Hello brothers and sisters! How are you today? I am so very glad that the Lord in His grace and mercy saw fit to guide you through another day and once again, back to my blog to spend a few moments with me and my random thoughts. What is on my mind today along with happiness is the state of our nation.

Some will disagree with what I am about to say but I look around at the state of our nation and I see the debauchery happening on every corner and in nearly every home, both in secret and openly. I used to be self-righteous and judgmental of their behavior for one reason or another. Sometimes it was envy, jealousy and a desire to live like the world without feeling bad. Be careful what you ask for, the Lord sometimes allows us to get exactly what we want and we can be turned over to a reprobate mind. At this point, it takes God and Him alone to bring you back, if you can be. Voice of experience over here…

I think about the people that have come before us. I used to think that there was something special about the great Bible legends. Something that set them apart from all the rest. A reason that the Ancient of Days chose them out of all the people in the world in time and space. I just could not put my finger on it. I thought that it had to have been in the way that they lived their life and somehow they had found favor in the sight of the Lord in a way I was unable to obtain.

However, this is not the case. They were people just like us, faced with hard times and difficult choices. Some left everything they ever knew behind to follow and trust the words of God. Others were faced with battles and losses that would bring us to our knees in this present day. They died a martyr’s death and yet others were saved from said fiery trials. However, none of them knew if the Lord was going to deliver them from the pain that was ahead or if they would die because of their faith.

This is where the trouble comes for most of us in America. It may be this way for all countries but I don’t know. Maybe some of you could let me know if you have the same amount of waste in your country as a whole. We waste a lot of things over here and that has to end and it starts in our homes.

There is good news!

There is hope! First and most important… Jesus loves you so much! Just in case you didn’t know that. That being said, get your spiritual house in order! I cannot tell you what this means for you but I know that all of us could use a deeper relationship with Jesus. This is the most important thing. We are not promised tomorrow even on the best of days. Read your Bible and pray often. I am not here to tell you what this looks like but I am here to say that talking with Jesus is one of life’s greatest honors.

Then, there are the physical things that we can do to safe guard against certain things that are common to man. There have always been famine and disease, there have always been wars and rumors of wars, we have always had natural disasters and corrupt rulers. The forces of Satan have been raging against the children of God since the beginning of the fall. This life is not a promise of comfort. It is a test if you will and the prize is a life with Jesus ruling as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!! Hallelujah! May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

Live Simple

I know that there is talk among individuals about living simply. There are a lot of opinions on the matter but you know what they say about opinions… they are like belly buttons, everyone has one and they are all different. However, this is my belly button blog… (yeah, I don’t know..) I want to get my family back to the basics of what is truly important. I want to rid our home of electronics, Television and all the other programming of the world. The truth is it all starts with me. I am not responsible for the actions of others. I can only hold myself accountable and only to the Most High God, my husband and myself. Now do not misunderstand I want to help others but the change has to start with me.

With that in mind, I have been emptying out my house like I have said before. It really is a liberating feeling to be rid of so many things that do not benefit my life in a positive way. By this I mean is it functional without power? Can I use it outside over a fire? Can it be used to decorate my walls until it is needed? I know, silly to some but of high importance to me. I love nice things as much as the next woman but I feel this is not the time for nice things. What do we need right now to keep our families healthy and safe in the days to come?

I would love to say that everything is going to be rainbows and kittens but the truth is that the days ahead are going to be rough. I have said this before but we all need to take a second or first time look at how people made it during the depression. Simple living and a desire to be self-sufficient were the driving forces. There was an emphasis and thankful heart towards Jesus for His protection and hand in our lives and a pride in who the Lord had made us and had given us.

This is not the case anymore. Our fridge can be over-flowing with things to make but we will go out and grab a bite to eat because we don’t feel like cooking and then we complain because all the things in our fridge went bad. We are a nation of mostly consumers and I am guilty of this as well but at some point enough is enough. Repentance means to change one’s mind. To turn around. Well this is exactly what I am going to do. That old saying it is darkest before the dawn has a whole new meaning to me as I try and draw near to God. The Bible teaches us all the time to lean on Him and to trust that He knows what He is doing and can handle our troubles here. I thought I was more prepared for the times to come and now as we sit on the edge of war and suffering, I find myself at a disadvantage as the world would see it.

Yet, I remember that I am a daughter of the Ancient of Days, the God of Abraham, Jacob and Issac. The One who kept the children of Israel in the wilderness, who fed the five thousand, and no matter what comes my way, He has me and I have asked Him to watch over my family. The question is do you trust Jesus to take care of your needs? It is a choice we make everyday. Are we going to be content in the Lord and what He chooses to give us or take away from us? This could mean people, things, pleasures, etc…

What am I trying to say…

Yesterday, I was trying to communicate with friends and family and our connection was sketchy at best. Nothing would go through. This led me to think about how over privileged Americans really are. I am sorry, I don’t mean to step on toes but we are. We are a nation filled with all the things that anger the God of all. At some point, we have to answer to Him for this. We live our lives in a bubble and unless something gets right up inside of our little happy bubble, we don’t pay any attention to it or to them and that bubble is ever shrinking due to phone addictions. We over indulge in everything that we do.

I know this is extreme but think about what is going to happen when people can no longer get the drugs to feed their addiction? This is going to be in the form of food, medicine, drugs, alcohol, screen time, social networking, money… All of these withdrawals will be different and will manifest in odd and dangerous ways. We are worried about the kids and the husband and work and the home front. Which is in danger but if we are self centered now, we will be so when things get really bad. If you are not willing to lose it all or to give it all away, knowing that the Father has your back. He may not have that other person.

I know what you’re thinking, of course He has that person, He does not wish bad things on any of His children. This is true but I have to remind myself all the time that not everyone on earth is a child of the Most High. I know this is a hard thing to hear but it is true. He cares for all of us and wishes none to perish but we are not all His. This is our own choice. So I argue that not all of us are under the same kind of protection. I know that the Father will not allow me to go hungry. I know that the Father will provide water for my family to drink, I know that He will protect me in times of war

But…

If He does not save me from disease, war, famine and suffering in extreme ways, does this change the fact that He is God, Creator of the whole universe? Does this somehow prove that He does not love me? Does this change the way I feel about Him? These are questions that I ask myself today. If the answer to question one is no, then it is my duty as His created thing, to submit to the will of the Creator. If the answer to question two is no, this does not mean He does not love me. And if the answer to question three is no, then no matter what comes your way, keep running the race that has been set before you until the day comes that you cannot.

People lose their minds at the simplest things that in the end, do not matter. The kids messed up the kitchen making snacks and the husband is fixing things so now there is a mess in the living room and you are working on your third load of laundry… our transportation is less than desirable and we are having spaghetti… again. AND it was almost meatless! NOOO! We sulk because the place we went to eat didn’t have exactly what we wanted or we had to wait a little while before we could have what we wanted. What are we going to do when our daily needs are not able to be met by going into town?

What else are we to do…

The food shortages are only going to get as bad as the Lord allows it to get. The trials and tribulations that face our nation are fleeting and we are all appointed a day to die. However, until then, I would like the ability to live this life with the new grace given me each day loving Jesus and being thankful for every moment my eyes are open and breath fills my lungs. We have no idea how precious each person is or each moment given to us.

Every place there is a bit of earth, there is the chance of life. this applies to people as well, we all came from the earth and will return back to it. This body is just a bio suit if you really think about it. Anyways, we can grow and trade goods back and forth. We can help each other. Who knows, you may have bacon and no eggs or toast… just saying. We have to take care of each other. They are saying that there will indeed be shortages and that we are to wait for further instructions about where to get food and water.

I refuse to wait for the government to help my family. I live 45 minutes away from the nearest ambulance. Once they get the call I would be in bad shape if not dead. The same goes for the police. I am not in a place where I could rely on those things even in normal situations.

These ideas are on the top list of things that will be hard to find in the coming months…

• Grains
  • You can grow it yourself!
    • make sure it is organic, wheat, rice, barley, etc…
    • wheat is called a Berry for those that don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t name them.
• Fruits
  • Citrus fruits
    • You can grow this too!
• Meat
  • Think outside the box
    • Rabbits
    • Chicken
    • Fish
• Children’s Medicines
  • I have a great recipe for Cough Syrup
  • For an all natural antibiotic