a lot of people don’t like the church – some people outright hate it [cos of things they’ve seen, experienced, heard about or feel the church has done to them], others are not fans [disillusioned, frustrated, confused, bored] while others just don’t really care either way…

i, on the other hand, love the church [as do many others and as does God which is always a good indicator] and i’m not talking about a specific denomination or a sunday meeting or a building – i am talking about the people of God – Christ followers who actively follow Christ [as opposed to just wearing His name or talking about Him or performing regular religious activities] and when you see the church in action [go back to the xenophobic attacks that ravaged south african townships a couple of years ago to see how brilliantly the church responded] it is an amazing thing to behold and there are many reasons and stories that i could share…

but today it’s just been about our next move to philadelphia mid june which is flippin soon – and how the wider international church has gotten involved – one of the things we are struggling to figure out is the right visa for our specific situation and people like craig and robert and steve and others have all been amazing at sharing their knowledge and people resources [rob being a guy i knew in a band once years ago, steve a guy i met on facebook playing some silly facebook game and craig a guy whose brother i know more than i know him and even then only quite loosely] – but it’s just been this crazy network of people diving in with time, energy and effort [and money – have had others diving in and giving to the need also with fairly loose attachments to us] and i guess it might happen outside of the church as well, but with Christ-following people it is a given and it’s incredible when you see it in action.

so thank you church and to all those who have been churching us these past few days and months – looking so much forward to the journey ahead and hopefully learning how to church so much better ourselves…

[and hopefully getting to finish my book ‘i kissed hating (the church) good bye’ which is not about me cos i love the church but really hopefully going to be a tool for those who love Jesus but have been struggling with His bride… busy transcribing this month, but when that’s finished will hopefully do some deep sea diving into the book to try and finish it before we leave…