Death By Good Intentions

Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in 1962. One of the targets of her book was the chemical DDT, commonly used to kill mosquitos, effectively wiping out malaria. In the US, DDT had been used since 1939. It was shipped overseas during WW2 and proved itself effective in killing head, body, and crab lice as well as mosquitos. When the chemical was shared with Europe, cases of malaria plummeted and hundreds of thousands of lives were saved.

After Carson's book, where she blamed DDT for thinning the eggs of birds, thereby causing their deaths and eventual extinction, the EPA carried out hearings to determine if DDT was safe or not. It was found to not be carcinogenic, but was declared carcinogenic anyway by William Ruckelshaus, EPA administrator. No test ever done has shown DDT to cause cancer in humans, but Ruckelshaus was on an anti-DDT mission. The year before this hearing, the National Academy of Sciences declared that we owed a great debt to DDT and that "in little more than two decades, DDT has prevented 500 million human deaths..."

But the birds and nature must be saved... even at the cost of human life, and so DDT was banned. Further studies showed that even the thinning of bird's eggshells wasn't due to DDT but to a calcium deficient diet... but DDT was banned and that was that. One million people a year die in Africa alone due to malaria -- preventable deaths that occur because of the good intentions of those who wanted to save the birds.

Malaria is coming back to the US. Maps of the disease show it once again moving into Europe and North America. It is still rare, but the rate of increase indicates that we will have a serious -- and fatal -- problem with malaria and other mosquito borne illnesses within twenty five years. Will we overturn the ban now that it has been found to be a safe and effective chemical; one that has no carcinogenic effects or deleterious environmental effects? Hard to say.

Remember the airbags mandated in the eighties and early nineties? They were too powerful and it was against the law to turn them off so they ended up killing and injuring about the same number of children they were installed to save.

Remember banning guns? The United Kingdom tried it and now gun crime is going up 10-40% a year (there are three official, governmental offices for the reporting of crime and each has a different percentage!). Australia banned almost all guns and their murder and robbery rate has jumped. For the first time in history, the rate of murder, robbery, and hot burglary (that is a burglary committed while the homeowners are present) in England is higher than in the US. In the case of hot burglary, it is nearly twice our rate (again, one agency in the UK says it is 4x our rate). Banning guns didn't make the society safer; it turned it over to the wolves. It seems that no one noticed that nearly every case of public shooting was stopped by other men with guns.

We saw hungry children and families who had a hard time making it financially and our hearts went out to them. But, rather than opening our wallets, we demanded politicians take money from other people to give to those we cared about... and then give us some... and then some more. Now the entitlement mentality is so huge that overhauling the tax code, stopping the plague of unwed mothers children abandoned to live wild on the streets, or teaching self reliance is an almost hopeless cause.

All of these were caused by good intentions. God cautions all of us who want to make rules for others, to place barriers or laws where He did not, or to consider ourselves "teachers" and exert authority over others that such is dangerous and has far reaching consequences. "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority among them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that..." (Luke 22:25,26)

[for more info on the DDT ban and other junk science, check out Junk Science Judo by Steven Milloy (plus his website at www.junkscience.com) or the excellent The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science by Tom Bethell]

Handy Tips!

Ever read Dante's "Inferno"? It is a chronicle of a journey through the seven circles of hell, each more horrible than the last. Many do not know about the lost chapter of "Inferno" describing an central core circle. In it are those who invented or deploy automated phone messaging systems. Phone menu hell is the worst hell of all but I have found sweet release. Two strategies work for me every single time. Because I love each and every one of you and care only about you (yada yada yada) I will share them now.

1. Get a rotary phone. They are less than $2 at junk or yard sales. Most phone menus won't work with them so you get a person instead of that annoying "if you know your party's extension, Social Security number, and favorite food, enter that now..." message. Sadly, some companies have gotten wise to this and now make rotary phone users -- all eight of them -- swing that circle round and round like Betsy at the barn dance.

2. Go to www.gethuman.com/us. You will find an extensive list of almost every major bank, credit card, airline, etc. and how to get a human rather than the voice mail menu. It is priceless. No, really, it's free! I have it bookmarked on every computer and cell phone I have. They update it daily. If you find a glitch or error (I haven't) get in touch with them and they check it out, test the solution, and post it.

What if you want to avoid being frisked by Bubba, Cletus, and Hazel (aka, The Mauler) at the airport? What if you'd rather keep your cell phone, laptop, and makeup handy? Road trip! But be careful. Some jurisdictions let local cops set up shop on the interstate and nab people for three miles over the speed limit or, in the case of one Ohio town, one mile over. Many towns and counties use traffic tickets to fund more than 50% of their budget. It's best to know when you are entering those benighted zones so go to www.speedtrap.org and get a list before you drive.

Want to travel but not drive or fly? Take the bus! No, not Greyhound. Nobody wants to ride with the mobile insane asylum, mental circus, and nutatarium ("Now with smellier bathrooms!"). Take a modern, clean, comfortable bus with reclining seats, snacks served by smiling attendants, drop down TV/movie screens at most seats, and clean restrooms. Megabus is one of the companies offering these buses now (megabus.com). The five hour drive from Detroit to Chicago is only $15... max! There are internet specials as low as $1. No kidding. That's on every single trip, too. Megabus goes from Chicago all over the midwest to places like Cleveland, St. Louis, Indianapolis, etc. We are going to use them for trips over to Chicago to see plays, Christmas lights, and sight seeing. My wife plans to use them to go to the major interior designer expo there. She has never gone before because she didn't want to wrestle her car through traffic, find parking, etc. Now, she doesn't have to. Other companies serve other areas of the country. I know of Limoliner, TransFloridian, and Lux Bus America. All clean, no crazies.

Hey, I'm there for you. Just call, weave your way through the phone system, enter eight passcodes and the launch sequence for the Katushka rocket and I'll get right back to you. Just leave a message.

More Cruise Photos

More photos of my family at the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise are at my daughter's blog -- www.karagraves.blogspot.com

Go, enjoy, see how pretty my wife is, how cool my kids are, and how strange one man's form of evangelistic outreach is! (you'll just have to go there to understand that last one)

The Busy Weekend

After months of traveling and speaking everywhere from New Jersey to Phoenix, Ontario to Louisiana it was good to be home... but what a weekend! There was an elders' retreat, the arrival of students at Rochester College (Jumpstart), a weekend-long unity event between black and white churches of Christ in the metro Detroit area and, of course, the usual three morning services at Rochester. We'd just come off of a busy week with VBS and then the Children's Musical (a huge event here every year) so none of us were rested, but we got through it with the grace of God. Here are some highlights.

1. The Elders' Retreat. When asked about my greatest joy in Rochester or what keeps me here, I always, always list the staff and elders as the answer. The elders at Rochester are all godly men -- even when I disagree with them. I love their hearts. It wasn't a burden to be in their meeting and hear them work through issues and plans. When lunch was brought in -- stacks of pizza boxes -- they had even ordered a vegetarian pizza for me. Cool! God bless them all.

2. I couldn't eat the pizza, though. I was in a hurry to get down to Southfield for a youth event and worship service organized by the metro Detroit churches of Christ. White and black met together all day long in a youth rally, women's day, leadership session, and worship time.

3. While all of this is going on, my son is driving his classic .74 Gran Torino (less than 50,000 miles on it) in the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise, the largest spectator event in the US. Over 1,000,000 people line four to six miles of Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak as thousands of classic cars and trucks cruise a long loop. He drove it Friday night, Saturday afternoon (the morning was rainy and foggy), deep into the night. It is an incredible event and I would encourage all who love cars or spectacle to come see it at least once. I went with him for a couple of hours on Friday... but I had to be back for more work!

4. On Sunday I preached three services, one after another, as I always do. The difference was that we had several dozen visitors who were bringing their precious children to Rochester College and this was "goodbye Sunday." We spent every minute between services hugging and reassuring the parents, greeting the kids and getting them linked to members, and making sure all knew there would be a celebration party next Sunday (luau theme, by the way. Come and enjoy with us).

5. Right after the third service my family and 80 others from Rochester Church headed down to Southfield for the Mega Worship. Brother Jerry Taylor from Abilene preached again (fantastic, wonderful, pertinent, on target), black and white brothers led us in singing, and then I spoke. I did NOT want to follow Brother Taylor but they gave me no option. They were gracious to me and allowed me to tell my stories, make them laugh, and bring them a message from First Peter. Two hours after it began, the Mega Worship (no kidding -- that was the name of it) was over. Nearly 1000 black and white Christians crossed racial lines to hug each other, serve with each other, and promise more of the same.

6. Oh... and we also fed 2000 people on Friday and supplied that many kids with backpacks and school supplies; kids who would have otherwise had nothing.

Just another weekend in the frozen north. Tell me --

1. Any cool things happen at your place last weekend?
2. Any classic car lovers out there? Of all the cars you've owned, what is the one you loved the most; the one you wish you still had?

Preacher Pain

It's out in the open now. Fox News has aired clips of a major interview with Rick Warren -- he of the "Purpose Driven Life" fame. Rick is trying to make a major difference in the world and there are many who think he is overreaching, out of touch with the reality of Africa, etc. but I admire him for putting his money, time, and energy on the line.

But that's not what struck me in the interview. Rick Warren revealed that he suffers from a syndrome that is so strange it might end up being named after him. When he gets up to preach, pain and whatever else is going on inside of him causes visual disturbances (he basically goes blind beyond ten feet or so). He admitted that he preaches because of his calling -- his purpose, if you will -- but that he doesn't enjoy it.

Along with my sympathy for Rick arose an empathy for I, too, have a difficult time with preaching. My body has let me down most of my life, I fear. It has taken me from place to place just fine, but whether it was DNA, poor nutrition and care as an infant, or the result of our difficult lifestyle my body has always had a poor immune system and, since my teens, chronic pain has been a fact of daily life. (Do NOT feel sorry for me. I love my life) Sarcoidosis has made my lungs weak and is probably responsible for the joint pain that comes and goes at odd times. Put it all together and you get a man without a lot of energy or lung power and with a splitting headache a few times a week.

But the hardest thing I do -- bar none -- is to get up in front of people and preach the Word. My love of solitude and fear of crowds multiplies the pain and I, too, suffer from visual disturbances from time to time. People always tell me that I make preaching look so easy and my humor is a real gift, but I know that my humor is a coping mechanism and that my preaching is basically an anxiety attack with words attached!

No complaints, really. It is what it is, but God is still God and God is still good.

But I wonder.... anyone else know of preachers who have a real struggle in preaching, but who MUST preach because the message is too important and God's call too strong to stop?

Anyone else pushing through the pain to preach or to fulfill their calling as a nurse, medic, social worker, etc.? I would imagine that Rick Warren's struggle -- and mine -- is far, far more common than people realize. It might be that this is my cross, and his, and... yours?

Search and Rescue

"World Trade Center" is a well made and important movie. Oliver Stone wisely chose to focus his movie on two men, John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno. McLoughlin was a 21 year veteran sergeant of the Port Authority Police Department. Jimeno was a rookie. When 9/11 struck they were as surprised and out of their element as the rest of us... but they stepped up. If you saw the trailer for the movie you saw a brilliantly done scene (which was true -- to the word -- to life). McLoughlin stands in front of his small group of men. They see buildings breaking around them, people leaping and falling 80 floors, their bodies exploding like bombs. Everywhere is terror and fear is on their own faces. John McLoughlin asks if any will join him to clear the building. The first one to respond is the rookie -- short, pudgy Jimeno, the man with a young daughter and a pregnant wife.

"I got it, Sarge."

I've listened to many interviews given by these men, their families, and other Port Authority Police Officers who were there. That phrase, "I got it, Sarge," has more bravery, courage, and heroism in it than all the pretend Hollywood poseurs and professional sports crybabies will ever have in their entire lifetimes.

Where do we get men like John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno? We honor, love, and respect the firefighters, nurses, doctors, EMU guys, soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and police who stand in harm's way for people who will never even know their names. No wonder we give them special privileges, license plates, and discounts. They deserve it -- and much more.

The Bible can be read as a search and rescue mission mounted by God for the benefit of fallen man. The same day of the Fall, God enters the garden and searches for the lost couple. He comes to Cain after the murder of Abel. He sends Noah with a search and rescue mission even though the world rejects the hundred years of preaching and drowns anyway. He sends judges, prophets, kings, and priests. And then He sends His Son. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son..."

Remember the day the question went out in heaven? "Who shall we send? Who will go for us?" Isaiah stepped up and said, "Here am I, send me."

In other words: "I got it, Sarge."

In Revelation 5 the scroll sits unopened and John weeps. In that scroll is the fate of all mankind. Without it being opened, the world will crash in darkness. No one could open it. No one dared. And then... the Lamb came and opened it as all heaven fell to its knees in awe and wonder and worship.

"I got it, Sarge."

And Jesus kept searching and rescuing the lost and broken. The Samaritan woman (John 4), Zaccheus (Luke 19), Matthew (Matthew 9), the widow at the gates (Luke 7:12), the woman with a bleeding disease (Mark 5), and the Christian-hunter, Paul (Acts 9). While we honor him for his teaching and for the purity of his life, it is the cross that brings us to our knees. It is the fact that he saw the world burning and every person in it lost, without hope. He saw that the only way out was through a cross....

"I got it, Sarge."

There was a time in US history when it wasn't safe to travel to Europe and back. Muslims often struck and killed those innocent travelers, forcing the women to become their wives, enslaving the men. For nearly 300 years, the Barbary pirates operated out of North Africa. They were a plague on innocent people everywhere. In its early years, the new nation of America didn't have an Army that could help them. Their Army was overstretched, worn out, and scattered after the Revolution. The Navy was down to less than a dozen serviceable ships, none of which were powerful enough to go against the pirates. The US paid bribe money -- $60,000 a year -- to the pirates in an attempt to get them to leave American ships alone... and it failed.

Something more had to be done. The President looked to the populace for help. He wrote a letter and sent it via messengers who entered taverns (the first was in Philadelphia) and read the President's words; words that became a motto and slogan that still rings today.

"We are looking for a few good men..." And the United States Marine Corps was born. Eight marines, leading a force of 200-300 mercenaries from Turkey they had trained, landed in the desert and force marched to Dema, attacking and taking the town. The backs of the Barbary pirates were broken by eight marines, led by Lieutenant O'Bannon. The Turks were so amazed as their toughness and skill they presented the Lieutenant with their finest sword -- the Mameluke sword, still worn by Marines to this day. Earned. Never given.

In "World Trade Center," the scene cuts to a standard office where people are watching the news and cringing as they see the buildings fall. One does more than cringe. He goes to his closet and gets out his uniform. He makes his way to Ground Zero, walks past all the barriers placed there to keep everyone out. He is Staff Sergeant Karns, US Marines. When everyone else goes home for the night, he crawls about in the rubble shouting, "United States Marines! If you can hear me, shout or tap!" He finds one other soul in that night, also searching on his own, also a marine. They join forces and they are the ones who found McLoughlin and Jimeno. Afterwards, Staff Sergeant Karns reenlists in the Marine Corps and serves two tours in Iraq.

"I got it, Sarge."

What if Jesus stood before you, playing the McLoughlin role, and said to you: "This world is on fire. I need to know: who is going in with me? Who will go everywhere there is a lost soul and bring them out safely? Who will risk everything and lay down everything right here, right now, and get these people out safely?"

He did. He said that. It's Matthew 28:18-20. He even assures us, "I'm with you to the end. You will not be alone."

Note how He is not asking us to be comfortable, to establish nice, clean churches, or to keep the traditions of our elders. He is asking us to do the hard thing, the brave thing, the unspeakably brave thing.

Who will cross the line and join Him? Who will enter the burning world and bring out His children? Say it with me...

"I got it, Sarge."

Is "Just Enough" -- Enough?

What if I were to walk into the living room where my beautiful wife sits and say this to her: "Okay, so we're married. I get it. I just need to be real clear on how much I have to do to stay married. What are your requirements? Give me a check list -- as long a one as you want -- and I will do whatever I have to, but no more. That's it. I am looking for the minimum allowable effort."

What would her response be? I doubt that her heart would flutter with joy or that she would brag to her friends about her dedicated and loving hubby, right?

Let me switch gears here. There is something in the universe known as the Law of Unintended Consequences. For example, guns have been effectively banned in the United Kingdom and now their level of robberies, murders and rapes has risen to a rate higher than that in the USA. The very thing they were trying to stop -- violence in their culture -- was fed by the law they passed.

Some very intelligent and dedicated men got together before and after the Cane Ridge Revival. They were seeking a way to unite all the sects of Christianity so that believers would no longer be divided. They put their considerable intellects to work, seeking a solution to the constantly fracturing world of Christian faith and came up with a plea to discover the irreducible minimums of Christianity -- those things all of us could, or should, agree on. They wanted to strip away all the denominational clutter and return to the "thus saith the Lord" of the New Testament.

How successful they were at finding the minimums is, of course, a matter of some controversy, but no one should impune their motives. The results, though, were not what they expected. Those who embraced the concept began dividing over who had found the correct irreducible minimums! Each found proof texts to back up their position and accused those who agreed with them on 90% or more of all their findings, but not the remainder, of being unfaithful, false teachers, evil and corrupt in their minds and hearts, listening only to their own itching ears.

Unbelievable. What was designed to create unity fostered division and acrimony.

But that's not all. It also created a philosophy of religion that turned our worship, obedience, and lifestyles into a simple matter of keeping the minimums, obeying the laws our particular sub-set agreed were the most important. We saw travesties such as men who were dishonestly taking worker's compensation being allowed to lead around the Lord's Table and men who treated their wives as nothing more than property now elevated to leadership because -- as flawed as they were -- they agreed with us on the use of musical instruments or what colleges or authors were acceptable (if any!). Their minimums were our minimums, so they were all right with us.

We had done the religious, metaphysical equivalent of going into our mate and asking for the minimums, thinking that might be acceptable. If it wouldn't work in our marriages (and it wouldn't!), what makes us think God will be happy with that level of love and commitment? Why should we design our worship and lives in such a way as to just stagger across the line of acceptability?

Confession time: I don't just love my wife -- I am enthralled by her. I am fired up and freaked out by being allowed to live in the same house as her. I am amazed by her; I'm always trying to find a way to please her, get near her, and make her smile. I light up when I think of her.

Why can't God get that kind of love from us? Why can't we stop trying not to do anything wrong and, instead, live and love Him lavishly, outrageously, and in such a way that -- though we might not get it exactly right -- He has no doubt where our heart is? Isn't that why He approved David's dance -- barely clothed -- before the Ark and cursed Michel's complaining about it?

In our search to only do what is acceptable, and only do it as often as we are commanded to do so, have we sterilized our religious lives and traded passion and joy for repetition and comfort? I don't WANT my marriage or my religion to be comfortable! I want it to be scary, passionate, thrilling, costly, risky, and powerful beyond words.

What say you?

Lost Books of the Bible

Are you ready to learn more about the Gospel of Judas? The Book of Jasher? The Gospel of Thomas? Then, my friend, you've come to the wrong place! This short blog is about the other lost books of the Bible; the books we wish God had written, but didn't.

Let's be upfront about this and lay our cards on the table: we are disappointed with the Bible. As grand and wonderful as it is, it seems haphazard and poorly laid out. Don't pick up your keyboards yet. Let me name some of the books it would have been helpful to have.

1. The Book of Worship: Oh how I wish this book hadn't been lost! (for the humor impaired -- I am stepping on the ironic button. No such book was ever written by God, okay? Now, go back to watching Gilligan's Island and hope for a rescue this week) Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a book that said something like "This is the way worship is to be conducted. Herein is a list of the approved songs and the speed at which they are to be sung. Following is a list of the rules on clapping. "Raising hands" is covered in the appendix in the section entitled "So you want to go to hell." How fantastic would it be to have a book spelling out what God approves in worship in mind-numbing, Leviticus-styled detail? We could know that we were absolutely in the will of God because we could go down the list and check everything off as we went. We could even have PowerPoint or MediaShout slides with a magical check appearing as we covered Worship, chapter 6, verses 5-9.
But God didn't give us a Book of Worship for the Christian Age. In fact, there is no detailed description of a worship service in the New Testament. Hmmmmm. Why is that, I wonder?

2. The Book of Fellowship: This is a big one. It is separate from the others because while they spell out behavior that is acceptable to God, this book tells us if we are allowed to fellowship those who don't do everything in the other "lost" books. For example, we see in the Book of Behavior that we are not to smoke. May we fellowship those who do? If not, may we fellowship those who fellowship those who do? How many degrees of separation are required? If I find one of my elders reading an Annie Lamont book or (shudder) a Frank Peretti book, may I still fellowship him? What if he is also in possession of more than two Max Lucado books? If not, may I fellowship those who fellowship him? And so on, ad infinitum. While I agree this book would be huge and rather unwieldy, it would settle quite a few arguments.
But we don't have a book like this. In fact, books such as First Corinthians show us that the laws on fellowship are a WHOLE lot looser than the ones we live by. How'd that happen? Do some of our brethren have this book and only dribble out the info from time to time? This is confusing.

3. The Book of Behavior: We need this one now! This one would cover things like swimming (mixed? Square inch cloth per square inch body area rules? Are rules different in Maine and Florida?), playing the lottery, dress code for Sundays/Wednesdays or if you are serving communion, etc. Wouldn't this be a great book to have? It would be so huge you'd have to be in a church to have one for it would require a dozen or more to lift it. That would come in handy when you found someone breaking the rules you could -- literally -- throw the book at them.
Why didn't we get this book?

What other books do you think we've lost? Play with this awhile and make your suggestions as to books that seem to be lost... or books that some people act like HAVE been written but no one else has seen. Often, when someone confronts me about this or that, they refer to things as being nailed down and forever settled... but they can't nail it down by Scripture. Are they referring to a lost book that they and they alone have access to?

The Bible gives us a narrative of who God is and who we are. The New Testament shows us what saved people acted like and how their leaders led them. It isn't a legal treatise nor is it a set of proof texts -- for if it was a legal text it would be the most poorly written legal text in history. The Bible ISN'T poorly written. It is exactly what we needed: principles, truths, and a narrative that works in every society and every historical era. Will it tell us everything to do, think and believe? No, but it will tell us what the fruits of the Spirit are, what the kingdom of heaven is like, and how to live with each other as we wait for glory.

In the meantime... what other books do we seem to be missing. (tongue planted firmly in cheek)