“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

School Shooting Number 5:

On January 10, 2018, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office received an active shooter call at 9:22 a.m. and the school went into lockdown. Authorities found a 14-year-old male deceased in the bathroom with a gunshot wound. The Sierra Vista Unified School District released a statement saying it was a student suicide. After finding the victim, investigators determined there were no other threats. Students were sent to Sierra Springs Church in Hereford to reunite with their parents.” (www.kvoa.com/story, “14-year-old found dead at Coronado Elementary”)

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If a child is not taught the value of life from an early age, then there is no surprise if they grow up to devalue all life. One of the “warning signs” of trouble with a child is the prevalence of cruel behavior toward animals. Of course, many of us wonder what would lead to such behavior.

One of the most important “things” a newborn child needs is “skin to skin” touch with their mother – as soon as possible once they are born. The importance of keeping mother and baby skin to skin for as long as possible in the first few weeks of life has much to do with keeping the child in their natural habitat. A baby not in close contact with his/her mother (or father) can become disassociated altogether from their natural habitat. With skin to skin contact, the mother and the baby exchange sensory information that stimulates and elicits “baby” behavior: staying calm, breathing more naturally, staying warm, and maintaining body temperature. Now imagine the number of children who are placed in adoption, especially in third-world countries or into over-crowded orphanages, who do not get the benefit of skin-to-skin contact. Imagine the physiological effects this has on the developing child.

Please, I am not against adoption. I am for life – all life. All life is valuable, because we are all made in G-d’s image. And I am for supporting new parents, single-parents, same-sex parents, and grandparents raising their grandchildren. I also agree that it sometimes takes a village to raise our children – where all life is valued and we all help one another by watching and being aware of the our neighbor’s failures, and offering assistance – and noticing our neighbor’s successes, and celebrating them. Although the wisdom of this world is foolishness to G-d, if we live Christ-like lives, then our spiritual wisdom will continue to grow each and every day.

Living in Christ, G-d’s power can be revealed in unexpected ways. The gospel surprises — it subverts – it does not conform to business as usual. Neither should we. Dare to defy the world’s expectations. How? Live as if G-d’s Spirit dwells in you.

Pastor Dave