Author: Taylor Abegg

I came across some very interesting stats regarding Christians that were highlighted in the book, “The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Get It Back” by Phil Cooke and Jonathan Bock.

The premise of the book stems from the scripture in Matthew 7:15-20.  Verse 20 sums it up where it states, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Unfortunately, according to the stats uncovered by Cooke and Bock, we as Christians have a real problem following through with what we say we believe.  Our fruits are indeed lacking.  To be more specific, here are some of the details they discovered – they may shock you.

●  70% to 80% of US population are Christians
●  Only 20% attend church at least 19 times per year
●  37% of the 20% who attend don’t feel prayer is important
●  40% of the 20% who attend rarely or never open the Bible
●  10% of the 20% who attend pay a tithe

These stats are really disappointing to learn.  I had assumed we were doing much better than this in terms of living our religion.  Even on a secular basis, we are constantly being encouraged to step up and act in accordance to our beliefs.  To prove this point, here are a few phrases we’re all familiar with:

●  Practice what you preach
●  Walk your talk
●  Lead by example
●  Don’t just talk about it, be about it
●  Actions speak louder than words
●  Put your money where your mouth is

These are all phrases we’ve heard many times throughout our lives and they usually don’t make us feel very good.  The reason is – we all fall short.  We’re not perfect so we make mistakes and fail to act the way we should, say what we should or accomplish what we should.

Then there’s the conflict between doing what we should versus what we want.  I should eat a more healthy diet but I want the sausage and ribs.  This reminds me of a saying that has stuck with me for decades:  “The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment.”

We all make thousands of decisions every day, whether consciously or subconsciously.  There’s the smoker who really wants to quit and has great intentions but ends up trading that want for smoking just one more cigarette right now.  The result is failure to quit and the feeling of disgust with oneself and unhappiness with the lack of willpower.

There’s the individual who’s in far too much debt and really wants to pay it off and be debt free but trades that for putting a new flat screen TV he really wants on his credit card.  There’s the couch potato who really wants to get in shape but trades going to the gym for just one more episode on Netflix.  There’s the father that wants to spend more time with his kids but trades it for just a little more time on social media.

We all experience similar trades, often multiple times each day and as a result, we feel worse and worse about ourselves and our resolve to truly accomplish something of lasting value.  I remember a definition of the word “character” that has stuck with me.  “Character – the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the mood in which you made it has left you.”

 One of the ways I can relate to this definition deals with my schooling.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this but many a time, when faced with a looming mid-term or final exam, I would make a deal with myself that rather than spend the time studying on any given evening, I would get up really early the next morning and buckle down and study.  I would convince myself this was a great idea and a sound resolution.  Then when the alarm would go off at 5:00 AM the next morning, I would come up with every excuse in the book why I really didn’t need to get up so early to study.  The mood in which I made my resolution had definitely left and as a result I far too often failed to carry out that good resolution.

I don’t think any of us would disagree that protecting and providing for our families is a very good resolution.  We can all become very passionate about our roles to take care of our families and even put down on paper our specific plans and goals on how to follow through with our objectives.  Having worthwhile intentions is an important starting point.  Moving beyond those intentions can often times be a struggle.

I live in earthquake country and creating a sound plan for my family in the event of an earthquake was indeed very important to me.  It’s funny how I justified putting my plans down on paper was somehow providing a higher level of protection for my family.  It wasn’t until I actually put my plan into action, with my family, that I finally felt that sense of security and peace of mind that my family would be prepared.

As a family, we went into each room and discussed the possible damage that could occur and what we could do now to mitigate such potential damage.  As a family, we went to our natural gas meter and practiced putting the attached wrench on the valve and turned it just a little so everyone could feel what was necessary to turn off the gas.  We went to the outside breaker box and explained how to turn off the power to the house.  We went to the water valve and took turns turning off the water to the house.  We talked to the kids about what to do if we, their parents weren’t home when an earthquake struck.  They were to wait for us inside the camper shell on the back of my pickup so we all got inside to practice.

Over the years, we have continued to review these and many other related issues to be prepared in the event of an earthquake with our now married kids and grand-kids.  The point of all of this is that until I actually trained everyone regarding our plan, all the great ideas and intentions I had were of no real value.

Taking the time to create an emergency preparedness plan for your family is a critical first step.  But just creating the plan will not protect or feed your family in times of need.  Don’t trade what you want most for your family for what you want at the moment.  We must “practice what we preach” and “walk our talk” so the fruits of our beliefs will indeed benefit those we love.

I had a conversation with a good friend that I will never forget and I know the experience is forever seared into his brain in a very painful way.  It all started when he fell in love with a beautiful gal; let’s call her Jen (the names have been changed to protect the innocent).  She was everything he had ever hoped for.  He got up the courage and popped the question and to his delight, she said yes.  He wanted to give her the biggest diamond he could afford as a token of just how much she meant to him.  Then just eight years later, things got really ugly.

He was at work when his phone rang.  He saw it was his wife so he answered in his usual loving manner only to hear Jen screaming and crying on the other end of the line.  When he was finally able to get her to calm down just a little, the dreadful story began to unfold.  Jen had been at the mall that morning and happened to walk by a well-known jewelry store.  She noticed a sign in the store entry way offering “free ring cleaning” to anyone who would come into their store and look around.  She hesitated for a moment, looking down at her beautiful diamond and then decided, “Why not?”

The store clerk, a nice gentleman, approached her and asked if he could help her find anything to which she replied she was just looking around but wanted to know how the free ring cleaning worked.  He explained to her it would take only about 10 minutes for the cleaning and there would be absolutely no charge.  After considering the offer for a few more seconds, Jen reluctantly slid the ring off her finger and asked the clerk if the cleaning might hurt the ring in any way.  He assured her it would not – it was a very gentle cleaning process.  As Jen handed her ring to the clerk, he gave it a quick once over and commented on how beautiful the ring was and added some comment about how her husband must love her a lot.

The clerk then disappeared into the back room.  As the minutes passed, Jen started to get nervous, feeling uncomfortable about the fact she just handed her diamond ring over to a stranger who was in the back room doing who knows what to her ring.  After what seemed like much longer than 10 minutes, the clerk reappeared with her ring but had an awkward look on his face.  As he handed the freshly cleaned ring back to Jen, in a hesitating voice he said, “You know that’s not a real diamond, right?”

Jen wasn’t quite sure what to say – she wasn’t sure she had heard the clerk correctly saying, “Excuse me?”  The clerk then repeated that it was a very beautiful ring indeed and how close it was to looking like a real diamond and that only a professional jeweler would ever know in reality it was a Cubic Zirconia.  Jen replied once again, “What do you mean?  My diamond is absolutely real!”

The clerk could see Jen was more than surprised by this revelation and things were starting to get a little tense.  It then all came clear to Jen; this “free ring cleaning” was nothing more than a big scam.  She knew the clerk had gone in the back room, taken her real diamond off her ring and replaced it with a fake one.  Jen began to get very upset, raising her voice insisting the clerk had just stolen her diamond.

The clerk tried his best to calm Jen down and reassure her he never would have done anything as dishonest as switching her diamond.  Jen would have none of it.  She demanded to see his manager and wanted satisfaction immediately.

Unfortunately, the store manager was not able to make any more headway with Jen than the clerk was.  Jen continued to demand the return of her diamond with a voice that was approaching screaming level, adding if they did not comply immediately, she would call the police.

When the clerk and manager were not able to convince Jen they were innocent, Jen followed through with her threat and called the police.  By this time, everyone else in the store knew it was best to leave and within just a few minutes, a police officer came into the store wanting to know what was going on.  By now, Jen was sobbing, not knowing if she would ever see her real diamond again.  This is when she reached out to her husband and called him for help and comfort.

As my friend listened to his wife relate this devastating story, the blood drained from his face and he felt like he would both pass out and throw up at the same time.  You see, he was the guilty party.  He had wanted to purchase a big diamond ring for his bride-to-be but simply couldn’t afford it.  The jeweler where he purchased the ring had suggested he consider a Cubic Zirconia, assuring my friend that no one would ever be able to tell it wasn’t a real diamond, with the added benefit of costing a small fraction of what a real diamond would cost.  My friend made the decision to get the fake diamond and justified not telling his wife with the plan of someday replacing it with the real thing.

Well, that day had arrived in a very unpleasant manner.  My friend didn’t share with me all that went on between him and his wife that evening but I do know that later that week, Jen was sporting a new big “real diamond”, larger than the fake one and my friend acted like a whipped pup around his wife for many weeks to come.

What’s the purpose of this story?  It’s about my concern that most folks don’t have any realistic idea of what they really have by way of food storage or how long their storage will last should they need to rely on it.  Having been in this business for many years, I’ve given hundreds of in-home presentations in an attempt to assist families with their food storage needs.

One of the questions I would always ask was regarding how much food storage they currently had.  This question was often followed up with a quick inventory as we looked at their actual supplies together.  Almost everyone I met with had some level of storage but in every case, the estimate I was given as we sat around the kitchen table was way off base.  On average, I would guess that typically a family would state their food storage would last them three to four times longer than I knew it would.

This is a part of the food storage industry I still struggle with.  What’s the benefit of over-estimating your current storage levels?  Why would one want to rely on the absolute bare essentials when they have the option now to do something about it?  The purpose of storing food isn’t to impress your friends or neighbors.  It’s not so you can check it off some imaginary list and feel better about yourself.  It should be about providing real food for survival for your family and loved ones.  If it’s not the type of food you would want to eat right now, what makes you think your tastes will automatically change in times of stress or emergency?

I fear there will be far too many families that will suffer unnecessarily in times of need due to the lack of attention given to how much food storage they really have and if it’s the type of food their family will want to eat and be able to digest.  Please take the time now to honestly evaluate your current level of storage and build up your preps beyond what you think you will need.  I promise you, when the time comes to use your preps, you will be so very glad you took the time to make sure you knew what you really have.

Knowledge is power.  Knowing what you really have in preps could save your life.

My day started out just great – the sun was shining, the temperature’s warming up and spring is right around the corner.  The fact that it’s Friday (who doesn’t love Fridays) and anticipating a date night with my wife, it was just the kind of day I’d like to repeat every day.  Then out of the blue, it all got ugly.  I made the fatal error of reading the news.  Most of it was the same old, same old but one article jumped right out at me and slapped me in the face; “Study: Bacon Linked To Causing Cancer.”

My first thought was I must have misread the headline.  It probably meant to say “Banking” was linked to cancer.  I could live with that headline, I mean who likes standing in line at the bank? But BACON? Seriously?​

Here’s part of the article that wrecked my day:

“Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer say that bacon acts as a bit of a double whammy in that it is both a red meat and a processed meat.”

“In a question-and-answer session, a committee of scientists from The World Health Organization explained how exactly red and processed meats are carcinogens.”

“According to the most recent estimates by the Global Burden of Disease Project, an independent academic research organization, about 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat,” scientists said, adding that “diets high in red meat could be responsible for 50,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide”.

​Now my mind immediately started doing something I really don’t appreciate at times.​  My brain began to spew logic into my conciseness.  When it comes to bacon, I had learned over the years how to suppress the logic that such fatty, processed, red meat is surely not on the top of the list of health foods.  It really was quite easy, you see the flavor of perfectly cooked slices of bacon with hash browns and eggs over easy, or one of my specialties, a delicious BLT made with eight slices of bacon, thick slices of garden fresh tomatoes, lettuce and a nice layer of Miracle Whip on toasted old fashion white bread (my mouth is watering as I type this) simply do the trick.  The pleasures to the palette have always overridden that pesky logic part of my brain and I can’t say I regret it.

​Now I’m sure I’m not alone.  I’m sure most of us have a few guilty pleasures when it comes to food.  Whether it’s about sugars, fats or carbs, over time our bodies are taught to crave these flavors, thus the multi-billion dollar fast food industry.  So why is this important to discuss?

Both hunger pangs and food cravings are extremely powerful stimuli on the human body.  I recently read a book about an escapee from a North Korean labor camp (Escape from Camp 14).  His story was quite unique in that he was born in the labor camp – he never knew any other life.  In spite of daily being fed only a very meager amount of food, just barely enough to survive, not ever knowing anything different, still each day his hunger pangs drove him to do things unspeakable for just a little more to eat.  One might think experiencing the same diet every day, he might have grown accustomed to survival rations – not so.  Those hunger pangs never left him.  In fact, it was the stories of roasted meat told him by an older prisoner that almost drove him to insanity and created such strong cravings, it led him to risk his life in planning and executing his escape.

I remember trying to lose weight in high school.  I was a wrestler in the 155 lb. class.  I needed to lose five pounds so I just fasted – ate nothing.  I seriously thought I would die.  I even began hallucinating about finding rotten apple cores in the gutter and devouring them.  That was the worst, and it didn’t help that I wasn’t that great of a wrestler.  I don’t think any of us enjoy the pangs of hunger and many of us wish we could turn those cravings down just a little – I think you know what I mean.  I was quite envious of my college anatomy professor who was in an automobile accident where his injury included severing his vagus nerve.  As a result, he never felt hunger or satiation.  And yes, he was a very slim man.  Is there an operation one can have?

Hunger will change human behavior quicker than just about anything.  It can turn honest, law abiding people into desperate monsters.  There have been far too many stories over the centuries where good people have resorted to terrible acts to feed their families.

In 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis stated, “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Since then, his observation has been echoed by people as disparate as Robert Heinlein and Leon Trotsky. The key here is that, unlike all other commodities, food is the one essential that cannot be postponed.​

As adults, we may feel we can tough it out for a few days if necessary, but what about our kids?  If you have children who are crying and pleading for something to eat, what would you do?  Just how far would you go to prevent your family from starving?  I sincerely hope none of us are ever put in such a terrible predicament.  Fortunately, each of us can take action today to insure we never have to make such terrible decisions.  Please don’t let procrastination put your family in jeopardy.  Take action now to insure the well-being of your loved ones.

Sources:

​http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/03/02/study-bacon-cause-cancer/​

www.internationalman.com/articles/nine-meals-from-anarchy

A number of years ago, I had the memorable experience of listening to an order German man, Hans Bauer relate his experience of living in war-torn Germany in the early 40’s and what it was like to experience having one’s life turned completely upside down without warning.  The things he and his family experienced were never considered before the war, never taught by his family or in school and came completely unexpected.  His family was far from prepared (if it’s ever possible to be completely prepare for the horrors of war) and were thrown into survival mode with no idea how to do just that – survive.

Before WWII began in earnest, the Bauer family was just like any other industrious German family.  They lived in a medium sized town in a modest but nice apartment where many other families also resided with similar lifestyles.  Mr. Bauer would commute by train to a nearby larger city every day where he was employed by a large firm as an engineer.  Family life for the children included school and sports and spending time with their friends.  One of the sons, Hans , related how he often gave his mother grief by not eating what was placed before him.

For some bizarre reason, Hans disliked bacon.  I know, it’s hard to believe.  As I tell my wife, the only thing that’s better than bacon is bacon-wrapped bacon.  Anyway, back to the story.  Hans related that whenever he was served bacon, which was usually chopped up into smaller pieces and mixed with other foods, he would pick out the bacon pieces and place them around the edge of his plate.  He said he would call them “spectators” and allowed them to watch him eat the rest of his dinner.  Something only a kid would do.  This info will become much more relevant later in the story.

As the war broke out, it was more of a distant concern with little combat taking place anywhere near their town.  Then, almost without warning, their town and surrounding cities were heavily bombed by allied forces.  There was just enough advance notice that the Bauer family was able to quickly evacuate their apartment, leaving all their belongings behind.  After what seemed like hours, they finally had the courage to come up from the basement of their church where they, with many other families, had sought refuge and protection for the bombing.

It was still dark out as the bombing had taken place in the middle of the night.  There were fires everywhere and it was very difficult to recognize their neighborhood or any surrounding area.  It wasn’t until morning that they were able to see the full extent of the devastation that rained down on them the night before.

More than 50% of the buildings, apartments and houses were totally leveled, many of which were still burning, giving off a terrible black, acrid smoke.  Slowly, others began to emerge from their make-shift bomb shelters, faced with what would change their lives forever.  There were a fortunate few whose dwellings were just slightly damaged while there were some that were miraculously completely untouched.

The Bauer family was unfortunately not in that later group, their apartment building was totally leveled and smoking, even though no flames were visible.  It didn’t take long for shock to set in and a feeling that this all must be a dream or rather a terrible nightmare.  What was most important was that the Bauer’s and their three children were safe, is spite of not knowing what to do next.  It was interesting to note that what was needed most was clean drinking water.  During those first several hours, what to eat wasn’t foremost on their mind, but the shock and stress had created a powerful thrust for everyone.  Luckily, there was a stream about a mile from where they lived where water was available.

As the Bauer’s walked towards the stream, it was difficult to keep from being overcome with emotion as they saw things unspeakable.  Images of those who had perished and others who were consumed with grief by family members who were taken, haunted the Bauer children the rest of their lives.  As the reality of their situation set in, Mr. Bauer realized he needed to find shelter for his family and was at a loss as to where they could go.  As they walked back towards where their apartment once stood, Mr. Bauer noticed a sedan on the ruble strewn road that was only partially damaged.  Not having had the time to scout out a more suitable location for his family, all five of them climbed into the car and began to awaken to the true gravity of their situation.

Knowing they had temporary shelter and access to drinking water, the next concern surfaced as the younger kids began to complain they were hungry.  With no access to their belongings or any provision they may have had in their apartment, Mr. Bauer realized he needed to find food for his family.  After a tearful good-bye, Mr. Bauer left his family in search for food.

Fast forward three days – the Bauer family was still sleeping in the abandon car and the Bauer family grew ever more concerned about seeing their father again as well as being desperate for something to eat.  Three days without food, other than trying to eat roots and grass by the stream, had caused extreme stress for Mrs. Bauer as she was consumed with trying to calm her distraught children.

Then on the evening of the third day, the family was overjoyed to see their father returning to their aid.  Not knowing really what they expected, they were a little concerned when they didn’t see their father carrying anything.  They had imagined he would return with a sack full of wonderful food – a picture they had dreamt about for three days.

Everyone jumped out of the car and ran to their father, Mrs. Bauer and the children sobbed as they embraced their father.  After a very emotional embrace with his wife and children, Mr. Bauer asked his family to return to the car.  After they all climbed back in the car, Mr. Bauer with tears in his eyes pulled out of his coat pocket the only food he was able to locate for his family.  He held in his had a small gift from God that was carefully wrapped in his handkerchief.

As the family leaned in close to their father with greater anticipation than opening any Christmas gift, their father slowly unwrapped their treasure.  It was a piece of raw bacon about four inches square.  Each family member took a turn smelling the bacon and were overwhelmed with excitement and later stated they never remembered anything smelling as wonderful as that raw bacon did that evening.

Mr. Bauer took out his pocket knife and began to cut off very thin slices of bacon and gave one to each family member.  Hans, the hater of all things bacon, said he remembers putting that thin slice of raw bacon in his mouth and just sucking on it.  He didn’t want to chew it because it would be gone too fast.  In spite of his previous dislike for bacon, he said he never remembered anything tasting as good or being as satisfying as that small slice of raw bacon.  It’s been a very powerful lesson for Hans all his life.

Hans went on to relate that his family was eventually taken in by another family that had a small room where the Bauer’s could stay while the very painful and often traumatic months of recovery unfolded.  Food and other provisions continued to be an extreme challenge and many ongoing days and nights were filled with the fear of additional bombings as well as the fear of having nothing to eat the following day.

Hans made an interesting observation at the end of his story.  He related how there were a number of industrious individuals who were somehow able to establish access to certain food items that were made available to survivors for a price.  Paper money had no value and was not used but precious metals including jewelry, wedding rings or any form of gold or silver was used to purchase these food items.  The most valuable commodity of all was food itself and the most valuable food item was “fat” as Hans put it.  In other words, the richest individuals during that time where those who had some supply of oil, lard or some type of fat.  This was highly sought after for the energy, calories and flavor it added to the limited supply of bread or basic grains that could found.

At the end of his story, Hans plead with us to put an ample supply of food aside for any possible occasion when grocery stores wouldn’t be an option.  He also stressed the need to have plenty of storable “fat” as part of our food storage.  All I kept thinking about afterwards was how valuable his story was and how we must learn from the experience of others.

I spent several hours in a hospital with my daughter the other day.  She had fractured her ankle in two places in a freak accident.  She initially thought it was just a bad sprain but after insisting she get it looked at, she let me take her to an InstaCare facility where they x-rayed her ankle and found out the severity of the injury.  It was determined she needed surgery where several screws would be placed in two of her ankle bones to assure the healing process would proceed correctly.

As my wife and I sat in the surgery pre-op room, multiple medical professionals kept coming into the room to check and double check everything was in order for things to go as well as possible in surgery.  I counted seven different individuals who assisted my daughter before her surgery and I’m sure there were a number of others in the OR that I didn’t see and meet. Her doctor, nurses, anesthesiologist, case worker and several others whom I didn’t know were all there to insure things went smoothly and successfully.

A decision was made at the last minute to transport her to the main hospital rather than perform the surgery in the Orthopedic Center as originally planned.  There was a concern that due to the complicated nature of her particular injury, the doctor and anesthesiologist felt it would be best to perform the surgery at a location where they would have access to more sophisticated equipment and additional medically trained personnel.

In spite of the dollar signs flashing in front of my eyes thinking of all the extra costs associated with the move and possible spending a day or two in the main hospital, I was truly grateful that these additional measures were being taken to assure the safety and well-being of my daughter.  As her doctor mentioned to my wife and me, the likelihood of complications was low but they just didn’t think it was prudent to take the risk.

Being in the preparedness industry for well over 30 years now, it didn’t take me long to draw an analogy with this developing situation and emergency preparedness.  We’ve all heard the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  There is great wisdom in those words; unfortunately that wisdom is mostly ignored by far too many of us.

It all started when we were kids and our moms would yell out to us as we ran out the door to play, “Be careful and look both ways when you cross the street!”  We would yell back, “OK mom” and then promptly ignore everything she said.  That’s just the way both mom’s and kids were made – moms can’t keep from warning their kids to be careful and kids can’t seem to help brushing it all off.  Somehow, our species continues to survive.

As our children grow into the sometime “brain dead” stage of teenagerhood, it becomes increasingly difficult to insist our kids “be careful” as they start to drive and act as if they are wise adults.  Unfortunately, far too often our teenagers are not careful – mistakes are made and sometimes very painful and costly consequences follow.  As parents, we naturally want to protect our children and shield them from the awful consequences of bad choices, but sometimes those consequences are necessary for our children to learn and hopefully not repeat harmful behavior.

In a way, many of us tend to act like teenagers when it comes to food storage and emergency preparedness.  We have the attitude of immortality – those bad things won’t happen to us.  And, if any such things should happen, we won’t be affected to any great level.  Plus, I’m sure that FEMA or some other government agency will take care of us.  Many simply don’t like the feeling we have this virtual over-protective mom insisting we “be careful” and prepare for more difficult times.  Some habits and behavior is simply hard to change.

One particular behavior that really gives me concern is the attitude that others will solve any given problem for us.  This idea we don’t have to worry because someone else is in a better position than we are and surely will want to help is a very dangerous mindset.  One of the many experiences my son and I had as we were caught in hurricane Katrina reinforces this concern.  Here’s an excerpt from my journal regarding one such issue.

“We walked over to the hotel lobby to check out and experienced a sad scene. There in the lobby were about 20 people, many older, who looked very forlorn and scared. They were all intently listening to a small transistor radio that was sitting on the reservations desk. The news they were hearing was not encouraging as they heard reports of the flooding and damage near the coast and they were holding on to the hope that the Red Cross would somehow find them and help them with food and supplies.”

“Many of these people hadn’t eaten for 24 hours and were getting worried as to where they would find their next meal. Then we heard someone outside yell that a restaurant across the street was open and had some food (it was easy to hear because one of the lobby glass doors had been blown out). Several people jumped up from the lobby and ran across the street with others only to be sadly disappointed when they found the doors locked. You could definitely see the hopeless feeling in their faces as they waited for someone else to save them.”

“This really bothered me. I never want to be in that condition – waiting for someone else to save or take care of me and my family. I think there was far too much of that in the whole Katrina disaster, people not taking responsibility for their own and expecting others to solve their problems. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely those who need help from others because of health, age, handicaps or other reasons, but those who are able need to step up and fend for themselves.”

One challenge those of us who believe in preparedness have is trying to convince others they should also prepare.  This is no easy task.  Nevertheless, the scriptures council us to try.  In Luke 22:32 we are told “…and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” We certainly can’t force others to see things the way we do but we need to try.

Preparing both mentally and physically for trying times ahead is not something we can do for others.  It requires a personal conversion to the wisdom of preparing for uncertain times.  It is frustrating to see relatives and friends ignoring the need to prepare while whispering behind your back that you’re considered somewhat of a fanatic.  Even the term “prepper” has lately developed into somewhat of an extremist’s interpretation, almost being put in the same class as “flat earthers”.  It really is sad to see peer pressure having such a negative effect on those who don’t want to be seen as “end of times” extremists.

We just need to take a deep breath and look rationally at the world around us.  Every day that passes, there are more reasons it just makes sense to prepare with a greater likelihood of needing those preps sooner rather than later.  Seriously, what’s the down side to preparing for potential troubled times ahead.  If we set some food aside along with other preparedness items, and nothing ever happens where we need to use it, we can still eat it rather than spending more of our hard earned money at the grocery store.  What a bonus!  You don’t get your health, home and auto insurance premium payments back if you never submit a claim – they’re gone forever.  Not so with your food insurance – you can eat your investment any time you wish.

It really does behoove us all to take a closer look at the wisdom behind the proven benefits of putting some effort towards preparing today to avoid the potential devastation of not being prepared to provide for our families is times of need.  I’m convinced; the time will shortly come when those who sacrificed to acquire their ounce of prevention will be forever grateful they were able to avoid the cost of the pound of cure.

I had a really motivational and inspiring experience at the gym recently.  Yes, this is one of my New Year’s goals (kind of the same ones I set every year) – to get in better shape and lose weight.  Now I know there are those who know me will stop me right here and say, “Wait, did you say you were at the gym?  I never would have guessed!”  The truth hurts but I’m not giving up on my dream of someday, someone saying to me, “Dude, do you like live at the gym?  You look awesome!”  I can dream, can’t I?

Anyway, back to my story.  As I climbed on my favorite treadmill (I like this one because the display is small enough that my upper torso covers the display while I work out so people around me can’t easily see my stats – super self-conscious, I know), I glanced to my left and saw an old friend who was assisting his son on the rowing machine.  I see his son at the gym often; he has such a kind smile but is faced with an unimaginable trial.  Over 20 years ago, my friend’s son was in a terrible motorcycle accident and was hanging on to life by a thread as the ambulance rushed him to the hospital.  In spite of the best efforts of the emergency room physicians, my friend’s son passed away.  His 23 year old son was pronounced dead.

I can’t even begin to imagine the overwhelming grief my friend and his wife must have felt.  Then a marvelous miracle occurred.   A young doctor, refusing to give up on this young man, tried one more last ditch effort to revive him – and it worked!  He was brought back to life after several minutes of being clinically dead.  Little did my friend know that in spite of this great miracle, there would be countless days and nights of pain, desperation and fatigue that the entire family would experience.  You see, there had been severe brain damage that occurred and his 23 year old son had reverted to an infant in mental capacity.  Now at the age of 45, he can talk in a very limited, broken fashion.  He can move all of his appendages, but he still can’t walk and has no balance.

When my friend saw me, he left his son and walked over to my treadmill and brought me up to speed as to his son’s progress.  Up till about six months ago, his son still had to use a wheelchair but had now graduated to using a walker with some assistance.  He had never let go of the absolute goal of someday being able to walk unaided again.  As my friend and I were talking, I kept looking over his shoulder at his son and watching him pull with a strong back the handle on the rowing machine.  Then all of a sudden, he fell over with his feet still strapped in the machine.  We rushed over to his aid and unstrapped his feet and we both lifted him back up to sit sideways on the machine.  When I reached under his arm to help lift, I was shocked at the massive muscles I could feel under his shirt.  It felt like I was lifting Hulk Hogan or some other WWF wrestler.

His dad explained that his son would often spend six to eight hours a day at the gym and could bench 350 lbs. and squat 900 lbs.  Wow!  I was so impressed!  But then I thought, this didn’t happen by just casually frequenting the gym when he felt like it.  He was absolutely dedicated to the goal of walking again and was willing to do whatever it took.  It’s been over 20 years now, and he still hasn’t given up and he never will.  He is totally focused on his goal and regardless of how long it may take, he WILL NOT GIVE UP!

Now you may be asking yourself, what on earth does this have to do with emergency preparedness – well I’m glad you asked.  Preparing for difficult times ahead is not necessarily an easy task, it will require time, effort and dedication.  This type of dedication is unfortunately rare today but is a trait I hope we all would like to develop to a much greater extent.  Making and keeping goals is certainly not a new idea for any of us but having the courage to never stop trying is indeed rare.

I took my wife to the movie “Darkest Hour” about Winston Churchill the other evening – really liked the movie.  I honestly had no idea how much opposition Churchill had during WWII from his own party as well as the balance of Parliament.  Churchill was adamantly opposed to giving in to Hitler and negotiating some type of treaty.  I loved seeing the movie “Dunkirk” as well that showed these extraordinary times from another very unique perspective.  I would highly recommend you watch both movies.

So after being motivated by these great movies, I came across a quote from Churchill that I really liked. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”  Even though at first blush it comes across a little negative, I really liked the message so I decided to text it to my daughter.  This was her reply, “Thanks Dad but that’s the most depressing horrible quote ever.”  I guess she needed to see the movies first.  I decided I better call her to explain why I really liked the quote and why I believe it’s critical that each of us keep a strong, positive outlook on our life, never giving up on our goals and aspirations, regardless of what happens, never ceasing to strive.

Interestingly enough, there are many out there who really feel strongly about providing emergency food storage for their families but just keep hitting some kind of wall that keeps them from following through.  Some may struggle with chronic procrastination, others with the lack of understanding of knowing how to begin.  There are those who don’t feel they have the space or are distracted with other important projects.  And there are those who may be struggling with just putting food on the table right now and the thought of putting 3, 6 or 12 months of food away for a rainy day is totally beyond their financial reach.

My simple plea for each of you that may fall into one of these categories is to set your preparedness goal and never give up trying to accomplish it!  I truly believe miracles will happen.  Some miracles just happen, like my friend’s son being brought back to life but most miracles happen only after a trial of our faith and commitment.  There will be set-backs and challenges; this life is full of them.  But if you keep your eye on the preparedness ball, always keeping in the back of your mind your goal and desire to prepare and provide for your family, miracles will happen that will allow you to accomplish your preparedness goals.  Please don’t allow the fact that you may be struggling keep you from striving – allow these miracles to happen in your life.

The quick answer is “yes” to all of them – it’s important to consider calories, meals, servings, and serving size when planning your food storage.  The longer answer is, some are more important than others.  Unfortunately, there are food storage companies that will be less than forthcoming with some of this data because it may shed some negative light on the products they are selling.

I remember years ago trying to deal with a real problem in the industry – the definition of a “year’s supply”.  That term was used and thrown about as if it was a universal description of a definitive combination of food items that would feed an adult or a family for one year.  As one would compare meal plans from a variety of companies, one would quickly discover that the term “year’s supply” could mean just about anything.

There were meal plans that were predominately whole grains, providing around 800 calories per day and yet were titled a “year’s supply”.  And then there were others who offered meal plans with extremely small serving sizes, yet they were allowed to call it a “year’s supply” as well.  One company’s representative shared with me his concern how there was no real quantifiable measuring formula in that day to make it easy to determine what a year’s supply really should be and how any given company should be compared to that standard.  He said it got so extreme that one could almost take an apple and cut it up into 365 small pieces and call it a year’s supply of apples.

You see, one unique characteristic of this industry is that most people treat the acquisition of their emergency food storage as they did the writing of a term paper when they were in school.  It was something that was easy to procrastinate, often dreaded and with what seemed great sacrifice finally accomplished.  Then, after the paper was turned in, they never wanted to think about it again.  They had checked it off their list and they were off to more enjoyable uses of their time and resources.

In other words, most people who purchase food storage simply store it away and really don’t want to think about it again, feeling as if they have accomplished this important task and can now check it off their list.  Very little thought is given to what life would be like if they really had to live off their food storage.  If fact, that’s the last thing most people ever want – to actually use their food storage.  As a result, far too little due diligence is performed in analyzing and comparing different meal plans and how their lives might be affected if they had to live off them.  Thus the need to discuss the fundamentals – calories, meals, servings and serving sizes.

Let’s start with calories.  If one could choose just one of these categories to compare all food storage plans out there, my vote would be to compare calories.  You see, of all these categories, calorie count is the only real definer of total food value.  In other words, how much energy will this food give me when I consume it?  How full will it fill my energy tank?  If there aren’t enough calories in the meal plan, regardless of the number of meals, servings or serving sizes, you simply won’t have the energy your body needs to function, you’ll lose weight and could eventually starve.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of meal plans provided by companies today range around 1,100 calories per person per day with some as low as 750.  This would be a great weight loss plan for many of us but in times of stress, it’s simply not enough food value to keep us healthy and provide the energy we’ll need during those difficult times.

With several companies, it may require a fair amount of searching and math to determine the true daily calorie count.  When that’s the case on any given companies’ website, that’s usually an indication of the numbers being low and the company not wanting to make it easy to see the real facts.  These companies will usually promote the number of meals or servings instead.  With such companies, a typical entrée will provide between 250 and 300 calories so if you are receiving three entrées per day, you’re talking about only 750 to 900 calories per day.

To see a real-life example of how critical calories are, Google the “Minnesota Starvation Experiment” or go to: http://www.refinery29.com/minnesota-starvation-experiment

It showed how a diet of just 1,570 calories per day had a devastating effect on the 36 men in the study.  Calories do make a difference but to be fair, the source of the calories is equally important.  Just take it to the extreme and I’m sure you’ll agree.  If all one consumed was 3,000 calories per day of white sugar, I think we’d all agree those calories were empty calories and it wouldn’t take long for our bodies to shut down. This is where meals and servings help round out the balanced approach.

Let’s talk next about meals.  A meal is usually defined in the industry as a single serving of an entrée – breakfast, lunch or dinner.  This is unfortunate because seldom have I, or would I venture to say most people, consider one serving of an entrée as a meal.  For me, that’s more like an appetizer – something to whet my appetite and get me ready for the real main course.  But no, that’s the sum total of the meal.

Meals can be an important factor if there are a wide variety of entrees.  I remember being on a 100-mile backpacking trip in the Wind River mountain range of Wyoming and all I took for breakfast was a bunch of pouches of instant oatmeal.  By the end of that week-long trip, I was so sick of that oatmeal that I never wanted to even see a pouch of instant oatmeal again for as long as I lived.  I never knew I could become so disgusted with a single food item in such a short period of time.  I promise variety is an essential part of a balanced plan.

Now, let’s discuss servings.  This category is somewhat similar to the discussion we had earlier about the definition of a year’s supply.  This category, if looked at independent from the others, could be very deceiving because there is no standard as to the size of servings.  Remember the apple cut into 365 pieces?  Well, that could be considered 365 servings.

Now, this leads naturally to the subject of serving sizes.  If a company touts that they provide serving sizes that are larger than other companies, that’s great IF that also translates into a higher overall calorie count with a good variety of entrees.  You see, it would be possible to provide larger servings of low-calorie filler foods which would not increase the total calorie count.

So here’s the conclusion – you should look for a food storage plan that provides 2,000+ calories per person per day (my personal storage provides 3,500 calories per person per day).  These calories should come from a good variety of entrees as well as fruits, vegetables, grains, rice, beverages and deserts (gotta have those comfort foods!).  If these categories are properly addressed, the number of servings and serving sizes become a moot issue – you will be getting the nutrition and food value you need to not just survive, but thrive.

On the surface, that question may seem ludicrous.  Of course we would never intentionally plan on looting to feed our families, but unintentionally, is it a possibility?

I came across an article from the Associated Press titled “Venezuelans ‘Loot to Eat’ Amid Economic Tailspin”.  The country is facing not only severe economic challenges but as a result devastating food shortages.  At the country’s biggest port in Puerto Cabello, people are swarming corn-carrying trucks and filling up sacks with the grain while the drivers are held at gunpoint.

The article went on to report that even though the truck driver was afraid for his life, he sympathizes with his impoverished countrymen, who are becoming desperate amid Venezuela’s widespread food shortages and sky-high inflation.

“They have to loot to eat,” he said.

“Sporadic looting, food riots and protests driven by the hungry poor have surged in Venezuela, a country that’s no stranger to unrest”, the article continues. “These protests are coming from people of the lower classes who simply cannot get enough to eat,” said David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America.

I’ll never forget an experience I had many years ago while selling food storage by giving in-home presentations.  I had made an appointment with a family in a rural area of a small community and was hopeful I would be able to help them prepare by selling them a year’s supply of long-term food storage.  Part of my presentation focused around how much a typical family would spend on a monthly basis for food and as a result, show how economical our food storage plan was.

This was a family of eight, two adults and six kids so I was assuming they spent $500 to $800 per month on food (keep in mind, this was more than 25 years ago and the cost would be much greater today).  As my presentation proceeded, I asked the father how much they spent on a monthly basis at the grocery store.  When he answered, I thought I misheard him so I asked him to repeat his answer.  He replied that they spent about $50 per month.  I was shocked!  Even though they lived in a rural area, I didn’t see any garden or method of raising their own food so I was quite mystified by his answer.

I followed up by asking how on earth it was is possible to feed a family of eight on only $50 per month.  He replied by saying they didn’t shop in the front of the store, they shopped in the back.  Still confused, I asked him to clarify what he meant.  He hesitated for a moment and then said, “You wouldn’t believe how much food grocery stores throw away.”  It then all became clear.  He and his family were dumpster diving in the back of the grocery store to secure enough food to feed their family.  It became very obvious that they had very little money and were willing to do whatever it took to feed their family.  Needless to say, I did not make the sale but I did learn a lot as to the measures individuals would take to keep from going without.

I learned another valuable lesson about how the lack of food can totally change your behavior back in August of 2005 when I was caught in hurricane Katrina.  Here is an excerpt from my journal.

“Monday morning, August 29th, we woke up early and immediately turned on the TV to get the latest on Katrina. It was really pretty scary. Katrina had developed into a category 5 hurricane and was just beginning to pound New Orleans – right where we had just escaped from just a day and a half earlier.”

“There was a light rain outside but what really caught our eye was the way the clouds were moving. I have never seen clouds like that before. They were swirling around so fast, twisting sometimes in smaller circles inside of larger ones and coming closer to the ground than I had expected.”

“My son and I were still determined to take care of business and planned on attending a real estate auction that morning. On our way to the courthouse, we felt impressed to fill our tank – just in case. We still didn’t think we would be affected much by Katrina. We assumed it would die out or go off in another direction.”

“We hadn’t been at the courthouse more than an hour when they told us to evacuate, that the hurricane was headed right for us. I feel kind of stupid saying this now, but we were really kind of excited. We thought this was going to be just a fun adventure.”

“Having never experienced a hurricane before, we were anxious to see what it would be like. I remember laughing as we ran to our car because it was raining so hard, it seriously felt like buckets of warm water were being poured on us.”

“We drove back to our hotel and turned on the TV. We were told that an area wide curfew would go into effect at noon. I looked at my watch and realized we had only about 30 minutes before the curfew and we had no food, water or supplies of any kind.”

“We decided to try and find a place to buy some food and water before it was too late. As soon as we left the hotel, all the power went out in the entire area. All the stores were closed. We could not find a single place to purchase anything.”

“As we were returning to our hotel, I noticed a gas station with several cars parked out front. It looked like there were people inside the little mini mart and I could see that the door was open. We immediately pulled in and I ran inside to find several people buying up everything they could. They had to have cash since the power was off.  I was immediately struck with the negative, dark side of not being prepared. I wasn’t the least bit concerned about anyone else but me and mine. The thought of sharing with others was the last thing on my mind. It’s terrible to say but I was ready to even get physical if necessary to get what we needed.”

“They had one of those little food bars with potato logs and fried chicken, etc. I bought everything I could (there wasn’t much left) along with several bottles of water and Gatorade. I luckily had enough cash in my pocket to cover the cost.”

“After I paid for the food we headed back to the hotel and rationed out the food, not knowing how long it would be before we could get more.”

There was much, much more that my son and I learned during those challenging several days as we tried to escape the devastating effects of Katrina.  But the most important lesson I learned was the psychological and emotional effect of not being prepared and trying to figure out where your next meal would come from.

You see, at home I am very well prepared to weather just about any storm, but being thousands of miles away from home on a business trip with zero preps, it was a real eye opener.  Maybe one of the most concerning parts of it all was knowing that if things got bad enough, one would lie, cheat, steal and maybe even worse to keep their loved ones from starving.  As a result of that experience, I recommitted to doing all that I can so that the day would never come where I would need to “loot to eat.”

Source:  http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuelans-loot-eat-amid-economic-tailspin-52697367