Author: Rev. Charles Pugh

You may wonder why in the world I would bring politics into the subject of talking about Tragedy.  The answer is not that difficult to understand, though you will have to try to follow my reasoning here.  First, let me say that I am writing this before the 2008 U.S. Election results are all in and the race decided.  The Presidential winner of this election will not change what I am saying, though the voting of the nation will reflect the truth of what I am saying and give a “baramater” (pun intended 😉 ) of where we are as a Nation.  I am talking about something that can be seen if you simply take a look at the Education centers (such as a University setting, like Virginia Tech) and the Cities, verses the more rural areas….

Why is it that urban areas, such as a city or even a University town tend to vote more left leaning (or liberal), while rural areas (agriculture, etc.) tend to vote more right leaning (or conservative).  It is not really that difficult to understand.  While it is complex to consider every angle, it basically comes down to what I see as a real tragedy and what is breeding ground for other human influenced tragedies (crime is more common in the urban areas too).

Much could be said here (I’ll talk more about it in my upcoming book), but it comes down to what I see as Man vs. God.  Do you find this hard to accept?  Please follow my thinking here.  When people gather together into a city environment they will be less exposed to everyday examples of the beauties of Creation.  They will be more inclined to rely on their own thinking and will tend to be puffed up in collective pride (which is a heart problem every individual human being has).  Those living in more rural areas are more regularly exposed to the landscape and variety of plants and animals.  They also will have a better view of the heavens, in that there is less artificial light to interfere with a clear view.  This amounts to daily living and thinking more about God and even the limitations of man.  It puts life in a more realistic perspective.

The University setting lends itself to a similar appeal to man, verses thinking about God.  Education can lead one to believe that they have more answers or it can lead one to realize that there is a really a whole lot that we do not know.  Ironically, most of the early education institutions in America were founded to train people to pursue the various disciplines from a perspective of honoring God and even serving Jesus Christ.  The foundations of our Country are the key reason for its historical success.  If you doubt what I am saying, just research the founding statements of the Ivy League schools.  Study the early governmental writings of the Founding Fathers and the early writings in each State.  I will be explaining more about these things when discussing two particular lessons in my upcoming book (#4 and #8—see the “Top Ten Lessons” tab above).

Friend, do you have all of the answers?  Do you think you have it all figured out?  Many political leaders, commentators and pundits do.  Sometimes they get it right; often they do not.  If they are honest, they will admit that there is much that they have to learn and still cannot fully understand.  The question you should ask yourself is, “Am I focusing more on Man or on God”?  GOD has not left himself without witness and you merely need to pay attention to the Creation to see this.

Will it take an “Act of GOD” or Tragedy to get your attention?  Will you learn from the Creator and His Creation?  We have an objective witness that you can observe in Creation!  We have an objective Word from GOD in the Bible!!  We have an objective witness in the world through the historical entrance of Jesus Christ into His Creation!!!

Will you follow the changing winds of politics?  Man centered thinking will necessarily lead to tragedy; GOD centered, Biblical thinking will lead to peace and harmony.  Which will you choose?   Please contact me if you have further questions.  Challenge me if you think I am missing something here.  Seriously consider the Truth I am saying and look at “The Gospel” Tab above for the Basic Truth that can change your life!

Have you ever considered the difference between Halloween and Politics?  With the attention on the pivotal upcoming U.S. Election this year, you might not be thinking quite as much about Halloween or dressing up.  Then again, Politics lends itself to dressing up and Halloween this year should especially help us all think harder about trying to discern what is true and what is just masked or candy coated.  How can you know whether you will be “tricked” by someone masking who they are or “treated” by a genuine person who will keep their promises?  A good question might be, “What are they hiding?” or maybe even, “What are you hiding?”

The fact is that you cannot always know when a person is hiding something or masking who they really are.  Political candidates have to appeal to a wide range of people with various viewpoints, so they often will resort to putting on a mask or special face to better appeal to the particular audience they are addressing.  If you think about it, that is often what we all do when around different people–we put on a mask or hide something.   One thing about TRAGEDY is that it often catches us off guard and takes away the masks that hide who we really are!

Are you hiding something?  Are you more like an actor playing different parts or are you the same person no matter where you are or who you are around?  You may have heard the saying, “Your reputation is who people think you are and your character is who God knows you are (or when nobody around you is looking).”  If you are frightened by who you really are (c.f. my 10-13 Blog “INNER CHOICE”), then you should realize that you cannot hide anything from GOD!  Hebrews 4:13 says, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

Friend, if you are hiding something, please know that you may fool some people some of the time or even all of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool GOD!  You will give an account to him.  Thank the LORD, that HE is Merciful.  It is because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross that we can find Grace.  It is by His Grace through our Faith in the Person of the LORD JESUS CHRIST and HIS work that we can be saved (see also The Gospel tab above).  You cannot mask anything from HIM!

As noted in previous blogs, Tragedy tends to peel away the layers of life that keep us from the most important things.  We often take much for granted and even live our lives in response to the changing winds of opinion, rather than being led from an inner core (as the 10-13 blog discusses).  Tragedy helps us see our inner self and be in a place to make any necessary changes.  Humanly speaking, this makes it more possible for what history shows us to be incredible changes in societies, impacting the course of history.  I am talking about REVIVAL…

I have recently been doing some research on these patterns in the history of the world and in America.  I found it interesting to see that while there are reports of REVIVAL that seem to come in cycles of about every 50 years, the last wide-reaching impacting REVIVAL is said to have begun around 150 years ago on Fulton Street in New York City in 1857.  This was just a few blocks from where the World Trade Center 9-11-01 attacks occurred.

I can’t help but think of whether God would see fit to send REVIVAL again, especially as more and more are praying diligently for this.  It started with one man’s burden to prioritize praying for this in 1857 and today there are many all over this country and even around the world that are praying for REVIVAL!

Could the Virginia Tech Tragedy be part of what God would use to send REVIVAL?  There have been many changes (I would say good and bad).  That Tragedy certainly impacted my life and led to what is still today more of a state of Tragedy for me.  I am REVIVED in my thinking and in my core and am seeking to help others be REVIVED as well.  Maybe it will be something like what is said to have happened on a Western Kentucky campus, even today?  Maybe it will be some other local, National, or International Tragedy?

What will it take to awaken you?  What change will you pursue?  Will you be REVIVED?  Will you be focused on a set of priorities that puts the Spiritual first, the emotional second, and the physical last?  Our tendency, reflected throughout the world is to put the physical first, the emotional second, and the spiritual last.  The U.S. Political election and discussion is a good example of this (a priority focus on the economy and the material, rather that the moral and spiritual).  You might also want to reference my 09-09-08 “From Reform to REVIVAL” blog.

If we focus on fearing the loss of the material, we will be emotionally unstable and all out of order.  Just look at the current Stock Market volatility around the world!  If we focus on fearing the LORD, then our emotions will properly follow, eventually leading to physical blessings.  Will it take additional Tragedies to get your attention?  Will it take more National Tragedy for our Country to properly change?  Will it take a personal tragedy to get your own life in order?  WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE PRAYING, SO WE CAN PRIORITIZE LIVING!

The CHANGE we need is REVIVAL!

When suddenly faced with something unexpected you will tend to respond in a way that reveals the reality of where your heart is.  It reveals “what you are really made of.”  It is what some have called “a gut check.”  The decisions you make and the direction you then take will come from the core of your being or your moral compass.  This is the inner person or control room where life’s decisions are made.  What are you made of?  Are you scared by your responses or do they reassure you of what you already know to be true?  Are there changes you can make or are you destined to be a certain way?

You cannot immediately change the person that you are on the inside.  This is something that takes the time and diligence of being faithful in the little things of daily living.  If what comes out in tragedy or from the unexpected is less than desirable, then you need to step back and see that you put into place that which will help fortify your inner being.  The way to do this is not to build with less than perfect materials of men.  The way to do this is to have solid material to build that solid foundation for your life.

You can only hide who you are for so long.  The masks will eventually fall off or be cast aside and the real inner person will be seen.  You cannot fool God.  There is mercy and grace in God, though pride of heart will even hide these truths.  You do have a choice.  You can choose to yield and build or you can deny and die.  If you know how to grow and bear good fruit, then why would you choose to fight against growth and be barren?

There is an internal virus.  The fix is more than a patch; it is a new program.  Check out other blogs on this site for more of what I mean here.  Look up the Scriptures for the Top Ten Lessons (tabbed above).  Consider Proverbs 4:23:

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Are you fed up or are you hungry?  Have you had enough?  THAT’S IT!

That could be the end of this blog, but then you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about.

IT can stand for many things.  Most recently, IT is popularly referred to as Information Technology (a thriving educational department at many Universities, including Virginia Tech).  If you do a search on “IT” you will find many things for which IT stands.

As this Website is dedicated to learning from and through Tragedy, I want to talk about IT as well…

Impacting Tragedy can either be something you do (by action or inaction), something you have experienced (personal impact of tragedy), or something you understand (the Impact of Tragedy).  That’s IT!

What is the impact tragedy has?  Initially, it is often shock.  Feelings of disbelief are soon turned to the reality of grief, which often leads to discouragement or feelings of hopelessness.  If people do not respond to properly help those suffering from tragedy, then the tragedy is compounded and true recovery is unlikely.  The way to help is to get involved in a proper way.  It is to be available–to love and serve those impacted.  You can see my emphasis on this truth in many of my other blogs and particularly in the Top Ten Lessons (#5 and #7) tabbed above.

What will you do?  Will you sit back or get involved to properly influence and impact others–especially in the aftermath of tragedy?  Be it political involvement, community involvement, or personal involvement, you can do IT!  That is how purpose is defined.  That is how meaning is given.  That is Informed Theology.  That is IT!