“Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?” 1 Cor. 2:14 – 3:3

School Shooting Number 4:

“On January 9, 2018, authorities say a gun was fired and a bullet hit a building on a Southern California college campus. No injuries were reported. Officials at California State University, San Bernardino said the gunfire was reported at about 6 p.m. Wednesday local time. San Bernardino police say the shot most likely came from just off campus and hit a window of the visual arts building on its west side. Police went building-to-building searching for a shooter for hours before giving the all-clear. No shooter has been found.”  (cbsnews.com, Bullet Hits Building on Cal State San Bernardino Campus; No Shooter Found)

My wife and I used to live along a busy thoroughfare. One night I was staying up late watching television when I saw a red dot suddenly appear on the wall opposite our bay window. It appeared for just a second, and then disappeared. I realized immediately that someone driving by our house shined a laser light into our bay window – which then appeared on the wall. It scared me initially, because I realized how easy it would be for a passing car to fire a shot into our living room. Was I being paranoid? Not in this world, that’s for sure.

One year during hunting season, I found my self sitting on the side of a mountain, in a cold drizzle and shrouded in fog, waiting for a white tail deer to come walking my way. Although I did not see any deer (the fact is I could hardly see ten feet in front of me because of the fog), there were plenty of shots ringing out all around me. For a few moments I felt like I was living in a shooting gallery. A few prayers (and possibly some expletives) passed across my lips that morning.

“For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?” Paul knew that the church in Corinth was filled with quarreling, selfishness, and unspiritual behavior. If more of us had the mind of Christ, or even the heart of Christ, perhaps we would be more loving and less hateful. But having the mind of Christ requires putting others first, and our needs and desires second. That is completely out of sync with society today. But Christ calls us to swim against the tide of societal pressures, and to be more mindful of our neighbors. Right now we are living in a fog of fear, hate, and selfishness. As people of Christ, we need to begin to share the love and Grace of Jesus – if we hope to see a better tomorrow.

Pastor Dave

“Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.” Psalm 5:1-6

School Shooting Number 3:

“On January 10, 2018, school officials at Grayson College Criminal Justice Center (Denison, Texas) reported that a bullet from an accidental discharge went through a classroom wall, came out through the other side and exited through a window. Vice President of Business Services Giles Brown said a criminal justice club advisor was showing two students how to use a computerized firearms simulator before the incident occurred. He said the instructor took his live weapon and put it in a box so it would not be confused with the training weapon. We’re told that the box did not have a lock on it, and that the instructor later left the room, taking the training fire arm with him. “One of the students thought the instrument inside the box was the training instrument so she picked it up,” Brown said. Then, Brown said, she fired it at a target on the wall, realizing her mistake instantly. “Shot a hole in the wall,” Brown said. “Crossed over and broke a window.” (http://www.kxii.com, News 12)

As we learn over, and over, and over again, it is easy to forget how stringent we must be with safety measures when handling guns. Every few weeks there is another story about a child who has found a gun lying around the house and accidentally shoots him/herself or another person. Or we hear of another story where a child brandishing a “realistic toy gun” gets shot by a police officer.

I grew up with guns in the house. I took a hunter safety course. I went hunting with my father and grandfather. I also grew up with respect for the inherent danger of guns – all guns. Our guns were locked behind a gun cabinet door – and no one was allowed to handle a gun without my father’s presence. That was then – this is now. Too many children are unsupervised for too many hours throughout the week. And too many guns are left lying around the home without any precautions – without any rules – without any supervision.

“Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray”, says the Psalmist. We often cry to G-d when tragedies happen. Some mistakes are harmless – others end lives – and yet mistakes are made every day by everyone. It takes just one mistake with handling a gun to change lives forever. “We never thought this would happen to us”, the comment is made over, and over, and over again. Hopefully, that comment is made where no one gets hurt – rather than at another funeral.

Pastor Dave