Sunday Prepper Bible Study- James 1:5

on January 27, 2013 at 5:12 am
Posted In: Bible

Sunday Prepper Bible Study- James 1:5

bible

 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5

Trying to plan for every eventuality is nearly impossible. How the US has handled its finances has created massive instability throughout the system. Beyond that, our country rewards bad behavior and punishes success through transfer payments and taxes. America is on an unsustainable course.

The question is what will happen? When will it happen? And how bad will it be? If we knew that, we would know how much longer we have to prepare. Are we looking at a complete meltdown or only a partial meltdown? Will the collapse be in 1 year or 10 years? The implications of trying to make an exact prediction and getting it wrong are serious. If you pack up and head for the hills today, you could be missing out on another 10 years of working and saving money. On the other hand, if you have nowhere to bug out to and are stuck in the city, things could get very tough if this year is the year it gets bad.

What we need is someone who knows the future. We need wisdom from God! I doubt He is going to give you a date and time, but He will give you wisdom if you ask Him. I always ask God to help me to make the right financial decisions and to guide me along the right path. I believe He hears me and He helps me. I pray that if I am trying to rush ahead on anything or if I am making a bad decision that He will close the door so that I won’t waste my resources.

If you need wisdom, ask God.  He is faithful to grant you enough grace sufficient for the day. Stay connected to Him and He will see that you have everything you need. When you involve Him in your decisions on prepping or anything else, He will give you an answer whether it is through The Bible, perfect peace in your heart or through an open or closed door.

If you are new to prepping or would like to learn more about how to prepare for tomorrow, please read our 7 Step Preparedness Plan. Come back every Sunday for a new Prepper Bible Study! The most important prep of all is knowing GOD. Jesus said “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?” Prepper translation: “What good will it do you to survive the coming economic collapse, nuclear war or even a zombie apocalypse if you don’t know you will go to heaven when you die.” A recent study found that 10 out of 10 people die! On that day we will meet our Maker. It only makes sense to be prepared for that day. Click here to learn more about knowing GOD.

Have a blessed week and happy prepping!

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Old Skills, New Skills and Lost Skills

on January 25, 2013 at 4:24 am
Posted In: Prepping

Old Skills

sorgham

My mother and sister had come to visit for the holidays and we were discussing  some possible delegation of  chores in the event of a grid down style collapse.  Some of the things we discussed were things that my grandparents generation used to do on a regular basis. They made their own soap and butchered their own animals.  My grandmother who will be 100 this year used to make sorghum during the depression. Sugar was rare or too expensive for the average family in that period. The sorghum provided a sweetener for them as well as a form of income. They could sell the excess sorghum or barter with it for other things they needed. People  who disagree with the prepper movement because they don’t think an economic collapse could happen are suffering from a syndrome known as normalcy bias. Normalcy bias is what makes us think that something could never happen to us because it has never happened to us before. People in the 1920’s  suffered from the same syndrome. They were abruptly jerked out of their false sense of security by the Great Depression.  Many people committed suicide during the depression simply because they were incapable of adapting to the change. Others, like my grandmother, used their ingenuity to persevere and overcome the abject circumstances.

An entire subsection of preppers focus on primitive skills like making bows and arrows as well as starting fire with sticks. While I love to watch shows that focus on those skills, I don’t expect things to break down to that level. Those skills are valuable and you never know when you could get lost in the wilderness and need those skills. I simply don’t have time to learn them at this time.

New Skills

Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast has come up with the 13 in 13 challenge. His challenge is for people to learn 13 new skills in 2013. He has put together an entire website for the 13 in 13 challenge. I think it is an absolutely great idea. You can sign up to take the challenge and see what everyone is doing. I have not signed up because I couldn’t pinpoint which skills I will be learning in 2013. However, I do expect to have at least 13 new ones by the end of the year. For now, my new skills include passing Calculus, passing Oceanography and building an extension to my patio and repairing the patio roof. That’s three new skills already.  I have a wish list of several other skills I would like to try this year. I would like to learn to suture a cut, build a solar oven, build a rabbit hutch and raise rabbits. With maintaining a garden, a house, a website, school and a full time job, my schedule is pretty full. If you have the time, I encourage you to push yourself to try to learn some new skills this year, even if you can’t think of 13.

While it is great to learn prepper skills, it is also great to learn current skills as well. I do believe that our country will have to face some troubling times ahead but no one knows how everything will play out. The most likely scenario is something that resembles the great depression or a currency collapse like we have seen in Argentina, Zimbabwe, or Iceland. In any of those situations, it will be great to know how to produce your own food, but computer skills and repair skills will be useful as well.

Lost Skills

A great website for lost skills is  Pioneer Living.net . A complete systemic meltdown that takes us back to the days of Little House on the Prairie is highly unlikely, but “highly unlikely” is still in the realm of “possible.” While the probability is low, the impact of such an event would be catastrophic. That is why i still allocate some time to think about the skills that would be helpful  in such a predicament. Among the skills of the frontier listed on Pioneer Living is how to render lard, how to tan hides, and how to make your own soap. I  would love to take a day or two this year to try making soap. Another great homesteading site that is particularly geared towards the ladies is Paratus Familia. They have great articles on frontier style cooking and crafts.

Fun Skills

Every guy loves the tacti-cool skills. A recent one I ran across was How to make your own Ghillie suite by USCrow. They have some pretty unique skills listed on their site. Check it out when you have time.

Finally, make this the year that you hone your budgeting skills. The reason our country is in such a s mess is from living beyond our means. The best way we can prepare for anything is by living below our means. If we consume all we earn, there is nothing left for a rainy day.

Happy Prepping!

 

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Prepper Bible Study- Isaiah 26:3

on January 20, 2013 at 5:08 am
Posted In: Bible

Prepper Bible Study- Isaiah 26:3

Bible

“You will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3

It is easy to get our eyes off of God and on to the circumstances that surround us. As preppers, we are vigilant and watchful to potential threats so we can prepare for them. The Bible calls this behavior “prudent” and describes those who don’t try to mitigate disaster as “simple”. Proverbs 22:3  says “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”

New preppers especially can get overwhelmed by all of the things they feel they need to do to get prepared. The to do list is rather lengthy. But if you do your best and trust God for the rest, He will watch over you and make up where you fall short. The temptation is to get anxious. Instead of giving way to that emotion, we have to chose to trust God. The best way to do that is to change your focus.

We remember the story of Peter from the gospel of Matthew chapter 14. Peter is in a boat with the other disciples when he sees Jesus walking on the water. He calls to Jesus to allow him to come to him on the water. Jesus agrees and calls Peter. Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk toward Jesus on the water. On his way, he notices the wind and the waves and becomes fearful. He immediately begins to sink. Jesus comes to him and pulls him out of the sea.

How does this apply to us? Peter was actually walking on water as long as he stayed focused on Jesus. The moment he allowed the circumstances to become his focus, he began to sink. When ever prepping begins to make you fearful and you feel like you are sinking in the sea, turn your focus back to God. The best way to do this is by reading the Bible or listening to a good teaching on the computer or your mp3 player. I maintain a healthy diet of each. I start everyday by reading a chapter or two of the Bible and listen to a few hours a week of my favorite pastor, Chuck Smith on my mp3 player. All of his sermons, which go from Genesis to Revelation, are available for free download at TWFT.com (The Word For Today)

If you are new to prepping or would like to learn more about how to prepare for tomorrow, please read our 7 Step Preparedness Plan. Come back every Sunday for a new Prepper Bible Study! The most important prep of all is knowing GOD. Jesus said “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?” Prepper translation: “What good will it do you to survive the coming economic collapse, nuclear war or even a zombie apocalypse if you don’t know you will go to heaven when you die.” A recent study found that 10 out of 10 people die! On that day we will meet our Maker. It only makes sense to be prepared for that day. Click here to learn more about knowing GOD.

Have a blessed week and happy prepping!

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Gun Control in America

on January 18, 2013 at 4:06 am
Posted In: Constitution

Gun Control

gun control

President Obama listed his plans for gun control just before noon on Wednesday. Fortunately, he has backed down from considering executive orders to reinstate the 1994 assault weapons ban. He also did not use executive orders to limit magazine capacity or institute universal background checks. He said he will try to persuade congress to enact these measures through legislation. We must fight like we have never fought before to persuade them not to further infringe upon our rights granted by the second amendment to keep and bear arms.

The week was not without casualties. The second amendment was just torn up and thrown away in NY. The new gun control laws there will ban all military style rifles and require registration of all those that are grandfathered in. They will require background checks on ammunition sales and keep records of individuals who purchase ammunition. New Yorkers will not be allowed to purchase guns from online dealers. Magazine capacity restriction will go from 10 rounds to 7 rounds. Those who own magazines with more than 7 rounds will have one year to sell them out of state. The other option will be to move out of state entirely. New York has long been a bastion of putrid liberalism. What better time to move than now? Nevertheless, a loss of freedom in one state is a loss of freedom for all of America.

So now what do we do?

Now we write to our respective Congressmen and Senators.  Each of us should be sending three letters, one to each of your  two Senators and one to your Congressman. I am including a form letter that you can cut and paste to send to your representatives along with links to find your Senators and Congressional Representatives e-mail and contact information. All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. If you have not joined the NRA, it is time to do it. Put your money where your mouth is. It is only $35 a year and for that, a message is sent to Washington by the simple fact that you have joined the number of citizens who love their freedom. It is money well spent for those who work at maintaining our freedom. If we all write our letters, I am convinced that The House of Representatives will not let the magazine ban and the assault weapons ban go through.

As for the panic buying, I think we can all take a break on that. Shortly after Obama’s speech, I was notified that Cheaper Than Dirt  suddenly had magazines available. The cheap metal colt GI AR15 mag that used to sell for $10 was listed on Cheaper Than Dirt for $129.97!  Hopefully, panic buying will die out and the shelves will be restocked within 6 months to a year.  I think you will have an opportunity to buy all the things you wish you would have bought before the hysteria. If you haven’t bought a battle rife yet, they will likely be available again once all of the back orders have cleared. Now is a good time to get your budget and your shopping list together.When things normalize, stock up on ammo, 30 round magazines and everything else you wished you would have bought. This was a near miss. Let us all learn from it. The next time could be a real ban.

Just because Obama didn’t try an executive order ban this time doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. The new gun control laws enacted in New York are an excellent picture of what the left has in mind. They had previously limited magazine capacity to 10 rounds, the new law is 7 rounds. Next time NY will probably cut it to 3 rounds, then 1 round then you will only be allowed a sharp stick. After that, NY will ban sharp sticks and you will only be allowed a 3″ short stick with a rubber tip to defend your life and family against criminals armed with AK-47s and 100 round drums because they don’t obey the law anyway.

Here is the letter I sent to my representative and senators. Please feel free to cut and paste it. You are also welcome to modify it in any way or write your own from scratch. But please, send something!

Dear…..,

Please stand up for the Constitution and preserve the integrity of the Second Amendment. I was glad to hear President Obama mentioned that he supported the right for gun owners to bear arms for hunting, sporting, protection and collection, but the Second Amendment has nothing to do with these things. It reads:

“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. “

This amendment is about the citizenry securing a free state against any enemy of that state, foreign or domestic. That task, unlike hunting, can not be preformed with a seven round magazine in a .22 caliber rifle. Japan did not invade the US in WWII because they knew ” there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass”.

As tragic as recent events in Aurora and Sandy Hook have been, it was already illegal to murder people in a theater or a classroom. Those laws did not stop the tragedies and further infringements on our liberties will not stop future attacks. We have always been a nation with a responsible heritage of gun ownership. That is not what has changed. What has changed is that we have evicted God from our classrooms and our courtrooms. Our children now grow up with no sense of absolute morals. If we would invite God back into our country, he would heal our broken land. Our children would learn “thou shall not kill”. Our society would heal and we could once again be blessed by the hand of our Creator. No amount of gun laws can replace the blessings and protection of God. He is just waiting for us to return to him with our whole hearts.

“”If you are willing and obedient,  you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 1:19-20

Thank you and God Bless,

……………………………….

Here are the links to find your Senators and Representatives.

Happy Prepping!

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Prepper Dogs- Retreat and Home Security Dogs.

on January 16, 2013 at 5:38 am
Posted In: Prepping

Prepper Dogs- Retreat and Home Security Dogs.

dog

The recent news cycle has had many preppers worried about gun control issues. Other preppers are considering adding redundancy into their defense plan. One great solution to security redundancy is a dog trained for home defense. There are several advantages to having a dog trained for home protection. The obvious in the gun control conversation is that they are not likely to be banned by Obama and Feinstein. New York and Illinois are planning sweeping reforms in gun laws. Many Prepper Recon readers are located in countries that have zero tolerance for firearms such as Britain and Australia. For you, a dog may be your best line of defense.

A second advantage is that dogs in general act as a deterrent. Would be intruders will often pass by a home with a dog in search of a softer target. Third, a well trained dog will act as an alarm system. Well trained dogs will distinguish between a potential threat and a benign presence like a deer or a possum. Forth is companionship. All pet owners know the joy of having a loving animal that is  part of the family.

Perhaps the most specialized function that could be filled by a well trained home protection dog is that of a team member in a retreat group. More and more preppers are stepping up there game by forming retreat groups that can share responsibilities in a total or partial collapse scenario. Running security at a retreat typically demands that at least two team members are always pulling a security shift. Even a well maned retreat group will have to dedicate 6 people to security to fill 8 hour shifts.  A well trained dog can preserve precious man power that would otherwise be spent on security. After months of patrolling without an incident, the most vigilant team member can lose their proper level of alertness . A well trained dog is always focused. They are always listening with much more sensitive hearing than a human. A dog’s keen sense of smell also alerts them to scents that don’t belong.

To be able to depend on a dog to this level requires very specialized training. Our newest sponsor, K-9 Patriot Services Inc. provides that level of training. They have been providing the animals and  training for military service dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and in Iraq.  The dogs have been helping our troops avoid IED’s and find potential threats by detecting explosives and bomb making materials. K-9 Patriot is now branching out and making that same high level of animals and training available to the prepper community.

dogs

Steve Gorman, of Patriot K-9 Services, has been training dogs since 1993.  He founded Patriot in 2001. A committed stalwart in the industry, he takes an active role in the training of the dogs, handlers, and teams. The firm began by training canines for sale to other security service companies and Government agencies. The first trained dogs Patriot sold went to the firm providing the bomb dog services at the Empire State building in NYC.  They additionally have supplied dogs to the New York Stock Exchange and the infamous Rikers Island jail of New York.  Over time, Patriot hired its own handlers and began to provide bomb and patrol dog teams as a value added service.

k9 dog

In 2004, the company was contacted about supplying dog teams to the US Army in Afghanistan. Patriot sent 24 trained canine teams to work with the 10th Mountain Division and US Special Forces teams in southern Afghanistan out of the Kandahar Air Field base. The teams searched for explosives on a daily basis and performed missions in the field for nearly two years.  They also provided protection, or patrol dog teams as they are known in law enforcement and military terms, to coax unfriendly Taliban from their hiding places and on occasion to apprehend “squirters”, or those needing to be questioned that had decided to run.  The Afghanistan experience expanded the firm’s capabilities and offered an opportunity to prove how well the teams could perform in the most austere of conditions under actual combat conditions.   On the heels of the Afghanistan assignment the firm was invited by a large Government contractor to supply multiple teams to protect a British base in southern Iraq under a State Department contract where they worked for over a year.

In addition to over 5 dozen bomb and patrol dog teams, Patriot has trained and deployed specialty working dogs for drug enforcement, arson investigation, and field services. Patriot has the experience and resources to train dogs for personal protection along with their new handlers.  Many of the dogs they train for protection purposes are wonderful family pets too.  The German Shepherd is Gorman’s dog of choice for protection but the Belgian Malinois is also used.  Shepherds are loyal to a fault and will lay down their life to protect their family.  Gorman said that while the German Shepherd will be loyal to all family members they more often than not attach themselves more closely to one family member.

With the uncertainty in the world today Patriot has shifted its focus from government contracts to training dogs for the individual for home or retreat protection.  Patriot is located in north Texas where they train dogs, handlers, and conduct recurrent training for both.

dog patriot

Please take time to check out K-9 Patriot Services today. If you want to add a dog to your retreat team or to your home security plan, K-9 Patriot will provide you with the same standard demanded by US special forces. Dogs and training are also available to local law enforcement departments.

Happy Prepping!

 

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Post Collapse Argentina

on January 14, 2013 at 3:51 am
Posted In: Potential Threats, Prepping

Post Collapse Argentina

argentina

 

11 years after the hyperinflationary currency collapse of Argentina, the country is still in total disarray. Two people were killed during mass looting sprees last month. At least 12 others were injured as 20 supermarkets were looted. The government of Argentina has claimed that the looting is not fueled by poverty and is primarily instigated by political opposition to the party currently in power. They also claimed  that most of the looting was for electronics despite tons of photographs of looting in grocery stores. The following video does show people mostly running off with what seems to be flat screen television sets.

Looting and Riots in Argentina

Argentina’s currency, the peso collapsed in 2001 following irresponsible monetary policy and a huge run up in the national debt. Sound familiar? Argentina has struggled to restart their economy ever since. After the collapse of the peso in Argentina, a barter system arose to accommodate trade among the people. Argentina has had periods of minor recovery, but the devastation from the last decade has proven to be a challenge that they have yet been able to overcome.

Wheather people are looting because of political unrest, poverty or a little of both, Argentina is experiencing a prolonged period of civil unrest. Many people think Argentina is a good example of the turmoil that America could be facing in the near future. We have similar issues with high levels of unemployment particularly among the youth. We are continuing to use monetary policies that increase instability in our currency and bond markets. We are constantly seeing cracks in the veneer of a civil society. We are witnesses to ever increasing levels of frustration as people give up and commit random acts of violence.

 

argentina

Grocery shopping is the last thing you want to be doing if  the US has the types of rioting and looting that Argentina is going through. There is no time like the present to start building up a 6 moth stock pile of storable food. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can buy a little extra of the things you eat normally on each trip to the grocery. Buy watching sales and using coupons, you can quickly build your stock pile with out going over your regular weekly grocery budget. Rice and dried beans make excellent staples that are very cheap. Remember, white rice will keep much longer than brown rice. White rice can last up to 20 years if it stored properly. Brown rice will only last about a year because of the oils in the bran.

Keep prepping and check out our coupon corner for great tips on building your food stock pile on a budget.

Happy Prepping!

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Sunday Prepper Bible Study- Jeremiah 24

on January 13, 2013 at 5:05 am
Posted In: Bible

Sunday Prepper Bible Study- Jeremiah 24- Two Baskets of Figs

bible

Last week’s bible study focused on the similarities between the US and ancient Israel in there rebellion against God. If you didn’t get a chance to read last week’s post on Isaiah 1, please check it out as today’s post is a follow up post to it.

Two Baskets of Figs- Jeremiah 24

After Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

8 “‘But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9 I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. 10 I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’”

This chapter of Jeremiah was  part of my pastor’s sermon last Sunday. I found it to be so comforting. Even though I do believe that the United States has turned her back on God and will suffer the consequences, I believe that God can still bless his faithful followers in the trouble that is to come. While God had determined to destroy the “bad figs” by sword, famine and plague, he said of those that would be committed to Him “My eyes will watch over them for their good”. Perhaps this is what God has in mind for America. Perhaps the coming hardship is to cleanse America from her wickedness in forsaking God. I find it curious that the prepper movement is much stronger amongst Conservatives and Christians. Maybe God has put the need to prepare in our hearts as a means of preserving us.

My pastor at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, Pastor Bob Coy started a new series in The Book of Daniel last Sunday. Last weeks sermon was on Daniel chapter 1 and speaks a lot about what happens to a  nation that turn her back on God. It was an excellent study and you can watch it in its entirety though this LINK. The first 35 minutes are worship and announcements if you would like to skip to the main message. The message is also available for free mp3 download so you can listen on the go. There is a “free mp3” button to the left of the video player through the same LINK.

Have a blessed week and happy prepping!

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UK Preppers-Surviving Armageddon

on January 11, 2013 at 4:42 am
Posted In: Prepping

UK Preppers- Surviving Armageddon

UK preppers

Cherrio mates! Today we have a special treat for all of you Doomsday Prepper fans. The following video is UK Preppers- Surviving Armageddon. It gives us a chance to see how our prepper brothers and sisters manage to get prepared on the other side of the pond. They face a particular challenge in the area of self defense as it is very hard to obtain any sort of weapon in England. If nothing else, it is a reminder of how blessed we are here in the United States to have the second amendment.

The preppers in the show have done a great job of storing shelf stable food and getting their bug out gear ready to go. One has a very good rabbit production system. This a goal of mine. Rabbits bread like rabbits and can provide a great amount of protein in a scenario that leaves us without the modern conveniences of grocery stores.

The show reminds us of the 2011 riots in England. It was a particularly hard time for the British. The high level of civil unrest was a wake up call to how thin the veneer of  polite society actually is. It is a great reminder to us in the USA of how quickly things can get “rather nasty”. Grab a snack and enjoy the show!

UK Preppers- Surviving Armageddon

Prepper Recon salutes our prepper friends all around the world. The entire world is at risk of major catastrophes and economic collapse. While we are primarily an American preparedness site, we have had visits from 114 other countries. Thank you for your visits and we  hope that much of our posts are helpful to preppers anywhere on the globe. If you are new to prepping or would like to learn more about how to prepare for tomorrow, please read our 7 Step Preparedness Plan.

Have a blessed day and happy prepping!

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