by James Wesley Rawles, Survival Blog:

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

PREPPING WITH A DOZEN OR MORE PLANS (PLAN A, B, C….. C1, C2, Z1)

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. This precept works in business, in missions, and in prepping. I have at least a dozen plans! I also have at least that many meeting points, encase of emergency events (tornadoes, earthquakes or civil unrest). I have numerous family defense features and I’m adding new ones every month. For example, if your electronic intrusion detection and firearms fail you (and sometimes they can, in extreme weather), you’ll want a loyal dog. Or several dogs. Bear spray is great, and so is Mace. I’m trying to connect to the pragmatic wisdom of God for the times. I don’t care if other Christians (often too theoretical and idealistic) condemn me for trying to “build my ark.” Just about every major leader in the Bible was totally mocked. David’s own brother insulted David, just before he brought down Goliath! (1 Samuel 16-18) You’ll get a number of nasty insults for merely obeying God’s Word for your family. Get used to it.

This year, we are planning record camping trips. First for two-day (overnight) trips. Then 3-5 days. And then a week. Getting out there, target practicing, fishing and starting camp fires. Shooting the .22 and sighting in our deer rifles. Dealing with food prep, human waste and water purification. These simple skills are critical, in the times ahead.

IT’S NOT FEAR TO PREPARE FOR HARDSHIP = IT’S FAITH

Wise families see troubling times, and prepare themselves accordingly. It takes great faith to be like Noah and hear God’s Word…. and act upon it! Imagine the mockery, scorn and contempt from people watching Noah! The Bible records this, and for brevity i’m bypassing it.

I don’t want you to simply take the Scriptures in this essay and take “my word for it.” I want you to seek God and find Him in the ways we’ve found Him. People are finding Christ live in Africa. In the Middle East. In Alaska and North America. I became tired of other people’s “interpretations.” I wanted to know God for myself.

Honestly, much of the Western church has been rendered useless by wandering into idealism. They major on doctrinal theoretics and not practical skills or service. Very similar to socialism where they “talk a lot about good things and social change” but they do… nothing. You’ll notice this in the lives of socialists — many of them have good intentions (even Bernie Sanders supporters). But on average, they tend to be the stingiest and/or laziest persons in the culture. They have a selfish “what’s in it for me?” type mentality. I’m painting a generalization about extreme left wingers, with a broad stroke. There are many exceptional conservative Christians. They usually are the most generous, statistically speaking.

President John F. Kenndey said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask yourself ‘what can I do for my country?’”

Every single hero of Biblical faith faced scorn from friends, family and culture. There is not one who gained the approval of the society. Not one, including Jesus Christ. The fickle culture around you will applaud you when you do what they expect. They love when they hear what they want! The same people will cry “crucify” when you upset their status quo and social norms. Get used to it, and don’t take it personally! If they did this to Jesus Christ, than must accept it when it touches our lives.

NEHEMIAH BUILT THE WALL… AND HAD A SWORD IN HAND!

He was not paranoid, but understood the principle of building in a war zone. People were against re-building Jerusalem’s walls. Jerusalem had extensive damage, accumulated over decades.

But he also knew Sanballot and Tobiah were actively seeking to: 1) penetrate Israel’s morale, and 2) shut down the building/fortification (survival) process. They sent discouragements and deceit. It’s similar to the voice of the moral darkness today. They exhibit the same goal of hampering our spiritual and prepping progress. We must face this head on, courageously.

Here is one of the best principles for prepping. There is no “perfect” blueprint or plan. Having the survival skills, tenacity and willingness to adapt is imperative.

Adaptation is a real skillset. When you read the Bible, ask yourselves “How did this saint or believer adapt themselves and better their attitude?” I guarantee you that Paul learned to see trials as opportunities for God’s Word.

Flexibility is a mother of invention. People have made it through WW1, WW2, concentration camps, refugee dislocations, guerilla warfare, and much, much more. Adaptation is not a “gift from above” its an attitude that’s cultivated, honed, and practiced, daily.

I’ll repeat this for emphasis: Adaptation and flexibility are some of the most important skillsets needed today. They force us to view reality “as is”, not in a controlled environment. It is important to reach beyond our controlled comfort zones. We learn to expect the unexpected. We learn to foresee and forecast “things aren’t working out as good as we hoped.” When we clearly identify the problem, we can begin to seek for the solution. Prayerfulness will become a foundation of our lives as we seek to serve our family and the society around us. If you seek, you will find.

LESSONS FROM CONSTRUCTION

There’s never a door installation, staircase or cabinet job that is easy. It’s extremely rare. Wood shrinks and expands, floors and ceilings move (with heat + humidity). This is what i do almost daily in my service profession.

Usually, we have to get the reciprocating saw and sometimes even fully re-frame wrongly-built openings. We just did this on a $2,200 French Door that had been badly framed. It had to support two doors at approximately 250 pounds each. These are thick, 8’ tall doors that had to align and close with perfection.

I spent two days improving the framing before ever setting the five exterior doors, making sure they were leak-proof and plumb/level and square.

Prepping includes these same foundational issues. Is debt an issue? Get rid of it. Is fear an issue? Spend time with people you admire who seem to have confidence, humility and success. I’m not talking about social acceptance or perfectionism (pretentious), I’m talking about Christians whose lifestyles are in order. They are getting closer to God, daily. They are more effective in their places of influence. Their family respects them because they are working hard to improve their town, village or region. Such people will come out of the woodwork, in the near future!

This isn’t about perfection or reciting the “right doctrines.” Much of Western Christianity has settled for “confessing the right doctrines.” I believe right doctrines are critical! Don’t get me wrong. But I daresay that God wants our hearts and thoughts, not just the ability to “quote the right Scripture” in front of people. It’s one thing to quote the Bible and quite another to live it out.

It’s the contrast of someone saying: “I possess $100,000 in gold, in an online cyber vault” versus someone having the same amount physically in a safe, at home.

It’s the same in Christian faith. Lots of people claim to possess a faith that’s vibrant and effective. I’m not trying to condemn or shame anyone reading this. Our lives are continually under construction, spiritually speaking.

Often times, people claim doctrines that they have yet to ascertain. It’s like meeting a carpentry apprentice, who tries to explain how to build a staircase or roof system. It’s all theoretical, yet they don’t truly have the experience. Like, you wouldn’t trust a doctor or a pilot who claimed to have mastered their profession in a cerebral, or non proven manner. You go to professionals who have mastered their trade or profession. You don’t want to fly on an airplane with someone “hoping to fly the plane” or get a heart surgery with “a doctor who hopes he can do it.” Yet, in sloppy Christianity, idealism goes too far. We should only trust the authentic voices living out their faith, imperfect as we all are.

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