02/12/11  (In)Famous Days  (Timely Words 0500)

"Fame" denotes great reputation and public esteem. Those judged outstanding in a sport or profession are sometimes honored by being included in a "Hall of Fame" and the birthdays of famous, reigning monarchs may be designated holidays. Last week, we received a phone call from our daughter in Thailand who enjoyed the holiday on the King's birthday, which is the same day as my wife's. Our Japanese daughter-in-law shares her birthday with George Washington, the first president of the U.S.A., which is a holiday in some states in this country. This month, Japan will celebrate the birthday of the Emperor two days before Christmas, the day we commemorate the birth of Jesus. The opposite of "famous" is "infamous" and who or what are considered "famous" or "infamous" depends on one's perspective. In Japan, newspapers and radio and television broadcasts regularly note that August 6th and 9th were infamous days when atomic bombs, dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens. In the United States of America, on the other hand, December 7th is remembered as Pearl Harbor Day, the day that Japanese airplanes attacked naval vessels in Pearl Harbor, causing over 2,000 deaths of sailors, soldiers, marines and civilians. The day after that attack, President Roosevelt, appearing before a joint session of Congress, declared that December 7 was "a date which will live in infamy." What is "famous" or "infamous" depends on one's perspective and let us work and pray to avoid any such "famous" or "infamous" days occurring in our day.

02/12/14  Longfellow and Hiawatha (Poetic License)  (Timely Words 0501)

The reason for the surnames of some residents in this retirement community is easy to imagine. The occupation of an ancestor was probably the reason for the surnames of Cook, Smith, Baker, Mason, Miller and Porter, but it is difficult to imagine the reason for the surname of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the famous American poet. I recall a humorous saying of long ago: "He's a poet but he doesn't know it. His feet show it. They're 'long fellows.'" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, born in 1807, professor at Harvard from 1836 to 1854, is remembered especially for his unique, long narrative poems. One such poem, "The Song of Hiawatha," written in 1855, contains these lines:

Ye whose hearts are fresh and simple,
Who have faith in God and Nature,
Who believe that in all ages
Every human heart is human,
That in even savage bosoms,
There are longings, burnings, strivings
For the good they comprehend not,
That the feeble hands and helpless,
Groping blindly in the darkness,
Touch God's right hand in that darkness
And are lifted up and strengthened;
Listen to this simple story,
To this Song of Hiawatha.

02/12/15  Creche  (Timely Words 0502)

As we approach the celebration of Christmas, we may hear Christmas carols being sung in many shops and stores where people are shopping for Christmas gifts. We also may see many Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees and lights. One of the common Christmas decorations is called a "creche," one of the few English words that is written with an accent mark. Although of Germanic origin, this word entered English through French and denotes a representation of the baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by the figures of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals and Magi. This Nativity scene is derived from the stories of Jesus' birth found in the 2nd chapters of the Gospels according to Luke and to Matthew. In the story in Luke, Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem when Joseph went there to register for a census. Because there was no room for them in the inn, the infant son of Mary was laid in a manger, which is a box filled with straw for animals to eat. When an angel appeared to shepherds in a field caring for their sheep at night and informed them of the birth of this Savior, the sign given to them was "a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12). According to the story in Matthew, the Magi, who came from the east to worship this newborn "King of the Jews," found him in a "house" with his mother (Matthew 2:11), so they arrived at a different time, but in the "creche" the shepherds and Magi are together in front of the manger. The scene with lowly local shepherds and foreign dignitaries worshipping a baby in a manger may stimulate many thoughts related to the deep meaning of Jesus' birth.

02/12/18  The P. E. T. Shop  (Timely Words 0503)

In a building adjacent to this Penney Retirement Community there are many different kinds of machines and tools, metal frames and strips of wood, buckets of paint and large cardboard boxes. This building is called the P. E. T. Shop and "P. E. T." stands for "Personal Energy Transportation." In this shop, simple three-wheeled vehicles are constructed for the use of persons who have lost the use of their legs after stepping on land mines buried in the ground or for other reasons. These vehicles have a wooden seat with a small, open space behind for carrying things. In front of the seat is a sprocket with handlebars and a chain 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. In this shop, strips of metal and wood are cut to the proper lengths, holes are drilled in them and they are bolted together. The frames are painted and then packed with three rugged wheels, a sprocket and a chain to be shipped overseas to countries where they are needed. This vehicle is the creation of a resident of this retirement community who was formerly a missionary in African countries where there were many victims of land mines and the shop is staffed by residents of the community. I am usually given the job of painting on the days I work there. I find it a very meaningful volunteer activity and interested readers may learn more about this P. E. T. Shop by viewing its webpage: http://www.petflorida.org. This is one of many volunteer activities which keep the "retired" members of this community busy.

02/12/20  Parables and Legends  (Timely Words 0504)

The Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida where my wife and I live is a Christian community where many pastors, missionaries and other church workers have retired. At the weekly worship services at the church in the center of the community, preachers come from many different denominations and traditions. Thus, many different viewpoints are expressed in varied styles of sermons and different forms of worship are followed. A recent sermon was in the form of a story, which I called a "parable," but when I spoke with the preacher later, he called it a "legend." This prompted my interest regarding the difference between these two words. Jesus is known for his use of parables, which are "simple stories illustrating a moral or religious truth." His listeners were common folk who were able to comprehend important spiritual truths through his stories which were related to everyday life. A "legend" is "an unverified popular story handed down from earlier times" or "a romanticized or popularized myth of modern times." The preacher of the sermon in question had studied the legends of Native Americans and had composed a legend of his own to illustrate certain spiritual truths. It was related to a shepherd boy left behind by his comrades who had gone to find the newborn child laying in a manger, according to the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The preacher's sermon could be called either a "parable" or a "legend" for it communicated spiritual truth through the interesting story which may be the case of many other popular legends as well.

02/12/23  Xmas  (Timely Words 0505)

It is not only in so-called Christian countries that this period preceding Christmas is a busy time. As the end of the civil year approaches, many matters require attention and the traditional name of this 12th month in Japanese literally means "Teacher Run." In Japan also, Christmas decorations and music are seen and heard in shopping areas as businessmen seek to take advantage of Western customs and encourage shoppers to buy Christmas presents. In Japan, it is common to use the term "Xmas" rather than "Christmas" and there are many more representations of Santa Claus than of Jesus Christ, whose birth is being celebrated at Christmas. Because "X" is sometimes used to denote "an unknown or unnamed factor, thing, or person," some people may presume that the term "Xmas" was created to take Christ out of Christmas. However, that is not the case. The letter X, the 24th letter in the English alphabet and the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, is the first letter in the Greek word for "Christ." Thus, "Xmas" has the same meaning as "Christmas" and has been in common use in the West since the 16th century. "Mass" is the term used in the Roman Catholic Church for the religious service when consecrated bread and wine are partaken of in memory of Christ's Last Supper with his disciples and the service commemorating his birth was called "Christ's mass." Thus, whether we say "Xmas" or "Christmas," the meaning is the same and it is too bad if the busyness of this time of year keeps us from quietly considering the deep significance of the true meaning of the season celebrating the birth of the Messiah.

02/12/24  Celebrating Jesus' Birth  (Timely Words 0506)

The first four books in the New Testament are called "Gospels." They are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The word "gospel" means "good news" and the theme of these Gospels is the "good news" about Jesus, the Christ. In the Gospels we find both the teachings of Jesus and narratives related to his birth, life, death and resurrection. It is thought that the shortest Gospel, the Gospel according to Mark, was the earliest one, written about 30 years after Jesus' death, and that the Gospel according to John, the most philosophical one, was the latest, written about 30 years later. In these two Gospels, there is no story about Jesus' birth, but in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew there are two different accounts. In the 2nd chapter of the Gospel according to Luke is the story of Jesus' birth in the town of Bethlehem where he was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. Shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night were informed of the birth of this "Savior," called "Christ, the Lord." These commoners from the lower class of Jewish society immediately went to see him. In the 2nd chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, upper-class men from a foreign land came to "worship" this one "born king of the Jews" and offered precious gifts. Christmas is the day we commemorate Jesus' birth. Today also, people from all social strata in many different countries show their respect or worship in many different ways. History has been changed by the birth of Christ, but the true celebration of Christmas is not related to rituals or customs but to lives that have been changed by his Spirit.

02/12/28  Fitness  (Timely Words 0507)

A ninety-year-old man now in the nursing home in this retirement community was a chaplain in the United States Army during the war. Later, he served in the Tokyo office of an American mission organization and was acquainted with missionaries I also knew. A couple of years ago, he suffered a stroke and is now unable to walk. On Friday mornings, I push him in his wheelchair from the nursing home to the Fitness Center, where he is able to exercise various parts of his body, using the machines available there. Recently while waiting for him, I considered the meaning of the words "fit" and "fitness." To "be fit" is quite different than to "have a fit." In the former expression, "fit" means "appropriate" or "healthy;" in the latter, it denotes a "convulsion" or a "sudden outburst of emotion." It is important to try to stay fit both physically and mentally and there seems to be a relationship between these two aspects of fitness, as the American journalist and author, Ed. Howe, has written: "The joy of feeling fit physically is reflected in a clearer and more useful mind." "Take care of your body (eat and exercise properly), and your mind will improve," he continued. Another meaning of "fit" is "qualified." General Douglas MacArthur once said: "Only those are fit to live who are not afraid to die." And a Canadian writer, Robert W. Service, in reference to the difficult living conditions in the Province of the Yukon penned this verse: "This is the Law of the Yukon, that only the Strong shall thrive; That surely the Weak shall perish, and only the Fit survive." Which raises the question in our minds: "How fit are we?"

02/12/31  Bells  (Timely Words 0508)

A "bell" is a hollow metal instrument that emits a metallic tone when struck. There are different kinds of bells that stimulate diverse reactions in the hearts of hearers. Around Christmas time in the West, we hear the merry sound of bells as expressed in a poem by Edgar Allen Poe.

"Hear the sledges with the bells,
     Silver bells!
 What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
 How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
     In the icy air of night,
 While the stars that over-sprinkle
 All the Heavens seem to twinkle
     With a crystalline delight:
 Keeping time, time, time,
 In a sort of Runic rhyme
 To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
 From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
     Bells, bells, bells—
 From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells."

"Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
 The flying cloud, the frosty light:
 The year is dying in the night;
 Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

 Ring out the old, ring in the new,
 Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
 The year is going let him go;
 Ring out the false, ring in the true."

03/01/02  Fog  (Timely Words 0509)

It is my custom to play tennis with other aging residents of this retirement community for a couple of hours a couple of times a week. We meet at the tennis courts at 7 o'clock in the morning throughout the year. At this time of year, it is still somewhat dark when we begin playing and recently, our visibility was lessened further because of fog. Fog is condensed water vapor. The clouds in the sky consist of such water vapor, but when such clouds are just above the surface of the earth, the result is fog, or mist. Fog lessens the visibility of car drivers and has been a factor in highway accidents. It is difficult to see clearly in fog so this term may also denote "a state of mental confusion or bewilderment." The person who is "in a fog" is mentally confused and is not sure what is happening. In our retirement community, there are many old people, some of whom are "in a fog," but in a poem of the English poet, Robert Browning, entitled "Christmas Eve," there is a reference to "the natural fog of the good man's mind." And Carl Sandburg, an American poet, wrote the following poem entitled "Fog."

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over the harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

03/01/04  Importance of Religion  (Timely Words 0510)

Recently the results of an international poll on the importance of religion in the lives of citizens of various countries were published. According to that poll of 38,000 people in 46 languages last year, religion is more important to Americans than to citizens of other industrialized countries. In the U.S.A., 59 percent of the respondents said that religion is "very important" in their lives, compared to 33 percent in Britain, 30 percent in Canada, 27 percent in Italy, 25 percent in South Korea, 21 percent in Germany, 12 percent in Japan and 11 percent in France. But religiosity in the United States was exceeded by that in all 10 African nations that were polled, by six countries in Latin America and by six in Asia. The most religious country was Senegal, on the west coast of Africa, 97 percent of whose citizens replied that religion was "very important" in their lives. Other Muslim nations also ranked high in religiosity while France and the Czech Republic ranked lowest. Religion has played an important role in what became the United States of America since before that country was officially established. Native Americans followed the traditional religious rites of their ancestors and many of the early settlers from Europe came to this land with deeply held religious beliefs which influenced the social, educational and political spheres of life. For many people, "religion" is related to rituals, but Jesus repeatedly emphasized the inner, spiritual element and the first chapter of the Letter of James ends with the assertion that true religion is seen in helping those in need and in purity of life.

03/01/08  Bones of St. Nicholas  (Timely Words 0511)

In the New Testament letters to churches, all believers are included in the designation "saint," literally meaning "holy one," but now in Catholic and Orthodox churches in particular, certain individuals considered to have lived extraordinary exemplary lives have been given the special title of "Saint." Each of the men and women who have been canonized (officially recognized as "saints") have been given a certain day as their "feast day," when they are especially remembered. One of the most popular saints is St. Nicholas and his feast day is December 6th. Early Dutch settlers in New York brought with them their traditional customs related to the feast day of this saint, who became known as Santa Claus in English, and various legends related to him became associated with the Christmas season. A recent newspaper article reported that The Santa Claus Foundation, based in Turkey, which is mainly Muslim, is requesting Italy to return the bones of St. Nicholas to the Turkish city where he was born and served as bishop. These bones are said to have been stolen by pirates in the 11th century and taken to Italy, where they have been enshrined in the St. Nicholas Basilica in the city of Bari. Hundreds of Orthodox believers gather in the church built in his honor in the Turkish city of Demre on December 6th, but his bones remain in the church built in his honor in Italy. If his bones were returned to the church in Turkey, they would certainly attract more people to that church, but in my understanding of true worship (which should be directed to God alone), such physical elements are unnecessary.

03/01/11  Play and Plays  (Timely Words 0512)

Some English words have a great variety of meanings which makes accurate communication difficult and precise translation almost impossible. Consider, for example, the word "play." In The American Heritage Dictionary I regularly use, there are 13 definitions of this word as an intransitive verb, 15 as a transitive verb and 10 as a noun. A number of these definitions are subdivided yet further. Some residents of this retirement community play musical instruments. Others play golf. Personally, I enjoy playing tennis a couple of times a week. I have also played in a play on a stage in front of an audience and regular readers of these messages are also aware that I like to play with words. There are also a number of expressions that include the word "play." To "play up" means to call attention to and to "play down" means to give less emphasis to. In the middle of the state of Illinois is an industrial city named Peoria, located about midway between the more important cities of Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The expression "play in Peoria" signifies acceptability to the uncritical masses of ordinary people. This expression comes from the custom of new plays or performances being tried out in a city like Peoria before larger cities to determine the reaction of ordinary people. Nowadays, Washington politicians are concerned about how their policies "play in Peoria." Sincere statesmen must realize that the world is not a "playground" and that weapons are not "playthings" and that how their decisions rate in the eyes of God are more important than how they "play in Peoria."

03/01/12  Bridges  (Timely Words 0513)

There are various meanings of the word "bridge" and many different kinds of "bridges." One kind of "bridge" is a card game. In this case, "bridge" is the Anglicization of a Russian game called "biritch." Bridge has become a popular game and international championship tournaments are held. But the primary meaning of "bridge" is a structure spanning and providing passage over a waterway. The double-deck road-railroad suspension bridge connecting the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku, which is over 3-and-a-half kilometers long is the longest such bridge in the world. The world's highest bridge is in the U.S. state of Colorado. It spans the Arkansas River and is about 320 meters above the water level. There are some English expressions that include the word "bridge." To "burn one's bridges" is to make a decision that you cannot change, to leave yourself no way to return. And the proverb "Don't cross a bridge till you come to it" means that we should not worry about something before it has happened. Other meanings of "bridge" include the upper bony ridge of the human nose, the thin, upright piece of wood in a stringed instrument that supports the strings above the soundboard and a fixed or removable replacement for teeth. Figuratively speaking, people also may serve as bridges across various kinds of divides. During my years in Japan, while trying to present a Christian witness there, I also tried to serve as a bridge between Japan and the United States of America and Christians believe that Jesus Christ was a kind of "bridge" between heaven and earth, between God and human beings.

03/01/14  Movable Holidays  (Timely Words 0514)

In the past, most holidays were designated on a certain day of a certain month and would be celebrated on the same day every year. In the case of holidays being determined by a lunar calendar, however, the day of celebration in the solar calendar now being used varies with the year. So it is that certain Christian or Jewish festivals, such as Easter and Hanukkah, fall on different days depending on the year. In 1968, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation shifting the dates of certain holidays to provide Americans with an increased number of three-day weekends. In recent years, Japan has also changed certain holidays for that purpose. When my wife and I resided in Japan, January 15th was a holiday called "Seijin no Hi" ("Adults Day") on which those people who had reached the age of twenty during the previous year were officially recognized as adults and invested with all the rights of citizens. Now, that holiday has been moved to the second Monday of January. On the other hand, the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the movement for racial equality through peaceful civil disobedience, is on January 15th, but the holiday in his honor is celebrated on the third Sunday of January. There is a certain correspondence between the meaning of these two holidays for Martin Luther King's efforts were aimed at assuring the same rights be granted to all citizens regardless of their race. As mature people, let us all work to eliminate the barriers faced by some because of their place of birth, gender, race, occupation or other hindrances.

03/01/18  Janus  (Timely Words 0515)

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

03/01/20  Cycles  (Timely Words 0516)

There are a number of ways residents in this retirement community engage in physical exercise. There are exercise machines in the Fitness Center. There are a golf course, tennis courts and shuffleboard lanes as well as a swimming pool on the grounds. Some residents regularly take walks around the community which has a variety of large and pretty trees and others make use of cycles, whether bicycles or tricycles. "Cycle," derived from a Greek word meaning "circle," may also denote a time interval in which a regularly repeated event occurs. There are cycles of the moon and of the sun. The Metonic cycle, named after the 5th century B.C. Athenian astronomer who discovered it, is a period of 235 lunar months, at the end of which the phases of the moon recur in the same order and on the same days as in the preceding cycle. The cycle of the sun is a period of 28 years, after which the days of the month fall on the same days of the week as they did 28 years previously. A series of poems or songs on the same theme may also be called a "cycle." And nowadays, we often see the term "recycle." To "recycle" is to put through a cycle again, to extract and reuse useful substances found in garbage or waste. Behind the Post Office in this retirement community are a number of large containers into which waste materials are put. One is for newspapers. Another is for other paper or cardboard materials and a third one is for plastic materials. Residents are encouraged to recycle waste materials that can be reused rather than discard them with garbage that will be destroyed. And I encourage you to do the same.

03/01/22  Jury Summons  (Timely Words 0517)

One kind of "summons" is "an order issued to a person summoning him to report to court as a juror or a witness." Recently, I received such a summons from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the county in which I live here in Florida. Called a "Jury Summons," it informed me that I was being summoned to appear before the Presiding Judge of the Circuit Court in this county on a certain date in February to serve as a juror in that court. A "jury" is a body of persons, called "jurors," who are ordered to be present in a court during trial proceedings. After carefully listening to the accusations of the prosecuting attorney, the argument of the defense attorney and the testimony of witnesses, they are expected to hand down a verdict based on their appraisal of the evidence presented. Included in the letter was the following statement: "The right to trial by jury is one of the fundamental American rights guaranteed by the State and Federal Constitutions. It is the duty of every citizen to help preserve this right by serving as a juror when called upon to do so." Because I have lived most of my life in Japan, I have never before been called to serve as a juror. There are various conditions which are recognized as legitimate reasons for being excused from jury duty, including being over 70 years old. Although I could be excused on that basis, I would be happy to have the experience of serving as a juror. Unfortunately, I will be unable to appear on the stated date for I expect to be in Japan on that day where the jury system is not in effect. In Japan, verdicts are determined by judges rather than by juries.

03/01/23  Gold Rush  (Timely Words 0518)

Gold is a precious metal that has become a symbol of riches. It is found both in veins in the earth and in water flowing from areas where such veins exist. One hundred fifty-five years ago, on January 24, 1848, a carpenter overseeing the construction of a sawmill on a riverbank in northern California happened to see some gleaming pieces of metal in the river. He took some of the golden flakes to a specialist who confirmed his presumption that they were really gold. News of this discovery in a California river could not be kept a secret. When the news reached the settlements in the eastern part of the nation, what has been called the "Gold Rush" began. During the next year of 1849, an estimated 100,000 persons went west to try to "strike it rich" by digging in the surrounding hills or panning in the rivers and streams. Some "forty-niners" traveled from the east coast to the west coast by boat, sailing around South America. An estimated 55,000 made the difficult trip by horse and wagon across the Rocky Mountains. Some of those who panned in the rivers became "panhandlers," but others were successful. In 1849, 10 million dollars came from the California mines, but three years later, 8 times that amount was realized. Many of the "forty-niners" who did not become rich also settled in California instead of returning to the east. Many seekers realized the truth of William Shakespeare's statement that "All that glistens is not gold," and the ancient words of a wise man written in the 16th chapter of Proverbs, verse 16 should be remembered today: "How much better to get wisdom than gold."

03/01/26  Perfection/Maturity  (Timely Words 0519)

The Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida was established in 1926 as a retirement community primarily for ministers, missionaries and other Christian Church workers. Among approximately 480 current residents, there are almost 100 ordained ministers of about 25 different denominations. Many of them are called upon to preach at worship services of the Penney Memorial Church which is at the heart of the community. Recently, it was my turn to preach and my wife served as the liturgist at that service. Because it was in the middle of January, I chose a theme that was related to the Japanese holiday now celebrated on the 2nd Monday of that month, Adults Day, when those who celebrated their twentieth birthday during the preceding year are officially recognized as adults. Because of my experience in Japan, where I regularly preached sermons in Japanese, I realized the difficulty, or impossibility, of making an exact translation of words from one language to another and in my sermon preparation, I discovered that the Greek word which may be translated "mature" or "adult," was usually translated "perfect" in the classical English translation of the New Testament. I chose "Perfection/Maturity" as my sermon title and in the sermon, I cited verses that indicated characteristics of mature people, who were called "perfect' in the King James Version. Among them were: not making mistakes in what we say (James 3:2) and perseverance until our goal is attained (Philippians 3:12-16). All of us who are on the way to perfection, or maturity, should be manifesting such characteristics.

03/01/29  Plans  (Timely Words 0520)

As noted in the "Introduction" to this webpage, I began writing these "Timely Words" messages in response to the request of former listeners to/readers of my "Daily Word" telephone messages in Japan. During the 18 and a half years that telephone service continued, from September 1, 1980 to February 28, 1999, 6290 different messages were transmitted. Since beginning this "Timely Words" webpage on September 1, 1999, 520 different messages have been transmitted. Since a new message is not added daily and since previous messages can also be read or heard, there is no need for readers or listeners to activate this webpage every day. Also, there are now many other webpages available for those who desire to read interesting messages in English and the number of those who read or listen to these messages has decreased. Consequently, I am considering discontinuing this service, but I do not plan to do so until after my visit to Japan next month, when I hope to meet with former "Daily Word" listeners. While in the Nagoya area, I will be involved with church business, primarily in the city of Kariya. At the present time, I am not certain of our schedule after our arrival in Nagoya on February 7, but our son and his family should know our schedule and how we can be contacted. His telephone number is: 052-806-3404. Before arriving in Nagoya, we expect to spend a day in Sapporo at the Snow Festival which my wife had hoped to attend for many years while we lived in Japan but was unable to do so. Thus, for various reasons, we are looking forward to this visit.

03/01/31  Mechanization  (Timely Words 0521)

A fundamental change in human history occurs when a society changes from agriculture to industry. Most nations in the modern world have experienced such a change and the economic and political powers today are all industrial societies. Furthermore, the more advanced industrial societies are becoming more and more mechanized and computerized, more impersonal. My wife and I are planning to make a trip to Japan next month and to Thailand the following month. Our son and family live in Japan and our daughter lives in Thailand, so we are looking forward to spending time with them as well as visiting churches, organizations and friends we knew in Japan during our years of service there. While making plans, procuring tickets for our trip and arranging for some services to be discontinued or changed during our absence, I became very conscious of how impersonal, mechanized and computerized American society has become. Very often, when I call offices to get information or to make orders, I hear recorded messages and am asked to press a certain number on my push-button telephone rather than speaking with a human being. Often, this process of hearing recorded voices and following the instruction to push the relevant number on the telephone continues through three or four stages. Sometimes, at the end of the process, I may speak with a human being, but much of the business is carried on with recorded messages. Likewise, much information is obtained and business is being conducted on the internet. Whether or not this is considered progress depends on one's perspective or faith.

03/02/02  February/National Freedom Day  (Timely Words 0522)

It is interesting how the months of the year received their names. As noted in a previous message, January, the first month of the year, was named after the two-faced Roman god, Janus, who was able to see both the past and the future and was the god of beginnings. The name of this second month of the year, February, is derived from the Latin word for "feast of purification," because in ancient Rome, ceremonies of religious purification were observed at that time. In present-day Japan, months are simply designated by numbers, so this month is "Second month." In old Japan, however, lunar calendar months had other names and the name of this second month implied a month of change, whether in the plant world as new sprouts began to appear or in the human world as people put on more clothes because of the cold weather. It was on the first day of February in 1865 that President Abraham Lincoln signed the document abolishing slavery in the United States, so February 1st has been designated National Freedom Day. The document, passed by Congress on January 31st was later ratified by three-fourths of the states and, in December 1865, became the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The abolition of slavery was a kind of "purification" for the United States and citizens of all countries today also should consider what dirty elements in their traditions or national life need to be purified.

03/02/05  Columbia Tragedy  (Timely Words 0523)

According to a rhyme many children learn in elementary school, "In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." After more than two months since leaving Spain, Christopher Columbus and his crew of some 88 men in three ships landed on an island off the coast of the continent now called North America. During the Revolutionary period, when the colonies were breaking their ties with England, there was some expectation that the new nation would be called Columbia in his honor, but it was named after the Italian navigator and map maker, Americus Vespucci. Now there is a country in South America named Colombia. Due to Spanish influence, the name of that country is spelled with an "o" in the center, but the 9 cities and towns and 8 counties in the United States of America named Columbia are spelled with a "u" in the center, corresponding to the Italian spelling. And the nation's capital is the District of Columbia where the Capitol is located. This past weekend, many radio and television stations in the U.S.A. were focused on the tragedy that occurred when a space shuttle, named Columbia, disintegrated in the skies over Texas a few minutes before it was scheduled to land in Florida, following 16 days of scientific research on weightlessness in space. All seven crew members, five men and two women, six Americans and one Israeli, were killed and the debris from the explosion was scattered over three states. It was a sad time for the whole nation as the cause of the accident is being investigated and we are forced to think deeply about our values and national priorities.

03/02/07  Oceans and Seas  (Timely Words 0524)

The third letter in the English alphabet is the letter C. There are also two other English words pronounced the same as that letter. One is a verb, spelled s-e-e. It signifies what we do with our eyes or our minds. The other, a noun spelled s-e-a, denotes a large body of salt water. The term "seven seas" is sometimes used to mean all the oceans of the world, but others have divided that large body of salt water which covers most of the earth's surface into seven parts. Before reading the rest of this message, you might stop and see how many oceans or seas you can name and locate. The "Seven Seas" include the North and South Pacific Oceans, the North and South Atlantic Oceans, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean. Certain sections of the oceans or other large bodies of salt water have been given the names of seas. Three of these seas have been given names related to colors. The long and narrow Red Sea lies between the Arabian Peninsula and the continent of Africa. The Yellow Sea is a part of the North Pacific Ocean between China and Korea. And the Black Sea lies between Russia and Turkey. Other seas are the Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, Arabian Sea, Caspian Sea, Bering Sea, North Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, Baltic Sea, Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. The Sea of Galilee is a body of fresh water in the land of Palestine from which water flows along the Jordan River into the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, in which there is no life. According to the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus began his ministry along the Sea of Galilee.

03/02/08  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #1  (Timely Words 0525)

The Annual Meeting of the Penney Retirement Community Association was held on Monday evening, February 3rd. It was preceded by 20 minutes of music played by the Sunshine Band, which is composed of residents of PRC. A new resident has now joined the band and added his violin to the trumpets, trombones, French horns, clarinet, tuba, drum, xylophone and piano. My wife and I enjoyed the musical, carefully listened to and approved reports of the association officers and the selection of new officers even though we were scheduled to leave early the next morning from an airport, over an hour away, on the first leg of our trip to Japan. A gracious couple had offered to drive us to a motel near the airport after the meeting, so we had our suitcases packed and placed in their car before the meeting began. Immediately after the meeting, we went to the motel. The "key" to a room at that motel is a card with an electronic code on it that is inserted into a slot in the door of a particular room. However, because of some trouble with the machine, the clerk was unable to create that electronic key-card, so a security guard let us into our room and we spent the night there without a key. In the morning, with our four heavy suitcases, my laptop computer and two other pieces of "carryon" luggage, we boarded a shuttle bus at 5:45 and arrived at the airport to check in an hour and a half before the departure time of the plane we were scheduled to board. We then sat down to wait until the boarding time, but then something unexpectedly happened that greatly altered our plans.

03/02/11  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #2  (Timely Words 0526)

Early in the morning of February 4, my wife and I were relaxing in the waiting area of Jacksonville Airport, relieved that we had gotten there in plenty of time to check in for our 7:30 flight to Atlanta, where we were scheduled to board a plane for Tokyo. While waiting, I returned to the check in counter to inquire about our seats and was informed that the plane might be late; if it was, we would miss our connecting flight to Tokyo. I was advised to change our plans, take an earlier flight to Dallas from which we could take a plane on a different airline to Tokyo. I agreed to do so. The counter attendant made the new reservations, issued new tickets and assured me that the four suitcases we had already checked on the flights we had planned to take would be transferred to those on our revised schedule. I informed my wife of the change and we went to the gate to board the earlier flight. If we had taken the flight to Atlanta, the transfer to the flight to Tokyo would have been simple for we would be using the same airline, but Dallas Airport is larger and airlines use different terminals so we were confused. We had to wait for a shuttle train to take us to Terminal A from Terminal E. We got off at Station 4 of Terminal A, boarded an elevator and found that our flight left from Station 1, so we had to descend and wait for another train to take us there. Fortunately, we did not have to carry our heavy suitcases for they had been checked through to Sapporo on our previous tickets but we were concerned about their whereabouts, for we would be very cold if the warm clothing they contained would be unavailable.

03/02/13  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #3  (Timely Words 0527)

At the Dallas Airport, I enquired about the luggage that had been checked through to Sapporo and was informed that it could not be verified that it would be on our flight but that it probably would be. We would have to claim it in Tokyo to go through customs and recheck it through to Sapporo anyway. When going through the security checks at both Jacksonville and Dallas, however, I was singled out for special consideration. Sometimes, it is an honor to be singled out, but this time it was an embarrassment. I had gone through security checks before and always put metallic items I remembered I had on or with me (watch, ring, coins and keys) in a tray before going through the security arch, but the buzzer sounded when I walked through at both airports and I had to be examined separately. In both cases, a security guard scanned my body with a rod that resembled a billy club with a sensor attached. First, I sat down with legs extended and he examined my feet and legs. Then I stood with arms outstreched, like a scarecrow, while he examined my arms and body. And what did he find? I will continue that story and related incidents in my next message, but we were relieved to see our suitcases among the first ones to come along the moving belt from the airplane at Tokyo. In the U.S. we were told that checked luggage should be unlocked in case there seemed to be reason for investigating the contents, but before boarding the plane for Sapporo, we were told to lock the suitcases. I presume that the difference is not that Japanese workers are less trustworthy but that the U.S. is in a higher state of security alert.

03/02/15  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #4  (Timely Words 0528)

Since we were headed for Japan where shoes are left at entrances of homes, I had a small shoehorn in my pocket with a metal ring attached which, along with my large belt buckle, attracted the attention of the sensor at the security checkpoint. The metal tie clasp at my neck attracted the attention of the sensor at one airport but not at the other and I recalled a couple of incidents many years ago that showed that all systems are not the same. Following a natural disaster in the Philippines, boxes of clothes weighing less than a certain number of kilograms could be mailed at a reduced rate, so our churches packed a number of boxes to send. When I took them to one post office in Nagoya, some were a bit overweight and were refused. But when I took them to a different post office, they weighed less on the scales there and were accepted. Later, when traveling in the Soviet Union with my family, we were required to remain in an airport for a couple of hours. We were the only people in that part of the airport and there were no airport personnel around, so our younger son went from one check in counter to another and stood on the scales to see on which one his weight was the lightest. Later, it was to that counter we went to check in. Once, in the Philippines, the tiny scissors I had used to trim my beard in Davao was taken from me and I had to claim them at the weapons counter in Manila. We should remember that our daily activities are also being monitored in the eyes of God and of those around us. Whether or not they pass inspection depends upon the system used to evaluate them and the accuracy of that system.

03/02/18  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #5  (Timely Words 0529)

One of the two carry on items I kept with me in airplanes and airports was the laptop computer I am now using to compose this message. At Dallas Airport, I found a place where the computer could be plugged in and used. After a struggle, I finally got connected and was able to read an e-mail message that I understood to mean that we had hotel reservations in Sapporo for the night of our arrival. At the Tokyo Airport, following the 13 hour flight, we were happy to claim the four heavy suitcases we had checked at Jacksonville but unhappy we had to transport them by ourselves to the shuttle bus that took us to the terminal from which our plane left for Sapporo. Fortunately, a man with less baggage kindly assisted us. At Sapporo also, a man helped put our suitcases in the entry area of a car on the train for the 45 minute ride from the airport to the city. He got off the train before we arrived, but another man volunteered to help us, even though he had a suitcase and backpack of his own. He also hailed a taxi for us at the station and told us our hotel was on the way to his destination, so he took the same taxi. When we got to our hotel and our suitcases had been placed on the sidewalk, I realized that my attache case, with many important documents in it, was not there. The man suggested that it had been left at the station and I was very upset, but when the taxi driver reopened the trunk, it was found in a corner there. It was about 9 o'clock in the evening when we went to the front desk and asked about our reservations. To our great surprise, we were informed that we did not have any. So what did we do? (Continued)

03/02/20  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #6  (Timely Words 0530)

Before leaving for Japan, I had tried to find lodging for us in Sapporo through various sources and had received a message from a travel agent that a reservation at a certain hotel had been made, but when we got to that hotel, we found that to be mistaken. When I showed the message on my laptop computer to the hotel clerk, he conferred with others at the front desk who agreed that no reservation had been made. They were not acquainted with the travel agent that sent the message and tried to call that agent (in Thailand!) but did not succeed. Because the only double room available that night was too expensive for us, they called another hotel and made a reservation for us there. Since they had 2 single rooms available at a lower price the next night, we reserved them, left a couple of our suitcases there and went to the other hotel. The purpose of our trip to Sapporo was to see the beautiful snow and ice sculptures exhibited during the annual Snow Festival which began the day of our arrival and lasted for a week. My wife had always wanted to attend that festival when we lived in Japan but was never able to do so. We spent the next day viewing beautiful snow and ice sculptures at three different locations, to two of which we traveled by subway: huge models of castles, palaces, famous cartoon characters, smaller representations of many things and snow slides for children. A Chinese group of dancers on stilts performed before the Imperial Palace and some sculptures were still being finished by skillful artisans from other lands. It was a marvelous sight and well worth our while to see them while it snowed.

03/02/22  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #7  (Timely Words 0531)

Sapporo is located on the northern island of Japan and is cold at this time of year. We wore overcoats while there and kept them on while slurping buckwheat noodles for lunch in a temporary eating place at one of the sculpture sites. It was in the afternoon that we visited the third site where the artfully honed ice sculptures filled the center section of a street with traffic moving in opposite directions on both sides. The festival attracted over two million visitors and a new record of over 12,300 snowmen had been made. Later, we returned to our hotel, packed our bags and took a taxi to the other hotel where we had reserved two single rooms. I was amazed at how young, female hotel employees who looked so frail were able to move our heavy suitcases so efficiently. The next morning, we filled a taxicab with our bodies and luggage and went to the train station. When boarding the train and disembarking at the airport station, considerate people helped us with our suitcases which almost completely filled the entry/exit section of the car. In the airport, we had to make our way to the check in counter with our four large suitcases (three of which had rollers, but the sturdy old suitcase my wife used in college did not) plus an attache case, my laptop computer and my wife's carry on bag. At times, we had to leave a couple of suitcases at the bottom of stairs or other places and come back for them. Once again I was stopped at the security checkpoint. I had forgotten that I had separated my American and Japanese coins and the sensor detected the American coins in my upper coat pocket.

03/02/25  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #8  (Timely Words 0532)

After claiming our luggage and placing them on a cart at the Nagoya Airport, we were happy to see a Japanese lady we recognized as we approached the exit. Then our son, a university teacher of English, also appeared. We had hoped the house he is in the process of building would be finished by this time, but it is not. Two years ago when we visited here, the apartment below the one he and his family are renting was available for us to stay in, but now it is occupied. The Japanese lady who we have known for many years knew of our need for a place to stay, had informed us of an apartment next to hers which was available, so we are staying there and even have a car at our disposal. The car has a "car navigation system" which shows our present location on a map on the dashboard and can be programmed to indicate the route to a particular destination along with voiced directions about when and what direction to turn to reach it. Of course, this is in Japanese, which we do understand, but my wife must remind me at times to drive on the left side of the street. The next day, we went to see the house our son is building: a two-storey house with a basement, family room and separate rooms for each of the 3 children. Teaching full time at one university and part-time at two others as well as being an active member of the Board of Nagoya International School, he spends all of his spare time working on that house which, hopefully, will be finished before our next visit. On our trip thus far, we have been very conscious of the providence of God in guiding our steps and providing for our needs and we are thankful.

03/02/27  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #9  (Timely Words 0533)

The key to the 3rd floor apartment we are using may be used to open the main gate at the entrance to the building also, but to open the gate at the back requires a coded number to be punched in. One day, I went out without the key and forgot the coded number. When I punched in our apartment number, my wife heard a bell but did not know it was me nor did she know what to do. I looked to make sure no one was watching and then surreptitiously climbed over the back gate to enter the building. On Sunday, we drove to the city of Kariya, an hour away, to attend the worship service of the church we started there fifty years ago. We were happy to meet the Japanese pastor and his wife along with old and new members. I preached the sermon. My text was John 15:1-10 where Jesus refers to himself as a vine and his disciples as branches. Branches cannot bear fruit unless they are connected to the vine and Christians must have a spiritual connection to Christ to bear the fruit of love and stimulate the growth of a healthy church. In the afternoon, we went to Nagoya Union Church, which we also attended years ago. In the evening, we visited the apartment of our son. Since roads have changed over the years and since we did not have the car navigation system correctly programmed, we were often confused as we drove around. At one intersection where the traffic light was red, I stopped next to a taxicab at the head of a line of cars, opened my window and asked for directions. The driver told me I should turn right at that intersection and told me to go in front of him to do so. We are thankful for the kindness of people here.

03/03/01  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #10  (Timely Words 0534)

Nagoya International School, which my wife and I along with other interested parents helped to establish for students desiring to continue their education in English-speaking countries, is now in its 40th year of existence. It now has over 300 students representing 22 different nationalities, about half of whom are Japanese. Teachers come from 8 different countries. I served as Board Chairman at three different times; my wife taught in the preschool department for 22 years; our children attended that school and our grandchildren are students there now while our son serves on the Board of Directors. Thus, our ties to the school are long and deep. It was a joy to visit the school and talk with teachers and administrators about the past, the present and the future. We went on a tour of the classrooms with a group from the Nagoya British-Japan Society and agreed to meet with men who are gathering information about the school's history for a prospective book. Over twenty years ago, I began an inter religious dialogue group that met once a month. Buddhist and Shinto priests, Christian pastors, leaders of other religious groups and people of no religious faith attended and expressed their beliefs or opinions for mutual enlightenment or for the better understanding of those present. The group has continued to meet over the years since we left the country and the leader regularly sends me announcements of its meetings. I was happy to attend the February meeting (on a Japanese holiday) in a Buddhist temple and to give a talk about our retirement community and how faith is reflected in life.

03/03/04  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #11  (Timely Words 0535)

The primary purpose of this trip was to consider the future of a church we had established fifty years ago. The Japanese pastor is now at retirement age but there is no one to take his place. Since there are many Filipino workers in this area, we had hoped that a pastor of one of our churches in the Philippines could come to see the situation and consider the possibility of coming to minister here, but he could not obtain a visa. The Mission Pastor of our home church in the U.S.A. did come, however, and I served as his interpreter when he preached and spoke to our pastors and church members. One of the highlights of our trip was the meeting of previous listeners to the "Daily Word" telephone service, noted in the "Introduction" to this homepage, organized by a couple of English teachers. Over twenty attended, including an 86-year-old woman from a distant city in another prefecture, who boarded a train at 7:30 in the morning to arrive at the 1:00 o'clock meeting on time. After my wife and I spoke about our present life in Florida, each one present told of their current situations—all in English. A couple of reporters were present and an article with a picture appeared in a newspaper the following day. Many years ago, another missionary and I began the first Amnesty International group in Nagoya and for a number of years, I composed the English message to be copied on postcards by members throughout Japan and sent to foreign governments requesting the release of prisoners of conscience. Now there are five Amnesty groups in Nagoya and on my last day in Japan, I was happy to attend the meeting of one of them.

03/03/07  2003 Trip to Japan, etc. #12  (Timely Words 0536)

During our visit to Nagoya, we had many meetings with old friends, some of whom have visited us in Florida. We went to the area where we used to live and were surprised at how it had changed. A large new house is now on the lot where ours used to be. We visited with our old neighbors and stopped at the small "kishimen" shop we used to visit often with our son and family for a Friday evening meal. "Kishimen" are flat noodles that are popular in Nagoya. The proprietor/chef and his wife/waitress greeted us warmly and served us a tasty supper. We also made a visit to the Asian Health Institute and stopped by the Nagoya International Center, on whose boards I had served and my wife has had meetings with mothers/children she taught many years ago. But beside these planned visits we have had unexpected meetings. Three different times in a supermarket, my wife was greeted by women she did not recognize at first. One was a lady she had taught English to 35 years ago. Another was the mother of a child she had taught in preschool and a third was the grandmother of a child she had taught. In a nearby beauty parlor, she met a lady from a city over 40 kilometers away who had visited our home in a different city about 50 years ago. When we stopped at an out-of-town restaurant where we used to eat at times after returning from our church in a different city, the waitress recognized us and called out our name while greeting us. A man sitting in one of the booths recognized our name and told the waitress where we had lived in Nagoya. He had been a mailman and had delivered our mail.

03/03/09  On to Thailand  (Timely Words 0537)

On our last day in Japan, our son transported us and our luggage to the airport. Some people came to the airport lobby to see us off but we were surprised while walking on the elevated walkway from the departure area on the third floor of the airport to the airplane to look out the window and see a couple waving to us from the sidewalk about 40 meters away. They also had come to see us off. Following the five hour trip to Bangkok, the weather was very different than in Nagoya. The temperature had risen from 10 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius. That is why we had to fill our suitcases with clothes for both winter and summer. At Bangkok Airport, I was surprised to see an automatic money changer, into which I put a 10,000 yen bill and received 3,545 baht. After going through immigration and customs, we saw a man carrying a sign with the name of a hotel near the airport where our daughter had made a reservation for us. He took us to the hotel where we spent the night. The next morning, before we boarded the plane for Chiang Mai, we walked around the block and were reminded of Japan many years ago. Both in Nagoya and Bangkok, I again activated the alarms while going through security because of metallic items I had neglected to put in the trays. At Chiang Mai Airport, I found a different kind of automatic money changing machine into which I inserted my credit card, pushed a button and received a 500 baht bill. Our daughter, the editor of a book publishing company in Chiang Mai, had come to meet us. Although she usually rides a motorcycle, she had asked a friend to drive a car to take us to her home.

03/03/12  The Golden Triangle  (Timely Words 0538)

We are now in the Kingdom of Thailand where there is a national holiday on my wife's birthday because her birthday is the same as the king's. He was born in the United States the same year I was. Now, he is the longest reigning monarch in the world. For our first meal in our daughter's home, she invited a couple of her friends, who helped prepare a Thai meal. Fortunately, we were able to add the ground chili pepper ourselves to regulate the sharpness of the taste. Before coming to this country, we had often heard of the "Golden Triangle," where the three countries of Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), and Laos meet. Famous, or infamous, for the production of opium circulated around the world in years gone by, it is now producing a variety of teas. Our daughter had arranged for us to join her on a trip to that area in a van with a driver/guide. Along the way, we visited famous sites including temples, beautiful flower gardens and the royal villa of the "Princess Mother," mother of the present king. We saw a number of different hill-tribe people in their traditional garb and stopped at some markets to shop, look around or drink tea. We presented our passports to walk over the border into Myanmar and spent time walking through the markets there, both shopping and refusing the repeated solicitations of many sellers of products we did not want to buy. From a mountainside, we were able to view the rivers and the three countries that come together at that place. After spending a night in the mountains, we again traveled the winding roads back down to the city of Chiang Mai, some 250 kilometers away.

03/03/13  Sunday in Chiang Mai  (Timely Words 0539)

About 95 percent of the population of Thailand is considered Buddhist, four percent Muslim and less than one percent Christian, but Sunday was a busy day for us in Chiang Mai as we visited Christian churches. First, we went with our daughter to the Protestant Thai Church she attends and plays her flute to accompany the pianist. Although it is unusual for native speakers of English to attend that church, English hymnals were accessible, the order of service was printed in English and headphones were available for those who wanted to hear a simultaneous translation of the sermon into English. The preacher on the day we attended was a lady member of the church. On the way home, we stopped at a Roman Catholic Chapel where a new stained glass window behind the altar pictured Jesus on the cross with his hands lifted up toward heaven, symbolizing the resurrection. In the afternoon, we visited the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre, where exhibits and video presentations informed us of the history, customs, way of life, arts and culture of Chiang Mai. Then, we went to the "House of Love," a Christian home for hill tribe mothers and children who have AIDS. Our daughter serves at this home once a week and the 23 residents presented a program of music and dance for us. After that, we attended the English language worship service of the Chiang Mai Community Church. Over 600 people were present for the contemporary music combined with a Bible-based sermon by the pastor who is from England. Afterward, we ate with a couple from Australia, friends of our daughter, who are engaged in medical work here.

03/03/16  Monday/Tuesday in Chiang Mai  (Timely Words 0540)

Men in saffron robes are often seen in Thailand. They are Buddhists who have vowed to spend a certain period as a monk. During that time, they are dependent on the kindness of others for their daily food. Early on Monday morning, I saw many monks walking with empty bowls from a monastery on a hillside to a street where temporary tables had been set up and filled with food, drinks or flowers to be given to them by common folk with deep bows or on bended knees. In this way, the givers also are believed to gain merit. Later, I had an interesting conversation in a temple with a monk who spoke English while my wife visited a seamstress to have a dress made with the silk material she had purchased in Myanmar a couple of days before. In the evening, we had dinner with a couple who have applied for admission to the Penney Retirement Community, where we live. On Tuesday morning, we went with our daughter to the Chiang Mai Prison to meet prisoners from foreign countries. Our daughter makes such a visit once a week to encourage these men serving time for a variety of crimes in this foreign land. Using voice amplifiers, we spoke individually with prisoners from Egypt, Germany, Malaysia, Iraq and Pakistan who were behind thick glass windows. In the afternoon, we visited the New Life Center, a Christian center for women and girls from hill tribes who, although they live in Thailand, are not considered Thai people. There are about a million people in eight different hill tribes with their unique garb, language and customs which are not limited by national boundaries that do not have the rights of citizenship.

03/03/19  Getting Around Chiang Mai  (Timely Words 0541)

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand. Many streets are lined with small shops that extend over the sidewalks, including many cafes or eating places serving special kinds of food which we enjoyed. In the hill country, people walk along roads in their traditional garb, but in the city, we saw few people walking. There are many cars, but motorcycles are also very popular. In regard to public transportation, there are no busses but a couple of smaller vehicles are available. The most common ones are painted red and resemble a pickup truck with a roof over the back section and two long, cushioned seats facing each other along the sides. These vehicles, called "song taew" in Thai, meaning "two rows," go up and down the main streets and pull over to the curb when hailed by a person seeking a ride. Before boarding, the driver is informed of where the passenger desires to go and a mutually agreeable price is decided, which varies according to the distance and the number of passengers. Sometimes a short detour may be made to accommodate a passenger. Since there is no English term for this vehicle, I encouraged my daughter to coin a word for it and she is considering the term "Passenger Pick Up" or "PPU." A three-wheeled motorcycle, which has a seat for up to three passengers behind the driver, is also available and the three of us have used both vehicles in our moves around the city. Since our daughter lives adjacent to the Chiang Mai University, we enjoyed a walk through the campus of that school and visited her office at the book publishing company where she is the editor.

03/03/23  Back in the U.S.A.  (Timely Words 0542)

On the final "day" of our trip, we boarded a plane in Chiang Mai on Wednesday evening, disembarked at Jacksonville Thursday evening after flying for a total of about 20 hours and sitting or walking around the Tokyo and Atlanta airports for about 14 hours. We spent the night in a motel near the Jacksonville Airport and the couple that delivered us to that motel 38 days previously picked us up on Friday and brought us home. For the first couple of days after our arrival in this country, we really felt "bushed" after a very enjoyable, meaningful, tiring trip. Although both of us have invisible physical problems and were without medical insurance while overseas, we were enabled to endure and thank God for the many evidences of his providence, protection and blessing and for the kindness of so many old and new friends whom we continue to remember in our prayers. Having reached the end of the series of messages related to our trip to Japan and Thailand, I apologize for relating so many personal experiences but I did not have a dictionary or reference material on hand and sharing my observations was the simplest thing to do. Now that I am back in the U.S.A. and have decided to continue this service for the time being, I will return to more traditional themes, but I would like to read the comments, criticism and suggestions of readers, along with their preferences for the types of messages desired. Now, the focus of international attention is on Iraq, whose capital, Baghdad with its many gardens, has been called the "Abode of Peace." Let us pray that this description will once again be appropriate before long.

03/03/26  Conflicts in Iraq  (Timely Words 0543)

Archaeology, the scientific study of the life and culture of ancient peoples, excavates and examines graves, buildings, tools, pottery, etc. of ancient cities. One of the earliest civilizations in human history developed in the land of Mesopotamia about 6000 years ago. There are over 4000 sites in that land, which is now called Iraq, that archaeologists fear may be damaged or looted as a result of the war that is now being fought there. Thus, fears related to the present situation in Iraq are not limited to conflicts between the armed forces of Iraq and those of the coalition led by the United States. There are other forces that have been in conflict over the years in that nation. One is between the two different traditions in Islam: the Sunni and the Shiites. The Sunni, which comprise about 85% of all Muslims, follow certain rituals and laws that are rejected by the Shiites, who recognize a different order of leadership succession following Muhammed. In Iraq, where 97% of the population is Muslim, over 65% are Shiites and there has been internal conflict between these two traditions over the years. There is also a long-standing hostility between Iraqi Arabs and an ethnic group known as Kurds, which are primarily Sunni Muslims. The Kurds, who occupy adjacent areas of Turkey and Iran also, desire a nation of their own and have been fighting to attain that goal for many years. So conflicts of various kinds are evident in Iraq and even in other countries, demonstrations both in favor of and against the war are being held. A peaceful world requires both mutual understanding and determined effort.

03/03/27  Q's and Cues  (Timely Words 0544)

We read many articles these days related to the country of Iraq. The name of this country is unique because its name, in English, ends with a q, the 17th letter of the English alphabet. The word "alphabet," signifying the letters of a language arranged in order is derived from the names of the first two letters in the Greek alphabet, "alpha" and "beta." Japanese, which makes use of thousands of Chinese characters in its written language, does not have an alphabet, but it does have two different syllabaries. The letter q is unusual for various reasons. Very few words begin with q. Q is almost always followed by a u and it does not have a distinctive pronunciation. Rather, it has the same pronunciation as k or kw, so q is quite queer. There are four homonyms in English that have the same pronunciation as that letter. One kind of "cue" is a long, tapered rod used to propel the ball when playing pool or billiards. Another kind of "cue" is a reminder or a signal to begin a speech or to do something. This word may also be used to signify the letter q. Another homonym, spelled q-u-e-u-e, signifies a long braid of hair or a waiting line of people or vehicles. There is an English expression to "mind one's p's and q's," meaning to be careful of one's words and actions, not to make a mistake. This probably is derived from teachers' admonitions to children learning to write for a p and a q are very similar with a bulge on opposite sides, but another explanation is that in a beer hall, drinkers must make distinctions between "Pints" and "Quarts." In the world today, both individuals and nations should mind their p's and q's.

03/03/30  Baghdad  (Timely Words 0545)

In ancient times, the area now occupied by the mideastern country of Iraq was called Mesopotamia, derived from Greek words meaning "between rivers." The main rivers in this area are the 2,740 kilometer long Euphrates and the 1,850 kilometer long Tigris, both of which originate in the mountains of eastern Turkey and join together at the Iraqi city of Basra from which they flow into the Persian Gulf. Both of these rivers are noted in the creation story related to the Garden of Eden found in the 2nd chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis, verse 14. From ancient times, rivers have been a convenient means of transportation and many ancient cities were founded along rivers. One such city is Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, which is situated on both sides of the Tigris River. The present city was founded in 762 and became one of the most important cities in the world of that day, both commercially and culturally, which is reflected in the tales related in the world literature classic known as "The Thousand and One Nights" or "Arabian Nights." Baghdad is, by far, the largest city in Iraq and most of the country's industries are located there, including the making of carpets, leather, textiles, cement, and tobacco products. As the capital city and the headquarters of the government and military forces, it is a natural target of the forces seeking to overthrow the present government. However, it is the oil reserves in other parts of the country that are most valuable in the modern world and it is too bad if people's lives are being sacrificed to gain control of or to hold on to these resources.

03/04/02  April Fool  (Timely Words 0546)

The name of the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar is April. This name probably comes from a Latin verb meaning "to open" because it is the time when buds of trees and flowers open. The first day of April is called "April Fools' Day" in the United States of America for in England, Scotland and France, there is an old tradition to play practical jokes on people on that day. The following humorous verse, written by an Englishman is found in the 1760 edition of "Poor Robin's Almanac."

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools' Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent
On purpose for pure merriment.

03/04/04  Fruits and Vegetables  (Timely Words 0547)

On one side of this Penney Retirement Community there is some open land on which some residents have garden plots and raise various kinds of fruits and vegetables, including strawberries. Recently, the annual Strawberry Festival was held. at which strawberries, shortcake and ice cream were served to those who gathered in the meeting hall. After we finished eating, humorous skits were performed by members of the Clown Club. It was an enjoyable time during which I wondered why the red fruit, which is quite different than such berries as blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, gooseberries and loganberries, was called a "strawberry." In the garden behind our house when I was a child, we picked blackberries and raspberries from bushes and I remember the interesting saying that "Blackberries are red when they are green." Strawberries, however, do not grow on bushes but on the ground and they are a different kind of "berry." One reference book suggests the following links between straw and this fruit: the straw-like appearance of the seeds on the fruit's surface, the use of straw to protect the plants and their frequent location under mown grass. While thinking about this, I realized that even the distinction between "fruit" and "vegetable" is also not as clear as I had imagined. Tomatoes, for example, are often considered vegetables, but according to a more exact definition, they are fruits. Needless to say, vegetables also bear fruit. And, according to Matthew 7:15-20, even human beings bear fruit, whether good or bad. What kind of fruit are we bearing?

03/04/06  North Pole Discovered  (Timely Words 0548)

The earth is a planet that revolves around the sun once a year. Although it appears to be flat, actually it has a spherical shape and rotates on its own axis once a day. Among the various kinds of "poles" in the world today are telephone poles, flag poles, fish poles and ski poles, but the two extremities of an axis are also called "poles." At the opposite ends of the earth's axis there is a North Pole and a South Pole. The existence of these poles was recognized in theory before they were actually visited by human beings, but 94 years ago, on April 6,1909, explorers reached the North Pole following extensive preparation. Representatives of the three major races participated in that historic event: a Caucasian engineer in the U.S. Navy, Robert E. Peary, his Negroid assistant, Matthew A. Henson, and four Eskimo guides. Following years of explorations in the Arctic, the 53-year-old Peary and his assistant spent the winter of 1908 at a base camp in the northernmost Canadian territory of Ellesmere Island and left on their final trip on March 1st, 1909. Traveling for 18 to 20 hours a day, they were exhausted by the time they reached the North Pole where they built an igloo and camped for more than 30 hours, making astronomical observations. In the Explorers Hall of the National Geographic Society's headquarters in Washington, D. C., there are a number of mementos of that expedition. Because of the poles, north and south have limits, but there are no such limits to east and west. So it is written in Psalm 103:12 that God has removed our transgressions from us "as far as the east is from the west."

03/04/09  Brooms/Broom Tree  (Timely Words 0549)

A "broom" is a brush made of twigs or straw with a long handle used for sweeping. In industrialized countries, vacuum cleaners are used to clean floors or carpets, but brooms are still used, especially to sweep leaves, snow or dirt off of the sidewalk or driveway outside the house and they are commonly used both inside and outside houses in countries where electrical appliances are not available. In Shakespeare's drama, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," we find these words: "I am sent with broom before, To sweep the dust behind the door." I am not sure of the context of that quotation, but "to sweep something under the rug" implies trying to hide something from another's sight. Inspectors in Iraq were trying to discover whether anything had been "swept under the rug" in that country. According to an Italian proverb, "A new broom is good for three days." The long handle of a broom is called a "broomstick" and, for some reason, witches are thought to ride on broomsticks, accompanied by black cats, and we often see pictures of them around Halloween. The word "broom" is derived from the name of a tree, or bush, with small leaves and slender branches or twigs which were used to make brooms. According to one modern translation of the Bible, it was under a "broom tree" that the prophet Elijah sat and "prayed that he might die" (I Kings 19:4). Other translations call it a "juniper tree" or "furze bush", so the particular type of woody plant referred to seems to be uncertain. Although I would not advise people to pray "to die," I think it is a good idea to regularly engage in prayer to the almighty, merciful God.

03/04/11  Peter/St. Petersburg  (Timely Words 0550)

The state of Florida is a peninsula on the southeastern part of the United States of America. Recently, my wife and I, along with our son and his wife and son who were visiting us from Japan, took a trip to the city of St. Petersburg, about halfway down the west side of the peninsula, about 330 kilometers south of our home in Penney Farms. While there, I wondered why the city was called St. Petersburg and discovered many interesting facts about cities and people named Peter. As a common verb, "peter" means "to come to an end slowly; diminish, dwindle," but the name Jesus gave to his chief disciple in John 1:42 is derived from the Greek word meaning "rock," which is also noted in Matthew 16:18. From the name of this disciple, who was later canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and thus is called a "saint," many men have been given this name. There have been three czars of Russia, four kings of Aragon, five kings of Portugal as well as kings of Serbia and Yugoslavia who bore this name. The Russian seaport city founded in 1703 by Peter I, or Peter the Great, was named St. Petersburg and the city in Florida was given that name in 1875 by the president of a local railroad whose name was Peter and who came from St. Petersburg. There are cities named Petersburg in seven states, but Florida is the only state with a St. Petersburg. There is a famous tale about Peter Pan, a little boy who never grew up, and the term "Peter Principle" is defined as "the notion that an employee within an organization will advance to the highest level of his incompetence and remain there."

03/04/13  Palm Sunday  (Timely Words 0551)

One meaning of "palm" is the inner surface of one's hand, extending from the wrist to the base of the fingers. It may also indicate a unit of length equal to either the width or the length of the hand. "Palm" may also signify the blade of an oar or paddle or a certain kind of tree found in the tropics. Palm trees do not have branches coming out of their trunks, but they have a cluster of huge leaves at the top which may be called "fronds." 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. In the 1st century B.C., the Latin poet, Horace, wrote of the "victor's palm" and the expression "bear the palm" means to win the prize in a 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, just a few days before his crucifixion, as Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the symbol of peace, people took palm branches and went out to meet him and greet him, shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" In commemoration of that "Triumphal Entry," the Sunday before Easter 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 falls on April 13th this year.

03/04/16  Holy Week  (Timely Words 0552)

The first four books of the New Testament are called Gospels. "Gospel" means "good news" and these books describe the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe was/is the Son of God. All four Gospels emphasize the final week of Jesus' life, which began with his "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem and ended with his resurrection from the dead following his crucifixion. In the church calendar, the week before Easter, beginning with Palm Sunday is Holy Week. The date of Easter changes from year to year in order to coordinate this festival with the Jewish feast of Passover, which is determined according to the lunar calendar. This year, this week is Holy Week. Other than Palm Sunday and Easter, special days of this week are called Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The most common calendars used in the world today are divided into days, weeks, months and years. Days, months and years are determined by natural changes: a day is the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis; a month is the period of one revolution of the moon around the earth; and a year is the period of one revolution of the earth around the sun. But a week, a period of seven days, is derived from the story in the first chapter of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, that the earth was created by God in seven days. The word "holy" denotes something sacred, something set apart for a divine purpose. For Christians, the Bible is a "holy book," the church is a "holy place" and this week is a "holy week" during which the deep meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection is considered.

03/04/18  Maundy Thursday/Good Friday  (Timely Words 0553)

This week before Easter in the Christian Church Calendar includes the special days of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. On the Sunday before his death, Jesus entered Jerusalem welcomed by people waving palm branches and singing his praises, which is remembered on Palm Sunday. On the day before his crucifixion, Jesus ate a final meal with his twelve disciples which is commonly called the Last Supper. It was at that time that he instructed his disciples that the bread and wine they ate and drank symbolized his body and blood which was about to be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world and that they should continue to partake of those elements in remembrance of him. So in churches today, bread and wine are regularly received by believers to remind them of Jesus' sacrifice. It was also at this Last Supper that Jesus, their teacher, became their servant by washing their feet. Furthermore, he commanded them to follow his example and wash one another's feet (John 13:1-17). "Maundy" is derived from the Latin word for "commandment," which was the first word of a song sung during a foot-washing ritual. On the following day, now known as Good Friday, Jesus was crucified. It may seem strange that Christians consider the day of Jesus' death as a "good" day, but it was only after his resurrection on that first Easter Sunday when his disciples experienced the new life that came from faith in Christ and recognized the profound meaning of his death on the cross that the cross became a symbol of God's infinite love and the day of his crucifixion came to be called "Good Friday."

03/04/20  Easter  (Timely Words 0554)

Because of the commercialization of Christmas, including the decorating of public places and the giving of gifts at that time of year, it is generally thought that Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, is the most important festival of the Christian Church, but it is not. The basic festival of the Church is Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and the new life which invigorates those who believe. In order to keep this celebration in connection with the Jewish festival of Passover, over the centuries most churches have celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Thus, the date changes from year to year and, this year, Easter falls on April 20th. In many cultures, spring is celebrated as a time of rebirth and renewal as plants and animals that appeared to be dead are revived. The word "Easter" seems to have been derived from the name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. In many places, Easter Sunrise services are held early on Easter morning in commemoration of the early morning visit to the empty tomb recorded in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. In many homes, colored Easter eggs will be a part of the decoration or food since eggs are a symbol of new life. And in some homes, new clothes are worn on Easter Sunday to symbolize newness of life. Phillips Brooks, an American clergyman, has written, "The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death, but that we are to be new here and now by the power of the resurrection." I hope that you may experience renewal at this time of year.

03/04/23  Rhapsody/Fantasy  (Timely Words 0555)

In the Penney Retirement Community where my wife and I reside, there are various opportunities to stimulate the artistic inclination of residents. My wife is now attending a special kind of art class and has become a bell-ringer in a handbell choir. Both of us are also members of a group that attends a "Coffee Concert" of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra at the Symphony Hall in the city of Jacksonville once a month on a Friday morning. We take the community bus for the 50-minute drive to the Symphony Hall; others go in their own cars. Before the concert begins, coffee, tea and cookies are made available without charge in the hall lobby by the Jacksonville Symphony Guild. Recently, we attended a concert which was named "Rhapsody-Fantasy." "Rhapsody" may denote an excessively enthusiastic expression of feeling in speech or writing or a literary work written in an impassioned or exalted style but, in music, it is a composition in an irregular form. "Fantasy" is related to one's fancy or imagination and in music, it denotes a free composition structured according to the composer's fancy. The music played at that concert were fascinating selections by well-known European composers, including Mozart, Copland, Chopin and Schumann. But a more international flavor was introduced by two of the major musicians involved. The conductor of the orchestra is a Brazilian who became an American citizen last year and the featured pianist who was born in Hong Kong, is a Canadian citizen. Both rhapsody and fantasy may be expressed not only in music but in daily life as well—making life more interesting.

03/04/25  Taxes and Taxis  (Timely Words 0556)

April, the name of this fourth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, is probably derived from a Latin word meaning "to open," for it is the season when the buds of trees and flowers open. In Japan, it is also the beginning of a new school year and of a new financial year. Many people in the United States of America associate the month of April with taxes, for April 15th is the deadline for filing federal income tax returns. It was in 1913 that the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving Congress the power to "collect taxes on incomes." For many Americans, the weeks preceding April 15th are busy ones as they obtain and record documents related to taxes. There are many different kinds of taxes, including sales taxes, property taxes, an inheritance tax, excise tax, import tax, export tax and others. And there is a connection between taxes and taxis. A "taxi" is a vehicle that carries passengers for a fare. There are different kinds of taxis. In industrialized countries, most taxis are automobiles, but I have also ridden in a taxi pulled by a horse and one propelled by a man pedalling in front of me. "Taxi" is a shortened form of "taxicab" which is a cab with a "taximeter" to calculate the fare, or tax, based on the distance traveled and waiting time. Such meters were first installed in French horse-drawn cabs before motor-cabs appeared on the roads. "Taxi," as a verb, may denote the slow movement on the ground of an airplane before takeoff or after landing. A couple of months ago, I was surprised at how far the airplane taxied in Narita Airport in Japan before it took off for Sapporo.

03/04/27  Prejudice and Discrimination  (Timely Words 0557)

The United Nations has declared 2001-2010, the first decade of the 21st century, the "Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World" and the World Council of Churches has designated it an "Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence." Although we are now about one-third of the way through this decade, the hopes expressed in these names are not being realized. At the Wednesday evening meetings of the Penney Memorial Church during the five weeks after Easter, a study series prepared by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program is being followed to focus our attention and effort on "Living for a Change—Toward a Culture of Peace." Following a short period of worship, we separate into smaller groups for discussion of various matters related to the theme. In the discussion groups at the first meeting, it was recognized that one obstacle to a "culture of peace" is the prejudice and discrimination reflected in our culture toward people of a certain race, gender, class, culture or faith. "Prejudice" is defined as "an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts" and "discrimination" is "an act based on prejudice." An objective view of the culture of any people or nation will recognize the presence of both prejudice and discrimination, whether overt or covert, and the need to eliminate them in order to achieve genuine peace. Our session began with the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" and ended with Psalm 34:14: "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

03/04/30  A Piece of Peace  (Timely Words 0558)

A "piece" is a portion of a larger element, so at the end of a meal, we may have a piece of pie or a piece of cake as our dessert. The term "piecemeal," however, is not primarily related to food. Rather, it means "piece by piece" or "gradually." A homonym of "piece" is "peace." One meaning of "peace" is the opposite of war or other hostilities. Another meaning is inner contentment or serenity. This brings to mind a question: Is it possible to have a "piece of peace" or to have a "piecemeal peace?" In the ultimate sense, this is not possible. In both the social and the spiritual sense, there may be stages or degrees of peace, but finally either we have peace or we do not. As the world hopes for and works for peace in Iraq and elsewhere, we must consider how genuine peace is attained, whether peace between nations, within a nation or within one's heart. Here are some significant words about peace and how it is achieved. According to Albert Einstein, the famous physicist, "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Former American President Eisenhower stated: "there can be no assured peace and tranquility for any one nation except as it is achieved by all. So long as want, frustration, and a sense of injustice prevail among significant sections of the earth, no other section can be wholly released from fear." The ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, wrote: "Only the just man enjoys peace of mind." And according to the Apostle Paul, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding" will be given to those who trust in God (Philippians 4:7).

03/05/02  Metals/Medals/Golden Week  (Timely Words 0559)

There are many different kinds of metals. Precious metals, such as gold and silver, are used mainly as decorations; others, such as iron and aluminum, are very common and used in practical ways. Alloys, such as brass and bronze, are a mixture of two or more metals. Brass is, basically, a mixture of copper and zinc, and bronze is, basically, a mixture of copper and tin. In the homes of ordinary people, there are many articles made of iron, aluminum, brass or bronze, but in the palaces of some monarchs or ostentatious wealthy people, including the former dictator of Iraq, even some very common utilities are made of precious metals. Metals, including gold, silver, nickel, copper and aluminum, have been used to make coins, and metals are also used to make medals. A medal is a flat piece of metal stamped with a design and given as an award. In the Olympic Games, first, second and third place winners are given gold, silver and bronze medals to celebrate their achievements. Throughout history, gold has been considered the most precious metal and there are various expressions using "gold" or "golden." In Japan, the week beginning April 29th is known as "Golden Week" because the group of national holidays during that week enhanced the business of movie theaters. April 29th, the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, was designated "Green Day" following his death, because of his interest in a healthy green environment. May 3rd, Constitution Memorial Day, commemorates the enactment of the present Constitution on that day in 1947. And May 5th is Children's Day, focusing on the healthy growth and development of children.

03/05/04  X's and Circles  (Timely Words 0560)

A recent newspaper article described actions of people in Iraq who pounded statues or pictures of Saddam Hussein with their shoes. In the Arab world, the foot is considered the dirtiest part of the body so hitting someone with one's shoes is a sign of great disrespect. The article noted the need to understand the meaning of symbols and symbolic actions in different cultures, which caused me to think of the difference in America and Japan related to the symbolic meaning of the English letter X. In American elections, we put an X in the space next to the name of the candidate we are voting for. Thus, an X indicates our approval. It may also be used to indicate a certain point on a map, for the signature of an illiterate person or to represent a kiss in a letter to a loved one. As the first Greek letter in the word "Christ," it may also be used to represent Christ, as in the term "Xmas." In Japan, however, X is a symbol of disapproval and may represent penalty or punishment. In school tests where statements must be designated "true" or "false," the X represents "false" and a circle is used for "true." In Japan, the circle, which may represent harmony, is a positive symbol and voters mark a circle beside the name of the candidate of their choice. Students are happy to see a circle at the top of an examination paper, which indicates they did well. It is also interesting that the Chinese character for "circle" is used for the Japanese monetary unit, "(y)en." This character is also found in some Japanese translations of the Bible in Isaiah 40:22, where we are told that God "sits enthroned above the circle of the earth."

03/05/07  Power Outage  (Timely Words 0561)

Recently, we were suddenly reminded how dependent we are on electricity and how different life would be without it. As the result of a thunderstorm, our area suffered a power outage that lasted about five hours in the afternoon and early evening. I was working on my computer when the outage occurred, but, fortunately, my laptop computer immediately transfers to an internal battery when the external power supply is cut off so my work was not interrupted or damaged, but the lights went out throughout the house. Not only did lights go out, the radio and television were inoperative and the washing machine and air conditioner did not function. And for some reason, our telephones, which have a different power supply, were also unusable so it would have been very stressful if we needed to make an emergency telephone call. Fortunately, the medical institution in our community has its own generator and because I do have a portable radio that is battery-powered, I was able to listen to it. As suppertime approached, however, we could not make use of the oven or toaster and the refrigerator and freezer were getting a little warmer. An afternoon and an evening meeting had to be called off because there was no power in the meeting hall. As the darkness deepened, I took out a flashlight and began reading a magazine by its light. The next day, a newspaper article noted the traffic problem that occurred because traffic lights throughout the area had ceased to function. We were forced to think how dependent we are upon powers that are beyond our control—physical, social or spiritual.

03/05/09  Wind  (Timely Words 0562)

Both my wife and I were born and raised in the northeastern area of the state of Illinois near the city of Chicago, which was called the "windy city" because of the strong winds that frequently blew off of Lake Michigan. One of the many natural forces that cannot be controlled by human technology is the movement of air called "wind." There are a number of areas in the world where windstorms occur regularly or irregularly. The cyclones which often pass over the islands of Japan are called "typhoons." This word is derived from Chinese and may mean "great wind" or "wind from Taiwan." Typhoons which arise in the western part of the Pacific Ocean are similar to the cyclones which arise in the Atlantic Ocean, called "hurricanes." Now that my wife and I live in the state of Florida, we have to endure periodic "hurricanes" rather than "typhoons." But these windstorms are different from the "tornadoes" which swept across parts of the United States of America a couple of days ago. A "tornado" is a rapidly rotating column of air accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that causes great destruction. According to a newspaper article, there were more than 83 tornadoes reported in the region on Sunday night. At least 38 people lost their lives as a result. Hundreds of people lost their homes and some communities were completely devastated. In the New Testament Letter of James, at the beginning of the 3rd chapter, the human tongue is compared to the small rudder that controls a large boat that is driven by strong winds and we are cautioned to be careful how we use our tongues.

03/05/11  A Harrowing Tale  (Timely Words 0563)

When used as a noun, "harrow" denotes a farm instrument consisting of a heavy frame with sharp teeth or upright disks used to break up and even off plowed ground. As a verb, "harrow" may mean to break up and level with a harrow or to inflict great distress or torment on and the adjective "harrowing" means extremely distressing or agonizing. Thus, "a harrowing tale" denotes an extremely distressing story. Such a story appeared in many newspapers and news magazines a few days ago. It recounted the experience of a 27-year-old American mountain climber who has made more than 40 solo winter climbs up Rocky Mountains over 4200 meters high in the states of Utah and Colorado. While hiking along a trail rarely used by others, a huge boulder crashed down on his right arm, bringing his climb to an abrupt end. Despite his strenuous efforts, he was unable to move the rock and remained in that place for four days, until his water ran out. Faced with the difficult choice of losing his life or his right arm, he used his pocket knife to amputate his arm, just below the elbow. He also fashioned a tourniquet to stop the flow of blood. Then, he descended the steep mountain and hiked for over ten kilometers seeking help. Spotted by a County Sheriff's Department helicopter, he was taken to a hospital where he is recovering and hopes to get back to his favorite activity, mountain climbing. Reading this extraordinary, harrowing tale, I was reminded of difficult decisions many of us must make related to our priorities. What is of supreme importance or value in our lives and how is it determined?

03/05/14  Military Titles  (Timely Words 0564)

Since the United States Army has become officially involved in military activity overseas, we frequently see the titles of military officers in newspaper articles. Reading those articles, I wondered why the officers were given such titles and today's message reveals the result of my investigation. There are five basic officer ranks in the U.S. Army. At the top of that military organization is a "general." As an adjective, "general" denotes something or someone not limited in scope or area, such as a "general rule" or a "general manager." In the army, a "general" is in charge of the entire military unit. Under the general is a "colonel," which is pronounced the same as the word spelled k-e-r-n-e-l, denoting a grain or seed. This word is rooted in a Latin word for "column," for this officer originally was in charge of a column of soldiers, but the word entered English by way of French so the spelling and pronunciation do not match. The officer under a colonel is a "major," for he has the major responsibility for those under his authority. And under a major is a "captain." This word is rooted in a Latin word meaning "head," for a captain is the head of those under his authority. Another English word derived from the same Latin word is "cap," which a captain wears on his head. The fifth officer is a "lieutenant," which is rooted in French words meaning "place-holder," for that officer holds a particular place in the military organization. Soldiers often must endure hardship and, in the New Testament, Timothy is instructed to "endure hardship . . . like a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 2:4).

03/05/16  Senior Citizens  (Timely Words 0565)

The word "senior" is derived from a Latin word meaning "old." It may signify the older of two persons. When a son has the same name as his father, the father is "Senior" and the son is "Junior." It may also denote a person above others in rank or length of service. New employees in a company should be submissive to their seniors. "Senior" is also used to designate the fourth and final year of high school or college. Nowadays, the term "senior citizen" is often used for a person over the age of retirement and the retirement community in which my wife and I now live is made up of senior citizens. According to one theory, the name of this fifth month of the year is derived from a Latin word meaning "elders" in contrast to the following month, derived from a Latin word for "juniors." This month of May is designated a month to respect the elderly in the United States of America and in our retirement community, a special celebration is held during this month for residents who have passed their 90th birthday. At the recent celebration, there were over 50 such residents on the list and over half of them attended; a number of them were pushed in wheelchairs from their rooms in assisted living units. Younger senior citizens, including my wife, took homemade cookies for those in attendance to enjoy along with the punch. At that celebration, prayers were offered, songs were sung and messages were delivered from the town mayor and the association president. Looking over the group, I was reminded of the words of Proverbs 20:29: "The glory of young men is their strength, but the beauty of old men is their gray hair."

03/05/18  Saint Augustine  (Timely Words 0566)

The oldest city in the United States of America, located on the east coast of the state of Florida, is named St. Augustine for it was on August 28,1565, the feast day of St. Augustine, that the Spanish explorer, Pedro Menendez, first sighted this land on his voyage from Spain. The man in whose honor it was named is one of the most influential men in the history of the Christian Church. Aurelius Augustinus lived in north Africa in the fifth century. After leaving home for school, he spurned the influence of his Christian mother and led a wild, immoral life, but following his baptism at the age of 33, he became a monk and later, against his will, he was chosen to be a priest and then a bishop. In his Confessions, written in 400, he related the great change that took place in his life as a result of his conversion. This book continues to be an inspiration to those who read it today. In it, we find these words, addressed to God: "Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee." His view of history is expounded in the City of God, in which he affirms God's providential control over human actions to build a city of God or a city of the devil. The works of St. Augustine are recognized and utilized by both Roman Catholic and Protestant church scholars. Although some of his views are obviously conditioned by the time, place and situation, others remain relevant in all times and places. Today, we should heed his advice to "Hear the other side," to recognize humility as "the first, second and third thing" in religion and to see selfless love as the basis of a moral life: "Love, and do what you will."

03/05/21  Acronyms/SARS  (Timely Words 0567)

A living language continues to change; as some words are discarded or become obsolete, other words are added. Sometimes it may be difficult for a senior citizen to understand the conversation between a couple of teenagers who use words not yet found in a dictionary. But new words are also being coined by scientists, scholars and newspaper reporters and editors. Some of the new words began as abbreviations or acronyms. An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of a name or by combining initial letters or parts of a series of words. A "Wac," for example, was a member of the Women's Army Corps of the U.S. Army, organized during World War II. And "radar," which is "a method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of very high frequency radio waves reflected from their surfaces," was coined from the words "radio detecting and ranging." Now, certain areas of the world have become completely discombobulated because of a new disease called SARS, from "severe acute respiratory syndrome." Thousands of people in many different countries have become ill and hundreds have died as a result of this disease which began in a rural province of China. Airlines have canceled flights, tourists have changed their schedules, companies have gone bankrupt and the economies of some areas have suffered greatly. The catastrophe called SARS, along with terrorism, reminds us that we are, indeed, a global community and all nations must work together to find an acceptable solution to these international problems.

03/05/23  "Can" and "May"  (Timely Words 0568)

Readers of these messages know about the irregularities and inconsistencies of the English language related to spelling, pronunciation and use of words. Today's message is related to the words "can" and "may." When used as verbs, the past tense of "can" is "could," but the past tense of "may" is "might." And the correct usage of these verbs is confusing, even to native speakers of English. Furthermore, what is considered "correct usage" may be different in Great Britain and the United States of America and may change over the years, but the position presented in this message is based on a reference book printed in New York in 1957. Both "can" and "may" may be used to express possibility, as in "he can come" and "he may come." But here "can" means "it is physically possible that" and "may" means "there is a chance that." Thus, "can" and "may" are not interchangeable when speaking about a possibility. But "may" is also used to ask for or grant permission, as in "may I come in?" In this case, "can" is often used in place of "may" to suggest that the decision is not merely a personal whim but something based on objective facts. In refusing permission, "you may not" is considered disagreeably personal and "you cannot" is preferred. In granting permission, "may" is still used, as in "you may keep it till Friday," but most people now feel it is more courteous, less autocratic, to say "you can keep it till Friday." In asking permission, "may" is generally felt to be more polite than "can," as in "may I look at it?" rather than "can I look at it?" I hope you can understand the meaning of this message and may be helped by it.

03/05/25  Memorial Day Weekend  (Timely Words 0569)

A week denotes a period of seven days, usually beginning with Sunday and ending with Saturday, but there are two similar, but different, definitions of "weekday." According to one dictionary, a "weekday" is "1) Any day of the week except Sunday. 2) Any day exclusive of the days of the weekend." And, in that dictionary, a "weekend" is defined as "the end of the week, especially the period from Friday evening through Sunday evening." On June 28, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation shifting the dates of certain holidays to provide Americans with an increased number of three-day weekends. One of those holidays was Memorial Day, which is now celebrated on the last Monday of May. During the preceding century, following the Civil War, the day to commemorate those soldiers who died in the service of their country was May 30th. This year, Memorial Day falls on May 26th, the earliest day possible for the "last Monday." On this day, many Americans will visit cemeteries where remains of deceased members of the armed forces and others are buried. They will honor their memories in various ways, but the motivation and inward significance of their actions is very similar to what is designated "worship" in the Orient. Not only during the special observances this weekend in memory of those who died, but in the traditional formalities or rituals regularly performed on weekends or at other times, it is well to remember the words recorded in the Old Testament book of I Samuel, chapter 16, verse 7: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

03/05/28  Refugees  (Timely Words 0570)

A place providing protection or shelter may be called a refuge. If an "e" is added to the end of this word, the meaning changes to a person who flees from one place to another seeking refuge—usually because of war, oppression or persecution. There are now millions of refugees throughout the world and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has a web site (www.unhcr.ch) and publishes a periodical called "Refugees," to provide information about them. In the current issue of that periodical, it is noted that more than a quarter of a million civilians returned home in the last year following two decades of war in Sri Lanka. In Afghanistan, more than two million refugees went back to their homeland in the year 2002 and the UN Refugee Agency expects to help another 1.5 million return to that country this year. In the African nation of Angola, where battles between government forces and rebels have been going on for a quarter of a century, more than four million people have been forced from their towns and villages and sought refuge elsewhere. The periodical noted that there are more than 40 million uprooted persons around the world, more than half of which are children and young people between the ages of 13 and 25. It is difficult for those of us who reside peacefully in our homelands to imagine the lasting physical, psychological and economic effect that such an experience will have upon these unfortunate young people for the rest of their lives and we should dedicate ourselves to work more vigorously for peace within and among all countries in the world.

03/05/30  Ice and Iceboxes  (Timely Words 0571)

Water is a clear, colorless liquid that turns into ice when it is frozen. When I was a child, there was an icebox in the back porch of our house. In the top part of this insulated box was a rack where a large block of ice was placed with a tray underneath to catch the water as it melted. Food placed on the shelves under the block of ice in the icebox was kept cool and preserved. An ice man came regularly into our neighborhood with large blocks of ice covered with a large canvas sheet in a wagon pulled by a horse. If we needed ice, he would cut the ice with an ice pick and carry it to our icebox with a pair of ice tongs. Later, after an electric refrigerator was purchased and put into the kitchen, the icebox was no longer needed. On the two times my wife and I returned to the United States from Japan with our three children by way of Europe, we purchased a camping car in Germany and spent a month traveling through many different countries. In the camping car, there was a small icebox and it was often troublesome to find out where to obtain ice for it as the only language I knew was English. In Germany, I got some from a brewery. In the Netherlands, I found an ice house. In England, I got some from a fishmonger. In Turkey, I found an ice wagon, pulled by a donkey. And in Yugoslavia, when I showed the tray in which I wanted a block of ice to be put at a beer hall, the bar attendant thought I wanted it filled with ice cream. A customer then led me to his third floor apartment down the street to give me ice cubes. When I refused, he took me to the back of a restaurant where a suitable block of ice was found.

03/06/02  (National) Anthems  (Timely Words 0572)

In churches that have choirs, it is customary for the choir to sing an anthem during the worship service. This word is derived from Greek words meaning "sounding back" for originally it signified a sacred song sung antiphonally, with musical groups singing back and forth to each other. At the present time, "anthem" denotes a hymn of praise or loyalty, and is also used for the officially designated national song of a country. The poem that became the national anthem of the United States of America was written during the War of 1812 with Great Britain in which a 25 hour bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland was unsuccessful and the national flag with its 15 stripes and 15 stars, called "The Star-Spangled Banner" was still visible when a new day dawned. It became a popular song when combined with the tune of an old English drinking song. President Woodrow Wilson ordered it to be played during military and naval services in 1916 and it was officially designated as the national anthem by an Act of Congress in 1931. The poem that became the national anthem of Japan is from an ancient collection of poems and was combined with an ancient court music tune in 1880. It lauds the long reign of a kimi (ruler, emperor, lord, lover, friend) "till pebbles grow into mighty rocks." Although it was often sung during the reign of the militarists, it was not officially designated the national anthem until 1999. In the vision of heaven recorded in the final book of the Bible there is an anthem sung in praise of the supreme kimi, or God: "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (Revelation 7:12).

03/06/04  Trip to Atlanta  (Timely Words 0573)

Every two years at the end of May a meeting of former missionaries to Japan is held somewhere in this country. This year, the meeting was held near Atlanta, Georgia, about 600 kilometers north of our town in northeast Florida, so we were able to drive there on interstate highways in about seven hours. About 150 people attended and we enjoyed meeting many old friends, some of whom we had not seen for many years. Stimulating lectures were given relating to the economic, social, political and religious situation in Japan today as well as historical surveys related to former years. Bible studies and a worship service were included along with hymn-singing in both English and Japanese. One afternoon, we visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum and gained a deeper understanding of important events and problems in the history of our own country. On our way home, we encountered a severe thunderstorm for the final 100 kilometers. Along with the thunder and lightning, it "rained cats and dogs." This expression is rooted in the superstitions of people centuries ago that some animals had magical powers. Witches that were believed to ride in the storms were often pictured as black cats and the Norse storm god, Odin, was frequently shown surrounded by dogs. Thus, when a particularly violent rainstorm occurred, people said it was "raining cats and dogs," with cats symbolizing the rain and dogs representing the wind and storm. From the Biblical perspective, as recorded in Jeremiah 10:13, wind and rain, thunder and lightning are all controlled by God.

03/06/06  Golf  (Timely Words 0574)

Turning off the state highway into this Penney Retirement Community, two sights immediately attract one's attention. At the end of the boulevard is the church, which may be considered the heart of the community, and on both sides of the boulevard leading to the church is the golf course, which some residents may find more attractive than the church. Golf is a game in which a small hard ball is hit with specially made clubs over a wide area with the aim to deposit it in certain small, numbered holes scattered around the course. The origin of this game is unknown, but it is identified with Scotland, where as early as 1457, it was banned as a threat to archery practice which was considered vital to national defense. There are a number of English words that have specific meanings in relation to golf. The small peg with a concave top for holding a golf ball is called a "tee." This is also the name of the designated area from which a player makes his first stroke. The smooth surface of closely cropped grass around the holes is a "green" and between the tee and the green is the "fairway," often bounded by tall grass and trees (the "rough") and containing natural or artificial obstacles ("hazards"), such as water and sand pits ("traps"). Since land is a precious commodity in Japan, playing golf there is very expensive. It does not require as much exercise as tennis, so I never became a golfer and considered it a sport for wealthy businessmen and politicians. But there may be some truth in the statement that golf is a colorful sport that keeps you "on the green, in the pink and in the red."

03/06/08  Rainy Season in Japan  (Timely Words 0575)

The irregularities in the spelling and pronunciation of English words is very confusing to students of English, but Japanese is also confusing. There are two different Japanese syllabaries which may be used to write any word. Although the pronunciation of the syllabic letters is always the same, the amazing number of Chinese characters with their many strokes and varied pronunciations are confusing to students of Japanese. For example, this month of June is the rainy season in Japan, which may be called either "tsuyu" or "baiu." And how does one write this word in Japanese? It may be written using the letters of either of the syllabaries, in which case two letters would be used for "tsu-yu" and three letters for "ba-i-u," but it is common to write it using Chinese characters. In this case, the second of the two characters for both "tsuyu" and "baiu" means "rain." Consisting of eight strokes, it is pronounced "ame" when written by itself. There are two different possibilities for the first character in this word. The more common one is a ten-stroke character meaning "plum" or "plum tree" and is pronounced "ume" when used by itself. The other one is a complicated character with 23 strokes meaning "mold" or "mildew," pronounced "kabi" when used by itself. Thus, the rainy season in Japan may be called either "plum rain" or "mold rain" for it stimulates the growth of both fruits and funguses. Depending upon the atmospheric conditions, rain may be either a blessing or a problem, but in Jesus' teaching, recorded in Matthew 5:45, both the sun and rain are evidence of God's blessing upon all people without distinction.

03/06/10  Moss  (Timely Words 0576)

The formal name of one of the famous temples in the Japanese city of Kyoto is Saihoji. It belongs to the Rinzai branch of the Zen sect of Buddhism. The Chinese characters in this name literally mean "West Fragrant Temple," but it is usually called Kokedera, or "Moss Temple" for the main attraction of this temple is the large garden around it which is covered with moss. This kind of moss is a small, green plant that grows in velvety clusters on rocks, trees and moist ground. The varieties of color and texture of the moss that carpets the ground and coats the rocks and trees in this temple garden make it uniquely beautiful. There is an English proverb, "A rolling stone gathers no moss," which may be interpreted differently, depending on whether "moss" has a positive or negative implication. On the one hand, a person who is constantly on the move and never remains long in one place or at one job will never make much money, but on the other hand, he will not be burdened or hindered by many encumbrances. The word "moss" is also used for quite different kinds of plants. "Irish moss" is a kind of seaweed and the gray, threadlike stems of "Spanish moss" may be seen drooping from the branches of a large tree just down the street from our house. While serving in Japan, we became acquainted with a missionary whose surname was Moss. We met him and his Japanese wife at the recent meeting of former missionaries in Atlanta and they came to visit his sister who lives in this retirement community. On their trip back north, they are visiting graveyards where his Moss forebears are buried.

03/06/12  Linear Measurements  (Timely Words 0577)

The most logical system for measuring distance is the metric system in which a meter is the basic unit of length and all measurements are related to the number 10. There are 10 meters in a decameter, 100 meters in a hectometer and 1000 meters in a kilometer. And there are 1000 millimeters, 100 centimeters and 10 decimeters in one meter. A meter is considered to be one ten-millionth part of the distance along a meridian from the earth's equator to a pole. Most industrialized countries have abandoned old, traditional units of measurement (which continue to be used in certain professions) and now use the metric system, but some countries influenced by Great Britain, including the U.S.A., continue to make use of a complicated, illogical system of inches, feet, yards and miles. In this system, there are 12 inches in one foot, 3 feet in one yard and 5280 feet, or 1760 yards, in one mile. In this system, a foot originally was derived from the length of a human foot, and according to a legend, King John once stamped his foot on the ground, pointed to the indentation and declared: "There is a foot; let it be the measure of a foot from this day forward." An "inch," derived from a Latin word meaning "twelfth part," is roughly the breadth of a man's thumb or the length of the knuckle of the thumb of King Edgar in particular, but in 1305, King Edward I decreed that an inch should be the measure of three dried barleycorns. Obviously, in those days, precise, accurate measurements were not so important. Times have changed, but nowadays we should also consider the standard by which our daily actions are measured.

03/06/14  Flag Day  (Timely Words 0578)

In the United States of America, there are no national holidays. Legislatures or executives of the individual states determine the public holidays to be observed in their particular state. The U.S. Congress and the President can only designate holidays to be observed by the District of Columbia and federal employees. Most states, however, observe the holidays so designated. Over the years, June 14 has been observed as Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of a national flag on that day in 1777, but it was not until 1949 that the national government officially recognized it and it is only in Pennsylvania that it is observed as a legal holiday. During the Revolutionary War, the various colonies each had their own individual flags. The Grand Union flag, designated by the colonial armies' Commander in Chief, George Washington, had 13 alternating red and white stripes with the British flag in the canton, but after the war ended, a national flag was adopted. In that flag, the Union Jack in the Grand Union flag was replaced by a new constellation of 13 stars on a blue field. When two new states were accepted into the Union, two more stripes and two more stars were added, but in 1818, Congress determined that the national flag would have only 13 stripes with an additional star to be added for each new state, so now, there are fifty stars in the canton. In some communities, special ceremonies are held on Flag Day. Just as seeing our national flag reminds us of our responsibilities as citizens, seeing the cross on a flag or church reminds us of God's great love for us and our responsibilities as his children.

03/06/17  Friday Night Emergency  (Timely Words 0579)

Last Friday night we received a telephone call from a lady (D) in an apartment across the street. A man had knocked on her door and told her that while walking his dog along the street a lady (B) sitting on the street in pain asked him to inform her friend D. Feeling she needed help, D called us and I agreed to accompany her to the place where the lady, a friend of D's who also lives in the apartment house, was experiencing a heart attack. B asked us to go to her apartment and get her purse. We tried to do so, but the door to her apartment was locked so we had to go back to her and get her key. We brought her purse and D boarded the ambulance with her to accompany her to the emergency ward of the hospital, half an hour away. I followed in my own car in order to bring D back after the examination and hospitalization. D had been informed of B's daughter's telephone number, so she was called while we were waiting in the hospital lobby and a message was left on the answer machine. Later, when the same number was called, we found out it was the wrong number, so we called the Emergency Ward and got the correct number, which we called and informed her daughter who said she would come. When we were permitted to see and talk with B, we found out that the severe pain had passed but she was still uncomfortable and would await further examination. We informed her that her daughter would be coming and returned to our community, arriving after midnight, about two and a half hours after the knock on D's door. In the confusion in this emergency also, we recognized the providence of our heavenly Father.

03/06/19  Accents  (Timely Words 0580)

In English, there are words having the same pronunciation with very different meanings, even though they may be spelled the same. Such "homonyms" may include "homophones," which are words having the same pronunciation but are spelled differently. For example, "beet" and "beat," "meet" and "meat," "feet" and "feat" are both homonyms and homophones." In Japanese also, words with different meanings may have identical pronunciations. In some cases, even though the pronunciation is the same, the tone or pitch of certain syllables indicates the difference in meaning. Thus, the difference between the words meaning "chopsticks" and "bridge," both of which are pronounced "ha-shi," or between "paper," "hair" and "God," all pronounced "ka-mi," depends on the higher or lower tone used for certain syllables, but the fact that these tonal variations differ depending on the area complicates the matter. In English, one meaning of "accent" is the emphasis placed upon a syllable in a word, but another meaning is the characteristic pronunciation of a certain region. In the United States of America, there are obvious differences in the pronunciations of people in the regions called New England, the South and the Midwest. Needless to say, the accents of the native speakers of English in England are still different. When those Americans who live in the part of America between Canada and Mexico watch a movie made in England, we sometimes find it difficult to understand the language, but we are thankful that God understands all languages regardless of accents because God perceives the hearts of the speakers.

03/06/21  Feuds  (Timely Words 0581)

"Romeo and Juliet" is the title of one of William Shakespeare's well-known dramas. It depicts the complications that developed when a young man and a young woman belonging to feuding families fell in love. A "feud" is "a bitter, prolonged quarrel or state of enmity, as between two families, individuals or clans." Because of the feud between the clans of the Montagues and the Capulets, the romance of Romeo and Juliet ended in tragedy. In American tradition, the most famous "feud" was between two families in the Appalachian Mountains, living on opposite sides of the river that separates Kentucky and West Virginia, the Hatfields and the McCoys. It is thought that the feud began in a dispute over a pig, but over the last twenty years of the 19th century, battles between these two families attracted national attention and their names became associated with the word "feud" in the minds and writings of Americans. This month, that feud came to a peaceful end. Descendants of the Hatfield and McCoy families gathered together to sign a truce. Signatures of more than 60 descendants are on the truce that marks an official end to the feud that had claimed at least a dozen lives from the two families. There are many quarrels and conflicts in the world today between people of different nations, cultures, ethnic roots and religious traditions, but if serious, conscientious efforts are made by both sides, a peaceful solution should be attainable. In the New Testament Letter of James, chapter 3, verse 18, we find these words: "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

03/06/24  "Native Americans"  (Timely Words 0582)

When the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea between North and South America, he mistakenly thought that he had reached the Orient, the "Indies," and called the inhabitants of the island "Indians." Since that time, the generic term "Indian" has been used to refer to native people of the Americas. Although there are three different countries in North America, seven in Central America and twelve in South America, the term "America" or "Americans" is often used in a more specific sense for the United States of America and its citizens. Nowadays, the term "Native American" is often used for the aboriginal inhabitants of this hemisphere, but that also may promote a misconception for there are hundreds of different "Native American" societies in the Americas. One of the most shameful aspects in the history of what has become the United States of America is the conduct toward "Native Americans" by the European invaders of this continent. Members of the largest "Native American society" in the U.S.A. are called "Cherokees" and every summer in the town of Cherokee, North Carolina, a drama is presented which records the history of the Cherokees tragic relations with "whites" from the time of Hernando de Soto's explorations in 1540 to the Cherokees' forced removal in 1838-1839 from their beloved Smoky Mountains to the so-called Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). During that 1,000 mile trip, nearly one-fourth of the 17,000 travelers died along the "Trail of Tears." The title of the drama, "Unto These Hills," is derived from the first verse of Psalm 121.

03/06/26  Cardinals  (Timely Words 0583)

Among the different kinds of birds we often see around our house are certain North American birds having a crested head, a short, thick bill and an obvious difference between male and female birds. The feathers of the females are brown but those of the male birds are bright red. These birds are called "cardinals" for another meaning of "cardinal" is a red color. This word, derived from a Latin word meaning "hinge," originally denoted something very important, on which something hinges or depends. In the Roman Catholic Church, a "cardinal" is a member of a group of men who have been appointed by a pope and rank just below the pope in their authority in the church. It is this College of Cardinals who elect the pope and they may be recognized by the red hats they wear. One of the well-known American professional baseball teams is the St. Louis Cardinals and I recall an amusing article in a Japanese newspaper about a conversation between a Japanese baseball fan who was studying English and the American priest who was his teacher at the time when the St. Louis Cardinals were in Japan playing baseball and the College of Cardinals was meeting in Rome to elect a pope. The misunderstandings between these two when the subject of "cardinals" came up was more confusing and humorous than usual. "Cardinal numbers" are numbers used to indicate quantity, such as 1, 2, 3, in contrast to "ordinal numbers" that indicate order, such 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Regardless of our color or rank, what is considered of 1st importance in our lives is often reflected in our conversations as well as in our actions.

03/06/29  Clay  (Timely Words 0584)

Clay is firm, plastic fine-grained material that is used in the manufacture of bricks, pottery and other ceramics. A certain kind of clay is often available in elementary school classrooms for children to play with. Clay is also a surname and Henry Clay was the name of a famous American who served in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and twice ran for president in 1832 and 1844. One of the 67 counties in the state of Florida is named for him. In fact, the town of Penney Farms, in which I reside, is located in Clay County. The English expression "feet of clay," denoting a flaw in one's character that is not readily apparent, is derived from a story found in the 2nd chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a dream of an image which had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. When a rock struck the statue at its feet, the statue collapsed. According to the interpretation given by Daniel, a young captive from Judah who became a prophet, the statue symbolized the kingdoms of Babylon, beginning with the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, represented by the head of gold. Other weaker kingdoms would follow and finally a weak kingdom, represented by the feet of iron and clay, would bring about the collapse of the empire. In the 18th chapter of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, the prophet, Jeremiah, was directed to a potter's house where he was inspired by watching the potter work with clay and realized that nations are like clay in the hand of God, the Controller of human history.

03/07/01  Memorials  (Timely Words 0585)

Memory, the ability to remember past experiences, places and people, is a wonderful faculty. Every culture has its own customs regarding how departed loved ones, important people or events are remembered or memorialized. In some cultures and religious traditions, there are special places in common homes where deceased members of the family are remembered through presenting offerings or rituals to express respect and gratitude. In cemeteries, there are gravestones or monuments in remembrance or honor of the departed. Some of the famous structures of the world, including the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal of India and the impressive statues of historical figures are memorials. In the national capital of the United States of America, known as Washington, D. C., or the District of Columbia, there are a number of memorials, including the Washington Monument, a 170 meter high column in honor of President George Washington, the Lincoln Memorial, with an image of President Abraham Lincoln seated on a large armchair and the Jefferson Memorial, a circular colonnaded structure on the banks of the Tidal Basin in honor of President Thomas Jefferson. There is also the Arlington National Cemetery, where members of the Armed Forces have been buried. There are also memorials honoring veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In Japan, it is common to say that Japanese "worship" their ancestors, but the Bible states that God alone should be "worshipped' (Exodus 20:3). However, it is finally God alone, who can determine the sentiment of one standing, sitting, bowing before or touching a memorial.

03/07/03  World Trade Center Memorial  (Timely Words 0586)

On September 11, 2001, hijackers crashed two commercial jet planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City resulting in the deaths of about 3000 people. Many countries have memorials honoring servicemen who died in the service of their country, but what kind of memorial is appropriate for those who died in that attack is a question now under consideration. More than 13,000 people from 94 countries and all 50 states of the U.S.A. signed up to submit designs for such a memorial by June 30th. Now, a jury of 13 architects, artists and family and community members will examine the proposals and hold public hearings to make a decision. Not only the size and shape of the memorial on the site, which has an area of a little less than two hectares, must be considered but also how the memorial is to be integrated into the surrounding community. Should part of the memorial be underground? Should vehicular traffic be permitted to enter the site or even to park or pass underneath it? How to accommodate the millions of visitors who will come to view the memorial or to show their respect to those who died there must also be considered. A public school is just three blocks away and the effect the memorial will have on the school children who live nearby or who will pass by it regularly is another concern. Should the memorial include office space for commercial activities? It is hoped that a design for the World Trade Center Memorial will be selected before this fall, less than two years after the tragedy, and that construction will begin soon afterward.

03/07/06  "Vox Populi, Vox Dei"  (Timely Words 0587)

Over four years have passed since my wife and I retired from our work in Japan. However, in order to keep my Japanese language ability from getting too rusty, I try to listen to a daily short-wave radio broadcast from Tokyo in Japanese every afternoon Florida time (early morning Tokyo time) and to read something in Japanese every day. One of the small paperback books I often carry with me is one of a series of such books published by the Asahi Newspaper which contain selected articles from a column that appears every morning on the newspaper's front page. In Japanese, it is called "Tensei Jingo," which literally means "Heaven's Voice, Human Language." In this column, which first made its appearance in 1903, current events, social, political, religious, national, international problems are treated from the stimulating perspective of the thoughtful columnist and over the years, readers have always rated it the most popular part of the newspaper. This Japanese title is said to be derived from an ancient Chinese document in which it is written that "A voice in heaven speaks through people," but it is similar to the Latin expression "Vox Populi, Vox Dei" ("Voice of the People, Voice of God") which is the title given English translations of these columns. This Latin expression was first used around 800 in a letter to the Frankish emperor Charlemagne in which he is advised not to listen to those who say, "'The voice of the people is the voice of God', for the turbulence of the mob is always close to insanity." For Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, the holy scriptures are "heaven's voice in human language."

03/07/08  Even/Odd/Unlucky Numbers  (Timely Words 0588)

One meaning of "even" is smooth, flat, having no irregularities or roughness. Usually, "even" is used in a positive sense and we tend to approve of something that is "even." "Odd," on the other hand, is often used to describe something that deviates from what is customary or accepted. That which is irregular or peculiar may be called "odd." Thus "odd" often has a negative connotation. In the case of numbers, however, "even numbers" are those numbers that can be exactly divided by 2, while "odd numbers" are numbers that cannot be exactly divided by 2. In ancient Chinese cosmology, odd and even numbers were related to light and darkness, male and female, positive and negative, lucky and unlucky concepts. A Japanese preference for odd numbers is indicated by the traditional Japanese festivals which occur on odd-numbered days of odd-numbered months: January 7, March 3, May 5, July 7 and September 9. Some numbers in Japanese have identical pronunciations of certain words and the number 4 is disliked because it has the same pronunciation as a word meaning "death." To relieve the fears of superstitious people, some hospitals and hotels, in the past, have not had rooms or floors numbered 4. The first telephone number we received in Japan had evidently been refused by others to whom it had been offered because of its negative meaning, but when I was asked if I was willing to accept that number, I did so without hesitation. The number was 9242, kyuu-ni-shi-ni, which means "sudden death," and people who heard our number never forgot it. There is a difference between superstition and a healthy faith.

03/07/11  Working in the PRC Cemetery  (Timely Words 0589)

One of the characteristics of the Penney Retirement Community (webpage address: http://www.penneyretirementcommunity.org) is the volunteer activities that all residents participate in. Both my wife and I regularly serve in various capacities every week. On Monday mornings, I join a group of men who meet in the cemetery a couple of kilometers east of the community to try to keep it looking beautiful. We usually work there for two hours, from 8:00 to 10:00, from March to November. Some men drive motorized lawn mowers around the cemetery, where all the grave markers are flat—level with the ground, and thus are not obstacles that mowers must avoid. Although most of the graves contain coffins in which bodies of the deceased have been placed, in recent years, some residents have chosen to be cremated, so urns containing their ashes are buried in smaller plots. One man uses a motorized weeder to cut grass or weeds around the metal markers. Lawn mowers which are pushed by hand are used for cutting the grass closely around trees and bushes. It is my regular task to trim the trees and bushes that are scattered around the cemetery. As I trim the bushes, I recall the Japanese proverb that emphasizes communal harmony rather than independent individuality: "The post that sticks up gets pounded down." By my actions I make clear to the bushes that "The twig or branch that sticks out gets cut off." And I sometimes think the bush would like to talk back to me, but I realize that even if it did, I would not be able to understand for I have come to realize that I cannot comprehend "Bush language."

03/07/13  Pacemakers  (Timely Words 0590)

There are various kinds of "pacemakers" noted in my dictionary. One kind is "one who sets the pace in a race;" a second is "a leader in any field." And a third is "a miniaturized and surgically implanted electronic device used to regulate the heartbeat." Although I may not be a pacemaker, I recently joined the growing group of residents in this community who have a pacemaker. On Monday morning last week, following my two-hour bush-trimming activity in the community cemetery, I felt pains in my chest. After returning home and taking a shower, I stopped at the nearby clinic to have the doctor check my heart. My heartbeat was irregular so he called an ambulance to take me and my wife to the Emergency Ward of a hospital, about half-an-hour away. There we stayed for a few hours until I was admitted to a hospital room on the 4th floor. My wife returned home and, although my chest pain was gone, my heartbeat was being monitored. On the following day, I underwent a number of tests, supervised by a cardiologist, who advised that a pacemaker be inserted into my chest to regulate my irregular heartbeat. My wife and I agreed and on Wednesday morning that surgery was completed while I was fully conscious. On Thursday evening I returned home and was able to attend the Independence Day ceremony at the flagpole on Friday morning, the 4th of July. During my four days in the hospital, I was carefully cared for and was without pain. I am now back at home, thankful to God, to my wife and to the skillful medical crew. I expect to be back on the tennis court and aboveground in the cemetery next week.

03/07/15  July and August  (Timely Words 0591)

July and August are the hottest months of the year in the northern hemisphere and in this southernmost state of Florida, some residents go north to cooler areas during these hot and humid months. July and August are also the two months in the Gregorian calendar whose names have been derived from historical figures, both of whom were important leaders in the Roman Empire. This seventh month of the year is named July in honor of Julius Caesar, the Roman statesman, military leader and writer who died in 44 B.C.E. Naming a month in his honor was the result of the influence of the Roman orator, Mark Antony. Although Antony, a kinsman of Caesar, was unsuccessful in his attempt to persuade the Romans to make Caesar emperor, he did induce the senate to change the name of the month of Caesar's birth. In certain other areas in the east, it was customary to name a month after a living ruler, but this was the first such example in the Roman calendar. It was Julius Caesar who revised the ancient Roman calendar and introduced what is now called "leap year" following three successive "common years." This calendar was called the Julian calendar. In 27 B.C.E., Octavian, the first Roman emperor, was granted the title "Augustus," meaning "venerable" or "reverend" by the Roman senate. This designation was adopted by all succeeding Roman emperors, but it was the first Augustus who decided that the eighth month of the year would be named after him. It is also said that Augustus took a day from another month to add to his month so that it would not have fewer days than that of July.

03/07/17  Dates and Addresses  (Timely Words 0592)

In a dictionary, one may find different meanings of the word "date." One kind of "date" is "the sweet, oblong edible fruit of the date palm, containing a narrow, hard seed." This kind of date may be eaten raw or as an ingredient in such pastries as cookies, cakes or pies. Another kind of "date" is "an appointment, especially an engagement to go out socially with a member of the opposite sex." Last month, I had a date with my wife when we went out to celebrate our wedding anniversary. A third meaning of "date" is "the time stated in terms of the day, month, and year." In Japan it is common to state the date in the order of year, month and day: 2003/7/8, for example, but in the United States, it is more common to indicate the date in the order of month, day and year: July 8, 2003. Another traditional difference in order between these two countries is related to names and addresses. Addresses on mail in the United States usually begin with the name of an individual followed by the names of the street, city, state and country. In Japan, however, the order of names is completely reversed, with the larger areas listed before the smaller ones and the name of the individual written last. In both of these cases, I think the Japanese order is more logical, but there is probably a reason for the order common in the U.S.A. I would be happy to receive the suggestion of readers who may have an idea or explanation regarding this or who have suggestions or comments regarding other messages or regarding this webpage in general. You may write to me by activating the "Mail to Clark Offner" or "Guestbook" box on the title page.

03/07/19  Profits and Prophets  (Timely Words 0593)

"Homophones" are words that have the same pronunciation but differ in spelling, origin and meaning. Today's message is related to a couple of homophones. The one spelled p-r-o-f-i-t, denotes a benefit received from a business or financial transaction, but other kinds of benefits may also be called "profits." Businessmen and manufacturers must make a profit to continue their work, but, at times, they might benefit from the message of a "prophet," spelled p-r-o-p-h-e-t. This word is derived from a Greek word meaning "to speak" preceded by a prepositional prefix which may mean "forth" or "before." Many people consider a "prophet" a person who speaks before an event occurs and thus foretells or predicts what will happen. In the Bible, however, although prophets sometimes did predict the future, the basic meaning is a spokesman for God, one who speaks forth God's word. A basic section of the Old Testament consists of the books by prophets. The words of Biblical prophets, whether spoken or written, are considered to be the words received from God, which the prophet speaks forth rather than words the prophet himself chose to speak on his own. It is for this reason that, in the Old Testament books called "prophecies," there are many affirmations that the words written therein are the words of the Lord or truths received from God. The final (66th) chapter of the book of Isaiah begins with these words: "This is what the Lord says: 'Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.'" The following words make clear that God does not dwell in a temple, shrine, church or mosque made by human beings.

03/07/21  Book Review  (Timely Words 0594)

When traveling through a scenic area, we may view many different kinds of beautiful sights. Such "views" may include mountains, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, lakes or oceans. But another meaning of "view" is a particular observation, interpretation or opinion about something. When we read a book or watch a movie, we will develop a certain "view" of its contents and a critical examination of it may be called a "review." In the retirement community where my wife and I reside, it is customary to have Book Reviews given by residents during the summer months and I was asked to give the Book Review for the month of July. The book I chose to review was A New Religious America by Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion at Harvard University. In this book, the author reveals the results of the study she and her students made related to how the religious situation in the United States of America has changed over the past couple of decades as the number of immigrants has increased, especially from Asian countries. Now the landscape is changing and we may view the architectural characteristics of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam as well as of Christianity in the scenery of this land. Dr. Eck advises us not to ignore these newcomers who have brought their cultural customs with them but to seek to understand them and welcome them into our peculiar society with its tradition of religious freedom. Many of the earliest immigrants to this North American continent were seeking religious freedom and we should maintain that tradition and respect the religious beliefs and customs of others.

03/07/25  Greenbacks/The Great Seal  (Timely Words 0595)

Everyone in this country, citizens or visitors, long-term residents or illegal aliens, makes use of paper dollars, but most people do not look at them closely and would be unable to tell what pictures or symbols are on these "greenbacks." Taking bills from my billfold, I find that on the back of a $20 bill is a picture of the White House, the official residence of the President; on the back of a $10 bill is a picture of the U.S. Treasury and on the back of a $5 bill is a picture of the Lincoln Memorial. On the greenback of the most commonly used $1 bill, however, there is not a picture of a government building. Rather, there are two circles showing opposite sides of the Great Seal of the United States, which was approved by Congress in 1782. On one side is an unfinished pyramid with an eye above it, symbolizing a structure still being constructed under the eye of Providence. On the other side is a bald eagle holding arrows of war in one talon and an olive branch symbolizing peace in the other. Its beak holds a ribbon on which the Latin phrase "E pluribus unum," meaning "One out of many," is written. Very careful viewers will notice that there are 13 stars above the head of the eagle, 13 stripes on the shield covering its breast, 13 arrows in one talon and 13 leaves on the olive branch in the other, symbolizing the original 13 colonies of the U.S.A. The American bald eagle is not really "bald," but appears to be so because of the white feathers on its head. It was chosen as a symbol of the U.S.A. because of the qualities of strength and wisdom that it seemed to represent. It is not afraid of storms but soars above them.

03/08/03  A Busy Month  (Timely Words 0596)

It is my custom to provide an opportunity for those in the congregation when I preach a sermon to ask questions, make comments, request clarifications, etc. the next day. So, the day after my sermon this month, I met and talked with people in a room at the church. The following day, I drove my wife and 3 granddaughters to a city about 3 hours away and left the older granddaughter with a family there. She had met a daughter of that family last year at a church camp here in Florida and was invited to join the family and attend a high school in that city for her senior year, following which she hopes to enter a state college here. On the way back home from that city, we stopped at a motel and spent the following (tiring but enjoyable) day at the famous SeaWorld Adventure Park. The following week, I gave the Book Review noted in a previous message. Also during that time, nurses visited our home to take samples of my blood, listen to my heartbeat and take my blood pressure and I had a doctor check on my heart's condition. Then our elder son arrived from New Mexico. He spent two nights here before leaving with his daughter and niece for Japan, where our daughter from Thailand plans to join them and our younger son and family for a couple of weeks. Now, my wife and I are trying to relax, but I did play some tennis this week. Now, I plan to drive to the state of Michigan, over 1700 kilometers away, to attend the wedding of my nephew. There, my wife and I hope to meet my brother and 4 sisters and their spouses and some of their children, many of whom we have not seen for a long time. Yes, it has been a busy month.

03/08/06  Flowers  (Timely Words 0597)

My wife has a keen sense of beauty and works hard to keep our home beautiful, both inside and outside. Around the house, she has made an attractive flower garden that includes chrysanthemums, marigolds, snapdragons, lilies, heather, azaleas, roses, geraniums, gardenias, poinsettias, boxwoods, impatiens and pansies. Inside the house, there are a variety of cactuses, an air plant and a couple of others. In the world around us, there are countless kinds of beautiful flowers, each with their own characteristic size, shape and colors. A recent newspaper article explained how these different kinds of flowers with their individual peculiarities attract different kinds of insects or birds to distribute their pollen and thus ensure their survival. Some birds or insects are attracted by the sweet nectar of flowers. While obtaining it, their bodies or wings brush against petals whose pollen is then transferred to other flowers and new flowers are generated. Certain flowers attract certain kinds of insects or birds. Some attract bees, flies, wasps, moths or butterflies. Others attract large birds, such as crows, or tiny birds, such as hummingbirds. It is difficult for me to imagine how the existence and variety of so many different, beautiful, colorful flowers can be explained apart from a purposeful plan by a divine Designer. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus directed his disciples attention to the beauty of the flowers of the field as examples of God's loving care for his creation and urged them not to worry about material things but to focus their attention on more important matters (Matthew 6:28-33).

03/08/07  Commonwealth of Massachusetts  (Timely Words 0598)

In the official names of certain countries, a couple of words to indicate the type of government in effect in that country precede the name of the country itself. The most common such term at the present time is "Republic of," but there are still a number of countries whose names begin with "Kingdom of," including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and Great Britain. And the official names of a few former members of the "British Commonwealth of Nations" begin with "Commonwealth of," including Australia, The Bahamas and Dominica. A dictionary defines a "commonwealth" as "a nation or state governed by the people; republic." Thus, the "wealth" of that state (in the usual sense of the word) is not held in "common." It is interesting that there are a few states in the United States of America that are officially "commonwealths," including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which has a Secretary of the Commonwealth rather than a Secretary of State. This New England commonwealth is one of the smaller states in area (number 44 out of 50) but one of the larger ones in population (number 13). Massachusetts was one of the earliest states settled and its state constitution, drafted in 1780, is the oldest state constitution in effect today. The name of this state is derived from the name of a tribe of Native Americans, meaning "at or about the great hill.' The state motto is a Latin phrase meaning "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty." Both peace and liberty are worthy goals but it is too bad that they are not always combined.

03/08/09  Clergymen  (Timely Words 0599)

In modern English, a "clerk" may be a salesperson in a store or a person who keeps records and performs the regular business of a court or legislative body, but an archaic meaning of "clerk" is "clergyman", a person ordained for religious service. In fact, the words "clergy" and "cleric" along with the name "Clark" are all related to this word. There are a number of different words for clergymen in Christian churches, each having a peculiar nuance. Because a clergyman is expected to minister to the needs of church members, he may be called a "minister" and a minister who preaches sermons regularly may be called a "preacher." The term "priest" is used in more liturgical churches for the person who performs certain rituals and is considered a kind of mediator between human beings and God. In the New Testament, a congregation of believers is sometimes figuratively referred to as a flock of sheep and the leader, or shepherd, of the flock is called a "pastor," and a clergyman who is the spiritual head of a certain area, called a "parish," may be called a "parson." A "chaplain" is a clergyman attached to a chapel, which is a place of worship smaller than a church, or a division of a larger institution. In the United States of America, there are "chaplains" both in the armed services and in state and national government assemblies. "Evangelists" hold special evangelistic meetings, but all conscientious Christian clergymen consider spreading the "evangel," the "Gospel," or "Good News" of God's love for all people as revealed in Jesus Christ as part of their vocation, or calling.