So... this morning I had to stop by the housing office to see if I had any mail and while I was there, I met Julie, about my age, works here as the assistant apartment manager. She invited me to a prayer and fellowship event at a professor's house tonight.
I'm so glad I went!
There were about 30-40 people there and the prayer focus was for DTS students who were embarking on missions trips in the next few weeks, testimonies from others who have gone and already returned and that sort of thing. Very cool.
I'll be in the professor's Systematic Theology class this fall... scary stuff. I'm sure there will be posts on that to come! yikes! He said the word "Prolegomena" in a sentence while he and I were having a conversation and I was like... oh my word, I hope he doesn't expect me to know what that means yet!!! Yeah, I think I'll get started on the class reading assignments over the summer, since I'm here and all.
Anyway, I also met a girl whose mom was involved in Classical Conversations, the homeschool group that meets at ODBC. Her home church is Centreville Baptist, but hello, I'm in Dallas. How many people know where ODBC is?! That was fun!
Met another girl who lives in another on campus apartment building and she goes to the church I visited last Sunday...she invited me over for dinner with her and her friends on Tuesday. And apparently there will be a Gilmore Girls marathon to follow. Never saw the show, but my mom and sister like to watch it.
Then, the girl we drove over with was a sweetheart and oh! turns out she lives across the hall from me... literally, directly the closest apartment door to mine (yay!)
So... for those of you who may have said a little prayer for me that God would provide opportunities to meet some new friends THANK YOU!!! I have enjoyed basically being invisible this past week, not knowing a soul and feeling totally fine to keep it that way for a little while, but having the opportunity to meet new people tonight was a blast.
And I get to do it all over again tomorrow at a cookout for the summer residents in my apartment building. So, that should be fun, too!
Even so, miss y'all bunches.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Home Sweet Dallas
So, I'm here.
In Texas. Are you kidding me?
It's been a whirlwind of a week.
Seven days ago, I was on my way to Tennessee after stopping by to see a brand new beautiful baby girl named Katelyn Brooke Chucoski, and her precious momma, my dear friend Erin, in Lynchburg.
I spent last Monday night in Kingsport, TN. Hadn't been there since Matt & Amanda got married in 2001. I stayed with my sister-in-law's mom...or my brother's mother-in-law (whichever way makes the most sense :o). It was wonderful to see her again and was a blessing to not have to pay for a hotel room and be safe in someone's home. Of course, I totally thought I was going to oversleep, so I kept waking up every hour and finally just gave up around 4:45am and hit the road for what I thought would be a 14 hour drive to Dallas.
The day passed surprisingly quickly.
I was going from the top right corner to the bottom left corner of Tennessee. That's quite the trip. I went through Nashville and Memphis, crossed the Mississippi River outside of Memphis into Arkansas, passed through Little Rock, talked to a few people on the phone until the signal cut out...overall, it was really a good drive...no traffic the whole way except for like 15 minutes going through Nashville. I was doing great...
Until 14 hours into it.
Hello, 14 hours stuck in a packed-so-full-it-was-claustrophobic Ford Focus and I was supposed to be there, only I still had 2 hours to go... must have been all the $1 Diet Cokes and potty breaks in Tennessee that added to my time.
Finally, at 8:15pm Dallas time (which is 9:15pm EST)...after being on the road for 16 hours, I got here. And that's about when the exhaustion hit.
I spent the night at Laura Beth's apartment and had a HUGE moving day on Wednesday, complete with U-Haul, Derek Cornell (a friend from ODBC), 100 degree heat, and lots of mysterious bruises that I swear I don't know where they came from!
It really only took the morning and then, my stuff was all moved in and a HUGE mess!
I finally had a really good night's sleep Wednesday into Thursday and my dear friend from college, Jen Kilpatrick flew into the DFW airport that morning for a job interview, so she stayed with me, helped with getting settled, shopping at IKEA, moving the IKEA stuff into the apartment... she was truly a God-send.
We had a great time exploring Dallas with the GPS unit she got with her rental car...
Can I just tell you... God created the GPS for people like me.
I liked her GPS, so I researched a few on the web that night, thinking I'd go look before I bought, just to see...so I mapped myself directions to a local Best Buy where they had a GREAT deal on the Garmin nuvi 200. Just 15 minutes away.
So, Jen left the apartment on Friday morning for her job interview and I left to look at Best Buy and run several errands after that.
One hour, 27 minutes later, frazzled half out of my mind I arrived at Best Buy... I got LOST going to look for a GPS. Good thing it was on sale (and the pink one was $50 cheaper) because I am now the grateful, completely dependent owner of a GPS unit. Oh, it makes life so much easier, driving so stress-free. Seriously... a great investment. I would be a hermit for the rest of my Dallas days without it.
Big day today (Monday). I started my job this morning. Was a great day. Will be challenging enough to keep me interested but not so difficult I won't be able to focus on school once classes begin this fall.
So, anyway...that's life in a nutshell so far.
Wish I had time to tell you about my Sunday. My first church visit was really good. It was similar to ODBC, had a familiar feel. I'm sure I'll go back again. I do have a bunch more churches to visit. But this post is already long enough and I should get back to unpacking...
Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers, your gifts, and the many ways you have blessed me in support of this journey God has set before me. The transition has been so smooth. I'm still far far away, but "The One who calls me is faithful, He will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24 He's faithful. He's doing whatever He's doing and giving me complete peace as He works.
Check back here regularly for updates... I'll post when I can to tell you about life. Easier to keep up with so many people this way but I also won't mind hearing from you on email or by phone! Life's leisurely these days, especially until late August when classes start. I'm mostly working from home and not doing a whole lot of anything else.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Oh, and the seminary changed my mail box part of my new address:
Katherine Eachus
1107 Saint Joseph St, Box 1119
Dallas, TX 75204
Friday, June 6, 2008
Why By Faith Katherine?
A few years ago, I worked through Beth Moore's Bible study, Believing God. The study picks apart the stories found in Hebrews 11, the Bible's "hall of faith." In one of the exercises toward the end of the workbook, we reviewed the "by faiths" of Hebrews 11 (see below). At the end, Beth challenged us to consider our own lives.
What could God accomplish in us and through us if only we would walk with unwavering faith? Since then, trusting God has slowly become as natural as breathing. The sum total of all God has planned for me with my faith resting solely in Him is yet to be determined. There are many miles yet to walk, many journeys yet to travel, many valleys yet to cross, and many dreams yet to be fulfilled.
Take this next step in life, for example: it's a doozy!
Picking up life after 5 years and moving from VA to TX in obedience to the calling God has placed on my life. What am I thinking?!
What makes a 28 year old single woman believe that moving so far away from family and friends is a sane and rational thought?
Faith.
By faith, I know that God knows the end from this new beginning. If He has called me, He's already got it taken care of.
"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."
Hebrews 11:1-40
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (AMEN, Abraham!)
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[e]
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
And for all my precious Bible study sisters, raise your shields of faith with me and boldly proclaim:
God is Who He says He is;
God can do what He says He can do;
I am who God says I am;
I can do all things through Christ;
God's Word is alive and active in me;
I'm Believing God!
May we never forget His faithfulness, may we never turn away, may we never stop believing our God is EVERYTHING... He is more than enough.
What could God accomplish in us and through us if only we would walk with unwavering faith? Since then, trusting God has slowly become as natural as breathing. The sum total of all God has planned for me with my faith resting solely in Him is yet to be determined. There are many miles yet to walk, many journeys yet to travel, many valleys yet to cross, and many dreams yet to be fulfilled.
Take this next step in life, for example: it's a doozy!
Picking up life after 5 years and moving from VA to TX in obedience to the calling God has placed on my life. What am I thinking?!
What makes a 28 year old single woman believe that moving so far away from family and friends is a sane and rational thought?
Faith.
By faith, I know that God knows the end from this new beginning. If He has called me, He's already got it taken care of.
"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Hebrews 11:1-40
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (AMEN, Abraham!)
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[e]
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
And for all my precious Bible study sisters, raise your shields of faith with me and boldly proclaim:
God is Who He says He is;
God can do what He says He can do;
I am who God says I am;
I can do all things through Christ;
God's Word is alive and active in me;
I'm Believing God!
May we never forget His faithfulness, may we never turn away, may we never stop believing our God is EVERYTHING... He is more than enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)