Five Lessons in Boat Handling

In his article in Good Old Boat magazine (Nov./Dec. 2011) Sigmund Baardsen wrote of his modest success racing a Naples Sabot dinghy in 1949. He’d complained to his mentor, Ray Wallace, that while he had superior speed, the other kids got past him when rounding the marks and in close quarters.

Mr. Baardsen’s mentor considered the problem and offered a solution. “You have to practice to get better control over your boat,” he’d said. “Early in the morning, before the wind becomes too strong, sail to a quite basin in the harbor where you can be undisturbed and unobserved. Take along the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times, your lunch, water, and sunscreen; you’ll be there all day. Wad up the front page of the paper and pitch it over the side, turn back, and try run it over. When it sinks, throw out another page. Repeat that until you can do it perfectly. Then start passing as close as you can without touching the paper. When you can do that perfectly, start throwing out two wads of newspaper and sailing between them. Then start making figure-eights between the paper wads. When you are comfortable with that, start throwing out three wads of pper and start tacking and gybing among them. By the time you get through the hundres of pages of the Sunday Times, I guarantee you’ll be the best boat handler in the fleet.”

The author of the article went on to say that the advice was good enough to move him to the championship. In his article, he goes on to speak of five lessons for boat handling: Practice, observation, restraint, patience, persistence. It seems to me, these are exactly right for us in our Bible Walk as we prepare to come into the presence of our Lord Y’shuaJesus.

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:8-11

Regarding the cited scripture, Matthew Henry wrote: “The heavenly throne room is characterized by unceasing joyful praise, thanksgiving, and worship toward the Lord by all the creatures present. As believers here on earth consistently engage in similar worshipful living (e.g., 1Th 5:16-18), we prepare to live in the presence of the Lord.

This preparation, this “worshipful living” to which Mr. Henry refers is in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian Church (5:16-22):

Rejoice always!
Pray constantly.
Give thanks in everything,
for this is G-d’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Don’t stifle the Spirit.
Don’t despise prophecies,
but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
Stay away from every form of evil.

To become a champion at worshipful living, like racing a sailboat, we need to practice. Perhaps this is something that gets forgotten. Once we are saved, we are spiritually in the presence of the Lord and spiritually perfected. But we still have the flesh. We stray and it’s called “backsliding.” We need more practice. We need to think not that we won’t fail, but that we will practice and practice and practice. The five lessons Sigmund Baardsen wrote about totally apply here. We begin our practice alone, in calm seas. We observe the people of G-d in the Bible and those in the Lord’s Church. There is a measure of restraint in our walk that keeps us from moving too quickly through our lessons. Patience helps us resist discouragement in our failures. And finally persistence in pressing onward in our Bible Walk.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

To Which Church. . .

. . . do you belong?

Some years ago, a friend in the same ministry as me subscribed to the theory that the Churches of Revelation, represented seven distinct periods of time. That meant, assuming we are in the Last Days, we are the Church of Laodicea. If that were true, we’d all be luke warm. My friend called Laodicea the Church of the Last Days.

The author of Revelation was instructed to write to the angel of the Church of Laodicea, in part:

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:15,16

[ ASIDE: Ouch! Y’shuaJesus says he’s gonna spit the Church out of His mouth. That’s not a very tolerant thing to do, is it? I mean, meek, mild, born-in-a-manger Baby Jesus is gonna spit me out of His mouth! Well, yes! That is what He said; so that is what He’ll do. ]

Here’s a nice summary of the Seven Churches of Revelation from Got Questions.

Question: “What do the seven churches in Revelation stand for?”

Answer: The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches at the time that John the apostle was writing Revelation. Though they were literal churches in that time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. The first purpose of the letters was to communicate with the literal churches and meet their needs at that time. The second purpose is to reveal seven different types of individuals/churches throughout history and instruct them in God’s truth.

A possible third purpose is to use the seven churches to foreshadow seven different periods in the history of the Church. The problem with this view is that each of the seven churches describes issues that could fit the Church in any time in its history. So, although there may be some truth to the seven churches representing seven eras, there is far too much speculation in this regard. Our focus should be on what message God is giving us through the seven churches. The seven churches are

(1) Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) – the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4).

(2) Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) – the church that would suffer persecution (2:10).

(3) Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) – the church that needed to repent (2:16).

(4) Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) – the church that had a false prophetess (2:20).

(5) Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) – the church that had fallen asleep (3:2).

(6) Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) – the church that had endured patiently (3:10).

(7) Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) – the church with the lukewarm faith (3:16).

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Letters to Angels

Section Headings. These tell us the topic of the section. Sections may also have sub-sections with heading of their own. Both types of heading give some detail about the section. Heading can be useful. Headings can be misleading, too. Additionally, they can be distracting.

For instance, in my The Apologetics Study Bible (Holman Christian Standard Bible version (HCSB), the bold, large font, heading to Revelation Chapter Two states: The

Letters to the Seven Churches. Within this section, sub-headings separate the seven letters, e.g., The Letter to Ephesus.

Chapter Two begins:

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

Our Lord is telling the author of Revelation, who most believe is the Apostle John, to write some letters.

I’ve never really thought about it until this reading, but the letters are addressed to the angels of the churches. Is it an important distinction? Maybe not. But if you do a search on the internet regarding the angels of the seven churches, a fair number of people think it is important enough to take sides of the question: To whom is each letter actually written.

There seem to be three camps rallying around three central opinions. First, the letters are to the angels, which are spirit beings assigned to each of the churches. Second, angels means messenger, and pastors hearing from G-d, are these messengers. So the letters are written to the pastors of the churches. Third, the letters are written to the messengers, whether spirit beings or apostles, pastors, prophets, evangelists, teachers, but directly apply to the seven churches. Each of these positions is carefully thought out, and documented from Biblical sources.

I sorta had to laugh, really, when one source said that his particular interpretation was the only way to view the matter, and any other view was heresy, and opposition was demonic. Wow! He’s right; everyone else is wrong and going straight to hell. Okaaaaaay! Moving right along here.

Does it make a difference to whom the letters are written? I said maybe. You have to read the seven letters. Each letter could be addressed to me. Six of the seven letter tells me some things I’ve done okay. Two of those letters find no fault at all. Of the five letters that include some good things, also ares some things I’m not doing well in. One letter without any atta-boys attached, tells me I’m in real trouble.

The way I see it is that the letter is written to an angel. That angel passes it on to the leaders within the church, that they may work to bring correction. Ultimately, I am responsible for coming to G-d, through Y’shuaJesus as my savior, mediator, and getting things right.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

KISS

We make things complicated some times. Perhaps we’re too learned, to knowledgeable. Perhaps we analyze too much. Or maybe we just think too much. Take the Book of Revelation, for example. It’s a Divinely inspired look at. . . What, exactly?

I’ve been rereading the Book of Revelation. In the first chapters of the Book, Y’shuaJesus is speaking to Seven Churches. As I’m reading it’s hard not to recall various things I’ve been “taught” over the years about these Churches. I’m trying to just read the Book without all the internal dialogue of what others’ think it all means. I’m trying to KISS; Keep It Simple. . .

Some times it takes fresh, innocent, eyes to see things we “educated,” mature folks do not see. Many years ago there was a railroad bridge crossing a highway leading east out of the then rural town of Atascadero, California. The bridge height was right at 14 foot. One day a tractor-trailer rig approached it. The driver saw height warning, knew that he was only 13 and-a-half-feet high, so proceeded under the bridge. About half way through he came to a very sudden stop. His trailer hit. The road under the railroad goes down to the bridge, under the bridge, then immediately back up. The trailer was long. The rear of the trailer was still high, while the front was beginning to rise on the other side of the bridge. Hence, the trailer stuck.

The driver tried unsuccessfully to back the rig out. Stuck good, he was. A large tow truck was called. It came, tried, and gave up. A lot of experienced people, ranchers on their way by included, were out there looking at the stuck truck, scratching their heads wondering what to do. Eventually a small boy walked up and asked the men why not just let the air out of the tires. To the credit of the men, they took the boys advice, let the air out, and the driver backed the rig slowly out from it’s prison.

Out of the mouths of babes.

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

KISS the Bible. Read like a child. At least that’s what I’m doing with the Book of Revelation now.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Death, Then. . .

The other night, standing around the kitchen, my wife told her Mom about a women she’d seen on a news program. The woman had died, she’d said, while kayaking, but came back from the dead with a great tale, er, story. This woman wrote a book about it, to encourage others. My wife relayed the essence of this woman’s message: there are people waiting beyond death, family and friends, and there is so much love.

It’s a common theme. There is life after death. There are families gathered together. There is light, warmth, love. Every thing turns out alright, after all.

My Mother-in-law didn’t follow what my wife was saying. She’s eighty-three years old. How does someone die, and experience that, and come back, is what probably confused her. I interrupted. I had to at this point. I said, “The woman thought she was going to die while trapped under the water. She had a dream. In the dream all the things that she longed for were right there, in front of her.” I went on to say that people want to know there is something after we pass from this life. They want to believe there is something more. And that it’s all available to them without them doing anything at all for it. “That’s basically what Y’shuaJesus said,” I continued on. “It’s a free gift for believing in Y’shuaJesus. But people don’t want to hear about Y’shuaJesus.” My wife said I was right.

Yes! I’m right! Well, more-or-less right. What I didn’t continue with, didn’t say, is that believing is the start, the beginning of salvation that culminates in a walk that is with our LORD.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Paul tells us that not all will sleep. If not all sleep, that means some will. That’s how death is referred to by these First Century Jewish Believers in Y’shuaJesus as Messiah. Sleep. Not death. Sleep from which we will be awakened. And when we are awakened, we will have new, glorified bodies. Disease-free bodies. Incorruptible bodies. Perfect bodies. And a perfect heart. Tears wiped away, forgotten. And there will be a Central Figure before us when we awake: Y’shuaJesus! Praise the LORD!

And that’s exactly what’s desperately wrong with a woman’s story in which she says she died and found love and friends and family. It’s a tale from a few minutes hanging on the edge of suffocation. The brain without oxygen dreaming.

Y’shuaJesus will be there for Believers and non-believers alike. For the former, to wipe away tears and show His love. To the latter. . . well, it won’t be pleasant. They will see the love. Bow before the King in submission. They will, too late, realize He is The Way, The Truth, The Life. They will confess, too late, that Y’shuaJesus is LORD. And even if G-d, Father G-d, Abba G-d, were to invite them in, they would refuse. They would choose to turn away. They would be angry, hurt, afraid.

Sad! They would choose to turn away because they’d not turned away from their own miserable, sinful ways while on Earth. Repent! is to turn away from one’s sin. But before one can turn away, one must acknowledge sin. And in our society, our culture of liberalism and chaos, we are taught there is nothing Absolute, nothing evil, nothing that is sin. All things are relative. One person’s truth is his or her own truth. Not The Truth. All ways, all roads, lead to Rome AND HEAVEN, or so we are led to believe by the great liar, that devil satan.

We are being led like sheep to a slaughter. There are too many movies in which some human is a great hero, saving the day. There are too many movies depicting aliens coming to Earth to assist it in it’s healing. There are too many academia that are steering young people to believe in their own deity. Humanism is at the core of the United Nations Agenda 21. Humanism is satan’s tool to trick, if possible, even Christians. satan desperately wants to take worship of G-d from Him. He doesn’t want us to feel the warmth of a relationship with our Heavenly Father while we are on Earth. satan doesn’t need our admiration, our love, our praise. he just wants our soul.

We must be ready. We must be prepared. We must keep our eyes upon Y’shuaJesus!

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Seven

Pastor David Wilkerson’s “Urgent Message” mentioned the possibility of fleeing the coming firestorm—the disaster that he had written about. For himself, he cited Psalm 11:1, which encouraged him to stay put, to minister in place.

To the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain. . .”

This psalm is said by some to be composed by King David when pursued by King Saul. Barne’s Notes states that “Venema supposes that it was composed when David was in the wilderness of Ziph, and when, betrayed by the inhabitants of the wilderness, and pursued by Saul, his friends began to advise him to seek a place of safety by flight, 1Sa_23:14-23 [and] All that is apparent in the psalm itself is, that it was when the author was in danger, and when some of his friends advised him to seek safety by flight, Psa_11:1. Instead of doing this, David determined to remain where he was, and to put his trust in God, with the belief that he would interpose and deliver him.”

This sentiment of trust in G-d’s providence, and Pastor Wilkerson’s determination to be with his congregation, prompted him to want to remain in New York City despite his vision of impending doom.

There are at least three types of fleeing: One is directed by G-d; one is out of necessity to save one’s life that one might fight another day; one is to run and hide to die in peace.

The last type is shown in 1 Kings 19:3, when Elijah “went for his life” into the wilderness where he lay down to die. Elijah had been very naughty, upsetting Queen Jezebel by killing all her false priests. She sent a message to him that she’d be coming to get him. A woman scorned, and all that. . . So Elijah heads for the hills.

Then there’s Abraham.

The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.”

Genesis 21:1

This had to have been hard. He took his immediate family, left his place, his people, his land. He didn’t fully know to where he was going. He didn’t know what it would be like. But G-d called, so he surrendered all, packed up, and left. Abraham wasn’t necessarily fleeing from, but fleeing to a place to which he’d been called. I suppose he knew there was no going back.
Now Jacob fled the Promised Land, to avoid the draught that swept Israel. He did so knowing he’d return, even if only his bones. The people of Israel would return, though it took 430 years to do so. I wonder if Jacob had known how long, would he as readily have fled. And yet he did; G-d knew it to be best for him, and for G-d’s people.

So, then, if we believe we’ve heard the prophetic words of warning, do we stay or do we flee?

We are in the ministry of reconciliation—offering to those to whom we’ve been called eternal life in Messiah Y’shuaJesus. So whether called to another place, or into the highways, or to stay put and minister in place, from the mouth of our Savior Y’shuaJesus, we are to:

“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:22

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Six

I’ve touched on preparedness from the point of view of surviving a disaster of limited scope for a local calamity such as a storm, and briefly mentioned survivalists/preppers who provision for extended you’re-on-you’re-own survival. On Wednesday I reposted an Urgent Message that speaks of wide-spread disaster of undetermined length of time. It’s up to you if you want to accept Pastor David Wilkerson’s Urgent Message. Or if you want to try to put aside a few meals and some drinking water “Just In Case” of a storm or some other disruption of normal grocery shipments, then get started.

On my heart at the moment is to take a look at some reasons, beyond our own survival, for preparedness. Paul wrote to Timothy something of his heart on why he continued doing the things he did, despite opposition, physical discomfort, and illness.

This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

2 Timothy 2:10

In his “Urgent Message,” Pastor Wilkerson mentioned two possible approaches to the coming time of which he spoke. One is to flee, the other to prepare and stay. He had chosen the later, to stay. He knew not all could, or would, leave New York City, so he felt it best to stay with them. He would stay and minister as long as possible, which would depend upon the Lord’s desires in his life. Pastor Wilkerson didn’t argue for a pre-tribulation return of Messiah in which the Believers are called to meet him in the air. He also didn’t mention a mid- or post-tribulation return. Without speculating as to how long he must endure, he was prepared emotionally and spiritually to endure until the end, his end or Messiah’s return. Just like Noah, Pastor Wilkerson was not preparing for only himself, but for the work of G-d through him.

Now for Noah, preparing was fairly clearcut: build a boat, equip it, gather a bunch of animals, round up his family, and close the door. It occurs to me that Noah would have had to not only prepare for feeding both human and animal during the forty-day cruise, but he’d also have to have enough on board to handle things until crops would grow again. Noah begins to look a lot like a modern-day prepper, who would even have stocked seed on board with supplies for over a year. So for Noah, the mandate was clearly him, his family, and a selection of animals.

For Pastor Wilkerson, as with all those who realize the need to prepare for coming hardships, it’s not so easy. There’s a difference of opinion of how much a family might need to have on hand, and it has to do with what type and duration of disaster a person believes he or she will face. Pastor Wilkerson stated: “lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials.” What comes after the thirty-day supply is exhausted? I believe Pastor Wilkerson’s faith was enough that he wasn’t going to be worried. His faith was in G-d Who is able to rescue His own. G-d rescued Lot before consuming fire destroyed his city. G-d cared for Elijah, feeding him by way of a bird. G-d kept hidden His chosen during the evil reign of King Ahab, during Elijah’s time. Furthermore, our Lord said:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:25

Take no thought. According to Barnes Notes on the Bible, “The word “anxiety” would now exactly express the sense, and is precisely the thing against which the Saviour would guard us. See Luke 8:14; Luke 21:34; Philippians 4:6. “Thought” about the future is right; “anxiety, solicitude, trouble” is wrong. There is a degree of “thinking” about the things of this life which is proper. See 1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; Romans 12:11. But it should not be our supreme concern; it should not lead to anxiety; it should not take time that ought to be devoted to religion. For your life – For what will “support” your life.”

This comment is exactly the balance I believe is necessary when we consider preparedness. We shall do best to allow our Lord to build our faith, that we are not anxious about any future, yet able to prayerfully consider, to think about, the need the Lord will have for us today, tomorrow, and in at any future time. Now in our prayerful considerations, we may wish to consider that the Lord may have us assist others in need, whether making through a storm or a major disaster with seemingly no end. It might be that a three-day emergency bag of food, water, and personal gear is inadequate to meet the needs of a group of people to which the Lord might bring our way. There may be people G-d desires to reach with the Gospel message, and you and me might be the ones G-d allows to represent Him. Presenting the Gospel to a hungry family is certainly more effective once the stomach is satisfied.

Consider these things. Give prayerful consideration to preparedness.

Until Monday, Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon you and through you.

Preparing for an Emergency—Five

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:21,22

Pastor David Wilkerson, in 2009, wrote the following on his blog:

AN URGENT MESSAGE
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

I will say to my soul: No need to run…no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you,

In Christ,

DAVID WILKERSON

See You Friday, Lord Willing. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Four

Noah was preparing for one particular disaster—a flood. Not just any flood, either, but a very big one, one that, as revealed to him, would eliminate all inhabitants of the Earth except those in Noah’s Ark. If we choose preparedness, for what types of disasters shall we prepare?

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Matthew 24:7

Y’shuaJesus said those words around two thousand years ago. Since then, nations have risen, fallen, and fought one another. There have been famines and pestilences, disease outbreaks, and a whole variety of natural calamities. The United State Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests at its website Ready.gov, the following in its introduction to PLANNING:

“Emergency preparedness is not the sole concern of Californians for earthquakes, those who live in “Tornado Alley”; or Gulf Coast residents because of hurricanes. Most communities may be impacted by several types of hazards during a lifetime. Americans also travel more than ever before; to areas impacted by hazards they may not be at risk of near their homes. Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count.

“Some of the basic protective actions are similar for multiple hazards. For example, safety is necessary when experiencing all hazards, whether this means sheltering or evacuating depends on the specific emergency. Developing a family communications plan or making an emergency supply kit are the same for accidental emergencies, natural disasters and also terrorism. However, there are important differences among potential emergencies that should impact the decisions you make and the actions you take.”

Storms seem the most frequent and severe disasters we, in the US, face each year. Even in fair-weather places, like Georgia, storms disrupt services. During the winter of 2010-11, a nice storm pretty much shut down northern Georgia, including the metropolitan Atlanta area, which is home to about five million people. The worst of it lasted only three days, but driving even five days following the storm was difficult in many areas. Schools were closed. Deliveries were disrupted. Most still had electricity, so didn’t need to evacuate. In other winter storms throughout the United States, power is often lost. Without power, most will have not heat. And when it’s freezing outside, it soon freezes inside. Not pleasant. With no power, evacuating is often the only solution. And to where? Why, to a friendly government-established and -staffed facility.

But there is still the revelation of Y’shuaJesus that more severe things will occur. On Wednesday, I have scheduled an repost of an urgent warning from an American pastor.

Until then, May the Lord continue to Bless, Keep, and Shine upon y’all. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Three

How much should a pantry have in it? Here’s what’s written about Noah:

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 6:21-21

Not exactly clear how much Noah stocked in his boat. Perhaps Noah knew it would take forty-days supply. If we were to consider a cache, how much would we store?

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. Some survivalists/preppers stock several years of dried food, extra clothing, farming equipment, medical supplies, and various sorts of hunting and self-defense/protection gear. At that point, it’s not a pantry, but an entire room or more that is filled. That’s definitely prepared. At the opposite side is the man I mentioned with absolutely nothing in his pantry, as he lived from one day to the next buying what the family needed daily. Going upward from there is people who follow the government recommendations. I remember the 1950s when we were preparing for what we thought would be an eminent nuclear war. We had AM band radios marked with a radiation symbol to let us know where to tune in the event of an emergency. We had a list of things we were suppose to store, that included two-weeks supply of food that could be eaten without cooking, lots of water, candles, matches, and personal items. There were shelters fully stocked in the various public buildings. That was forgotten for a while as the threat of the Cold War died out. With it died the emergency broadcast system. The shelters were quickly forgotten, too. One day, in one town I lived in, one of the shelters was cleared out. There were a lot of leaking bottles of chemicals that had to be disposed.

With “9-11” emergency preparedness took on new life, and the government is once again in the recommending a plan and a kit. There’s an interesting campaign launched by CDC providing posters to state and local health departments. These posters use the Zombie Apocalypse as an eye-catcher. The idea is to get people to think and plan in the event of a local, regional, or national disaster. Depending upon the government agency, the recommended supply of emergency food and gear is now a three-day pack that can be quickly carried out of the house. Occasionally there are recommendations that include the three-day kit and a “long-term” supply for between two and three weeks. There is no provision for defense measures, either.

Where to go? In America, today, tt is expected that we, the people, in the case of disaster and evacuation, will move to a nice shelter somewhere out of danger. I suspect this is why the three-day pack is recommended, it is definitely more portable than the ultimate prepper’s larder. Were a disaster to strike, we will follow along with countless others shambling into a stadium or other suitable venue, where we will be fed and cared for until the disaster is mitigated. From what I’ve heard, that scenario didn’t work out too well during the Katrina Hurricane disaster in New Orleans. Those that took to the road to avoid Katrina, found themselves in gridlock going north with many just running out of gas on the highway. Some others that stayed out of desire to, or didn’t have a way to evacuate, went to the stadium, where they found another form of disaster. That three-day supply would have been a great idea in either case, and a two-week kit even better—if someone didn’t “requisition” it from the bearer.

More thoughts on Monday.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .