From Dream to Doxa

Looking for a Job

2009-06-22T20:52:00.005-04:00

UPDATE: I have a preliminary interview with a School District on Tuesday. It is a more challenging position than the previous one, but you all know I'm up for a challenge!

Part of the vision for DOXA church is for its members, including its founding elders (Stephen and I), to be integral parts of the community in which they live. We intend never to have large staff salaries, but rather leadership made up of servant leaders who work and give of their time.

My intended path was to become a Physics teacher. EVERYTHING has worked out for that path to become a reality. I was able to transfer my Grove City credits to exactly cover the content area of Physics, save for one Biology class. I was able to prepare early enough to take that class at HACC, getting an A+. Money worked out, timing worked out, and I recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a 4.0, the equivalent of a Masters Degree in education, teaching certification, and some of the best recommendations I could have.

However, I can't find a job. I had one interview, but it did not pan out. I am starting to get worried. I am trying to trust God to know what He is doing. I want to teach more than I can say. It is a passion and God-given talent. If it doesn't happen, I know my depression is going to come back hard. I feel the fear of failure. I feel the pressure of not knowing how to pay bills without a decent paying job. But I am also trying to trust that God provides for those he loves...even if it is not in the way we want. Thankfully, God's goodness outlasts my sinfully limited ability to trust.

Hefe

Keeping a Promise...

2009-05-24T20:46:00.003-04:00

...to blog regularly about life.

Well...
(1) I have officially received my Teaching Certification, and will be applying for a position on Tuesday or Wednesday. Pray for the patience and wisdom to select the right job.

(2) Becky and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary this weekend with a nice get-away to Lake Erie. 10 years! (That's right Byron, 10 years since you married us) It was a great time of remembering all the reasons we are in love and maybe the happiest couple ever, to the envy of everyone we know.

(3) Along with the 10th anniversary, comes an announcement of a new Heffner on the way, due Mid-December! Since we have now established a pattern of moving and having a baby within a few months, we have decided...not to ever move again. Unless we are in our mid 40's and "move" by accident. (Head nod to Warren)

(4) So much work to do on the house, so little time, and no help on projects that need at least three hands results in a good bit of frustration. I've got 24 sheets of drywall that I am praying will hang themselves.

(5) In the end, we are doing well, and would love to hear from any of you. Leave a comment, and I promise i will respond. Do it quick, because that offer expires once I get a job!

Andrew

Another post, I know you're amazed!

2009-05-10T15:49:00.003-04:00

So, for those of you who have been following you're probably sitting in front of your computer with your mouth hanging open. Get used to it. Well, Nannette and I are currently thankful that the Heffners are getting settled in their own house. Its spring, so the Russells have been working on getting some landscaping done on the house. Many of our inside projects have been postponed in order to get the outside work done.

Work has been really busy lately. I've been working on all of the summer reading projects ( adults, teens and kids) and the new teen website that should be going live at the end of may. I'm looking forward to the summer coming and things hopefully slowing down a little. I got to close out a few projects this week, so that helped things.

Nannette's Dad seems to be recovering well from bypass surgery. We got to seem him a couple times in the past couple weeks, and each time he looks progressively more like himself. Its definitely been hard on him to not be able to do all the work he's been used to doing.

I got to check out a local coffee house recently and hoping to start contributing to their open mic night, and get to know some local musicians. It was a nice place and had a pretty good vibe. I'm hoping to go back soon and check out the open mic night. There are a couple open mic nights in a relatively close area to us, and I'm hoping that through those we'll be able to get involved in the local music community.

WOW another update!

2009-05-03T11:53:00.004-04:00

Hey all,

Well, as you may already know, Becky and I are into our new house! It is wonderful, except for the surprise plumbing problems... Most of the boxes are unpacked, and we are settling in nicely. I have also finally finished my graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh, and have now graduated with a 4.0 and a certification to teach High School Physics. Now, it's time to find a job. That would be nice before we run out of money!

Speaking of money, WOW, April was expensive...
Dentist Office for tooth pain $220
Plumber to clean sewer pipes $175
"Extra Charge" on Insurance $210
Moving Trucks $220
Getting Groceries for new house $350
Oxygen Sensor on car $230
Home Depot to fix leaky and broken stuff $340

In the midst of all of this, I especially want to thank those who have financially supported us in the last few months. It went a long way in paying for some of these items. When you only have $2000/mo to live on in a high cost of living area, every little bit counts... THANK YOU!

BTW, I have a new site to share with all of you who still occasionally check on this very sparsely updated blog. partners.doxapgh.com is a site where we will regularly update about church stuff. This site is going to mainly become for personal updates, and you can expect both to be updated once a week from now on by either Steve or me. There, that's out there, now we have to do it.

Andrew

Finally...an Update!

2009-02-15T17:58:00.003-05:00

OK, I have heard from several people who are wondering why there have been no updates. Well, long story short. life has been busy and stressful beyond imagination for the last 6 months. But alas, you really want to know, so I will take a few minutes and tell you where life has taken us right now.

(1) Our careers...
Becky has taken a job as an administrative assistant for an eye doctor right downtown among the Pittsburgh skyline. She is doing well, and enjoying the work. She is also forging some relationships with people there. IN addition, we finally have a small amount of income, which is quite helpful. As for me, I am about halfway through my student teaching experience. It is going fantastically! I am loving it, and the students are loving me. So are my supervisors. It turns out I have a knack for teaching (imagine that). It is, however, incredibly stressful, because I am also required to take my final 9 credits of grad level classes simultaneously. Between teaching all day, planning for teaching all night and all weekend, AND taking classes several nights a week which all have huge assignments (last project was 15 pages of really deep stuff), I am pretty much stretched as thin as I can go. I am tired most of the time, but I know I can make it to the end. Pray that I finish strong, and that I don't wear out.

(2) Our home...
Hopefully (and I am hesitantly hopeful) we will be closing on a house this coming weekend! We put our offer in a week and a half before Christmas, and we are still waiting to close, due to a plethora of circumstances beyond our control. Yes, we have been living in the attic of the Russells for almost 7 months now, and have not had a place of our own for 9 months. Yet no one has killed anyone else, and God has been helping us with patience. Not an over-abundance...just enough to make it one more week I think! It is a beautiful home, and we can't wait to move in. Hopefully we can rustle up enough help to make the move quick and easy.

(3) The church plant...
Well as we said when we started, this will be a slow process. But we have made some progress. WE have made several important contacts and relationships with local government and businesses. We have been officially sponsored as a church plant by West Hills Baptist Church (a wonderful group of people about 20 miles west of us). We have also been preparing to launch or first community group a week or two after Easter. We have a few people who have expressed interest, and we are continuing to gain enough momentum to launch that group. We are hoping to have 3 or 4 couples/families there when we begin discussing the great "Stories of God". Pray for us as we love people, and invite them to learn about God.

That just about does it for now. I know there is a lot more, but I have to get back to work. If you read this, drop me an e-mail. We feel kinda lonely out here without a church body to fellowship with regularly, and it would be great just to hear from you. I'll even try to write back!

The Hef

What If...

2008-08-24T12:44:00.002-04:00

From a favorite blog of mine, "Don't call me Veronica":

What if a simple love for our neighbor
is as revolutionary as Jesus says it is?

What would that mean for the way we do just about everything if we actually believed it?

New House!

2008-08-19T09:26:00.004-04:00

We are finally in our new house! Hip hip hooray! It has been a frantic pace of trying to get work done before the Heffners move in. Yea! 8 people. 1 shower. Could get a litle interesting. We are so thankful to God for providing us a house that meets all of our needs and wants! We are so very thankful to be living in the same city! And I am thankful to get to see my wife and kids everyday again. Right now our house is an looks like a construction site. The Heffners move in officially tomorrow, so at that point construction will slow down some. I'm really looking forward to settling in and starting to invite people over, so that we can get to know our community. Pray for us as we finally get down to the real work God has called us to.

The Fifth Act

2008-07-19T14:18:00.002-04:00

Doxa Church recognizes and cherishes the gospel as story. We se the story as circling around four words.

Creation.
Fall.
Redemption.
Restoration.

These words sum up the great movement of God throughout all of history to bring people to Himself for His own glory. However, I have been reading N.T. Wright's excellent ponderings on the story, and he identifies us as being in the fifth act of history. His acts are the Creation, the Fall, Israel, Jesus, and The Church.

His first two mirror ours exactly, and his last two have overt connections to redemption and restoration. However, he includes Israel as an obviously integral part of the story. I think he may have a point, and I wonder if Doxa Church should consider rephrasing our story words in order to appropriately place us in the fifth act.

If such a reconsideration was in order, what would we call act three, or Israel? What is the gospel purpose of the history of Israel in context of movement from fall to redemption?

A few words come to mind. Calling...Hearing...Reaching...Promise...

I think of the "God of the Oppressed" theology that comes from Exodus 2:23-25. It says,

"The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew."

There is an important piece of history here, that perhaps we ought include in our basic outline of the meta-narrative of the gospel. How do you think this part of the story fits in, and how could it best be represented in our progression? Creation...Fall..._______...Redemption...Restoration.

Congratulations!!!

2008-07-19T14:15:00.003-04:00

To Steve, for finally becoming an American Citizen! This must mean that you have seen all six Star Wars movies, because I know that is a prerequisite to citizenship.

Congratulations!

Education Paper #1

2008-06-29T10:48:00.004-04:00

As promised, I am posting my first education paper. It is an autobiographical platform, speaking to why I want to teach, and how it fits into my direction on life. So it very much relates to Doxa Church. I would greatly appreciate comments, questions, critiques, and an all around open dialogue about it. What are possible weaknesses and misconceptions? what are parts that you could envision opening things up to a further conversation about faith issues? I am still trying to find my footing on a lot of things, so it will be accepted humbly and with all due consideration.

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My name is Andrew Heffner. I am a Church Planter. Pursuing a teaching career may seem counter-intuitive to this self-professed designation, but it is an extension of my discovered calling in life: teaching. My vision is to be simultaneously and equally dedicated to church planting and education. While each is characterized by distinct goals, they are unified in their purpose: to transform lives through teaching.

My professional development as an educator is a key component in achieving these goals. There are several surface reasons why I have chosen teaching as my avenue of societal contribution. First, I have a strong background in science, attested to by an Engineering degree from Grove City College. My skill in and love for science led me to pursue such an education, and though I have not professionally used it, I have always felt that someday it would prove to be meaningful. This was confirmed by the discovery that my degree covers all but one of the prerequisites for Physics Education. Second, I have regularly interacted with teenagers for almost a decade now – mostly in churches, but also through private tutoring in various subjects. I have found that I work well with high-school students and have a talent for taking difficult concepts and making them understandable, whether it be a spiritual matter or a scientific one. Thirdly and finally, I believe that education is a fundamental cornerstone to bringing a better future to all areas of Pittsburgh, regardless of their economic status. In fact, World Vision, a non-profit relief organization, identifies education as one of the 5 key components to breaking the cycle of poverty. There is no greater gateway to transformation than through a concrete education provided by passionate and caring teachers.

With my background and passions considered, you might be able to identify the reason why talking about the importance of social justice and eco-justice in the classroom doesn’t really bother me. In fact it excites me. Those concepts are at the very core of why I am opting for teaching above any other of the many careers from which I could choose. I see them as extensions of the kingdom that God has called people of faith to be a part of building. Not a theocracy, mind you, or a Fallwellian Utopia of moral superiority, but a passionate concern for those who are deeply affected by a world that is not quite as it should be. Of course, seeing things this way affixes me with two distinct and often contradictory labels.

Left-Wing Social Justice Advocate
Right-Wing Evangelical Christian

And at the intersection of the two are guys like me who actually listen to the words of a guy named Jesus who told us that taking care of the poor, needy and marginalized was one of his top priorities, and if we truly love him, we will love them and stand up for them. Theologian N.T. Wright puts it best in his book, Simply Christian:

“We dream a dream of justice. We glimpse, for a moment, a world at one, a world put to rights, a world where things work out, where societies function fairly and efficiently, where we not only know what we ought to do but actually do it…The reason we have these dreams, is that there is someone speaking to us – someone who cares very much about this present world, and who has made us and this world for a purpose which will indeed involve justice, things being put to rights, ourselves being put to rights, the world being rescued at last.”

So I am somewhat an enigma of conviction. Bizarre career moves seem to embody this personality trait. Call it the 5 year-itch, call it aversion to complacency, call it outrageous and un-American, but comfort makes me uncomfortable. I simply find a job with a steady paycheck and a nice house with nice stuff and an uncomplicated life fairly non-compelling. I had all of those things, and I just left them to pursue this vision. There is more to live for than comfort, which inevitably woos us into an entitled sense of perpetual self-gratification. Such a myopic view of the world causes us to miss out on the adventure of becoming part of a greater story that is being told – one of rescue and redemption and restoration. My educational matriculation outlined earlier betrays this same aversion to the average. My life at different times has gone in many comfort-consuming directions, and I have embraced it, albeit with varying amounts of trepidation. Yet in the midst of the pursuit of the noumenal, I have consistently and ineffably come back to this: of the thousand other things I could have done with my life at this moment, I must teach - Because I am a teacher.

This morning I was slow to get up, and so was eating breakfast and watching the History Channel. A commercial came on for a new Language learning tool, called Rosetta (or something equally obtuse). Their big gimmick was that their computer program taught words by accompanying them with bright and cheery pictures of the object or action in question. The tagline was, “just like you learned language the first time.” My mind immediately begged the question, “What benefit is that? Do we still learn language in the same mode we did as toddlers? Should we also learn to eat new foods by pureeing them and eating them out of a little jar? And why am I saying we? Is there any one method of learning that would be universal for adolescents or adults? Is it possible to put a perfect learning tool in a mass-produced box?” By the time I wound down from my little inner monologue, I realized that I was mentally yelling at an inanimate object, completely annoyed by the word Rosetta, and personally vowing to never learn a language using their software. Why? Why did I snap into tirade mode over a fleeting 30-second promo spot during an actual learning show? Because at heart, I am a teacher. And bad teaching bothers me.

Bad teaching occurs when all that happens is instruction. I never wanted to be taught, I wanted to be taught to learn. Better yet, I wanted someone to help me discover my personal learning style, and then let me do the learning. Is there a teacher willing to learn how to better their instruction by listening and giving merit to the thoughts of students, turning the whole process into a joint venture where the ontological lines are just slightly blurred? That is how I want to teach. At the risk of becoming universalistic myself, I believe that IS teaching. Leave the monologue-ing to the evil villains in action movies, so the good guy has enough time to figure out how to escape while he is not paying attention to the treatise. It’s not teaching. Leave the simple dissemination of facts to Dwight Schrute who annoys his office mate Jim with his incessant babbling about beets, bears, and Battlestar Galactica. It’s not teaching. Instead, be conversational and personal. Be observational. Be conceptual and captivating. Be interesting. Kind of like this paper is meant to be. I have said very little about views on teaching methods and philosophies of education. But hopefully you were engaged in the story, and learned something important about my philosophy anyway. Is that not teaching? No matter what the pedagogy, if it is engaging to all and amongst all and presented with conviction, teaching has occurred. The rest is just filler. Although you might want to watch Battlestar Galactica. Man, they know how to tell a story… and that’s good teaching.

First Sunday

2008-06-29T10:29:00.003-04:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

This morning, was my first Sunday apart from my family. The first Sunday of this new life seeking the will and kingdom of God in Pittsburgh, PA. I began a new devotional time this morning by reading John 1. I am so thankful for this passage and the way it spoke to me this morning. I am in desperate need of enlightenment. I have begun to gather with new class mates, journeying with them through teaching philosophies that betray more depth than just educational theories. I have started a dialogue with one of my professors about Jesus and redemption in light of poverty and oppression. And I have come to a stunning realization.

I don't know what I am doing.

This is why I am thankful for this passage. It reminds me that this is a natural state. And I can't enlighten anyone. We can dialogue in a classroom about education, religion, whatever. But without the story of Jesus, it is all just babbling, because we will be discussing symptoms of another problem. It keeps me from defending a liberation theology I don't believe in. Because Jesus didn't come to fix social problems. He came to raise the dead to life. And those raised can make a difference for justice' sake, and for the kingdom's sake. But it begins, and ends, with Jesus.

Lord, enlighten me on how to speak truth, on how to listen to people around me, and to you, and to find the way to be a vessel of your illuminating light. Amen.

A Week in 2 1/2 Days: Part Two

2008-06-27T21:33:00.002-04:00

WEDNESDAY:

Get to classes on time, thanks to the lessons learned from the test run. The presentation is due, and was supposed to be done in pairs, but since I missed the first day of class due to a (now) confirmed network glitch displaying the wrong schedule, I had no partner. So I gave the presentation solo. It went well. The professor even commented that it was an excellent presentation, that she was impressed with my initiative to do this project anyway under those circumstances, and by the way do you have a background as an evangelical minister or something? I am into linguistics and your vocal inflections and vocabulary choices gave me that impression. BUSTED. Is it that obvious? I cracked up, and then made a mental note that I will have to work on that. How do you speak like a normal person after being a pastor for 10 years?

During the one hour lunch break, I did the second half of my reading as scarfed down a snickers bar from the 7-11 across the street, I haven't had candy bars for a while, and it really buzzed me. Second class went well. It was highly discussion oriented about themes that I am passionate about....social justice, post-modern mindsets, holistic education. I am going to enjoy that class.

Came home and called Becky for the 127th time since Monday (man I miss her, and will continue to do so for another 2 weeks until we see eachother). Went out and got a job unloading trucks at the prestigious WALMART. Came back to catch up on the rest of my work, and finally unpack my suitcase. Bed at 12:00pm

THURSDAY: Slept in. Exhausted. Checked the CourseWeb, and got a 10/10 on my presentation. Skidoosh. Began work on the three papers that are due next week. Finished two today (Friday). I am finally caught up and am having the chance to blog all of this. I have begun reading non-school stuff, like "Reasons for God" by Tim Keller (thanks for that, SBC). I have downloaded a ton of podcasts from Acts 29 and Soma Communities to listen to on the bus rides. The journey started on Monday, but I feel like today my brain finally caught up.

Tomorrow I may publish the first paper I wrote. It is an autobiographical piece on why Iwant to be a teacher. Maybe you will find it enlightening.

New Address

2008-06-27T21:30:00.003-04:00

Becky and I can now be reached via mail at
3945 Forbes Avenue PMB 382
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Our cell phone numbers are still the same.

A Week in 2 1/2 Days

2008-06-27T17:29:00.002-04:00

That is what the time since the move has felt like. That is why I am a little late getting this update written. It seems that I am just now coming up for air after the long plunge into the unknown. And it was a scary descent.

MONDAY:
It starts with packing up the rest of the house. Which we didn't finish at the expected time, because it wouldn't all fit in the wagon. We packed up what we could on Monday morning, and then stood out on the porch for a moment of prayer. Prayer that I needed. Because it was hard to leave that house, that life. In the end, it was a good time in my life. SO much so that our house and stuff and comfort had become a sort of idol that could lead to bitterness for having to leave it behind. So I asked my wife to pray with me as I left it for the last time. Thanking God profusely for the gift of a wonderful home to live in. Yet asking help to let it go, because it's not mine to have any more. Never was really. Closing the book in the form of a time of worship just felt right.

Took the 45 minute drive back to my parents house, unloaded the car, took about 15 minutes to check my e-mail and stuff (that's important in chapter 2), took another 15 minutes to hug the kids really tight and say goodbye to my wife. Began the incredibly arduous 4 hour drive to Pitsburgh to live with Becky's parents for the summer. Got there and went almost straight to bed, exhausted.

TUESDAY:
The alarm goes off at 5:15am. Why? I will be riding the bus to the city for classes, and I wanted to take a dry run today. They leave at 6:22 from a point about 20 minutes away. Then the ride is about 90 minutes. Boy am I glad I did because the bus schedules are all messed up due to construction downtown. I would have been late for my first day of classes had I not tested out the system. While downtown, I took care of some business. Got a mailbox at the UPS store, Did some banking at our new bank, visited Steve for a drink at Starbucks where I always get strange looks for asking what they have that doesn't contain any kind of coffee, made sure I knew where my classrooms were, checked out the fitness center, etc... Got an early bus back "home" at about 2:00. Got back at 3:30pm
Logged onto CourseWeb, where all class related stuff is disseminated. The last time I logged on was MONDAY at 3:30pm. Gee, that's odd that the classes are already up that don't start until tommorrow... Wait, why is the schedule suddenly different, and now saying that classes started YESTERDAY, and that I have a presentation due in exactly 18 hours! I took about 15 minutes to totally freak out, and then forced myself to screw my head back on and get started on a project in which I had limited information. Finished it in 4 hours, ran to Staples to make copies at 8:30 - they close at 9. Major problems at Staples, which could be another post entirely,and came back with half the presentation ready. Used my own printer for the rest, along with 45 pages of readings that I will speed through on the bus tomorrow morning with an old highlighter.
Pick out clothes to put on and hang them by the door, and get into bed at 11:30 - to do it all over again at 5:15am.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Journey begins, literally.

2008-06-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

On the road to Pittsburgh for good...

More tomorrow about the last few days.

Prescriptions for Fever

2008-06-15T22:46:00.001-04:00

more graph humor and song chart memes

Speak With Conviction

2008-06-10T09:17:00.001-04:00

Hat Tip to The Rambling Prophet for this video clip from Def Poetry...

My Teaching Future

2008-06-09T10:47:00.002-04:00

After a really nice phone interview this morning, I just received word via e-mail that my student teaching placement is set. I will be observing at Hampton High School in Allison Park, PA beginning in the fall, and continuing through with student teaching there in the spring. It is a little father than I would have liked, but it is a great school district full of people who love education, so I am very excited to learn from them over the course of the next year.

There is always hope...

2008-06-03T17:46:00.003-04:00

Interesting post today by a great blogger, The Internet Monk, on Frank Page's sobering truthful declaration that the 50% of SBC will die in the next 20 years. That is unless something drastic changes soon. As a convention on every level, we need to re-discover what it means to gather around the gospel of Jesus Christ and the mission He gave us. It is part of our history, it is still in there somewhere - it is time to dust it off and recommit to a kingdom-focused mindset in which Christ transforms, not politics, not national morality, but the lives of people who are lost.

In light of this bold prediction and wake-up call, I want to take the moment to identify Steve and myself as two of those guys who are committed to the future of the SBC - to see it reclaim a vision for being on mission that is far beyond two special guilt-relieving offerings a year (not that it is ever less than that though, so don't misunderstand that I am knocking the patron saints of the SBC, Lottie and Annie. Those are two women who GOT it.) We want to break the walls down and reconnect with a culture that has largely dismissed us as irrelevant, and maybe rightly so. It is time to become relevant again by getting back to what makes us who we are - Jesus. A Jesus who by his grace redeems us and restores us, making us family, learners, servants and missionaries. All of us. This is who we are. This is who we need to be. And we will be here, in Pittsburgh incarnating the Jesus to those who have never seen him in another. As Steve so simply put in his last post, pray for us. It is the key.

Specifically, pray that we would pray more. I know I need to. And yeah, the money helps too.

Life in Transition

2008-06-03T08:48:00.002-04:00

So, while Hefe over there is waiting to move, I've moved. Well, sort of. I am in Pittsburgh working, but am still homeless. We close on our house on july 31st. I think my wife said it best when she said, this sucks. No one likes to move, what's worse is a move that you thought would take a month taking 5 months. Our son has learned that almost anything he's looking for is probably in storage. I'm trying to learn the stories of the people I come in contact with. I am so ready to be settled. I know God is using this time to prepare us for the work He has for us, and that even once we are settled its gonna take a little prep time before we really kick things into full swing with this plant. Please pray for Andrew and I. Prayer is the greatest support you can give, money is good too, but this s a spiritual work that can not be accomplished without prayer.

Thanks,

Stephen

Too Funny Not to Share

2008-05-27T14:10:00.001-04:00

28 Days

2008-05-26T21:30:00.002-04:00

Freaky-Deeky Zombie Horror Movie (which I loved...)

...and the countdown until we close on the house, and I leave my family behind for two months to move to Pittsburgh for classes. On that day, I will begin blogging - June 23rd, 2008. Day One.

Check back in then for the journey to begin.

What's been happening

2008-05-25T19:33:00.002-04:00

Very soon, I will start blogging regularly. For now, we are still pushed to the limit with packing, living arrangements, finishing up at SBC, preparing for school, etc...

But in the meantime, here are some updates:

Our house has sold - for $150 more than our asking price!

I have completed my undergraduate Biology course (with an A)

I have begun my first UofP class online - Psychology of Education and Learning

Steve and Barry came to my home church for a presentation on the church planting vision, and it went very well. The church votes on a support package on June 1st.

Packing is going well, and a truck and storage are all worked out. Paying for them is another story....

If I think of anything else, I'll throw it on the list later...

Hefe

Support Requests

2008-05-25T18:39:00.009-04:00

We have had quite a few people ask us how they can financially support us beyond the package that my home church is generously providing us to live on for the next 6 months while I am pursuing my education degree. We are truly blessed by the outpouring of love and requests for opportunities for additional support. And one thing I have learned is not to rob people of the chance to give to others when they honestly desire it. So, for all of our loving and faithful friends, here is a list of specific items we could use help with over the next year.

Doxa Mailbox: $150 for One Year
Having no physical location for the beginning of the church plant, we will be renting a box at the UPS Store on Forbes Avenue. This will give us a physical address separate from our homes which we can use for all manner of application for 501c(3) status, EIN numbers, etc....

Panther Bucks: $320/semester
Being a commuting college student, I will end up eating many a meal on campus, and there is a special dining plan which allows you to buy flexible dining dollars that can be spent anywhere on campus, and even a a dozen or so off-campus restaurants. It saves a little money to buy a semesters worth, and since eating is something I like to do 2-3 times a day, This would be a great help.

Car Insurance: $550 in November
Yeah, the state kinda likes it when you insure your cars. And we like to be able to drive places and meet people. I put this one up because I haven't quite figured out how we will pay this lump sum when the time comes without breaking the tight budget.

Health Insurance: $70/mo
We have been blessed to be covered by the Adult Basic program for the last 3 years, which has saved Stewartstown Baptist Church an incredible amount of money. For low-income families, it offers full coverage for only $35 per person (with a LONG waiting list). Now that I will be making significantly less (nothing), this will be an even bigger blessing to have health insurance at this cost. what would be even better would be a Good Samaritan covering this expense for us to keep us healthy and safe on the field.

Tires: $600
One situation we are running into right now is that BOTH of our cars need ALL new tires. That gets expensive fast, even for cheap tires. We could use some help here.

Two final things here, this is a link to my amazon.com wishlist, of all the books I would like to read. Being a church planter and missional leader means LOTS of reading. These are the books that would be benefical to me right now in preparing and plantings. I will keep the list updated. This is a wonderful and simple way to support us with equipping material at $10-$20 at a time.

And since this is all personal, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the church plant itself will need support. Right now all gifts to the church plant can be made out to the Southwest Baptist Association of Pennsylvania, designated in the memo line for "Doxa Church".

UPDATE #5: Some very close friends, who have requested to stay anonymous, have very graciously gifted me with a new guitar. Not just any guitar, but the guitar of my dreams. A top-of-the-line Ovation with a Spalted-Maple Top. I think the sound of it makes God cry. It has been ordered and received...at my parents house in Lancaster. So I have not actually beheld it yet, but I look forward to meeting my new child. Thank you anonymous people! I hope this gift will help a whole new community of people draw close to God in worship.

UPDATE #4: Two "thank you"s to dole out. First to Stewartstown Baptist Church, which voted 82-2 to support Becky and I financially with a support package of three months salary. This will be enough for us to keep our heads above water for the rest of 2008, and is a huge blessing as well as a vote of confidence. Many blessing to all in Stewartstown as we partner together to share the gospel for years to come! Second thank you goes to Kay Anders, who very kindly sent us a gift to help pay for some of the moving expenses. It was very touching to read you card and accept that gift.

UPDATE #3: The Johnston Family (David, Laura, Chris, Brooke & Ashley) has donated enough funds to pay for our moving truck and the diesel fuel to Pittsburgh...assuming that fuel does not rise another $14 a gallon by next Wednesday (which it might - sheesh.) Thank you so much for your love and support for us in the transition.

UPDATE #2: Many thanks to the Benge Family, who will be paying for our telecommunications for the year while I am in school. It is a gracious gift, and one that will be incredibly helpful not only financially, but relationally as well. Thank You!

UPDATE: Thanks to my parents, who bought me two books off my amazon.com wishlist for my birthday! I will be getting "Christ & Culture" and "Christ & Culture Revisited" in a week or so... With the removal of two books from the list, I have added a few more, including a much needed new study bible...ESV of course.

Kids Say the Truest Things...

2008-04-12T12:43:00.001-04:00

Out as dinner last night, during a house showing. (BTW, that was really quick - third day on the market! Hopefully that is a good sign.) We went to one of our favorite Deli's, called Isaac's. My daughter Elana, and my son, who is also named Isaac, were with us. And no, they don't give a discount if you are named Isaac. Bummer...

Anyway, Elana randomly asks this question about why some people don't go to church, even if they are Christians. Very astute question for a 6 year old. My wife fielded that one very gracefully, explaining that some people just don't understand that it is important to go to church, and so they just don't make an effort to be there regularly. That's when my son Isaac (who is 3 years old) pipes up and says, "Yeah, and that makes Jesus mad!"

Along with the pride I felt, I had my Mark Driscoll moment. I thought to myself, "Dude, my 3 year old has a better grasp of church than most church members I know. Maybe he should be our first deacon!" Anyway, listen to Isaac - go to church. You can be a Christian without it, but you can't be a very good one...

Identification

2008-04-11T11:45:00.002-04:00

One topic that is usually the first to come up with people you meet it to identify them with something. Usually it is their job - the "What do you do?" question. In the life of a Christian there are a few moments of identification, and I have been mulling their signficance. I am just going to throw out some ideas and see what sticks.

Baptism = Identification with Christ
Church Membership = Identification with the Body of Christ

Let's discuss...

Shout To The American Idol

2008-04-11T11:20:00.003-04:00

In the last few days, I have had several church members e-mail me a link to an American Idol video. Apparently, at the end of the "Idol Gives Back" show, the remaining contestants sang a slightly altered version of Shout to the Lord (The name Jesus was replaced with the less offensive and more inclusive "shepherd"). My reaction to this is not nearly as excited as my Idol-addicted friends. It is a little more muddled. Specifically, I have three reactions:

(1) I am just not that excited about a bunch of people singing "Shout To The Lord" when I know they don't believe it, practice it, or even care. Is there and spiritual validity to that? Is it a sign that people are open to Jesus and Christianity, or was it a hook to go with the benefit proceeds? I don't know, but Jesus was removed form the song - so strike one.

(2) On the other hand, it was a song about worshipping God and, even though the singers may not have been God worshippers, at least part of the gospel was sung (nothing compares to the promise I have in You). OF course, with Jesus removed, it is an incomplete gospel - but is ti a redeemable moment? yeah...

(3) I was struck by the incredible irony of the song. 8 Idol contestants who, by definition are seeking to be their own idol, singing Shout to The Lord. It's interesting because the Bible says that they will sing that song at least once more. In the presence of Jesus Christ at the end of days, everyone will sing at least the first half of the chorus...

"Shout to the Lord all the earth let us sing
Power and Majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down, and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your Name."

Only then, they'll really mean it. Me, Idol contestants, Satan Himself, will all make this declaration of the utter sovereignty of God.

The value of story

2008-03-16T19:29:00.002-04:00

I had a conversation this week that really helped solidify the value I place on story. We often speak of the gospel story but rarely do we share it as a story. Rarely is it told from creation to fall to redemption to restoration. I had the opportunity to briefly share the story as I was talking with someone who was unsure of their faith. I found that because I had laid the basis of that story in the conversation it made it so much easier to go back and refine the details and use parts of that story as I helped them to gain a better grasp on God and the journey of faith. I had no idea what Bible knowledge this person knew, but regardless because I shared a simple story I could return to the story, and add to refine details as I needed them in explaining the heart of God to this individual. I have to say it was refreshing not feel like I had to whip out my Bible and assault this person with an array of verses, and try to prove point by point why they should change the way they believe. Instead the approach was simple. Share the story of the gospel, and then bring everything back to how their views don't line up with that very same gospel. Use the gospel to encourage and to show the gracious, loving God that we serve. I hope this encourages others to go and do likewise.
SR

Domino #2

2008-02-18T19:37:00.002-05:00

Ok, domino number 2 has fallen. Our house has sold. Now comes the hard part, moving. I absolutely hate moving. I do not find joy in packing. Nor do I find it in loading trucks and storage units. Now, I wait on domino #3. That is finding a new house. That is where the joy comes. I am looking forward with great anticipation to being settled in the city to which God has called me. May God help my family and I to live out our calling.

SR

Step 1

2008-01-31T19:45:00.000-05:00

Step One has finally been accomplished. I have a job in Pittsburgh! Next step - attempt to live and work in the same city. Now I go back to waiting on God, while preparing for my start date. Make no mistake about it, God provided me this job. God will sell my house, and God will provide us a new place to live and build his church. I will wait and rest. I will do all I can, but I will rest in the fact that the Sovereign God who controls the universe is directing my paths and working while I am asleep. However, today I rejoice! I celebrate! God is working out his plan, and today was a victory! Today is a good day and I will savor it. Feel free to dance along if you want, or maybe just grab a big bowl of ice cream. Whatever floats your boat, or tickles your fancy, etc., etc.
Enjoying the ride,
SR

Core Value #1

2008-01-19T18:49:00.000-05:00

At our church planting Boot Camp (hosted by some really out of place guys in the SBC), we were challenged to come up with a set of core values that would serve as the identity of our church. SR and I, being a little uuhh, off kilter, came up with an alternate list of about 40 core values that are of great importance to us. I would like to present the first. It was initially around #23, but I believe we would both agree that it deserves to be moved to the very top of the list of ones that didn't quite make the cut.

CORE VALUE #1: New Member Lemon Law

I hear the amens already...

P.S. I have learned of a grave issue that I feel must be worked out here. It has come to my attention that my friend SR, has the disturbing an un-American quality of not liking cake. I'm not sure how to deal with this, but maybe I should have seen it coming. He is Canadian after all. Sheesh.

Once Every 56 Years...

2008-01-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

Something is happening that only happens every 56 years, and it is the worst possible year for it to happen. My wife and I are attempting to purchase resources we need for church planting, pay off school bills, and save a decent amount of money before I become a broke student again. We had a great financial plan all set up for the next 5 months before the move to Pittsburgh. Except for this every-56-year-phenomenon....

See there are 52 weeks to a year. Except on leap years, there are 52 weeks and a day. Every 7th leap year, or 28 years, an extra week has effectively accumulated on the calendar. No big deal. Until two weeks have accumulated on the calendar, which happens every 56 years - in this case, 2008. In 2008 there are 27 pay periods for those of us who are paid bi-weekly. Which means that my paycheck is lower by about $200/mo to evenly spread out over an extra paycheck. It would mean nothing if I were to be here for the entire year, for I would just get an extra paycheck this year. But with a June departure date, I am waving goodbye to that $200 a month as I scramble to figure out how to pay my bills. Stupid Leap Years.....

Core Values

2008-01-14T12:03:00.000-05:00

Doxa Church started as a dream of a church where several things that we see as significant deficits of the current evangelical church were done right. We called these our Core Values. Now, having been through Boot Camp and multiple assessments, our core values have shifted and become better focused on the mission of the church. But we still see these as foundational to our vision and identity, and indeed to the Church as she is meant to be. They are, in all of their ridiculously alliterated glory:

(1) Masculine Leadership
(2) Meaningful Membership
(3) Missional Relationships

IN the coming weeks, SR or I will create a series of posts to flesh these out and open up discussion about what we mean by these ideas. For now, if you have any initial thoughts, feel free to add a point of interest.

School Started

2008-01-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

Today, using my NEW Sony Viao Laptop (which I have 18 months to pay for) I logged onto my online Biology Course for the first time. I am taking it through Harrisburg Area Community College, which has the unfortunate Acronym of HACC. Hopefully in the summer I will be enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh to pursue a Master's Degree in Education. That, in turn, will be so I can pursue a bi-vocational career in secondary phsyics education as part of our church plant strategy (more on that later). But first, I must complete ONE class that is not in my undergraduate record. Biology. I have an Engineering Degree, and the only class I need that was not already taken is Biology. So, I am a student again, in order to become a student, in order to get a contributive job, in order to help plant a church. So this is sort of Yak shaving razor thing (see Ren and Stimpy or the Evangelical Outpost for an explanation).

This will be a good warm-up before I start the full time classes. I haven't been a student for some time, and I may be rusty! :)

Waiting and Dreaming

2008-01-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

"If you are a dreamer, come in.If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,For we have some flax golden tales to spin.Come in!Come in!" - Shel Silverstein

When I was a kid I loved this Shel Silverstein poem, and I think its a good place to begin with my first post. This is my first foray into the blogsphere, so be gentle with me. I am by nature a dreamer, and I love the big God-sized kind of dream. The dream that can only be accomplished by a God who is bigger than the universe, and completely sovereign.

This is a place for dreamers. A place to dream of the church as it could to be, and to both celebrate and lament the church as it is. A place to sit, discuss, and attempt to navigate the practical and theological issues that we are confronted with along this journey of church planting.

At the moment I am living on a dream, and waiting on God to make it happen. I'm sitting at cafe sipping some coffee while waiting for my house to sell, waiting to hear on my new job in the 'burgh, and trying to figure out when and if to put an offer on a new house. I'm going to be honest, I hate waiting. This whole process is totally stressing me out because I have almost no control. Right now, the dream is my salvation.

So, lets dream together of a church without walls, without borders, without programs, without classes or cliques. A church that is not vested in any one political party or nation. A church that seeks the welfare of the city and loves the poor, the broken-hearted, the marginalized and the oppressed. A church that is totally dependent upon the gospel and is led by only by Jesus Christ. So, if you are a dreamer, come in!

SR

Blogging a Journey

2008-01-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

Yay!! Another new blog in a saturated blogosphere. What could this one possibly be about?

This one is about a Journey. A journey that has already started, but is now about to truly begin.
The journey is one of church planting. I, for now to be known as Hefe, and my yet-to-be nicknamed good friend are moving to Pittsburgh to bring a vision to life. A vision of a church that incarnates in a new, yet ancient way, to the people of one of the greatest cities in the US.

It will be a missional community. It will be a restorative community. It will be a blessing community. It will be one that paints a picture of the the glory and redemption of Christ to the city. We will be a city within the City. Our name is Doxa church, which simply means glory.

If none of this makes sense to you, that's OK. This is the place where we will blog our journey and our work in Pittsburgh. We have already been planning, dreaming, training, and preparing for sometime, but we want to use this forum to present our ideas, vision, obstacles, and anything else that presents itself on this road to planting Doxa-Pittsburgh.

Join the journey with us... Contribute to the conversation and the vision as we dialogue through this process. We don't know what the end of the journey looks like (or if there even is one), but we are setting out none-the-less. Hope to hear from you along the way. Welcome to the road!

Grace to you,
Hefe