Apo-kata-what-a!?!?

In addition to KP's cycling marathon, I have a whiffle ball trophy to add to the IDR blog. This afternoon my fellow Divinity School students came together for BBQ and a whiffle ball tournament. It was a great time to meet some new faces and greet some friends from this summer. The teams (aptly named A, B, C, and D) played each other and the the only team to win all their games was Team A, my new friends and I. Some of the upper classman decided the team's name (Team A) stood for apokatostasis and begin to create cheers in earnest. Of course, the other newbies and I had no clue what that meant. Never fear! We discovered it is a Greek word that roughly translates into "the end shall be like the beginning." After arriving back home I grabbed my hand pocket dictionary of theological terms (NOT A JOKE: It has already come in handy and classes haven't even begun!) So here's what it had to stay about my team's name :

apokatoastasis: A Greek word loosely translated as "restoration." In the Old Testament the Hebrew equivalent of the term referred to the return of Israel from exile (See Jeremiah 16:15). In the New Testament apokatastasis speaks of a future time when God in Christ will restore all things in creation according to God's original intention. Some theologians have taken this to mean that at the end of history all humankind (and perhaps even Satan and his demons) will be saved. Generally, Christian theology has rejected the idea of universal salvation.

Additionaly, one fellow student remarked that it would be like all the hair you've ever had cut off with come back at the endtimes and we will all have heavenly afros.

I think I'm going to like these people a lot.

The past several days have been a whirlwind. I've been through orientation, registration, campus tours, and various extracurricular adventures. I have bought my requisite 30+ books and poured over the syllabi that have been available to me. The nerdy part of me is quite excited!

Some of you may remember Andrew Tatum. He visited RMC for a few Sundays. He graduated from Campbell and he and his wife are in the process of moving to Durham. Well, Andrew and I are not only fellow Dukies, but we are in the same Spiritual Formation group. Our SP groups are about 10 people with which we meet weekly over the entire year. It was great to have a a friendly face to hang out with during orientation.

I also met a 2nd year student who goes to Chapel Hill Mennonite (He know you both, Karen and Janelle!!) and I shared with him my love for RMC. CHMC meets on Sunday evenings so I might get my Mennonite fix regularly after all. I know it won't be the same as RMC (BTW: HUGE Shout out to Eric and the SA fellas who helped me move. Y'all are amazing!!!!)

I hope you all are doing well and I hope to visit soon. Actually, I think Karen Metzler is scheduling me to speak to the Journeys Sunday School Class sometime around the end of September. Soon might come sooner than I think!

The Graduate School Adventure begins tommorow!!

Peace,
Jodi