Week Eighteen in Review

I had a wonderful week this week!  I was so amazingly productive at work and then topped it off with a simply marvelous weekend in Birmingham helping a friend prepare to spend nine weeks in West Africa.  I am tired but contented this evening.  The work week was so productive I was able to take Friday off. I am so thankful God provided the focus and the energy (and only two meetings) to be so productive.  This coming week will be busy because I have two trainings back-to-back but I am going into the week prepared so it shouldn't be too bad.

My sweet friend Lisa and I have been walking together in a discipling relationship for the last four or five years.  I have seen her grow in SO many ways and grow in her faith and trust in Christ.  I had the privilege to go with her on her first mission trip to Southern Arizona and I was honored to be at her commissioning service this morning.  She is being obedient to God's call on her life and is willingly going to the middle of nowhere in Africa to serve in some pretty harsh conditions.  I know the Kingdom will be influenced because of her and I'm blessed to call her my friend and sister in Christ.

Eating wise I didn't do so hot this week, primarily because of the weekend.  I did however, pick up a new exercise DVD that I can use until I can figure out how to get my Wii repaired.  It's got several different workouts on it so I won't get bored.  After I get back to town after my training this week, I'm hoping to lay out some meal plans so I can grocery shop and be prepared.  I need to get back to my routine of eating healthy and exercising.

Scripturally, this week was still focusing on David's reign as king.   I think what struck me so much was the extreme consequences of sin, most especially sexual sin.  There were several examples this week where sin lead directly to the sinner's death - even so called "minor" sins like touching the ark of the covenant were fatal.  To me, this just emphasizes how seriously God takes sin and how sin can affect more than just the sinner (see David and Bathsheba).  That sexual sin lead to two deaths (Uriah's and the child Bathsheba conceived with David).  While Uriah's death was caused by David and not God's punishment, it is still death caused directly by someone's sin.  I think it just shows that God is grieved by sin and as Christ followers we should be too.  I've been ruminating on that all week and spending time in prayer over that.  Heavy, heavy stuff.

I don't have too much to say and I'm really, really tired from spending time with Lisa (sleep wasn't as important as visiting) and other friends.  More next week.