In the desert nation of Turkmenistan, knowing the Highway Code is not enough to get a driver's license.

The President of the nation wants future drivers to study his "sacred writings" in order to qualify for a license.

President Saparmurat Niyazov is the focus of a personality cult in Turkmenistan and has written a moral guide for his nation of 6 million people.

Niyazov has already made his writings a core part of the nation's school and university curriculum. A release from the state news agency quoted a decree from the president saying he wants drivers to study his writings "to ensure future drivers are educated in the spirit of high moral values of Turkmenistan's society."

—Reuters, Drivers To be Tested on Scripture, August 3, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

In my opinion, this is way over the top. Instead of presenting his views and allowing the people to make up their own mind what to believe, he is cramming it down the people's throats.

People never have to be forced to believe the truth—they just need to hear it.

Romans 10:17 (KJV) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

If Donald Trump gets his way, every employer might have to pay him a fee when they tell someone, "You're fired!" The millionaire is reportedly taking steps to trademark his catchphrase from the reality television series, "The Apprentice."

A website is displaying copies of paperwork Trump has filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Trump wants to own the rights to the phrase in order to put it on clothing items, games, or other merchandise. The papers do not say whether or not Trump is seeking to patent the hand gesture he uses when he says the words on the program.

—www.azcentral.com, Associated Press, March 19, 2004, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Isaiah 55:11 KJV “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Officials in Los Angeles have asked manufacturers, suppliers and contractors to stop using the words, "master" and slave" on computer equipment, claiming those terms are offensive and no longer acceptable. The request came after an unidentified worker spotted a video machine with devices labeled "master" and slave" and filed a discrimination complaint with the County's Office of Affirmative Action Compliance.

Some suppliers are furious over the order, while others are busy deciding how to re-label their products. Many industries use the terms, "master" and "slave" to describe various equipment. Computer producers have been hard hit because the industry uses the terms to refer to primary and secondary hard drive units.

Joe Sandoval, division manager of purchasing and contract services for Los Angeles County sent a memo to County vendors saying, "based on the cultural diversity and sensitivity of Los Angeles County, this is not an acceptable identification label." The memo requested that manufacturers review, identify, and remove or change any labeling of equipment that could be interpreted as discriminatory or offensive in nature.

Sandoval said that he already rejected a suggestion that the county stop buying all equipment carrying the labels, and had no intention of enforcing a ban on such terms with suppliers. He added, "But we are culturally sensitive and we have 90,000 employees. We have to take these things seriously." The memo did not offer any suggestions for alternative labeling.

—Reuters, L.A. Wants to End "Master" and "Slave" Equipment, November 26, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

My first reaction when I read this news report was that somebody is being a little bit too sensitive here. But as I reflected on it longer, a truth surfaced. Words are powerful and can offend people they were never intended to offend. I doubt very seriously if the original architects of the PC (personal computer) even considered for a moment the ramifications of not using PC (politically correct) terminology as they were giving descriptive names of the relationship of one Hard Drive to another. They just wanted to be able to distinguish between the two. Whether you agree with the complaint of the anonymous worker or not, do you agree that we should choose our words carefully, because they are powerful?

Proverbs 15:23 NLT Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!

The nation of Iran began short-wave broadcasts in Hebrew in June 2002. The radio programming is supposedly designed to reach out to Jewish communities. Some experts disagree, saying the program is not a friendly gesture, but rather a form of subterfuge.

The "Voice of David" is a 30-minute Hebrew program is a combination of news, commentary, and slogans. The Iranian foreign ministry would not comment on the broadcasts, but Iranian expert Menashe Amir says, the program is intended to weaken Israeli society.

Amir says, "The reason (they started the broadcasts) is that they think the Israeli society is a weak group of people. They think that the Israelis are disintegrating after Israel unilaterally pulled its troops out of southern Lebanon two years ago and after almost two years of intifadah." Iran believes there are deep rifts within Israel's political establishment and they want to take advantage of the situation.

Israeli sources say not many people want to hear what the Iranians have to say. They point out that Israeli radio has beamed a weekly program to Iran in the Persian language that is heard by an estimated 2 million people since 1958. The Israeli program seeks to educate Iranians about the peace process, tell the Iranians what is going on in Iran, and to remind them of the historically good relations between Iranians and Jews.

—www.cnsnews.com, June 14, 2002. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

The war of words between Iran and Israel is an interesting look at how we use our speech. The best use of words between individuals or nations is not tearing one another down, or propagating our own ideas. The gift of speech should be used to build up and encourage one another.

Ephesians 4:29 NIV "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear."

An Arab television network says it would like to hire a colorful figure from the regime of Saddam Hussein. Former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf developed a cult following during the US led invasion of Iraq by providing colorful briefings about the war each day. Sahaf wore his trademark beret and stood behind a collection of microphones providing the Iraqi version of events. His following grew as his briefings departed more and more from reality.

During the war, a website sprang up focusing on the Information Minister. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, even President George Bush admitted that he was a fan of Sahaf’s. In an NBC television interview, the President said the administration had been accused of hiring Sahaf and putting him there. Mr. Bush added, “He’s my man, he was great. He was a classic.”

Sahaf, also known as “Baghdad Bob” or “Comical Ali,” is not included in Washington’s list of 55 most wanted Iraqis. The supervisor of the Dubai-based

Al-Arabiya satellite channel, Ali al-Hadethi says the former information minister was welcome to begin a new job as a commentator and analyst immediately.

Currently, no one knows Sahaf’s whereabouts. He is believed to be hiding with relatives in the Baghdad area. When asked about Sahaf’s exaggerated and blatantly false statements at press briefings Hadethi said, he “was a member of the former regime and had to say what the government wanted. He was repeating what was being given to him without being able to verify the truth.

Hadethi’s network is already using Saddam’s former ambassador to the United Nations as an analyst. Without giving any other details about the job offer Hadethi said, “We want to benefit from the experience of Mr. Sahaf and his analysis of the current situation and the future of Iraq.”

—Reuters, Ex-Iraqi Info Minister Gets TV Job Offer, April 29, 2003, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Even though Sahaf’s antics were amusing on one level, on another, they were pathetic. What does a man have if he doesn’t have his word? What is left when his integrity is gone?

Ephesians 4:29 NASB “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

A family man who was a pillar of his community was recently sentenced to 40 years in prison for a string of bank robberies after his own sons turned him in. Authorities say 64 year-old Alfred Ginglen, a grandfather of seven and former marine had been living a double life for some time before one of his sons, a police officer in Peoria. Illinois recognized his father in a bank surveillance video posted on a law enforcement web site. The man's sons discussed the matter and decided to confront their father about his actions. Though the family had been completely unaware of the crime spree, which had netted nearly $60,000 from Illinois banks to pay for their dad's secret life, they found a journal containing details about Ginglen's double life, which included a girlfriend, drugs, and prostitutes.

Ginglen's son Clay said, "There's a lot of things we're upset about that weren't illegal. Lying's not a crime, and lying was the biggest thing." All three of the brothers hope their father someday realizes it was the lessons he taught them about doing the right thing, even under tough circumstances, that landed him in jail and may have saved his life. Another son, Garret Ginglen added," We knew he could be mad. It wasn't like we didn't mow the lawn when we were supposed to. But we also hoped that since he taught us all of this and raised us to be good, maybe someday the light bulb will come on."

—Associated Press, Man Turned in by sons gets 40 years in prison, December 29, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Philippians 4:8-9 (RSV) "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you."

In her book, "Who Put the Cat in the Fridge?", Rhonda Rhea writes, "When we give the Lord our hearts, our marriages, and our families, we need to make sure our words are part of the deal. How many relationships have been blown apart by explosive word fallout?"

James 3:5 NASB "So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!"

Two men from Lancaster Pennsylvania have been texting nonstop for about ten years, so they decided to try to set a new world word record. Nick Andres and Doug Klinger managed to exchange 217,000 texts during March of 2009. The men set their phones to send multiple messages, and found during a test they could send between 6,000 and 7,000 messages a day. They turned the following month into a marathon of texting.

Sources say the previous record was 182,000 texts in a moth set in India in 2005. Despite the apparent new record, there were costs involved. Andres received a bill from his cell phone company for $26,000. He told the company he thought he had unlimited text messaging, so the charges were reversed. Andre’s wife expressed the second cost of the marathon. She found her husband’s phone tied up when she tried to call him at lunch. Julie Andres said she was tired of the record attempt after just a few days. Guinness World Book of Records officials are still researching to see if the men actually set a certifiable record.

--Pennsylvania Men Attempting Record Send 217,000 Text Messages, Get $26G Bill; April 22, 2009, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C517363%2C00.html; Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

It is not the quantity of words that distinguish a relationship, but the quality of words spoken to one another. Words have power. Power to heal; power to encourage; power to bind. If you want to make the world a better place, spend less time manufacturing words and more time choosing your words carefully.

Proverbs 15:23 NLT “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!”

How many of the things we say each day really have significant value? A recent survey of the messages found on the social networking site “Twitter” indicated a majority of the statements are not very important. Pear Analytics from Texas randomly sampled 2,000 messages from the public stream of Twitter and separated them into six categories. The categories were news, spam, self-promotion, conversational; pass along value, and pointless babble.

Conversational messages or those going back and forth between users or trying to engage others in conversation accounted for 751 messages or 37 percent. Messages that were being passed along or “re-tweeted” made up eight percent. Self promotional messages made up 5.85 percent of the tweets, and tweets with news in them accounted for 3.6 percent of the content. The largest percentage of sampled massages was categorized as “pointless babble.” This type of tweet was similar to “I am eating a sandwich”, or “I am driving home.” The Pear survey found slightly less than half of the messages, 40 percent, fell into this category. Pear says they plan to revisit the study every quarter to look for continuing trends.

40 Percent of Twitter messages ‘pointless babble’: study, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hWc7Vo-6dXa6xTGsUv_EnHOEnwVA ; August 17, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 12:35-36 (NIV) “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (36) But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

The Missouri legislature wanted to do something about the amount of litter showing up in the states waterways. Much of modern litter is the remains of Styrofoam coolers. They thought the solution was in a law they passed banning the offending coolers from Missouri rivers. Their law banned the substance polypropylene and any articles made from it. Problem solved.

Well maybe not! Styrofoam coolers are made out of polystyrene so the law doesn’t affect the intended target at all. What did the law ban? Some of the things made out of the banned substance are Tupperware containers, tic-tac lids, and a lightweight rope.

Words have meanings and it is important to know the meanings. God’s words have meaning. One of the reasons we do word studies in the Bible is to determine just what God is saying. If the Holy Spirit inspired the Biblical writers, even to the choosing of one word over another, we need to know the meaning of that word.

World, September 26, 2009. P.15.
Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Every year the Marist organization conducts a poll to ascertain the most annoying word or phrase in the English language. The same word has topped the survey for the past two years indicating some of the phrases used in pop culture may be trendy, but growing in popularity. Mary Azzoli of Marist says the words are often introduced through popular movies and catch on. Whether or not they continue to circulate depends on how accepted and common they become in daily speech patterns.

Azzoli says this year nearly 39 percent of those surveyed said the most irritating word was “whatever”, followed by “like” at 28 percent, and the phrase “you know what I mean” at 15 percent. The phrase “ to tell you the truth” and “actually” were also ranked as annoying to many people, but for Americans aged 18 to 29 “like” ranked as the most grating word. Azzoli said “whatever” can be very dismissive depending on the context in which it is used. She said, ”It’s the way they are delivered and inherent in that delivery is a meaning.”

--“Whatever” voted most irritating word in poll, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BE5TL20101215 ; December 15, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Colossians 4:6 (CEV) Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.

Researchers studying human behavior say talking to yourself may not mean that you are crazy; it can benefit thinking and perception. Scientists say many people report talking to themselves quite often. So talk to themselves every few days, while other individuals report doing it on an hourly basis. They say research has shown that with children, talking to themselves such as giving themselves step-by step directions through a task such as tying their shoelaces helps them focus on the task at hand.

In one experiment, volunteers saw pictures of 20 common objects and were then asked to look for a specific one, such as a banana. Half of the respondents were asked to repeat what they were looking for aloud, while the other group was told to remain silent. The researchers found that the group that reminded themselves about the task out loud found the object they were looking for faster every time. Researcher Gary Lupyan, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said, “The general take-home point is that language is not just a system of communication, but I’m arguing it can augment perception, augment thinking.”

Talking to yourself may boost your brainpower,
--http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/23/11357496-talking-to-yourself-may-boost-brainpower?lite; April 23, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Proverbs 16:24 (CEV) Kind words are like honey-- they cheer you up and make you feel strong.

We are living in a time when culture is redefining the meanings of words. One such word is the word continent. Continents are defined as a major land mass on the earth. Students around the world are not all taught the same thing regarding how many continents there are. In Europe there are only six while in America there are seven. Europeans count North and South America as one continent. Today some scientists want to declare a seventh or eighth continent.

Zealandia is the nominated continent. It would contain New Zealand and several surrounding islands. It is a massive continent that sank some 85 million years ago. It meets all the criteria to qualify as a bona fide continent argue some geologists. The only thing is, it is 95% underwater. Even though it doesn’t meet the definition of continent, they still want to call it one.

That is not unlike other redefinitions happening in our increasingly post-modern world. What is a marriage? What is a boy and what is a girl? When is a baby a baby? When is sexual intimacy right? When we unhitch our beliefs from a standard they drift until they are unrecognizable. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

In October 2017, Amsterdam's beloved mayor Eberhard van der Laan slipped into eternity after a year-long battle with cancer. Only 62-years old, he left behind his wife and five children. Upon his death, thousands of Amsterdammers held candlelight vigils to show their love and appreciation. His body lay in state while the entire city mourned.

Despite having had every opportunity, Van der Laan rejected God. Even more tragic was that it never had to happen. You see, Van der Laan grew up in a strong Christian family. As a child, he even completed the church’s required catechism classes. Yet, like all children, he had questions.

In an interview about his religious beliefs, Eberhard clearly remembers the moment he lost his faith. He was 12-years old and he asked the pastor of his church a question; “If we must recognize Jesus as our Lord, what will happen to the Inca’s who have never known him?” He recalls, “The response from the pastor was shocking for me: ‘They are just unlucky.’ It was then that I decided that I wouldn’t stand for such a faith. I must not have that sort of ‘exclusive thinking.’” Although his parents tried to bring him back into the faith, he said, “I was never again gripped by faith. It was too late for me.”

Four careless words spoken by a Christian to a young man who was at a pivotal point in his spiritual journey changed his course of eternity; and now, it is too late.

Our words have power. In the same way they can share the powerful message of salvation, they are also able to steer someone away from God. May we as followers of Jesus, always be aware of how every word spoken from our mouths can have an eternal impact. –Jim L. Wilson & Ryan B

Van der Laan: Biografie van een Burgemeester door Kemal Rijken. Chapter 2 (Dutch)

Matthew 12:36 (CSB)“I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.”