Prepared For Just Any Old Thing, by Louie in Ohio

 I guess that I have always been a “Prepper”. Fifty years ago I joined the Boy Scouts. Of course most  of us know the Scout Motto, Be Prepared. Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the scouting movement was once asked, “Prepared for what?”  His answer… “Just any old thing.” My Scoutmaster, Mr. Garrison, told us that we needed to keep our backpack packed and ready to go, that some evening he would send out the word and we must report ready for a camp out. There would be a time limit and we must get there under our own power …




Prepare to Share, by Mrs. T.J.

Growing up, we are taught to share.  Share our toys, share the chores, share our parents attention.  When we get to an age where we can earn some money, whether it be allowance for household jobs, or something like a paper route, our parents teach us to be sure to give God his 10%.  (Here is a little secret…it is ALL God’s, he just allows us to keep 90%, if only the government would be so generous).  Well, as we get even older, let us say, after high school or college, we get a ‘real’ job.  This is theoretically speaking …




The Survivalist Mindset: A Biblical Case for Preparedness and Self-Defense, by Brian D.

One of the first and most important steps in successfully being prepared is having the appropriate mindset to do so.  This being the case, it is important that each person reconcile their Christian convictions with their convictions regarding preparedness and self-defense, resulting in their being of a single mind.  It is only in resolving these beliefs that a person can be effective in choosing to act one way or the other in a time of crisis.  Many people of Christian faith and even those who do not share a faith in Jesus Christ, question if the practice of preparedness and/or …




A Christian’s Call to Prepare, by J.P.

In 1919, the Spanish flu killed around 75 million people in a single year (Knobler, pp. 60–61). In 1931, the China floods killed over two million people (NOVA). In 1945, America dropped two atomic bombs that killed around 200,000 people (Radiation Effects Research Foundation). In 2010, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit Haiti and killed 316,000 people (USGS). In the past century alone, 29 countries have had to deal with hyperinflation, causing severe economic depression, during which millions died from starvation, disease and looting. These events go to show that disaster has always been an unavoidable aspect of …




Prophetic Words and the Ultimate Prepper Must Have, by Charles D.

I have always been minded to prepare.  From an early age, I was a boy scout, trained to “always be prepared”.  When my wife and I were newly married and living in a large metropolitan area, I felt impressed to purchase a 72 hour emergency kit of MREs, emergency radio, first aid, and radiation poisoning pills.   In the event of a large catastrophe, a city is about the worst place to be, so I wanted to be as prepared as possible.  I recall the Katrina-fueled (no pun intended) gas shortage during 2007 in which the gas stations in the city …




My Journey Through Prepping and the Christian Worldview, by Southwest Michigan Fred

I remember 25 years ago saying something to a supervisor at work about maybe developing the skills to grow a garden because, “you just never know what might happen.”  That seemingly innocent, off-hand comment brought upon me his very public pronouncement of being of a “doom-and-gloomer” and the ridicule of every one of my fellow workers with whom he gleefully shared our conversation.  While his immature and idiotic rebuke was stinging I can’t say that it changed my thinking or altered my behavior, but I just never began the hard work of preparing.  Even though I knew in my heart …




How You Can Help Defend South Sudan

An event happened last summer that was hardly noticed by the global media. Following a lengthy civil war and free elections, the new nation of South Sudan was born. This fledgling nation has some tough challenges ahead of it. Marauding Islamist guerillas (the Janjaweed) from the north have had an ongoing campaign of burning villages, wholesale murder, and rape. The raiders even still take some slaves. The Janjaweed has been supported by the Sudanese government in Khartoum. After terrorizing Darfur and creating millions of refugees, according to intelligence analysts they are expected to next turn their attention to South Sudan. …




Five Letters Re: Living Through the Real Estate Crash and Bankruptcy

Mr. Rawles, After reading the article entitled “Living Through the Real Estate Crash and Bankruptcy” by Brad C., I was absolutely livid. I am not an economics major but I firmly believe that our country is in the shape that it is due in large part to people like Brad C. who leveraged everything that they could to live “the American dream” and then screwed all of his creditors by simply deciding that he was not going to pay. Even going so far as to max out his credit cards knowing he was not going to be paying the bill …




Learning From Extreme Missionaries, by Chuck Holton

As an international war correspondent, my work takes me to more than a dozen far-flung war zones every year. In my travels, I am often reminded just how thin the veneer of civilization really is, and get to meet many families caught in crisis and see the different ways they manage to survive. A recent trip to Africa brought one of the most powerful examples, where I met a family of missionaries who have built their lives in one of the most harsh and inhospitable corners of the planet. While for most survivalists, prepping for “TEOTWAWKI” is a “what if” …




Letter Re: Combating the Darkness Within

Jim, Reading Paul’s “Combating the Darkness Within” article, I can see that he has a scientific mind, lacking faith in God, or maybe even belief! And this is one of the first things you need in the survival mind set, a true faith in God, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, and without this guidance, no matter how prepared your are materially, your chances of making the right decisions when the time comes are questionable at best, without God’s spirit guiding you. This is why you always store a little more than what you need for [charity for] your family, friends and …




Combating The Darkness Within, by Paul B.

I am a new arrival to the survival community.  Until recently I was just another mindless suburbanite going about my daily routine blissfully ignorant of the world around me.  It was only by chance that a series of events happened in my life that opened my eyes to needs of survival preparation.  I won’t say that I was completely clueless about survival, but rather it simply wasn’t real to me.  Yes, I knew that tough times are just over the horizon but I simply believed that I would make it through somehow.  Ironically, it was the housing crisis that completely …




Save Them!, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Spokane was sparkling with light and still bustling when I looked out at it from a downtown building last night. So beautiful in the darkness. My thoughts went out to the hundreds of thousands of little children, women, grandmothers, grandfathers, boys, girls, and men those lights represented. Not just people – persons, each one unique, each with God’s calling on their lives for His purposes. Yet most of them are lost: hopelessly adrift in an empty, frantic, stupid, shallow culture of blindness and conformity and entertainment. Like the people of Jonah’s time they metaphorically don’t know their right hand from …




Letter Re: Why are Preppers So Hatefully Persecuted?

Hello, I am writing about a topic that has bothered me for some time: Why are preppers so hatefully persecuted? We know from the Bible that this is not a new phenomenon, as Noah was severely persecuted for the preparations God ordered him to make. Could you please put it out to your readers? Thank you very much for your time, – Drew in Idaho JWR Replies: Envy is a sin that is all too common. That is just part of living in a sinful, fallen world. Those who are unprepared often feel both envy and guilt for not providing …




Help For Those Who Have Recently Awakened, by Mike H.

Many SurvivalBlog readers have been prepping for awhile and are comfortable with their plans.  However, the process can be overwhelming for people who have recently “woke up” or who are trying to convince loved ones who aren’t sold on the need or desirability of prepping. This shouldn’t be minimized or downplayed.  It can be very disturbing when you first realize you aren’t   self-sufficient.  It is easy to become overwhelmed with the scope, cost, and time necessary to prepare.  The concept of TEOTWAWKI can be troubling and concerning even to completely self-sufficient preppers.  Even the possibility of angry mobs trying to …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In all ages, men who neither feared God nor regarded man have combined together and formed confederacies, to carry on the works of darkness. And herein they have shown themselves wise in their generation, for by this means they more effectually promoted the kingdom of their father the devil, than othwise they could have done.” – John Wesley, Jan. 30, 1763, commenting on Psalm 94:16 (“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? [or] who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”)