A few years ago, I joined a gym and lost a lot of weight (all told, 80 pounds). I blogged about it back in 2014 here. Kyler was one of the trainers there, and he was particularly helpful and encouraging. Once LA Fitness bought out Vision Quest, he made the leap to working at LA Fitness, and helped me get signed up there. I made an illustration of him:
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| Kyler Clem Steven Sauke Illustration 2013 |
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| 2023 Update |
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Jesus Christ, John 13:34-35
The 1960s were turbulent times. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Racial tensions were high. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Protests abounded regarding the Vietnam War, a devastating war which extended into the following decade. Many longed for peace, while others took the law (or their warped view of it) into their own hands. In alliance with Russia, Cuba threatened the US with ballistic missiles. The Cold War raged, and would continue until 1991. There was so much more that happened in that decade.
It was during this time that the Catholic Church held the Second Vatican Council, from 1962 to 1965. Pope John XXIII called it to consider updates to the Church in response to an increasingly secularized world. How could they best reach out to a changing and very turbulent world in need of a Savior? Among many subjects they discussed and conclusions they drew, one of them was that "The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council." This reversed a previous position, where they were less accepting of non-Catholic Christians.
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| Photo by New Africa on Adobe Stock |
Inspired by John 13:35 (above), Scholtes wrote:
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
We are one int he Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored.And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land.And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,We will work with each other, we will work side by side;
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will work with each other, we will work side by side;
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride.And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.All praise to the Father, from whom all things come;
And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son.
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one.And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
This also calls to mind the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly before His crucifixion:
My prayer is not for [the disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.John 17:20-23
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| Tu déchires ! Dessin, stylet sur Samsung Note Dessiné en Adobe Draw Steven Sauke |
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 |
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 |
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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!
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 |
