Preparedness

I used to hear quotes like the following and feel guilty:

"The Lord said also, 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.' (Matt 7:21) And I was thinking that there are as many wards and branches in the Church as there are people in this room, one for one. And what great accomplishment there would be if every bishop and every branch president in all the world, wherever it's possible...had a storage such as has been suggested here this morning..and took to their three or four or five hundred members the same message, quoting scripture and insisting that the people of their wards and branches do the things the Lord has requested, for we know there are many who are failing. 'Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (President Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, May 1976, p 124.)

For years I used to think about how I knew I needed to begin a food storage program ... but then my heart would fail me. I just plain didn't know where to start. I knew I needed to begin, but the task seemed too large. Well, if one thinks an action is too big, those actions follow suit and nothing ever gets done.

Finally, one day, I realized I was spinning in circles -- and I was manifesting no faith. I stopped the spin and sat down, literally. First I began to think about what having a food storage really meant. The biggest realization came when I started to break down what a year's food supply implied in simple terms.

For example, one week of meals implies 21 meals (more or less): 7 breakfast, 7 lunch, and 7 dinner. To make my meal storage easy, why not plan on having the same dinners weekly? Therefore, if I planned on spaghetti for Monday nights, I would need 52 packages of pasta for a year's supply, in addition to 52 jars of spaghetti sauce (i.e. 52 weeks of Mondays in a year).

Of course, this is not a full meal. I might (to make it easy) store 52 cans of corn for a semblance of veggies with the meal. Not a fancy meal, but it would be food nonetheless for my small family. Plan this out for the 21 meals in one week's time ... and you have a charted course to begin building your food storage! (Begin with the first goal of having one week's of food in storage. Once that is completed, double that to two week's worth of food supplies. And so on. Little by little soon becomes a lot -- and much quicker than we might think! Ah, this is the pathway of faith.)

Times are rough that face us currently. Whether it is news of a trucker strike (which could clear the grocery store shelves in less than a week) or news of a bird flu epidemic that would force quarantine large populations, having a planned food storage system will greatly ease the stress of many traumatic situations. Let us therefore, be faithful to what the Lord's servants have counseled us for decades -- to have a food storage and to begin it now!

To learn more how to begin a food storage system, little by little, visit the Provident Living website. To read more of President Kimball's talk, "Family Preparedness, visit "Family Preparedness," Ensign, May 1976.

OK, I've been working on becoming prepared for a variety of contingencies. After all, the world we live in is not very stable. Unrest can happen at a moment's notice (think of Hurricane Katrina). Thus, as a wife and a mommy, I want to make sure I am a provident individual, intent on blessing the life of my family.

Imagine my shock a week ago when our city issued an emergency "boil water alert". To my chagrin, I did not have water stored, for all my other preparations! Of course, a convenience store was near by, but that thought apparently was in the minds of many city folk. My friends next door found only three jugs left when they went to buy water. They promptly snatched those up.

As grateful as I was for the boil water alert (who wants to brush your teeth with fecal contaminated water), it soon becomes a bit tedious to boil water, and boil water, and boil water. And that was then the thought occurred to me ... what if the electricity were out? There would be no power to boil water. What then? What would my small children do without water to drink? for us to cook with?

Hopefully you are better prepared than I was. After all, a person can only live four or five days without drinking water. And water is, of course, "free." (Ok, we do have to pay our water bills. But you know what I mean!)

So here's the Emergency Preparedness Tip for the day. Store water! Don't be like me and be caught without it when that unexpected emergency occurs. In fact, a good way to help your family be prepared for the unexpected is to remember the famous psychologist Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

In other words, begin your emergency preparations from the perspective of: what do you most urgently need first? then next? and next?

You absolutely need water, shelter, clothing, and food. There are other essentials also (i.e. love). But these are some good facets to start. The government now recommends two weeks of supplies as opposed to 72-hours (as was swiftly learned when Hurricane Katrina devastated miles upon miles of territory, not just one city. People in multiple states were without live saving necessities, not just those in the televised cities. It takes time for government agencies to respond.).

Start today. Put some water aside. Whether you are recycling jugs for storage or buying bottles of water or tablets to purify water from a local stream. Take care of it today. Now. Before your city experiences a sudden emergency like mine did a week ago. You'll sure be glad you did!

To learn more about emergency preparedness, go to the website Provident Living for free tips, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (casually referred to as the Mormon church). You'll find tons of great ideas, including words from the Lord's living prophets on how to help your family in many troubling situations.

What is a provident lifestyle? Most dictionaries will explain a provident person as having shown foresight, having prepared carefully for the unseen future.

A provident family begins with provident individuals. And nowhere is there a better definition of a provident individual than in the scripture chapter found in Proverbs 31.

For some reason, this chapter keeps coming into my head. I dunno. Perhaps it is the continuing coverage of pending, global wheat shortages. Perhaps it is the amount of wars in the news. Perhaps it is the quantity of peculiar weather patterns we are experiencing.

Whatever the reason, Proverbs 31 seems to becoming faster and faster a recurring theme in my head. So I turned to it this morning to look more closely at its words. Apparently there is something the Lord wants me to learn from this famous piece of scripture.

King Solomon in Old Testament time was known for his wisdom (that is, up until the end of his life when he turned to pagan worship). The Lord had given the gift of wisdom to Solomon per his request. Much of the book Proverbs in the Bible, and the wisdom therein, comes directly from Solomon's hand.

Proverbs 31:10-31 speaks directly about a virtuous woman. If we look up the definition of "virtue", we will find explanations of moral excellence, goodness, and the ability to conduct oneself with ethical principles.

If we compare the concept of virtue with a preparedness lifestyle, the two would strongly parallel each other. In other words, a preparedness lifestyle contains many of the same virtues as those listed in Proverbs 31:10-31.

Let's look at those virtues now. Of course, this set of scripture verses refers to a woman in particular, but in truth the principles apply to all who desire wise living:

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life" (vss 11-12).

There is no spoil with a prepared person. No waste. Food is rotated and used wisely. Finances are handled appropriately.

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands" (vs 13)

A prepared and prospered person is not lazy; instead he or she spends their time working willingly. Is it not because in the pursuit of thrift and industry we find joys we find no other way?

"She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar" (vs 14).

A thriving food storage is full of items not only grown at home, but carefully gathered over time from many places - all with the purpose of blessing the family during a potential time of scarcity.

"She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens" (vs 15).

There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of scripture held valuable by the Mormons (officially the church is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), that speaks to getting up early in the morning, similar to Proverbs 31:15. That verse states:

"Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated" (D&C 88:124).

So many principles and concepts can be found in Proverbs 31:10-31! I think I will continue exploring this further in future blogs!

To read the full text, click here on this Proverbs 31:10-31 link.

To learn more about the Mormon church and what we believe, click here.

My heart sank as I read the news today about the plight of a homeschooling family in California. They were homeschooling because they did not want their children being taught immoral lifestyles in a public school setting. But because of political activism, their children can no longer be taught through homeschooling methods. Why? Because they are teaching children religious beliefs. In other words, their freedom has been impinged upon. The state of California has determined that they cannot teach their children about traditional marriage nor can the parents teach against homosexuality. The reach of this state is chilling as it continues to rewrite societal standards.

Yet one need look no further than "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" to understand God's perspective on the subject of traditional marriage and homosexuality. President Gordon B. Hinckley was the prophet for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the year of 1995. He read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" at a church-wide gathering for women. It is a succinct document full of warning to today's generation on earth. Its words are bold and unequivocally full of warning and faith.

Look at the very first paragraph!

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

A prophet of God is solemnly declaring that God views marriage in a specific way: "between a man and a woman." He also states that "family is central to the Creator's plan."

But the situation in California today is alarming, with a court forcing this family to give their children to be taught by state curriculum - a state curriculum which allows teens to use each others' school bathrooms interchangeably and a curriculum that forcibly teaches transgender and homosexual lifestyles - starting in Kindergarten!

The Family proclamation in the next paragraph states another bold truth from God's eyes, even if not in the world's eyes.

All human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

How far we have fallen in society to have lost these natural truths. What the prophet states so clearly now is being argued against so viciously by society. But in God's eyes, "gender is an essential characteristic" of both before we came to earth, while we're here, and for in the eternities!

And yet society continues to surge in the opposite direction. So why is this post the "Emergency Preparedness Tip" for the day? Because if we don't wake up and speak up, the day will come when we won't have any more opportunity to do so. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

President Hinckley was also crystal clear about the world's sliding ways when he spoke to church members in California in 1995 a few months prior to giving the Family Proclamation.

Recovery . . . will not come about through legislative mandate. It is not likely to come about through the public schools, which some 40 years ago abandoned the teaching of moral and ethical values. If it is to happen, it will have to happen in the homes of the people, fortified by the Church.

We have made wonderful strides in many fields in this 20th century of which we have been a part. But in that field which is most fraught with consequences for the 21st century - the course of the American family - we have lost ground. There has been a perceptible and alarming unraveling.

The only possible long-term solution lies in redoubling our efforts to strengthen the families of America . . .

Is this not frightening enough to goad us to action? We are seeing the sour fruits of what he alluded to 13 years ago and 6 months prior to giving "The Family: A Proclamation to the World. He finishes with a prophetic moment and a call to action. Will we finally listen? We must get involved with our society or reap the final consequences when it is too late.

Otherwise, I fear, the future for the 21st century looks gloomy....As we face this new century, it is time we got on our knees and asked for direction, then to stand on our feet and follow it (source: Neil H. Leash in Prophetic Statements on Food Storage for Latter-day Saints)

To read the Proclamation in its entirely, click on The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

My heart sank as I read the news today about the plight of a homeschooling family in California. They were homeschooling because they did not want their children being taught immoral lifestyles in a public school setting. But because of political activism, their children can no longer be taught through homeschooling methods. Why? Because they are teaching children religious beliefs. In other words, their freedom has been impinged upon. The state of California has determined that they cannot teach their children about traditional marriage nor can the parents teach against homosexuality. The reach of this state is chilling as it continues to rewrite societal standards.

Yet one need look no further than "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" to understand God's perspective on the subject of traditional marriage and homosexuality. President Gordon B. Hinckley was the prophet for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the year of 1995. He read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" at a church-wide gathering for women. It is a succinct document full of warning to today's generation on earth. Its words are bold and unequivocally full of warning and faith.

Look at the very first paragraph!

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

A prophet of God is solemnly declaring that God views marriage in a specific way: "between a man and a woman." He also states that "family is central to the Creator's plan."

But the situation in California today is alarming, with a court forcing this family to give their children to be taught by state curriculum - a state curriculum which allows teens to use each others' school bathrooms interchangeably and a curriculum that forcibly teaches transgender and homosexual lifestyles - starting in Kindergarten!

The Family proclamation in the next paragraph states another bold truth from God's eyes, even if not in the world's eyes.

All human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

How far we have fallen in society to have lost these natural truths. What the prophet states so clearly now is being argued against so viciously by society. But in God's eyes, "gender is an essential characteristic" of both before we came to earth, while we're here, and for in the eternities!

And yet society continues to surge in the opposite direction. So why is this post the "Emergency Preparedness Tip" for the day? Because if we don't wake up and speak up, the day will come when we won't have any more opportunity to do so. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

President Hinckley was also crystal clear about the world's sliding ways when he spoke to church members in California in 1995 a few months prior to giving the Family Proclamation.

Recovery . . . will not come about through legislative mandate. It is not likely to come about through the public schools, which some 40 years ago abandoned the teaching of moral and ethical values. If it is to happen, it will have to happen in the homes of the people, fortified by the Church.

We have made wonderful strides in many fields in this 20th century of which we have been a part. But in that field which is most fraught with consequences for the 21st century - the course of the American family - we have lost ground. There has been a perceptible and alarming unraveling.

The only possible long-term solution lies in redoubling our efforts to strengthen the families of America . . .

Is this not frightening enough to goad us to action? We are seeing the sour fruits of what he alluded to 13 years ago and 6 months prior to giving "The Family: A Proclamation to the World. He finishes with a prophetic moment and a call to action. Will we finally listen? We must get involved with our society or reap the final consequences when it is too late.

Otherwise, I fear, the future for the 21st century looks gloomy....As we face this new century, it is time we got on our knees and asked for direction, then to stand on our feet and follow it (source: Neil H. Leash in Prophetic Statements on Food Storage for Latter-day Saints)