Mind Set | Prepared Christian

Learning From Evil

April 17, 2013 by Chris Ray 7 Comments

Boston Marathon Terrorist Bombing; image credit to New York Post

I had planned on posting something else today but I feel the need to give some thoughts on the terrorist attack at the Boson Marathon. First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out the families of those murdered and those who were brutally injured and their families as well.

We can learn from evil people and the evil deeds they inflict on others. This article is not about me saying that those victims should have done something differently. Instead, it is me offering something for you to grasp on to if you ever find yourself in any related type of situation. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Avoid Brain Lock

In the book The Survivors Club, Author Ben Sherwood explores a theory developed by a man named John Leach called “The 10/80/10 rule”. In summary, the rule states that the top 10% of people in a crisis excel; they think clearly and take immediate action. The middle group comprises 80% of people; they are “quite simply stunned and bewildered”; “reasoning is significantly impaired and thinking is difficult”. The last 10% of people are the “ones you definitely want to avoid in an emergency”.

A few pages later, he explains something called ‘behavioral inaction’; “The current theory of behavioral inaction goes like this: As your frontal lobes process the site of an airplane wing on fire, they seek to match the information with memories of similar situations in the past. If you have no stored experience of a plane crash, your brain can’t find a match and gets stuck in a loop trying and failing to come up with the right response. Hence: immobility.”

One of the main reasons the following information is so important is to be able to avoid brain lock, allowing your mind to have something to pull forward. Another way to build this skill is by mentally placing yourself in situations you see in movies or in the news and then thinking about what you might have done differently.

Situational Awareness

I have covered situational awareness in the past, as well as the Cooper Color Code. Both of these are things that should be a part of your everyday life. They can be harder to practice in large crowds, but that is probably the most important time to use them. If you see someone who raises you from code yellow to orange (from the Cooper color code) try to keep tabs on them. If something really seems off, let an authority know. “If you see something, SAY something.”

If you find yourself in any type of terrorist attack, from a bombing to a mass shooting, situational awareness can save your life. By practicing situational awareness, you can keep track of the closest exit, or fastest way to safety. It can also help you avoid Mr. Dirtbag, who is committing the act of terror.

Cover and Concealment

I have explained Cover and Concealment previously but it is worth mentioning again. Concealment is something that hides you, but will not stop a round. Cover will stop a round and will usually hide you, except in the case of bullet proof glass for example. If you are caught near a terrorist attack, getting away from the primary danger should be your first goal. I suggest finding cover as a part of that goal.

Lone Wolves and Swarm Terrorist Attacks

I have written an article called Terrorism: Lone Wolf and Swarm Attacks, which goes into these types of attacks in more detail. I think these are the types of terror attacks we will see more of. Because these types of attacks consist of very few people, they are much easier to keep quiet and can be done on a very low budget. A swarm attack of 10 people killed 160 people in Mumbai, India. If there is one Mr. Dirtbag, there is always a chance he has a friend or two. For this reason, if Mr. Dirtbag does show up, keep practicing situational awareness and the Cooper Color Code.

Emergency First Aid

I read about some of the carnage that occurred yesterday. While absolutely tragic, that only three people died is a miracle. There may have been some medical personnel on site but my guess is that the average Joe and Jane stepped in and assisted those who were in need.

Would you be able to assist a stranger or a loved one who needed emergency first aid? I can’t recommend taking a first aid class strongly enough. You can find a class from the Red Cross.

There are also items you can carry that will aid in stopping blood loss; QwikClot and Israeli Battle Dressings. I will cover these items in more detail next week.

Summary

I think we need to learn from evil every chance we get. Sadly, we’re given far too many chances to do just that. By doing so, we can be more prepared to avoid brain lock and can put the above mentioned items into play.

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Filed Under: Mind Set, Security Tagged With: awareness

Suffering From Burnout Before and After the Fan

April 5, 2013 by Chris Ray 7 Comments

burnout Burnout; noun; Also, burn-out; fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.

Have you ever been burned out? I’m talking about being so tired of the “every day” that the thought of more of the status quo has an almost physical or very physical effect on you. This is not a good place to be. It can make one apathetic, bored, frustrated, depressed, angry and just all around unhappy. This is a danger now, when our lives are normal, and a potential danger in a long term survival situation.

News Burnout

When you have your eyes opened and see what the world situation is, the constant bombardment of bad news can start to make you feel burned out and numb. Shutting it all out might be ok for a small time, but we Watchmen (and Women) need to be alert.

Job Burnout

Suffering from occupational burnout is probably the worst kind. We often work for/with people we might not associate with under other circumstances. We might feel like we’re not where the Lord called us, and trapped because we need to make ends meet.

Prepper Burnout

This can be a blend of news burnout and partly from trying to fill all of the seemingly endless holes in our preparedness. We never seem to have enough time to learn everything we might need one day, and we never seem to have enough money to purchase the items we need or want.

Post Fan Burnout

Most survival situations will be short in duration. However, when faced with a prolonged survival situation, the stress, boredom and one day looking much like the next, among other circumstances can lead to burnout.

What can we do?

There are many other types of burnout, but you get the idea. Suffering from burnout can be dangerous. When you’re burnt out, you can become lackadaisical and your efforts in the area in which you’re burned out suffer. But here are some ideas to help.

Take 5

If it is possible, take a small fast from what is causing the burnout. This is great if you’re suffering from news, social media or other related kinds of burnout.

Add in Some Fun

Find fun things to do and take advantage of them. Life can be hard! Adding fun can help ease the burnout. Plan fun activities so you have something to look forward to, and sprinkle smaller fun things to do until then. When you’re really burned out, it might take a day or two of fun to help (if time permits). Even when there is a lot of work to be done, you need to take time to have a little fun, or productivity, mood and other things begin to suffer.

Change of Scenery

If you are burned out and it is feasible, completely changing your circumstances can cure it. This is much more in depth than just taking a 5. This could involve changing jobs, a relationship, church or any other area where a more drastic change is needed. I recommend discovering the reason why you are so burned out and trying the other items before going this drastic. Sometimes, “Out with the old, and in with the new” is the only solution that can cure severe burnout.

What Can We do Post Fan?

In a long term survival situation, avoiding getting burnt out will be crucial. Adding in some items to help break the monotony can help with burnout. Fun games and contests or gatherings can be helpful. In the book Lights Out, which is one of my favorite books in the survival fiction genre, they had a neighborhood potluck and dance. In the book, it gave everyone something to look forward to, as well as something to remember going forward.

Prayer, Praise and Worship

There are times when God has called us to do something and no matter how hard we try not to, we get burned out. Taking 5 or a changing scenery isn’t an option, and adding fun doesn’t cure it all. In these times, I pray, thank God for the chance to serve and give Him praise and worship. In my last job I would often listen to worship music while I worked. That seemed to help renew me for the day.

What tips do you have for either avoiding or curing burnout? Share with everyone on the comments section.

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When Would You Say It Has Hit The Fan?

February 13, 2013 by Chris Ray 28 Comments

The phrase “hitting the fan” is used by many to indicate when things get bad. We make plans and buy preparations to mitigate future events, but what would need to occur for you to say that “it has hit the fan” and put your plans in motion to start using your preparations?

Defining the Severity of the Event

I think we first need to understand that there are different levels of events and that the severity of them can be somewhat subjective, based on the level of our individual preparedness. There are large scale events that could affect a large portion of the population, but there are also smaller events that might only impact a single family. For example an EMP attack over the United States could affect most of America and possibly Canada or Mexico as well. Conversely a fire that completely destroys your neighbor’s home, while horrible, really only impacts them.

I believe that the large scale events will be easier to tell when “it’s hitting the fan” because multiple news sources will probably be reporting about it. Other “slow boil” events might not be as easy to tell if there is a problem, or how bad it might actually be.

There is a metaphor about a frog in a boiling pot; I have heard the metaphor is true and false. Frogs are cold blooded and their body temperature is regulated by their surroundings. If you place a frog in a boiling pot of water, they’ll immediately jump out. But if you put a frog in a pot of cool water and turn the heat up very slowly, the frog’s body temperature will rise slowly with it. The water can slowly be turned up until it reaches a boiling point and the frog will not jump out. Like I said, I don’t know if this is true or not, but it’s a great metaphor to explain the slow boil event.

Slow boil events could happen over days, weeks or even months; the danger occurs when we become acclimated to it and don’t realize how bad things really are. An example of it could be a seemingly natural seasonal flu season turning into a pandemic. It could take weeks before it is full blown. At what point would you implement a self-quarantine of your family?

The economy is another example; how many of us lost money from our 401k or other investments in the last five years? When do we decide things are too risky and it’s time to cash out or move to something safer?

Where Do You Draw The Line?

I have written before on Drawing a line in the sand, but how do you know when that line has been reached and you consider it to be hitting the fan? For example the roads during a Minnesota snow storm can be very unforgiving, made worse by the average Minnesotan driver. When I had to go into the office, I had a physical line in the sand so-to-speak. There was an overpass that was the last easy place to turn around for quite a few miles. If the roads gave me trouble before that spot, it was sufficiently hitting the fan bad enough for me to turn around and work from home.

I wish all events were that cut and dry, but there is no standard answer. However this is something we all must think about. Since there are no standard answers, I’ll just provide some topics and give some ideas.

Flu/Pandemic

At what point are there enough people sick for you to implement a self-quarantine for your family? Do you keep your kids home and still go into work or does everyone stay put?

Gun Control

There have been some suggested measures to implement stricter gun control, but I don’t think the Overton Window has moved enough to really go after guns. Maybe it won’t and maybe we’ll just see tighter restrictions going forward. If there are more mass shootings, and the cry is made to stop gun violence at any cost, where do you draw the line? Will you register your firearms? Will you turn them in? I don’t know if it will ever come to this, but I think it is something we need to think about now.

Battening Down

I think, in the vast majority of events, battening down is a better solution. There are scenarios besides a pandemic when implementing a self-quarantine of sorts might be a good idea; civil unrest, grid down events, severe weather and others. When are those events bad enough for you to say it has hit the fan and you’re staying put?

Bugging Out

While most events are better weathered from home, there are times when you must bug out. For those with a BOL (Bug Out Location), this might be an easy decision to make. If you don’t have a BOL, bugging out is far less pleasant, so the pull to leave might be less strong but ignoring it could be costly. Event’s that could cause you to bug out are wildfire, severe weather, terrorist attacks, chemical leaks and others. When is it bad enough to force you to flee to safety?

Closing Thoughts

The thought that sparked this article was contemplating how life would be different if we faced a true widespread survival situation, say an EMP. There must be a point in any type of event when it is bad enough to change your daily life, which is possibly the point when things have “hit the fan”.

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Filed Under: Mind Set Tagged With: awareness

NPE Syndrome – Not Prepared Enough

January 30, 2013 by Chris Ray 27 Comments

I get an email every once in a while from someone who has just started prepping and feels like they are way behind and won’t have enough time to get prepared. I think this is a pretty common reaction when someone “wakes up” and see’s that there are some very real dangers that they need to prepare for.

I went through something similar and I am sure many of you did as well. I discovered that there were things that could have a very real impact on my life. I was also kicking myself for not waking up sooner, amazed that some of the things I was now seeing slipped by.

Then the amount of things I was unprepared for set in and I was sure there was no way I could get as prepared as I needed to be before these looming disasters set in. I had far more questions than answers; where should I start? How was I going to pay for all of this? What is the biggest danger? How many things are there that I don’t know about? And on and on…

Luckily I found some good sites and spent countless hours researching to learn about preparedness. At the time I could only find the occasional blog post or forum post about prepping and Christianity. This is a huge part of why I created this blog.

I discovered that few people ever felt like they were prepared enough. Many who had been at it for years would say they wish they were better prepared.

Encouraging Words

Above all things; keep praying about it and keep seeking His guidance.

Here are some things I tell people who email me and have a case of NPE.

You’re not alone. The anxiety you feel is fairly normal and happens to many people when they “wake up”. Don’t kick yourself for not starting sooner! You’ve taken the most important step! You’ve started!

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. You can burn out that way. You may feel like you’re quickly running out of time. You’re not too late! There is still time!

Don’t go in debt to get prepared. There are inexpensive ways to get prepared. You don’t need to go from a week’s worth of groceries to a year’s worth overnight. Slowly increase the shelf stable foods you already eat, get a means to purify water and a means to defend your home.

Be careful who you tell about your new found realization that you need to prepare. Many of the people in your life are still asleep and it’s not likely that you’ll be able to help them wake up. Many Christians think preparing is showing a lack of faith. They, of course, are mistaken. The other reason to keep a lid on your preparedness is something I call Being gray. Essentially it means not drawing unneeded attention to oneself, so as not to be a target.

I also try to give some ideas on where to start. I often discuss the five basic human needs and link to a page written for those new to preparedness called Getting Started.

Final Thoughts

Truth be told, there are still things that start in the NPE Syndrome. I have learned to see it for what it is. Turn it over to the Lord and rest in the fact that you ARE prepared. As with everything, it is God’s hands.

What encouraging words may you have for those with NPE Syndrome?

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Filed Under: Mind Set, Preparedness Tips

Security is a Woman’s Responsibility Too

January 25, 2013 by Chris Ray 10 Comments

I have noticed that almost half of the people that like the Prepared Christian facebook page, and roughly half of the people that sign up to receive email updates are women. This article is directed at all of my female readers as well as any man that has a woman in their life.

In many homes the job of seeking out the cause of things that go bump in the night is relegated to a man. But what happens if the husband isn’t home or is incapacitated? Then consider single moms or single women that live alone.

According to the Rape Trauma Services website there are “1.3 women (ages 18 and over) in the United States are forcibly raped each minute. That translates to 78 per hour, 1,871 per day, or 683,000 per year.” I believe these statistics were taking from 1992, but I have a hard time believing they would be any lower today.

Whether it is seeking the source of something that went bump in the night, or fending off an attacker, security is a woman’s job too. The most important self-defense tool you can have is your mind, so I want to discuss mindset, I will also list some tools available to keep you safe.

Mind Set

The statistics turn my stomach, but they are eye opening. It’s something men might think about as a danger for the women in their lives, but not as an ever present danger to themselves. But the truth is, it is an ever present danger to women. If you’re reading this there is a good chance you are a prepper, someone who is awake to potential dangers and someone who takes measures to mitigate them. Rape and other violent crime is another very real danger, in fact it is more of a danger than most of the other things we prepare for.

The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence is a book everyone should read, but especially woman. It explains that there are things that happen that we might overlook, but our subconscious picks up on. I wrote a review of which can be found here. Once you open your eyes and see that there are dangers and you decide to take precautions, you can do things like practice situational awareness and use the Cooper Color Code, these two things will help you be more aware of potential threats, which can help you avoid possibly dangerous situations.

It’s Not Just a Man’s Job

As I mentioned above security is many times treated as a man’s job. I have received email’s stating it and I have seen similar comments on various forums. I don’t have a problem with security being primarily the man’s job, but it is also the woman’s. When something goes bump in the night, I am the one to check on it, but Trudee is at the ready, to assist me or call 911 if needed. If I was injured and was physically unable to check on it, or if while checking on it was rendered incapacitated, she would have a means to protect herself and call for help.

For a woman to be able to defend herself, she must have a weapon she is comfortable using. One option that I like is a youth model 20 gauge shotgun. Youth models are shorter and weigh less, and are easier to maneuver inside. If a handgun with defensive loads are what is used, I suggest going to a range that rents guns and try a few out. I know one of our local ranges has “Ladies Night” that are a basic introduction to handguns class made up of only woman. First Shots is an organization that Trudee and I actually went through to take an introductory hand gun course through.

If you can only afford to have one firearm at home, please make it one that the smallest framed adult can use. And each person should know how to operate it and be comfortable using it.

If you aren’t able to carry a firearm but want to have something for protection, I recommend pepper spray. I wrote an article called Self-Defense: Pepper Spray where I explain some of the downsides of certain types of pepper spray. I personally carry Cold Steel Inferno .38 oz. Keyring Hardcase Unit Pepper Spray as does Trudee, it is OC type, which is an inflammatory agent and causes one’s eyes to slam shut and severe burning. CS and CN types are irritants and some people are not affected.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to security, it might primarily be “the man’s job” but some of that responsibility also falls on the women’s shoulders. Ladies you are responsible for your own safety and for the safety of your family, even if that means in an assisting role.

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Filed Under: Mind Set, Security Tagged With: Home Defense, Self-Defense

The War on Guns; Part One

January 14, 2013 by Chris Ray 30 Comments

Unless you have been under a rock the last month or so, you have heard multiple things about the federal government “going after guns”. This issue is very important and multifaceted. I want to talk about why this issue is so important, the Second Amendment, the attacks on it and the people who are attacking it, what we might see and how we as Christian gun owners can respond.

This will be a lot of reading, so I am going to break this up into two articles. The first will explain why this issue is so important. I’ll also touch on the Founding fathers and the Second Amendment. I am going to link to other articles that I think you should read as well. I know this is a lot of reading, but it’s important to know why this fight is so important and to understand the argument for our right to keep and bear arms.

The War on Guns; Part One

The war on guns is not new but in the last few weeks it has reached a fevered pitch. The Obama administration is taking the advice of its former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, who suggested “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Please do not misunderstand. Let me make this clear now; the shootings that have happened in recent history are horrific acts committed by depraved and often mentally ill people. Despite this, the Obama administration is using this as an Overton Window to take advantage of the situation and do something they could not have done sooner.

Why Is This So Important?

There are two reasons this issue is so important. The first is because of what we may face and what the past has shown when firearms have been restricted. The second reason knowing this information is important is to have a rebuttal to those who would argue to take our guns.

Having a Ready Response

Security is one of the five basic human needs. I believe it is the most important one, because without it you cannot protect the other four. I believe the Founding Fathers also thought it was vitally important. I do not think it is by mistake that right to “keep and bear arms” is the Second Amendment, following only the right to speak out in protest.

The Apostle Paul told us we should have an answer ready to explain and defend our faith. I think that is good advice for anything you have convictions about. You should be able to logically answer and explain your stance to anyone who challenges you. I say logically because I think people that base their opinion in emotion often don’t sound serious. That is not to say that one cannot be emotional about their beliefs, I just think one should have them rooted in logic and facts and speak passionately.

I was recently asked what a Christian should do if the government comes after guns. I answered that we should follow God’s law any time it and man’s law contradict. If you understand what the Founders intent was when they wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, you’ll have an easier time answering that question on many subjects dealing with our laws, including gun rights.

Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Let me first say that I am not comparing President Obama to Hitler or any other despot. There have been those who believe no civilian should own a firearm since firearms were affordable enough for the average citizen to own one. I will discuss gun grabbers in further detail later in this article series. For now, I want to discuss some of the world leaders who have forced strict gun control on their nation and the outcome it led to.

There is some controversy about Hitler and gun control. From my study of history, I am led to believe that the Weimar Republic had strict gun control in place long before Hitler came to power. Hitler did take advantage of it and Jews were not allowed to own firearms. He is also quoted as saying at a dinner talk on April 11, 1942:

““The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty. So let’s not have any native militia or native police. German troops alone will bear the sole responsibility for the maintenance of law and order throughout the occupied Russian territories, and a system of military strong-points must be evolved to cover the entire occupied country.”

Joseph Stalin is quoted as saying:

“If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.”

Mao Tze Tung, Nov 6 1938

“All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party.”

Most recently Robert Mugabe, the dictator of Zimbabwe, has instituted a ban on guns. Here is a link I found interesting; a liberal who had their mind changed on the possession of firearms.

Something these and so many other evil men understood is that there are two sure ways to control people, take their guns and take their food. There is a quote that say’s “God created man, Samuel Colt made them equal”. It is a firearm that levels the playing field and gives a people the ability to stand up and resist tyranny.

Some people will say “This could never happen here”. I wonder if the Jews in Germany thought the same thing, or the people of Zimbabwe, Rwanda and so many others.

I saw a post recently on facebook that said “I saw a movie once where only the police and military were allowed to own guns. The name of that movie was “Schindler’s list”. Never Again!

The Founding Fathers

I wrote a series of three articles last year that dealt with the Founding Fathers the Constitution, and the future of America. I also wrote God’s law vs. Man’s law. In them, I explain that it took great courage to write the Declaration of Independence. Aside from the Bible, it is one of the most important documents in existence, largely due to the following sentence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The reason that one sentence is so important is because it states that the rights mentioned above in the Bill of Rights and the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and yes, the right to keep and bear arms are granted by God, and what God grants, man cannot take away.

The Founders knew that a large government could not be trusted. That is why there are so many checks and balances.

The Second Amendment

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Something important to keep in mind when studying the Bible, the Constitution or any historical document is that context its king. Something taken out of context can completely change what the document means; this is the case with the Second Amendment. I have done a lot of reading the last couple of weeks, shoring up what I didn’t fully understand, keeping track of what the anti-gunners were doing and how pro-gunners were responding. I came across a fantastic document from the Lectric Law Library called The Second Amendment: The Framers’ Intentions. The author does a fantastic job of explaining the wording of the Second Amendment and how the particular words meant something different at the writing of the Second Amendment than they do today. I highly suggest you read it, as I will only touch on some key points of the Amendment. Any of the italicized text in the Second Amendment section comes from The Second Amendment: The Framers’ Intentions.

The first question to answer is; “why would this need to be specified and added as an Amendment?” As Noah Webster, whose name you might recognize from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is quoted:

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe.”

You see, the founders knew that tyrants preferred an unarmed populace. They knew that an over reaching government with a standing army behind it was a threat to the liberty of the citizenry.

Once we understand that these words were very carefully chosen and that the Founders thought they were important enough to make them the Second Amendment, let’s take a look at the words themselves. I’m going to break this into smaller pieces and dissect each one.

A Well Regulated Militia

Context is king. When many people hear the word militia today, they might think of extremists who stock guns and are just waiting for a chance to use them. But, when the Second Amendment was written, the word meant something else.

“When the Constitution was ratified, the Framers unanimously believed that the “militia” included all of the people capable of bearing arms.”

“ALL of the people capable of bearing arms”; this means that according to the founders we are all in the militia. Alright, so anyone who is capable of bearing arms is in the militia, but what exactly does “well regulated militia” mean?

In modern times the word “regulate” often makes one think of the government regulation and restrictions. A much better (and much longer) explanation can be found at The Second Amendment: The Framers’ Intentions. A condensed version is that the founders knew the militia might one day have to fight a standing army raised and supported by the federal government. They would not have made the militia subject to be regulated by the government. Who then would be the regulatory body of the militia? Again, context is king:

“This interpretation is in keeping with English usage of the time, which included within the meaning of the verb “regulate” the concept of self- regulation or self-control (as it does still to this day). The concept that the people retained the right to self-regulate their local militia groups (or regulate themselves as individual militia members) is entirely consistent with the Framers’ use of the indefinite article “a” in the phrase “A well regulated Militia.”

That’s right, “We the people” are to self-regulate our own militia groups made up of anyone capable of bearing arms.

“Being necessary to the security of a free State”

Some of us may say we live under tyranny now, but it pales in comparison to the tyranny the Founders lived under. The Founders knew there were three potential enemies; the first, an invading country, the second, a single terrorist or small groups of terrorists, the last, the standing Army sponsored by the federal government.

It is the job of the standing army to fight against invading forces. It is the job of police agencies to deal with terrorists. It is the job of the militia to be a check against the standing army.

“Thus, “well regulation” referred to something else. Since the fundamental purpose of the militia was to serve as a check upon a standing army, it would seem the words “well regulated” referred to the necessity that the armed citizens making up the militia(s) have the level of equipment and training necessary to be an effective and formidable check upon the national government’s standing army.”

“This view is confirmed by Alexander Hamilton’s observation, in The Federalist, No. 29, regarding the people’s militias ability to be a match for a standing army: ” . . . but if circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in discipline and use of arms, who stand ready to defend their rights . . . .”

Of course we don’t have a structured citizen militia as well trained or as well-equipped as the standing army, but this does provide the basis for citizens to own weapons on the same level as the average soldier. This would not apply to planes, tanks, mine or grenades, but it would permit semi-auto rifles and semi-auto handguns with high capacity magazines.

The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The first two parts of the Second Amendment set the stage for why the people have the (God given) right to keep and bear arms. This last part flatly states the right shall not be infringed.

“Furthermore, returning to the text of the Second Amendment itself, the right to keep and bear arms is expressly retained by “the people,” not the states. Recently the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed this view, finding that the right to keep and bear arms was an individual right held by the “people,” — a “term of art employed in select parts of the Constitution,” specifically the Preamble and the First, Second, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Thus, the term “well regulated” ought to be considered in the context of the noun it modifies, the people themselves, the militia(s).”

Here is another fantastic piece from Roanoke.com called In Webster’s English. It explains that the English language has changed since the writing of the Second Amendment and uses the first Webster’s dictionary to explain it.

The Second Amendment in Modern Times

There have been some recent developments with the Second Amendment. First, on August 24, 2004, the Justice Department released a brief on Whether the Second Amendment Secures an Individual Right.. They state:

“we conclude that the Second Amendment secures a personal right of individuals, not a collective right that may only be invoked by a State or a quasi-collective right restricted to those persons who serve in organized militia units.”

In the wake of illegal confiscation of firearms after Hurricane Katrina, there was H.R. 5013 (109th): Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006, which, among other things, states:

“The Second Amendment to the Constitution states that a `well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’, and Congress has repeatedly recognized this language as protecting an individual right.”

Most recently, on 6-28-2010, the Supreme Court upheld, 5-4, that The Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws.

In Summary

The Founding Fathers clearly laid out that the right to keep and bear arms was an individual right. There have been many evil men who have tried to control their people by outlawing the ownership of firearms. I believe the Founders knew this was a possibility in the future of our nation, which is why they spelled it out. Even though they spelled it out, some have tried to muddy its meaning. With the paper from the Justice Department and the decision from the Supreme Court it is clear:

The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

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The War on Guns; Part One
The War on Guns; Part Two

Filed Under: Mind Set, Security, Signs of the Times Tagged With: Home Defense, Self-Defense

Finding Joy in the Darkness

January 3, 2013 by Chris Ray 17 Comments

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28-7

This article is going to be about finding joy when everything around you defies it. I truly believe that this is a survival skill, the ability to find joy and hope, when we’re faced with times of pain, loss and uncertainty. Because this is a skill, it is something we need to practice now, so when there is a disaster, we can find joy and be a light to others. Jesus promised us we would see tribulation and persecution ahead, but He also said we should:

“Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.’ Mathew 5-12

It’s not easy is it? In fact, some days it’s nearly impossible. We’re to be in this world and not of it, but we still get some on our shoes as we journey through. I’m not talking about true depression, which is a medical condition. I’m talking about when life is just beating you down. The events that take place can affect us and some days nearly break us. It’s hard to find joy when children and their teachers are slaughtered at their school. It’s hard to find joy when there is job loss, loved ones with cancer or other illness and stress everywhere we turn.

But if we let this world bog us down, we are in danger of being like the world;

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Mathew 5-13

Finding Joy

I am, by no means, an expert in this. In fact, I often have a difficult time with it. You see, I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of Autism. While I am high functioning, I do have trouble understanding and relating to certain emotions. I don’t mean to say I am Danny Downer, my emotions are often muted, kind of a plain gelatin, if you will.

I am also a blogger who talks about preparedness and spends a lot of time thinking about dark subjects and how we can mitigate them. Spending as much time as I do on the hard realities and the harsh possibilities can sometimes take its toll.

Because of this, I have researched happiness and joy from an analytic point of view. That might seem like an oxymoron, learning about emotions from an analytical manner, but it’s what works for me. What I have found is this; joy is a decision. It is an ongoing skillset that must be practiced. Where most people make the mistake (myself included) is when they let circumstances dictate how joyful we feel. Instead, we can make the decision to look for bright spots in the darkness; to see the glass as half full.

My wife, who is much better than I at this, has an example; she lost her first born son after just three days. Sure it hurt and was horrible to go through, but she didn’t let it define her. She feels privileged that she got to have him for those three precious days.

Like I said, joy is a skillset that has to be practiced, just like shooting, canning, driving or any other skill. We have to make the decision any and every time life starts to kick our butts.

Happiness is a Serious Problem

One of my favorite radio talk show hosts is Dennis Prager. Mr. Prager wrote a book called Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual. In it, he explains that happiness is actually an obligation; an obligation we all owe to those in our lives. He says that to be happy we often have to fight against our nature. He explains that it is our expectations that often lead to our unhappiness. For an example, if I have a job interview that I think I am perfect for, and I feel comfortable that I will get it. If I don’t get the job, I may feel let down, sad or even depressed. If I was to go into the interview with no expectation of being hired and am offered the position, I can be thrilled. If I’m not offered the position, I had no expectation of getting it, so no harm done.

Every Friday, Dennis dedicates one hour of his show to the subject of happiness. One Friday he actually said that for Christians and Jews, unhappiness is a sin. He said that through scripture we are commanded to have joy. Do a search for the words “joy”, “happy” and “happiness” at any online bible website. Blue Letter Bible is one of my favorites, but there are many others. You might be surprised at how many times those three words are brought up. A very good example is Mathew 5-12; being happy when we’re persecuted. I don’t think that is a suggestion, I think it’s a command.

If you have a hard time finding joy or being happy, I really recommend reading Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual. In fact I think it’s time I read it again.

What can we Do?

Make Room For Fun

One of the things I have recently learned is that I need to make room for fun. You see, between working full time and this website, there have been days when I woke up at 4:45am, started work at 6:30am, got off at 3:00pm and worked on the website until 8:00pm. I don’t have quite the same schedule now, but there are still days when it’s close. I enjoy working on the website. I feel blessed that I get to do so and that people actually come back to read the next article. To avoid getting burned out, I have recently learned to make room for fun. I like to play video games, so I am now making time each day just to play.

When you feel like you’re losing the battle, having something to look forward to every day makes things easier to handle. Fun and joy aren’t necessarily related but fun can chip the armor of darkness so the light of Joy can start to shine through.

Prayer

Have you ever had a day…or a week where everything was a battle? That person in traffic cuts you off, your co-workers are making your job harder, and things at home are unpleasant? You can’t wait to climb into bed so the day can just be over? The point I am attempting to make is that there are times when things are going against us even if we’ve done nothing to bring it on.

I often think that these times can be attributed to the enemy. I read on a forum once where someone said they knew they were being attacked. They said “If satan or his minions are busy attacking me, they can’t be out attacking someone else”. They took on an attitude of someone doing battle and fighting back, not just being attacked and taking it.

In these times we can go vertical and get out of the horizontal. In other words we can get out of this world (the horizontal) and go vertical to take the problem to the King. There have been days when this works, and others where it hasn’t. Sometimes I need to add worship music and more prayer.

In the last month or so, I have had the same story about the happiest man alive cross my path at least three times. It is about a Buddhist Monk. Scientists have connected 256 electrodes to his head and asked him to meditate on compassion. The article reports that:

“Ricard’s brain produced gamma waves, linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory that were “off the charts”. It also showed excessive activity in the left prefrontal cortex. This demonstrated Ricard’s massive capacity for happiness and low levels of negativity.”

Meditation on compassion is simply getting out of the horizontal, standing in the gap and praying for others. So, by praying for others, we can actually increase our happiness. It also intervenes in another’s life and lifts them up to the Father. Prayer is a mighty weapon! Jesus said in Mark 9:20 “This kind can be cast out only by prayer”. Imagine that! A demon so strong that even the Messiah had to pray to the Father to intervene.

I posted a comment on another article recently about the word “Maranatha”. It is an Aramaic word which, loosely translated, means “Come quickly Lord”. I have had days when it feels like I am treading water just to keep my nose above the surface and people keep putting stones in my pockets. On these days, when the yoke of this world is too heavy for me to carry alone, I try to pray, but those prayers seem so feeble. In those times, I utter this one word prayer, “Maranatha!”

I prayed this prayer when I heard of the Sandy Hook shootings. Thinking of those terrified children and teachers, of all those grieving in such terrible pain. My words were to small, the burden to heavy, the only thing that could heal that hurt is our God, so Maranatha, come quickly Lord to those in pain.

Prayer is a mighty weapon that I don’t feel I wield well. This is something I am making a resolution to get better at this year. If you have any requests, large or small, that you would like a prayer warrior in training to take before the Living God on your behalf, just post it in the comments or send an email to Chris @ preparedchristian.net and I will add you to my prayer journal.

These are just a few examples of how you can find joy, if you have others please share them in the comment section.

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Filed Under: Christian World View, Mind Set

Why I Prepare

January 1, 2013 by Chris Ray 35 Comments

I think a great way to start off the New Year is to go back to square one and define why it is, we do what we do. You see Prepper’s or survivalist’s have never been treated kindly by the media, but there has been some new negativity since it was discovered that the mother of the Sandy Hook shooter was a prepper and owned guns. I think it is important to have an easily understandable, well thought out answer if someone were to ask us why we prepare. You might agree with some of the reasons I list. If so, great! Either way, please take some time to define why you prepare and to explain that you’re not a nut-job. If you want to share with the community, please post your answers in the comments section. If you don’t want to share, that’s fine too. Please, at least be thinking of how you might answer if someone asks you.

I prepare because I have eyes to see and ears to hear. I am awake and aware that there are some very real dangers in the world, things that happen every day. Most of these things are small in nature; ice storms, blackouts, blizzards, etc. We also are facing a failing infrastructure, a very fragile electric grid, just-in-time-delivery to grocery stores, as well as countries and terrorist groups who have vowed to attack America and our interests.

I prepare because it is a part of who I am. No matter how the media spins it, I am not a “crazed doomsday survivalist”. I am a pragmatic realist who, to the best of my ability, wants to mitigate the things that can have a negative impact on my life.

I prepare because Proverbs 27:12 says the prudent thing to do is take precaution when we see a danger.

I do not prepare out of fear. I prepare so I do not have to be afraid. I am prepared, and therefore, I am not afraid that my family won’t have clean drinking water, food to eat, a warm place to sleep or safety from the things that go bump in the night.

I prepare because I love freedom, and being evacuated to a stadium is not my idea of freedom. If I lost everything and this was my only option, I would take it. Anything short of that and we’ll take care of ourselves, thank you.

I prepare because I think doing so makes me a good citizen. If there is ever a disaster in my area, I will not be a drain on precious resources.

I prepare because, in our hi-tech modern world, we have forgotten how hard a low tech life can be. Just because we have on-demand everything now, doesn’t mean we always will.

I prepare because I have never expected others to do for me. This isn’t my pride, if a hand is offered and I need it, I will accept, but I will never be in expectation of that hand being out.

I prepare because I have health insurance, dental insurance, car insurance, home owners insurance, life insurance and vision insurance, just in case something bad happens. I see preparing for the five basic human needs as a type of insurance.

I prepare because I think it makes me a responsible Christian. If I am prepared and my family is cared for, I am better able to be Christ’s hands and feet to others in a disaster. Spreading God’s love doesn’t stop in a disaster; in fact one could argue it needs to be spread more in such a time.

My name is Chris Ray and I am a Prepared Christian.

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Filed Under: Getting Started, Mind Set

Dreams, Prophecy and Promptings

November 28, 2012 by Chris Ray 36 Comments

“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

This verse comes from Joel 2:28 and again from Acts 2:17. It is a promise from God that He will pour out His spirit, which will give visions, dreams and cause some to prophecy. Since starting Prepared Christian I have been blessed to receive emails from several of you who have shared dreams you have had or prophecies that have been given at your church or from ministries you interact with on the Internet. I want to take some time to discuss this with you.

I think this is important because I know that some of you have been led to preparedness by a dream you have had or a loved one has had, or by prophecies given by someone you trust. Sometimes we feel prompted by God to take an action to be more prepared.

Dreams

The word dream is mentioned in scripture 65 times; all but seven of those are in the Old Testament. Dreams are clearly one way that God chooses to speak to us; I think this is for various reasons. Dreams bypass the logical part of our brain that can quash the still small voice. Dreams can also be used to introduce things that we are not yet familiar with. They can be used to push us to take action on something we may or may not fully understand.

Scripture lists dreams given to people that were a concrete example of what would occur, examples of this appear in Mathew 1:20, when an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that the child Mary caries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Again in Mathew 2:12 the three wise men receive a dream that warns them not to go back to Herod. An angel comes to Joseph again in Mathew 2:13 to tell him to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt. Joseph was visited in a dream again in Mathew 2:19, telling him of Herod’s death.

More often, dreams from the Lord are far more abstract and need interpretation to understand. For instance; the dream God gave to Pharaoh that is explained to Joseph in Genesis 41:15 of the seven fat cows, then seven scrawny and lean cows that Joseph interpreted for him to mean seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Another example is found in Judges 7:13. Gideon overhears a man telling of a dream that a round loaf of barley bread tumbled into the Midianite camp with such force it collapsed a tent. The man listening to this dream interpreted it to mean that the loaf of bread was the sword of Gideon son of Joash. Gideon used this knowledge to invade and conquer the Midianite camp. Again, in Daniel 2:30, King Nebuchadnezzar has Daniel interpret the dream of a giant statue, King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:11 has Daniel interpret the dream of the giant tree.

Sometimes the meaning of a dream may be abstract, even if the dream itself is not. An example of this could be the dreams given to Joseph in the book of Genesis. In these dreams, Joseph interpreted his brothers and parents bowing down to him. While Joseph became second in command, only lower than Pharaoh, God, at one point, had Joseph thrown into a cistern, sold into slavery and put in prison before interpreting Pharaohs dream and being given much power. He used this power to save his family.

The point I am trying to make is that sometimes the dreams we have are from God. Some of those dreams will actually happen exactly like they did in the dream, as it was many times with Joseph. Some dreams might show us symbolic events, with the end result being similar to the dream, as it was with Joseph and his dreams of his family bowing down to him. The dream could just be used to spark you into taking action, like Gideon did when hearing of the interpreted dream.

I have received e-mails from people who say they have had dreams of the economy crashing and violence everywhere. I have received emails foretelling of the electric grid going out and society falling apart. I have also gotten an email where the person dreamed that a large volcano (I assume it was the caldera in Yellowstone) erupted, destroying much of America and covering much of the US is ash. I have also read prophecies from my church and other ministries that speak to some very difficult times ahead. If all of these are true and come to pass, not only America but much of the world will suffer greatly. In fact, if the caldera in Yellowstone erupted, it very well could be an ELE (Extinction Level Event). I suppose it is possible that all of these things could happen, but even one happening is a very low possibility, let alone all three.

Prophecy

Prophecy is something I find interesting and have studied. I have read Biblical prophecies and some by modern day prophets. The modern prophecies that I have read are often a little vague. Maybe the prophet is only allowed, as John the Revelator was, to show certain things, keeping some things hidden. Maybe the entire sequence of events was not revealed to the prophet, or maybe the prophet is afraid of being too specific, fearing the events will not unfolding as they said.

I have visited forums where current events were forced into prophecy. I have also seen very godly men led to believe a false prophet. I learned a lesson when I started studying prophecy; if a prophet is wrong even once, they are not a prophet sent by God. God is never wrong.

If I met a prophet who was always right, who lived a godly life and loved the Lord, I would listen and heed his words. Until then, I will listen and put their words to the tests of scripture and time to see if they’re right.

Promptings

Most of the time, I have a very difficult time knowing if a prompting is from the Lord. There are other times when I have no doubt. I’m going to share something personal with all of you and I hesitate to do so, partly because I am very private, and partly because I think it could invite some conflict. I think it is a good example of how sometimes God prompts us and uses things we understand at the time, only to have events unfold differently than originally thought.

Years ago I had read all of the Left Behind books and really studied the book of Revelation and other prophecies in the Bible. This is also around the same time I started prepping. I remember feeling like God was asking me to stay behind after the Rapture to help new believers learn about salvation, and to help them survive the coming judgments to the earth.

Years later I began to feel the Lord stirring again. This time it was to help believers to learn that preparedness is Biblical and how to get better prepared now. I wasn’t sure how to do this and sat on it for another couple years. I finally started writing some pretty awful articles and emailing them to friends. Then, God used Jack Spirko from the Survival Podcast to spark me into starting the Prepared Christian blog.

My point here is that even though all of the promptings were from God, in the beginning I did not have enough knowledge to teach others about preparedness. Knowing I would need that knowledge, I began my research and better preparing my family. Through writing those awful letters to my friends, I hopefully have gotten to be a better writer. I still didn’t know how to “get the word out” until I heard Jack Spirko that day. That began my research into blogging and using the Internet. I now believe God used my understanding of things in the beginning to get me to take the action needed to do what I am doing now. It was my understanding of things that changed, not Gods plan.

Final Thoughts:

Though God does use dreams, prophecy and promptings, they may not always mean what we think they mean. Don’t cling so tightly to your understanding that God can’t unfold His plan. Yes He is more powerful than you, but He loves you enough to yield to your free will.

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Filed Under: Christian World View, Mind Set

Guest Post: Neighboring Matters: Preparing For Unknown Unknowns

November 21, 2012 by Chris Ray 7 Comments

Today we are blessed by an excellent article written by Todd Walker, the Survival Sherpa, he has allowed me to post it here to help fill in some gaps while I go through the process of moving. Todd is the Owner/Editor of Survival Sherpa, please bless him by heading to his site and soaking up some of the great information he has on it, you can read the original article here.

Neighboring Matters: Preparing For Unknown Unknowns

Can we prepare for all the unknown unknowns?

No matter how meticulous you might be at creating your list of lists, how much stuff you’ve squirreled away, or how sharply you’ve honed your survival skills, you can’t prepare for the unknown unknowns. That’s why neighboring matters.

If you get 10 survivalists in a room, you’ll get eleven different opinions on how to build community. In this installment of my Individual Preparedness Plan series, we’ll discuss what should be on top of every person’s preparedness priority list: Neighboring.

In the wake of Sandy’s unwelcome and devastating visit, I’ve noticed a pungent theme of superiority in tweets and posts from some (thankfully not all) “preppers”: “When will sheeple learn” and “We don’t look so crazy now, do we.” Way to go. Pat yourself on the back. This kind of attitude only reinforces the many negative stereotype of preppers being lunatics with a gun and superiority complex.

Please don’t take this as a bash session on fellow preppers. I’m just wondering what our motives are for prepping. We’re all in it for ourselves to some degree. Individualism. Self-reliance. Independence. Preparedness. Back-to-basics. Sustainability. These are all noble pursuits. What about those closest to us – geographically, not on social media sites? That nameless neighbor I wave to when checking my mail. He’s only two doors down. The older couple that I politely say hello to as they walk past while I’m running the neighborhood streets. I don’t know their names or situations.

I often wonder how these nameless folks would respond to a natural disaster or extended SHTF scenario. What makes my middle class neighborhood different from those affected by Hurricane Sandy? Not a thing. Human nature is the same in New Jersey as it is here or in Timbuktu. We all need food, water, shelter, and neighbors… unless you live in an isolate cabin or cave in the hinter-boonies with wild animals as companionship. Then disregard this. For everyone else, your friends in the neighborhood could be your most valuable prep.

Got milk? No. Borrow it from your neighbor across the street. Uh, folks just don’t do that anymore. How about when a tornado rips through your town? Or an ice storm cripples the grid power? In these events, you’re forced to meet your neighbors. Most times, previously unknown faces show up from down the street with a chainsaw to plow through your fallen tree-lined driveway. It’s what humans do. We’re social animals. Too often we assume the worst about human nature while stocking the wood heater in our bunkers or sitting in our machine gun nests. Discounting and overlooking real relationships with tangible people living close to us will hamstring even those most prepared.

Many hands make light work. I don’t know who gets credit for that wise saying, but it’s true. Friends that you can trust, and can trust you, is more valuable than all the stuff we’re told to pack in our bug out bags, pantries, and gun vaults. Trusted friends are anchors of preparedness. Neighbors can be our wildcard.

Isolation is intentional. So is neighboring. It takes effort. Which means more than pressing the “Like”, “Follow”, or “Friend” button for virtual friends thousands of miles from our computer. It’s not likely that they’ll be available to pull your broken body from the rubble that use to be you home. They know you as an avatar on their screen. Face to face friends are outside your house. They live next door and down the street.

Our best hope of surviving catastrophe on a personal, local level is friends and neighbors. Daniel Aldrich, a political scientist living in New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina hit, tells his story and study of response to natural disasters.

He had just moved to New Orleans. Late one August night, there was a knock on the door.

“It was a neighbor who knew that we had no idea of the realities of the Gulf Coast life,” said Aldrich, who is now a political scientist at Purdue University in Indiana. He “knocked on our door very late at night, around midnight on Saturday night, and said, ‘Look, you’ve got small kids — you should really leave.’ “

The knock on the door was to prove prophetic. It changed the course of Aldrich’s research and, in turn, is changing the way many experts now think about disaster preparedness.

Officials in New Orleans that Saturday night had not yet ordered an evacuation, but Aldrich trusted the neighbor who knocked on his door. He bundled his family into a car and drove to Houston.

“Without that information we never would’ve left,” Aldrich said. I think we would’ve been trapped.”

“Really, at the end of the day, the people who will save you, and the people who will help you,” he added, “they’re usually neighbors.”

Force multiplier

Family, friends, and neighbors help rebuild and restore order better than large organizations, government or otherwise. The more value-adding neighbors you have, (and not all will be “preppers”) the more hands, legs, minds, and overall resources become available. I sold my pickup truck this year to cover shortages in our family income when Dirt Road Girl could no longer work due to cancer. One of my neighbors gave a standing offer for me to use his spare truck for any hauling duty that might come up. He and his wife have been so supportive to our family in our personal SHTF scenario. From meals, prayers, dog sitting, and just plain old neighborly stuff, they’re not just neighbors, they’re friends now.

How many friends are enough?

Jesus had an intimate social circle of twelve friends and 3 closer than the rest. This number of face-to-face, close friends is about all mere humans can really manage. Any higher and we begin to spread ourselves thin. Keep in mind that this group is your real, trusted friends. See Dunbar’s Number for more thoughts on manageable social group sizing. Dunbar theorizes that 150 is the mean group size for people. Of course, physical proximity to each other would either raise or lower that number. A lot of social grooming is required for this size group to stay intact. I can only count on one hand the number of intimate friendships I have. I think that’s healthy. From there my circle expands to close friends, friends, and acquaintances.

OpSec. What about it?

We live in a global age. I’m shocked, and very thankful, to see people read this blog from countries around the world. Information is at the touch of a finger. Friends, however, are local. What about OpSec (operational security)? I don’t divulge the full scope of my preparedness plans with every person on the street. That’s stupid. I do have a small group of trusted friends that would run to my aid in the event of an emergency. They know I’d do the same for them. We’ve been there, done that. This type of friend is one that knows you, likes you, loves you warts and all. Their not just fans cheering you on safely from the stadium seats. They’re on the playing field with us. They know our plans and are a part of our plans.

Building relationships with neighbors is mutually beneficial. The quality of life quotient increases. The neighborhood value rises. Not in monetary value necessarily, but in mutual survivability. Again, many hands make light work. No one person can prepare for the unknown unknowns.

Neighboring has opened doors by just waving. Last week DRG was fetching our trash can from the side of the road. One of our neighbors walked by and struck up a conversation. He brought up concerns about what might bring chaos to our quite little community. He and DRG talked about topics like personal defense, basic preparedness items, and safety in our neighborhood. Practical stuff, not political or conspiracy theory related.

Practical preparation through neighboring

Here are a few not-so-pushy ways to do this stuff. I guess you could canvas door to door. But you don’t want to come across as annoying.

Give. You’ve got carpentry, plumbing, electrical, or computer skills. Offer to help a neighbor. This opens a door for mutual and reciprocal giving.
Attend community meetings. Local farmers markets, festivals, concerts, school meetings are all attended by neighbors and friends.
Yard sales. If you’re into bargains, this old hat for you. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with people. Plus you’ll likely find useful stuff for your preparations. Two weeks ago I scored a box of candles and mason jars from an older lady two streets down in our neighborhood. I let her know that I where I live when I introduced myself. The transaction went very smoothly and I made a new friend.
Baking/Smoking/Brewing. DRG makes killer sausage balls. She prepares a few plates every Christmas and delivers the trays to neighbors. I share smoked Boston butts with a few as well. My back door neighbor samples my home-brewed beer.
Ask for help – without being needy. That’s the only ice breaker needed to move from acquaintance to friend sometimes.
Be a connector. Refer people needing stuff to people with stuff or skills.
Trade garden produce. One year I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, while my next door neighbor produced more peppers than he could eat or cared to store. We traded through out the summer.
Barter network. If there’s a local barter network already established in your town, get involved and add value.
Clubs of interest. Hunting, fishing, golf, knitting, or canning. Ask a neighbor to go learn a new skill together.

Hopefully these tips will motivate us to get out of the house, network, and meet folks. Have you met your neighbor? Maybe your he/she knows that unknown unknown.

Doing the stuff,

Todd

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Mind Set Tagged With: community