Out-of-Town Exercising + Gideon Week 1

I have to tell y'all: it's been quite a relaxing week here in Richmond.  I've really enjoyed just hanging out with my parents, catching up with some friends, and getting in some much-needed relaxation time.  

I also developed a new addiction: Candy Crush Saga.  Do any of y'all play this game?  I didn't really believe my friends when they told me, but I really can't stop playing!!  I spent a lot of time yesterday working on two challenging levels, but I'm excited to say that I managed to beat both of them before bed.  Kind of sad that's my major accomplishment for the day, huh?

On Monday, I went for a run around my neighborhood.   I planned out a route in my head that I thought would be about 3 miles.  My Garmin wasn't picking up the satellite, so I set the timer and decided I'd do the run by time.

At the point where I thought I'd hit the first mile, I'd only run for 5 minutes.  It's funny how big my neighborhood seemed BEFORE I started running it!  I added a little bit in to my run for a total of 25 minutes.

It wound up being 2.58 miles for an average pace of 9:41 per mile.  It was an enjoyable run, despite my mileage underestimation.

Today, I found out that I could use the YMCA here as an "away guest" since I'm a member in Florida! I went to the Y this afternoon and completed Workout A from Round 6 of Best Body Bootcamp.  This was a full-body workout of supersets of exercises that also worked on balance.  It felt nice to get in some work in the weight room.

I finished the first week of the Bible study Gideon: Your weakness, God's strength today.  This is the study for Living Proof Ministries' virtual summer Bible study I've mentioned before.

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Every other Tuesday, Beth Moore will post a video discussion for the two weeks of study.  Each Tuesday, I want to share with y'all some of the things I learned during the week (even though I'm a day late this week).

This week was a bit of an introduction to Gideon's story and a little bit of history of the Israelites.  One of the biggest take-aways I had from Week 1 regarding Gideon's story was that the Israelites were previously commanded to destroy the Midianites (the same people Gideon's army faught) and didn't.  In Numbers 31:1-15, the Israelites spared the women and children when God instructed them to completely destroy the city and its people.

Some of the things I took away personally were:

• He prepares us for His purpose.  Not fully listening to His instructions and purpose weakens us.
• "Today's difficulties are often a result of yesterday's disobedience." 
• There is a cycle of God's redemption (rejection of God's way, decline of God's people, consequences allowed by God's hand, and restored relationship to God's presence) that appears over and over again in the Bible (and in our lives).
• Heros appear at the low points of their communities as a part of God's restoration, and I can be a part of that.
• Unity means oneness in purpose.
• Empowerment by God's Spirit is necessary for success, and we need to be connected and refueled in order to serve our purpose.

I've learned a lot about the history of Israel and have really enjoyed studying a part of the Bible that I really haven't studied before.  I'm looking forward to the rest of this study, especially once we get in to Gideon's story!

Question for you: What do you do to exercise while out of town?  Any of the things I learned during the first week of Gideon seem to speak to you?