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April
King Assassination
World Vision
Income Taxes
Tacks and Taxis
Rain/Rein/Reign
Barbershop
Salt

April
02/04/03

This fourth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar is called April. According to one theory, this name is derived from a Latin word meaning "to open" for it is in this month that the buds of trees and flowers begin to blossom or "open". The old Dutch name for this month was "Grass Month" and there is a common English saying that "April showers bring May flowers." In nature, Spring is the season of new beginnings and in Japan, this is not only the month when a new school year begins, it is also the beginning of the fiscal year. Japanese budgets and financial records are usually compiled from April to March. The traditional Japanese name for this fourth month is "Uzuki" or "Hare Month." The hare is one of the signs in the Oriental Zodiac system and a certain flower, called "hare flower" was said to bloom in this month. In the United States, April 15th is the date that income tax returns are due, so it is a busy and uncomfortable month for many Americans. In "The Waste Land," a poem written by T. S. Eliot in 1922, April was called "the cruellest month." Many years later, that reference was considered "one of the few poetic utterances ever to be confirmed by the Internal Revenue Code." In the Shakespearean drama "As You Like It", we find these words: "Men are April when they woo, December when they wed; maids are May when they are maids, but the sky changes when they are wives." April is also used as a female name, but it is not as popular as the names of the following months of May and June. (411)

King Assassination
02/04/05

Hashish is a drug made from the dried leaves and stalks of a hemp plant. When it is chewed or smoked, it has an intoxicating effect. A secret, fanatical group of Persian Muslims who killed Christian leaders during the Crusades were said to be "hashish users" and it is from the Arabic word for these people that the word "assassin" was derived. In modern English, an "assassin" is "a murderer, especially one who carries out a plot to kill a public official or other prominent person." Thirty-four years ago, on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, a King was assassinated. In this case, however, the King was a black American clergyman and civil rights leader whose name was Martin Luther King Jr. He was assassinated while talking with friends on the balcony of the motel where he was staying. His assassin, an escaped convict, shot him from a boardinghouse across the street. Dr. King was well aware of the dangers faced by those who fought for civil rights. In a speech he gave the night before his assassination, he concluded with an allusion to the experience of Moses, found in the 34th chapter of Deuteronomy. He said: "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its grace; but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." (414)

World Vision
02/04/07

Recently, a representative of World Vision spoke at a meeting of residents of Penney Retirement Community. This Christian relief organization began about fifty years ago after a young American minister observed the financial, physical and spiritual needs of children in China and wanted to help them. Now, World Vision is working to alleviate unsanitary conditions and to provide practical assistance to needy children in about a hundred countries around the world, considered "the poorest of the poor." This humanitarian organization is involved in over a thousand projects related to economic development, education, health care and emergency relief. To support such activities, last year World Vision received over 500 million dollars. One of its distinctive ways of raising and distributing funds is through its sponsorship system. People in prosperous countries are informed of the names of children in poor countries who they agree to sponsor by giving $26 a month. Such support helps to transform a child's life by providing nourishing food, proper health and medical care, clothing and an education, all supervised by dedicated staff members in the area. Correspondence with such children is also encouraged so that supporters are aware of the actual situation and progress made by the children they support. Over the years that my wife and I have been involved in this movement, we have supported a boy in the Philippines and in Indonesia and a girl in India and in Lesotho. We are reminded of the story Jesus told in Matthew 25:31-46. Further information may be obtained at the website address: . (416)

World Vision
02/04/07

Income Taxes
02/04/11

In the United States of America, the fifteenth day of April is the deadline for filing federal income tax returns. During the Civil War, the incomes of citizens were first taxed as an emergency measure, but when Congress passed a bill to impose a tax on annual incomes exceeding $4000, the Supreme Court found such a tax unconstitutional for, according to the Constitution, it was only the individual states that had the right to impose direct taxes on its citizens. In 1913, however, an amendment to the Constitution which gave Congress the right to impose such taxes, was ratified. According to a humorous poem written by Howard Dietz, "In seventeen hundred and seventy-six,/ A group of American mavericks/ Renounced the yoke of tyranny--/The tax on stamps, the tax on tea./ Our fathers felt that they were fit/ To tax ourselves and you'll admit/ We have been very good at it." Nowadays, agitated Americans spend a great amount of time assembling documents, viewing figures and reading detailed instructions in preparation for filing their income tax returns before the deadline. Many attempt to untangle their fiscal affairs by themselves while others seek the help of accountants or lawyers, but problems related to paying taxes are not new. In the first century A.D., the Jewish residents of Palestine questioned whether they should pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, Caesar. When Jesus was asked this question, he called attention to the image of Caesar on the coins they used and gave his meaningful answer: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" (Luke 20:25). (412)

Tacks and Taxis
02/04/12

While composing the previous message related to tax and taxes, my attention was directed to a couple of other words with similar pronunciations and related meanings. "Tacks", pronounced the same as "tax," is the plural of "tack", which is a short, light nail with a flat head. "Tack" may also be used as a verb, which has very different meanings depending upon whether it is used by a seamstress or the navigator of a sailboat. When a seamstress "tacks", she fastens a seam with a loose stitch, but a navigator "tacks" when he changes the course of the boat in relation to the wind. In either case, "tacks" may denote the action of the one doing the "tacking." A "taxi" is an automobile in which passengers are carried for a fare. It is the shortened form of "taxicab" and this word was coined because the car, or "cab," contained a "taximeter". A "taximeter", a combination of "tax" and "meter," is a meter that measures both the distance traveled and the waiting time to determine the fare to be paid by the passengers. According to one reference book, taximeters were installed on French horse-drawn cabs long before motor-cabs appeared on the road. In Britain, the word "taxi" became common with the introduction of motor-cabs and was associated with them. Because a taxi, or taxicab, is a car that can be hired at a fixed charge to carry passengers, a dancer at a dance hall or cabaret who may be hired at a fixed charge as a dancing partner may be called a "taxi dancer." And "taxi" also may be used as a verb. An airplane moving slowly on the ground before takeoff or after landing is said to "taxi". (413)

Rain/Rein/Reign
02/04/14

English pronunciation is very irregular. The first letter of the alphabet is "a", but its pronunciation varies depending on the word in which it is used. The word spelled a-y may be pronounced the same as the letter by itself; the pronunciation of the vowel remains the same if an "r" is added to form a new word denoting a thin beam of light, a "ray". But if an "n" is added to the letters "r-a", the pronunciation of the vowel changes. There are three different one-syllable words, beginning with "r" and ending with "n", in which the vowel sound is the same as the letter "a". They are spelled r-a-i-n, r-e-i-n and r-e-i-g-n. The last word, "reign," denotes the exercise of sovereign power; the middle word, "rein," may mean to control or hold back, and the first word, "rain," denotes the drops of water that fall to the ground from the sky. Clouds contain huge numbers of tiny droplets of moisture. Rain occurs when these droplets are enlarged and fall. Rain is very important for both plant and animal life on the earth. As I look out the window and see green grass, colorful flowers, green leaves on bushes and trees, one of which is full of bright-red berries, I am thankful for the rain that fell last night. And I remember the words found in Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 6-11, about the rain which comes down from heaven "watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater." I am thankful for the reign of the Ruler of the world, "whose ways are higher than our ways," but who can rein the forces of evil and bless us with rain, which in Ezekiel 34:26 is called "showers of blessing." (406)

Barbershop
02/04/16

Where does a man go to get his hair cut? Some men tell, ask or permit their wives to cut their hair, but I presume that most men go to a shop that has a pole with spiral stripes of red and white standing or hanging in front of it. This barber pole is usually found in front of a barbershop where a barber cuts or trims the hair of customers. Nowadays, barbers spend most of their time cutting the hair on the top of men's heads, but the word "barber" is derived from a Latin word for "beard" for in the old days, it was primarily the hair on customers' chins that was trimmed. Originally, barbers also practiced dentistry and surgery and the barber pole is a reminder of the blood-stained bandages that barbers draped around a pole to dry. In Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, barbershops were places where men sang songs and so the word "barbershop" may denote the close harmony of male voices in sentimental songs. There are now many barbershop quartets consisting of four men who sing harmoniously without musical accompaniment. There are some larger groups of barbershop singers that have concerts in public halls. Recently, my wife and I joined other residents of this retirement community and attended such a concert in an historic theater in Jacksonville, Florida. About fifty men ranging in age from young to old put on a remarkable performance with great enthusiasm and striking humor. According to the 6th chapter of the Old Testament book of Numbers, one of the characteristics of a holy person, a Nazarite, was that his hair would be permitted to grow long and no razor was to be used on his head. (417)

Salt
02/04/19

On the tables in restaurants, cafes and other eating places, there is usually a small container with many small holes in the top. In the container are countless tiny, white crystals which some diners sprinkle on their food. Salt is one of the main seasonings in the West. Salt is also used as a preservative. So when Jesus told his disciples that they were "the salt of the earth", in Matthew 5:13, it may be that he implied that they were to serve both to counter corruption and to add a new zest to society. Salt has been used symbolically in a variety of ways in different cultures and continues to be used in a number of English expressions today. In both German and Norwegian traditions, spilling salt is considered bad luck. In Japanese tradition, scattering salt is considered an act of purification. At Japanese funerals, those in attendance are often given small packets of salt to sprinkle over their shoulders when they return home to purify themselves after being in an atmosphere related to death. The English expression "to be worth one's salt" means to be efficient and capable; "to salt away" means to store or preserve for future use and "an old salt" is a term used for a sailor who has had much experience on the ocean. If we say that the report or explanation of someone must be taken "with a grain of salt", the meaning is that the person's words should not be accepted as factual or completely true just as they were spoken or written. Rather, they should be examined carefully to discern what is true. According to Colossians 4:6, our conversation should be "full of grace, seasoned with salt," or appetizing (415)