I generally listen to classical music or baseball games when driving, but one Saturday I listened to a talk show host as she interviewed a man who had prepared himself and his family for future calamities:
“Fifteen years ago, I decided to build a basement under our garage. The walls are built out of cinder blocks,” said the man. “It has an air filtration system and enough food and water to take care of ten people for three months.”
“Who are the ten people?” asked the talk show host.
The man replied that the ten included his wife, parents, and other members of his immediate family.
“Okay,” said the talk show host, “what will you do to keep other people out of your shelter, who themselves might be starving and thirsty, and know that you have supplies?”
“If need be, we will use the guns which are stored in the basement to protect ourselves from outsiders,” said the man.
The man then described how his family practiced dry runs every few months to help them prepare for any eventuality. As you can see, there were no if’s or maybe’s in this man’s preparation. He was ready and followed the maxim of the First Army: “Train like you’re going to fight.”
Like the man in the interview, I believe in doing everything we can to protect our immediate families, but here’s something I have learned over the last twenty-six years:
If I care about God’s family, which includes all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and also care about my neighbors, God will watch over and take care of my children, grandchildren, and immediate family, and do a better job than I could if I were there with them.
You see, God is a Father who understands our parental instincts and desires because He created them in us. Thus, we can trust Him to be the Good Shepherd for our families wherever they may be located.
Now, I don’t advocate hoarding supplies in a cave-like shelter and then using guns to fight off starving and thirsty neighbors. Not at all!
And I recommend, if you have these types of fears for yourself and your family, move to Montana or some far off location where you will most likely be safe from terrorists and earthquakes for a long, long time. And do it quickly, don’t linger. Who wants to live in fear? (Excerpt from my e-book, Planning + Preparation = Survival, Amazon.com.)
If we agree that major calamities may soon hit America, especially the West Coast, what are our options?
(1) Like the man in the interview, build a shelter for our family and be ready to shoot neighbors.
(2) Move to Montana now.
(3) Trust God and believe He will perform miracles for us.
As for me, I’m preparing and planning and choosing (3). What about you?
(Continued in Part 7)
