Have you given much thought to home food storage? Most people haven't, especially those of us in the U.S. where "the economy always bounces back", and we fall back on "I can always use my credit card if I get in trouble financially", or "building a home store of food is 'alarmist' and crazy" sort of mentalities.
Recently, I attended a meeting where a gentleman shared his experience of being in Japan during the recent tsunami. He and his family were not directly impacted by the earthquakes and flooding, however, when his wife asked him to go to the local store to get some bread and milk, he found there was none to be found. The store shelves had been cleaned out, and remained so for days due to chaos in other parts of the country. Thankfully, they had some home food storage and were able to ride out the week quite comfortably.
Yesterday in Missouri, there was a minor earthquake registering 4.2 on the richter scale. Geologists say it is only a matter of time before larger ones hit this area of the country, and everyone knows that geologists are waiting for the BIG one to hit the west coast. Add to these pictures the uncertainties of economies globally, the jobless rate, and other unforseen situations which can throw families into challenging situations. The last thing you want to be concerned about is giving yourself and your family food and water.
So, it's not an alarmist mentality, but a 21st century reality that all of us in the world are facing. We saw hints of people's reactions to challenging situations after Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans. Eye-witnesses reported that there were pockets of chaos and looting, and this after a very minor situation, comparatively speaking. People needed water more than anything, and had they had this wonderful, light-weight water filter, many would not have suffered so much. Check it out here.
I have been a consultant for Shelf Reliance and Thrive Foods for nearly 8 months now, and as I have cooked with and eaten the food, put up the amazing shelving systems and helped others to get started with their food storage, I am SOLD on this company and their products. Check out my website here and contact me if you have any questions. You can register right there on the website to be a customer, and your best prices will be found if you choose to get on the "Q", which you can read about. It's basically like the netflix of food.
So, if you want to eat what you store and store what you eat, if you want incredibly delicious, highly nutritional food with no GMOs, then get started on building your home storage, and let me help you. Why not be prepared in a stress-free way and prepare to be a blessing to those around you?
I love our neighbors two doors down! Jonny and Maria and their three children are from Switzerland! We enjoyed a FUN evening with them last night, eating dinner and then playing a game with colored dominoes called "Mexican Train". The kids loved it, as did all of us adults!
Playing games brings a breath of fresh air to my life...I love to laugh and need to do more of it! Plus, being around Europeans ALWAYS makes me happy! Actually, being around anyone from another nation puts a spark in my step and a smile in my heart. We will be sad when they leave to return to Switzerland this summer, but until then, I'm sure we'll enjoy more game nights!
Today, I received a "picture" in my spirit which I will try to articulate here. The pictures included a young child in a blow-up raft-like boat on a lake, a man on a sailboat, working the rigging, and finally, the captain of a cruise-ship, out on the ocean.
Here is what I believe God spoke to me through these pictures. When we are young in the Lord, we are entrusted with the blow-up raft and really must stay close to the shoreline, like a child because neither we nor our vessel could handle the choppy waves and high winds a lake or the ocean would throw at us. God knows this.
However, we quickly move from raft-status to boat-status, being entrusted with sails or engines and a craft that can maneuver and be maneuvered through both wind and waves and successfully reach point B from point A. In addition, God entrusts us with those aboard our boats. The blow-up raft held just us, but now, we have been trained in the ways of the Kingdom and entrusted with lives to disciple.
Finally, the picture of the doomed cruise ship which recently crashed on shallow rocks near the shoreline brought home the reality of responsibility as well as the negligence evident in our own lives as well as in the lives of many people, sadly. As we grow in the Lord, and move from the boat to the cruise-ship and are placed in roles of tremendous responsibility, we move out into deeper waters. It is there that we must stay if we are to sail both us and those entrusted to us safely from point A to point B. Attempting to return to the shallower waters for whatever reason is not only foolishness, but can bring tragedy.
The captain of the fated cruise-liner not only showed lack of maturity and responsibility, but also gross negligence as he moved from making a bad decision to lying about it. He's not alone in the universe as he joins a great company of folks who have done the same, from Adam in the Garden to Peter who thrice denied his Lord. To make a bad choice is one thing; to abandon responsibility and allow others to die while you save yourself is the epitamy of immaturity when applied to Kingdom living.
I am in no way standing in judgement of the captain of the fated ship. This is purely being used as an illustration of a much deeper lesson and reality. There are so many things going on in the world today, in our nation today, laws and bills being passed which are akin to running a packed cruise ship too close to shallow, rocky shores. Is there hope? Of course! With God there is ALWAYS hope because He is the hopeful God! However, it takes steering the ship back out into the deeper waters of His love, His perspective, His ways of functioning, His ancient Truths and pathways. Only there will captains and passengers be not only safe, but also enjoying the journey.
There are so many things unfolding that "appear" to be good, but are simply jagged rocks waiting to take down the entire cruise ship. God, we pray for leaders in all arenas of society, that they would hear Your voice and make decisions not based on whim and fancy but on the DEEP TRUTHS of Your Kingdom.
Sometimes I find it challenging to be a visionary. The Lord will "drop" an idea into my spirit and/or mind, and within a few minutes, I can see the entire thing played out in my head and the future impact for the Kingdom this idea will have. Often, it's like a rushing waterfall of this, that and the other, all amazing pieces of the grander puzzle that, in my visionary mind's eye, looks phenomenal and completely doable. So, where is the challenge?
Implementation.
I am the type of visionary who does not have a clue how to implement the vision. I knew, but am discovering even more so through marriage, that I am not a detail person. So, while I see the big picture and even some of the details, I am typically at a complete loss as to how to implement the vision and help it come to fruition.
Yesterday, during morning prayer through Skype with the Hartley Institute, God dropped a vision in my spirit for a business. As I chatted with others on the call, it seemed to catch fire quickly and we all could feel the excitement of it. That excitement continues today, but when I consider the challenge of implementation, I grow easily discouraged and want to toss in the towel because, while I know all the things that need to come into place, I don't know the first thing about how to make that happen.
So, I am praying that if this is truly a vision from the Lord, that HE will bring the people He knows need to be in place for implementation to unfold, His way, for His glory!
