As I waltzed out of a local business this afternoon I looked down to see a familiar face looking back up at me. His hand extended out as if gesturing for me to stop, I did. This familiar face was Shane Claiborne, and it was plastered all over the front page of the Citypaper of Philadelphia. Inside is a beautifully written article by Isaiah Thompson. You can read the article here Believe It or Not *

For those of you who are still looking for clarity about Christian Intentional Community, and what it will look like for Beth and I in Denver, this article will help. Although every Christian community is different, central things that the article highlights about intentional community stand true for us. Things like "They would share...valuing one another and their community over wealth. They would stand against injustice...they would live in the hood, with the poor...They would live, in a nutshell (haha Hazelnuts!) the way they thought Jesus wanted them to live."

It has been almost four years now since Beth and I first read Shane's book An Irresistible Revolution. It was during that time that we realized we were not alone in our confusion about what it means to be a follower of Christ. It was during that time that we realized there were people who found a way to live out the life of Christ in the most real and authentic way we could imagine. It was during that time that we found others our age, and at our school who felt all these same feelings. We found in this radical way of living hope and excitement, and we wanted that too.

Four years later we have changed a lot, but reading this article reminds us that nothing has really changed in regards to our excitement and anticipation for this lifestyle. Onward!

* Thompson, Isaiah. "Believe it or Not Meet the Reluctant face of Kensington's Radical Christian Movement". March 11, 2009. http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2009/03/12/the-simple-way-kensington-philadelphia. March 17, 2009.

Photo credit: Regan, Michael T. Believe it or Not. http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2009/03/12/the-simple-way-kensington-philadelphia. March 11, 2009/

We're coming at you from all sides. For those of you who have facebook accounts, you can become a member of the Hazelnut Community Group. Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=137726445453&ref=nf

Awesome. I'm not too sure what form and function this will take on, but for now you can see pictures of all of us and stay up to date with what is going on. One picture in particular is important, Greg and Marilyn who are technically our landlords, but way more then that. They are pictured in the gallery posted on the page. Check it out. Feel free to ask questions either here or there.

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Right now Beth and I are working like crazy. Strangely (and thankfully) our places of employment seem largely unaffected by the "economic crisis."

There is talk about plans for moving, like U-Hauls and airplanes. We've waited a long time just to feel the closeness of this move, and its here. As we slowly lean into this we know that before long we will be rushing around, how exciting.

Thanks for reading.

Sorry for the lack of blogging regularity...the moments that both Beth and I have to slowdown and to write are few. As many of you know already, I (mark) had a little stint in the hospital from February 19-22. What started as a stomach ache, turned into a trip to the ER to have my appendix removed. Everything went smoothly and I am already back to work.

It was interesting to see how each of us found our way into being husband and wife, especially when the time comes to care for one another in a hospital. The surgery was intense, as was the recovery process, which meant I needed a lot of help for a few days following the operation. Sitting up far enough to eat was difficult, as was the process of getting out of the bed to travel the five feet to the bathroom. Beth was there to help me, and I consistently caught images of a strong old women helping her weak old man out of bed, likely images of our distant future.

But for now we are two 23 year old adults, only months into marriage facing the kinds of struggles usually reserved for those who have celebrated their 10-15 year anniversaries. I'm sure I speak for Beth as I speak for myself, such things have only made this love relationship stronger.

We are wrapping up our lives here in PA. Colorado is approaching quickly, and with it a lot of changes, hopes, dreams, challenges, and opportunities. It was a difficult process to share the news of our plans for Denver with family. Yet it seems like a sense of understanding has settled in with both sides. Maybe not a sense of understanding about specifics and details of what it means to live in intentional Christian community, but an understanding that God is doing something in our lives and that we are simply responding to a call.

We are on the lookout for a puppy, so stay tuned for any news of that!

love you all!