Well, Goodness Gracious

Well, goodness gracious .... Day/Round Two.

By the way, still no cell phone service.

~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Update 2:oo pm

 Tornado Sirens going off again ... warning signal.

We are packed, prepared, and ready to run if need be.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UPDATE 3:00 pm

Okay so the last wave kinda changed direction, and missed us ... or, well, the nasty stuff did ... radar says another wave is heading our way ... so, my dear beloveds, your prayers and thoughts are working :)

((( hugs )))

Updated: Bad Weather Ahead

Click on photo for larger image ...
the red dot, with the red arrow pointing to it, is Alton.

I'll be back to make my regular blog post.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Update: 9:30-ish

City of Alton's Tornado Siren
just went off ...
seek shelter.

Will continue to update as circumstances/time permits.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Update: Monday, May 23 - 3:45 am

First of all,
I want to let everyone know
that when I made the first post
around 6:45 about the bad weather
heading our way,
I did NOT know Joplin had been hit so hard.

In fact,
I did not know Joplin had been hit at all.

Nani and I had been working outside most of the day
and, as always, I use my cell phone as my camera.

Ever so often, I have to stop what I am doing,
and send the pictures to my email ...
because my phone can only hold so much before its full.

I began sending a couple of pics around 4:00 ...
pics I took early this morning of the seedlings and the sunrise.

Normally, I can send one picture a minute.

Around 5:30, and I have the emails to show this,
the delivery of my messages were real slow.
 
I had to re-send several times because the delivery would fail.

It took FOREVER to send one picture.

I completely lost all service around 5:45.

(click on image to enlarge ... then backspace so you won't lose your spot on the blog)

(I just found out the tornado hit Joplin around 5:30.) 

Around 6:30 I came inside, and got online to check our local weather
... and that is when I saw bad weather was heading our way
 ... and that is when I made my initial post here.

I still didn't realize how bad ... or I wouldn't have left the girls at home,
to walk to the grocery store.

(I bought lighter fluid, to start another fire tomorrow in the drainage ditch,
and some more watermelon and squash seeds ... and some soda.) 

At the grocery store, all I heard was people talking about
how bad the storm was.

No one knew about Joplin yet, or if they did,
I didn't hear any talk of it ... and I was listening.

I heard a lot of talk about hunkering down, and people wanting to hurry home.

I got home about 8:30, and put Nani in the bathtub, and started supper.

At about 9:00,  the neighbors rushed over to tell me just how bad it was
... and told me they would have called, but they hadn't had cell phone service
the past few hours.

Really?
Me either .... weird.

About 9:15 the tornado sirens went off.

Neighbor ran back over, and told us that was just the warning siren
... but start getting ready to go.

If the siren went off again, they would take us to the shelter.

We all put on sweatpants, sweatshirts, and kicked off our flip-flops
 ... and put on tennis shoes.

Laura packed a small bag.
Nani packed a bag of coloring books, and her Spiderman mask.

I put my Bible in Nani's bag, and put on my contacts
... so I could see ...
didn't want my glasses flying off my face
if it got as ugly as it sounded like it could.

We were ready to go.

I went to shut off the computer, and looked at the radar again ...
made the "update" post here, and a couple of posts on Facebook.

The wind began picking up, pretty bad actually,
and we gathered on the front porch
... to run if/when the neighbors honked.

The girls were scared.

I gathered them into my arms, and then stepped back and held their hands.

And said a simple prayer.

You can read what I said, below, in the comments
I brought over from Facebook.

The neighbors never honked ... the sirens never went off again ...
and the winds died down, and the rain softly fell.

We stood there, amazed, and watched the occasional light show.

After about 30 minutes? I don't know how long ...
I booted the computer back up, and looked at the radar.

The storm, literally, passed over us ...
there was "orange, red, dark red, purple" radar colors
all around us, but Alton remained in the green.

Here were the five snapshots I was able to send to my email
before the storm shut down my phone.

(It's still down, by the way.)

This morning's sunrise.

And, a sweet corn seedling ... with a drop of morning dew.

All is well at Mama's ... pray for Joplin, and keep them in your thoughts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

rain Rain AND MORE RAIN ... part two

Yes, it is still raining here ... lots and lots of rain.

So much rain that the school canceled yesterday (Monday)

and is cancelling today, Tuesday, too.

But, back to the continuation of ... 

going to, and through, hell.

Going "to" hell was the first part of the ordeal, and being away from my children.

Going "through" hell was the second part of the ordeal, and being away 

from my children even longer than originally planned.

So here is the second part .. the "going through" part.

On February 12th, I rented another U-Haul and made several trips

to place our belongings into storage.

I had one week until the girls were supposed to come to me, 

and I didn't even have a home for them.

Nor did I have a car, or a job.

Remember, the whole premise of this move in the first place

was that we were going to have a roof over our head, and transportation.

Oh! something I failed to mention in the previous post

was that I was also going to go back to school to get my
Masters in Theology ... and, so, I didn't need to worry about a job, either.

I was planning to substitute at the local schools
every once in a while

for extra money, that's it.

(The school where I want to get my Masters is out of North Carolina, 

and is closer to the Virginia caretaker opportunity, but I had already 

discussed arrangements to complete my coursework online ... so 

living in Missouri was not going to be a problem.)

Anyway, so, no home no car no job ... and my girls were coming in one week.

Talk about hell.

My family back home in TEXAS knew of the situation,

and we all agreed to postpone the girls coming until Spring Break ...

that gave me a little time to figure out what in the hell

I was going to do, and how I was going to do it.

(sorry for all the hell words ... but it is applicable.)

My middle miracle didn't mind the set-back at all ... 

it gave her more time with her friends.

To say she really didn't want to make this move

would be a gross understatement ...

imagine you being 15, and leaving the only life 

you have ever known, and hmmm, yeah.
Enough said.

So I got an immediate job as a waitress at the Redneck Cafe 

... in Alton, Missouri ...

which is another story, in and of itself, but

not one I am sure I am going to tell.

We'll see about that.

Yeah, I'll tell it ... be patient though, for I already have sooo much to tell.

I DID LOVE WAITRESSING THOUGH ... WOW!

For real ... I found myself "at home" tending to people, and 

it was also a great way to meet people ... 

seeing how I, literally, didn't know a single soul there.

On my time off from the Redneck Cafe, I found myself

looking and looking and looking

for a home 

for my children 

which is difficult to do in a small town.

The few homes that were available were not acceptable to me, at all, but

I really wasn't in a position to be picky, either.

Still I held on, and kept looking ... having faith that 

the PERFECT one would eventually present itself.

And it did "present itself" alright ... mhmm ...

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE KIDS WERE SET TO COME
did it finally present itself, and it

 was a filthy mess.

But, filth and all, it was perfect.

It needed a lot of work, and still does, but I immediately set out

to work on it ... elbow grease, and paint, were my first weapons of choice.

It needs a lot of work ... a lot of work ... but its location is perfect ...

on the outskirts of town, just inside the city limits, and it sits on top of a hill.

The lot is big, the neighbors are nice, and the view is beautiful.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

 

Time to explain my absence the past three months, but first

let me say it pains me to hear about my beloved state, TEXAS, being burned ...

I have wished often that I could send some of this Ozark rain to them.

This past week, here, has been nothing BUT rain ... and a few

healthy storms, too ... with continued rain through Wednesday.

I think I've heard we've already received eight inches,

and there are flood warnings.

 I hear Texas is getting some rain right now 

... with a few storms of their own ...

and that has to be bringing a little bit of relief.

If you know me at all, or if you have been following my blog,

you know that I have a love for the homesteading life ...

and you also know that I have been knocking on all kinds of doors

with the prayer that God open the one that He wanted me to walk through.

I knocked upon Terlingua's door, the last of April 2010,

and it seemed promising, but it never fully opened, 

and since I am not one to kick a closed door down

... sigh ...

At least I got to see some of my good friends there:

including John Wells and, of course, Mr. Smith.

Does Nick still have a blog?

I knocked upon Elk City's door, in July 2010, 

and it was REAL promising 

... in fact, the door swung open after that interview ...

but, for some reason that we'll never know, 

it slammed shut in my face.

Literally.

The rest of the summer I tried to maintain a good attitude,

and even began accepting the possibility 

that God didn't want me to go anywhere ... the possibility that

He must want me to stay right where I am at.

In late September/early October, I went on my "simple living adventure"

which has several postings ... and I soul-searched.

Came home, rested and restored, and began knocking on doors again.

I knocked everywhere ... Austin, Fort Worth, Tyler ... 

but not a single door budged.

I belong to a homesteading bulletin board, and have several friends there,

and found an opening for a caretaker's position on a large farm

in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

I was very excited, and hopeful, and ... just WOW about it.

The owner of the property had a cabin for himself at the back half of the property,

but didn't live there full-time ... and he needed a family to move into

the main farmhouse to "care-take" the home and land.

Rent Free.

A chance to learn the life I love.

Surrounded by beauty and good people.

WOW.

I prayed and prayed, and wanted it BAD.

I felt very good about it, and the interview process felt promising ...

and I continued praying about it.

My only concern was that it was so far,

but the door was opening!

There was another similar opportunity that came up on the homesteading bulletin board
... which has a large Christian membership ...
and this one was in Missouri 

... much closer to home ...

and my interest in that location was fueled by the possibility 

that my oldest miracle might transfer to a Baptist Bible College in Springfield.

So I looked into it, as well, and knocked.

Similar situation ... house for me and the girls ... 

owner works out of town a lot, and would have premises built 

in the large barn at the back of the property for himself ...

homestead lifestyle, good community, 

friendly churches for my girls to get involved with, 

transportation provided, fully furnished house ... 

no need to bring major furniture, just our personal belongings and such.

Rent Free.

Chickens, cows 

... farm-fresh eggs, butter, cheese and raw milk ... 

all kinds of furry animals, and maybe even a horse

 ... oh, the joy ...

Nani would be THRILLED.

The door in Virginia never slammed in my face,

but the Missouri door swung wide open.

And, so, I began packing and made my move in mid-January

with support from my family.

Well, most of my family ... the oldest miracles weren't ecstatic, 

as you can imagine, but that is understandable.

I was stepping out on faith ... the door opened, and I was walking through it.

The plan was to go ahead of the girls so I could get settled before they came 

... four weeks tops ...

I didn't like it, but my middle miracle begged me to let her

finish basketball season, and the timing worked for all involved.

I knew this was going to be a tough move for her 

... and I was sensitive to her, and that fact ...

this was a huge move for us all.

Many will recall the snow storms in late January and early February ...

it was BAD up here in the Ozarks, and BAD in Texas too.

That was a bump in our plans ... and so was the slow realization,

about two weeks in, that I wasn't so sure my girls would

really be welcome out there ... and too many things 

were hindering the plans and process,

and, well, it just didn't feel right.

At all.

Many times I have felt I was lured here under very false pretenses,

but I kept reminding myself that I was HERE for a reason 

... God still opened THIS door ...

and, like it or not, THIS was the hinge upon which 

the door swung open.

Although I may not understand it, right now, I have faith

I will look back upon this situation someday

and see clearly the "what and why"

of being HERE.

So, anyway, one week before the girls were set to come 

begin their own adventure in Missouri,

I rented myself another U-Haul truck on February 12th

... a much smaller one ...

and made several trips to move our belongings 

into a storage unit in the closest "big town."

To Be Continued 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

All is Well ... Real Well

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hell, and Back

I have been to, and through, HELL on earth.

But, 

 

I AM BACK.

Thought of the Day

There is an explosion of miracles happening every moment.  The ceaseless motion of the ocean; the Earth rotating around the sun; the way our heart circulates blood throughout our body without us even thinking about it....

Today, be aware of the miracles happening all around you and celebrate the awesome power of God.

Your Love is a Song

This song touches many aspects ... deeply.

Close your eyes and feel it.

Does it speak to you in any way?

It tells me I just might sing again.



Where Is Your Place of Safety

"I've sometimes wondered where the safest place in the U.S. would be.

Considering hurricanes, tornadoes, earth quakes, blizzards, volcanoes,

unstable economies, unstable governments, tensions rising worldwide, etc.

Now we have the border situations ..."

Above is a comment I found on an online discussion thread, and these kinds of thoughts are a concern for many. 

Natural disasters can, and will, happen anywhere and everywhere ... with increased frequencies ... as we are well aware (if we read or watch the news.)

It IS instinctive for us human beings to want to avoid harm.

Flood waters rise, and we get to higher ground.  Hurricane approaches, we scramble to evacuate.  We see a storm brewing, and we seek cover.  Tornado sirens blare, we hit the cellar or closet. 

A band of ruffians trespasses upon our property, so we rush to grab for our ammunition and guns ... if we've wisely thought in advance to acquire them ... and call for help.

No one wants to suffer pain, injury or death!

And so it is also instinctive ... for those of us watching the tumultuous national AND world events ... for us to want to prepare for AND pre-seek  "a place of safety" in the event the whole world erupts in militant chaos.

But WHERE are God's children to look?

Are we to get our minds and hearts on some means, or method, or place, of ESCAPE?  And if so, are we to focus upon a particular geographical location?

Today, unpredictable weather calamities aside, we live in the age of infrared and satellite technology ... and modern weapons. 

Helicopter gunships ... even if using the more "conventional" weapons such as cannon, machine guns and napalm ... could completely obliterate ANY place in a matter of moments.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, nuclear bombs dropped by aircraft, parachute bombs, nuclear warheads in artillery shells, rocket-launched nuclear warheads from mobile, truck-mounted launchers ... these, and a host of other neat methods of delivering multi-megaton thermonuclear explosions, are in the arsenals of all modern armies.

Oh, yeah, and biological/chemical warfare ... intentional, malicioius spread of disease/pestilence ... would slowly, yet completely, exterminate ALL LIFE as well.

Do you see?

No matter WHERE a human being may be hidden upon the surface of this earth ... IF a satanically determined, and inspired, enemy SEEKS to destroy that individual (or a group of individuals) ... it will obviously REQUIRE the supernatural protection of God to save him!

The point is THIS ... there is no physical location, place, or section on this entire earth that is guaranteed SAFE.

EVERYwhere is 100% obsolete as a "place of safety" in the face of enemies ... influenced by Satan himself ... if they actively SEEK to destroy. 

But God's protection will never be obsolete!

And so this was my simple response to the above thread ...

I used to wonder where my "place of safety" should/would be ...

until I realized that I need to have the kind of faith

that believes I'll be protected wherever I am.

Literally.

Psalms 91

(right click link to open in new window)

 
 
With Love,
Your Faithful Prepper
(where autonomy and faith collide)

How Is Your Faith

Are you fearful?  Do you worry?  Do you have faith, but also sometimes doubt?  Do you want to trust that you will be provided for ... but then hesitate and wonder, at the same time, that you might not be? 

A lot of us are like that. We believe, or perhaps we want to believe, but unbelief is never really far away ... it lurks in the form of anxiety. 

And although "anxious faith" is a long way from outright unbelief, it isn't outright faith either.

So this begs the question:  Is faith a choice that we can make?

On one occasion, two blind men came to Jesus begging to be healed. 

Jesus asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" ... They said, "Yes, Lord." 

Jesus reached out and touched their eyes saying, "According to your faith, be it unto you."

The entire issue hung on one question, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" 

Jesus knew that he could do it ... so it was not a question of what He believed, but a question of what THEY believed. 

What would have happened if they had not believed? 

On another occasion, a man fell at Jesus' feet and cried ...  "Lord, have mercy on my son.  I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him."

Jesus response was acrid, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?" 

The disciples knew the rebuke was for them, and came to ask, "Why could not we cast  the demon out?" 

Jesus replied, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Most of us are far less interested in moving mountains than we are in avoiding death, being shielded from disasters, dodging diseases, getting rid of pain, having food on the table during hard times, and so forth ... but  what Jesus is saying here is that faith, even in the smallest degree, can accomplish great things.

(By the way, in Mark's account of the above illustration, Jesus told the man, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes."  And the poor man replied: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!")

I can't help wondering if one of the reasons we have so little faith is because maybe we are afraid to believe ...?

It is a little scary to think about how wonderful life could be if only our prayers were answered ... scary because, after all, our prayers might not be answered.

But ... so what!? 

Why let the possibility that God might not answer keep us from believing that He will!?

God demands of us this:  TRUST.

He wants us to believe what He says, and to trust Him to keep His word, and to do what He tells us to do. 

Faith ... TRUST ... is a choice well within our grasp, and we cannot come to God without it.

"Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He will reward them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

But how does faith come?

"So, then, faith comes by hearing; and hearing comes by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Faith is built brick by brick ... by asking God to open our minds while studying His word ... our problem is that we spend more time being anxious (tearing it down) than in building it up.

In the belief system of many Christians there is an assumption that "whatever will be; will be" and that it doesn't make any difference what we do about it ... it is out of our hands ... for we are not in control. 

But I wonder about this.

If faith, or lack of faith, were not in our control why would Jesus say what he did in His sermon on the mount?

"I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on."

Wouldn't it be irrelevant ... pointless, even ... for Jesus to tell us not to be anxious (i.e. to have faith instead) if it were something we had no control over to begin with?

Yet this entire part of the sermon is about anxiety, and Jesus' conclusion of the thought is, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day." 

Do you suppose that there might be something to this "power of positive thinking stuff" after all? 

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice...Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Do we have a choice? Can we really control our thoughts? 

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

It seems we really do have the capacity, the right, and even the responsibility to CHOOSE what we are going to believe ... along with what we are going to DECIDE to think about ... and those choices and those decisions have more to do with faith than we have ever imagined. 

So study His Word ... and trust Him to keep His Word ... and do what He tells you to do.  

THAT is faith ... so, how is yours?

With Love,

Your Faithful Prepper 

(where autonomy and faith collide)

Time to Load Up the Pantry ... Past Time, Actually

Do any of you remember talk of stockpiling food and ammunition as a means of surviving “troublous times” back in the early 1970s amid predictions of famines, globe-girdling wars, and an imminent breakdown of society? 

How about the responding argument that went something like this ... “As for me, I’ll trust in the Lord.”

(?)

I found an article from two years ago in the Wall Street Journal that does not suggest that we Load the Pantry as a response to coming tribulation.

The logic the article laid out was an "economic suggestion" instead.  

The author, Brett Arends, was saying that food prices were rising at a much faster pace than the potential returns on short-term investments.

And though we optimistic Americans were hoping that the recent spikes in food and fuel inflation would soon pass, Arends laid out logic to support a likely acceleration in the trend ... which has turned out to be an accurate assumption.

No, the Wall Street Journal was not suggesting that we hunker in our bunkers with an AK and a six month supply of canned goods because TEOTWAWKI was fast approaching ... they were simply suggesting that non-perishables were cheaper then, at that time, than they will be later.

Later like now ... like, right now.

Do you carry a flashlight in your car?  You do!?  Is it smart to throw in a blanket, sleeping bag, some food, matches and a lighter when you drive over snowy mountains or the desert?  It is!?

Why?  Don't you trust God?   

Ridiculous!  

We have a God-given responsibility to look after the needs of our families and friends, and to help others in need.  

The Bible says a righteous man lays up in store for his children and his children’s children ... that means we should prepare for all kinds of eventualities, and make sure that those who depend on us do not suffer as a result of our carelessness or neglect.  

Whether it’s a road trip, life’s journey in general, or these particularly unsettling times we face ... the principle is intact.

Brace yourselves.  

There are numerous fear-mongers out there who will seize on nearly anything to get people to cough up money, and the unsettling times we are living in give them plenty of opportunity to create panic.  

We’re beginning to hear more and more discussions of the “end of days” and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy now on national radio and national television ... but does this mean it is time to get wild eyed; act in panic or hook up with some pretense of a prophet?  

No!

It means it’s time to fulfill our responsibilities to our families and friends, use our available resources wisely, and above all ... keep our wits about us.  

Is that inconsistent with trust in God?   

Hardly! 

I am reminded of an analogy we've probably all heard, and so here is a shortened version:  There’s a man clinging in the top of tree with floodwaters rising around his ankles.  When a helicopter shows up and lowers the rescue harness, he waves them off and shouts that he’s waiting on God to save him.  

Trusting in God, yes, will be the only way we will be able to endure this deteriorating environment while remaining confident and in good spirits.  

A large stash of food and an AK won’t do it.  

But it’s no time to suspend use of our greatest possession ...  and THAT is the power of sober discernment that resides in the mind God designed and gave each of us.

With Love,

Your Faithful Prepper 

(where autonomy and faith collide)

Happy Independence Day

Today is Saturday, July 3rd.

Tomorrow is one of our most cherished national holidays, Independence Day ... and there will be ceremonies, cook-outs, family reunions, parades, and, of course, an untold number of fireworks displays all across our beloved country this weekend.

Most people will start their freedom festivities TODAY.

Are you feeling the same anticipation, and jubilation, as you’ve felt in previous years? Or ... is there a certain foreboding beginning to cloud what was once an unbridled national patriotism that we used to celebrate with abandon.

There are quite a few major annoyances we’ll have to overlook this year if we’re to enjoy the kind of joyous 4th of July that is our nation's tradition.

All of us in the, ahem, so-called "working class" are seeing our standard of living come under duress ... as many staples that contribute directly to our quality of life have become less affordable.

Focus is on a "double-dipping" recession everywhere we turn, and most predictions reflect an outlook without improvement.

To irritate the matter further, we've found the White House administration apparently siding with dictatorial regimes that have long been recognized as enemies of the United States and our American way of life.

At a time when much of the world’s former "socialist nations" have been trying to dig themselves out of the blight of their ruinous ideology ... many in the U.S. are panting to adopt it!

Let’s nationalize EVERYTHING ... the oil industry, transportation, education, health care, energy ... you name it.

There is now encroachment of authoritative agencies into aspects of life, and business, once thought to operate solely on principles of the free market and the private sector.

The way things are headed, given the makeup of current legislative bodies, hardly any enterprise (or any activity imaginable) will escape the purview of federal regulation.

It’s obvious the worst fears of our nation's founders are beginning to play out.

And if you’ve been able to stand the news analysis and debate programs, you’re aware that many aspects of our present situation are self-inflicted!

Our children and grandchildren will inherit our debt ... and they will also look back at the irresponsible lives we've lead and, with puzzled wonder, fail to understand how we could allow the debacle that altered the country’s identity.

On our watch.

We don't even understand how we've let it happen.

The identity shift being perpetrated upon our unsuspecting and complacent/distracted populace was visited upon Christianity long ago, and remains to this day.

The laws of God which were the bedrock of life ancient Israel, and in the early (pre-Constantine) Christian church have long since been discarded in favor of a religious identity that empowers clergymen with authority that supercedes even the Ten Commandments.

The Bible ... God’s own word ... has been subjugated to the whims of deeply flawed Church leaders decked out in religious garb.

It is not hard to realize that all roads lead to Rome.

What we’ve seen happen to the application of clear biblical language in mainstream Christianity is now happening to the clear language of another document believed to be the result of divine inspiration.

At least our founders thought so, and said so.

But we live in the age of social, and financial, planners who have better ideas.

Just as those in control of Rome so long ago believed their need for unquestioned authority trumped scripture ... our political leaders seem to believe their presumably noble intentions trump the healthy constraints of the U.S. Constitution, and the ancient wisdom of the Declaration of Independence.

While contemplating the peace and freedoms we still get to enjoy this weekend ... along with the celebrations, cook-outs and family gatherings ... we should contemplate the personal sacrifices, and the divine intervention, that gave us the greatest, and most basic, blessing/right EVER offered any nation or people.

And THAT is the right ... granted not by men, but by God ... of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The beauty of that concept, and all that it entails, has been defended by all the grit and strength our fathers, grandfathers and forefathers could muster ... and, in countless cases, to their deaths.

May we honor them and the peace, prosperity and freedom we have enjoyed due to their resolve.

We must also soberly contemplate what’s happening in our domestic society and around this troubled world, and realize that God’s favor will surely be our best hope amid the troubles to come.

And they surely are coming.

Our country needs to turn to God ... not only for help with so many of these nightmarish developments ... but to help get rid of these arrogant anti-God, anti-American politicians who are busily strutting their vain righteousness and wrecking what He has provided!

This quote from Abraham Lincoln sums up our current national economic and political situation ...

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own…”

As we celebrate Independence Day this year, 2010, we ought to bear in mind the words and warnings of our founders, and hope (PRAY) it’s not too late to turn this pile of mess around.

We still have a tremendous amount to be thankful for, and to celebrate.

Please don’t let this little tirade of mine spoil it ... I’m hoping you won’t read it until the Monday, the fifth!

God Bless America!

Laying Up Treasures

I read about a lot of homesteaders and preppers who say they are ready for anything, and that they have everything they need (laid up and in stock) for "when the shit hits the fan."

When I see that supreme level of self-reliant confidence, my eyeballs always widen in an "uh-oh" kind of way.

As mentioned earlier, and touched upon with katlupe, in another post ... prepping IS necessary.  I am not advocating doing nothing, and expecting God to provide my every need without so much as lifting a finger. 

No, doing our part is necessary, and prepping is necessary.  And most preppers have a tendency to feel like there is always more they should be doing.  

It is difficult for most of us homesteaders/preppers to feel like we have laid up enough preps/riches/stores.  

We are even warned against becoming complacent and lukewarm and trusting in our perceived riches. (Revelation 3:17) 

So, yes, when I hear some boast about how they have everything covered, and everything they need to survive a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation ... I am immediately concerned that they have become too complacent and trusting in themselves, and their independence.

This blog is for those who understand we will never achieve any form of independence unless we surrender ourselves to dependency.

 So, what sets faithful preppers apart from the others?  

The simple answer is "our priorities set us apart" ... if we have the right priorities, we should not fear. 

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles (unbelievers) seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31–33) 

God assures us that if we stay close to Him, we will have everything we need ... but, as He gives us more, He will also expect more of us. (Matthew 25:14–30) 

With blessings/wealth comes responsibility ... and there are blessings/wealth that money cannot buy.

So, how are you ... my fellow prepper ... using your blessings/preps/riches/stores?  Your hidden treasures?

True treasure cannot be found by building up, and laying up, our personal riches/stocks and stores.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21)

All of our preps are conditional, physical, and temporary.   

All of the thought and time spent on "acquiring" is still conditional, physical, and temporary ... and it also borders upon idolatry, but that is another topic entirely. 

Everything we lay up (or store) for ourselves can spoil, or be stolen.  And if you are already a homesteader, or prepper, you KNOW this.   

I cannot tell you how many things I've read about how critical it is to rotate stock  to prevent loss/spoilage ... and how critical it is to protect your stockpiled goodies from all the anticipated SHTF refugees and/or zombies. 

^A protective mindset that is caused by fear ... yet another topic.^

But I digress.

When you gain some extra blessings/preps/riches/stores/wealth, and when you add it to your growing stash, do you mainly think about how well fed and protected YOU will be when it gets bad-bad?  

Or do you think first about your responsibility as a steward of what God has given you? Do you think about how you can use your wealth to help your family, your loved ones, and your community?  

Do you think about how you can thank your Creator, and support His Work, for all the blessings you've been GIVEN? 

Or do you have the attitude of Pa Anderson ... remember him from a previous entry?


You've filled that space.  You've saved, and shopped, and stocked.  It wouldn’t be there, and you wouldn’t have it, if you hadn’t done it all.  By yourself.  You worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel in that there pantry.  But, as a safe afterthought, you better go ahead and thank the Lord just the same. 

God is looking at your heart.  

Are you stocking physical treasures?  Or spiritual treasures?

With Love,

Your Faithful Prepper 

(where autonomy and faith collide)