Author: Rev. Charles Pugh

With the increasing growth of government and economic pressures impacting each of us, you will often hear a discussion or call for PRIVATIZATION of a particular business or program.  In fact, there seems to be a power play or tug of war or sorts as to whether the government should run more businesses and social programs or whether more businesses and programs should be privatized.  History does show that private operation of a business or program is most often more successful and even less expensive to operate.  You likely have heard of the incredible prices the government pays for basic parts and labor, the many examples of government waste, or even the continuing financial losses with the U.S. Postal Service (leading to increasing costs, as we just realized again).  Basic government programs that nearly all of us contribute to through taxes and payroll deductions or even depend on for survival, such as Social Security and Medicaid, are also in jeopardy of financial collapse.  Is the answer PRIVATIZATION or is this the problem?

I submit that the problem with the government running things and even the problem with many private businesses is that they are PRIVATIZING GOD.  In fact, this is a problem seen and reflected in many levels of our society.  Individuals often dissect their lives into private and public.  Religious organizations often talk about the distinctions between the secular and the sacred.  The government in America as reflected in many ways, including judicial rulings, has been pressured by certain elitist thinking to believe that a separation between Church and State means that GOD has to be removed from anything or any event connected with government.  Public Universities, such as Virginia Tech, have bought into this thinking as well.  Even an examination of the ceremonial events commemorating the tragedy of 04-16-07 reveals this interesting dichotomy, where the official ceremonial events have been hesitant to even acknowledge GOD, except in as much as focused on in the biographies of those who died.

We have forgotten our history and our heritage.  We have forgotten how the Universities in America even became successful as they have been.  If you doubt this, then research the founding purpose statements of the oldest American Universities, such as the Ivy League Schools.  Do a detailed study of the history of the beginnings of America and see how our founders understood this relationship between GOD and the rest of life.  You may be surprised at what you find.  I am addressing this in my upcoming book as well (see the Top Ten Lessons tabbed above).  In practice, we have marginalized GOD.  We have made GOD only a small portion of our lives and essentially PRIVATIZED HIM.

Now, I, as is true of America’s Founding Fathers, do not advocate the government establishing one particular religious organization.  I also, along with our Founding Fathers who put this truth in the First Amendment of our Constitution, do not believe the government or even any public business should prohibit the free exercise of religion.  An imbalance there is essentially what is happening today, as my own personal experience demonstrates.  If we don’t get that right, we will most certainly lose more and more of our freedoms (even the freedom to not believe).

The Number One Lesson in life (as I have been focusing on as well) is to FEAR GOD ABOVE ALL.  Dear reader, you cannot do this if you succumb to the tragedy and foolishness of PRIVATIZING GOD.  That is not the answer to how any individual or all of us collectively can be happy or have unity and peace in our world; It is the problem.

Mother’s Day is a great time to reflect on the blessings of motherhood and even, as able, to express thanks and appreciation to your own mother.  Regardless of your own family situation, without your mother, you would not even exist!  Likely, you are even who you are today, largely due to the work and influence of your mother.  I know this is true for me and I am grateful to my mother for her godly influence in my own life.  Motherhood is a basic foundational reality that we each must fully consider and better learn to appreciate.  When we blur the lines between masculine and feminine, as is often the case promoted on our University campuses, we fail to properly appreciate and understand the importance of motherhood.  Teaching women to be more like men or men to be more like women is a false unification or equality and in essence attacks the very foundations of our societal structure.  If not properly understood and supported, the effect of this is an imminent societal collapse.  It is not nice to mess with MOTHER NATURE!

The foundations of society are certainly being questioned and even attacked today.  You are likely aware of the controversy and debate over the issues relating to gay marriage, as various judicial boards are ruling with their opinions and more and more states are pushing through legislation.  The recent and ongoing media attention surrounding comments and past behavior by Miss USA and Miss California beauty contestant, Carrie Prejean, illustrates this as well.  Many are more engaged on this level of whether or not to allow or even approve of gay marriage, yet are not as engaged on the deeper level of the roles and responsibilities within marriage.  In fact, many (even professing Christians) are avoiding marriage all together or simply living together before committing to an official marital relationship.

“It is not nice to mess with Mother Nature!”  “Mother Nature” is not simply some impersonal force, but a personal God who controls His Creation (c.f. my earlier 04-22-08 Blog, “Mother Nature vs. Father Creator!” or even the more recent 04-22-09 Blog, “EARTH DAY Tragedy”).  God has established certain principles in the Creation, including male and female, and we had better learn to accept and properly understand them.  One of the Top Ten Lessons (tabbed above) coming from my own experience with Tragedy following the VT Tragedy is “Encourage Marriages” (I also specifically blogged about this on 06-02-08:  “Encourage Marriages”).  The tragedies of “messing with” these foundations of Nature and “Nature’s God” (to Whom the American Founders referred) are being realized all around us.  Not only is it “not nice,” it is also a pathway for societal collapse and destruction!

Dear friend, on this Mother’s Day and every day, please express thanks to your earthly Mother (as able) and even more importantly to your heavenly Father.  God has given us much to enjoy and explore and come to understand.  He has revealed to us everything needed for life and godliness in His Word, The Bible (2 Peter 1:3ff; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Learn this most important lesson in life and “don’t mess with Mother Nature,” Who is your Father, Creator and even potential Savior!  When you mess around there it will not be nice for you, your mother or anyone you care about.

One sure thing you will hear more about surrounding any Tragedy is PRAYER.  Why is this so?  Why will people who even often refuse to acknowledge God in their daily living suddenly talk about or even turn to praying when times become more challenging?  The answer is somewhat obvious, yet it reveals a deeper need and an important lesson we all need to be careful to learn.  I am writing this important blog article today as I am praying and thinking about my own situation and the National emphasis on prayer this week.

This Thursday is the set aside time for the National Day of Prayer in America.  In 1988, President Ronald Reagan amended the 1952 law of Congress to make the first Thursday in May the official time for the established National Day of Prayer.  There have been proclamations for national times or days of prayer since the beginnings of America.  The Continental Congress called for a special prayer time in 1775 and another, more well known proclamation for national prayer, was given by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, for April 30^th as “a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer.”   Prayer is certainly an important subject in the history of America and should be an emphasis for every person in the world!

As proud and self-sufficient as we may think ourselves to be, we are not so powerful as to be able to even completely control the basic things we depend on for life.  You may be able to somewhat control the environment in your home, but you cannot control every aspect of the air outside.  You may have water (even purified somehow) to drink, use in your home or even on your lawn, yet you are dependent on the rain from heaven to allow for food to grow and to sustain your very life.  We cannot control the wind (just ask the people in Texas after the winds recently impacted the Dallas Cowboy Organization) or weather (see my 01-19-09 Blog: “Weather and Tragedy”) and we cannot completely control the actions of others.  We can, however, be people of prayer and prioritize praying!

At its root biblical definition, PRAYER is “communion with God.”  It is you talking to God and potentially God communing with you.  It may come in the form of petitions (most often, when we finally turn to God for help) or simply praise and adoration.  Prayer essentially is made possible by following the number one lesson I have talked much about (“Fear God Above All”).  Biblically speaking, we are to be in the attitude of prayer all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  When you simply follow this rule, you will have far less arguments and even problems around others you daily interact with.  Your focus will be on acknowledging the LORD in everything and it will even improve your health (see Proverbs 3:5-8).  Jesus even taught and emphasized praying (see Luke 18:1—“men always ought to pray and not lose heart,” etc.).  Prayer is important and in fact, essential.

Did you know that we often do not have certain things simply because we fail to pray (c.f. James 4:2)?  It may be that we fail to receive what we do pray about because of the way we pray (James 4:3) or even because we are (instead of acknowledging God in all) regarding iniquity in our hearts (Psalm 66:18).  If you desire blessings in your life and even for God to indeed “bless America” then you had best be in communion with the One Whom we are dependent on for these blessings!  He will help you prevail through any circumstance in life and even through any Tragedy.

Dear Reader, PLEASE avoid the Tragedies of NOT Praying!

A very important life lesson and one especially needing to be learned in the aftermath of tragedy is HOW TO FORGIVE.  Given the emotion tied to tragedy it is not likely that you will forget, so you particularly must choose to forgive, that is, if you can grant forgiveness (please read through to understand this).  If you do not at least allow for forgiveness, you will compound any difficulty or problem and tragedy will be looming.  What about the injustice?  What about what was done to negatively impact you?  What about those who by action or even inaction have brought pain into your life?

There is much misunderstanding about what it means to forgive.  Forgiveness is not necessarily what is meant when one says, “I apologize” (I’ll likely speak to this more in a later blog).  Forgiveness is also something you cannot simply grant, for forgiveness is a promise.  Forgiveness is basically, “release from a debt.”  When you forgive another person you are saying that you will not hold them responsible for any wrong they may have done toward you.  It means that you are releasing that wrong from any comment or justice in the present and in the future.  If you are really forgiving someone, then you will not even be talking about what wrong was done by that person or group and using it negatively against them.

Maybe you are thinking, “This is IMPOSSIBLE; I can’t forget what happened and not even mention that this wrong was done to me.”  What about their need to pay for what they did?  Well, if you are actually forgiving, then you will not talk or even think about how the action or inaction hurt you.  Forgiveness is a serious and demanding thing!  It should not be taken so lightly or misrepresented, as it often is.  You will hear people say, “You just have to forgive” or “If you don’t forgive, you will only hurt yourself.”  Well, there are elements of truth there, but more must be understood.

A systematic understanding of Scripture is essential for understanding here.  I do not have room to detail all of this here.  A basic understanding of logic and a concept of right and wrong also helps.  If we are to have justice and equity for all, then we cannot automatically have forgiveness.  There must be an accounting for actions that are not beneficial or especially ones that are harmful to others.  You would not want to simply forgive someone who robs you.  You cannot simply release a person who decides to go out and rape or kill others.  There must be justice and there must be learning from what happened.  The Bible says that while it appears justice is often not immediately realized, those who are trusting in the LORD know that HE will eventually hold everyone accountable for every work and even every idle word or secret thing (see verses, such as Ecclesiastes 12:14).  Jesus was even specific about this:

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”  Matthew 12:36

We must leave the ultimate judgment and sense of justice to the LORD!  That is His job, and we cannot try to do this for Him.  Doing so is wrong and taking vengeance into your own hands will only cause more problems and even more tragedy.  God has established authorities, which I am detailing in the book.  There must be an acknowledgement of the wrong and a request for forgiveness for there to be a full release from a debt.  So, what if someone will not or cannot (if dead) seek forgiveness?  Well, personally, we are told to give our burdens to the LORD, so we cannot hold onto wrongs.  In that sense there is a release of the burden of wrong in our heart, which is the willingness of forgiveness that must first be present before actual release from any debt (forgiveness) can be granted.  If someone does acknowledge the wrong and even ask for forgiveness, a believer in Jesus Christ is required to extend this forgiveness.

We each MUST have God’s forgiveness to even be able to forgive!  God is willing to forgive us if we first acknowledge Jesus’ payment for our sin.  If we do not accept God’s plan for forgiveness, then we will receive His perfect justice.  He paid for your sin through His life’s blood on the cross.  He was buried and defeated death through His Resurrection.  Believe on Him and accept Him as your personal Savior!

Be FORGIVEN and LEARN To Forgive as He forgives!  Only then, can you truly prevail.

EARTH…the terrestrial frontier…These are the voyages of…WAIT!…That is another program track or trek.  😉  Today is indeed a special day; it is EARTH DAY!  This day is fast becoming one of the biggest celebrations around the world!  In fact, many groups and even big businesses are making the entire month of April a time of celebration for the incredible planet we live on–EARTH.  Disney is also releasing a movie under this “EARTH” title.  Did you know that despite what some science fiction stories say (it is “science fiction”) there is NO OTHER PLACE LIKE EARTH IN THE UNIVERSE!  Earth is uniquely situated in space and the perfect distance from the sun to allow for life to be sustained.  So, on this 39^th celebration of Earth Day, why would I be relating it to tragedy?

The Bible says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.”  Now, if so many people around the world are beginning to think more about the earth and being more conscious of how we interact with the forces at work here, does it not follow that the Creator of this earth and even the rest of the Universe would be even more concerned?  Some even take a more agnostic or deistic view of the Creator because they surmise that He either does not care so much about His earth (as they may even care) or else He is limited in power to change anything (see also my 01-13-09 Blog: “THEISM, A-theism and Deism”).  The answer is readily found in what God has revealed to us.  Of course the Creator is concerned about His Earth and everything and everyone connected to it!  The entire Bible reveals how He has been, now is, and will yet be involved in what happens on the earth.  In the future, He will even see that the heavens and earth are purified when everything is purged through fire (2 Peter 3:10ff).  The foundations of the earth will endure forever (Psalm 104:5), yet He will re-form the heavens and earth anew.

Now, why is it that conditions on the earth seem to be getting worse and temperatures seem to be getting warmer or even cooler (depending on the time and particular scientist or person you ask)?  There is more that God has revealed to us here!  God allowed for sin to enter into the heavens through the fall of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12) and upon the earth through the fall of mankind (Genesis 3:14-19; Romans 5:12).  You may even wish to review my 04-22-08 Blog:  “Mother Nature vs. Father Creator!” and my 07-12-08 Blog:  “Paradise Lost.”  God is allowing corruption into His Creation for a greater purpose and ultimate redemption in the future (Romans 8:20-23ff).  He even provided the opportunity for personal redemption through His own personal sacrifice on the cross (Colossians 1:14ff).  Jesus then conquered death through His Resurrection!  As magnificent as our earth is, most agree this is not the best world today.  It is, however, the best way to the best world!

The tragedy of Earth Day relates to a tragedy I have spoken about in many of my blogs.  It is a lesson Virginia Tech needs to learn and one that America and the rest of the world also needs to learn.  Romans 1:20ff explains the situation.  People exchange the truth for a lie.  They claim that evolution explains how we and all life forms came to be, so they replace God with “Mother nature” or even “Mother Earth,” as is often emphasized on this very day.  They come to worship some aspect of the Creation or simply deify man, rather than acknowledge the Creator.  Consider Romans 1:25:

“Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature [Creation] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Be a responsible and good steward of this earth, but please don’t fall for the Earth Day tragedy!