Living in perilous times – 315

With our hearts full of charity we can face the future with faith and hope, and that can sustain us through the trials. The trials are still there, though, and I can imagine at least some people wondering how I could write twice about the Second Coming with mentioning emergency preparedness. That is what we are going to talk about today.

My first priority is still going to be pretty spiritual in nature, and that is going to be cultivating the habit of listening for the still small voice. I remember reading about a steamboat explosion, and a man who lost his family. He had kept feeling that they shouldn’t board, and then that they should get off, multiple times, but he kept ignoring it.

I had read the article shortly before the September 11th attacks, and I remembered it as some people on the message boards were asking where God was, and yet we were learning how many more people could have been killed, but for some reason had waited to go in to work, or decided not to go in at all. It is important to remember that death is not the worst thing that can happen to us, but in addition, remember that guidance and protection are available.

Beyond that, there are many things that you can do to prepare, and my church calling has been related to that in one way or another for the past six year. Of all the temporal things you can do, I will tell you right now that the two most valuable are food storage and financial stability

By financial stability, I mean paying off your debts and building a reserve of savings. This requires living within your means, and planning, but will provide great peace of mind. I am truly regretting not doing this better now, and I am sure there are many others who will join me. It gives wonderful peace of mind to know that what you own is yours, and that collectors will not call. It gives peace of mind to know that if your income is stopped that you have savings that can cover the gap. It is important.

For food storage, you have to eat. Unemployment can affect the ability to purchase food, but there is room for many issues with the food supply. US dependence on importing food has led to some fears, but even the food that does not come internationally generally travels many miles to the consumer, and so when fuel prices skyrocketed, the price of food (and everything else) went up. You can delay buying new clothes or gadgets, but you still have to eat. Flooding in the Midwest destroyed several crops, local farmers had the worst year they could remember due to changes in weather patterns, and although gas is less expensive now, that is not likely to be permanent. Regardless of what obstacles come to finding affordable food, you will still need to eat.

I have been thinking about this a lot, and I feel like I need to start posting the newsletters I have been doing. I want that information to be readily available to anyone who might benefit from it.

I have done preparedness newsletters twice for Tanasbourne Ward and for Beaverton West Stake in between, but I am only going to start posting the more recent round of Tanasbourne newsletters. There would be a lot of redundancy in covering all of them, and I think I am better at it now anyway.

So, I have started a new blog: http://preparedspork.blogspot.com/

It seems like the only way to handle it. I’ve had qualms, like am I really such a narcissist that I need three blogs? Still, I feel like it is important. I will post one a week until we are caught up, and then just go monthly like the actual newsletter. There are about fifteen so far, and I guess about four more will come out by the time we are caught up.

I don’t know how useful some of them are. For example, the tips for preparing for an earthquake probably work with a 6.5 quake, but if we get a 9.0, will it hold up? I don’t know. Use your own judgment. I just like putting ideas out there (still fervently pro-thought).

Regardless of what you do or do not do, remember that the book of Revelations is ultimately a message of hope. Enduring through the apostasy and restoration and tribulations eventually leads to rich rewards. Those who die are safe. The martyrs are shown and they are fine. There is even a promise for those who have to go through the entire thing if we go back to Matthew 24:22…

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

Even though things are hard now, at least with my family we don’t quite want it to happen yet, maybe because it feels so final. Reading Matthew 23:39, “…Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,” makes me think that events will get bad enough that we will change our minds, and that would have to be a pretty dark time. With all of that to worry about, I still know that He will come, and things will be fine, and that until then He is aware of my needs and I am grateful for that.