Author: Rev. Charles Pugh

When I finished my last blog a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know that the man who had been the best local friend to me over the past two years of my personal tragedy had just died. He was ready, just as I spoke of being ready there. I trust you are ready today as you read this! Nobody around him was prepared for him to die so suddenly, yet due to being ready, many who knew him are better able to cope with the loss. Since then, and the poem I recently wrote in his memory (this should also be accessible to read on this website soon), I have been thinking a lot about friendship. This is my focus again in this latest blog article….

Who are your friends? I’m not talking about those who are listed as such on some social networking site, such as Facebook, or even those who hang around you or do things with you because you have money or means to do things. You might call those casual friends or even “fair weather friends.” I’m talking about those you consider to be your faithful friends—those people who will stick with you no matter what and do whatever they can to help you; those people who will not only speak truth and give well wishes, but who will extend love to you in word and deed, even when things are not going so well and with no insistence on some kind of repayment. Sadly, through my tragedy, various labels, isolation and lack of financial means, I have learned much more about who my faithful friends really are. When completely honest and objective about it, I see that I do not really have that many faithful friends around me. If you are honest, you would likely say the same thing. This reflects a personal issue you should consider and a greater societal problem revealing the need for a spiritual REVIVAL.

Do you think the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, had any faithful friends? I would wager that he did not. In reality, the fact that he perpetuated what is still “the worst shooting massacre in U.S. History” and what we learned from his writings and his horrific acting out on 04-16-07, he did not. What about those plane hijackers that pulled off that horrific tragedy of terrorism on 09-11-01? Did they have any faithful friends? I suggest that they really did not have any faithful friends. No doubt, they had “friends” who agreed with their ideology, yet such a person would likely not have remained a personal friend, were one among them to have decided to back out of what they all had planned.

Do you see where I am going here? A faithful friend is not merely someone who agrees with you or even someone who listens to you. Certainly, a friend will listen and there will be things you have in common, yet a friend will also speak truth to you. They will work to help you as they can, even when you disagree on some point. In fact, what happens in disagreements is a good test to see who will be your “faithful friend.” What happens when you have little to give in return is also quite revealing. Poor people, or those crippled or handicapped in some way, typically have fewer friends (e.g. Proverbs 14:20; 19:4,6). Consider Proverbs 27:6 as well:

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Friend :-), please seek to be a faithful friend to all those who GOD brings across your path. Even reach out to others who are not your friends and offer them your personal friendship (see Proverbs 18:24). You can do this and you will be that faithful friend when you are accessing that personal relationship with “the Friend Who sticks closer than a brother”! JESUS CHRIST is a Faithful Friend and HE will repay you and certainly make all right at the resurrection of the just (see Luke 14:14). Be a faithful friend even when you have no other faithful friends!

Are you READY? You’d better be. School has begun again! Are you READY? You’d better be. A hurricane might be impacting you and riding up the east coast! Are you READY? Labor Day marks the “official” societal end of summer and the beginning of a focus on work or labor; this is the last weekend for many to get in that vacation! Are you READY? Football season is about to begin. What an exciting time for so many! Are you READY? The world remains on the knife’s edge with rogue dictators and rulers provoking one another and even threatening stability around our planet. Are you READY? Israeli and Arab leaders are meeting again in Washington, D.C. and Egypt to work toward a peace plan for that tiny, yet most volatile area of the world! Are you READY? Death is immanent (as it has been for many I know, both younger and older in the past week or so). You will one day meet your Maker and give an account to Him! Are you READY?

Clearly, there are a whole host of things that prompt you to consider whether you are ready for a particular task or event. Being ready is a very important thing! It means that you are prepared; it means that you are in a place to take on the responsibility or experience at hand. This is often understood physically, yet being ready for a physical activity or event first involves the mind and emotions. When looking at it even deeper, there is also the spiritual dimension, where our CREATOR GOD is in control and always READY for everything that HE controls and allows to happen. Being ready is a very important thing to consider!

Are you ready? Life is not always as predictable as you might think. Yes, we can expect certain things to continue and happen as they normally do, but we must not be so sure that we fail to prepare, at least to some degree, for unexpected events. Can you predict when the next person might “snap” and go on a shooting rampage? Can you predict when your heart will stop beating or when your brain will cease functioning? There are some things we just don’t know about life and death; we had best be ready for both!

I did not expect all of the events that happened to me after the “worst shooting massacre in U.S. History” occurred on 04-16-07. How could I know then that I would suddenly be betrayed and abandoned by friends and then forced by police escort from my home for an unnecessary mental evaluation? How could I know that a well educated doctor there would ignore my reasonableness and label me “psychotic” (among other things), primarily because of my faith? How was I to know that the system was so compromised and broken as it is, leading to a Court-ordered treatment for me to be controlled through anti-psychotic medications? How could I know that my wife would succumb to this false label and the fear it brought with the misguided support of others, even today still keeping me from my family? How could I have known that I would be involuntarily forced two other times to various mental health facilities and later even handcuffed and falsely taken to two jails, when I had violated no law, nor posed any physical threat to anyone? I did not expect all of my tragedy to happen (and there is much more as I have written in my book), yet I was ready! I was ready because of my “unwavering beliefs” (an assessment by the sociologist responsible for reporting after my comprehensive psychological evaluation)!

Friend, I do not know what sustains you when you are faced with problems. I don’t know if you would turn to the typical escapes that most do—alcohol, drugs, work, education, etc.—and yet neglect the One Who will sustain you through ANYTHING, if you let HIM! Do not let the loss of a job or opportunity or even a loved one throw you into depression or defeat you. Learn to not only survive, but prevail through whatever you face and become an Overcomer! Please be sure that you know GOD through JESUS CHRIST and are prepared to meet HIM! Do what you need to do today in order to BE READY!

“What utter arrogance!” “What educated, academic idiocy!” These were my comments to the radio a couple of weeks ago when I heard an NPR story from a special series they are calling, “How Evolution Gave Us THE HUMAN EDGE.” This made me think of how out of touch one can get (or blinded, when you consider 2 Corinthians 4:4) when immersed in academia and its prevailing thinking. There is no question as to the complete bias of those promoting this series, as is true for most within academia and our man-centered society. Evolution is unabashedly assumed to be true and it is leading to the downfall of so many whose minds are being blinded and influenced by these educated fools (GOD’s word for them as in Psalm 14:1, not mine 😉 )! All this brings me to the question and title of today’s blog: “Poor Engineering?”

Virginia Tech is one of the best engineering schools in the Country. A recent survey of the top educational Institutions even ranked Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering #13. I wonder what those in the Engineering Department at VT would say about NPR’s bold new series that claims the human brain is poorly engineered? I suspect I know. The answer comes from a direction this University took around 40 years ago (you may wish to review one of my earlier blogs such as the one on 04-18-08: “Expelled” or even my 02-25-09 blog: “Tragedy, Truth and Triumph—Henry M. Morris.” In fact, as I have noted before, I contend that it is this pathway that led to the atmosphere allowing for the development of the VT Tragedy shooter and even the radical thinking of the Fort Hood Massacre shooter (see my 11-15-09 “RADICAL CHRISTianity” blog). Virginia Tech’s success as a University, particularly in the School of Engineering, is certainly not from some poor design or engineering!

Engineering is “the art or science of making practical application of the knowledge of pure sciences, as physics or chemistry, as in the construction of engines, bridges, buildings, mines, ships, and chemical plants.” Engineering involves design and research of natural laws that enable us to have so many great advances in society. If evolution (as is most often used as a theory of origins) were true, it would be impossible to depend upon elements and minerals to work in the continual same ways that enable so many practical applications in this world. It is the application of the “pure sciences” and not “science falsely so called” (see 1 Timothy 6:20) that makes this possible. This brings me to the alleged “poor engineering” statement.

Dr. David Linden, a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the author of The Accidental Mind, is the academic authority quoted. Of the human brain, he says, “its design is very poor engineering in many respects.” How wonderful that he has such a complete knowledge of the human brain that he can make such a statement! Sarcasm aside, it is interesting that Dr. Linden uses the word “design” to refer to the human brain. He, as do those following, simply attributes this “design” to the impersonal deified “Evolution.” The fact is that we have very little understanding of the human brain today and it is clearly a marvel of our CREATOR GOD’s Magnificent Design. What Dr. Linden considers “poor engineering” is actually what enables mankind to adapt (among other things), even after traumatic brain injury and certainly after the curse of sin.

Much more could be said. For now, please consider the Creator’s Truth here as noted in 1 Corinthians 1:27: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” “Poor Engineering” to a blinded evolutionist; Magnificent Design to The Creator!

One statement of advice that is often given, especially in the aftermath of some tragedy or relationship problem, is that you just need to “Move On.” I completely disagree, though there is an element of truth in this statement. Many leaders and even some family members told me to just “Move On” after the tragic separation of my family, which continues to the writing of this, my latest blog. Is that solid advice? Is this good counsel? What does it even mean to “Move On”? Does “Moving On” actually help you? Does this counsel really help the VT community and family members that were impacted by that horrific tragedy 40 months ago today? Please think with me here! If you get this truth correct in your thinking, you will be able to truly prevail through any difficulty; you will become an overcomer!

I submit that “moving on” is often the worst counsel possible. It is the reason why there are so many dysfunctional families today. It is why so many relationships are so out of order. It is why some continue to struggle after tragedy hits close to home. More often than not, “moving on,” especially with improperly resolved conflict, leads to even greater tragedy! I have addressed this subject in many of my blog articles. Problems are not solved by trying to simply sweep them away or “under the rug” as it were and then “Move On” to other things. You cannot heal from a tragedy by simply replacing the pain, nor can you by ignoring or even denying your emotions. All things must be brought into the proper order and resolved in a way that will bring true healing and help prevent further tragedy.

This New River Valley area of Virginia has done a lot to recover from all of the tragedy over the past few years, yet many are still missing true healing. It is because of this “Move On” philosophy. If the truth of what happened 40 months ago is not faced head on (pun intended), seeing it for what it truly was and learning from all of what made it possible, it will eventually come to be repeated. If our Nation does not learn from what has led to so many of these school shootings and other man-caused tragedies, they will only continue to regularly occur. GOD most often operates according to His law of sowing and reaping and He has a way of letting things be repeated for us individually and even collectively until the lessons are properly learned. You cannot simply “Move On”!

For Virginia Tech and this greater community, the man who was the shooter must be acknowledged. He must not be idolized or glorified, but he must be acknowledged and we must learn from what led him to do what he did. The continual referring to only “32 students and faculty” tragically dying is a glaring reminder of how people have wrongly tried to heal. Please re-read my “Learn to Prevail—32 to 33” poem that I wrote on the one year anniversary of the 04-16-07 VT Tragedy. “Moving On” is never really possible until the truth is fully acknowledged and properly dealt with.

Scripture reminds us of the need to not “lose heart” or lose faith in GOD to work all together for good for those who love Him (See 2 Corinthians 4:1,16 with Romans 8:28). We must “trust GOD and His Word, no matter what” as I discuss in my book and we must do all we can to learn from what GOD allows. We must seek to keep all of our relationships in order and properly resolve any conflicts. Rather than simply “moving on” to the next thing, we must be certain we have learned from the past. We must confess what is true and seek to admit any responsibility or way we could be at fault. We must continue on, not by merely “Moving On,” but by “Moving Up” to GOD’s perspective and resolving problems and conflicts His way.

“Please Pay ATTENTION!” This was my plea to a North Carolina Judge last Friday, as she again ruled against me, not on the basis of real evidence. This ruling effectively keeps me from communication with my five dear children for an additional two years! This Judge once again overlooked evidence in front of her and refused to let me present additional evidence. She ruled against me on the basis on her own misguided and uninformed previous judgments and what another judge had ruled back in April, simply because he didn’t believe me (after reading my testimony in my book, which was entered into evidence then). This brings me again to thinking and writing about how important it is to Pay ATTENTION!

Much tragedy happens because people are not paying attention to the events around them. This could be as simple as taking the wrong medication, failing to supervise children around dangerous situations, driving while distracted from texting, talking or intoxication, and even through failure to notice a troubled soul needing to be helped somehow. We must learn to Pay ATTENTION more than we often do! This takes effort; it often means even harder work. Our human nature, along with the entertainment and existentially driven society, feeds the problem. It seems easier to just move on, avoid the problem or even ignore that it exists. I have spoken about this problem in a number of blog articles.

None of us will see everything all the time. How often do you find mistakes in your own writings or even further consider the words that you say? I wonder how many would even make enough money to survive if financial payment only came through the attention we pay to the things in our lives. Are we considering the things that impact us every day? Are we doing anything to change and improve our situation? Are we looking to help others the way we should and the way GOD expects us to help? Are we even acknowledging GOD in our daily living? Friends, there is much so many are still missing that needs to be seen and learned! Discernment is a real weakness in many lives today as there is so little daily exercise to determine all that right and wrong.

How can we learn about the more important and foundational spiritual things that are unseen, if we are not even paying enough attention to the things which are seen? GOD encourages us to seek things out and get understanding (e.g. Proverbs 4:7). He wants us to seek HIM and HIS way and understand Who HE is (c.f. Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 11:9, etc.) HE notes that we are without excuse here since we can know much about what is unseen if we simply study what is seen that HE has created (see Romans 1:20).

Friend, please be diligent to pay more attention to the things around you. If you do not more problems will come and evil will triumph. You may just be able to help that troubled soul, like Seung-Hui Cho, and prevent a tragedy like the 04-16-07 VT Massacre! Maybe you could even help prevent another terrorist attack or another mass shooting, like the one taking at least 9 more lives in Connecticut earlier today. Pay Attention to the things happening around you and be a person like those sons of Issachar in King David’s day, who were paying attention and “had understanding of the times” to know what needed to be done (I Chronicles 12:32).

You should Pay ATTENTION to my story as well, for it reflects a dangerous direction our entire society is headed, which will lead to many more tragedies, maybe even for you personally. Please, Pay ATTENTION and be a part of the solution!