SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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New York Retailers Blast Gov. Hochul After Losing $4.4 Billion to Theft Last Year.

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SaraSue sent us this snippet:

“Busy, busy, busy.  I have sold some dairy cows who needed pregnancy checks, disease testing, and a health certificate from the vet in order to move out of state.  One cow who tested positive for pregnancy went into heat, so I had her re-bred.  This is something family milk cow owners know too well.  Sometimes it takes numerous A.I. (Artificial Insemination) attempts before getting the timing just right, without the aid of “syncing protocols”.  I don’t like the idea of injecting hormones into my dairy girls in order to produce ovulation in order to breed them.  A bull knows exactly the right time, but there are no bulls here.  The girls should be leaving in a couple of weeks, pending all of the above.  They need to get to their destination before the poor weather settles in.

I sold two of the piglets (deposit accepted) and have to sell more.  I discovered that the piglet market is fairly well saturated, even out here in the country.  Of course I discovered this *after* purchasing a breeding group of pigs.  I now have some decisions to make.  Sell the whole group, butcher most of them for the freezer, or try and stick with it for a year or two.  My reoccurring nightmare is a farm overrun with piglets!  That problem can be solved my dispensing with the boar.  It seems that most folks would prefer to purchase “pastured pork” and not have to deal with the raising of the pigs.  It costs a lot of money to “organically” raise pigs to butcher weight, not to mention the infrastructure required.  I haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to do yet.

Commercial pig operations produce pigs that are filled with vaccines and antibiotics – most of the pork in the grocery store – pork I wouldn’t put in my mouth.  Pastured and holistically raised pork is a labor of love.  Pigs aren’t much trouble at all if you get the electric fencing right.  The trouble is that they are more expensive to raise than cows or chickens.

Thanksgiving was delightful as I had a house full of family.  We are celebrating birthdays and Christmas early this year, so those preparations are also underway.  I went over the calendar trying to find a break in there somewhere – just so I could focus on the inside of the house.  There is a short window in January.  LOL.  We shall see.”

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Foreign-Born Living in America Reaches 49.5 Million, Highest Ever in Recorded History.Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 5, 2023

December 5, 1890, Director Fritz Lang—whose films, dealing with fate and man’s inevitable working out of his destiny, are considered masterpieces of visual composition—was born in Vienna. He is best known for the 1927 film Metropolis.

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On December 5, 1952, a lethal smog began blanketing London, causing thousands of deaths; the incident prompted passage of the Clean Air Act.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Preparedness Ponderings, by 3AD Scout

With the current geopolitical situation in the world, I find myself pondering: “What else do I need to do to be better prepared?”   For someone who has been preparing for about four decades, and lives on a small homestead, this is a hard question.  I could stay the normal course and just add a bucket of rice here and a box of ammo there, but times are far from normal and my thoughts are that we should be thinking like today will be our last day to shore up our preps.  Through the course of decades of prepping, I have only let one event spur me to buy more and that was Y2K.  My instincts tell me that some very challenging times are just over the horizon.  Therefore, tangible goods will be worth more than a wheelbarrow full of federal reserve notes.  The urgent need to shore up our preparedness is not just limited to purchasing items but includes other actions like coordination with neighbors, training, maintenance/repair, planning and organization.

Here are some of the things that I am working on to be better prepared:

Know thy neighbor 

One of situations that I’m trying to fathom is getting to know, not just one new set of neighbors, but two. Having good neighbors is luck, but having great neighbors is a true blessing.  I have learned that one of the new neighbors will be a young Mennonite family moving in from Lancaster County Pennsylvania and the other will be a newly married young Amish couple.  I have not met the new neighbors but I will be assuming that they will be Blessings, as well.  This change is scheduled for the Spring of 2024.  The one question I have concerning Amish and Mennonite neighbors is will they defend themselves or others if need be?  I make the assumption that they will not disregard their religious beliefs regardless of the world situation.   Having new neighbors will require establishing a trusting relationship and this is not a prep that is done overnight.  This will be a major priority.  Continue reading“Preparedness Ponderings, by 3AD Scout”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the Yellowstone Geothermal Hot Spot. (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

“Geological hazards” lurking below Yellowstone National Park, data show. (Thanks to reader C.B. for the link.)  Here is a quote:

“Advanced geological surface mapping — a process that charts topography in a region and can help scientists gauge the risks of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or landslides potentially happening there — recently gave geologists and earth scientists the clearest view to date of the bare ground in Paradise Valley and along a corridor near the northern entrance to Yellowstone. Paradise Valley surrounds a stretch of the Yellowstone River in southwestern Montana, just north of the national park.

The ground surface in that region is normally obscured by vegetation that covers the land, making some important characteristics of the land difficult to see and to study. But, using lidar technology, scientists have been able to gather a wealth of data suggesting the terrain in that region is wrought with remnants of major past earthquakes to an extent not known before.”

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Reader Tom N.  mentioned a German documentary film with a slanted description of The American Redoubt: Idaho, USA: The new Wild West — DW Documentary. JWR’s Comments: They started out by mischaracterizing the internal migration as exclusively “white Christians”. But in fact, we welcome Christians and Jews of all races. Predictably, the filmmakers zeroed in on finding the most extreme individuals that could be mustered. It is often those who are at the extremes that are the most agreeable to doing interviews. For the record:  I don’t have any friends who are 66-year-old bikers with 23-year-old “girlfriends.”

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A Bannon’s War Room interview on Rumble: Rosendale: Establishment Republicans Still Don’t Understand Our Debt Crisis, Blocking Spending Costs. JWR’s Comment: If you scroll forward to the 5-minute mark, you’ll hear the American Redoubt movement get a little credit.

Idaho

Just a man and his dog: We go hunting for Chukars in western Idaho.

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My #1 Son, who runs SurvivalRealty.com sent me a link to some official statistics that confirm what we already knew, anecdotally: A solid majority of Idaho newcomers are Republicans. In fact, they are significantly more conservative than the existing Idaho electorate. Oh, and in aggregate voter registration numbers, Republicans now outnumber Democrats in Idaho by more than 3-to-1. It is also noteworthy that in General elections, Libertarian Party and Constitution Party members tend to vote Republican.

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Lori Vallow Daybell extradited to Arizona, booked into jail.

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Idaho Judicial Council reprimands Kootenai County magistrate judge for changing clothes without securing room.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 4, 2023

On December 4, 1679, English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes, who was perhaps best known for his political philosophy, died at age 91.

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December 4th is the birthday of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, (born 1912) an AVG “Flying Tiger” volunteer pilot for the Chinese Nationalist government, WWII Marine Corps aviator, and Medal of Honor recipient. (He died January 11, 1988.) A proto-Redoubter, Pappy Boyington was born in Couer d’Alene, Idaho and was raised in Spokane, Washington.

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A Reminder: Jonathan Rawles — my #1 Son who operates SurvivalRealty.com — has mentioned that they have recently revamped their Agent Directory, making it easier to find a local survival property specialist to buy or sell with.

Along with this, they are running several special offers for real estate agents and “For Sale By Owner” property owners:

Keep in mind that SurvivalRealty.com is a property advertising site rather than a brokerage, so they charge NO sales commissions!

Therma Max Waffle Base Layer, by Thomas Christianson

Recently, I have been testing a Therma Max Waffle Base Layer. I have found it to be warm and comfortable for everyday wear during cold weather. It is one of many excellent modern base layer options.

Rodney Dangerfield, The Great Escape, and The Maquis

For a couple of hundred years or more, base-layer-like garments in cotton or wool were popular among people who actually had to work outside during cold weather. Of course, they weren’t called a “base layer.” They were called “long johns” or “long underwear.”

People wealthy enough to stay inside near the fire were less enthused about the garments, leading to an association of “long johns” with the lower classes. As a result, “long johns” became the Rodney Dangerfield of the garment world. They didn’t get no respect.

The type of garments that could be afforded by the lower classes were not necessarily particularly comfortable, especially when secured for conscripts to the armed forces by bureaucratic bean counters from the lowest bidder. This led to military long johns having a particularly vile reputation for many years.

I remember in middle school reading the book The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill. The book chronicles the mass escape of 76 Allied prisoners from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III during World War II. Brickhill described how the prisoners at Stalag Luft III made devices out of long underwear bottoms to surreptitiously dispose of the dirt they were excavating from the tunnels they were digging. If I remember correctly, Brickhill said that they “gleefully” cut up the “hated garments” in order to make the devices.Continue reading“Therma Max Waffle Base Layer, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Southern California Biscuits

The following recipe for Southern California Biscuits is from one of the 11 bonus books that will be included in the upcoming edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick:  GOOD HOUSEKEEPING’S BOOK of MENUS, RECIPES, and, HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES. (Copyright 1923). This 255-page book has hundreds of recipes.

The 2005-2023 SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick should be orderable by January 25, 2024.  These sell out quickly each year, so mark your calendar.

Ingredients
  • 2 cupfuls bread flour
  • 4 teaspoonfuls baking-powder
  • 3 tablespoonfuls shortening
  • 1 teaspoonful salt
  • 8 cupfuls milk
  • 2 tablespoonfuls butter or margarine
  • Orange marmalade (for filling)
Directions
  1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. ‘Work in the shortening with two knives or the tips of the fingers until well blended.
  3. Add the milk gradually and turn out on a well-floured board.
  4. Roll to one-fourth inch in thickness.
  5. Cut into small rounds and brush over one-half of the rounds with the butter melted, placing the other rounds on top.
  6. Bake in well-greased pans from twelve to fifteen minutes at 450 Degrees F.
  7. Immediately after removing from the oven, lift off the top of each biscuit and put one teaspoonful of orange marmalade in the center of each bottom round.
  8. Replace the tops and serve at once.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we examine the recent rally in the gold and silver markets. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold prices ignore Powell’s hawkish stance as prices surge to session highs above $2,050.  JWR’s Comment:  Yes, the metals are indeed looking bullish!  I noted these figures, from after-hours trading on Friday evening (December 1st, 2023):

  • Gold was up $34.70 to $2,085.60 per Troy ounce (a 1.67% gain.)
  • Silver was up 23 cents to $25.71 per Troy ounce (a 0.88% gain.)

I expect to see some profit-taking today, but this could be the beginning of a secular bull market.

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A Dave Kranzler video, at Gold-Eagle.com: Can The Rally In Gold and Silver Continue?

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Nasdaq 100, Gold Price Forecast: Has the Fed Greenlighted a Santa Claus Rally?

A quote:

“For context, the Nasdaq 100 and gold prices have risen sharply in November, with the former surging nearly 11% and the latter rising around 3.80% since the beginning of the month. Their rally has been underpinned by falling U.S. Treasury yields and a dovish repricing of interest rate expectations, on the assumption that the Fed has finished its tightening campaign and will move into an easing cycle in 2024.

While policymakers have attempted to keep the door open to additional hikes and pushed back against rate cut bets earlier this year, recent communication has taken a turn toward a slightly more dovish tone.”

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Reuter’s: Soft China and India may undermine gold’s rally hopes.

Economy & Finance:

At Barron’s: Opinion: The Fed Is Tightening More Than It Says..

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Democrats introduce ‘billionaires tax’ on unrealized capital gains.

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Reader C.B. sent this: Chinese Wealth Giant Crumbles: ZEG’s Insolvency Shakes Shadow Banking.

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JPMorgan Chase to Shut Down Nearly 160 Bank Branches Across the U.S..

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And D.S.V. sent us this: 64 US Bank Branches File To Shut Down In A Single Week; Are You Affected?

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At Zero Hedge: Why Milei Must Shut Down The Argentina Central Bank.

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Bumpy Inflation Says There’s More Rate Volatility To Come.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I believe that a man — a healthy, walking, talking human being — is the ultimate viral biological weapon. A man with strong convictions can spread those convictions to others, in a geometric progression, much like a virus. All that it takes is just one man, one driven man, to awaken a hundred men, and they in turn recruit a thousand, who recruit ten thousand, and then an entire nation. What is needed is awakening to the fact that the people vastly outnumber their oppressors and that they can quickly overthrow them. Once it begins to spread, a truthful idea cannot be imprisoned. It cannot be silenced. It cannot be killed. And if that idea is a grand notion like liberty for a nation, then I believe that it is predestined to reach its logical end.” – James Wesley, Rawles, from the unpublished Piece of Resistance novel manuscript.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 3, 2023

December 2, 1857 English writer Joseph Conrad, whose notable works included the novel Lord Jim (1900) and the novella Heart of Darkness (1902), was born.

On December 3,1775, the first official US flag (the Grand Union Flag) was raised aboard naval vessel USS Alfred.

On December 3, 1944, the Greek Civil War broke out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists.

On December 3,1967, Christiaan Barnard of South Africa performed the first human heart transplant, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.

Today is also the birthday of actor Brendan Fraser (born, 1968.) He often plays “fish out of water” roles. Preppers of course remember him from Blast From The Past.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Watchman – Part 3, by James Durham

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

The Prepper Plan

I just finished what I think is a solid 5-year prepper plan. I also then wrote a 5-year prepper supply / equipment plan to support the plan.

The 5-year plan is a list of projects that I can think of that needs to be done, and in the order that makes the most sense to me. You can’t do everything in one year. At least I can’t… There is a normal, panic reaction to panic buy and do once it truly dawns on you that there is danger coming and there is something you are supposed to do to be best prepared for it. We panic shop and buy things we regret later because it spoils or is unnecessary. I have made some mistakes. During Covid, I bought cases of canned chicken and Spam. This week, I went up to the homestead and brought them back to throw out. Expired by one year already… A few hundred $ to the land fill… Oh well, could be worse. So, I write this book to help with that portion.
I also write this to help you pace yourself and think big picture and everything in its proper time. Otherwise, you will be overwhelmed with all you and yours need to do in order to be ‘off grid’
The plan I put together is only partially completed by me and mine at the time of this writing. I too feel overwhelmed because we have a Lot of work to do. Full disclosure, I work full time as does my wife. We spend weekends at the homestead and get as much done as possible without going crazy with the work.Continue reading“The Watchman – Part 3, by James Durham”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Most Presidential First Ladies Have Had a Pet Project or Cause…

Ladybird Johnson: Highway Beautification

Betty Ford: Breast Cancer

Rosalynn Carter: Drugs Abuse Prevention

Nancy Reagan: Just Say No To Drugs

Barbara Bush: Literacy

Michelle Obama: Regular Prostate Exams

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:1-14 (KJV)