Messages of other months can be read by clicking HERE.

“Timely Words” (10/08/02)
Different Viewpoints (10/08/04)
Personal History (10/08/06)
Zion (10/08/10)
A Closed Mind (10/08/14)
Lot Numbers (10/08/17)
Schools (10/08/22)
Lawnmowing (10/08/27)
Scrapbook (10/08/29)
“Timely Words” (10/08/2)
It was 30 years ago that I began the English language telephone service in Japan called “Daily Word” for the benefit of Japanese students who were able to listen every day to an interesting, meaningful message spoken by a native speaker of English. Since returning to the United States of America in 1999, I began a similar service called “Timely Words,” providing about three messages a week for those interested in reading such messages. Recently, for various reasons, we were unable to gain access to the messages, but now that problem has been solved and in a recent message, I requested readers to inform me of the kind of message they preferred, whether they were interested in my personal experiences, both now and in the past, or in the transmission of scholarly facts. Although the response of readers has been very limited, the “Timely Words” messages I compose from now on will generally reflect the preference that was stated or implied in all the responses and include more personal experiences than before. Of course, I will continue to compose messages that are relevant, stimulating and accurate insofar as I am able. Since returning to my homeland, I have not been writing a “daily word,” but I will try to make the words “timely.” And I will continue to enjoy any reactions, questions or comments you have related to the messages. (1317)

Different Viewpoints (10/08/4)
As my wife and I were listening to a cassette tape made by our elder son 35 years ago regarding the trip he made hitchhiking from his university in Indiana to the southernmost tip of Florida. I was very interested in the different experiences he had along the way and I thought of my experiences in hitchhiking and wondered whether the readers of these messages would be more interested in personal experiences than in scholastic comments. As a result of the responses from readers to my recent request for their preference related to the kind of messages, from now on I will be noting more personal experiences, which eventually may become a part of my autobiography. Even when focusing on events in the past, however, I will try to recognize their relationship with current issues. I was born and raised in a unique religious community in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, just south of the Wisconsin state line. The city of Chicago is located in that northeastern section on the shore of Lake Michigan, along the Indiana state line. My hometown of Zion is about 45 miles north of Chicago. My home was about one mile from Lake Michigan, one of the largest lakes in the world, so I often went swimming there in the summer. The university I chose to attend was in the “far west,” in Dubuque, Iowa, which was on the west side of the Mississippi River. That was the first time I had visited any state other than Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. The first time I went further west was when I went to Japan in 1951. Sometimes when I give a lecture on Japan, I begin by informing listeners that Japan is located in the “far west.” It is world maps with Europe at the center that Japan is in the “far east.” In maps with Japan at the center, America is in the “far east.” Our view of life and truth and all things is different depending on our viewpoint, what we put at the center. (1318)

Personal History (10/08/6)
Included in the word “history” is the word “story,” and my dictionary defines “history” as “a narrative of events, story.” Every individual in the world is different, unique, and has a peculiar story to tell. It may be similar to the stories of some others, but, considering the personalities of the individuals involved, our histories are really different. I did not choose to be born in a certain town in a certain family in a certain country. I did not select the religious or philosophical setting in which I was raised, but eventually I was able to make decisions whether to remain in that setting or to choose another that seemed more suitable for me. Reading these messages in which I will relate the story of my life in both the U.S.A. and Japan, I hope it will encourage you to seriously consider the story of your life and the decisions you have made or should make. I was born during the depression, the year in which Charles Lindbergh completed the first successful nonstop flight over the Atlantic Ocean from North America to Europe. My hometown of Zion, Illinois, was founded in 1900 by John Alexander Dowie as the headquarters of the Christian Catholic Church, which he also organized. The word “Catholic” means “universal” and in this case has nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church. Like the Disciples of Christ denomination, it recognizes only the Bible as its authority, apart from theological emphases of Martin Luther, John Calvin or John Wesley, but also emphasizes the healing ministry of Christ. Born and raised in that very conservative, Bible-based atmosphere, my faith and perspective have continued to mature. Over the years, my faith and its implications have changed and I have been invited by seminary presidents and others to change my denomination, but until now, I have refused to do so. (1319)

Zion (10/08/10)
The names of cities, towns and villages in Japan are usually written with Chinese characters, so the meaning of the names is usually very clear. The names of places in North America, however, are related to a number of different languages and the meaning of many cities, towns and villages and their relation to their location is completely unclear. For example, the meaning of the names of two major cities in the northeastern corner of Illinois related to the town originally called Zion City are not known by most people. They are rooted in Algonquin, a North American Indian language, meaning, “onion-place” (Chicago) and “old fort” (Waukegan). In the case of my hometown, Zion City, founded in 1900, however, there was never any question about the meaning of the name or the reason for its founding. “Zion” was the name of one of the hills around the city of Jerusalem and, in the Old Testament it is often used to mean the place where God lives, the city of God (Psalm 9:11; 87:1-3). It was the aim of the founder of Zion City to establish a city of God. Billboards stating that smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages were prohibited were erected at entrances to the town. Drivers on public highways through the town, however, objected to being arrested for smoking, and eventually a state Supreme Court confirmed that the town could not arrest a man for smoking on a public highway. The hymn “We’ re Marching to Zion,” continues to be found in many hymnbooks and it was a favorite hymn in my early school days. Although certain restrictions had been moderated or removed before my day, some blue laws (including Sunday laws) remained and the community with its unique history was an influence in my childhood and youth. (1320)

A Closed Mind (10/08/14)
All religions have certain characteristic doctrines, traditions and rituals, which are attractive to some, but may be repulsive to others. Even in regard to matters or beliefs that are very important to us, we should try to keep our minds open to other views or interpretations rather than insisting that all people agree with us. For some people, it is very difficult (or impossible?) to have both a firm conviction and an open mind regarding certain themes. John Alexander Dowie, the founder of the Christian Catholic Church and the city of Zion, where I was born and raised, emphasized divine healing as an essential part of Jesus’ ministry. He emphasized that divine healing should also characterize the ministry of the church, whenever and wherever it serves. In Mr. Dowie’s viewpoint, the dietary rules listed in Leviticus, chapter 11, should be observed not only by Jews but also by Christians. Swine meat and meat products were not permitted to be sold by approved stores in my hometown. Consequently, until I went to college on the west side of the Mississippi River, I had never eaten a pork chop, a slice of ham or a strip of pork bacon. During my first year in college, friends who ate with me in the school cafeteria regularly scuffled whenever a pork product was on the menu, for they knew I would not eat it but would give it to one of them. In fact, in the science class also, I was recognized as the student who affirmed that the earth was flat. Even though I had graduated from a public high school, I was assured that the Bible taught that the earth was flat. Since then, my closed mind has been opened to a degree so that I am willing to consider the views of others as I continue in my own maturation process. (1321)

Lot Numbers (10/08/17)
It is not only the different languages, spoken or written, in America and Japan that complicates mutual understanding. The same Arabic numerals are used in both cultures, so even though the pronunciation is different, the meaning should be the same and mutual understanding should be obtained. However, when my wife and I first went to Japan, it was very confusing to try to find a certain office or residence by simply searching for the number. In America, lot numbers are designated in logical order along a street, but in Japan, the numbers were listed in a completely different order. The town plan for my hometown of Zion City, Illinois, was determined before lots were sold. Streets running east and west were given numbers and avenues running north and south were given place names. The place names were taken from Biblical stories and were in alphabetical order, starting from the avenue along the lakefront, named Aaron. The lot numbers consisted of four numbers, the first two of which were the same as the street to the north. The next two numbers indicated how close the lot was to that street. All lots on the west side of the avenue ended with even numbers (00, 02, 04, 06, 08,10 . . .), and those on the east side ended with odd numbers (01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11 . . .). The address of the house in which I was born and raised was 2804 Eshcol Avenue. Anyone who heard or read that address would know that the house was on the third lot to the south of 28th street on the west side of Eshcol Avenue, which was one block west of Enoch Avenue. (1322)

Schools (10/08/22)
A large group of fish swimming together may be called a ‘school,’ but that is not the most common meaning of the word. There are many different kinds of schools, where people go to receive many different kinds of instruction. I was recently informed that my high school class would be celebrating its 65th graduation anniversary this year. In my hometown 65 years ago, there was one high school. Like other high schools of that day, it was a 4-year school for students who had graduated from an elementary school (a grade school, which was divided into 8 grades). Most students attended public schools, which were supported by the government and required no tuition fees from individual students, but in the religious community in which I was born and raised, the main school was the Zion Parochial School, which was supported by the church. In this school, daily classes began with devotions, including prayer and Bible reading. Fortunately, that school was not far from my home, so it was easy to walk there every day. My first grade in grade school was in that parochial school (which was closed the following year because of financial problems, I presume), so I had to attend a public school, which was further away. But the teacher of that 2nd grade class was the daughter of our church’ s head pastor. The following year, I returned to the parochial school, where I continued from 3rd to 6th grade, when the school closed down permanently. Over the years, two more public schools were built. Since my home was about midway between them, I was able to attend one of them, Elmwood School, for my 7th grade and the other one, Lakeview School, for my 8th grade. For the 4 years of high school, I attended the Zion-Benton Public High School, so I attended 4 elementary schools and 1 high school. (1323)

Lawnmowing (10/08/27)
Although neither one of my parents went to college, all six of their children did. Seeing the financial burden caused by the college expenses of my older sisters and brother, I decided when still young that I would try to avoid adding to the financial burden of my parents and myself as a result of college loans that required future payment, so I began earning and saving money for my future college expenses when I was still in elementary school. I received money for mowing the lawns of residents in our neighborhood and of the company where my father worked as a bookkeeper. Of course, at that time, lawnmowers were activated by human power rather than by gasoline. In the residential areas of the community, it was common for the houses in which residents lived to be surrounded by lawns of green grass, which required periodic mowing. Some yards included bushes or trees or constructed items that required careful maneuvering by the lawn mower. The front yard of my home, for example, included rose bushes and lilacs along the dividing line between our neighbors’ lot and ours. In the back yard, my father had constructed a large sand box in which children could play, and a seesaw, which not only went up and down but also could be rotated. There was also a swing hanging from the limb of an oak tree in which the swinger could swing very high if desired. Sometimes, we would insert wickets and a post in the side lawn to play croquet, which has become a popular sport among the elderly in Japan, but that did not require any special lawn mowing. (1324)

Scrapbook (10/08/29)
As I compose messages related to the situation in my homeland long, long ago during my childhood, I realize the benefit of scanning an old scrapbook my father produced for me. The word “scrap” usually is related to some small item that is no longer needed, waste material that may be discarded. The term “scrapbook,” however, denotes a book with blank pages for the mounting and preserving of pictures and other memorable items. My father prepared a large scrapbook for each of his six children. Each one was a different color. Mine was yellow and contains many of my kindergarten and elementary school drawings, crayon-colored pictures, along with many school reports. News articles that include my name, whether in a positive or negative sense are also included. The scrapbook was given to me following my graduation from high school and I have added articles related to my college and seminary experience. On one page is a letter from the “Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Illinois,” evidently in response to a letter of mine, stating that the “minimum age” to obtain a Driver’s License is “15 years.” On the next page is my first license obtained from that state the following month (after I had celebrated my 15th birthday) which includes a photograph of my face and such facts as the color of my eyes, the color of my hair, my height and weight, which are interesting to compare with my present condition. I will be checking this scrapbook as I compose future messages. Finally, I will mention two different verbs in English with similar spelling: scrap and scrape. Do you know their different meanings? Fortunately, the pages in my scrapbook do not need to be either scrapped or scraped. (1325)