Flour/Flower
00/11/01
Looking at the beautiful sight outside of my window, I decided to compose a message about flowers. Then, as I considered the homonyms "flour" and "flower", I realized again how strange and irregular the spelling and pronunciation of English words may be. (A "homonym" is a word that has the same pronunciation as another word, but the meaning is completely different and the spelling may be different also.) "Flour" is a soft, fine, powdery substance obtained by grinding and sifting grain. A "flower" is the blossom of a plant, having brightly colored petals. If the first letters of these homonyms are taken away, however, the pronunciations of the remaining words are quite different. As a comparative adjective, "lower" signifies a place below and its pronunciation is "low", followed by an "er". "Lour", on the other hand, means to scowl. It may also be spelled l-o-w-e-r, but it is pronounced like "our". Between our house and the expansive green lawn around it, there is a narrow strip of land in which a variety of flowers are growing, including reddish begonias, orange, yellow, red and white zinnias, yellow and orange marigolds, pink azaleas and red roses. There is also a small, Japanese-style stone lantern which another resident here made and gave to us. Looking at the flowers, I am reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:28-30 regarding God's care for beautiful flowers which should relieve our anxiety about how our needs will be provided. (198)
Pancakes
00/11/03
Since entering Penney Retirement Community, it has become our custom to eat a simple breakfast and supper at home but to eat the main meal of the day, our dinner, in the dining hall. There, we enjoy eating and talking with other residents. All residents have name tags which may be pinned on shirts, dresses or blouses so we may know the names of those who sit at our table even if we have never met them before. Infrequently, we drop into the dining hall for supper and, still less often, for breakfast. Recently when we ate breakfast there, we had pancakes, which we never eat at home. Afterward, I thought about the transliteration of "pancake" into Japanese: "panke-ki". (In Japanese, vowels always have the same pronunciation; "a"s are pronounced like the "a" in "father", "e"s like the "e" in "pet" and "i"s like the "i" in "pit".) In Japanese, the words "pan" and "ke-ki" are both used separately. "Pan", the Japanese word for "bread", comes from the Portuguese pronunciation of that food which was introduced into Japan by a Portuguese missionary, and "Ke-ki", or "cake", may have been introduced by an American. A "pancake", of course, is a thin cake that is cooked in a pan. Speaking of bread and cake, it is reported that when a French monarch was informed that the people could not afford bread, the monarch replied, "Let them eat cake". This remark reflects the great gap between royalty and commoners, between rich and poor, a gap which, unfortunately, still exists in many countries today. (164)
Popcorn
00/11/05
In some families, the familiar term for the father is "Daddy" or "Dad". In others, he may be called "Papa" or "Pop". "Pop" may also denote a nonalcoholic, carbonated beverage, sometimes called "soda pop". In baseball, a short high fly ball may be called a "pop fly". A painting that depicts objects of everyday life may be called "pop art" and a concert of light classical music may be called a "pop concert". In these cases, "pop" is short for "popular". As a verb, "pop" means to make a short, sharp, explosive sound like that when a gun is fired. A "popgun" is a toy gun that makes a popping noise when it shoots a cork out of its barrel. "Popcorn" is a variety of corn, having hard kernels that burst to form white, irregularly shaped puffs when heated or "popped". Popcorn is a common snack that is often sold at sports contests. A recent news article noted that a physicist at a university in Pennsylvania has found a way to at least triple the size of popcorn. Popcorn pops, or bursts, as a result of a bit of water in the kernel expanding when it is heated. The physicist made the bigger puffs by lowering the air pressure around the kernels before popping them. He did this by putting them in a vacuum chamber and pumping air out. My wife and I sometimes eat popcorn as the main dish of our Sunday evening supper and we would enjoy eating the larger puffs but we do not have a vacuum chamber handy. (168)
Armistice/Centennial
00/11/08
On November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m., an armistice between the Allies and the Central Powers ended the fighting of World War I. An "armistice" is a temporary cessation of fighting until a peace treaty is signed and the main peace treaty at the end of that war was signed in a palace in the French city of Versailles over seven months later. In the United States, November 11th became a legal holiday called Armistice Day to commemorate the end of that war and to honor the fighting men whose lives were sacrificed to bring about the victory. Since 1954, the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans' Day to honor not only soldiers who died in battle but all who fought in subsequent wars as well. In our family, we have another reason to celebrate November 11th, for it was on that day in 1957 that our younger son was born. And this year, my wife and I will participate in yet another celebration on that day. The seminary from which I graduated in 1951, the year my wife and I went to Japan to begin our missionary activity there, is holding a centennial celebration on that weekend. The Bible Teachers' College founded by Wilbert Webster White in 1900 eventually became the Biblical Seminary in New York and now is called New York Theological Seminary. My wife and I will stop in New York to take part in that celebration on our way to Japan, where I will be speaking in churches and other gatherings, visiting with friends and spending time with our son and his family during the Christmas and New Year holidays. During that time, I hope to continue to add messages to this homepage as usual. (197)
Election Day in a Democracy
00/11/11
The word "democracy" is derived from Latin words literally meaning "people power". Ideally, in a democracy, the ruling power is the people who entrust their power to elected representatives. Consequently, it is important for citizens in a democracy to vote to elect government officials who represent their views. The United States of America is an important democracy in the world which should be an example to other democratic nations. After its beginning in 1775, the date reserved for elections varied from state to state, but in 1845, the U. S. Congress established the Tuesday after the first Monday in November to be the day for selecting presidential and vice presidential electors every four years. Now, that is the day when Senators, Representatives and other government officials are also elected throughout the country. In the town of Penney Farms, Florida, the polling place is the Town Hall, which is next to the tennis court where I play tennis on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so on November 7th, after playing tennis, I went next door to cast my ballot. There, people were lined up in front of a desk where officials checked Voter Identification Cards before giving them a ballot. Since this small town does not have automatic voting machines, voters then went to one of the small voting places to mark their ballot. These voting places have short vertical dividers to keep one from seeing how the voter in the next place voted. Since I do not yet feel qualified to make wise decisions related to local politics, I only cast my ballot for president, vice president and senator. (201)
Meaning of Names
00/11/12
In Japan, names are usually written in the ideograms, or characters, used in both Chinese and Japanese. Since each of the individual characters has a special meaning, parents usually carefully consider the meaning of the characters they choose for the names of their children. In fact, the character of the children themselves may be influenced by the characters used in their names. In the United States, many parents do not know the meaning or origin of the names they give to their children. I was reminded again of the meaning of names when a special couple, who had arranged for me to return from Japan to officiate at their wedding almost four years ago, visited us along with their one-year-old daughter. He is my nephew and his name is Todd, his wife's name is Amy and their daughter is Chloe. Checking my reference book, I informed them that, considering the meaning of their names, he is a "fox-hunter", his wife is "beloved" and the name of their daughter, which is also found in the New Testament book of I Corinthians 1:11, means "a young green shoot". I am sure that my wife's parents did not know the meaning of her name: Barbara. Meaning "foreign" or "strange" and related to "barbarian", it is very inappropriate. And my parents were unaware of the meaning of the name they gave to me, which has a more auspicious meaning. Clark is related to "cleric" and may signify a "clergyman" or a "scholar", both of which I have aimed to be. (200)
New York
00/11/15
My first trip to New York was in 1948, when I hitchhiked there from my hometown north of Chicago to begin my seminary studies at the Biblical Seminary in New York. At that time, all the seminary facilities, including the office, chapel, library, classrooms, dormitories, laundry, kitchen, dining hall and rooftop volley ball court were all in the same 13 story building in which I occupied a room on the sixth floor. In the summer following my first year in seminary, I got married and brought my bride back to New York with me. There, we rented a small basement apartment in an old house, until my graduation two years later, following which we went to Japan. In 1963 and 1970, we stopped in New York when we returned from Japan with our three children by way of Europe, but our most recent visit occurred this month when we attended the centennial celebration of that seminary. Since our flight from Jacksonville to New York left at 6:30 a. m. and we are expected to be at the gate an hour before the departure time and because it usually takes about an hour to drive from our house to the airport, we spent the night before our flight in a motel close to the airport. In New York, while walking from our lodging house to the present location of the seminary, we noticed that many changes had taken place but that much also remained the same as in years gone by. We met only a few people that we had known before and they also had changed--as we have. We were again reminded of the changeless love and guidance of God despite the changes of human beings and the world in which we live. (202)
New York Lodging and Traffic
00/11/16
New York City is one of the largest cities in the world. In it are countless lodging places with a wide range of accomodations and prices. Instead of a high-priced, high-class hotel which would have been more comfortable, we decided to stay at Menno House, a simple lodging house maintained by the Mennonite Church and named in honor of the 16th century pacifist leader, Menno Simons, during our short stay there. In our second-floor room, there was one double bed, a small desk, a couple of chairs and a closet, but we had to share a bathroom on the first floor with other guests. There was also a common room on the first floor with a large television set which we could join others in watching, but actually, we spent very little time at that lodging place. It was located near Second Avenue on 19th Street. New York Theological Seminary is located at Fifth Avenue and 29th Street, so it was about a 20-minute walk between these two places. Taking a taxi to the Friday evening "Gala Celebration" at a famous hotel on 53rd Street, we were surprised at the traffic along the avenue and the long time it took to reach that hotel. There is a traffic light at every intersection and our taxi seemed to hit a red light at most of them. New York is a very modern city, but to go from one place to another by car can be a time-consuming process. In some cases, it would be faster to walk, and we noticed that most pedestrians do not strictly obey the traffic signals. At such times, some of us may excuse ourselves by saying that we keep the spirit of the law even if we do not obey it literally outwardly. (203)
Empire State Building
00/11/18
An "emperor" is the ruler of an "empire". The Babylonian Empire, the Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire were all ruled by emperors. There was also a Japanese Empire at one time, and although the English term for the symbolic ruler of Japan is still "emperor", that empire no longer exists. In the United States of America, each state has an informal, descriptive name besides its official name. My home state of Illinois is the Prairie State. The state of Florida, where I now live, is the Sunshine State and the state of New York is the Empire State. One of the most famous buildings in that state is the Empire State Building. For many years, it was the tallest building in the world. Following our marriage, my wife used to pass by it on her way to work every day for a couple of years, but she never took the time to enter it and go up to the top. Many years later, when we returned to the United States from Japan by way of Europe with our three children, she finally did so. On our recent visit to New York, after attending meetings near that building, we again stood in a long line for a long time to buy tickets, rode elevators to the 86th floor Observation Deck and enjoyed looking at the city from that great height. On Sunday afternoon, we took a tour around the city which began in front of that building. We sat on the upper, open deck of a special tour bus. Just as the city looks much different from far above than from street level, so human history, and our lives also, must look different from God's viewpoint than from ours. (204)
Worship in New York
00/11/21
There are many different forms of Christian worship depending upon the customs of particular churches. Some are very formal and ritualistic. Others are informal and follow no set pattern. There is also a great variety in the type of music and musical instruments used. On the Sunday my wife and I were in New York City, we decided to participate in the peculiar form of Quaker worship and meditation at the Society of Friends' Meeting House near our lodging place. In the meeting room, rows of pews on all four sides faced the center, but there was no chancel or pulpit. Those in attendance sat in various places around the room. This service begins in silence until someone is moved by the "inner light" to address the congregation or to pray. On the day we attended, there was no such movement and we all sat in silence for the full hour. We then visited a more traditional church which was filled with worshippers in pews facing the chancel on which four robed ministers were seated. A white-robed choir was on the second-floor balcony in the rear. Singing by both the choir and the congregation was accompanied by the pipe organ. Following prayer and a scripture reading by the ministers, one minister preached a sermon from the pulpit. In the evening, we returned to the Friends' Meeting House for a Mennonite service, in which worshippers sat on only three sides, sang hymns without instrumental accompaniment, following which a lady pastor, in an ordinary dress, delivered a short message from behind a simple music stand. We found inspiration in all three forms of worship. (205)
On to Japan
00/11/24
Our trip to Japan was in response to a request of two churches we had planted there years ago to speak at special meetings this fall. We also decided to spend Christmas and the first days of the New Year with our son and his family, who live in Japan, and to visit areas we had not visited before using a Japan Rail Pass, which can only be purchased overseas. The churches are located in the cities of Kariya and Takahama in the Nagoya area. Since the centennial celebration of the seminary from which I graduated 49 years ago was being held in New York City just one week before the first meeting at the Japanese church, we decided to stop there on the way to Japan. The plane trip from Jacksonville, Florida to New York's LaGuardia Airport took about two hours. Our plane from New York was scheduled to leave at 8:30 in the morning from the J. F. Kennedy Airport, so we called for a car to come to pick us up at 6:15. We arrived at the airport earlier than expected so I spent some time there composing a "Timely Words" message on my laptop computer while waiting. From New York, we left on time, but we arrived in Portland, Oregon 45 minutes ahead of schedule, following a six-hour flight, so I continued to work on my computer in that airport also. The flight from Portland to Nagoya was also shorter than scheduled. It took only ten-and-a-half hours, all of which were sunny even though the date changed along the way. We were met at the Nagoya Airport by our son, his Japanese wife and their three children. (206)
Living Quarters/Preaching in Japan
00/11/25
The problem of where we would stay while in Japan was solved in an unusual way that we attribute to the providence of God. Our son is in the process of building a new house by himself. It is a large two-story house that he has been working on in his spare time for over a year. We had hoped that it would be finished before our visit and we could stay in it, but that hope was not realized. The apartment in which he and his family are living while the new house is under construction is not large enough to accommodate two more residents so our son contacted the owner of the apartment directly below his which was not being used, and the owner has kindly permitted us to stay in it during our two month visit. This arrangement by which we may go from our living quarters to that of our son, his wife and our grandchildren by simply going up an outdoor staircase has proved very satisfactory and we are thankful. On the next Saturday and Sunday mornings after our arrival, I preached sermons (in Japanese) in the church I had planted in the city of Takahama, after which we ate meals with people who attended. On Sunday afternoon, I preached (in English) at the Union Church in Nagoya, after which we ate a meal with people who attended there. We were able to borrow a car for use in going to and from the churches on these two days, but we had to return it after the afternoon service. So we both were very tired after returning to our apartment by subway, bus and walking. On coming Sundays, I will preach in the church I had planted in the city of Kariya and again at the Union Church in Nagoya. (207)
Racially Mixed Marriages
00/11/27
A recent article in an American newsmagazine discussed the subject of "racially mixed" marriages. According to a 1998 census survey, there were more than 1.3 million racially mixed marriages in the United States. The article began with the story of a Taiwanese-American who married a Japanese-Canadian although this did not fit into that category for these two people were of the same race. Therefore, theirs was an "interethnic" marriage. Such interethnic marriages are also increasing. About one in six Asian-Americans is married to an Asian of a different ethnic background. The offspring of such interethnic marriages are not as distinctive as those of racially mixed unions but they may also feel a bit confused because of the different cultural traditions of their parents. I have a personal interest in this topic because I have three grandchildren who have an American father and a Japanese mother. In Japan, such children are sometimes called "half", which is not considered a compliment. I have told my grandchildren, however, that they are not "half" but "double". Certainly, children of racially mixed or interethnic marriages have a number of advantages in that they are not only able to be conversant in the native languages of both of their parents but may understand and experience the relevance of two different cultures. From the Biblical perspective, all people are a part of the same human family and children of the same heavenly Father (Acts 17:24-28, Ephesians 3:14-15). (184)