Computer Frustration
00/10/01

Many people, including me, who make use of convenient devices which are powered by electricity are unable to explain how they function. I do not understand how electric lights work, how we can hear the voice of someone faraway through a telephone or how we can hear and see events in a distant land through television. Nor do I understand how a computer works and how the messages I compose get on the internet and can be read by people around the world. Since I do not understand how a computer works, I become frustrated when it does not work the way I expect it to. Since the recent visit of my son who knows much about computers, a counter was added to this webpage, but that required a change in the way the messages are uploaded. The new method is more complicated than before, but when the computer works as expected there is no problem. It is my custom to add a new message to this homepage on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights between 11:00 and 12:00 p.m. Eastern time in the United States. Recently, the computer did not function as usual and I do not know why. I was completely frustrated and baffled when I saw the homepage full of strange and meaningless symbols. I do not know how it got that way and was not immediately able to rectify the situation. I apologize for any inconvenience it caused readers and hope it will not happen again. If, in the future, there is a delay in uploading messages or some other problem, please be patient. At such a time, I also need to remember the words found in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes 7:8: "patience is better than pride." (186)

Homecoming/Welcome
00/10/05

The obvious meaning of the word "homecoming" is a coming or returning to one's home. Nowadays, however, the word is often used by schools for a special celebration attended by graduates. Such homecomings are often held in the fall along with a football game against one of the school's major opponents. At such a time, alumni enjoy meeting and talking with acquaintances they knew during their student days. At such homecomings, all former students are welcomed. Because many of the residents of our retirement community take trips during the summer and some of them have another place to stay for a couple of months, an annual "homecoming" is held here the first part of October to welcome back those who have traveled and to signal the beginning of the regular activity schedule which had been abbreviated during the summer. At that recent homecoming, the Sunshine Band, made up of residents, played a number of pieces and a welcome was given to the returnees. There was a time of singing and a clown skit (in which my wife took part) before the inspirational talk and a final prayer. To "welcome" means to receive with pleasure, but the expression "you're welcome" is the common response to a "thank you". It is natural for us to welcome family members or former friends at a homecoming, but the writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews (13:2) encouraged his readers to "welcome strangers" also. (188)

Debate/Dialogue
00/10/06

There are various English words that may be used to denote the talking of two or more persons in an effort to reach agreement, ascertain truth or convince . "Discussion" is a general term that signifies an exchange of opinions that does not imply any disagreement. "Argument" emphasizes the presentation of reasons in support of a position opposed by others. "Dispute" implies a wide difference of opinions and sharp argument. And "debate" denotes a formal, public setting for an argument. Anyone who reads American newspapers, watches American television or is aware of current events in the United States of America knows that the first of three debates between the two major candidates for president was recently held in Boston. It was viewed by many people who will be voting for president next month. In this debate, disputes and arguments were more evident than discussions, but viewers were focusing on the character, intelligence and experience reflected in the way the subjects were treated as well as upon the content of the statements made. Twenty years ago in Japan, I began a monthly meeting for clergymen and laymen of various religions or of no religion to meet and discuss a variety of subjects from their particular perspectives or beliefs. This was called religious "dialogue" and the group continues to meet under the leadership of a Buddhist priest. Such sharing of ideas, when carried on in a wholesome atmosphere, is very important to gain mutual understanding. (189)

Holy Days and Holidays
00/10/08

The calendars used in most countries these days divide the year into twelve months and the months into about four weeks of seven days each. According to the story of creation found in the first chapter of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, God created the world in six days. The second chapter begins with the statement that God rested on the seventh day, blessed it and made it holy. Consequently, in Jewish tradition, the seventh day of the week is a day of rest, a Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath as a holy day on which no work is done became one of the Ten Commandments given to the Jews through Moses (Exodus 20:8-11) and observant Jews today continue to rest and worship on the seventh day of the week. According to the four Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament, Jesus was crucified and buried and then rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Thereafter, Jesus' disciples, who were Jews, began to celebrate the first day of the week as a holy day of rest and worship in commemoration of his resurrection. This custom also continues among Christians today among whom this day is called the "Lord's Day". In Islam, Friday is the weekly day of prayer. In many countries, however, the first day of the week has become simply a "holiday" rather than a "holy day". A "holiday" is a day free from work which one may spend at leisure or recreation. Considering the original meaning of "recreation" (from "recreate"), however, genuine "recreation" is also related to such "holy" acts as prayer and worship. (148)

Blinking
00/10/11

I recently read an interesting statement that informed me that if I averaged 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour on a car trip for 10 hours, I would have driven about 42 miles (67 kilometers) with my eyes closed. If you ask, "How can that be?" the answer is that the normal blinking of my eyes will add up to that amount. To "blink" means to close and open the eyes rapidly. It is natural for people with healthy eyes to blink them regularly. A recent news article noted a study made by a respected psychologist that compared the number of blinks by American presidential candidates during their televised debates since the Nixon-Kennedy debate in 1960. His conclusion was that the candidate who blinked more than his opponent was the loser. In their first public debate, Republican Party candidate George W. Bush blinked 82 times per minute while Albert Gore, the Democratic Party candidate, blinked only 48 times. Whether or not his theory is correct will not be known until after the election on November 7th. There are a couple of common expressions that include the word "blink". To "blink at" means to pretend not to see, to disregard or ignore, but if something is "on the blink", it is out of order, not working properly. Thus, I am unhappy when my computer goes on the blink, but if readers blink at my mistakes, I am happy. I am also happy that, according to Psalm 33:18, "the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him" and he does not blink. (191)

Saint Augustine
00/10/13

In the English calendar, the eighth month of the year is "August". In this case, the accent is on the first syllable, but when the word is used as an adjective, the accent is on the last syllable. The Latin root of this word means "to increase". As an adjective, "august", is used for something dignified and majestic, inspiring awe or reverence. The month was given this name to honor the first Roman emperor, Augustus, but the word is also found in the name of an early Christian theologian. St. Augustine, born in 354, rebelled against the Christian faith of his mother as a youth, but later became a monk whose writings have been very influential in Christian thought ever since. Saint Augustine is also the name of the oldest city in the United States which was founded in 1565. It is located in the state of Florida, about 60 kilometers east of our retirement community. Since there are many historic sites, unique shops and other places of interest, we sometimes take visitors there. A few days ago, my wife's brother and his wife from California stopped in to visit, so we took them to Saint Augustine. We had lunch in a restaurant situated above the river. On the ledge between our table and the window was an opening through which pieces of bread could be thrown both to birds that gathered outside the window and to fish that gathered below and we enjoyed doing so. It was St. Augustine who wrote in his Confessions "Thou hast created us for Thyself and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee." (192)

Amen
00/10/15

The Bible has been translated into many different languages, but a few words in the Bible are never translated. Rather, they are transliterated, which means that they are simply transferred to the other language and keep their original pronunciation. The most common such word is "amen". This word is often found at the end of a prayer or hymn. In some churches, it is customary for some listeners to say "Amen" during the sermon of a preacher when something is said to which the listener wishes to express special approval. This was originally a Hebrew word meaning "so be it" or "may it be so". When spoken at the conclusion of a prayer or hymn, it is a solemn affirmation of what has been said or sung. In Japanese churches, it is common for the whole congregation to join together in saying "Amen" at the close of a spoken prayer. In most hymnbooks, an "Amen" is found at the end of most hymns, but in some churches the "Amen" is omitted. As times and customs change, new hymns are continuing to be written and new hymnals are printed that include both new and old hymns. In the church in this retirement community, a new hymnal was introduced this month. It contains many new hymns and hymn tunes, but one characteristic feature is that there is no "Amen" at the end of hymns. Consequently, a retired music director gave a special lecture entitled "Why Do We Sing Amen at the End of Hymns?" If we sing from our hearts, there is no need to add an extra "Amen" at the end. (193)

Days of the Week
00/10/18

In modern English, the term "weekday" denotes any day of the week other than the special day of Sunday. Although Christians consider Sunday the first day of the week, the term "weekend" seems to relegate Sunday to the opposite end for a "weekend", which begins on Friday evening, lasts until Sunday evening. It is interesting that the names of the days of the week, in both the so-called romance languages of French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian and in Japanese, have the same roots. The week begins with the day of the sun (or "Lord", in the romance languages), followed by the day of the moon and the five other celestial bodies, now called planets, that were thought to revolve around the earth. The names of these planets--Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, were also the names of ancient Roman deities. (In the romance languages, however, the name for Saturday is related to the Sabbath rather than to Saturn.) In Japanese terminology, these planets, called "stars", are identified by the symbols for fire, water, wood, metal and earth respectively and the characters for those elements, along with those for the sun and the moon, are included in the names of the days of the week. The English names of 4 days of the week are derived from the names of deities in Norse mythology which were identified with the corresponding Roman deities: Tiw's day, Woden's day, Thor's day and Frigg's day. Saturn's day is related to the name of the Roman deity. Whatever you call today, I hope it is a good day for you. (149)

Eggs
00/10/21

Eggs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They may be round or oval, large or small, white or colored, depending on the bird, fish, reptile or insect that produced them. And there are a variety of English expressions related to eggs. In fact, as a slang term, "egg" may be used to denote a person. A kind and friendly person may be called a "good egg", an untrustworthy fellow may be called a "bad egg" or a "rotten egg". The expression "lay an egg" is used of a theatrical performer who failed to win the interest or favor of an audience or of a comedian whose joke failed to elicit laughter. This expression was first used in sports contests and is related to the resemblance between the shape of an egg and the figure zero, which indicates the lack of a score. To "put all one's eggs in one basket", meaning to risk all one has on a single venture or method is not considered wise. To "egg on" is to encourage or incite someone to action, but to "have egg on one's face" means to be embarrassed. And finally, "egghead" is a derogatory term for an intellectual person who may not be actively involved in the nitty-gritty, or practical details of daily life. In the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus taught his disciples about prayer, he said that even as a father will not give a scorpion, which is round like an egg when it is at rest, to the son who asks for an egg, so our heavenly Father will not give something harmful to those who request his assistance. (152)

Teeth
00/10/22

Since my wife and I have recently visited a dentist, we have been thinking about those hard, bonelike structures in the mouth used for biting or chewing called teeth. Normal adult human beings have 32 teeth, 8 on each side of the upper and lower jaws. In each set of 8 teeth, different kinds of teeth are identified by four different words in English. In each group, the two teeth in the front of the mouth are called "incisors", from a Latin word meaning "cut". These teeth are used for cutting. The teeth next to the incisors are called "canine teeth". "Canine" is related to dogs and these teeth are thought to resemble dog's teeth. Next to the canine teeth, there are two "bicuspids", from a Latin word meaning "two points" for these teeth have two-pointed crowns. Then, there are three "molars". "Molar" is rooted in a Latin word for "mill" and these are the teeth used for grinding. The third molars, which usually do not appear in the back of the jaws until a person reaches the age of 17, are called "wisdom teeth". The expression to "cut one's wisdom teeth" means to arrive at the age of discretion. Also, for some reason, the canine teeth in the upper jaw may also be called "eyeteeth" and to "cut one's eyeteeth" means to become experienced in some area while still young. The Old Testament law recognized the principle of justice and revenge in the expression "eye for eye, and tooth for tooth", but Jesus taught a higher principle of love, even for those who are evil, based on the character of God (Matthew 5:38-48). (158)

Flight/Fright
00/10/26

The headlines of a recent newspaper article caught my attention. The main headline was: "Fear of Flying" followed by the subhead: "Flight fright is a problem even for seasoned travelers". It noted the fear of flying, or aviophobia (which is not found in my dictionary), that many people have--including some who fly frequently. It stated that "nearly 25 percent of people who do fly experience some degree of apprehension". There are two reasons why I was attracted to that article. First, my wife and I have done considerable traveling on airplanes and we are planning to make another flight to Japan next month. During our 47 years in Japan, we made many trips by air between the United States and Japan. On two occasions, we flew from Japan to the United States by way of Europe. Fortunately, both of us enjoy flying and do not experience any fear. Rather, we recognize that our lives are in the hands of God, whether we are riding in an airship or on a ship at sea, in a train or a car, or whether we are walking along the street or sitting on a chair in our home. The second reason the headline attracted my attention was because I thought that most Japanese speakers of English would find it difficult to distinguish the words "flight" and "fright"--even as they find it difficult to distinguish "play" and "pray". Some people spend too much time playing and not enough time praying and there are also those who pray while they play. For the Christian, prayer is communion with God and we are instructed to "pray on all occasions" (Ephesians 6:18), "continually" (I Thessalonians 5:17). (170)

Crusade
00/10/27

There are a number of English words that are rooted in the Latin word meaning "cross". They include "crux", which is the basic or essential feature of a problem, "crucial", which means of supreme importance, and "crucible", which may denote a certain kind of container or a severe test or trial. To "crucify" means to put to death by nailing or binding to a cross. Because Christians see the "crucifixion" of Jesus as the crucial demonstration of the sacrificial love of God for all people, the cross has become the primary symbol seen in Christian churches and the crux of Christian doctrine. "Crusade" is derived from a Latin verb meaning to mark with a cross. The military expeditions promoted by popes or emperors in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims were called "Crusades" because the aggressors marked their garb with a cross or carried a cross in their hands. Nowadays, "crusade" is also used to denote a vigorous, concerted action for some cause or against some abuse. The enthusiastic effort of an evangelist or an evangelistic organization to proclaim the Christian message to unbelievers with the hope that they will become Christians is also called a "crusade". The most famous evangelist in the world today is 81-year-old Billy Graham who has held crusades around the world. He is scheduled to hold a crusade at the Alltel Stadium in the city of Jacksonville, Florida from November 2-5. (187)

Marquette/Market
00/10/29

Recently, we received a letter from a relative in Marquette, Michigan. She enclosed a couple of snapshots that were taken when she and her husband visited us here in Florida. We enjoyed seeing them and recalling their visit. The city of Marquette, located on the Upper Peninsula of the state, was named after Jacques Marquette, a French missionary and explorer who sought to establish a mission among Native Americans. Although the spelling is different, the pronunciation of this city's name is similar to that of the word "market", but the accent is on the last syllable. Originally, a "market" was a place where goods were offered for sale, but the word is also used to denote the business of buying or selling. The Penney Retirement Community, where my wife and I have been living since leaving Japan last year, has a Vice President of Marketing who seeks to inform people of the many attractive features of this community. Recently, at a meeting of the residents, this Vice President of Marketing showed us a newly-produced videotape that explains and portrays the character of our community. He also told about the website on the Internet which interested people can view to obtain information. In case you are interested, the address is: www.penneyretirementcommunity.org. Although even close friends will not recognize her, my wife is in the picture of the clowns found on the "Amenities and Activities" page and this "Timely Words" webpage is noted on the "Links" page. (195)