Praise God for a solid, albeit a bit lazy, day and a half (well, yesterday was a bit lazy. I choose to use the word "relaxing"). After posting on my blog, I went back to my house and took a nap... even though I wasn't planning on it. I awoke with the sky dark (it was light outside when I went into my room) and seeing the time on my phone read: 7:43 PM, but I honestly didn't believe it. I thought that my phone had frozen or something (I was very drowsy at this time)...
I threw some food down my esophagus and went over to the Maust house because the Cody family had come. The rest of the night included skyping with the family and a surprise skype with KJ and Steve Irons! It was fun chatting with them... home to work out, read my Biblia, and hit the hay...
This morning was a quick fruit breakfast and then John Mark and I headed off to SMAC. JM held down (worked) the first hour by throwing different idioms at the students. They were pretty receptive, but they had some trouble with understanding many of the idioms. One or two of them were hard for me to understand, too. This is why I'm learning Spanish: so that I don't have to speak our confusing language anymore. Just kidding...
The second hour was a lot of fun! I had the privilege of leading it, and I went over different words with the same "er" sound in them. It all began with "her first nurse works early" and blew up from there (for those of you who never learned your "(vowel)r" sounds with that sentence, recognize that all of those words have the same "r" sound). We got into words with the same "(vowel)r" sound as "war, soar, sore, poor, wore" and "stare, share, stair, wear, pear", etc. I had them all make sentences with two of the words, and some of them were especially funny! It was heaps of fun having them pronounce all of the words, as well...
John Mark and I grabbed some ice cream and a quick bite at his house and then went and hung out with Luis. JM did a great job of reading his book and helping to explain words and I did a good job of more or less being obsolete in that time. Luis is a really great guy and fun to meet with so it was a fun hour... after watching some Rhett and Link videos (go to rhettandlink.com... they're hilarious) we headed to UNACH and stopped by the pharmacy on the way. I saw some chocolate strawberry Nutri-Grain bars and questioned how much health a chocolate strawberry bar could really have. It is supposed to be NUTRI-GRAIN, right? Oh well... there are these All-bran bars that I've come to enjoy, and they really ARE nutri-grain, not having the sugary-filling most nutri-grain bars contain. I also enjoyed the kiwi last night and was careful not to cut my hand with the knife like I did when cutting carrots before our latest investigation... did I fail to mention that? Just idiot-Luke at his best... hmmm... what kind of super hero would that make? (loud, announcer voice) Introducing the latest super hero to join the Justice League, IDIOT LUKE!
I'm not really feeling that. If Paula and Randy didn't like me, why would the rest of the world?
Continuing... UNACH was alright, even though no one came on time, and most people didn't show up until 45 minutes after we were supposed to start. It was a ton of fun dribbling the basketball, though. FYI, I purchased a $4 basketball here in Ecuador and have been dribbling it pretty much wherever I go in the hopes of improving my "handles". I feel that it's been working and it's always a great time waiting to happen (ie when people are late to meet me or I just have some free time in the middle of Riobamba. Just dribble!).
I also had a lovely time talking with Mirian in Spanish (although I was supposed to be teaching in English) and John Mark had a great conversation with Edison about spirituality... praise the Lord I was able to follow most of it (it was in Spanish) and I believe that Edison was really touched by our words. There is a crazy, weird dead doctor who still heals people when he's called upon here in Ecuador. It's a stronghold here, and I don't know the whole story, but please keep that in prayer for the people here... after UNACH was a lovely dinner at the Maust home and a wonderful conversation with my Grandmother and Dad (for visuals, scroll down). That's about it...
Now for 1 Peter! The passage I'm reading deals with "Wives and Husbands", and while I'm in no position to look for a wife now, it's been fantastic seeing what the Bible says about what a Godly women is like...
Verse 1 talks about wives submitting to your husbands "so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives". Verses 2-5 say
"when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment... Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful..."
So women, you're supposed to be pure and reverent, have a gentle and quiet spirit, and find your beauty in your inner self, not in the clothes you wear, the make-up you put on, etc. Obviously, with the way the culture is today, this is quite a difficult thing to do, but as it is written previously, if you "endure" this being "conscious of God", it will be commendable before Him (1 Peter 2:19-21). Also, instead of catching the eyes of all the gross, nasty guys out there, you'll have more Godly men calling your number :-).
Ladies, for all who are living this life for the glory of God, I thank you. Seriously. Please continue in it for God's greatest glory...
But who am I to be speaking to the women? Guys, this is what we should be looking for in a woman! Purity and Reverence! A Gentle and Quiet Spirit! And most importantly, Inner Beauty, having the light of Jesus Christ shining through their eyes and their smile, and radiating Jesus in all they do. Proverbs 31:30, I'm sure you've all heard it:
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised."
So gentlemen, as the Lord brings wonderful young women into your life, make sure they have these superb qualities before you go any further. Just wait for GOD's best for you and you will not be disappointed...
Thanks God, for this teaching in Your word and for giving me such great examples of Godly women in my life. May I continue to glorify You through treating the women in my life as sisters (1 Timothy 5:2) until you deem the time right, if it's in Your perfect plan for me... Amen.
In His strength alone...
Luke
Below are some pictures of the women the Lord has blessed me with in my life...
I threw some food down my esophagus and went over to the Maust house because the Cody family had come. The rest of the night included skyping with the family and a surprise skype with KJ and Steve Irons! It was fun chatting with them... home to work out, read my Biblia, and hit the hay...
This morning was a quick fruit breakfast and then John Mark and I headed off to SMAC. JM held down (worked) the first hour by throwing different idioms at the students. They were pretty receptive, but they had some trouble with understanding many of the idioms. One or two of them were hard for me to understand, too. This is why I'm learning Spanish: so that I don't have to speak our confusing language anymore. Just kidding...
The second hour was a lot of fun! I had the privilege of leading it, and I went over different words with the same "er" sound in them. It all began with "her first nurse works early" and blew up from there (for those of you who never learned your "(vowel)r" sounds with that sentence, recognize that all of those words have the same "r" sound). We got into words with the same "(vowel)r" sound as "war, soar, sore, poor, wore" and "stare, share, stair, wear, pear", etc. I had them all make sentences with two of the words, and some of them were especially funny! It was heaps of fun having them pronounce all of the words, as well...
John Mark and I grabbed some ice cream and a quick bite at his house and then went and hung out with Luis. JM did a great job of reading his book and helping to explain words and I did a good job of more or less being obsolete in that time. Luis is a really great guy and fun to meet with so it was a fun hour... after watching some Rhett and Link videos (go to rhettandlink.com... they're hilarious) we headed to UNACH and stopped by the pharmacy on the way. I saw some chocolate strawberry Nutri-Grain bars and questioned how much health a chocolate strawberry bar could really have. It is supposed to be NUTRI-GRAIN, right? Oh well... there are these All-bran bars that I've come to enjoy, and they really ARE nutri-grain, not having the sugary-filling most nutri-grain bars contain. I also enjoyed the kiwi last night and was careful not to cut my hand with the knife like I did when cutting carrots before our latest investigation... did I fail to mention that? Just idiot-Luke at his best... hmmm... what kind of super hero would that make? (loud, announcer voice) Introducing the latest super hero to join the Justice League, IDIOT LUKE!
I'm not really feeling that. If Paula and Randy didn't like me, why would the rest of the world?
Continuing... UNACH was alright, even though no one came on time, and most people didn't show up until 45 minutes after we were supposed to start. It was a ton of fun dribbling the basketball, though. FYI, I purchased a $4 basketball here in Ecuador and have been dribbling it pretty much wherever I go in the hopes of improving my "handles". I feel that it's been working and it's always a great time waiting to happen (ie when people are late to meet me or I just have some free time in the middle of Riobamba. Just dribble!).
I also had a lovely time talking with Mirian in Spanish (although I was supposed to be teaching in English) and John Mark had a great conversation with Edison about spirituality... praise the Lord I was able to follow most of it (it was in Spanish) and I believe that Edison was really touched by our words. There is a crazy, weird dead doctor who still heals people when he's called upon here in Ecuador. It's a stronghold here, and I don't know the whole story, but please keep that in prayer for the people here... after UNACH was a lovely dinner at the Maust home and a wonderful conversation with my Grandmother and Dad (for visuals, scroll down). That's about it...
Now for 1 Peter! The passage I'm reading deals with "Wives and Husbands", and while I'm in no position to look for a wife now, it's been fantastic seeing what the Bible says about what a Godly women is like...
Verse 1 talks about wives submitting to your husbands "so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives". Verses 2-5 say
"when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment... Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful..."
So women, you're supposed to be pure and reverent, have a gentle and quiet spirit, and find your beauty in your inner self, not in the clothes you wear, the make-up you put on, etc. Obviously, with the way the culture is today, this is quite a difficult thing to do, but as it is written previously, if you "endure" this being "conscious of God", it will be commendable before Him (1 Peter 2:19-21). Also, instead of catching the eyes of all the gross, nasty guys out there, you'll have more Godly men calling your number :-).
Ladies, for all who are living this life for the glory of God, I thank you. Seriously. Please continue in it for God's greatest glory...
But who am I to be speaking to the women? Guys, this is what we should be looking for in a woman! Purity and Reverence! A Gentle and Quiet Spirit! And most importantly, Inner Beauty, having the light of Jesus Christ shining through their eyes and their smile, and radiating Jesus in all they do. Proverbs 31:30, I'm sure you've all heard it:
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised."
So gentlemen, as the Lord brings wonderful young women into your life, make sure they have these superb qualities before you go any further. Just wait for GOD's best for you and you will not be disappointed...
Thanks God, for this teaching in Your word and for giving me such great examples of Godly women in my life. May I continue to glorify You through treating the women in my life as sisters (1 Timothy 5:2) until you deem the time right, if it's in Your perfect plan for me... Amen.
In His strength alone...
Luke
Below are some pictures of the women the Lord has blessed me with in my life...
My mother, Debra Elise Walters Sjogren. She has set a phenomenal standard and I'm going to have trouble finding a wife/mother as great as she! Good job at finding her, Daddio...
My wonderfully fantastic Grandmothers! Not to mention a studly young gentlemen on the left...
The lovely Elise (L) and Abby (R) Sjogren in Hawaii. Yes, they are single, but Godly guys out there, know that you'll have to get through Hunter and I before you get to them. And we've been working out. Some of the time.
Not only do I have a beautiful mother, but I have the two BEST looking sisters in the world (and they are literally all over the world right now- TN and England).
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