This preview for 7 Billion, a year-long series National Geographic is doing on overpopulation delivers some jaw-dropping facts in beautifully animated kinetic typography.

“In 1975, there were 3 megacities [>10 million people] — Tokyo, Mexico City and New York City. Right now, there are 21. By 2050, 70% of us will be living in a megacity.”

“But we don’t take up as much space as you think… Standing shoulder to shoulder, all 7 billion of us would fill the city of Los Angeles.”

So it’s not space that we need so much as sharing resources:

• 5% of us consume 23% of the world’s energy
• 13% of us don’t have clean drinking water
• 38% lack adequate sanitation

[via Brain Pickings]

 

Keith Fitzhugh had a dream to play pro football. However, when the opportunity came, he decided to stay at his current job, as a train conductor:

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=bestoftv/2010/12/10/phillips.railroad.nfl.cnn

What is it about Keith’s story that is so compelling?

He’s interesting not so much because of the outrageous or interesting things he does to assert his significance, but rather because of the loyalty he embodies, with joy. He’s happy to honor his mother and father.

Keith models a lesson of character passed down from his parents and an earlier generation — of loyalty to his family over the instant pursuit of riches and fame. Even of loyalty to his current employer more than setting them aside for a ‘better’ opportunities. Among a generation of young people (like you and me, perhaps) who are ‘options’-addicts, Keith shines brightly.

Let’s honor virtue like this. May his tribe increase, and another opportunity come along so Keith can fulfill his dream and fulfill his responsibilities in joy.

 

This is hilarious and Church on the Move did an excellent job on that vieo. Yet, if we get past the humor in it, can you agree that it actually is a bit sad that this satire shows us what ‘Dad’ is reduced to these days? What’s missing?

Lyrics:
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What do you get excited about?

Here someone famous is giving away tons of free stuff.

Do you know anyone with this kind of joy about their salvation?

(What if the most Famous One ever gave away His life for us? Could we get excited about that?)

 

On a snowy morning (in Portland), the following sped-up video is worth your time and attention. Enjoy.

Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.

 

A promo video for the upcoming Justice Conference in Bend, Oregon (Feb. 11-12, 2011).

A mark of a maturing believer and follower of Jesus is a growing awareness of the true needs in the world, and a love for those people with a passion to help meet those needs and build bridges for the Gospel message. We see the inequity in the world and are not content to wait on governments to move solely for the sake of the marginalized, needy, poor, and destitute. We give up personal comforts so others can have the basic necessities for health and life.

Justice is about reconciliation, which is rooted in love. We who have been reconciled with God, get to see His reconciling work spread to every area of our lives and all of creation. What began as a personal relationship with God adds a public dimension that becomes a transformational relationship with the world. One day the universe will be set right (final justice), though we don’t have to wait until then to meet the needs that are within our control today. The love of Christ compels us.

(On a side note: World Relief did a tremendous job on the video, shot in Drake Park in downtown Bend. As I grew up there, I remember walking, riding, running and skating through the park hundreds of times. Good times.)

 

We need churches that help people integrate their faith with their work. That let the Gospel inform everything about them, including where they invest most of their time.

Consider what Tim Keller says below at the Lausanne conference earlier this month in Cape Town, South Africa. This point is brought up at about 5:54 in the video (with a key question at 7:05).

One hope I have as a pastor is that I could be the kind of leader who helps followers of Jesus make the connection between God’s worth and their daily work. That is one oft-neglected aspect of what it means to make disciples.

 

Last week we back a new series at Willamette Christian Church — Mission:HOPE.

 

When people find true community shaped around the Gospel, they can never stay the same.

(Thanks to Jonathan for sharing these stories from his church family.)