Be Speechless

I'm nearly speechless.

Hopefully you got the chance tonight to see the amazing lunar eclipse tonight. The artwork God puts on the earth and throughout this universe absolutely amazes me. Our God must be so incredibly creative.

Just think about it.

He (a three-in-one, uncreated, perfect being) has been around forever. He has dwelt with wisdom and filled space with his bigness. Only, in a sense, there isn't any space. So, just because he is a God of creativity, he creates light. (Interestingly, he didn't seem to create darkness...just light to fill it, demonstrating that he is the light). Through this he created what would become the earthly sense of time, something from which God lived and continues to live completely apart. Just these two things are unfathomable. Imagine living in total darkness of which you occupy every space for your entire life (having absolutely nothing else), and then just suddenly having the idea for light and color, and the idea for an abstract sense of time. Yeah, that's right...humanly, that's not really possible (exemplifying the fact that we are creatures and not self-creating). But that was just day one for God.

Day two came and God created the heavens and the earth. Now, even though all there's ever been was an abstract, timeless, dark void, there's suddenly light, color, time, and a physical nature.

But that wasn't enough.


On day three God created seas and land and their separation. On top of creating a planet, God opts to give it both solid and liquid aspects.

And still, God had more creativity coming.

Now, with the earth in place, God decided to add a whole solar system to light up his creation (using his earlier concepts of light and time). And then, just because God really loves creating things, there are birds, fish, land animals, plants...it's amazing.

Yet, God wasn't quite done.

In an incredible act of love and creativity, he created people. Living, breathing, thinking, heart-pumping human beings. And he gave them not just the beautiful Garden of Eden that we tend to think of, but also the rest of the earth. These people were seriously blessed and loved. The only thing was they couldn't eat from this one tree.

And, well...they did.

Unfortunately, the appropriate punishment for this was death. And God is just, so he assured them of their death and many other miserable things while they still lived.

But he was merciful. So, so merciful. He could have not made them or anything in our world in the first place. But he made it anyway.

He could have chosen to kill them the second they messed up. But he didn't.

He could have chosen to leave them hopeless forever. But he didn't.

He let them have children. He gave them the whole earth except for the Garden of Eden. He blessed them with long lives. Best of all, he promised that one day, a Savior would come and offer hope. Justice and mercy have never mingled so beautifully as they have in the being of our God.

That Savior came. Because death was the punishment, but only a righteous person could satisfy the requirement of perfection before a holy God, Jesus came down. God became man.

That's like you becoming your childhood plaything. (Not that we are God's playthings, but I think you get my point.) That's like a US President becoming a rat while still being the President. Yet far, far worse.

It is the king of the whole universe, the one responsible for creating things like we see in space tonight, for designing DNA, for coming up with a concept of time and a sense of light, suddenly reducing himself to the level of something, though once beautiful, which has reduced itself to scum. On top of that, it's that king reduced to scum living the lowest life of all the scum. And then dying the most painful, humiliating death for the lowest of the low scum. While he was still the king.

And yet, Jesus asked for this. This is the really incredible part: he planned this before he ever set the universe in motion. He knew we'd mess up. And he asked the Father for a gift of a redeemed mankind, offering up even his own life. That's how selfless and beautiful this God is, that he would die for his creation, simply to give them redemption. He didn't have to. But he did.

Miraculously, though, he didn't just stay dead. Because he is God, and he promised in milennia past that he would crush death and evil, he did just that. He literally went and defeated death. In other words, he dealt with the devil, did battle in the depths, and arose victorious, because he is God.

And on the third day after his death, he rose to earth. Shortly afterward, he went to heaven to be reunited with his Father, and to do something amazing again: to prepare places for us, broken sinners, in heaven. All we need to do is trust him with our lives. He promises that if we do so, he will send his own spirit to dwell in us and guide our steps.

But, the story gets even better! When all is said and done, when all who have faith in Christ have been called up to him, he will make the final blow on death, causing all those who did not follow him to live separate from him in a miserable place called hell...and bringing heaven onto earth for those who follow him. Literally. The whole earth will be restored and, in the words of the Bible, the lion will lie down with the lamb. There will be no conflict. No pain. No sorrow. Just pure, beautiful love for each other, for the world, and for the God who did all this for us. The God who is so eternal. So creative. So just. So merciful. So loving. So awe-striking. So miraculous. So beautiful. So GOD.

Tonight, I'm looking at the red slowly fading from the moon. And I'm realizing that my role in this whole world isn't really that big. But I know that there is a God out there who is huge and amazing and who loves ME. Who lives in me. Who knows me better than I know myself. Who sustains my very breath. Who has a unique call on my life. Who placed me in the universe. Who gave me hope. Who gives everything its being. Who will never, ever fade. Who lived and died for me. For you. For the broken, messed up world.

And I am speechless.

Shalom.

Meridian

Pain without Grace

Lately, I've noticed a concerning trend on my news feed. See if you can pick up on it:

"This light is freakin' long! #firstworldproblems"

"I wish people would be more considerate! Sheesh."

"Feeling lonely today. #foreveralone"

"This song speaks to me. [posts "Human"]"

If you're like me, you probably caught a deep lack of grace. Unfortunately, though, these posts aren't coming from unbelievers. They're coming from Jesus' followers.

Before I start sounding like I'm complaining about complaints, let's get some facts straight.

Pain is real.

Friends, if you ever find yourself in a painful, confusing, or frustrating situation, the last thing I want you to do is minimize it, or even worse, pretend you are full of grace, when in reality you just want to yell at the world. I know that pain exists, and it hurts. So please, don't fake it. Of course, I appreciate it when you choose not to rant to hundreds of people on a public network, but if you do it, I'm not going to judge you.

God's grace is more real.

Yes, I'll admit, I do believe some things are "more" real than others, in the sense that they can be experienced at a deeper level than other things. That's exactly what I hold to in terms of pain and grace. As I said earlier, I believe that pain can be so incredibly deep. However, I also believe that God is sovereign and omnipotent at the same time as he is loving and full of  grace. Because of this, I can know that his grace is perfect, and filled with his power. And he has all power. That means that his grace is perfect in power. It is mighty. It is unbeatable. It is beautiful.

And I believe that no matter how deep your pain is, whether you want to express that by venting over a stoplight, or feeling something much darker, God's grace has more than enough power to transcend that. God is a god of miracles, a god of compassion, a god of power, a god of justice, a god of love, a god of grace.

So, that's my problem with statuses and attitudes like I so often see. Let me be clear that I am so often guilty of this exact problem, probably more frequently than any of you. And yet, when I see this incredible reality, that God is so full of grace he sent his only son to die for ME, you can bet I realize I have a problem. I fail to see the whole picture.

I've been stuck at lights when I'm running late. And God's got me there for a reason.

Both my parents have been terminally ill. And I've come out stronger by God's grace.

I've had huge disappointments. And God has given me bigger visions than ever before.

Try to get this picture: An infinite, almighty, powerful, perfect being is so creative and loving and joyful he creates a universe, with innumerable stars, planets, and galaxies. In one of those galaxies, in a certain solar system, centered around a single one of those innumerable stars, he creates a planet. And he fills it with plants, water, animals, mountains, valleys, insects, and lots of beautiful, unique minutia, each with their own DNA. Then, he creates humans. Because he's perfectly loving, he gives them a choice to follow him or not. When they choose not to, he's so full of grace and compassion that he gives his son up to the worst kind of humiliation and death, in order that both his justice and grace may be fulfilled in bringing people back to communion with him. And then he fills them with his own spirit, so that they can live in ultimate joy and peace with him. Meanwhile, he's preparing an incredible new world for all of them to live in for all eternity. And through all this, he's managing every little detail of the universe, and loving you like you're the only person alive.

That love is so deep, so rich, and so perfect, that nothing -- not hell, not demons, not death itself -- can separate you from it. It transcends everything.

My friends, you are only human. You do experience incredible disappointment. But you have the opportunity to be a part of the one story that is older than time, the one love that will never fail, the one relationship that will always satisfy, the one dream that will truly be greater than your wildest imaginations: the one, pure, holy, undeniable grace of God.

Rest in him.

~Meridian

Gladness, Hunger, and Glory

Anyone who knows me remotely well is very aware that my deepest desire, other than to see my Savior in his glory, is to end the killing of innocent children in America. I've probably concocted a hundred plans in my mind since I was very young on just how I'm to accomplish this: writing, film, medicine, education, statistics, pure politics...you name it. And recently, I've had cause to rejoice at the incredible victories being won across various states on this pressing issue. Yet, there is so much work that is still unfinished, in an area where my talents could help fill the void. And that, my friends, is why I wrote this post.

One of the many godly people in my life is very fond of quoting Frederick Buechner, who once said, 

The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

I'll admit it: the first time I heard that quote I wasn't sure how well it settled with me. What about people who are called to be janitors? Fishermen? Something, well...simple?

And then I read Martin Luther:

All our work in the field, in the garden, in the city, in the home, in struggle, in government-to what does it all amount before God except child's play, by means of which God is pleased to give his gifts in the field, at home, and everywhere? These are the masks of our Lord God, behind which he wants to be hidden and to do all things.

 And it all made sense. You see, God is a God who uses means. I post a lot about his infinite sovereignty over all things, but it's rare that I'll post on the doctrine of vocation because it is just so simple. God can, and in fact, does control the whole world. And yet, he chooses to use means. He chooses simple people, like you and like me, to accomplish things big and small. In the end, he uses every action for his great glory. How cool is that? You and I get to be part of a bigger plan, a bigger purpose...It's like any great saga: Each of the characters, regardless of their silent presence or hugely noticeable dialogues, serves a purpose. Yet this is a thousand times better, because you and I are wrapped into the tale of all history. That is, his story.

The question begs, then, what is each of us to do? It's a question which has been on my mind almost perpetually these last few months, as my friends and I are choosing our various paths in life. One friend is choosing dance, another neuroscience, another education, and still others are undecided. I've realized more than ever that I'm so dependent on my Savior's grace. And it's caused me to ask myself who I am and where I'm going.

One of my favorite teachers, Mr. B., once taught me rhetoric. And there he taught me something which left me in a contemplative mood for weeks:

Theorein (verb, Greek): To gaze intently.

Mr. B. explained that this word is often the word used in the Bible to describe people who have seen the face of God. He then showed us this image, pasted on my mind for weeks:

God showed Moses his face. And, in the Greek translation of the manuscript, Moses did theorein: he gazed intently, in total awe and amazement of Yahweh. Once he had seen this, he was given a command to lead the people of Israel out of their captivity. Notice his response:

 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.” 

 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

And, after a few more complaints raised by Moses, and many more assurances from God Almighty, these are the Lord's words:

Then he will let you go.

My friends, each of us has a deeply ingrained, God-given passion. Whether it's engineering, teaching, politics, medicine, or art, you have it, and you know it. If you don't know it, you have only to ask.

Sometimes it's so difficult for us to understand the words of 1 Peter 2:9, yet I think they address the issue at hand:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may declare the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

If you are in Christ, you are part of that. That is your heritage.

The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness, the world's deep hunger, and, I might add, God's deep glory meet.

Soli Deo Gloria.

~Meridian

Some things I want to do in my lifetime...

...possibly in this order.


-Become proficient at singing and piano and perhaps one or two other instruments
- Go to a God-honoring college and major in English and/or History, with possible minors in Music, Education, Physics, and/or Government.
-Become fluent in Latin and possibly Greek
-Consider going to Law School (but most likely, don't actually attend unless I love the prospect)
-Run long-distance
-Work in the political world
-Attend the University of Oxford for at least one term for the experience, or possibly longer for a MA in History
-Somewhere in between the above steps, or shortly thereafter, get married to a Godly, intelligent man, and love him well
-Be a missionary for 6 months or a year
-Have kids any time after getting married, love them as dearly as old Mrs. Sowerby in The Secret Garden, and teach them to fear God and to love his precepts and creation
-Teach a handful of other eager students these same things
-Create a peaceful home where love is abounding and learning is encouraged
-Have a large garden (after all, I'll have plenty of little hands around to help! :D)
-Run a home business of tutoring or something like that to help aid with the family income
-Begin to grasp the things I love
-Paint in Italy
-Spend some time writing in Switzerland
-Possibly publish a scientific paper
-Throughout all of this, finish an epic poem or fantasy novel worth reading regardless of era


Underlying thing to do: Serve my God and be willing to add things to this list, and take them off just as easily, according to his will, and my submissiveness first to my parents, and then my husband. ;)


Meridian

Changing the world through our daily struggles

Have you ever felt like you are reaching for something you will never quite get your hands on? It's right there, waiting to be done...You want to change the world. You want to do something great. Hold that certain job. Write that award-winning novel. Visit Antarctica. But you are so bogged down by daily life, it seems it will never happen. Things keep getting in the way. Or maybe it's just that the right opportunities aren't there. Whatever your case, you aren't alone. Countless others have faced this same plight. But, God is his gracious sovereignty will fulfill your dreams when he fulfills your dreams. As I brought up recently, St. Augustine once said that, "He serves you best who is not so anxious to hear from you what he wills as to will what he hears from you." Sometimes, we must surrender dreams, and exchange them for God's will, which is always the most glorious path in the long run. Quite honestly, I don't even know why I am posting this today. Perhaps it is because I recently heard that one of my friends, Sarah, who has had a life-long dream of going to Oxford, is going to be attending this coming semester. Maybe it is because of the music I'm listening to. I don't know. But, at any rate, I just felt like I needed to share a few things with you.

First, this passage after David realizes that his dreams will be fulfilled I by his son Solomon. It is interesting to note David's reaction to this knowledge. Rather than being frustrated, saddened, jealous, or even passively submissive to God, he ensures that it will be all ready for Solomon to take over.

1 Chronicles 22

 ¹Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."

David Prepares for Temple Building

 ²David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. ³David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, ⁴and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. ⁵For David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it." So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

Solomon Charged to Build the Temple

 ⁶Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. ⁷David said to Solomon, "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. ⁸But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. ⁹Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.' ¹¹"Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you. ¹² Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. ¹³ Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. ¹⁴With great pains I have provided for the house of the LORD 100,000 talents^[a] of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. ¹⁵You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working ¹⁶gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and work! The LORD be with you!"
 ¹⁷David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸"Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and his people. ¹⁹Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD." 


Isn't this remarkable? David got everything ready for Solomon.

In this second example I want to share with you, it is a movie trailer. But it is as true a story as the story of David. If you haven't seen Amazing Grace, stop reading this and go watch it.

Wow. That's all I can say when I think about this man's life. Realize God's plans, and let them be your dreams. You may just change the world.

May God bless you in your pursuit to follow him!

Meridian

How the Classics Have Formed My Worldview: On Human Nature

Over the next few days I want to do some posts quoting the classics and showing how classical literature has formed my worldview, formed Western society, and confirmed the formation of Christian doctrine. I am now in my fourth year of officially studying the classics, and I am thriving on it. Hopefully I will be posting 3 quotes or so for 3-5 days, depending on how many quotes I dig out of my files. Some people lately have been questioning my classic-reading, and some of my worldview as well, so here I present you with something of an explanation, including Bible references to back myself up. :) The Bible is my basis for all these things, but I want to show how reading the classics is beneficial to the Christian. Some things I can guarantee you you will wholeheartedly agree with, and others you will strongly disagree with, but here I go anyway. Today's topic: Human nature.

Classical quotation: "You wish to be called righteous, rather than to act right." -Aeschylus
Scriptural evidence: ¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." ³He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" -Matthew 15:1-3
My interpretation: The Pharisees are known to Christians for their hypocrisy. Yet, in some passages, Jesus actually compares any human to a Pharisee. We all want to be called righteous people. Everybody, whether admittedly or not, wants to be reverenced. But we kind of want to be the bad guy, too. This is sin in our lives. Aeschylus had it exactly right: we all want to be known as the good guy, but secretly, we don't want to bother with actually being the good guy.

Classical quotation:
"The soul, which is created apt for love,
The moment pleasure wakes it into act,
To any pleasant thing is swift to move.


Your apprehension draws from some real fact
An inward image, which it shows to you,
And by that image doth the soul attract;


And if the soul, attracted, yearns thereto,
That yearning's love; 'tis nature doth secure,
Her band in you, which pleasure knits anew.


And as fire mounts, urged upward by the pure
Impulsion of its form, which must aspire
Toward its own matter, where 'twill best endure,


So the enamoured soul falls to desire-
A motion spiritual- nor rest can find
Till its loved object it enjoy entire.


Now canst thou see how wholly those are blind
To truth, who think all love is laudable
Just in itself, no matter of what kind."
-Dante

Scriptural evidence: "but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." -Mark 4:19
My interpretation: Go back to Genesis 1. Read it. In the beginning, whenever God created anything, he called it "good." Then read 1 John 4. You'll discover that God is love. While you're at, skip back to Genesis 3. Then read Mark 4. Read the whole chapter. If you want to know the end of the story, read the book of Romans. But for now let's focus on man's sin problem. See, we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1), and we have been declared good by God. This God is love (1 John 4), which means that if we are created in his image we have a love capacity as well. But we have a sin problem (Genesis 3), and so we are left broken, and no longer good. We are all born that way. We are marred by sin. Still, God in his goodness has left us with pieces of himself, because he loves us still. So, we go after anything resembling love. Sometimes we get it. Other times, we miss. More often than not, we get a generic replica of the real thing. Many times, it turns out to be worse than that: it is folly, sin. Satan messes with us. Read The Screwtape Letters if you want to know how. Dante was right: we are blind, and completely hopeless. We need a Savior (book of Romans) to take our sin and desperation completely away.

Classical quotation:
"My sin was all the more incurable because I imagined that I was not a sinner." -St. Augustine
Scriptural evidence: "³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants^[a] for Jesus’ sake."
-2 Corinthians 4:3-5
My interpretation: the Gospel that is veiled proclaims that men are sinners. This is a secret kept by the world that Satan would have no man know, but the work of Christ prevents him from having his way.   At some point or other, whether here on earth in finding salvation through Christ, or at the judgement day when all men who are not already proclaiming Christ as king shall be condemned, all men shall have to see their sin for what it is. Still, man's nature will reign for a little while in every human (except for Jesus, of course). Thus, we are like Augustine. We do not understand our own sin until God's revelation touches us.

Today I talked a lot about sin. There is hope though! I love this hymn, and I hope it penetrates you as deeply when you are reading this as it penetrates me now.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound;
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear;
And Grace my fears relieved!
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come.
'Twas Grace that brought me safe thus far,
And Grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun;
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Than when we've first begun.

In Awe of Him,
Meridian

Give Me Your Eyes

Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight

Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos

All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what’s underneath

There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, He's buying time


Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see


I’ve been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
I need a second glance
Give me a second chance
To see the way you’ve seen the people all along

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Rhetoric I Speech of the Day #2: World Population

I love Rhetoric class! Here is the outline from a speech I gave the other day on the world population. Please note that when I speak about "Economic planning" I do not mean a socialistic system, but more of a preparation for this population increase by improving systems internally. For example, small businesses should be encouraged to prosper, farmers should be shown techniques for maximum production, etc. Also, when I refer to "population control" I am talking about abortion, the Pill, and all alternative modes of birth control.

Rhetoric I: Speech of the Day Number 2

Proposition: Economic planning and allowing more people on earth provides a better solution for population management than birth control or other alternative methods will employ for this issue. In other words, more people is actually a preferable thing. This is contrary to the common belief that such methods as birth control are preferable, and economic planning for more people is of a lesser importance.

I. Introduction (30 seconds)
    A. 7 Billion people: what is the issue?
    B. World populations (show graph)
    C. “Real-time” beliefs that are popular
          1. Birth control
          2. Elimination of certain ethnic groups
    D. Economic planning, and more people, provides a better alternative
          1. Thesis

II. A brief analysis of the issue (15 seconds)
    A. African and Asian populations rising
    B. European and other populations sinking


III. Definition of a good strategy (30 seconds)
     A. Utilizes earth resources efficiently
     B. Provides adequate living space for earth’s population
     C. Economically wise and efficient (jobs, finances, etc.)
     D. God-honoring and Biblical

IV. Economic planning allows earth resources to be used efficiently (15 seconds)
     A. Less people = less cultivation
     B. If cultivation is desirable, more people provides more workers and is also desirable
     C. Planning will allow for earth’s resources to be maximally used

V. Economic planning will allow for better usage of earth’s living space (45 seconds)
     A. Only 3% of earth’s 15, 794 square km of land is actually inhabited (by 90% of the people)
     B. 4.3 billion people fit into 473.82 square kilometers while the other 700 million people spread out on 15, 320 square km. We have a lot of space!
     C. Using this space is much more desirable than letting it go to waste, which would be less efficient
     D. More people is fine, and in some ways, better!

VI. Economic planning is wise and efficient for jobs (30 seconds)
     A. Some people disagree
          1. Wrong because many hands lighten the load
     B. The more people there are to create jobs, the more people there are to take them


VII. More people and economic planning are Biblical (30 seconds)
     A. The Bible calls the man with his “quiver full” a “blessed” man
          1. Children are a gift!
     B. Alternatives oppose this
          1. Birth control and elimination of people groups is unhealthy, and definitely non-Biblical!
     C. Planning is also highly advocated in the Bible
          1. Wise to prepare, that the world may benefit

VIII. Conclusion (15 seconds)
      A. World population is an “issue”
      B. Proposed methods by the world are not good
      C. Planning for more people is the best
           1. Meets criteria
           2. Provides a better societal foundation
      D. The best solution.