TOPICAL BIBLE STUDY – BY BOOKS
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Takete si agbere
Olufẹ: Kaabọ si inu ọsẹ miran ninu osu Owewe 2020. Ki alaafia ati ayọ ti o n ti ọwọ Ẹmi Ọlọrun wa kun aye rẹ titi ọsẹ na yoo fi pari, ni orukọ Jesu. Amin.
Njẹ bi a se bẹrẹ ọsẹ tuntun yi, jẹ ki n ran ọ leti ọrọ Pọọlu ti o sọ wipe, “Nitori eyi ni ifẹ Ọlọrun, pe ki ẹ wa ni mimọ, ki ẹ si takete si agbere: ki olukuluku yin mọ bi oun iba ti maa ko ara rẹ ni ijanu ni iwa-mimọ ati ni ọla; Kii ṣe ni ṣiṣe ifẹkufẹẹ, gẹgẹ bi awọn Keferi ti ko mọ Ọlọrun: Ki ẹnikẹni ma ṣe dẹṣẹ si arakunrin rẹ nipa ohunkohun: nitori Oluwa ni olugbẹsan ninu gbogbo nnkan wọnyi, gẹgẹ bi awa ti kilọ fun yin tẹlẹ ri, ti a si n jẹrii yin pẹlu.” (1Tesalonika 4:3-6) Ki si ni idi ti mo fi mu ọrọ iyanju yi tọ ọ wa ni akoko yi? Idi ni pe, gẹgẹ bi o ti ri ni igba aye Pọọlu, bẹẹ na ni o ṣe ri ni akoko yi — ẹṣẹ agbere wọpọ lode oni; ọpọ ọmọ Ọlọrun ni o si n kopa ninu rẹ (1Korinnti 7:2).
Nkan ti mo n sọ ni pe iṣekuṣe ko fi gbogbo ara ja mọ nkankan mọ loju ọpọ ọmọ Ọlọrun loni. Wọn ko ri ibaraẹnisun larin awọn ti ko ti gbeyawo tabi larin awọn ti ko ki i ṣe tọkọtaya si nkankan pataki mọ. Idi si ni pe ọda ti awọn ti aye yi fi n fi ojoojumọ kun iṣekuṣe niyẹn. O tunmọ si pe awọn iwa ti wọn n wu ati awọn ọrọ ti wọn n sọ jẹ ki o da bi ẹni pe agbere, pansaga tabi ikorajọpọ lati ṣe iṣekuṣe dara jọjọ. Wọn a si ma fun awọn ti ko darapọ mọ wọn ninu radarada ti wọn ṣe ni ero pe nkan n ṣe wọn tabi pe wọn n padanu adun ibaraẹnilopọ.
Ṣugbọn ki ni ifẹ Ọlọrun fun wa? Gẹgẹ bi Pọọlu ṣe sọ fun wa ninu ẹsẹ bibeli ti o wa ni oke yẹn, ifẹ Ọlọrun fun wa ni pe ki a takete si agbere, ki a si kọ bi a ṣe le ko ara wa nijanu ni ọna ti o mọ, ti o si niyi. Wa kiyesi pe ibaraẹnisun gan kọ ni Ọlọrun ni ki a takete si. Nkan ti O ni ki a takete si ni iṣekuṣe, eyi ti i ṣe ọna aitọ ati ọna aiyẹ lati ma ba ara ẹni lopọ.
Awọn ọna aitọ yi si ni i ṣe pẹlu ibaraẹnisun ki a to fẹ ara ẹni sile, ale yiyan, ifipabanilopọ, pansaga, biba eranko lopọ, ibalopọ ọkunrinsọkurin ati obinrinsobirin, kikorajọpọ lati ṣe agbere ati ohunkohun ti o bani i ṣe pẹlu iwa eeri laarin awọn ti ko ki i ṣe tọkọtaya. Awọn nkan wọnyi ni Ọlọrun n kilọ fun wa lati takete si. Pọọlu tilẹ sọ fun wa ninu lẹta rẹ miran pe nkan ti Ọlọrun fẹ gan ni pe ki a sa fun awọn nkan wọnyi (1Korinnti 6:18-20)
Ki wa ni idi ti Ọlọrun ṣe fẹ ki a sa fun iṣekuṣe? Lakọkọ, idi ni pe iṣekuṣe a ma sọ ara eniyan, ti i ṣe tẹnpili Ọlọrun, di alaimọ, a si sọ wọn di alaiwulo fun Ọlọrun lati lo fun ogo rẹ. Ikeji, iṣekuṣe a ma so eniyan pọ pẹlu awọn ẹlomiran ni ọna ti ko mọ, a si ṣi ilẹkun fun oniruru iṣoro ti ko yẹ ki o jẹ tirẹ silẹ lati wọle sinu aye rẹ. Ikẹta, iṣekuṣe a ma fi eniyan si abẹ idajọ ti Ọlọrun ma n ṣe ni oorekore ati idajọ rẹ ti ayeraye. Ka tilẹ so otitọ, gbogbo arun ti o ma n tankẹlẹ nipasẹ ibaraẹnisun ti a mọ loni ni o jẹ ifarahan idajọ Ọlọrun lori agbere ati iṣekuṣe laarin awọn eniyan.
Nitorina, ko si nkan ti o ṣe ọ ti o ba takete si iṣekuṣe. Ko si nkan ti o ṣe ọ ti o ba jẹ wundia, niwọn igba ti o ko ti ṣe igbeyawo. Ko si nkan ti o ṣe ọ ti o ba ma a gbe pẹlu ọkunrin tabi obinrin ti ẹ ko ti fẹ ara yin sile. Ko si si nkan ti o ṣe ọ ti o ko ba fi ara rẹ jin fun awọn aworan eeri ati oniruru nkan irira ti o n ba aye ọpọlọpọ jẹ loni.
Lotitọ, gẹgẹ bi mo ti ṣe sọ siwaju, awọn ti aye yi ti o wa ni ayika rẹ le fẹ ki o ro pe nkan ṣe ọ tabi pe o n padanu lọpọlọpọ nipa pe o ko darapọ mọ wọn ni ṣiṣe agbere. Ma ṣe da wọn lohun rara tabi ki o banujẹ nitori isọkusọ wọn. Oju ọna ti o tọ ni o wa. Ati wipe, yatọ si pe aye rẹ yo wa ni ipamọ kuro lọwọ awọn aisan buburu ati awọn aisan ti ko lorukọ, lọjọkan, Oluwa, ti o n fi gbogbo igba bu ọla fun pẹlu ara rẹ, yi o gbe ọ nija, yi o si san ọ lẹsan fun jijẹ olotitọ si.
Ọsẹ ire o.
Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
Lati owo: J.O. Lawal | Ojo: Owewe 20, 2020 | Atelera: Latori tabili Paitọ | Nomba: Vol. 9, No. 20
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Don’t be carried away
Beloved: welcome to the second week of the month of September 2020. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ overflow on your behalf, causing you to prosper in all good things, all through the week. Amen.
As we begin this new week, I want to admonish you with Apostle Peter’s words that say, “Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.” (2Peter 3:17-18NIV) What is Peter’s main instruction to us here? It is that we should be on our guard against the errors of lawless men.
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A point of reference for good
Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you into another week of the month of July 2020. And I pray that God will perfect all that concerns you and make your life a point of reference for good things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we see in the bible, the very first king God ordained over the Israelites was Saul. But after the record of his death, nothing serious is mentioned about him again. Why? It was because he did not live an exemplary life. Yes, he reigned for forty years. But those forty years meant nothing to God, for they were not lived to honour Him.
Olufe: ki ore-ofe, aanu ati alaafia je tire lati odo Olorun Baba ati Jesu Kirisiti Oluwa ati Olugbala wa. Kaabo sinu ose miran ninu odun 2020. Mo gba adura pe ki ojurere Olorun je ki aye yi dun, ki o si tun larinrin fun o ninu gbogbo ose na, ni oruko Jesu. Amin.
Bi a se n bere ose tuntun miran, mo fe ran o leti pe bi o ti wu ki aye yi dun ki o si larinrin to, ibi ti Olorun ti pese sile fun awon ti o feran re dara ju u lo ni ona ti ko se fenu so. Bi o si ti wu ki aye yi buru to loju wa, ibi ti Olorun pese sile fun esu ati gbogbo awon olukorira Olorun buru ju lo ni ona ti o koja nkan ti a le se afiwe. Nitorina, a gbodo lakaka lati ri pe a ko je ki ibasepo wa pelu aye yi ati awon nkan ti o wa ninu re jawa lole ibugbe daradara ti Olorun ti pese sile fun wa ni ayeraye.
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She despised him in her heart
“As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.” (2Sam 6:16NIV)
It was a great day for King David, the day the Ark of God’s Covenant was brought into the place he had prepared for it. So he danced before the Lord with all his might (2Sam 6:14). Why? It was because he was appreciative of all the good things He had done for him. He was just a common shepherd boy, when the Lord sent Prophet Samuel to anoint him king instead of the then ruling king, Saul (1Sam 16:1-13). And a few years later, he was not only sitting on the throne of Israel as king; he was also privileged to set up a place in his city where the Lord’s Ark would be placed.
So you see that David could be nothing but thankful to God for all He had done for him. And he was not ashamed to express this before others. That was why he danced with all his might before the Lord and before all the people he had made him king over. In short, the more he thought about how far He had brought him, the more he sang and danced before him.
All this, however, did not go down well with his first wife, Michal, the daughter of King Saul, who was watching from a window. She had been raised as royalty. So, when she saw the way David was jumping up and down and dancing in the full glare of everybody, she was upset. Why? She felt David was not acting royal at all – he was disgracing the crown by acting the way he was acting before everybody. She may even have said to herself, “My father or my brother, Jonathan, would never have acted like this. They both knew how to act majestic and royal in everything they did. But this David — surely royalty does not suit him at all.”
So then, the bible says, “She despised him in her heart.” Think about that. This woman despised a man, who was being nothing but grateful, for unashamedly giving thanks to God. And as the account further shows us, she did not stop at just despising David in her heart. When he came home to bless his household, she also went out, not to welcome him home but to tell him to his face what sort of disgrace he was to the throne of Israel. So, instead for the man to bless her, he did not. Instead, he rebuked her for failing to see that it was God, the one who chose him in place of her father, that he was celebrating. And that was how her barrenness remained stuck to her till the end of her time on earth. (Cf. 2Sam 6:20-22)
Now what is the lesson for us in this account? It is that we must never despise, whether secretly or openly, any act of service or worship of others before God. The fact that you feel uncomfortable with the way someone is serving or worshipping God does not mean that they are wrong. And as long as they are not wrong, God accepts them and whatever they are doing for Him. If you, then, despise them and their worship or service for any reason, you will never be a partaker of the blessings and favours of God that are being released on their lives and through their lives. And who knows whether those are just what you need to experience divine liberty from the barrenness you are experiencing in certain areas of your life?
Then, even if someone is wrong and contrary to the will of God in their worship or service to Him, and you are quite sure that they are, despising them is not in any way going to help them get things right; it will only shut whatever door of opportunity you might have had in helping them. Unfortunately, in most cases where people despise others because they are worshiping God or serving Him in certain ways, it is not because they are sure those people are utterly wrong; rather, it is often because they are irritated that those people are doing what they are just too proud to do. So, they begin to nurse evil thoughts about them and may even go to the extent of openly criticising them. But as I pointed out before, when you allow the devil to push you to start acting in that manner, it won’t be long before you shut certain doors of your life against fruitfulness.
Therefore, guard your heart with all diligence against evil thoughts and bitterness of every kind. And may God keep you from using your own mouth to ruin your life.
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Finding rest
Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am pleased to welcome you into another week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that your life will experience God’s rest in every way in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now I offered that prayer for you because it is in keeping with God’s will for you. What I mean is that it is God’s will for you to have rest, absolute rest, in every area of your life. That is why He says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28NIV) This is a free invitation to everyone who is troubled and is bearing loads of life that are crushing him. The Lord says to him, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” If He did not have what it takes to give us rest, He would not say, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” It is because He has what it takes to deliver rest to us from all the things that are troubling us and making us tired of life that He tells us to come to Him for rest.
So, you don’t have to allow any problem of life to destroy you or drive you mad. You don’t have to allow any situation to take charge of your life and turn you into a beast or a slave. All you need is to come to Jesus for rest, and He will give it to you. I mean that the Lord will give you rest right here on earth. Yes, the rest He intends to give to us is beyond something that we enjoy only in this world. Rather, His intention is to give us eternal and permanent rest from every problem of life.
However, while the earth and all the problems that are associated with staying in it still remain, the Lord wants us to have rest in it. And He has been giving those who come to Him rest in it. For instance, we are told this about King David: “After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said…” (2Sam 7:1-2NIV) Look at that. The Lord gave David rest from all his enemies around him. So, he settled down in his palace to enjoy his life and kingship. But that did not happen overnight. I mean that he did not come to this place of rest overnight. Only God Himself knows what number of miracles He had to perform in order to bring him there.
As we are told in the bible, this man was ordained to be king at a very tender age, when he was but a boy (1Sam 16:1-13). But did he ascend the throne the day after his ordination by God? No! Instead, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he went through what many today would call ‘hell’ before he got there. He was persecuted, hunted, robbed, slandered and even betrayed on his way to the throne. And even after becoming king, troubles, wars and betrayals did not vanish from him overnight. They kept on coming for him. But because in all these things, he set the Lord continually before himself and lived according to His word, he was preserved (Ps 16:8). Then there came a time in which even those around him could say, “The Lord has given this man rest from all his enemies around him.”
Now the same God that gave David rest from all his enemies around him is the one we are dealing with. Yes, He is the one that says to us, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” And if you have come to Him, then, rest is already available for you to enjoy. But someone may say, “I have come to Him. Yet I am not enjoying any measure of rest in my life. My life is still full of troubles that are weighing me down and seeking to utterly destroy me. What, then, is the problem?” Well, the problem is that you have not learnt how to take His rest and make it yours.
See, the Lord does not just say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He also says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:29-30NIV) Did you see that? The only way to find the rest that God has given is to walk with Him and learn to do things His own way. Even though you have come to Him, as long as you are trying to solve your life’s problems in your own way, you will never find the rest He gives. But the moment you quit using your methods and schemes and start listening to Him and acting on His instructions, you will start finding His rest in your life. Yes, He may have to daily perform a million miracles for you to experience His rest. But what does it matter? He will do whatever He has to do to make sure that someday you are able to look around and say, “Blessed be God, who has given me rest on every side from all that seeks to destroy me.”
Do have a very pleasant week.
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WHERE IS IT APPLICABLE?
Many read the bible and study the Scriptures, but they have not fully come to terms with the fact that these things are meant to be applied to life. The things we teach, the things we learn in our meetings, are meant to be applied to life. So, we must not just focus on studying the Scriptures, we must also learn how they apply to life.I wouldn’t know what comes to your mind each time you sit down to listen to a sermon and make notes. Do you consider how and where the things you are learning apply to life? You ought to consider that. As you listen to a sermon, you should be able to say, “This is where this applies.” Or, “I should be able to apply this where I work.” Or, “I should be able to apply this in my school.” Or, “I should be able to apply this in my business.” But if you cannot see how these things apply to life, I am telling you, you are just wasting your time. And that is one of the problems most people that attend schools of Theologies and Seminaries usually have. Nothing is wrong with attending such schools. But the truth is that whatever you get there is just book knowledge. And until you are able to apply it to life, it does not count for anything.
And you know that is also one of the problems we have in Nigeria today. Our students learn a lot of things in School, things that they do not know where they are applicable in life. Those of you who are still in school and are reading this, do you know where the things you are learning in school are applicable? In some other climes, they spend a lot of time on finding out where the things they teach and learn are applicable. They keep asking, “Where can we apply this law? Where can we apply that law?” But we don’t do that here. We just read to pass examinations and read to get some certificates. And then when you get out there, they will tell you that you are not employable, because you are useless. Why? The things you have learnt, you cannot bring to bear upon life.
So, it is important to know how the knowledge of the Scriptures you have relates to life. It is not in reading more Scriptures. Of course, it is good to read the Scriptures, more and more of them. But this goes beyond reading more Scriptures or memorising more Scriptures. I know there are people who busy themselves memorising Scriptures. I am not against memorising Scriptures. I memorise Scriptures too. But if you don’t know where these Scriptures apply or how apply them to your relationships, activities and all of life, they will not work. It is only the Scriptures that you apply in your life that will produce results.
(Adapted from ‘The essence of Christian living in the world’, a Sunday 20th December 2015 Sermon by J.O. Lawal.)
One of the lessons to learn from the story of Hagar and her son, Ishmael, when they were wandering in the desert of Beersheba, not knowing where to go, is that freedom can be a difficult thing to manage. This woman and her son had been sent out of the house of Abraham with nothing but some food and a skin of water. Why? It was because she and her son were just slaves in that house. Yes, she bore Abraham a son. That, however, did not change the fact that she was just a slave, the property of her mistress, Sarah. And when the presence of her son began to threaten the inheritance of Isaac, the true heir to all that Abraham had, Sarah insisted that she and her son must be sent away. This, of course, troubled Abraham, for Ishmael, slave or no slave, was his true son. But God overruled in the matter and told him to listen to the voice of his wife. So Hagar and her son were both sent packing the same day. (Cf. Gen 16&21) Now, of course, though they were sent packing with nothing to live on, they were sent away as free people. In other words, what they did with their lives from that moment on was nobody’s business again, not even Sarah’s. Yet there are times that facing life as a free person may be more difficult or dangerous than facing it as a slave. As slaves in Abraham’s house, both Hagar and her son Ishmael had access to food, water, shelter, wears, security, money and so forth. They even had the attention of Abraham because of the relationship they had with him.
But when they were sent out that house, with nothing to their credit, they realised how dangerous being free can be. I mean that it just dawned them that perhaps freedom was not they needed at that time. For though they were free, their freedom could not save them from hunger, thirst and loneliness. And this is something many young people need to seriously consider and learn from. A lot of times, they agitate for freedom from parental guidance and monitoring. And that is because they think being free is synonymous to being on top of the world. Then, when they eventually succeed in taking the freedom they want, they use it to destroy their lives, their future and, sometimes, other people’s lives as well.
In like manner, there are many who want freedom from spiritual guidance and monitoring. They think they have just had enough of being pastored or led by God and the leaders He has appointed over them. So, they have forcefully given themselves freedom from the leadership of the Spirit and are now ordering their own lives as they please. I tell you, a day is coming when, having ruined their lives and perhaps those of others, such people would wish they never had the freedom they took for themselves.
See, the fact that you are free, in whatever sense you want to be free, does not mean you will be able to use your freedom to arrange a better life or future for yourself. There are many independent nations today that are still begging and borrowing all the time to survive. And there are many free men, women and children today who have not been able to do something tangible with their lives with the freedom they have. Is that to say freedom is not good? No! Freedom is great. But freedom is responsibility. Yes, it means you take responsibility for yourself.
But can you take responsibility for yourself without destroying yourself in the process? You cannot, if you do not have God with you, supplying you with the wisdom, knowledge, understanding and resources to do so. This, of course, is what we see in Hagar and Ishmael’s case. Until God showed up to open their eyes to see His provision of water for them in that desert and to also tell them His plans to make Ishmael great, their freedom would certainly have cost them their lives.
So, first, know the kind of freedom you seek to have in your life, for it is not every kind of freedom you can manage without destroying yourself. Second, don’t just seek legitimate freedom from the things that have enslaved or bound you in life; also seek God’s provisions to manage your freedom. And perhaps you have already used your freedom to ruin your life. You can still turn to God for help, as long as there is breath in you. He will not turn down your earnest prayer for help but come to your rescue with speed. But don’t wait any longer. Call to Him now.
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Don’t lose your mind because of them
Don’t lose your mind because of them
By: J.O. Lawal |Date: May 24, 2020
Series: From Pastor’s Desk |Number: Vol. 9, No. 3
Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the last week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that God will strengthen your heart to remain true to Him to the very end, regardless of what men may do against you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
One of the things we learnt from the earthly life of our Lord Jesus is devotion to God, even in the face of rejection, betrayal and denial of men. Here is One who fully gave Himself to doing the will of God in all things (John 8:29). Yet men, including those who benefited tremendously from His life and ministry, rejected Him. Even those who had the rare privilege of fullying sharing in His great life and ministry, at some point, denied and abandoned Him because of fear. That is besides the fact that it was one of them that betrayed Him and handed Him over to those who wanted to take His life. And he did that out of greed.
Nevertheless, in the face of all these things, our Lord Jesus stayed true to God to the very end. He did not lose His mind because He was ultimately rejected, betrayed, denied and abandoned. Painful as all this might have been, He did not become bitter. Instead, He committed His soul to the One who was able to deliver Him and also asked for forgiveness for all those who treated Him wickedly (Luke 23:34&36). Therefore, God answered His prayers, honoured Him, exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).
Similarly, Paul the apostle experienced the rejection of his own people, the Jews, even though he had given his entire life to doing the will of God, their God. Not only that, at some point in his life, he was abandoned by many among the people of God, including some of his own ministry associates, people that his life and ministry had been a blessing to. (Cf. 2Tim 1:15-18 & 4:9-10&16) But did he lose his mind because of this and withdraw his devotion to God? No! Or did he become bitter, resentful and malicious because of the rejection and betrayal he had experienced? No!
Instead, Paul cast himself totally on God for safe-keeping and also offered prayers of forgiveness for all the brethren who abandoned him, so that God would not hold it against them. And God answered him and kept him safe to the end of his earthly race. (Cf. 2Tim 4:16-18) This was why he was eventually able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Tim 4:7-8NIV)
So, even if all hell is let loose against you, and you are being rejected, persecuted, abandoned, betrayed or denied by men, including those you love and those who have been blessed by God through your life, don’t lose your mind or throw away your devotion to God. Instead, follow the examples of our Lord Jesus and Paul the apostle by doing what Peter says. And what does he say? He says, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1Peter 4:19NIV) Did you see that? If you are suffering while doing the will of God, don’t lose yourself. Instead, commit yourself to your Creator and continue to do good. And at the appropriate time, you will be rewarded for your steadfastness and trueness. May the God of all grace and comfort be with you. Amen.
Do have a great week.