This is a long article, but well- worth the reading. As the world gets crazier and crazier, do you feel a need to do SOMETHING? Preparing for the future is a Biblical thing; it doesn't mean you aren't trusting in the Lord! He allowed Joseph to go to Egypt first to PREPARE for a coming famine. The Proverbs are full of admonitions to look to the future. If the rapture occurs soon, perhaps the Lord is calling you to prepare a store for the Tribulation saints. Much more information is available at Mrs. Survival.
Prepping is challenging enough at the best of times but when you come to it with a deep feeling of necessity, having seen the bleakness of the future, then tension adds to the burdens. So many of you here have expressed the feeling that you started too late or that you didn’t feel you could do enough in time. There have been many posts that talked about feelings of futility and the feeling that one is losing their sanity by trying to prep when those around you are oblivious to the need. It is those people whom I hope will be helped by this thread specifically though, others might find it helpful as well.
I will not mince words. The world we live in is in big trouble and that trouble is coming to your neighborhood very soon if it is not already there. There may be some diehard individuals out there that believe that it’s going to get better or that the Government is going to take care of things but those are not the people we normally see here at Mrs. S. If you are here at Mrs. S you more than likely came to learn about prepping but once here have found such a huge wealth of information it’s almost impossible to know where to start. Coupled with the latest news reports of food shortages world wide, rationing of basic staples, high prices at the gas pump and grocery store, the continuing mortgage crisis, and job losses and it could be extremely difficult to know what to do.
This thread is not about specifics, for each of you will have a different situation calling for different plans. There are as many ways to prep as there are preppers. There is no right or wrong way. What I’m going to discuss is just one way to get started. It is meant to teach you about tools you can use to help you do the job better, more efficiently, and hopefully with less stress. Those tools are within each of you and will cost you little.
The first tool you need is conviction.
You will never be able to accomplish what you need to do in a short period of time if you are not convinced that you need to do so. Many of you have had opposition from friends and relatives and that makes us second-guess the need. Sometimes you have a conflicting problem with spending the money on something that you ‘might’ use in the future as opposed to something you want now. Perhaps you can’t imagine having to live with preps and that makes it difficult to envision what you need. Whatever it might be that is your roadblock, if you can’t get beyond it, if you are not totally convinced that this is necessary to insure your future, you will have a difficult time going beyond a few months of food in the pantry. If you have not found that certainty yet then it’s time to step back and take a real good look at the situation as you see it today. Define what you perceive as the worst threat, talk with your family and friends once again and see if their attitude has changed any. If they have, then you have support, if not, then you will have to find that conviction within you to continue. Once you have that conviction you will feel some of the stress ebb. If it’s not all ebbing, don’t panic. Just keep working through these next tools.
NOTE: If you do find yourself with a lot of opposition you might just say that you did not wait to take out insurance on your house until the roof was on fire and you did not take out insurance on your car after an accident. Your preps are just another form of insurance.
The next tool is identifying the threat.
What are you planning to prep FOR? It is virtually impossible to be prepared for everything that could happen but you can attempt to identify the greatest possibilities. It is true that even the possibilities are changing very fast but many of your preps will cover a multitude of dangers and threats. Only you can know what you or your family might need to face. The one thing I suggest is that you do NOT delude yourself. Be realistic about it. While it’s doubtful that you would have a flood in the desert, you might need to deal with the lack of water. Do not, however, believe you will never have to deal with hungry hoards because you live hundreds of miles from a big city. You may not have to deal with a baby in the house if you are elderly or childless but then again you might! Only you can decide for only you know your situation. Whatever you decide, keep the conviction in place as you face the threat. Never feel you cannot do this.
The next tool is to identifying your assets.
Before you buy one more thing, you need to use this tool. This tool has you setting down with pencil and paper, making lists. Do not expect to finish these lists. You will continually be adding to them. Keep them near you. This tool forms the start of your preps no matter if you have never prepped before or if you have prepped for years and want to be sure you are up to date.
First make a list that assesses yourself and each member of your family or the group you might need to share a SHTF situation. List the strengths and weaknesses of each. List their skills, their knowledge and a short note on their personalities, things like whether they feel a constant need of approval of others, whether they could be a leader and whether or not you feel they would be solid during a crisis or fall apart. Assess their health and their medical needs. Assess their addictions like coffee or drugs, alcohol, gambling, shopping etc. This list gives you an idea of what human resources you have at hand. Be sure to delve deeply into your own knowledge base as it pertains to survival at it’s basic. Do you know how to start a simple wood fire? Can you cook from scratch, do you know how to sew, repair, or have a good sense of direction? Can you follow directions from a book? Sometimes we feel we know very little but often we have more knowledge base than we realize. Even just growing up or being around knowledgeable people gives us perhaps untapped resources in our minds.
Next start a list of your actual and physical assets. Try to work through the house room by room with the exception that you might want to list all foods together on one list. A clipboard with multiple papers will help with this task. Be sure to list staples like spices, condiments and such on your food list. Try to assess how long each thing would last in normal situation. Be sure to list medical and first aid supplies. As you go through the house look at things with a “prepping eye”. Would those rags work as washable toilet wipes in a pinch? Do you have extra sheets for bandages or for sickness, towels that could be used as diapers, buckets that could be used for the laundry with a toilet plunger? How many clothes do you have for each person and how long would they last if there were no more available. When you assess your tools look at them with a prepping eye also. Would a hammer or screwdriver be useful as a weapon, do you have a saw that could also procure wood for heating in a real pinch, or would the tool box itself be a good hiding place for valuables? In other words, think WAY outside the box when you are assessing.
List your financial assets and liabilities. Later you will be looking at where the money is coming from for the preps you need but for now just list.
Next make a list of the resources in and within a safe walking distance around your home or apartment. Again, think prep. The water heater contains an emergency amount of safe drinking water? How much water is contained in your water pipes? Do you have a back yard for vegetables or fruit, a fence for security, a neighbor who would be helpful? Is there a park, field, wilderness, or other resources near you? Do you have a pool, or does the neighbor? If you have no land, are there resources near you? A city pond, a park, or an empty lot that might yield wild foods or be used for neighborhood gardens if necessary? Is the roof flat and would it be useful for gardening if you had the soil and seed on hand? Is it pitched and are their gutters for catching rainwater? What types of windows do you have? Are they advantageous? There are so many things that we have around us that we never consider as a “prep”. Find them and put them on your list.
As you broaden your knowledge base about prepping you will be reassessing those lists to tell you what assets you have for energy, lighting, heat, water, cooking, and various other aspects of survival.
The object of these lists is to let you know that you really do have more preps than you think. That will give you some confidence. They can also tell you where the holes are that need filling. If you are just not a list maker at least take the inventory mentally. You need to know where you are before you can move on or you will be spending money and energy needlessly and still not be as prepared as you could otherwise be.
Attitude:
I believe we could add attitude adjustments to the tools for prepping. I noticed that many preppers on this board and others tend to react adversely when anyone points out the terrible future we could be looking at. There are all sorts of reactions from denial, to justification, to refuting the subject.
It’s plain and simple human nature not to want change forced upon us. The future we are starting to see in the media and on the survival and watch boards is way less than optimal. It seems to be pointing out that we will need to give up a lot of what we consider luxuries and perhaps even necessities. Just the raise in prices alone makes us cringe but the thought of having to perhaps face TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) is even worse.
Why? I tried to get a handle on that.
Is it because you could have to do much more physical work than you’ve done in the past? I know it is more and more difficult for me each year. Is it because you love your present lifestyle so much that you can’t give it up? Perhaps it is because you want your children to have so much MORE than you did and that fear that they will have so much less. Perhaps it is because you see a future that looks too much like the past. Some of us have been there, done that and do NOT want to do it again. Some see the past as a time of degradation for those living through it.
There are a great many reasons why we do not want to face the future. But our attitudes about the future constantly dictate to our prepping. So, too, does our attitude about the past if that is where we feel the next future is taking us. When we think of the future as a terrible place to be, we cling to the present with every inch of our being. That means that we focus on THINGS for our preps; food mostly because it is often associated with the good life. Our first thought is to squirrel away all those things that bring us joy because we can’t imagine joy in the future facing us.
Certainly we will be facing some really tough times. If we have a SHTF situation it more then likely would cause widespread societal breakdown for at least the first part of that time. I won’t paint a false rosy pictures for you. The situation is worsening daily and much faster than any of us had expected but we can prep for that yet. It won’t be as easy but we can do it with a bit of ingenuity and determination.
Still, many people will still be prepping only for the short term because they cannot wrap their minds around trying to envision a future where we have to give up a way of life that we’ve grown accustomed to.
I believe a change of attitude toward that future might help us all to get beyond that. We aren’t really sure what the future will bring but even if it did bring us TEOTHAWKI why do we believe it will be a worse world? Is our world so perfect today that we don’t want to change it? You all know what is going on in the world today even if you choose not to acknowledge it. There is a lot of room for improvement. Who is to say that those improvements won’t come AFTER the SHTF? Each of us has different views for what the world should be. So also will each of you have different ideas for being prepared for it but changing our attitudes towards that future might make even a bigger difference in how and what we prep.
I can easily envision a future where we won’t have electricity which would mean giving up not only a lot of luxuries but possibly will bring a lot of extra physical labor I am ill equipped for. I would mourn that loss but I also look forward to the possibility that it might bring families closer together. I can envision no modern world interference in the time they spend together. No TV’s, Ipods, geehaws and gadgets that take attention away from family and focus it on individuals. Working together for survival can make for tighter knit groups.
When I realized that I changed some of my ideas about what to have prepared. I stocked up on popcorn, books, puzzles, and musical instruments. I made sure that I had lots of hand projects to do in the evening for idle hands are less productive hands and can lead to boredom. I invested in wind up clocks for I know that time has become an issue with us all and it will help to make that transition. I am especially careful to print out instructions for those things I feel we might need to know to make our non-electric lifestyle easier and have invested in non-electric items to insure a smoother transition. When I go to buy something now I ask myself if I could still use it in a non-electric world.
I’ve heard some of you say how worried you are about your kids in this new reality. They might not have all the wonderful things you wanted for them. Perhaps they won’t be able to go to college. Maybe they will have to give up something they are accustomed to having or do something they have never done before. That doesn’t mean it will be bad. If we truly have a societal change then they will not be alone. Their friends, and family will all be in the same boat. Changes happen constantly in young peoples lives. They are meant to. It’s how they grow and we see it daily now. Why do we think it will be any different after the SHTF? In fact, they will most likely adapt better than us adults.
Eventually there will still be schools even if it’s in your own home. Eventually new opportunities will open up for them to move into. It might be different than they had dreamed of but it will be a new dream. You can help with these transition with your attitude.
Attitude towards the future can make all the difference, not just to your prepping but to your whole well being and that of your family. Our ancestors the pioneers really didn’t know what their future was going to bring when they packed up their wagons and headed west. The knew they faced hardship and dangers yet they tried to be as prepared as possible for what might come. Some of them chose to go; some only went because their loved ones did. Some had no choice and felt forced into the trip but mostly they went with the attitude that there would be a new and better way of life ahead of them. After they had faced the deserts and the mud and the rain, after they faced the sometimes unfriendly natives who saw them as a threat, after they lost loved ones and possessions a huge percentage of them managed to find a new life, a better one for themselves and their family. Have we evolved into such puny pampered weaklings now that we can’t do the same? I think not!
NOTE that through all this so far you have spent very little and you have only left your house to assess resources outside. Free preps with little expenditure of energy and low stress so far.
By now you probably ARE starting to feel some stress as you think of all the things that could happen to you and your family. Don’t get panicky and if you find yourself doing so, don’t stop. With your conviction firmly in place just keep going.
Where to start?
FIRST- Bug Out Bags. Never forget that it could be possible that you would have to leave your home in a moments notice and the preps and resources you have may not be available. Bug Out Bags for each member of the family should be your FIRST Prep items attended to. There are numerous threads here on Mrs. S that will help you build them. Keep them handy. Have them in vehicles, near doors, even in the garage or an outbuilding. Learn to carry a mini BOB with you at all times. If you do them with some thought to where you will go, what will possibly happen in that journey and what you might need, you will have a better chance for survival. You will also have your first taste of security.
Second, take out that list of your and perhaps your family’s personal assets. Look at your knowledge base for the bare necessities of survival and self-reliance. Could you write a book on basic survival in the wilderness or in the city? Do you NEED a book on basic survival in the wilderness or the city? If you are unsure then buy a good book on survival at its basics and see just how much you already know and use the book for filling in the gaps. There are many such free books on the internet if you can’t afford or can’t find one to buy. At the least find a list of basic survival skills and choose to learn about those that are most fitting in your situation. Providing water, food, and shelter are the first things you need to know. Make sure you can do that in the City if there is no chance you will be leaving and in the city AND the countryside if it’s possible that you might. If you live in the country and already know basic survival there. LEARN about City survival. You never know where life will put you. And yes, there ARE books on basic survival in urban, rural and wilderness areas. You do NOT need to become an expert. Study the book thoroughly to help the info stay in your mind and pack that book or a copy in all your BOB’s, and keep it near as a reference.
While you are filling in the gaps of your knowledge base you can be starting to fill in holes in your preps. There are as many suggestions for stocking up as there are preppers. One size does NOT fit all. I suggest only that you check your lists to see what you need. Start with the most pressing ones first. There are numerous wonderful stocking up lists on Mrs. S. Use them as a guide until you can see for yourself. Do NOT be overwhelmed by them. They cover everything from food to medicines, to tools, to guns, to incidentals, to sewing supplies, and more. You do not necessarily need them all. They are not meant to be all-inclusive you may need something not on the list. They are only meant to help you think of things you might not have otherwise.
These lists do not just focus on food but preps of all types. I’m sure they will open up new areas of thought for you. If you have trouble finding the lists by using the search engine, just ask a mod or post in one of the forums.
Be systematic in your prepping though not dogmatic. Be flexible to find the bargains. Cross items off your list to show progress. Have two or three goals in mind, adding more each time you attain one. It is human nature that we rarely achieve a goal if we don’t have another waiting in the wings. Make sure your goals come from both adding to your knowledge base and adding to your physical preps. Variety adds interest and keeps you prepping.
Financial difficulties.
This is an issue for most preppers, new or otherwise. With the way prices are rising it will make it difficult but not impossible to prepare. It will depend on how well you completed your use of tool number one. If you are convinced that you need to do this you will find a way. It might help to realize that there are many here on the board who are below poverty level, elderly, disabled, or otherwise financially challenged yet they are finding and sharing ways to get and stay prepared. If you just cannot find the funds to buy food for your pantry and other supplies then it’s time to go back to those basics. There is always something you can do to work towards being prepped even if it’s learning how to start a fire or filling an empty soda bottle with water for storage. Making plans and maps for escape routes and packing BOB’s with items you have right in the house are a couple more. The internet is full of free educational material. Look for it, read it, copy it if you can and start a folder with emergency information you may need later.
Now that you have some basic information lets address the stress and tension you are feeling about being ready in time or having enough. Being prepped won’t cure that tension or stress. Those of us who have been prepping for a much longer period are also feeling it. It is not the stress of prepping that is the problem, the problem is the unknown, the fear, the certainty that something is going to happen but you can’t find the enemy. It helps to have a support system that believes as you do. We are not always fortunate to have that but with the threats looming more openly now you probably won’t be alone for long. Mrs. S is a great place to find online support also.
One sure cure for the problem though is ACTION. Setting around and fretting about what you CAN’T do is not going to help, either the stress or the preps. Focus on what you CAN do and then do it.
I found a contest this morning! It's well worth the entering, but has an unusual rule. You get an entry for your comment, but each entry mentioning your name gets you ANOTHER chance to win! So head on over and enter, but mention my name, if you would be so kind!
I am off now to browse the rest of her blog. It looks interesting!
There's a neat new site just for homeschoolers to share their videos! Have you seen it yet? It's called HomeschoolViewTube. I am going to try to figure out how to upload a video tomorrow afternoon (hopefully) and put something up! Do take advantage of this great site! I'll see you there.
I came across this while browsing a new blog this evening. It's from Simply Thrifty and lists 100 things you can make at home, along with links to recipes to do it. I have marked the things I have actually done in bold print. How many have you done yourself?
Have you been feeling the need to prepare? We don't know for what, but many have been feeling an urge to put up a little more food, to begin a garden, just to PREPARE! I read an excellent article on Mrs. S and wanted to share it here. It is quite long, but well worth the time spent reading.
Please tell me what you think.
I occasionally get e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers, asking about how I
can justify active preparedness in light of my Christian faith. Some
cite the "Lilies of the Field" passage in Matthew 6:25-34:
"Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than
food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of
the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why
do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They
do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do
not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or
'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and
your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
In my view, people are misinterpreting these verses. These are verses
about worry, not about work or preparedness. Never does the Bible teach
that we should laze about and not provide for our families. Earning our
daily bread is the Godly way to live. We are taught not to be lazy or
dependent on others. Yes, we are to trust in God's providence, but
nowhere do the scriptures absolve us of the responsibility to work or
to save up for lean times. Consider these four verses from the book of
Proverbs:
He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Proverbs 12:11, NIV
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23, NIV
The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. Proverbs 21:25, NIV
The plans of the diligent surely lead to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5, NKJV
Food Storage
The Bible encourages storing food. Look at Gen. 41:47-49: "And in the seven
plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up
all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and
laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round
about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as
the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was
without number." And then see Gen. 41:53-57: "And the seven years of
plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the
sevens years of dearth [drought] was in all lands; but in all the land
of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished,
the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the
Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
And the
famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the
storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in
the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to
buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
The preceding is a good example that illustrates the need for food storage.
As I write this in 2008, a growing portion of the world is already
experiencing famine. You should recognize that famine could just a well
come to stalk America, Europe, the British Isles, and Australia. (The
areas with the largest SurvivalBlog readership.) It is prudent and
Biblically supported to stock up during good times in anticipation of
lean times.
Prov. 6:6-15: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or
ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the
harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out
of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of
the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as one that
travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. A naughty person, a wicked
man, walketh with a forward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he
speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Forwardness is in
his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken
without remedy."
The lessons from scripture are clear: Don't be
lazy and lax. Store up in good times for future lean times. Ponder this
Old Testament passage: Psalm 34:9-10: "O fear the Lord, ye his saints:
for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack,
and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good
thing." And then look at this New Testament passage:, from 1 Timothy
5:8: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for
those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever."
One of the many names of God is Jehovah Jireh,
which means God Who Provides. As I Christian, I believe that God will
provide for his covenant people. I believe that one of the many gifts
that the God has provided is a conviction, by the Holy Spirit, to be
well prepared. I realize that we are only on Earth for about 80 trips
around the sun, and that is just the twinkling of an eye versus
eternity. Where we end up after this brief life is far, far more
important in the grand scheme of things. We will spend eternity either
in heaven or in hell. But how we spend our +/-80 year life on Earth is
up to us. (And the most important thing that we do in the is life is
make ourselves right with God, though his Grace, to accepting eternal
life in heaven. But stepping back to this temporal world: The Bible
makes it very clear that we are to be good stewards of the blessings
that God provides us. I therefore feel strongly convicted to not just
share the gospel of Christ, but also to physically prepare for my own
family, and store extra to dispense as charity. The bottom line: I
can't continue to share the gospel if I starve to the point of
achieving room temperature!
Self Defense
Other readers
question how I can justify owning guns for self-defense. Some
Mennonites, for example, eschew all means self defense and decry even
the willingness to defend oneself or one's loved ones. That, in my
opinion is taking "turning the other cheek" (Luke 6:29) to an extreme
that is not sculpturally founded.
Exodus 22:2 provides
Biblical justification for killing someone if he intends to forcibly
rob or kill another man: "If a thief is caught breaking in and is
struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed."
(Exodus 22:2 NIV)
And Jesus teaches that it is wise to be
armed, in Luke 22:35-36: "Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you
without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' 'Nothing,' they
answered. He said to them, 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and
also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy
one."
In an article titled: What Does The Bible Say About Gun
Control? Larry Pratt keenly observed the difference between
self-defense and vengeance:
Resisting an attack is not to be
confused with taking vengeance which is the exclusive domain of God
(Rom. 12:19). This has been delegated to the civil magistrate, who, as
we read in Romans 13:4, ". . . is God’s minister to you for good. But
if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for
he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices
evil."
Private vengeance means one would stalk down a criminal
after one’s life is no longer in danger as opposed to defending oneself
during an attack. It is this very point that has been confused by
Christian pacifists who would take the passage in the Sermon on the
Mount about turning the other cheek (which prohibits private vengeance)
into a command to falter before the wicked.
Let us consider also
that the Sixth Commandment tells us: "Thou shall not murder." In the
chapters following, God gave to Moses many of the situations which
require a death penalty. God clearly has not told us never to kill. He
has told us not to murder, which means we are not to take an innocent
life. Consider also that the civil magistrate is to be a terror to
those who practice evil. This passage does not in any way imply that
the role of law enforcement is to prevent crimes or to protect
individuals from criminals. The magistrate is a minister to serve as
"an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil" (Rom. 13:4).
Jesus
taught both to turn the other cheek and to be well-armed to defend
oneself. The important factor is having the wisdom to know when to
employ either approach depending on the circumstances. I pray, for
wisdom, discernment, and discretion, daily. I don't seek out trouble,
and in fact I have moved my family to a remote, lightly populated
region in good part to avoid trouble. But if unavoidable trouble comes
my way, I want to have the option of resisting force with force. And I
only have that option if I am armed and trained.
Some critics
of armed preparedness cite Matthew 26:52-54, which descries how Jesus
responded when Peter cut off the ear of a s high priest's servant,
using a sword: "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into
his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the
sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall
presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then
shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"
In context, Jesus is telling Peter that it would be suicidal to fight in
that particular situation, since they were quite outnumbered. And of
course Jesus knew it was in God's plan for him to be arrested, tried,
crucified, and resurrected. Jesus told Peter to put his sword in its
place –which was back in his belt. Jesus was telling Peter in effect
that "there is a time to fight, and this, my friend, isn't it." He
didn't command him to "throw that sword away", or "surrender it", or to
"stop carrying it". After all, according to Luke, Jesus had just
recently ordered the disciples to arm themselves. The reason for the
arms was obviously to protect their own lives when traveling--not to
protect His own life, which He intended to sacrifice, to pay for our
sins, once and for all.
The Old testament teaches both to be armed, and to be trained. We read in Psalm 144:1:
Blessed be the Lord my rock
Who trains my hands for war
And my fingers for battle.
Yes,
as Christians our battles are mainly spiritual, but we must also be
prepared to defend our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, against
evildoers.
Charity
Charity--both in time of plenty
and in times of disaster--is a Christian responsibility with its roots
in the Old Testament tradition of Tzedaka. This
responsibility--particularly for the support of widows and orphans--was
repeated in the New Testament, such as in Acts 11:27-29: "And in these
days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one
of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be
great dearth [drought] throughout all the world: which came to pass in
the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to
his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judea."
The Biblical approach to survivalism is to avoid
trouble, but to be ready for it nonetheless. And when trouble does
come, have extra stores on hand, so that you can dispense copious
charity. Give until it hurts!
**UPDATE** The garden was hacked on Resurrection Sunday by some filthy minded sinner. I'll let you know if and when it is restored.
My friend Kristy is working hard on organizing a new message board/forum for all of us who use Charlotte Mason methods including Ambleside Online to teach our children. Anyone interested in participating can click here to reach the board.
A Garden of Character & Ideas (link removed due to hacking damage)
Just submit a registration to get started. Since the forum is in the developmental stage, we'd love your ideas for new categories and your other suggestions.
Have a great weekend and get out for a little nature study!
Please pray for Heather and her children at LazyDRanch as Eric has gone home to the Lord. She has a pager that buzzes when someone calls and lets her know they are praying for her and the children. Call this number to encourage her: 209-236-2063
I found a neat site where you can design your own pins, bumper stickers and magnetic stickers for your car. It's www.makestickers.com. What clever sayings can you come up with?
Momma
Kristy at Living, Loving and Learning gave me an award! I am so honored!
Thanks! Kristy is always learning right along with her children. She's learned to knit now, and has completed a darling sock! Trixie saw it this evening and asked for knitted socks. She thought they looked very comfortable! Sorry, Trixie. Momma's not talented in that manner!
I have thought and thought about who to pass this award on to. After much contemplation, my choices are:
Michele at Hugs4Him She is always encouraging, full of great information and always real. I appreciate her honesty and wisdom and all that I learn from reading her blog.
Mom2Cherubs at Adventures On Beck's Bounty I always look forward to new posts. I became aware of this great blog through Shadybrook Acres. They had just survived a terrible fire and were coming back stronger as a family. I love the adventures and tips shared by this family! She's another that I would love to mirl!
I would love recommendations of whose blogs are well worth reading at homestead. Do you have any favorites? Do any of you, my friends, blog over there, too? Please leave suggestions!
I'm the blessed wife of My Honey of 14 years, and Momma to eight wonderful Lambies aged 13 and under. We live in Central CA, and use Ambleside Online for our curriculum. I'd love to meet you , so browse a while and feel free to leave a comment!
