April 27, 2024

Preparedness Foundations

Preparedness Foundations

This review was written by my beautiful wife Trudee.

Preparedness Foundations

In helping Chris out, I thumbed through a book that was sent to him.

This is a “Participant Workbook”, designed to go along with a class on preparedness that you might see held in your own church! Of course, since Chris and I have briefly been a part of our preparedness class at church, this really piqued my curiosity!

I have to admit, I wish we’d have come up with this! It’s EXCELLENT! The authors, Clayton Whitson and Jonathan Coussens have done a beautiful job compiling a lot of information with useful check lists without overwhelming the reader. This book is 76 pages! That’s it! It’s colorful and very well-written in non-threatening terms!

There are sections of “homework” that are designed to help get class participants thinking and moving on preparedness. The contents and chapters are easy to get back to if you find yourself wondering about a specific topic you covered in class. There are colorful pictures and great explanations of them!

Trudee’s Take:

I find myself wishing I could sit through this class with these instructors, and I’ve been prepping for a few years now! This book is fantastic! I don’t know where they’re holding classes but, given half a chance, I’d be there in a heartbeat!

P.S. I checked out their website. A husband and wife team?! No way! What are the odds?!?! The book can be purchased in PDF format here, be forewarned, it is on the pricey side.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Practical Approach to Preparedness

Practical Approach to Preparedness

I’ll get into the “preps” of preparedness soon, but I wanted to give you some practical information to keep in mind while you go about becoming better prepared. I also have four articles that give you some practical actions to take, all of which I highly recommend.

Practical Information 

The Rule of Threes

This is a short article that gives the rule of threes. In short they are that the average human can survive:

3 seconds without oxygen to the brain
3 minutes without oxygen
3 hours without shelter in poor weather
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

I also list a couple that I have seen added to the list.
 

A Great Twist to the Rule of Threes

This article was inspired by a reader. I liked his idea so much that I wanted to share it! The article explains that you should build redundancy into to your preparations. I believe redundancy is a big part of preparedness, not just in the sense of “two is one, one is none”, but also in how one builds their plans. One of the examples from the article is on water redundancy; from the tap, stored water and also from a river/lake (followed by purifying it).

 
Expiration Dates; Fact or Fiction?

I think this is a very important article. It can save you a lot of money. By law, products have to have expiration dates. However, many products will last much, MUCH longer than companies lead you to believe.

 
Frugal Preparedness

Let’s face it, prepping can get expensive! Here are 10 tips that can help you save money.

 
Practical Actions
 

Five Free Practices You Can Do To Be Better Prepared

Like I said above, prepping can get expensive, so here are five things you can do for free that can help you become better prepared.
 

Lessons Learned From a Rollover Car Accident

A car accident is one of the most frequent ways the “stuff hits the fan”. My stepson rolled my car and, while I thought I was fairly well prepared, I learned a lot from the incident. If you have young drivers, I especially recommend you read this article.
 

Important Documents

Here is a list of important documents that I think you should have gathered in a safe place. There are several others listed by readers, so check there as well.
 

Preparing for the Inevitable

We prepare for things that might happen, but we also must prepare for the things that WILL happen. I firmly believe that one should make their end of life decisions now, and not leave that burden to your loved ones.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

The Seed of the Month Club

Seed of the Month Club

Now is the time of year to start thinking about the spring garden. Part of that process is ordering seeds. You may have noticed that one of my supporters is the Seed of the Month Club. I only accept advertisers that I think are high quality and can really benefit you, my readers. The Seed of the Month Club is among them!

Because it’s approaching the garden season, I thought I would tell you a little about the Seed of the Month Club, so you have some time to take advantage of it before you start your seeds.

I asked Mike the Gardener a few questions about the Seed of the Month Club and about gardening in general. Those questions and answers are below.
 

Chris: More and more people are taking up gardening for the first time. I can attest that there is a learning curve in gardening, so for beginners what is a good fruit or vegetable that is hard to screw up?

Mike: I always tell everyone, the first rule of thumb is to grow what you like to eat. It makes no sense in growing something that no one in your family will consume. When you grow something you are likely to eat, the chances of you taking care of it and seeing it through are far greater. With that said, there are a number of vegetables that I would consider very easy to grow, but the top of my list would be tomatoes.
You can grow just one plant and get plenty of fruit from them especially if you grow cherry or grape types.
 

Chris: How should seeds be stored?

Mike: To keep seeds for longer term storage, you want to make sure they are kept in a cool, not cold, dry location. This past gardening season I just germinated some onion seeds that were about 8 years old.

When they are stored correctly, you can get great germination rates from your seeds.
 

Chris: What is a good method to tell if you need to water?

Mike: What I would recommend to all gardeners is to keep track of the amount of water given to plants. I find that less water is better than a lot of water. You will want to keep track of the amount of rain you receive so that you know for sure your plants need water. Most vegetables can get away with just an inch or two of water per week.

However, let’s say you do not have a rain gauge, you can always refer back to the old “dirt” test. Plunge your finger into the soil about an inch or two and if the soil is dry and crumbly, chances are your plants need some water.
 

Chris: Can you list a few things that someone with limited space could grow?

Mike: This is a great question. It’s also open to a lot of possibilities as what or who defines “limited” space. Keeping in mind the answer to question number, my recommendation would be to grow prolific producers that can also be grown vertically. While you may be limited horizontally, when it comes to gardening, the sky really is the limit. I would recommend indeterminate tomatoes, again, cherry, grape as well as various other heirloom varieties, pole beans, indeterminate cucumbers such as Ashleys or Straight 8s. Peas are another good choice as well. My favorite are sugar snaps.

If someone is new to gardening I offer up 3 tips that are very useful to make sure new gardeners do not get frustrated. One, grow what you like eat. I touched on this earlier. Two, keep your garden small.
Gardening is work and the larger garden you have, the more work it can be. So if you are new to gardening, start small with just a few plants and grow each season from there. Three, keep your garden in sight.

Preferably right outside a window of your home in a room that you and your family frequent the most. I have found that people who are not constantly looking at their garden, tend to forget about it.
 

Chris: How many seeds can members expect to get per month? (A reader had this question months ago, so I asked Mike.)

Mike:
It varies based on seed variety, for example, squash seeds are larger so you can expect about 20 to 50 depending on which variety of squash … whereas tomato seeds are small so you can expect around 300 to 500 seeds in a packet.
 

Here is some info taken from the Seed of the Month FAQ.

How much is a membership?

In the United States
Six months $4.11
One Year $3.70
Two Years $3.33

International
Six months $5.11
One Year $4.60
Two Years $4.14

Your Membership Includes

• Open pollinated, heirloom varieties
• 8 packs of seeds your 1st month
• 4 packs of seeds every month thereafter
• 30 day money back guarantee
• 25% off vegetable gardening products in our online store
• Free shipping

When can I expect to receive my first mailing of seeds?

Your first shipment is sent out within 48 hours of you ordering. We ship via the United States Postal Service. The length of delivery time will be based on your location. You can expect your first shipment to arrive within 7 to 10 business days from the date you place your order.

When can I expect my monthly seeds to arrive?

Your first 8 packs of seeds are mailed right away. Then each month you will receive 4 packs of seeds by the last Friday of each month for the month in which they are due.

25% Discount

Just in case you missed it, Mike gives members a 25% discount on the Average Person Gardening Online Store. That is a 25% on vegetable, fruit and herb seeds, seed starting supplies and on soil testers. This would be a great way to save on seeds that you know you want to grow for sure this season.

 

My Take

I like that Mike only works with companies that give non-GMO, open pollenated, heirloom seeds. This way you can collect the seeds at the end of the season if you so choose.

As I stated in one of the questions to Mike, there is a learning curve to gardening. I think it is a skill every Prepper should practice, even if it’s only in a pot you place in the window. I agree with Mike, going vertical is a great way to mitigate limited space. Here is a trellis I made of PVC,. A version of this could be made for a large container.

If you haven’t ever looked at an heirloom seed catalog, you would be amazed at how many varieties of vegetables there are! I think this is a great way to get some seeds for a variety of vegetables you might not have known about previously.

I also think this would be a great way to build your own “Survival Seed Bank”. It’s cheaper than some of the commercial ones I have seen.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Entertainment Kit

Before I get to todays topic, I have a quick personal update. As many of you know, I have been unemployed for quite some time. I was just offered a position doing something very similar to what my last job was. Because the job is so specialized, and because I have previous experience, they offered me 12% more salary then what I asked for.

I know many of you have been praying for me over the last year. I want to let you know how much I appreciate you! I thank God for this position opening up and for all of you.

Entertainment Kit

“RSN”, an active Prepared Christian Forum member, made a thread on the forums that she called Holiday and disaster doldrums pick-me-up’s. It’s about some different things she keeps on hand for entertainment just in case the stuff hits the fan. I think this is a fantastic idea, and thought it would make a good post! At first glance, it might not make sense to have fun things to do when life throws us a curveball. I would argue that it is when we need these things the most!

Depending on how things are going sideways, there could be a significant amount of downtime. If you don’t have something to soak up that downtime, you run the risk of dwelling on the situation and compounding the negativity you feel.

I made it through two 6 month cruises through the Gulf on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and even when things weren’t falling apart, having downtime with nothing to do makes the time crawl by. I can’t even begin to count the number of Hearts and Spades games I played.

Having things to keep people of all ages occupied is important. Entertained children are not going to be as focused on what is going on, which in turn should decrease their fear.

Here are some things you might consider.

Pocket Bible
Books
Magazines
Puzzles
Decks of cards
Books on how to play various card games
Board games for multiple ages
Pens, pencils, crayons and paper
Lego’s
Tinker Toy’s
Dominoes
Yard games
Chess
Checkers
DVD’s
Darts
Crosswords
Word finds
Art and Craft things to do
Hand held electronic games, with extra batteries.
Cribbage

You get the idea! I think having a deck of cards and a travel game or two stuffed in a BOB is a great idea, just in case you’re forced to bug out.

When I am stressed, having something to do that engages my mind can often help me calm down, and help clear my head. In turn, it helps me think clearly when I go back to what it was that was stressing me out to begin with. I personally get bored easily and even more so when there is a lot of stress. I strongly recommend having a variety of things to do!

I would love to hear your ideas of things to add to an Entertainment Kit!

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Where Should I Start, and What Should I do Next?

Road Sign

Prepared Christian will be 4 years old in October of this year. In that time, I have written the majority of 400+ articles, covering a wide range of topics related to survivalism/preparedness and Christianity as it relates to the two topics. I have had several people in the last few months say they were new to preparedness and were looking for help on where to start. I have covered a lot of information on this site. I can imagine that going through it and finding the things that apply to someone new could be daunting. I also know there are readers who’ve been prepping for a bit longer but are looking for next steps.

To help these people along, I am going to be posting some new articles and pointing to some previous articles that I think are important. For some of you, this information will obviously be stuff you know. You may have already read the articles I point to. If that is the case, please add your thoughts on the topic. I will eventually be covering topics that are geared more toward the seasoned Prepper.

This is going to be a lot of reading, more than some of you will have time to complete before I make the next post. If you fall a bit behind, or just want to refresh your memory at some point, I will be updating the Get Started page with any new posts.

I never tell people what to do. I simply tell you what I have learned; what worked for me and what didn’t. Take what you like, and discard the rest.

To me the cornerstone of preparedness is knowledge, with that in mind here are some topics that all Prepper’s should have an understanding of.

 
Acronyms, Mottos and Phrases

There are many terms in preparedness that are used on various sites. I explain their meaning in this article.
 

Why I Prepare

Whether it is to have an answer for someone who asks or to remind yourself when you get burned out, I think it is important to define for yourself why you’re preparing. In this article I give you the reasons why I prepare.
 

The Ten Commandments of Preparedness

The Ten Commandments given in the Bible have guided many cultures. I believe that the ten commandments of preparedness can guide us to successful preparedness.
 

NPE Syndrome – Not Prepared Enough

A fairly normal response when someone “wakes up” and realizes how fragile society is and that they are “Not Prepared Enough” is to begin to worry and panic. In this article I try to give some encouragement, and let you know that feeling this way is normal, and that you shouldn’t worry.
 

Being Gray

“Being gray”, in OPSEC (Operational Security) terms, means blending in and not drawing undue attention to the fact that you prepare. I give some reasons why in this article.

 
Ten Common Mistakes Prepper’s Make

Sometimes knowing what not to do is just as important as what you should do. Here are ten common mistakes that Prepper’s sometimes make.

 
What if Nothing Ever Happens?

In this article I make the point that we should not just prepare for specific events, but take a more general approach to preparedness. The people who prepared only because of Y2K might have felt like they wasted time and money. If they had been more generally prepared, they would have seen Y2K as just another potential event.

 
Levels of Hitting the Fan

In this article I make the point that there are varying levels of the stuff hitting the fan. What is a minor event for one could be a total meltdown for others.

 
Disaster Probability

In this article I draw a correlation between the size of events and the area that they occur. For instance, one of the most common events is job loss. When it happens, it really only affects the family of the person that lost their job. On the other hand, the chance of an EMP is very low but if we did see one, it would affect a very large percentage of the country.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

The Survival Summit

Before I get to today’s article I want to let you know about a great sale on Lindon Farms from Ready Made Resources, and a 24 hour free shipping event on everything in stock from Camping Survival, on orders over $150.
 
Ready Made Resources

For the first time Lindon Farm’s is allowing Ready Made Resources to have a 40% off sale. You can save in Entrees, Vegetables, Fruits, Meats, even Beverages. The sale will run from January 12 – 24. If you’re in the market for freeze dried foods, this could be a great opportunity to stock up.
 

Camping Survival

Camping Survival is offering free shipping on orders of $150 and over until 12:01AM Saturday.


 

The Survival Summit

I recently found something pretty cool that I want to bring to your attention! There is a “Survival Summit” being held online! It is absolutely free and will run from January 20th, 2014 – January 25th, 2014. It features 25 preparedness/survival experts, many of whom I have followed for some time.

Many of you will be at work or busy and won’t be able to attend. While I don’t have all of the details yet, they will be offering some or all of the videos of the presenters for purchase. In the interest of full disclosure, while the live presentations are free, if you’ve registered through Prepared Christian and make a purchase, I will receive a commission for the sale. If you plan to attend, I would greatly appreciate it if you sign up through the images below. That way, if you decide to make a purchase, you’ll receive an informative video and be supporting Prepared Christian at the same time!

The following is a list of the presenters for the various days. You can go to the Survival Summit to get more information on what the speakers will be covering. Many of these are interesting to me and I’ll attend as many as I can!
 
Day 1 – January 20th 2014

  • Training Your Mind To Think Clearly In Life Or Death Scenarios – Travis Haley
  • How To Grow All Your Own Food, Without Irrigation… Even If You Live In A Dry Climate – Paul Wheaton
  • Locating The Perfect Survival Retreat or Homestead – Marjory Wildcraft
  • Top 10 Off-The-Grid Cooking Solutions In A World Without Power (Indoors & Outdoors) – Tess Pennington
  • How To Survive A Nuclear Event & The Spreading Fallout – Dr. Hubbard

Day 2 January 21st 2014

  • How To Make Your Own Biodiesel When The Fuel Pumps Stop Working – Graydon Blair
  • Off-The-Grid Food Preservation Techniques For When Your Stove & Freezers Stop Working – Lisa Lynn
  • Urban Foraging: How To Search A City For All The Food & Medicine You’d Ever Need – Nicole Telkes
  • How To Fortify Your Home & Property From Looters – Jim Cobb
  • Top 5 Bug Out Mistakes Everyone Makes And How To Not Fall Victim To Them – Jeff Anderson

Day 3 January 22nd 2014

  • How To Escape From Unlawful Restraint & Evade Capture – Chance Sanders
  • Two- And Four-Man Tactics for Repelling Armed Gangs – James Yeager
  • Trapping Strategies For Harvesting Creeks, Streams, & Woodlands For All The Wild Game You Can Eat – Bruce “Buckshot” Hemming
  • How To Treat Burns, Breaks, & Traumatic Injuries When The Paramedics Aren’t Coming – David Pruett
  • How To Grow Enough Protein To Feed 22 Adults A Year… In A 20×20 Foot Space – Nick Klein

Day 4 January 23rd 2014

  • 47 Tips, Tricks, & Inventions For Developing An Off-Grid Water & Energy Plan – Scott Hunt
  • When The Medicine Is Gone: How To Use Herbal Medicine As A Replacement For Many Drugs & Prescription Medications – Sam Coffman
  • The Darker Side Of Self Defense: Protecting Your Mind From The Effects Of Traumatic Violence – EJ Ownens
  • The Battle Tested Gear You’ll Want With You In A Post-Collapse Gunfight – Jake O’Dell
  • Grow All Your Family’s Food While Spending Less Than 1 Hour Per Day In The Garden – Marjory Wildcraft

Day 5 January 24rd 2014

  • How To Survive In An Urban Environment After A Societal Collapse – Kevin Reeve
  • Constructing A Bullet-Resistant Safe Room – GM
  • How to Store and Generate Emergency Power for your Home – Steve Harris
  • DIY Methods For Heating Your Home With 1/10 The Wood Or Even NO Wood… Even In Northern Climates – Paul Wheaton
  • Alternative Dentistry: How To Care For & Treat Dental Problems In Regions Without Dentists – Doug Simmons

Day 6 January 25th 2014

  • The 2nd Most Important Item In A Bug-Out Bag And How To Use It To Build 10 Life Saving Items In A Pinch – Joe Nobody
  • How To Find Like-Minded Group Members For Your Retreat – Charley Hogwood
  • Extreme Composting: How To Turn The World’s Most Foul & Nasty Things Into Black Gold – David Goodman
  • How To Legally Make Alcohols For Fuel & Barter – Josh Bayne
  • How To Build and Use a Root Cellar for Crisis-Proof Food Storage – Steve Maxwell

 

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Five Must Have Items, Each Under Five Bucks

Five Must Have Items Each Under Five Bucks

Stocking up on preparedness items can get expensive, so I thought I would give you a list of five items that you should have in your supplies that are less than $5 each. Remember though that “two is one, and one is none.” Even if you have one of these items, for the sake of redundancy, you might consider getting another.

 
Bleach

We only use bleach for the occasional load of laundry and to clean the kennel from time to time. However, bleach can be used as a disinfectant and could be used for cleaning in a survival situation.

It isn’t my first choice as a water purifier, but unscented bleach can be used to do so.

If tap water is clear:
1. Use bleach that does not have an added scent (like lemon).
2. Add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops or about 0.75 milliliters) of household liquid bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
3. Mix well and wait 30 minutes or more before drinking.
If tap water is cloudy:
1. Use bleach that does not have an added scent (like lemon).
2. Add 1/4 teaspoon (16 drops or 1.5 milliliters) of household liquid bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
3. Mix well and wait 30 minutes or more before drinking.

Keep in mind that this will only kill bacteria and virus and will not remove any other harmful chemicals.

 
Duct Tape

Duct tape is one of the items I don’t think you can have too much of. It can be used: to close small cuts, to repair a BOB, as impromptu handcuffs, to temporarily patch a broken window, for temporary automotive repairs and on and on.

In short, if it is moving or is leaking and it shouldn’t be, duct tape is often a solution.

 

Pack of Lighters

Obviously an item used for baking. (Chris has a nasty sweet tooth at times. ~Trudee) Ok, for starting a fire. Sure having the knowledge of starting a fire without a lighter is a good idea. However, while a bow drill, flint, and the other multitude of ways for making flame are effective, they are not nearly as efficient as a lighter.

I think there should be a lighter in each vehicle as part of a car kit, in each BOB and a few around the house.

 

Manual Can Opener

If you have commercially canned food in your pantry, you would be wise to have one or two of these around. They are not all made equal. I have used several and only think one or two were worth owning.

As with making flame, there are other means of opening a can. I have seen people use a hammer and screw driver, a concrete median and other ways, but in a grid down situation, a manual can opener is the most efficient way to get the job done.

 

Petroleum Jelly

This is another item that has many uses. It can be applied to very dry skin to moisturize, to keep skin from chaffing and it can be applied to exposed skin in cold or windy areas to protect it against the elements. When applied to a cotton ball it can be used to pack a bloody nose, or to start a fire!

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Living Ready Pocket Manual: First Aid

Living Ready Pocket Manual First Aid

Today I am going to talk to you about Dr. James Hubbard’s (AKA The Survival Doctor ) new book, Living Ready Pocket Manual: First Aid, which is being released today. I received an advanced copy and am really impressed with it. This isn’t the typical first aid book that just explains how to stop bleeding, how to do CPR or how to address burns. This book is clearly written by a person, in this case a doctor, who is a prepper. Dr. Hubbard covers the usual topics you would expect but he also covers how to disinfect water, bone and joint injuries, how to treat gunshot wounds and bites from a variety of animals and insects.

The main thing I like about this book is how he covers the supplies you should have in your first aid kit. He not only lists the item and quantity he thinks you should have but also gives notes on the item, and also lists alternative items. For instance, he lists cotton balls; in the notes he says that cotton balls are great for packing a nosebleed, and that adding petroleum jelly will make for easier insertion. He adds that cotton balls with petroleum jelly make great fire starters as well! For alternatives he lists tampons or strips of cloth for nasal packing.

He does list some items that are fairly advanced, and I asked him about this. You can read his response in the Q and A section.

I like that he lists multiple ways that items can be used with alternatives because many of us who don’t have the training might not think of using duct tape or super glue to close small cuts.

Dr. Hubbard does a fantastic job of explaining symptoms, as well as how to treat a wide variety of wounds, bites, burns, illnesses and reactions. Like any book, the information does you little good after or during an emergency. I highly recommend getting some basic training and reading books like this one now. That way you have the information and can use the book as a reference during treatment if needed.
 
I had the chance to ask Dr. Hubbard a few questions, here they are.

Chris: What would you say are the top five medical emergencies the average person should know how to treat?

Dr. Hubbard: Good question. They may vary according to the situation you’re most likely to be in—for instance, a car accident, a flood, a snowstorm, a camping trip, or just hanging around the house. And, of course, there are situations where expert help is a 911 call away and times when it’s not. Here are five pretty common problems no matter the situation.

First, a cut. The immediate lifesaving treatment here is to know how to stop the bleeding. Everything else can wait.

Second, a burn. Know that the first thing to do is cool it. Then what to do afterward.
Then there are sprains and broken bones. Many times it’s impossible to tell the difference, but the initial treatment is the same.

For head trauma, you need to know the danger signs of a really bad trauma and how to properly move someone if they’re not fully conscious and you can’t rule out a concurrent neck injury.
Finally, chest pain. Know the warning signs of a heart attack, and know CPR and how to use an automatic external defibrillator—AED.

I’d like to add that the odds for which type of emergency will happen can depend on what diseases you or the people you’re around might have, such as diabetes, heart disease, seizures, etc.

Chris: I really like how you laid out the first aid supplies; listing the amount and the alternatives. If someone is just starting to build their first aid kit, what are the most important items to purchase?

Dr. Hubbard: Forgo anything fancy and make sure you get items you know how to use. Some of the basics would be gauze, tapes, Band-Aids, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone ointment, scissors, a lighter or matches, and safety pins. There are so many things you can do with a few safety pins. And, of course you know I’d say a good medical manual. Equipment that you don’t know how to use is useless.

Chris: Some of the items you listed are a little more advanced than someone with basic first aid knowledge. Something I have thought about was having more advanced gear on hand, in hopes there might be someone with advanced medical training who just needs more gear. What are your thoughts?

Dr. Hubbard: That’s a great idea. In fact, if you know someone like that around, ask what they’d advise you to have. I’d say, some scalpels, suture and a suture holder. It would be nice to have syringes with needles, IV fluids—with tubing and catheters or butterfly needles to start the IV—injectable antibiotics, and lidocaine, but all of those require prescriptions. And, like in the question about common emergencies, if someone has a specific disease, there might be specific supplies that you’d need.

Chris: Once someone has taken a basic first aid, CPR and AED class, what would you recommend for the next level of training?

Dr. Hubbard: The basic, hands-on courses go a long way. Be sure to take a refresher course every few years. Next, you could check with your local fire department about what training is available if you volunteer. And, early this year, I’m going to have available several multimedia courses I’m really excited about. Just stay tuned to my blog.

Chris: One of the big events that most concerns me is a pandemic. I believe that imposing a self-quarantine is one of the best defenses. How can we know when the time is right to impose a self-quarantine? If we go too early, as many did during H1N1, we risk taking sick days and pulling kids from school. If we do it too late, we run the risk of exposing ourselves while we wait.

Dr. Hubbard: Well, you could check the CDC.gov website which could tell you their statistics on how widespread the disease is and how fast it’s spreading. And just be aware of what’s going on around you. One more thing would be to check any local websites you trust.

Every few years there’s a flu scare, but most don’t become pandemics. However, there have actually been about five flu pandemics over the last 100 years. The last was in 2009 to ’10—H1N1. And, of course, there’s always a chance of other new viruses that are even more dangerous.

If you have the luxury, I’d suggest staying in as much as you can any time a lot of people around you start getting sick or you start hearing reliable news that something bad is going around. Keep your kids home from school a day or two. Either the scare will blow over quickly and they can catch up, or you’ll find enough facts to keep them, and you, in longer.
 
Closing

I have a few first aid books and am glad this one is in the collection. I’ve followed Dr. Hubbard for a while, and am not surprised at all by the high quality of this book. If you are wondering what supplies you should have at home, in your BOB, or are in the marked for a solid book on first aid, I recommend looking into this one for sure!

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!

If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne

Have We Been Warned to Flee America?

Have We Been Warned to Flee America

We normally prepare for possible future events. For Christians, those possibilities should always include the biblically prophetic. That said, if you knew that a major, nation-changing, prophecy-fulfilling event were to occur in your lifetime, an event that would forever change America and alter the course of the world, would it change how you prepare?

Trudee and I recently read a book called The End of America. It is my opinion that every Christian should read this book and do their own study, pray on it and see if they come to the same conclusion as the author John Price has.

I have received many emails over the years, commenting on how America is not mentioned in the Bible. I usually say something to the effect that many nations are not mentioned, that for America to be unmentioned only means that it’s not a key player in the end times. When I look at the world as it is today, I wonder what would it take for the world’s only superpower to be absent? One thing I have considered is that something would have to be done to remove the USA as a defender of Israel from the armies and allies of Gog and Magog. This book offers a very plausible explanation.

The book covers so much information that there is no way I can touch on everything. I will cover key points and give my take on a few things. I also want to say that while I do read the Bible every day, I did not attend seminary and have an intermediate level of understanding. For this reason, I have a favor to ask; join with me in a study of this subject. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “Trust but verify.” I think it is prudent to study the topic John Price brings to light. While Mr. Price has done most of the legwork, it’s absolutely essential that we all verify through study and prayer how this translates to our lives.

I don’t want this study to go on in the comments of this blog post. It would get too cluttered and hard to follow. I have created a new section on the Prepared Christian forum, called “Have We Been Warned to Flee America?”. It requires people to sign up and I have to manually approve each membership. This makes things a little slower to get rolling, but it is the only way I can keep the spammers and hackers from posting their filth. Your membership will not be approved immediately, but I will be keeping a close eye on the forum this week to approve memberships. If I reject your membership, please send me an email to let me know. I have roughly 50 spammers creating accounts every day and sometimes I reject a legitimate membership by accident. You will need to log into the forum to be able to see the “Have We Been Warned to Flee America?” forum, once logged in you will find it under the Preparedness forum. You can get to the forum by clicking on the link above.

Mr. Price offers a lot of material on his site, the EndofAmericaBook.com. One item he offers is called PROPHECY 101: A Brief History of Prophetic Interpretation and another is Hebrew and Greek Annotation about the Daughter of Babylon verses.. He also offers a study guide, which I didn’t know about until we were almost finished with the book, that he gives away. He has given me permission to host a copy, which you can download by clicking here. If you need the study guide as another file type, please email me at Chris (at) preparedchristian (dot) net, and I will take care of it.

I have asked John Price if he would be willing to answer questions on the blog post and on the forum. He has agreed to do so. If you have a question for him, please ask and he may answer.

The Kindle version of The End of America is available for $.99 and should be affordable for most of us. You don’t need a Kindle to read kindle books, Amazon offers free Kindle software that allows you to read it on your PC. Click this link to download a free copy of the kindle software.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you read this article: I am a skeptical by nature. I like to have things proven to me. I like to see how people come to their decisions. When people make claims about the Bible or prophesy I scrutinize them even more. There are just too many false teachers who want to tickle ears to take anything on face value without scripture to support it. Mr. Price gives scripture to back up his findings. It is up to us to verify and see if we come to the same conclusion. He also gives several verses from the Koran when he explains the “religion of peace”.

 
The End of America

The book starts off looking at prophesy, specifically those dealing with the end times. It touches on Israel, and the timing of the Jews again entering the Holy Land in the form of their own nation, Israel.

Mr. Price explains that Israel getting its homeland back as well as the revived Roman Empire (the European Union) are two key prophesy events pointing to us being in the end times.
 

The Religion of Peace

In chapter two, entitled “The Religion of Peace”, Mr. Price gives a brief history of Islam. He follows the history of Muhammad and the creation of Islam, following the roots of Jihad through Wahabism, which is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. What the Wahabists believe is explained and many examples of worldwide terrorism are given.

Muslim End times prophesies are given. I have studied these a bit from other sources as well. When you consider them along with the Christian End times prophesies, it is as if you’re looking at two sides of the same coin. The Twelfth Imam or the Mahdi is their Messiah, and is a great political and military leader. Mr. Price makes the connection, calling the Twelfth Imam the Antichrist.

The Caliphate is also spoken of. The Caliph is the united religious leader of all of Islam. It was abolished in 1924 by Turkey. However, there have been calls from some countries to have it restored. This would greatly help in establishing a one world religion.

 
The Mystery and Identity of the Daughter of Babylon

I have received emails about the possibility of the United States being the Daughter of Babylon. It is a topic that has interested me but is something I haven’t had time to research. There are several prophesies from both the Old and New Testaments listed, giving the Greek definition of some words to better understand the verse. In fact, here are (–LINK Hebrew and Greek Annotation about the Daughter of Babylon verses.–) (Warning: There are 223 verses on 69 pages).

There have been many claims as to what the Daughter of Babylon is. I have heard claims of the ancient city of Babylon, Rome and even the Catholic Church or New York City. Mr. Price gives 23 clues and the scriptures for each as to what the Daughter of Babylon is. Here are just a few:

• Is the Daughter of Babylon the same as the Mother of Babylon?
• The Hammer of the Whole Earth
• A Latter Day Nation
• A Nation of Wealth and Luxury
• You who live on many waters
• Center of World Commerce
• The Great Voice
• They are Mad Upon Your Idols
• Where other Nations Gather
• She Has Been Proud Against the Lord

The above list is only 10 of the 23 clues. Mr. Price goes into these clues in detail, explaining why he believes America fits the description as the Daughter of Babylon, and why these verses rule out other countries and entities. These clues are very helpful, as is his explanation of how various scriptures just can’t be applied to certain places like ancient Babylon or Rome. If you believe that the Daughter of Babylon is in fact ancient Babylon, Rome or some other place or entity, please read his book and see how his arguments stack up.

 
How Does God View The Daughter of Babylon?

In this chapter the immorality of the Daughter of Babylon is mentioned, they are:

• Abortion
• Pornography
• Adultery/Divorce
• Same Sex Marriage
• Violence
• Drug Culture
• Witchcraft
• Sumptuous, Self-Indulgent Lifestyles
• Other Abomination

 
Summarization of the Future of America

This article is getting a little long, so I am going to summarize a few key points that need to be made. Mr. Price mentions a book called Eye to Eye, Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel. This book lists several times over the last twenty years where America has tried to force Israel to give up land and explains how God has judged us each and every time, usually within a single day. These are natural disasters, from Katrina to the economic crash in 2008. I’ve heard these claims before and was skeptical, but when we ask Israel to give up land twenty times and each of those twenty times, we face historic weather events and economic ruin, well, let’s just say I’m more of a believer now.

There is prophesy starting in Ezekiel 38, where Gog and Magog along with a host of other nations attack Israel. I’m not going to go into great detail, but Mr. Price describes how Russia, Iran and many other nations may attack Israel, and how America will turns its back on her, ignoring the treaty we’ve had for many years.

Because of this, God curses America, lifting the protection He has provided for so many years. Mr. Price goes on to explain that the Jihadists have asked for and have been granted permission from their clerics to use nuclear weapons on Americans. They have also attained a nuclear Fatwa, which is added as attachment A to The End of America. He also explains that Jihadists could seek nuclear weapons from Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Russia.

In Revelation 18:8 we’re told:

“Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Mr. Price explains how from scripture he believes that multiple nuclear detonations on key American cities including:

• America’s national capitol – Washington DC
• America’s financial capital – New York
• America’s major oil refineries
• America’s cultural pollution capitol – Hollywood, Las Vegas, Los Angeles
• For good measure the major centers of commerce, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Boston and so on.

As he points out it, it would take more than just a few nukes to bring down America, so he believes there will be an EMP as well. While true terrorist groups don’t have the missile capabilities to put a nuclear tipped missile into the American ionosphere, they could purchase missiles easier than they could the nuclear bomb to arm it. Both could be purchased from countries that are not friendly to America and, as I have covered in other articles, the nuke doesn’t need to be launched from a country thousands of miles away. They could load the nuke on a specially fitted cargo ship and launch it a hundred miles off of the coast of the USA. He says that this could result in millions of deaths during and immediately following the attack. Those not killed will face radiation sickness and a lack of food.

Mr. Price spends a chapter explaining that God demands an accounting for innocent blood. He notes that in the 38 years since abortion was legalized, there have been roughly 700,000 homicidal deaths, and in that same timespan there have been roughly 53,000,000 (or 75 babies for every person) murdered.

He makes note that God says in Numbers 25:33:

“Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”

He makes the point that because of the innocent blood of millions of babies, God demands an accounting and we could lose just as many American lives.
 

Warning to Leave the Daughter of Babylon

Mr. Price says there are nine separate warnings to flee and lists the verses for them. Seven of them to Christians and nine to Jews, commanding His people to flee the Daughter of Babylon.

He also explains that the “religion of peace” will give the rest of the world a warning to accept Islam or suffer the same fate as America. Mr. Price explains how Christians will be executed in the last days and asks who beheads people in the modern day? That’s correct, the “religion of peace”. Mr. Price then gives a brief history explaining why Muslims behead people.

We are given a history of Christians and Jews immigrating to other countries to flee religious persecution. Mr. Price spends a chapter covering what a Christian might look for in a new homeland.

John Price is not a prepper. In emailing, he said he sees it as something contrary to following Gods command to flee. I happen to disagree with John. I believe that God has called many of us to prepare. Even if I come to same conclusion Mr. Price has, deciding to leave America, I will still prep where ever I live. I’m not preparing just for the downfall of America, I prepare for the myriad of things that can and do happen every day, up to and including unemployment, floods and wildfires.

 
My Take:

Trudee and I spent a lot of time talking about the possibility of America being the Daughter of Babylon, and the implications from it. I knew early on that this was something I wanted to talk to all of you about. To be honest, while I think my Biblical knowledge is above average, it isn’t deep enough to answer the important questions I have. I know I need to study this material and I am hoping some of you will be willing to read the book and study it along with me.

If we come to a different conclusion than Mr. Price did, we’ve only wasted a small bit of time and will gain Biblical knowledge. If, however, we come to the same conclusions, there are some very, very big implications we must face.

I love America. I thank God frequently for the privilege of being born here. The thought of moving to another country saddens and overwhelms me. I honestly have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. However, while I have a very hard time hearing God’s voice in the moment, there have been two times where I have clearly known He was telling me this: “Do not put your love of country before me!” The first time was a few years ago, the second was while reading this book.

Are we considering moving? We want to be obedient. If further prayer and study tells us that the USA is in fact the daughter Babylon, yes, we’ll consider it or more.

Trudee and I were talking about the implications of this book and decided that we first needed to make sure we came to the same conclusions after study and prayer. We decided if we came to the same conclusion, we had to make the choice to leave or face the coming destruction. I felt convicted. When the God of the Universe tells you to do something, there isn’t an “if you want to” attached to it. It is a command!

If the scriptures on the Daughter of Babylon and the commands to leave are, in fact, aimed at America, the commands are no different than the commands God gave the Jews when taking them to the Promised Land. Remember what happened when they disobeyed?

I have studied prophecy and I have spent considerable time researching, thinking about and writing on what effect various threats may impact America. I have seen quotes by numerous American leaders, some in very high positions saying that it is not “if”, but “when” America is attacked with nuclear weapons (conventional or dirty bombs).

I believe it is very possible, if not probable that nuclear weapons could be smuggled in via ship, as only 3% of cargo is inspected. They could also be brought in through our ridiculously porous borders. I also know that EMP is a very real concern and is something our government is worried about.

There are some consequences to a nuclear attack that were not mentioned. The main one is the damage to nuclear power plants. They have generators that will run the cooling systems, with enough diesel to run for two weeks. If, after those two weeks, the power is not restored or more diesel brought in, we will see multiple Fukushima’s all over the country.
 

Closing

I hope you’ll get a copy of this book and join me in the forum to study and pray over these issues. If you join in reading this book and the study of the related scripture, please continually be asking for the Fathers guidance and wisdom for us as a group.

 
Please click here to vote for Prepared Christian as a top Prepper site!
If you liked this article please think about sharing it on the social media listed below, thanks!

PreparednessClubOne