Why the Word "Corn"?

Etymology, i.e. the history of words, has always fascinated me.  While engaged in my German studies recently I came across the word, “Korn,” which as an English speaker I falsely assumed meant “corn.”  The German word “Korn” actually translates to “grain” in English.  I was then curious what the English word “corn” translated to in German, which turns out to be “Mais.”  Having taken two years of Spanish in High School and being raised in North America, I instantly recognized the German word “Mais” as deriving from the Spanish word “Maize.”

So, what happened?  In the 18^th century, the English and Germans referred to the many varieties of grain as simply, “corn” (Old English) or “Korn” (German.)  American colonists referred to what we today call corn as “Indian corn” i.e. Indian grain.  Over time, we in the United States eventually dropped the adjective “Indian” and kept the noun “corn."  Meanwhile, our cousins back in England and Germany adopted the Spanish term, “Maize,” which the Spanish had adopted from the Taino, an indigenous Caribbean people.

Wait a minute.  If the word “corn” was the Old English term for “grain,” then where did that word come from?  How was it used?  See my train of thought and how unending and interesting the study of words can be?  OK, perhaps not for you.

But to answer the question, “grain” comes…

Just kidding.

Essay Contest

I can now officially say that my love for writing has put money in my pocket.  The following is an essay that I submitted for a work essay writing contest.  I won, which put $250 in my pocket.

                                              The Captain: An Unsought for Mentor
                                                          by TSgt Kevin Reed

I had been in the Air Force a mere four years and one month when I pinned on Staff Sergeant.  I was fresh out of Airman Leadership School and fully motivated to change the world, starting with the Air Force.  I was green and everybody knew it except for me.  Fortunately, someone took the initiative to mentor me.  The Air Force Captain in my work center was a prior-service Marine.  I looked up to him because he was respected by co-workers, a family man, and academically accomplished.  His work load was significant, yet he took the time to pass on his professional knowledge.  He explained to me his own professional “road-map”; where he was at, what it took to get him there, where he planned to be in the future, and how he was going to get there.  He demonstrated an enthusiasm not only for the job but also for instilling in me the skills to be successful.  There was always an emphasis on the importance of learning, both on and off duty.  What I found most valuable was his genuine feedback that revealed I was a valued asset to his team. 

Using the Captain as my role model, I went on to become distinguished graduate of Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, complete my Bachelor’s Degree, and start my Master’s Degree.  These accomplishments took a great deal of time outside of duty hours.  Being a family man himself, the Captain always stressed the importance of balancing professional development with taking care of one’s family.  Using his guidance, I have been able to accomplish my professional goals while also helping my amazing wife raise our six children.

Ten years have passed since I last worked with the Captain, yet the lessons I learned from him are still fresh in my mind.  I often ask myself if I am employing the professionalism, compassion, and enthusiasm that I witnessed him display on and off duty.  In addition to my children, I am responsible for Airmen of my own.  I have become known as an academic cheerleader, motivating those around me to place a greater emphasis on education.  I empathize when their struggles and celebrate with their triumphs.  Like the Captain before me, I take an invested interest in their success.  I now help my Airmen develop their own professional road-maps, advising them to avoid mistakes that I have made on my own path.  Ultimately, I seek to employ the Captain’s attribute of leading by example.  On a character level, that includes owning up to my faults and asking for forgiveness when necessary.  Rather than viewing this as a sign of weakness, I agree with the Captain that it is a sign of strength and integrity. 

            Take the time to look around and identify those around you that are your mentors in addition to those that you could be a mentor for.  Being a mentor does not require an official acknowledgment by either party.  The Captain never explicitly stated to me, “I am your mentor.”  He did not have to.  His actions demonstrated as much.  

Be a Hero, Write a Hero

My dear friend, Daniel Pike, has invasive squamous cell carcinoma.  This Wednesday, November 19^th, he will have over half his tongue removed, which will be followed by radiation and chemo treatment.  As a husband and father of three children, Daniel is the family’s primary source of income, yet his recovery will take him out of work for several months.

My plan is to raise money to help mitigate a portion of the financial burden the Pike’s will incur.  I will be the editor of an anthology of short stories contributed by anyone interested.  The final product will be free, but donations would be accepted and all profits would go to the Pike family.

Daniel is a huge science fiction, fantasy, and comic book fan.  The short stories should be in one of these genres, though much leeway will be given.  The overarching theme of the stories should be about the celebration of life, imagination, and hope.  There are no age requirements for contributors, yet I ask that there be no R rated content.  All contributors will retain intellectual rights to their stories (more than one submission is fine).  I ask that all stories be submitted to me by March 1^st, 2015.  I aim to have the final product out by June 1^st, 2015.  Please send submissions to kevinandallison@gmail.com. 

If you are not interested in this collaborative effort, please still consider donating now at the Pike’s personal fundraising site.

Wading Through the Misinformation

Imagine its three months ago, one month before my daughter Melody was born, and my wife was hit by a drunk driver, resulting in Melody's death. Under current Colorado law, the drunk driver would avoid prosecution because Melody would not have been recognized as a person. Fortunately, this did not happen to us, but it has happened to others.

Amendment 67 would change that.  The ballot question states:

"Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution protecting pregnant women and unborn children by defining "person" and "child" in the Colorado criminal code and the Colorado wrongful death act to include unborn human beings?"

If passed, Article XVIII, Section 17 of the Colorado constitution would then include:

"In the interest of the protection of pregnant mothers and their unborn children from criminal offenses and neglect and wrongful acts, the words "person" and "child" in the Colorado Criminal Code and the Colorado Wrongful Death Act must include unborn human beings."

Some have erroneously made Amendment 67 into an abortion issue.  Some may find it difficult to wade through all the fear-mongering muck of misinformation out there.  They could, however, just try reading the ballot question and the legislation it will actually effect.  

Amendment 67 is about holding those accountable that commit "criminal offenses" which result in the death of unborn children. Drunk driving is a criminal offense, abortion is not. We need to hold criminals accountable.  Of course, those that vote "No" on Amendment 67 would disagree.

Valuing Life in the Face of Death

Our culture has a problem facing death.  This is seen in everything from the death penalty, abortion, foreign policy, to the acceptance of suicide.  While this list may seem like we have embraced death well, we have not.  There is one thing in common between the way we put our guilty to death, murder our unborn, kill foreigners, and praise suicide; they all place the horrible reality of death out of sight.  We want our nation’s guilty to be sentenced to death, but we do not want to watch it happen.  We are fine with encouraging others to kill their babies, but would certainly never want to watch that happen, either.  We are fine with our nation being engaged in a perpetual state of war, as long as the atrocities are committed far from our own homes.  We do not want to be faced with the discomfort of watching a loved one slowly die before our eyes.  We would rather the sick be removed from our sight, now. 

Death is repugnant.  Death is profane.  To some extent I think we grasp this or we would not avoid it so.  On the occasion that we are forced to face the grotesque reality of death, we try to change our perception of it in our minds.  When someone commits suicide, we call it “brave.”  When someone commits suicide in the face of a terminal illness, we call it “dignified.”  Never believe that suicide is “dignified.”  Never let anyone tell you that suicide is “brave.”  Those are lies.  There is nothing dignified about death.  Death is a heinous molestation of that which was once bright and beautiful.  While there may be bravery in death, as is seen when one lays down their life for another, there is nothing brave about self-murder.  I have seen close friends and family die from both agonizing illness and from suicide.  The former was brave, the latter was not, yet neither was dignified.  

As uncomfortable as it may be, facing death helps us value life and see that this value is intrinsic.  Life’s value is independent of our perception of one’s usefulness.  Life’s value is independent of our ever fluctuating standard of what is deemed as “quality of life.” 

  

Free Will, The Fall and The Holy Spirit

“Why do some desire God while others do not?”  

Such questions inevitably bring up terms like, “Free Will,” which should only, if at all, be used in carefully explained situations.  Free Will here is defined as making choices according to one’s own desire.1  The nature of mankind, however, is marred by The Fall2, making us unable to desire God.3  Our inclination towards evil and self-destruction does not free us from such a responsibility, however.  In this state, we freely choose to flee from God.  In this state, Free Will is a curse, which continues until the Holy Spirit performs a work of regeneration in us, renewing our desire such that we can freely run to, rather than away from God.4 As such, the glory of a sinner repenting and trusting in Christ alone for their salvation belongs to God alone.5

Despite this, we who now have renewed wills capable of desiring God are still capable of sinning, as corruption from The Fall remains within us.  This remaining corruption can make us unnecessarily miserable and depressed.6 We overcome this corruption over time as we rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit.7 This same Spirit also ensures that we persevere in our desire for God to the end.8 

1. R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 179.

2. Gen. 3:6-8; Rom. 3:23; Gen. 2:27; Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 5:12; Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Titus 1:15; Rom. 3:10-19; 1 Cor. 15:21-22, 49; Ps. 51:5; John 3:6; Rom. 7:18; Rom. 8:7;

3. Rom. 8:7-8; John 6:44, 65; John 15:5; Rom. 5:5.   

4. Acts 26:18; 1 Cor. 2:10, 12; Eph. 1:17-18; 2 Cor. 4:6; Ezek. 36:26; John 6:44-45; Acts 16:14; Ps. 110:3; John 6:37; Matt. 11:28; Rev. 22:17; Rom. 6:16-18; Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29.

5. Titus 1:1; Heb. 10:39.

6. Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7:14-15; 1 John 1:8-10.

7. 2 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18.

8. Phil. 1:6; 2 Pet. 1:10; Rom. 8:28-30; John 10:28-29; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:5, 9.

Christian Zionism and American Foreign Policy

Never fails. War starts up between the states of Israel and Palestine and American Christian Zionism rears its ugly head.  Why?  While Christian Zionists believe that Christ’s covenant was a fulfillment of the Mosaic covenant, i.e. dealing with salvation, they do not believe that Christ’s covenant was a fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, i.e. dealing with Abraham’s offspring and land.  Christian Zionists, however, miss the Apostle Paul’s point in Galatians 3 that the offspring (singular) and the land (God’s Kingdom) are realized in Christ.  Christ is the offspring.  Those that belong to Christ are also Abraham’s offspring (Gal 3:28-29).  Abraham’s children are spiritual, not ethnic.  Furthermore, this “land,” God’s Kingdom, is not dependent upon where lines are drawn on a map in the Middle East.  Rather, the Kingdom of God is found in Christ.

Does this mean that I do not support the contemporary state of Israel?  Certainly not.  I support Israel’s right to defend itself just as much as I support any nation’s right to, including Palestine.  It is a complicated situation and I do not have any easy answers for that region.  If Christian Zionists, however, are going to allow their interpretation of Scripture to affect their foreign policy, I would ask that they re-read the New Testament and consider how Christ’s covenant affected the Old Testament covenants.