, we must consider not only the present but future generations as well.

01/07/06  Interdependence Day  (Timely Words 0285)

The main patriotic festival in the United States of America is celebrated yearly on the 4th of July. This holiday, called Independence Day, commemorates the approval of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain by representatives of the American colonies on July 4, 1776. Special observances are held on this day in communities throughout the land. In this retirement community in Florida, the day began with a Flag Raising Ceremony at the main entrance. Along with the flag raising and the Pledge of Allegiance, patriotic songs were sung and a prayer was offered before the short meditation. This year, I was asked to give the meditation which I titled "Interdependence Day". I explained that, because I had spent most of my life outside the United States in a foreign land, my view of my homeland and its history may be peculiar. I contrasted the American emphasis on "independence" with the Japanese emphasis on "dependence" and suggested that a combination of these two qualities, "interdependence", would be preferable. I also questioned whether the ideal of "one out of many", expressed in the Latin phrase, "e pluribus unum," on the Great Seal of the United States, has actually been achieved. In theory, this is "one" nation, but there are still many divisions among its citizens, some of which are fostered by an independent spirit which ought to become more interdependent. Many Native Americans, descendants of slaves and immigrants from other nations and cultures are still not truly part of the "union," or "one nation," so we must continue our efforts to make the ideal a reality.

01/07/08  "Grand" and "Great"  (Timely Words 0286)

Usually, the adjectives "grand" and "great" denote something or someone that is higher in rank, more important or more impressive than others. In the United States, there are natural features of the country which are called the Grand Canyon and the Great Lakes, and in China, there is a long stone wall constructed hundreds of years ago that is called the Great Wall. When used in a combination form relating to family relationships, however, these words signify an older or younger generation. The father of one's father or mother, for example, is called one's grandfather and the father of one's grandfather is one's great-grandfather. Each additional generation may be indicated by adding a "great" to the previous designation. Thus, the grandfather of my great-grandfather is my great-great-great-grandfather. Going in the opposite direction, the daughter of one's child is one's granddaughter, a granddaughter's daughter is one's great-granddaughter and the son of one's great-granddaughter is one's great-great-grandson. In the case of uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, however, "great" and "grand" have the same meaning. Thus "great-uncle" and "granduncle" are synonyms, as are "great-aunt" and "grandaunt". They denote brothers or sisters of one's grandparents. Likewise, "great-nephew" or "grandnephew" and "great-niece" or "grandniece" are the sons or daughters of one's nephews or nieces. My wife and I are now enjoying the visit of our three granddaughters, two from Japan and one from New Mexico who will be with us here for the whole month of July.

01/07/11  Peculiar Solarium Program  (Timely Words 0287)

The meeting room in the nursing home of this retirement community has large glass windows on three sides. It is called the Solarium and, on sunny days in particular, it is bright and warm. Regular programs are held in the Solarium for those residents who are able to attend and are interested in the type and content of the program. Some residents are pushed to the meeting room in wheelchairs; others use walkers or a cane. Only a few are able to walk to the Solarium normally. My wife and I were asked to prepare a program for the second Monday afternoon in July. Since our son and three granddaughters were visiting us at that time, we decided to have them take part in the program for the residents do not often see young people and enjoy having contact with them. In the program, first, I explained the different uses of "great" and "grand" (as noted in my previous message) and told them of our joy in having our granddaughters and our grand son visit us. When introducing our son, I showed articles from Japanese newspapers 34 years ago which described his work as a newspaper boy in Japan, where it was extraordinary for an American boy to deliver daily newspapers—both early in the morning and after returning from school in the late afternoon. Our granddaughters then presented an interesting skit which they had prepared over the previous couple of days. Then my wife, for the first time in public, played a well-known hymn on her new psaltery, on which music is produced using a bow rather than the usual plectrum. Those is attendance seemed to enjoy that peculiar program.

01/07/13  P.E.T. Vehicles  (Timely Words 0288)

Many of the residents of Penney Retirement Community have served as missionaries in foreign lands. One particular couple had a unique ministry in various African countries. Along with their concern for the moral and spiritual state of the people, they were also concerned about their physical, social and economic condition. Following the military advances and withdrawals of numerous armed forces, countless land mines were left buried underground. Many common people, including children, lost their legs as a result of stepping on those explosive devices. To aid in the rehabilitation of such unfortunate ones, a special vehicle was constructed which they could easily use. Called P.E.T., for Personal Energy Transportation, the simple, three-wheeled vehicle has a wooden seat and a small space behind the seat for carrying something. In front of the driver is a sprocket wheel whose chain is attached to the front wheel below. The vehicle is powered by the driver, whose hands turn the sprocket causing the front wheel to go forward or backward. It is thus suitable for those who have lost their legs or are unable to use them. This resident has now opened a shop, assisted by other residents in this community, where such P.E.T. vehicles are constructed and then sent to countries where they are needed. While our granddaughters are visiting us, he has loaned us three such vehicles for them to use as recreational vehicles and to go for short rides around the campus here. This is a fitting illustration of the fine, familial atmosphere of this retirement community.

01/07/15  Granddaughters Visit  (Timely Words 0289)

When we invited our three granddaughters, ages 15, 13 and 11, to visit us in this retirement community for the entire month of July, we knew we had to make plans to effectively and meaningfully utilize the time they would be here. There are very few activities in a community of senior citizens (who used to be called "old people") that would appeal to young girls, especially during the summertime when many residents have gone on trips to cooler places. There were three special projects we had in mind for them. First, we planned to take them on short trips to a couple of places: one of historic interest and the other of spectacular enjoyment. St. Augustine, about an hour's drive from here, is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in North America and Walt Disney World and the surrounding area, which is about three hours away, is a place where many kinds of educational and enjoyable adventures may be experienced. Second, we enrolled them in the Summer Arts Workshop which is held for one week in this community for young people in the surrounding area aged 12 to 15. The variety of classes, taught by residents here, include music, drama, art, creative writing, line dancing, woodworking and other crafts, a variety of sports and a mystery hour which differs each day. Finally, they were also enrolled for a week in a church camp with other young people their age a couple of hours away from this retirement community. The trips were completed while our elder son was also with us and we were able to borrow another resident's car to enable the six of us to ride together.

01/07/18  Jigsaw Puzzle  (Timely Words 0290)

Many residents in this retirement community engage in some form of regular exercise to keep their bodies in good condition. Some of them go swimming in the natatorium, the indoor swimming pool. Others play golf on the golf course, tennis on the tennis courts or shuffleboard on the shuffleboard courts. Some make regular visits to the Fitness Center, where there are a number of exercise machines. Others make it a practice to walk or ride a bicycle for a certain distance everyday. And a few energetic ones go jogging. One meaning of "jog" is to give a little shake, shove or jerk to something, but in this case it means to run at a steady slow trot. If the "o" in that short word is replaced by an "i", the word is changed to "jig", which may mean a fast, springy, lively dance. But another meaning of "jig" is a device used for guiding a tool or for holding machine work in place. And a "jigsaw" is a saw with a narrow blade set in a frame, used with a vertical motion for cutting along wavy or irregular lines. A "jigsaw puzzle" is a puzzle consisting of many irregularly shaped pieces of cardboard, plastic or wood which form a picture when fitted together. I presume that, originally, the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were cut with a jigsaw. While our granddaughters are visiting us, we have a large jigsaw puzzle with over 1000 pieces in the process of being put together on a board in the corner of a room. Whenever one of us feels the urge to do so, we fit a few pieces together while looking at a small copy of the picture which we are reproducing. This is one of the special amusements we are enjoying during their visit.

01/07/21  Cremated Remains  (Timely Words 0291)

One of my volunteer activities at this retirement community is to join a group of men who work in the community's cemetery for two hours on Monday mornings. There, we keep the grass mowed, the bushes trimmed and the memorial plaques in good condition. There are no monuments above ground in that cemetery. All the flat memorial plaques, or grave markers, are level with the ground, which makes mowing the grass with gasoline-powered mowers very easy. Most of the graves mark the place where a body was interred, but in some smaller plots, an urn containing cremated ashes is buried. As Americans become more transient, the number of cremations is increasing. Last year there were about 400,000 compared to 5,000 a decade ago and the Cremation Association of North America predicts that in 20 years half of all corpses will be cremated. Not all of the ashes of those cremated are buried in the ground. Some bereaved mourners are devising more meaningful ways to memorialize departed loved ones. Some ashes have been put into art objects, added to paintings and sparkling designer glassware or put into jewelry. The ashes of one young basketball player were inserted into a miniature basketball and placed on a wooden base. In such cases, whenever such items are seen or used, the loved one may be remembered. How to meaningfully memorialize departed loved ones is related to both the character and desire of the departed and that of those left behind, but manifesting some good influence the departed had in the life of the bereaved may be the most significant memorial.

01/07/23  Summer Arts Workshop  (Timely Words 0292)

Public Schools in the United States of America are on vacation during the months of July and August and it has become the custom of the Penney Retirement Community to conduct a Summer Arts Workshop for young people in the surrounding area during that time. Many residents here are well qualified to give instruction in various fields and are happy to do so. This year, the workshop was held from July 16-20 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Each day was divided into 7 periods, including a lunch hour. Classes were held in different locations on the campus, so time was required to walk from one location to another between periods. The number of students, aged 12-15, was limited, but children of employees and grandchildren of residents were permitted to attend. Our three granddaughters came from the most distant places and I think the one from New Mexico, who will become 12 in October, was the youngest student and one of the two from Japan, who will become 16 on August 1st, was the oldest. On the evening of the final day, a program was held in the meeting hall for parents and residents at which the students demonstrated what they had learned during the week. Sketches, paintings, photographs and handiwork were displayed. Creative essays were read. Songs were sung. A drama was performed. Speeches and reports were made. All of these things represented the results of their study during the week. New friendships were also established so the results of the Summer Arts Workshop will be long-lasting. Human relationships are an important element in meaningful education.

01/07/25  Dumbbells  (Timely Words 0293)

Regular physical exercise is important to keep one's body healthy and in good condition. During my years of service in Japan, it was my custom to play tennis for a couple of hours on Monday mornings with friends. Now that I am retired and living in a retirement community in Florida, I try to play tennis for a couple of hours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with other residents who are about my age or older. And now, I am beginning another kind of exercise that can be done at home, using weights. A weight consisting of a short bar with a metal ball or disk at each end is called a "dumbbell". Making use of dumbbells, a person may develop or maintain firm, strong muscles that improve one's strength and stamina. Literally, "dumb" means "lacking the power of speech" and a person who is without the power of speech may also be called a "mute". In informal speech, however, "dumb" means "stupid" and, in American slang, "dumbbell" means "a dull, stupid person". Recently, when I went to a large shopping center to purchase a pair of weights, I stopped at a counter in the sporting goods department and told the two female clerks there that I was looking for "a couple of dumbbells". They informed of the place where I could find them and then began laughing as I went away. I understood the reason for their laughter because these two young women themselves might be called "dumbbells" by some people. Matthew 9:32-33 relates a story of Jesus healing a man who was dumb and the prophetic picture of Jesus himself, in Isaiah 53:7, compares him to a lamb that is dumb before its shearers.

01/07/27  Bugs/Mosquitoes  (Timely Words 0294)

There are a number of different kinds of "bugs", not all of which are, or were, living things. We may say that a machine has a "bug". In that case, the word denotes some defect in the mechanical or electrical system. We may also call a person who is fond of or addicted to something a "bug"; a person whose hobby is photography, for example, may be called a "shutter-bug". But this word is most often used to denote a crawling or flying insect or a microscopic organism that causes disease. In this southeastern part of the U.S.A., there is concern about serious diseases that are spread by mosquitoes so health departments are spraying certain areas to try to eliminate these bothersome bugs. According to a reference book, it is the female mosquito that is able to pierce the skin and suck the blood of a mammal. I have always been amazed at the ability of such a tiny, frail insect with such a small proboscis to push it through the skin of a human being and suck blood up through it. I have often wondered how such an insect evolved or why it was created. Among the serious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are malaria, yellow fever and encephalitis. My wife often complains about the mosquitoes when she goes out to work in the flower garden in the early evening. Obviously, she is more attractive, both to mosquitoes and to people, than I am. In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, chapter 30, verses 24-26, our attention is directed toward small creatures from which we may learn, so we may be able to learn something, even from mosquitoes.

01/07/29  Slurping Noodles  (Timely Words 0295)

The diet and eating habits of people are related to the location, the climate and the traditional customs of their area. In Japan, the staple food is rice, cooked in such a way that it can be easily picked up with chopsticks. Rice is usually served at all Japanese meals, but, sometimes, noodles may take the place of rice. Japanese noodles are long, narrow strips of dried dough made from wheat flour. A special kind of noodles, called "soba", are made from buckwheat flour and, in Japanese tradition, "soba" is eaten especially on New Year's Eve. In a recent newspaper article, it was noted that most Japanese over 40 were taught that slurping, loud and long, was the polite way to eat hot noodles but the younger generation is following American manners without slurping. Reading the article, I was reminded of a question asked by the lady who interviewed me on a national Japanese television program some years ago. Viewers were encouraged to write or call for the gift being offered that week, which was a box of "soba". The interviewer asked me if I ate noodles and I replied that I did. She then asked if I made a loud slurping noise when I ate them and I replied that I did not, that I ate them quietly in the American way. Now, I find that slurping or not slurping has become the sign of a generation gap in Japan and am reminded of the great influence the West has had upon Japanese life. Now that we live in a "global village", we must decide what elements in our traditions are very important and must be kept and which are not so important and can be discarded or changed.

01/08/01  Names of Months  (Timely Words 0296)

The word "calendar" comes from a Latin word meaning "account book". In the old Roman calendar, there were ten months in a year, but according to the Gregorian calendar used in most countries today, there are twelve months. Seven of those months (the first, third, fifth, seventh, eighth, tenth and twelfth) have 31 days. Four months (the fourth, sixth, ninth and eleventh) have thirty days and one month (the second) has twenty-eight days except in leap years, when it has twenty-nine. Thus, there are 365 days in a normal year, but 366 days in leap years. This corresponds to the time it takes for the earth to make one rotation around the sun. In old Japan, each of the months had a descriptive name related to that time of year, but in modern Japanese, the months are simply identified by numbers, from the first month to the twelfth. Likewise, in ancient Rome, the names of the months were related to numbers, which are reflected in the English names of the months from September to December. The prefixes "sept", "oct", "nov" and "dec" are used for words derived from Latin for the numbers seven, eight, nine and ten. Even after two new months were added at the beginning of the year in the Roman calendar, the subsequent months kept their old names. The old fifth and sixth months, however, were renamed for the Roman leaders, Julius Caesar and Augustus. That is how July and August got their names. Incidentally, both of those names are found in the classical English translation of the New Testament book of The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27, verse 1.

01/08/03  End of Granddaughters' Visit  (Timely Words 0297)

This year, as the month named for Julius Caesar ended and the month named for Augustus began, my wife and I began feeling more relaxed and a bit lonely. During the entire month of July, our three granddaughters, aged 15, 13 and 11 were visiting us. The two older ones came by themselves from Japan; the younger one from New Mexico was accompanied by her father who remained with us for almost two weeks. Since these cousins do not see each other very often, they had a good time together and injected a youthful element into the more sedate atmosphere of this retirement community. On the last day of July, the girls were scheduled to leave from Jacksonville. We arrived at the airport in a heavy rain which complicated our entry. Each of them had an extra piece of baggage full of items which had been purchased here to take back to their family and friends. They also were scheduled to change planes at one place enroute to their destination. An extra fee was charged to have an airline attendant take them to their seats, lead them to the right gate and airplane at the transfer point and to verify the identification of the person who came to meet them at their destination. Since the girls headed for Japan by way of Detroit were scheduled to leave at 12:00 noon and the one headed for New Mexico by way of Houston was scheduled to leave from a different gate at 12:35, my wife and I had to rush from one gate to the other to see them off after they had been checked in earlier. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit, but realize the reason why children are given to young parents rather than grandparents.

01/08/05  Using Animals as Verbs  (Timely Words 0298)

As I look out the window of my study and see the squirrels run around the yard and up and down a tree, I am reminded that the words used for certain animals may also be used as verbs. Some squirrels store their food for winter in holes in the ground, so when "squirrel," is used as a verb, it means to store, to put aside for future use. Both "dog" and "cat" may also be used as verbs. As a verb, "dog" means to follow, to track or trail persistently. A "hound" is a certain kind of dog and when used as a verb, it means to pursue relentlessly or to urge insistently. The beam projecting outward from the bow of a ship and used as a support to lift the anchor is called a "cathead" and when "cat" is used as a verb, it means to hoist an anchor to the cathead. To "cow" someone means to frighten with threats or a show of force and to "horse around" means to engage in rowdy, rough play. A "pony" is a small horse, but it is also used for a word-for-word translation of a foreign language text, especially one used secretly by students. So when used as a verb, "pony" means to prepare lessons with a pony. To "badger" means to pester or nag and "chicken" means to act in a cowardly manner, to lose one's nerve. As a verb, "monkey" means to play with something idly or to behave in a mischievous manner. A person who "wolfs" food, eats voraciously and a person who "hawks" may be simply clearing his throat or shouting about the goods he is selling along the street. Alert minds can learn from observing nature and the activities of other creatures. Jesus told people to look at the birds and to learn from them (Matthew 6:26).

01/08/08  Cadet/Cad/Caddie  (Timely Words 0299)

Among various English words that are rooted in the Latin word for "head" is "cadet", which entered English through French. In French, it meant "little head" and, in English, it was first applied to younger sons of noble families. Now, it signifies a student at a military school who is in training to become an officer. When the word is shortened to "cad", it originally was used for servants but now is applied to an ill-mannered man or boy whose behavior is not gentlemanly. Fortunately, most "caddies" are not "cads". "Caddie" was used in Scotland to denote a boy hired to do odd jobs, an errand boy, but in modern English it denotes the attendant to a golfer, the one who carries his clubs. Some caddies of professional golfers, who have served as such for many years and are well acquainted with the golfers, do more than carry the golf clubs. They also give advice regarding which club to use and how to make the most efficient use of it. Some professional golfers rely to a great extent on the advice of their caddie, who may be considered the golfer's friend, advisor and psychiatrist as well as his employee. Although golf is a popular game among many businessmen and politicians in Japan, I was not attracted to it because it was too expensive, required too much land in that country where land should be put to better use and did not stimulate vigorous exercise. I preferred tennis. Whether one plays golf, tennis or any other sport, however, the words of II Timothy 2:5 are relevant: "if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules."