Je croyais que tu devais le savoir. Ça, c'est pour toi. Oui, pour toi, la personne incroyable qui lit ceci. Tu es génial ! Ne laisse personne te dire le contraire.
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| Tu déchires ! Dessin, stylet sur Samsung Note Dessiné en Adobe Draw Steven Sauke |
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Friday, May 5, 2023
¡Eres la máxima! ¡Eres el máximo!
Creo que debes saber. Esto es para tí. Sí, para tí, la persona increíble que lee esto. Eres una persona impresionante. No dejes que nadie les diga lo contrario.
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| ¡Eres la máxima! ¡Eres el máximo! Dibujo, lápiz óptico en Samsung Note Diseñado en Adobe Draw Steven Sauke |
Thursday, May 4, 2023
You rock!
Thought you should know. This is for you. Yes, you, amazing person reading this! You are awesome. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
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| You Rock! Drawing, stylus on Samsung Note Designed on Adobe Draw Steven Sauke |
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
How Great Thou Art: God's Awesome Symphony of Nature
CRASH! The thunder was deafening as lightning lit up the sky! The wind was whipping powerfully over the meadows, and the travelers rushed for cover! They were returning home from church in Kronobäck, on the southeastern Swedish coast. Once the storm had died down, they continued their journey, awestruck by a stunning rainbow.
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| Image by IgorZh on Adobe Stock |
Upon reaching home, Carl Boberg opened the window of his house, which had a beautiful view of the sea. The church bells were playing a hymn. The birds sang from their perches in the trees. The brook rippled. It was 1885, and at that time of year, the colors all around were particularly vivid. The powerful winds had become a gentle breeze.
That evening, Boberg wrote a poem entitled O Store Gud (literally "O Mighty God"). It would later be set to music, using a Swedish folk tune.
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| Image by Наталья Евтехова on Adobe Stock |
In 1907, it was translated into German by Manfred von Glehn, and a few years later, Russian pastor Ivan Prokhanoff would translate it into Russian. In the 1920s or 1930s (sources disagree on the decade), English missionary Stuart K. Hine was in Ukraine, where he heard the Russian version of O Store Gud. He and his wife would sing it for years, until one day he translated it into English:
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow’r thru-out the universe displayed!Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;When thru the woods and forest glades I wander
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in –
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
As far as I know, the main change since Hine translated it into English is that in the version that I grew up singing, "works" in the first verse changed to "worlds", though some hymnals have a footnote stating the original word was "works."
Over the course of my life, I have seen so much awesome beauty and power in nature. Tropical downpours in the Philippines make a typical Seattle rain look like a little trickle. Lightning in Wisconsin (and in the Philippines, for that matter), stretches all up and down the expanse of the sky. The earthquake in Seattle in 2001 was a terrifying experience. Philippine beaches, coral reefs, rice terraces and more, are breathtaking. The French and English countryside is stunning. I have never felt so cold as waiting at a bus station in Chicago in the winter. Sleeping under the stars at the foot of Taal Volcano, Philippines, away from city lights and smog, the sky was almost white with stars. I have never seen so many stars as I did that night. It was awe-inspiring. Some friends in Surigao, Philippines once lost their roof in a typhoon. The mountain ranges where I have been (including Olympics, Cascades, Rockies and Smokies) are spectacular. I have thankfully never experienced a tsunami, but I have seen some powerful waves. The Northern Lights are on my bucket list. NASA images of planets, stars, nebulae and other astronomical phenomena blow me away. While strong weather isn't always enjoyable, it is usually awesome. Birds sing. Geckos gecko (thus their name). Crickets chirp. The sounds of the animals alone can become a stunning symphony.
To think that the God who made all that cared so much for me that He sent His Son to die for me, and I will meet Him face to face someday!
Monday, May 1, 2023
Charlie
This is my friend Charlie. He is pretty amazing, and I have a lot of respect for him. He also played Cchhär in my movies Yibvlidj Apocalypse and The Heirs of Djeek. The graphic I made of him is based on a picture I took for Yibvlidj Apocalypse.
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| Charlie Ostlie Steven Sauke Illustration 2012 |
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Blessed Assurance: Glory from Blindness
Frances Jane was born in Putnam County, New York on March 24, 1820. She was a beautiful baby girl, but at 6 weeks, a misguided doctor attempted to treat an eye infection with a mustard plaster poultice. It was a decision that would leave her blind for the next (nearly) 95 years.
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| Fanny Crosby at 25 |
When she was 9, young Fanny Crosby wrote:
"O what a happy soul am I,
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't."
Incredibly gifted, she entered New York Institute for the Blind at the age of 15, and after graduating was invited to teach there. While she was in school, Braille hadn't even reached the US yet. She would never use it. Around the age of 20, she met a talented blind musician named Alexander Van Alstyne, who came to her school. They fell in love and were married in 1858.
In 1873, she was visiting her friend Mrs. Phoebe Knapp. By this time she was known to many as Aunt Fanny. During their visit, Mrs. Knapp sat down at her piano and played a new piece she had just written. Phoebe wondered, "What does this tune say?" After a few minutes of thought and prayer, Fanny said, "It says, 'Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!'"
She then began to dictate words to fit in Knapp's tune:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
She took great joy in her salvation, her love, and the promise of glory. A blind woman had "visions of rapture...burst[ing] on [her] sight!" The first thing she saw after being blinded as a baby was the glory she sang about in life. Indeed, she once said, "If I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind...for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Saviour."
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| From her autobiography Fanny Crosby, Memories of Eighty Years Published in 1906 |
Fanny Crosby wrote over 8000 Gospel songs and hymns, in addition to over 1000 non-religious songs. She also published four books of poetry and two autobiographies. She did not allow blindness to hold her back, and in fact, she used it as inspiration and saw it as a gift from God. She is still one of the greatest hymn writers in history. Nobody has come close to writing as many as hymns and Gospel songs as she did.
"It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me."
- Fanny J. Crosby
Fanny Crosby was influential in the lives of multiple US presidents, including Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James Polk and Grover Cleveland. (In fact, she dictated some of her work to a 15-year-old Cleveland to write down!) She played at President Ulysses S. Grant's funeral and wrote a poetic eulogy for President William Henry Harrison. She also addressed Congress regarding education of the blind. She spent her later years serving the poor and needy, supporting herself with her writing. She could also recite the four Gospels and the first three books of the Old Testament, as well as Ruth, Proverbs and Song of Solomon.
As I blogged previously, I very nearly joined her among the blind. God miraculously healed my eyes, for which I am incredibly grateful. My life would have been very different had my eyes followed the natural progression of retinitis pigmentosa. But I know that even if it had, I would still glorify God. Fanny Crosby is a shining example of keeping in perspective what many would consider a weakness, instead turning it into a strength. We can all learn from her determination, strength, drive and optimism, both despite and because of her blindness.
February 12, 1915 was a glorious day for Fanny. She opened her eyes and saw for the first time since she was 6 weeks old. After nearly 95 years, "visions of rapture now burst on [her] sight," as the first thing she saw was the face of Jesus. In the words of another of her hymns, she was "Safe in the Arms of Jesus."
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| From her autobiography Fanny Crosby, Memories of Eighty Years Published in 1906 |
https://www.staugustine.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2015/02/20/story-behind-song-blessed-assurance/16249006007/
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-blessed-assurance
https://wordwisehymns.com/2010/11/20/today-in-1850-fanny-crosby-converted/
https://www.nyise.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=428557&type=d&pREC_ID=936886
https://www.aph.org/fanny-j-crosby-embracing-the-gift/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fanny-Crosby
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Andy and Jill
Way back around the turn of the century, I met Jill online. She adopted me as a younger brother and became the big sister I never had. I visited them in Tennessee in 2009, and I'm so thankful to know them. She has inspired me to adopt several siblings of my own. Though said adoptions have not been done in a court of law, they are siblings in every other way. However, Andy and Jill have adopted a bunch of kids (the official way), and they are now proud grandparents.
I did this portrait of Jill and her amazing husband Andy a few years ago.
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| Jill and Andy Steven Sauke Illustration |
Friday, April 28, 2023
Nearer, My God, to Thee: A Titanic Stairway
The state-of-the-art ship was massive and was supposed to be unsinkable. It was one of the greatest achievements of the age, but an iceberg on a calm moonless night contributed to one of the greatest maritime disasters in recent history, and many souls found themselves literally nearer to God than they would have dreamed when setting out from England, France and Ireland just a few days previous.
But our story begins several millennia earlier.
c. 2000 BC, around 4000 years previous
The night was dark, and Jacob was exhausted from his trek across the land that would one day bear his future name of Israel. He found a stone and placed it on the ground to use as a pillow. As he slept, he dreamed about a stairway stretching into the sky with angels walking up and down it. God stood at the top and gave Jacob the following promise:
“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”Genesis 28:13-15
Upon waking, Jacob was awe-struck, and he named the place Bethel, or "House of God." He took the rock he had used as a pillow, and set it up as a pillar.
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| El sueño de Jacob/Jacob's Dream Bartholomé Esteban Murillo Oil on canvas 1665 |
1841
British actress Sarah Flower Adams had been obliged to leave the stage due to health troubles, and in 1841, her pastor was working on a sermon about Jacob's dream. He needed a song to go with it in the service, and Adams volunteered to write it. Her sister Eliza Flower set it to music, though a different tune by Lowell Mason would eventually become the one commonly used. (Incidentally, Mason also set the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to music.) Summarizing Jacob's dream, Sarah wrote:
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
yet in my dreams I'd be
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
angels to beckon me
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,
out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;
so by my woes to be
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Adams would write multiple poems and hymns, but this was her most well known. They couldn't know how poignant these words would be about 72 years later.
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| Sarah Flower Adams Margaret Gillies Sketch, touched with chalk artwork c. 1850-1875 |
April 14-15, 1912
It was a dark but calm night. The appropriately-named ship was titanic (that is, massively huge), and it was on its maiden voyage. Just 39 years after the SS Ville du Havre had collided with another ship and sunk (inspiring another hymn), a much greater disaster was about to go down, literally. RMS Titanic also collided, but this time with an iceberg around 800 miles southwest of the other collision (if my calculations are accurate).
Around 11:40 PM, lookout Frederick Fleet sounded the alarm: "Iceberg! Right ahead!" First Officer William Murdoch immediately ordered the ship "hard-a-starboard" to turn around posthaste! (Starboard is the ship's right side.) They did their best, but were too close to the iceberg, which scraped the starboard side, rupturing at least five watertight compartments. Captain Edward J. Smith ordered wireless operator Jack Phillips to begin sending distress signals, which he and his fellow operator Harold Bride did. The ship let off flares that lit up the sky. The RMS Carpathia received the signals, but being 58 nautical miles away, it would take them about three hours to reach the Titanic. The massive ship only had 20 lifeboats, not nearly enough for all their passengers.
There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
angels to beckon me
nearer, my God, to thee;nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Hartley has said that he wanted that hymn played at his funeral. It would be the last song he would direct as he and the entire band found themselves nearer to God. Over 1500 souls were lost that night.
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| RMS Titanic departing Southampton April 10, 1912 Photo by Francis Godolphin Osbourne Stuart |
Aaron
This is my brother Aaron. We may not be biologically related, but that's beside the point. Although, there are Olsons among my ancestors, and we do look like we could be related, so I've often wondered if we are, distantly. We even have a similar sense of humor.
He was our pastor a few years ago, and of all our pastors, was one of the closest in age to me. After leaving our church, he moved to Texas. I miss him and keep in touch.
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| Aaron Olson Steven Sauke 2012 Illustration |
Today he sets a new personal record in the age department. I am proud to claim him as a brother, and he is one of the best.
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| Facebook Cover Art Steven Sauke 2012 Illustration |
Following are more pictures of him. The illustration above was based on one of the below. I am even in one of these pictures! I took these in 2012 and 2013. Since he lives so far away, we haven't been able to get pictures any more recently than that. Someday!
Thursday, April 27, 2023
We interrupt this program....
CHANGES COMING!!
Due to my exciting new job, I will not have as much time to maintain my blog. I still hope to blog regularly, but it will likely slow down a bit. I scheduled a bunch of blogs prior to starting my job (for example, it's April 12 as I type this), so they should still be coming for a while, but we will see how everything lands once I strike the proper balance. It may be every other day, or perhaps once or twice a week. We shall see.
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| Image by stockking on Freepik |
I still have some exciting ideas, so stay tuned, and be sure to hit the "Follow" button to the right! (You may need to scroll down a bit. If you are on a cell phone or tablet, you may need to view the Desktop version to see the Follow button.)
Don't touch that dial!
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