I need a God who cares.

I need a God who cares about my issues. I want a God who loves me enough to meet me in the middle, to talk about what really bothers me. And I think you do too.

I'm tired of always being pounded on the head about sin. It's a broken record. Sure, I'm a terrible sinner. We've all done things that we regret, and on occasion cared more for ourselves than for others. If God cares about that, fine! Let's fix it and move on already.

Call it a character flaw, or whatever, and repair the machine or the programming, or whatever it is that makes it work wrong. I'll even take the whole responsibility for breaking it. I don't know how I did it, and I still don't know how to run it correctly, but okay. "Daddy, my train is broke! Can you fix it? Please? " If it's busted beyond repair, can I get a new one? And this time, I want better instructions and supervision before I do something to break it. Hold my hands and don't let me do that, until I know how to use it right.

But enough of that. I don't know anyone, who got a toy for Christmas at three years old, who still has it in working order, unless they just didn't like it enough to play with it. Parents know beforehand that it's going to be broken. My kid loved one toy so much that he kept rubbing holes in it. We bought him the same toy seven times! But today he has one without holes. Good parents care enough to let their kids keep trying until they learn to care enough themselves.

Now, I'm not saying that God isn't a good parent. I'm just saying that He doesn't have to be stuck in only one religion, banging on the same old bell and sailing for the same lighthouse and harbor, for generation after generation. I get it. Sin and crime, vice and abuse, apathy and the shunning of sinners, those are big problems. Right. But it's not getting fixed by the old methods.

I think maybe there's an underlying issue that needs to be dealt with. A really smart God should know what it is, and give us a few more hints on what we need to know to get into it. Maybe we are looking in the wrong place. The threat of punishment is not working. Or maybe it's what has gotten us this far, and it's time for a change, a new next step to choose something that goes even farther.

A truly wise and good God would know us better than we know ourselves, because He knows how we were made and how life works. And being the Greatest Philosopher ever, He knows that we have our own ideas and issues, our own concerns, problems, desires, hopes and dreams. That's what it means to be human and self-aware. The smarter you are, the bigger your dreams. A God without limitations would have truly unimaginable dreams, so huge, amazing and wonderful that He could want them to become real. So here we are. And we can participate in it all.

But what about the perspective of the little players on the ground? We get tired of the same old subroutines, the same old game, building castles and cathedrals, fighting wars, going to work every day, paying taxes. Even trying to find a mate and raise a family can get old, sometimes, when the world adds so many problems, and then the catastrophes ... OMG ?!! Where's my carrot?  I've already experienced the stick. I feel sorry  for the ones who get caught up in the "interesting times" when everything seems to be against them. That's not the kind of "interesting" I would want to see. It's just a hard time, a futile hassle to get through, and a waste of time and effort. So many generations have gone through this, and made so little progress.

Let us get past all of that. We want to do, and become, something better. Let us build some new dreams. A castle in the sky has a whole new type of design, and a whole new level of purpose and meaning. There's a new kind of adventure, a new hope and the opportunity to expand our capacity for understanding. We can build the City of God, not on a hill, but where we can all see it, if we know how to look. And, yes, we still carry with us all of the old baggage of our problems and issues. It is these that we want to find the answers and solutions for. We want to know why we have these, and how to fix them.

This is where we need God to help, to bring out the very best ideas and ideals that we are capable of reaching for. Help us to put aside our self-interests long enough to try to build a new society. One that doesn't program us to care more about our own immediate selfish concerns than about the people around us. One that shows us daily that society cares about us, and is taking care of our needs, and all we have to do is play our part. And when we feel the need to do something different, we can temporarily unplug, until we are ready to come back.

We can't just all be bees in a hive. Some of us also need to be monks in a cave, or wild wanderers, observing nature or seeking adventure. We need to feel that we have the capacity to do things that will make a difference. We want to do something unique, that anyone else would either never think of, or would do quite otherwise. We want a chance to be a hero, or to learn something that none of us ever thought to investigate before. Some of us just want to know who we are, and why we are here, and just playing a part feels like acting in a role we didn't choose.

And everyone has their own issues. Some of us feel like we are out of place, like we just want to go home. Some are fascinated by the deep mysteries of reality. Some are repulsed by materialism, and want to know what it's like to be an unencumbered spirit. And some feel guilty, because they can't follow all of the rules in a super-complex complicated game. While others can't even find the balance when the rules are made simple. Some people, believe it or not, even want to be told what to do all the time, every day, like they don't want to take the responsibility for their own lives. And some want to "go back to nature" and find the harmony of not dreaming of being the steward in the garden, but staying in our own niche for however long that may last. And then, a few (maybe many) want to know what it's all about, and want to meet God face to face, and discuss the big plan and the Infinite Dream.

These are all different ways of being human, but being uncomfortable with the capacity to think too much. There may be a bunch more ways that I missed. And God knows how to relate to each of them. We need a faith, not a religion, that is flexible enough to allow us to meet each person right where they are, in their own existential quest, so that we can understand what is important to them. Then, once we know what the questions are, we can begin to search for the answers.

A society that values the uniqueness of each individual, and supports him, or her, in the quest to find the meaning of their lives, would indeed be a eutopia worth living in. It doesn't have to make it easy to be lazy, but only give us an opportunity to find our own way, while sharing the effort to hold it all together. And we want it to be fair, without "winners" taking advantage, and leaving the "losers" far behind.

We may not need all this "wealth" that we have collected. Knowledge doesn't have to have a material form to be shared with whoever wants it. It only needs to be preserved from being accidentally lost or destroyed. The great philosophers and prophets did not preach about profit and accumulating wealth. A certain degree of comfort, enough to overcome insecurity, and to allow for leisure, is fine. But they told us to remember simplicity and to care for other people, especially those who get cast off, marginalized and broken. We are all broken in some way, and money is not going to fix it. But caring for each other, regardless of how we will be repaid for our efforts, just might be what we all need.

I need a God who understands that being human is not just about obedience, or being good enough. It's about having a heart and a mind, a soul and a spirit. It's about being more than you are allowed to be, and less than you are expected to be. It's about being on a quest to find the answers to questions that are really hard to articulate, and even harder to try to understand. That's why we need the support of other people, and the freedom to go off by ourselves - to seek adventure, or just to think. I need a God who knows how to meet me, right here where I am ... in my heart, where He was the last time I met Him. Where we can speak, and listen. And I don't think that is too much for a religion to imagine, or a faith to encompass.

How Can We Fund the Space Race?

What Do Governments Pay Most For?
A. Military, especially in conflict
      - civil development for readiness
      - training and equipment
      - weapons development
B. Praise of Deity or Royalty
      - temples & ceremonies
      - spectacles, parades & festivals
      - games & contests
C. Promise of Economic Return
      - trade routes
      - improved transportation
      - exploring for resources

How much do we spend on pure research?
1. CERN - basic particles - physics
2. ITER - fusion project (economic)
3. ISS - space station feasibility (peace)
4. Apollo - moon landings (military)
5. Human Genome Project - medicine

Stuff with uncertain benefits in fields that the public knows little about is poorly supported by government funding. But basic science, learning new stuff and charting unknown territory, paves the way for the innovation of the future. You can't expect to see how it's going to benefit you as soon as you discover something new. That's why governments should be the investors for basic science. Corporations only invest for profitable quarterly reports.

The Settlement of Space, going to the Moon, Mars, Asteroids and Beyond, can be the Enlightened Equivalent of all Three Motives:
A. a more moral endeavor than Wars
B. a quest for the promises of Heaven
C. uncorking the limitations of Earth

Basic Questions:
1. Who owns the real estate in space?
2. What resources will pay for the project?
3. Who will make money on this?
4. Why should we want to go there?
5. Who has authority over the settlers?
6. How can you make a living there?
7. Where is the best place to start?
8. How will it benefit people down here?
9. When will we be ready & able to start?
0. What commercial opportunities await?

But, we must also ask:
A. Does God want us to move there?
B. Can we build the Heavenly City?
C. Can we do all of this peacefully?
D. Will it be worth the political risks?
E. Will people be happy living there?

Whatever you are trying to accomplish, always have something more ambitious on the drawing board. Once you achieve a milestone, next time do it a little better and learn something else from it. Give the reporters some news to talk about. Don't let people get bored watching the same thing over and over again. "More of the same old stuff" will kill your program.

Space settlements must reach break-even, and become self-sustaining before people get tired of supporting and funding them. Mining and industry are going to have to show a profit. Then ...

The settlers must have a reason for being there that will be interesting enough for others to want to participate.

For Example:
1. adventure tourism & posh resorts
2. freedom from old world authorities
3. building eutopia & the heavenly city
4. getting wealthy & owning land
5. advancing the future's prospects
6. learning something new & exciting
7. escape the stagnant & crumbling Earth
8. understand the basic needs of ecology
9. building the garden of Eden in Heaven
0. perfecting humanity & society

Beginning Questions:
How much would you be willing to invest in a trip to space? Would you only go for a short visit? Would you work there for a year? Would you want to be a permanent settler? Would you save $20,000 to buy a single ticket to the Moon? Would you mortgage your house to buy tickets for you and your family to go there?

We, the people who vote and pay taxes, need to convince our governments that this is the future we really want. Building our future in Space will unlock the new era of Manifest Destiny and open the next to last frontier for everyone. Only the vast multitude of stars in the outer Galaxy yet lie beyond our reach, but not forever.

Final Questions:
Would you come up to help us build the Heavenly City? How about a new Eden? What if you could build one to suit your own religion and ideals for the afterlife?

There's room enough for all who come in peace.

Weathering Life's Storms

Imagine the scene: Jesus has been teaching by the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. It's just past dinnertime, and He wants to climb one of the hills nearby to pray. Meanwhile, He tells his disciples to take their fishing boat across the water to find a place near one of the Gentiles' towns where they can tie up for the night. "Don't worry. I'll catch up with you," He says.

Peter gives a few quick directions. The disciples row out a bit, and put up the sail. The wind gives them a good push. They take a bearing toward the destination, and when they look back, Jesus is out of sight. Okay. But the weather seems likely to change soon.

Along about sunset, as the light starts to fade, the wind blows in some dark clouds, and the waves start to rise up near the gunwales of the little boat. Rocking back and forth, the disciples nervously look to find their port, but it's really getting dark. Then the rain starts, heavily. Peter knows, no one wants to be out here in a storm. Fishing boats have been tossed and lost before, many times.

A flash of lightning, and a brief glimpse shows a figure walking toward them ... on the water? That's crazy! It must be a ghost. But, another flash ... followed by a voice, shouting, "This way!" More lightning. Peter grabs the lantern from the mast, and leans out to see. FLASH! It's Jesus, beckoning them to bring in the boat, standing in the water. Everyone is scared, but Peter, who says, "If that's you, Jesus, should I jump out of the boat?" "Come on," He says. So Peter grabs the mooring rope, and  hops out of the boat, and sinks in over his head. "Help!" Jesus grabs his hand, "Look at me. Stand beside me."

Together they pull the boat in along the submerged jetty to find a piling where they can tie up for the night. Peter is still cold and shaking, frightened by the storm, but Jesus says, "Where is your faith? Did you think I would let you drown? Watch how the Father cares for us." He turns away from the little boat, and cries out to the storm, "Peace, be still." And so, the wind blows calmer, and the dark clouds drift away, just as the new dawn lightens the eastern sky. 

Now, you may wonder, why is this little episode important? Was there a miracle here? Maybe not, unless you define a miracle as "an event that prompts the rise of faith." Jesus certainly had faith that He could walk out that jetty in the dark, and help bring in the boat from being buffeted by the storm. Peter had enough faith to jump overboard, as he was told, to help haul in the boat. The disciples were amazed to see how quickly the storm cleared after Jesus told it to calm down. Jesus wanted them to understand that, in the Father's care, everything will turn out as it should. Don't worry, if it's not your time, you won't drown. We'll keep you safe.

In the storms of life that we experience, it seems that we are often just like the other disciples. Amazed that things work out so nicely, just as they should. We have little faith. Maybe we have a bit more, like Peter, ready to jump when called, but fearful when we realize we are in over our heads.

But Jesus had real faith. He knew He was needed, that He could step out into the darkness onto that jetty. He knew He wouldn't be blown over or washed off by the waves, because He was needed to be there. That was the Plan, to rescue the disciples and show them how, when you are staying in your calling, everything will happen just as it should. You don't have to worry. The Plan will unfold, with your place in it, just the way it's supposed to go.

Now, the storms of life can get pretty rough, especially when we are called to be on the front lines of confrontation with the Darkness. When we are fighting the evil, corruption and lies that want to bind us and prevent salvation, Satan may defy us, cruelly casting the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune right into our paths. And he may even score a few points, if we aren't ready. Satan knows how to hurt us, if he can't tempt us. We must be wary to not let the temptations of darkness divert us, by causing us to sin. And we must be strong, to hold on by faith, and refuse to be prevented from achieving our tasks.

In the dark times, we must keep our eyes open to see the flash. The flash, and the Voice, will tell us when we are close, when to take the leap to meet the challenges we face. Jesus' disciples know the sound of his voice. We will never follow anyone else. It is our challenge to be ready to jump out of the boat, even when we are not sure where the jetty is. Just keep your focus on Jesus, hold out your hand, and stand firmly beside Him. Don't worry, the weather is under the Father's control. You can help to bring the boat in, and you won't drown.

Terraforming Planets & Habitats

This is a step by step projection of some of the check-lists and goals necessary for the eventual terraforming of planetary bodies in our solar system, and for constructing large and complex ecological habitats in orbital space. Intermediate objectives are arranged in order from the most basic to the more advanced and in-depth:

1. self-sufficient food and resource
acquisition
     - dome farming
     - pressurized exploration
     - automated mining
     - permanent housing units

2. established trade in resources and information
     - patents & formulas
     - precious metals & fertilizers
     - entertainment & documentaries
     - scientific research results

3. sustainable material industry & infrastructure
     - appropriate economic technology
     - closed-loop recovery & recycling
     - complete parts manufacturing
     - independently built spacecraft

4. survival outside without pressure suits or breathing masks
     - air pressure within normal limits
     - air composition reflects earth normal
     - oxygen & carbon dioxide acceptable
     - no poisonous trace elements

5. ecologically based food and fiber production
     - developing agricultural biome
     - acculturation of plants to environment
     - managing animals & pastoral habitat
     - naturally recycled waste products

6. base ecological web sustainable via stewardship
     - essentially integrated biome habitats
     - variety of interconnected ecosystems
     - develops robust diversity of species
     - growing "web of life" interactions

7. survivable pre-technological base culture(s)
     - attempts to support hunter-gatherers
     - vulnerable to catastrophic events
     - managed to overcome fragility
     - balanced to avoid over-exploitation

8. independently viable & evolving ecosystems
     - can survive & evolve without help
     - will diverge to create native ecology
     - humans comfortably at home
     - robotic supervision & maintenance

__________________
Space Colonies:
There is a significant difference between planetary terraforming and constructing a habitat made to order. Atmosphere, gravity and lighting are assumed to be chosen and integrated in optimal proportions.

* Approximate weights will run roughly about 2.59 million metric tons/square mile, not counting the hub & docking facilities. The larger, ecology habitats can more nearly balance out this concern, while the smaller Stanford torus may come near to this in total, as if it had one mile of area.
* This "astronomical" weight is why the materials must come from the Moon and the asteroids, not from Earth. And that is just the intended goal weight, which is rarely met in construction, despite design constraints. Clearly, topographical variety can only be achieved through the liberal use of aerogels. Achieving balance along both the length and circumference of the cylinder may be a particular challenge, in order to prevent instability and wobbling during rotation.
* The weight target does not include the biomass and inhabitants that are introduced after the "habitat container" is finished. But it does include the sterile water, soil substrates and atmospheric components. It can take about 10 years to "terraform" the inside of a large habitat from scratch.
* Stable soil ecology is the most critical, and least understood, process to develop. Sterile soils must begin with various particle sizes and viscosity (sand, loess and clay), then introduce porous carbon, nitrogen and phosphates, and certain vitamins and minerals to activate nutrient availability.
* Fertile soils then require communities of bacteria, protozoa, algae, fungi, lichens, insects and small invertebrates to fully disintegrate and recycle plant detritus. Then, certain plant and animal communities, specific to the intended final biome, are needed for the complete reduction and recycling of animal wastes. At this point, you try to balance the ecosystem at large and maximize the carrying capacity. The introduction of larger species begins the final characterization of the biome's ecological identity and diversity.
* The human inhabitants will have to adapt their lifestyles to fit into the "natural" biome of the habitat, so as to minimize their disruptive influences and maintain the overall balances, while planning how much of the internal space they want to "civilize" for economic purposes. This is likely to be a continuing issue, as the impact of human civilization on artificial biomes has not been studied.
* Technically, a proper fully balanced biome should be capable of perpetual operations, including the support of a small population of "simple" human hunter-gatherers. But that would be an ideal case, and some provision for the maintenance of the mechanical habitat would need to be made, as well as for the availability of some kind of sophisticated knowledge retention and education facility.
* There may always be some requirements for replenishing small amounts of vital resources, whether nutrients or chemical elements. This is due to the unavoidable entropy of all systems. External energy, in the form of solar power or nuclear fuels, is probably the largest external requirement for the continual functioning of the colony.