20 Quadrillion Ants. Quadrillion comes after trillion¹. That makes 25 million ants for every one of the 8billion people on earth!

Having lived with, been bitten, and then murdered many fire ants, my first thought was… if the ants turn on us, we are doomed!

But my next thought was of Antman and the Garden of Eden. In Eden no one is surprised by a talking snake. Could it be that in a perfect world relationships extend to the animals? That we could talk to ants?

“Hey friends, could you help us dig a pool?” I will share my coffee’s sugar. After all, God created it black 😉

In the gospels Jesus often refers to the Kingdom of God. With his arrival the Kingdom is “at hand” (Mk1:15), “in our midst” (Lk17:20), but what does this mean? At the basic level, the Kingdom of God refers to the rule of God. The Kingdom is the place where the will of God happens.

This place is not legalistic. As though the Kingdom is the place where everyone follows rules. Instead it is the place where every one lives out their purpose. As Jesus puts, “I come to give you life, life to the full” (Jn10:10).

This brings us back to the time when the world was “very good”. When everything was following God. Back to Eden. Before work. Before hierarchy and abuse. When relationships – with God, with humanity, with the world – were whole. Relationships of love.

Imagine it.

1 — Million, Billion, Trillion, Quadrillion, Quintillion… I wondered where “zillion” fits? It does not, instead it is “a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole)” — hyperbole, like most of my of dad facts…

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This Sunday we conclude our BE Vision series. We will focus on the last phrase, “to BEcome God’s Kingdom on earth.” Join us at 10:30 in person or streaming live.