Written 16th February 2020 In our minds, lots of things are made into giants. Some people have a football team which to them is a giant. Author John Green (and quite a lot of his fan base) see AFC Wimbledon as a giant, even though they’re not the highest, most consistently performing or necessarily the best performing football team in England or soccer team in the USA. There are a few comparisons which can be drawn between the faith John Green has in AFC Wimbledon and the faith that we have in God. In particular, there are comparisons between the way a church works and the way that AFC Wimbledon works. A church is built from the people. People attend the church and then they help with the upkeep of the church. They might hand out books. They might sort out flowers. They might simply make other people feel welcome when they come through the door. They might have a more official role as a steward, or looking after the property, or making sure that the facilities available at the church are available for people who want to use them. AFC Wimbledon is quite similar. The club is owned by its fans. Fans can buy shares in the club - since AFC Wimbledon was created, fans have always owned more of the club than the official owner, because it is a club run by fans for the fans - the ownership belongs to The Dons Trust, a supporters' group which is pledged to keep at least 75% control of the ownership of the club . When they decided to build a new stadium, they raised money through the fans, not through some big, unknown source that provided the money. Like a church would raise money for restorations or redevelopment. By the people, for the people. Like a church, as well, the importance of people just turning up is often unacknowledged but very important. If there were no people to watch a football game, if there was no one attending a church, then it would seem a pointless endeavour. Both a church and AFC Wimbledon is made up of people who support a common thing - the Trinity, Christianity, and the community in the case of a church, and football, the team, and the community in the case of AFC Wimbledon. Of course, although John Green and many of the supporters of AFC Wimbledon see the football club as a giant, their statistics don't necessarily hold up to this. Due to the community nature of the running of the club, AFC Wimbledon don't have the most funds of all the football teams, and they don't have the highest ranking of the football teams, and they aren't the most successful of the teams, but the fans still support them through thick and thin. They have faith in their team even when people around them might try and convince them that there isn't much point because they're doing badly. They still turn up at matches and support the footballers playing that day. They still support the club even though it might be difficult Like a church still has faith in God even when people around them might try and convince them that there isn't much point because they have different beliefs. Christians still talk to God when they feel weak, when the world feels like it's falling to pieces. They don't abandon God, they don't abandon their faith just because it doesn't seem to be the biggest thing impacting their life at one given point in time. They believe, and they turn to God and show him their weaknesses. Just because other people don't see the same things as giants that you do, doesn't mean that they can't still be giants to you. Just because things that are giants to you are only dwarves to them doesn't mean that you have to change your perspective to fit theirs. Allow yourself time to think about things. Allow yourself to find what is true for you. Allow yourself a moment to believe in what you want to believe. It might not be so simple with faith as it seems with a football club, but it can be. Test your questions about God. Read your bible for answers. Pray that what you're doing is the right thing, that what you believe is the right thing, that God will show you the way to turn if you have wandered down the wrong road. If something is troubling you, bring it before God and ask for help. Allow yourself to have questions, to have problems, but remember to allow yourself to find answers and solutions.