September 1st
Blue
Fortuitous or Providential?
Central Park
Adolf Hitler
Job
Sad Experience, Happy Result
Sushi
Hurricane Isabel
Autumn
Library of Congress
Rehabilitation
Annual Convocation
September 1st
03/09/02
Monday of this week was a special day for a number of reasons. It was the first day of this ninth month of the year, whose English name, "September," is derived from the Latin word for "seven" for it was the seventh month in the ancient Roman calendar which began in March. Its name, along with the English names of the following months, remained the same even after the calendar was revised and the year began two months earlier. September 1, 1939 marked the beginning of the Second World War when the forces of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany invaded Poland. That war officially ended exactly six years later, on September 1, 1945, with the signing of surrender papers by Japan and the victorious allies. In Japan, where the surrender ceremony took place aboard an American battleship in Tokyo Bay, the date was September 2nd. September 1st is also the anniversary of the great earthquake that occurred in the Tokyo-Yokohama area in 1923. As a result of that earthquake and the disastrous fire that followed, over 150,000 lives were lost and hundreds of thousands of houses were destroyed. Since that time, September 1st has been designated "Disaster Prevention Day" and people are urged to be prepared for and seek to prevent such a disaster in the future. And the first Monday of September is a legal holiday in all 50 of the United States of America, called "Labor Day." Celebrations of various kinds are held in many different places in honor of the country's laborers and, traditionally, it was the Labor Day festivities that marked the end of the summer vacation, following which a new school year began. (629)
Blue
03/09/04
Our daughter, who was born in Japan and lived there with us until she went to college, chose an interesting subject for her senior thesis at Earlham College. Entitled "A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Color Terms: 'White,' 'Black,' and 'Red' in English, Greek and Japanese," it indicated the different implications of these colors in these particular languages and the cultures they represent. Glancing through her thesis, I was reminded of the wide variety of meaning of words related to "blue" in Japanese and English. The common translation of "blue" into Japanese is "aoi," but this word may refer to the "blue" sky, "green" fields or a "pale" face. In English, "blue" may denote a gloomy or depressed spirit and "blues" may denote either a melancholy state or a style of jazz music having a slow tempo. There are many terms that begin with the word "blue." "Blue blood" denotes high or noble descent, a member of the aristocracy. A "blue book" is an official list of persons employed by the U. S. government. "Blue laws" are designed to enforce certain moral standards. "Blue collar" is related to wage earners who wear work clothes and whose jobs include manual labor. A "blue chip" is a stock that sells at a high price, a valuable asset or property. A "blue ribbon" is an award given for excellence, the first prize in a competition. A "blueprint" is a technical drawing of architectural plans. A pedantic or scholarly woman may be called a "blue stocking" and "blue pencil" is a verb meaning to edit, revise or correct. Finally, "once in a blue moon" means very seldom and "out of the blue" means from an unexpected or unforeseen source. (628)
Fortuitous or Providential?
03/09/08
During the 47 1/2 years my wife and I served as missionaries in Japan, we made periodic trips to our homeland. On two such trips, we returned with our three children by way of Europe. On the first such trip, we went by way of India, Egypt and the Holy Land. On the second trip, we went through the Soviet Union. On both such trips, we purchased a camping car in Germany and traveled through most of the countries in both West and East Europe, so we have many memories of interesting events that occurred in many different countries. At a recent meeting in this retirement community, we related a number of experiences that we considered especially interesting and meaningful. One that was most surprising occurred in Beirut, Lebanon, where we had to spend the night because our flight from Delhi had been delayed and we had missed our flight to Cairo. The airline provided our hotel room that night, but I became ill and had to be taken to the hospital after midnight. Leaving our children in the hotel, an American man she had just met helped my wife take me to the hospital. Since our passports were being held at the airport, we had no entry permits or local currency. The next morning, my wife, while waiting for a taxi, met a Lebanese man we had known in New York City. He had planned to be in Damascus that day, but after that accidental meeting, he provided all the needed help for my wife and children and myself. Depending upon one's perspective, or faith, such meetings may be called fortuitous or providential. We consider them providential and thank God for his protection and guidance on all of our trips. (630)
Central Park
03/09/10
In New York City, there are five administrative units called "boroughs." The central borough and the core of the city's business and social activities is the borough of Manhattan, which was the name of a Native American tribe. Because it has rivers on three sides and a bay on the other, it is actually an island which is connected with other boroughs by bridges and tunnels. In the year 1626, Manhattan was reportedly sold by Native Americans to the Dutch West India Company for merchandise valued at 24 dollars. Manhattan has many skyscrapers and other buildings that attract the attention of both residents and visitors, but at the heart of this biggest city in the United States of America is a park which is visited by 25 million people every year. Central Park has just celebrated its 150th anniversary. When the undeveloped land was purchased in 1853, it was swampy, with few trees and inhabited by squatters. Ten million loads of imported soil and rock, millions of shrubs and 402 species of trees were added to these 337 hectares, amounting to 6 percent of Manhattan's area. According to a recent newspaper article, there are now 26,000 trees, 51 sculptures and monuments and 8,968 benches in this central park. There are also 19 playgrounds, 12 ballfields, a zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Following our marriage in 1949, my wife and I rented a basement apartment in a brownstone house just west of Central Park during my final two years in seminary. Looking back at that time, we are sorry that we were too busy to go to that nearby park very often and take advantage of its facilities. (624)
Adolf Hitler
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Adolphus, meaning "noble wolf," was a
royal name in Germany. Along with its variations, Adolph and Adolf, it
was not uncommon in Germany and Britain until the end of the Second
World War. Since then, however, the name has become unpopular because of
its association with the chancellor of the Third German Reich, Adolf
Hitler, who was born 114 years ago in Upper Austria. A poor student who
dropped out of school and twice failed the admission exam for the
academy of arts in Vienna, Hitler served in the German army during the
First World War after which he helped form the National Socialist German
Workers' party, also known as the Nazi party, of which he became the
dictatorial leader. In 1933, he became the German chancellor and sought
to promote German superiority in world affairs. His invasions of
surrounding countries in 1939 started the war that lasted for six years.
He began building concentration camps and gas chambers for what he
called "subhumans," notably Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals. A couple of
significant quotations from Adolf Hitler are: "The great masses of
people . . . will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a
small one" and "If you wish the sympathy of the broad masses then you
must tell them the crudest and most stupid things." It is difficult to
imagine why the German people were willing to follow such a leader and
sensible people today should learn from the past and not follow a leader
on the basis of emotion or nationalistic tradition. We must make use of
our minds and make decisions based on a recognized moral standard. (627)
Job
Inserting a different vowel between the letters j and b creates
different words with interesting meanings. A "jab" is a quick stab or
blow. In a boxing match, a boxer may jab his opponent. A "jib" is a
triangular sail used on a sailboat, but it may also denote the arm of a
mechanical crane. "Jeb" is the name of the governor of this state of
Florida. Jeb Bush is the younger brother of President George Bush. A
"job" is an action that needs to be done or a regular activity which one
has to do. One of my jobs is to prepare messages for this "Timely Words"
homepage, which I enjoy doing--most of the time. But when this word
begins with a capital J, not only is there a different meaning, there is
also a different pronunciation. "Job" is the name of the main character
in the Old Testament book bearing that name. The central part of the
book is written in poetry, but the first two chapters (the Prologue) and
the last part of the 42nd and last chapter (the Epilogue) are written in
prose. This drama raises the perennial question of why righteous people
suffer. Job was a very righteous man but his wealth disappeared, his
children died and he became afflicted with boils. His friends come to
visit him, to console him, but they simply repeated the traditional view
that Job's suffering must be the result of his sins. In the end, Job is
once again blessed by God and the only answer given to the basic problem
is that God has some purpose in permitting things to happen even though
we may be unable to understand. The term "Job's comforter" denotes a
person who discourages another while seemingly offering sympathy. (634)
Sad Experience, Happy Result
A lady from the United States of America wrote of her experience on a
trip to Costa Rica which she had been planning for almost a year. In the
airplane enroute, she imagined the happy time she would have the coming
week in a retreat house on the Caribbean Coast. At a bus station,
following her arrival, however, her outlook suddenly changed after
finding that her suitcase had been stolen. She could not speak Spanish
well and worried about how she could survive for a week without a change
of clothes and other necessities. The black pants, sweater and jacket
she was wearing was unsuitable for a week in the tropics. The next day,
however, a group of women from the U. S. A., who learned of her
situation, offered to take up a collection of essentials to help her out.
Within minutes, one lady brought a bag containing clean underpants,
socks, tank top and shorts. Others brought more of the same plus swim
suits, water shoes, sandals, bug spray, suntan lotion and a pair of
binoculars. Although the clothes did not fit perfectly, they served
their purpose and were considered treasures. The woman's story ends as
follows: "Within days my obsession over my lost bag dissipated, replaced
by a cocooning glow of love. The women from Boston had shown me that the
simplicity of love was a powerful antidote to a false dependence on
things. The clothes I had lost were things I could easily borrow or
could buy again, while the lesson I learned from them was
irreplaceable." "By the time I returned home, I knew that losing my
suitcase had been more of a blessing to me than a loss." (633)
Sushi
Recently, my wife and I and two other couples in this retirement
community went out to eat at a Japanese restaurant. One of the couples
had served in Japan as missionaries and the other had served in India.
The name of the restaurant was "Sushiya," meaning "sushi shop" in
Japanese, and the Chinese characters, which are also used in Japan, were
also printed on the menu. In my older English language dictionary, the
word "sushi" is not found. In a more recent dictionary, the word is
included but the definition is incomplete and actually misleading. The
definition is: "A Japanese dish consisting of thin slices of fresh raw
fish or seaweed wrapped around a cake of cooked rice." However, an
essential element in sushi is the distinctive character of the rice,
which is vinegared and has other seasonings as well. Also, there are
many other kinds of sushi beside those with fresh raw fish and seaweed,
including cooked fish, vegetables and eggs. There are at least three
different ways to write "sushi" in Japanese. Two different Chinese
characters which include the character for "fish" in them may be used,
but the name of this "sushiya," uses two separate characters literally
meaning "congratulations" or "longevity" and "to rule" or "to
administer." I do not understand how or why this combination of
characters came to be used for that special Japanese dish, but it may
serve as another example of the complicated character of the Japanese
written language. We all enjoyed the variety of Japanese food at that
restaurant and one of the group did order sushi stuffed in a fried
bean-curd, called "inari-zushi." (635)
Hurricane Isabel
The big news in the United States of America this week was the advent of
a hurricane named Isabel. A hurricane is a severe tropical cyclone that
originates in the Atlantic Ocean and travels north. Heavy rains
accompany the circulating winds. A similar weather pattern originating
in the Pacific Ocean is called a typhoon. Hurricanes and typhoons occur
annually, usually between July and October in the northern hemisphere,
and can be very destructive. Hurricane Isabel destroyed many homes,
toppled trees, caused about 20 deaths and left over 5.5 million people
without electricity. About 5700 airline flights were canceled and some
people are still missing. The name Isabel, the Spanish/Portuguese form
of Elizabeth, is the 9th name in a list of 21 names used to identify
hurricanes, indicating that this is the 9th hurricane of this season.
There are six such lists of names, which are maintained by an
international committee of the World Meteorological Organization and
used in rotation. Until 1979, only women's names were used, but now both
women's and men's name are alternated. In the "Panchatantra," a 5th
century collection of fables in Sanskrit, we find this meaningful
quotation: "The hurricane does not uproot grasses, which are pliant and
bow low before it on every side. It is only the lofty trees that it
attacks." In the 10th chapter of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, an
interesting contrast is pointed out between powerless, manmade idols
which will perish and God, the powerful Creator, who thunders, makes
clouds rise, sends lightning with rain and brings out the wind from his
storehouses. (638)
Autumn
Calendars divide time into years, months and days. A year is the period
of time in which the earth completes a single revolution around the sun.
A month is the period in which the moon completes a revolution around
the earth. And a day is the period during which the earth completes one
rotation on its axis. Another way of dividing time is according to the
natural seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. These are derived
from the mutual relationship of the sun and the earth as determined by
two different events: 1) when the sun seems to stop in its movement
toward north or south, called a "solstice," from a Latin word meaning
"sun stand," and 2) when the sun crosses the equator and the length of
day and night are about equal (called an "equinox," from a Latin word
meaning "equal night"). Spring begins with the vernal equinox; summer
begins with the summer solstice. Autumn begins with the autumnal equinox
and winter with the winter solstice. Although the days of these events
vary a day or two, depending on the particular year, they occur about
the 21st day of the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th months of the year according
to the Gregorian calendar. Thus, the season of autumn has just begun.
This season is the time of harvest in agricultural communities in the
northern hemisphere and for many thoughtful people, it is a time to give
thanks to God for the natural blessings that result from sowing seeds
and caring for the plants that bring forth fruit. In Genesis 8:23, it is
written: "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and
heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (632)
Library of Congress
A library is a place in which literary and artistic materials are
kept for reading or reference. The largest library in the world is the
Library of Congress, in Washington, D. C., which was founded as a
research tool for the United States Congress 200 years ago, in 1802. At
that time, it had 740 volumes and three maps, but last year, more than
500,000 new items were put in the library, bringing the total number of
items to 127 million. In 1970, the library reported to Congress that the
collection had grown by half in the previous 10 years. Besides books,
there are ancient clay tablets from Iraq, Stradivarius violins, the
first map to use the word "America," and even the contents of President
Lincoln's pockets on the night he was murdered. Most of the books and
other items are kept in the Madison Building, one of Washington's
largest buildings, but it is not large enough so warehouses are being
built in the adjacent states of Maryland and Virginia to alleviate the
situation. Everything copyrighted has to go in the library, though some
things are discarded when the copyright expires. Even with all the
changes, the library remains true to its roots. It still does research
for Congress and the public still can visit and ask questions of
librarians. One of the concluding statements of the Old Testament book
of Ecclesiastes is: "Of making many books there is no end" (12:12) and
the New Testament Gospel of John closes with these words: "Jesus did
many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I
suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that
would be written" (21:25). (631)
Rehabilitation
Recently, my wife and I visited a couple of residents of our retirement
community who are now in a rehabilitation center, about 40 kilometers
away. "Rehabilitation" signifies the restoration to a former condition
by means of some kind of therapy. Both of the men we visited recently
had surgery by different surgeons at different hospitals in different
cities but they are now receiving therapy at the same rehabilitation
center and their rooms are across the hall from each other. Both men are
bicycle riders and had operations on their right knees which had been
causing them pain. While we were there, both of them were in the therapy
room engaging in exercises for their new knees and hope to be released
within a week, after which they will continue therapy at home. Just as
physical therapy is helpful to rehabilitate those who have suffered
physical injuries and psychological therapy for those with psychological
problems, spiritual therapy is available for those who recognize their
spiritual weaknesses and desire to attain spiritual health. An American
pastor, John Sutherland Bonnell has written: "Emphasis on . . .
vocational rehabilitation must not be allowed to overshadow the profound
need . . . for spiritual reorientation." In the final verses of the 5th
chapter of the New Testament Letter to the Galatians, the contrast
between an infirm spirit and a healthy spirit is made clear. There, in
verses 21-22, we read: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self
control." These are the characteristics of a healthy faith. (637)
Annual Convocation
The verb "convoke" is derived from Latin words meaning "call together,"
and means to cause to assemble in a meeting. The noun "convocation" is
often used to signify the assembly of clergy and laity in a religious
setting. It has been the custom of my homechurch in Zion, Illinois to
hold a Convocation every year at the end of September and beginning of
October. In my childhood, I regularly attended the Convocation meetings,
but after leaving my hometown for college and seminary and then serving
as a missionary in Japan for almost fifty years, I have not been able to
attend very often. This year, however, my wife and I have a special
reason for making a special trip from Florida to Illinois to attend. The
Japanese pastor of one of the churches we established in Japan along
with his wife are also attending and we are helping them adjust to the
cultural and linguistic differences they are facing on their first trip
to a foreign country. Other countries represented at this Convocation
include the Philippines, Guyana and South Africa. Along with the
meaningful daily meetings at the church, we are enjoying times of
fellowship with relatives and friends we have not seen for a long time.
This year's Convocation theme is found in the 3rd verse of the 96th
Psalm, where it is written: "Declare [the Lord's] glory among the
nations." And how is this accomplished? According to Psalm 19:1, "The
heavens declare the glory of God." It is not only with words that the
glory of God is declared. It is also by manifesting the character of the
almighty God of infinite love, we declare his glory to the world. (639)
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