Fun & Funding (not mutually exclusive!)

So in our mad efforts to make the most of our summer financial opportunities since wrapping up J-term classes, we spent a couple weeks mid-July dogsitting in the town ten minutes up the river. It’s a good thing that Noel already knows this dog up close and personally from my acquaintance with his family, because he’s named Mozart, which might have led me to expect a dog that weighed less than my husband. It would have taken a name like Wagner or Tchaikovsky to start giving me a sense of the ginormity of this dog. As it was, we fortunately knew ahead of time that Moe is a hefty guy. His tongue is as long as my arm and runs like a faucet, and he overheats pretty quickly, so much of our quality time was confined to the kitchen where the drool puddles could be easily mopped up. He’s been trained to keep his, um, messes, in one small part of the yard, a worthwhile investment of training time and expense, for sure. Indeed, he’s been well-trained overall and can’t help that his front and his back don’t always coordinate.

This picture does not do Mozart's magnitude justice.

Our other work time is spent barista-ing at Starbucks and lifeguarding at the YMCA outdoor pool (under the cloud of the nuclear power plant!). (Noel is now known throughout western PA for her water-treading skills, an event she won at the YMCA lifeguarding competition - woooo, that's my wife! -G.) Even though we’re working a lot, we get some fun in the neighborhood with our peeps here and there:

Scott plays tennis. Which means he plays badminton too. Look out, Greg!

Our agent has asked us to make an appearance via Skype in the Chicagoland area on Wednesday, August 31 at 7 pm in Wheaton. Thanks to those of you setting this prayer time up as we launch into Year 2. If you want more info on that gathering, email us.

We Made It!

I think we've both been waiting for some really exciting things to happen to us so that people might want to read our blog.  And here we are...2 months later :)  And on the one hand, yes, we survived our first year of seminary!  Thank you, thank you!  And yet, it is a month beginning with the letter "J" and when it is one of these "J" months, we have what is called fittingly called, "J-Term".  In order to stay on track with a three-year program (and if we don't, then well...we'll be here for-e-ver [think Sandlot]), we must take 5 classes per semester.  In order to accomplish this and stay sane...and by sane, I mean gainfully employed, sanitary and fed, we usually take a "J Term". 

This "J Term", Noel is taking Hebrew Exegesis which is a fancy way of saying translating several passages of the Old Testament, the whole book of Jonah, learning more syntax than she ever wanted to know and getting all sorts of fodder for hip sermons on the OT.  It's fun!  She thought she wasn't going to be able to venture on this little project with the same professor and teacher whom she previously ventured through Hebrew II with, but God aligned things marvelously (as He's wont to do) and so there she is.  Every morning for two weeks, you can find her studying Hebrew or chatting nonchalantly with her Hebrew buddy, Ben.  The prof told us not to sit by each other, but secretly I think we're his favorites :)  Lift up Noel that her memory may prove vast and capable in the area of Hebrew and that it would stick and that God's Truth would be deepened in her gut as a result of her study of the Old Testament in Hebrew.  (She's thankful for already learning some interesting tidbits!)

"J Term" holds Evangelism and Church Planting for Greg.  He has been reading a few books in order to prepare book reports due prior to his class which starts next Monday.  None of these books, as of yet, have been all that great and would probably appear mundane and uninsightful to most of you, so we will not recommend them here.  We are both hoping for his sake that the reading material improves and becomes less formulaic (and for Noel, too, because she has to take it sometime in the next year).  A good book on evangelism and church planting is hard to find, so it seems.  Chatting with a friend the other night, we thought that perhaps this class needs some good missional church, how-to-church-plant-and-be-missional kinds of books.  Ironically, we are feeling quite a lack in the "How To" area in most of our classes.  Like, where there's a will and a theology, there must be a way, right???  Well, we believe so...or else what kind of theology is it, really?  Anyway, that's a different soap box for a different day.  If any of you have any suggestions on good church planting or missional church books, please let us know!
And pray for Greg as he is in class all day every day next week that he would learn what it is that God has for him.

When not in "J Terms" ie most of the summer, we can be found at our various jobs.  Greg is still at Starbucks, though he was just relocated...AGAIN.  But, it's all good.  He's at a slow, giant cafe store now that is a great hang out and lets him engage with customers as he likes to do (which Noel doesn't understand at all :) ).
Noel is a manager at an outdoor pool in Midland, about 35 minutes northwest of where they live.  Thus far it's been both a challenge and fun.  Last week, she had a good conversation with Grandpa Jim, as she calls him, about the woes of western PA and the seeming epidemic of very young moms (and dads).  More on that later, but it's people like Jim that make Noel's days out in the sun, yelling at kids and saving lives all worth it....well, that and the wicked tan she's getting!  Just kidding, pray that the both of us would live the joy of the Lord at work and would be lights in dark places.

Thanks for reading, Pfiles.  We regret that we will not be traveling anywhere much this summer and so will not get to see many of you.  But, please do come see us if you're over our way!  And let us know if we can be lifting you up as well.  We wouldn't have made it through our 1000th day of marriage and our first year of seminary without your love and prayers...fo' real, we mean that. 

A Palm Sunday blessing

Look! Our names are appearing in our Church bulletin as real seminarians! Woo hoo! We are so thankful for this church that we are a part of...yesterday was truly a beautiful Palm Sunday and they are a church who loves God and sees Him at work all the time and choose to be thankful and pray for all of His body.

Happy Shriving!

Noel wrote this blog many years ago (remember when we all had Xanga's?) to first introduce a lot of her Resurrection friends to an old tradition of Pancake Suppering for Shrove Tuesday.  This year, we are not responsible for creating our own familial occasion but rather will be fellowshiping with the others at our church over pancakes.  Woohoo!  Most of you now probably know about this tradition now, but I thought it'd be funny to review something written ages ago....

"ok, so I am going to introduce you all to the Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) pancake supper tradition of the Catholic and Anglican (and probably other) churches as well, I'm sure but hey, that's what I know. I was shocked and dismayed to find out that hardly
any of you had heard of, let alone participated in one such tradition...all you non and new anglicans out there!

As we all know, today is the day before Ash Wednesday and the inauguration of Lent. We all usually give up something for Lent...often foods or the like...as have countless number of saints before us. And back in the day, Christians would give up eating things fatty, eggs and dairy stuff, but in order to not be wasteful (yay for stewardship) they would eat all of the things that would go bad in the forty days of Lent on tuesday night. And it just so happens that pancakes are comprised of these aformentioned ingredients the Christians were giving up for Lent. Thus,
the pancake supper tradition and while some have taken this to absurd extremes-races,
olympics, even changing it to an enchilada dinner in a church in New Mexico, etc...
Consequently, Mardi Gras comes from this eating all the fat business, getting it's
name "Fat Tuesday".

Etymology lesson of the day: "shrove" comes
from the old christian practice of "shriving" which literally means "taking
off". And it was marked as a day of confession before entering Lent as well
as of feasting before entering this penitent season.  

For you Church History buffs out there, here's a link to some interesting legends on traditions of pancake suppering:
http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/season/fusco.html

And here's a prayer from our Eastern Orthodox siblings for this day of shriving.  We'll be praying this for you all and ask that you pray for us as well that the Lord will show us the cruciform way through which He transforms us into His likeness this Lent:

My dear Saviour who is Love, fill me with Your love that embraces and holds not back,
that accepts and not condemns, that forgives and not retaliates, that stretches out and not stagnates.

Make this Lent a positive time, a growing time but also a reflective time to see myself as You see me.
It is only when my soul is stripped and naked that I can begin once again. Help me to shed all my wrappings this Lent so that I may stand before You as You know me. Amen and Amen.

Pfile Phileo

So, this is like 2 weeks overdue but we have a Valentine's Day shout out to make for the love that was shown to us from some Chicagolanders.  Once upon a February, a decently young lady ventured to stick her head out the door of her warm-ish Pittsburgh abode for the sheer thrill of checking the mail...truly a bright spot in the often grey and freezing weather but the screen door was stuck shut.  Hmm...what's a girl to do?  Look down, of course!  And lo, and behold:

A Box o' Love!

Love in the form of...

Play-doh!

Microfiber Towels

...and fruit roll-ups and chocolates

 

and gift cards to our favorite places!!!

 

 and redemptive coffee

We apologize that the above yumminess...yummy as in awesome chocolate chip cookies did not make it to the photo shoot and were consumed within a matter of days after the box was opened. 
Fear not, they were consumed with love :)

Here's some of the fun we've had so far with the Valentine's treats! ;)

Thanks for the LOVE.

 WE

YOU

where you'll find us

So, we're now into our third week of classes or so and we thought you might like to know about our classes for this semester.  Classes do occupy about oh, let's see 75% of our time and about 98% of our mental energy (the rest given to things like studying Whedon's "Firefly" and how to get to the next age in Myst III).  But, we're having a good time and though this semester is much more of a doozie than last semester, we have a lot of fun things we're learning, researching and writing on.

Plus, we thought in case anyone calls or wants to get in touch with us, you can see where we're at and why we're not answering!  Though, this of course, does not include sleeping, working, etc.  We also have morning and evening prayer and are required to attend the one prior or after if we are on campus for class.  It's great.  Noel just officiated for the first time last week and did well, she even found a cassock about the right length and she didn't trip once!

Greg's days
Monday morning: Pastoral Leadership -pastoral care and servant leadership

*he almost always works from 2-10:30 pm on this day

Tuesday afternoon:  Christian Ethics - all things methodological and Biblical re: Ethics and morality

Thursday morning:  Medieval and Reformation Church History (lovingly dubbed "Mr. Church") - fabulous class on the church both on "the continent" and in Britain from about 500-1650ish

Thursday afternoon:  The Gospels - that is, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Noel's days

Monday evening: Hebrew - learning Hebrew, quiz every week, learn at least 10 new words per class, very difficult

Tuesday afternoon: Christian Ethics - Read Hays "Moral Vision of the NT", it's great

Thursday morning:  MR. Church 

Thursday afternoon: The Gospels - learning the whole book of John for a final exam? priceless.

Hope your days go well also.  Greg works at least 3 8-hr shifts a week, some combo of M-W-F-Sat/Sun.  Noel is doing odd jobs as they are presented to her.  Please pray for Greg as he is sleeping (at noon) while I publish this blog as he now has the cold that I had last week and is quite under the weather.  Thanks, dear 'pfiles!

some more incomplete works

 On a personal note:  Noel dedicates this "essay", an assignment for Early Church History, to write an article, as for a church newsletter, on the practical implications of the doctrine of the Trinity, to the good people of Holy Trinity Anglican in San Antonio, TX (not least of which to her parents who dubbed it thusly).  Thank you for worshiping God as He reveals Himself; as the loving Trinity.  Noel is very excited to worship with you one day soon.

Greetings, church! As we approach Holy Trinity Sunday, let us imagine together our ordinary days profoundly lived in the light of the One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom we worship. What do you imgine when I say that? Do you think of an apple? Water? A flame? While these analogies can be helpful in certain matters, what I want to address here will glean little help from them lest, as Gregory of Nazianzus says, “we be frenzy-stricken for prying into the mysteries of God” (Guy, 280). So, let us proceed in humility. Because we take God at His word that He has revealed Himself as Trinity that this should have an impact on our daily lives. But, perhaps, we might ask, I know we affirm, pray and worship the Trinitarian God on Sunday morning and in morning and evening prayer, but I’m still fuzzy on the details, can you fill them in? I hope St. Augustine might be of some help to us on this. He says,

“has redeemed us through His own blood, giving His soul for our souls,
His flesh for our flesh, and has also poured out the Spirit of the Father
for the union and communion of God and humanity, imparting indeed
God to human beings by the Spirit, and on the other hand, attaching
humanity to God by His incarnation, and bestowing upon us at His
coming immortality durably and truly, by means of communion with God.”

This is a good synopsis of God’s working out of our salvation in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as well as through the indwelling of the Spirit. What do we see that can help us in our daily living? How does this effect how I go to work tomorrow or hang out with my kids tonight?

Well, first of all, we can trust in the mediation of Christ that Augustine spoke of, both His mediation of Himself to us and of our humanity into the life of God. Isn’t that amazing? That sends shivers down my spine to think that God did that! We receive this mediation through the Spirit, moment by moment. And friends, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! 2 Corinthians 3 goes on to say that in this freedom, we reflect the Lord’s glory and are being transformed into Christ’s likeness by the Holy Spirit. And He is with us always as Christians. So, engage Him at all times of day with confidence, ask Him to join you to Christ’s likeness and to live into those good works He has for you. Ask Him to help you really love and care for Jim in the cubicle next to you whom you are sure has a fingernail growth condition for as often as you hear his clippers being used! Be assured that the triune God is working in your workplace, at your home, in your grocery store, at the post office and He invites you to participate with Him as a minister of reconciliation in the world. So, repent for those times you have been unwilling to participate and ask Him to help you understand Him more and to help you be more like Him.

Another means of practicing our Trinitarian faith is through remembrance. Friends, we as Anglicans, stand in a long tradition of those who have chosen to remember and celebrate God’s events in history. You might notice that much of our liturgy involves this recollection with gratitude, nowhere noted more than in the Great Thanksgiving, Eucharist. By remembering the salvation trajectory, we can know Father, Son and Holy Spirit for willing together to sustain the creation even after sin entered, for destroying the power of sin and death, and restoring us to new life in communion with God, as Augustine said. In all things, thank God for the ways in which He does these things in your life now, recall them with others, use them to tell others the Good News. Even ask the Spirit to help bring these things to mind as part of practicing this Trinitarian way of living.

Last but certainly not least is that our Trinitarian God is within Himself love and relationship. The source of all our love, ability and yearning to relate is in Him. He is known in relationship and it is for life in Him that we are saved. When Jesus prays, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know you sent me and loved them even as you loved me,” He is not just saying something nice and comforting. He is expressing the reality that the triune God desires for us, that the Church be Christ’s body, one with Him and the Father. After Jesus ascends, He sends the Spirit of Truth to work in those whom He loves the reality of unity that is the same unity between the Father and the Son. How do we know this? Because the Spirit is also one with the Father and Son as God! So, we are, in a profoundly real way, being bound together in love as members of Christ’s body, the same love that is found in the Trinitarian God of the Universe. So, love in freedom! Practice our Trinitarian faith with risky love through hospitality, gift-giving, gift-receiving, prayer for one another, asking the Spirit to help you see others needs and a way to help, carrying others burdens, befriending the lonely, and all of those things that Jesus did in the Gospels in the power of the Spirit. We are living into our call as the royal priesthood when we welcome others into loving relationship just as we were welcomed into the loving relationship of the Triune God by the mediation of Christ worked out in us by the Spirit.

 

We will explore more of these themes and perhaps imagine a few more as we explore the vastness of the doctrine of the Trinity in our Christian Ed series beginning in Pentecost. All of this here has been just a tantalizing morsel of what is to come and at the least you’ll learn some new cool words to impress friends and family! We will meet together in the hope that “we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” 

too much too late?

Faithful pfeiferpfilers!

We apologize for our disappearance from the blogosphere for so long.  Our time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has been more amazingly busy than I can ever remember it being.  This was in part due to our part-time jobs that sneak over into full-time range and also being full-time-not-yet-sure-how-to-get-work-done-ahead-of-time students.  But, praise the Lord, we have made it through our first semester (officially finished with all work on Tuesday, December 21st at 12:32 pm...not that we're counting)  But, we're sort of going to go back in time and hit a few things that were missed but that are of course, still interesting, fun and full of interesting and fun photos.
So without further ado:

Post Reading Week Adventures or The rest of October
Oh wait, well, I think technically this happened in October, but our Kneelers game!!!!
This year, we lent our athletic prowess to the Trinity Kneelers flag football team.  We practiced hard, sustaining multiple sore muscles, for Noel an achilles heel that has lived up to its namesake and traveled to the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the annual Luther Bowl tournament between Lutheran, Presbyterian and yes, one Anglican seminary.  The Kneelers won their division and proceeded to go head to head with the professional flag-footballers of Princeton Divinity school (literally, they're in a real league and they had already played 20 games in their own league) and held them off to a mere 6-0.  There's always next year...but let's just have a recap from this year, shall we?

 This one is our only action shot.  And Greg did a really great job even if his only action shot is of him on the ground, pushed over by a girl...upon review, he recalls that he was actually knocked over by one of our own girls...don't worry, not Noel.  And then there's Noel over on the sideline, lookin' tough and like she's going to take that guy out that blitzed!  Doesn't matter, though, we beat them.

Also, a visit from Greg's mom for Halloweenie!

Those all speak for themselves, right?  That last one is Greg going to work dressed as a pirate to Staaaaarrbucks.

Some Enchanting Evenings

Trinity School for Ministry has a rich heritage of academic rigor which has typically been hidden behind an incredibly pastoral outlook and focus on practical ministry.  All of the professors are actively involved in their local churches while also teaching full-time and the expectation is that students follow that lead.  Some of this is built into our program through Mentored Ministry or our 1hour/week Trinity community service. We are also involved in a number of extracurricular activities while at Trinity as a way to supplement our studies with an opportunity to exercise our theology.  Please be praying that we find a new church home while we're out here so that we can reactivate our love for doing ministry.  In the meantime, Greg has jumped into an often overlooked, misunderstood, or ignored ministry of the church:  chanting.

Geoff Mackey, 2 time Allegheny County little league chanting champion leads a group of monastic wannabes (myself included of course) once a week on the basics of Anglican style chant for the purpose of worshiping the Lord and adding a little more spice to the already red hot Book of Common Prayer. This has been a great aside to ministry study that conveniently happens to also be ministry study. So far we've gone through the better part of the Prayer Book that can be chanted, ending every evening chanting through the Compline. It's really marvelous... to be worshiping the Lord with a handful of good friends, joining with the community of worshipers who have been chanting their prayers for centuries. Below is a sample of what we're doing musically... there's more reverence involved when chanting the Prayer Book or Psalter ; )

The Move

6,000 miles and gabillions of bird poops, dust storms and intermittent rain later, we arrived in Elmhurst, IL
Pseudo home sweet home where the Pechanios took excellent care of us...even though we proved to possibly be the most difficult houseguests they've ever had...more on that later!

Well, here's the dirty car:

 Then we picked up the truck and the moving party began

Special thanks to Phyllis, Jenn and Matty for all their help, sweat and tears
(just kidding...unless you did actually cry)

 On one hand, we felt like, "awesome, all our stuff fit in this one unit" but at the same time, we said, "man, we've got a LOT of crap"...and we're only in our 20s...more stuff to Freecycle, I guess (yes, that was a shameless plug...go check it out, it's green, it's free, it's cyclical...what could be better?)

 So proud, so muscular.
In his favor, we did manage to fit all our stuff into the 16 footer, just perfectly.

 

 Sorry about the really dirty windshield...imagine driving with that thing.
Also sorry for the short supply of photos from this trip, things like time constraints, a UTI and not traveling with the truck the whole time held us up.  But, we arrived in Ambridge to about a dozen folks on the lawn ready and willing to help, even after having moved about 3 people earlier in the day.  The whole truck was unloaded in about 45 minutes and there began our relationship with our new community.  Alleluia.

 And that's just the beginning...

Now all that's left, pictures on the walls

Actually not even the pictures were left at this point.

The sight of our living room as our items slowly make their way to storage

For many days, even though, I knew that technically speaking, we had no "need" of photos or art on the walls and that it would be easy to pack, I refused to do it.  Greg was gone 4th of July weekend and I was left home to do much packing.  I got a lot done but when it came to the walls, I just couldn't bring myself to strip them just yet, especially not alone.  So I dragged my feet till Sunday when Mink came over and when she asked, "Hey, what should I pack?", I thought, "Aha! I can make someone else do it-it won't effect them."  But to my surprise, she retorted, "No.  That's so sad.  Let's wait."  I, not wanting to appear as taken aback at her sentimentality as I was, just said, "Okay, let's do the refrigerator magnets instead" :)  Please note: I was not surprised by this because she's a cold-hearted stoic...no, no, but rather because I realized I wasn't crazy for refusing to strip my home of our unique giftings to the walls and the furniture.  So, perhaps it was surprise at my OWN sentimentality in the situation.  I also realized that Greg and I are not the only farewellers in this situation and that there are plenty who will endure grief as well.

Sleeping in the living room for our last night in our 1st apartment

Several times during our last few months, I began doing several things: a) taking pictures of as many friends/acquaintances/strangers as possible, b) refusing to do anything which seemed mundane and wasn't in some way a "good-bye" to Chicagoland or friends or dairy queen or the pool or the zumba dance studio and c) subduing my emotions about leaving--something akin to not counting eggs before they're hatched or awakening grief before it's necessary.  Plus, it's hard to truly miss people until we're really gone and for now, it still seemed all a far off adventure.  All of these struck me as silly and yet, in some way, were, in fact, my grief.  That, and my incessantly bothersome heartburn :P

I've had this song (from which this post's title was derived) going through my mind since we hit the road.  At first, I thought, "Boy, that's kinda morbid, better not tell anyone about it."  But, here it is, echoing in the recesses of my gut, so I share it with you.  It's by a 90s christian band with whom I was obsessed and still fondly bust out their albums from time to time, a few of you, though I suspect not many, will remember Plankeye.

Goodbye, goodbye

Walk away it's time to say goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye

Walk away it's hard to say goodbye

Now all that's left , pictures on the walls

Memories and stories that are told

The more often told the bigger they get

Create a legacy lest we forget

Goodbye, goodbye

Walk away it's time to say goodbye

No longer can i hold onto this defeated change in heart, i swear

It's time to sing "fare thee well" to life as we know it

My voice it will be, you know i will be, yes it will be still

Something woke me up in the midst of dream and fantasy

Halfway there but He always fills my cup

And He lifts me up oh how He lifts me up

Goodbye, goodbye

Walk away it's time to say goodbye

I never took the time to stop and realize that death takes many forms

Even while alive

 

I was really hoping that this CD was in the car and that we could've used it for that moment when we dropped our apt. 113 and pool key off in the office drop slot and hopped in the car to drive away for always.  (Actually, that's not entirely true-we left our bike so we're gonna have to head back, but that doesn't really make the story as good, right?)  But, I probably would have cried anyway so maybe it's better.  As it is, I just fell asleep and Greg listened to a Chicago station until it was static as we drove down I-55.

 

But, don't worry, all of the memories and stories from you all will be told, probably through giggles and tears, and they'll get longer and longer and less believable.  And your pictures will be on our walls.  And we will glory in the fact that God has asked us to "come and die" to our lives in Chicagoland.  But, we will rise from the ash as He bears us up.  And we look forward to hearing of all your Life's deaths and resurrections even as we are far away.  But, it's great to me that we were so committed and so loved and so stuck in, that leaving is worthy of being called a "death".  So, thanks be to God and to all of you as well :)  Thanks for reading what is sure to be a rather melodramatic tale.  Blessings, friends.