Planning + Preparation = Survival

Are you prepared for calamities?

Larry Nevenhoven

Copyright © 2012 by Larry Nevenhoven

All rights reserved. This booklet is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Unless otherwise specified Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1062, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by the Lockman Foundation.

Published by Larry Nevenhoven

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

About the Author

Author's Note

I first wrote Planning + Preparation = Survival as a prophetic/teaching series on my blog: www.larrywho.wordpress.com. Except for a few grammar changes, it is the same series.

Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe, by Lt. General Russell Honore, Atria Books Publishing, © 2010. This book was a great help in my research. I highly recommend it.

Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 1

Somewhere east of Bakersfield, we landed in what I guessed to be a remote area of the Mojave Desert. There was no light, just pitch black darkness surrounding us.

The chilly air triggered goose bumps on my arms. To counter the cold, I wiggled my bare feet down into the sand, seeking warmth. A foul stench drifted up to my nostrils. Something was dead nearby.

I thought a moment before opening my mouth.

“What is this?”

“This is the valley of decision,” said the angel.

“Valley of decision? For whom?”

“For you.”

“For me, why?”

“Jeremiah, when you were formed in the womb, the Lord knew you and called you to be a prophet. This is your night to accept or walk away from your calling. It’s an either ‘in’ or ‘out’ decision on your part.”

My face stiffened as the full weight of his words hit me. I wanted to do what I did when Dad was angry with me as a child. Back then, I put one hand above the other in the shape of a T and said, “Timeout.”

Dad usually fell for it and would answer that I had one minute. During the timeout, I always hoped Dad would change his mind. Sometimes, he did. Sometimes, he did not, but it was always worth a try.

Still, the angel did not seem like a person to toy with. I kept quiet.

“First, you need to see this.”

A vivid light came on in front of us.

As I watched, the light came to life. I saw people. I saw homes. It was San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay Bridge. Fisherman’s Wharf. Hunter’s Point. Pacific Bell Park. The Presidio. China-Town. Nob Hill. Pacific Heights.

Next, I saw my parents. They had aged a few years, but still, I could tell they really enjoyed life. I saw Kari and her parents. They, too, had aged and appeared to be happy. I saw relatives, friends, politicians, famous people, and others. All appeared to be older, but still, they all seemed to enjoy their lives.

Then, a bright glow hit San Francisco. For a fraction of a second, I could not figure out what it was, but then I knew that it was a nuclear explosion.

The blast radiated out from a sidewalk café at the corner of Fillmore and Washington Streets in the Pacific Heights section of San Francisco. It traveled three hundred miles per hour, vaporizing people and real estate. One moment people walked on sidewalks, and then, the next they were incinerated, just black marks remained. Buildings and homes imploded. Fires broke out. Gas mains exploded.

The most sought after real estate in San Francisco, the one hundred and thirty city blocks of Pacific Heights, was erased from the board in less than thirty seconds time. No longer were those scenic settings and spectacular views the envy of the people living below them. Japantown, Marina District, Presidio Heights, and other areas experienced damages, but nothing like the calamity Pacific Heights had suffered.

The living light zoomed in on my parents and their home. I watched as both were blown into pieces. An arm here. A leg there. Their heads were sliced from their torsos. Mom’s white dress bought at a boutique on Fillmore Street was soaked in blood and intestinal parts. Kari’s parents suffered similar fates, but Kari herself did not die instantly. Her beautiful blue eyes melted and ran down her face. Unsightly sores and oozing pus covered her body. I heard her shrieks. Her words slammed me like sledge hammers, pounding on my heart.

“Kill me. Someone kill me. Please kill me. I want to die,” she screamed over and over again.

I fell to my knees and wept. My stomach heaved and I vomited. Pieces of pepperoni pizza which Kari and I had eaten for supper floated on the sand along with greenish fluids and mucus. The vomiting continued until the dry heaves hit.

All through my writhing, I heard screams and cries of people coming from the living light which still showed scenes from the nuclear blast. No longer could I watch it, but I knew what was happening. Babies died. People were burned alive. Death. Death. Death. It continued and continued.

I threw myself down atop the vomit.

“Oh Lord, stop it. Stop it. I will do anything You want me to do. Just stop it,” I cried.

The living light went out. Silence swallowed up the noise.

(The above is a scene from my eBook novel, Jonah, published 2012. More info on it can be seen at www.larrywho.com.)

No doubt about it, Jonah is not a happy-clappy, fuzzy-wuzzy Christian novel. It was written to warn people about what may soon occur in our cities, much of which may not be storybook pretty.

Well, don’t we often talk about the possibility of these types of calamities befalling our cities? So what are we doing to prepare ourselves?

Chapter 2

In the fall of 1987, I attended a meeting at a small church in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where an African-American woman ministered prophetically to the congregation. The accuracy of her prophetic words went far beyond anything I had ever witnessed before in my life.

She began by pointing at a blond haired lady in a back pew, telling her to stand up. The lady slowly rose to her feet, somewhat puzzled by why she had been singled out.

“I had a vision of you,” said the woman minister. “In it, I saw you looking at your dining room walls because you were trying to decide which wallpaper would best decorate them. You couldn’t make up your mind, but I actually thought the second one you held up looked the best, don’t you agree?”

The blond haired woman’s hands covered her mouth in astonishment. “Yes, that’s true. I actually did that this afternoon and had two different wallpapers,” she finally said with a laugh. The crowd laughed along with her.

The African-America lady then spoke prophetic words to the blond haired woman about her marriage and husband. The two women had never met or seen each other before that night.

It was an amazing performance and just the opening act.

The African-American woman then proceeded to call out, one by one, almost every person in the sanctuary. Each time she opened with what I would label a “warm-up word of knowledge,” like the wallpaper example for the blond haired lady, an insignificant fact only that person could possibly know was true. (1)

What is the reasoning behind a warm-up word of knowledge?

It catches a person’s attention for what he knows is true and then opens up his heart to receive prophetic words which must then be accepted by faith.

The African-American woman walked up to me. “Young man,” she said, “at the end of this meeting I’m going to hand you the microphone and you are going to prophesy, okay?”

My mouth fell open, but not wanting to annoy her, I nodded my head.

She continued to minister to others as I sat there wondering: how will I do this?

You see, I had never prophesied to a group before that night in my two years of being a Christian. The Lord had given me words of knowledge for individuals, but never a prophecy for a group. If ever I wanted the clock to move slowly, it was on that particular night.

Eventually, the meeting neared its end and the woman walked over and handed me the microphone. “Go up front and prophesy,” she said. “I’ll sit in your seat.”

She waited until I stepped out into the aisle before sitting down in my place.

I slowly trudged toward the stage without a thought of what I was going to say. Nothing. Zero. Nada. As I turned around to face the crowd, I thought, O Lord, help me.

Then, I did what I had never done before.

I prophesied about a horrendous earthquake hitting the city of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, during the late night hours at some future date. I spoke of bridges dropping into rivers, and cars, not realizing the bridges were out, driving over the edges into the rivers below. I told about underground gas lines being ripped apart by the earthquake and then explosions happening because of the leaking gas. Fires would sweep the city and hundreds of people would die. The hospitals would be filled with the injured and dying. Fort Dodge would end up resembling Dresden after it had been firestormed by Allied bombers in WWII.

I stood there and prophesied, physically sickened by my words. I cried out for the people of Fort Dodge to repent before it was too late. Then the anointing lifted, I fell upon the altar and wept.

In the same year, 1987, Rick Joyner had a prophetic experience in which he saw major earthquakes hitting California. So devastating were the earthquakes that whole cities nearly disappeared. Two of the hardest hit cities were L.A. and San Francisco. (2)

Joyner detailed his prophetic experiences in his book, The Harvest. (3) He along with Bob Jones, who also had many of the same insights, then traveled throughout California and the West Coast warning people of the upcoming earthquakes. (4)

Joyner and Jones felt two events would happen before the devastating earthquakes rocked California. First, a warning earthquake would hit California. Then a major one would strike Japan.

The warning quake (6.9 in magnitude) happened on October 17, 1989, during the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. Sixty-three people were killed, almost four thousand people were injured, thousands were homeless, a double-deck portion of freeway collapsed, and the total property damage was over $6 billion. It was the most severe earthquake in California since the Kern County 1952 quake.

The Japanese earthquake (9.0 in magnitude) occurred on March 11, 2011. It spawned a ten meter tsunami which swept over cities and farmland on Honshu, Japan’s most populous island. 15,000 – 20,000 dead, 475,000 evacuated and homeless, 150,000 homes and buildings destroyed, a damaged nuclear power plant, and more than $300 billion in property damages. It may take Japan five years to recover from the earthquake.

Thus, the warning earthquakes in California and Japan have happened as prophesied by Joyner and Jones. So, are the two quakes the foretelling indicators of devastating earthquakes which will eventually rock California? If so, then what?

(This excerpt is taken from my nonfiction eBook, What’s In It For Me, 2012. More info may be seen at www.larrywho.com)

Notes:

(1) Jesus used a warm up word of knowledge in John 1:48 with Nathaniel.

(2) www.morningstarministries.org

(3) http://is.gd/O49F3X

(4) www.bobjones.org/

Chapter 3

Admittedly, I am not the prophetic equal of Rick Joyner or Bob Jones. Their ministries have been at the forefront of the Prophetic Movement for years. All of us should appreciate their gritty perseverance in doing the will of God for our generation.

The only reason I mentioned my 1987 prophecy in Chapter 2 was because Rick Joyner wrote in his Week 48, 2011 Word of the Week that many people have prophesied severe earthquakes for the Central U.S. along the New Madrid fault line. (5) Fort Dodge is located at the outer edges of that particular fault line.

Although I prophesied about an earthquake, I myself have had no prophetic inklings about any earthquakes occurring in California or on the West Coast. In fact, that 1987 prophecy was the only time I have ever prophesied about earthquakes.

Now, consider this: the West Coast is my prophetic watch and prayer territory, especially the cities of San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. Yet, the Lord has never shown me earthquakes for the area. Thus, I seldom talk about earthquakes and leave that for others.

So, what am I watching and praying about?

My wife and I moved to Southern California from Virginia Beach, Virginia, in September, 2001. During our journey in a Ryder truck across the nation, 911 happened. A few days afterward, I felt the Lord speak to my heart, telling me why we were heading to the Golden State: America was at war and devastating terrorist attacks would soon be occurring on the West Coast.

Earthquakes? Terrorist attacks? Which of these woes will first hit California or the West Coast?

It’s my belief based upon prayer and reading over Joyner’s prophetic words that severe earthquakes will hit California first. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities could be devastated by the quakes. California’s economy could be trashed, along with many other nations’ economies who are dependant on selling their products to the West Coast. Thousands of people could be left homeless, injured, or dead. It could be a bleak time for us in California.

Undoubtedly, the earthquakes would be devastating for California. The possible lives lost. The possible economic impact. The possible hardships and anguish. And yet, the earthquakes may not be nearly as bad as the terrorist attacks.

After the earthquakes hit, I believe terrorist organizations will think of California and the West Coast as a severely wounded lion lying out in the open, unable to defend itself any longer. Then, like packs of hyenas, the terrorists will attack the West Coast on all sides, going for the kill and attempting to finish it off.

Whereas the earthquakes may kill and injure hundreds of people, the terrorists may kill tens and hundreds of thousands of people with their weapons, EMP bombs, and other murderous methods.

Let’s be real with each other for a moment, okay?

Have Rick Joyner and Bob Jones ever been wrong with any of their prophecies? Yes, of course they have. You can go to Google and type their names onto the search line and hit the search button. Countless articles will reveal their mistakes as determined by various critics.

Have I ever been wrong with any of my prophecies? Oh my yes! You can go to my main blog site – www.larrywho.wordpress.com – and then on the home page, click on the “Teaching And/Or Prophetic Series” at the top. Many of the teachings focus on my prophetic mistakes.

Yet at the same time, Rick Joyner, Bob Jones, and I have been very accurate at times. So, to properly judge these prophetic words, you must seek the Lord and hear His voice.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it – lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him. (Luke 14:28-29)

If you seek the Lord and feel the preceding prophetic words are inaccurate, you will most likely ignore them. That is your prerogative. God bless you.

But if you seek the Lord and believe these prophetic words have merit, you have some decisions to make about preparing yourself for the calamities.

One option is for you to move to another state, such as Montana. In fact, the Lord may even tell some people to do this. If this is your option, pack up and go. Don’t look back. Don’t try to figure out how long you can dillydally before going, just leave. NOW!

A second option is to agree with the prophetic words and then do nothing, just continue on your merry way, doing very little to prepare yourself ahead of time. Maybe your favorite verse for the judgment of God is: “…mercy triumphs over judgment.” Your thinking might be: God is merciful and loves me. Therefore, nothing bad will ever happen to me or my family.

The problem with this thinking is there are two parts to James 2:13. The first part, which most people ignore, states, “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy…” This suggests that you have to be merciful in order to receive God’s mercy during His divine judgment.

This booklet is not written to magnify Rick Joyner’s, Bob Jones’, or my prophetic words. But instead, it is written for those who want to prepare themselves for the days lying ahead for America. The good news is that whether or not earthquakes and terrorist attacks happen, I believe you will be blessed for putting into practice the words of this booklet. It is a win/win deal no matter what takes place.

So, please read the following pages and prayerfully ask the Lord what to do.

(This is the second part of the Preface in my nonfiction eBook, What’s In It For Me, 2012. More info can be seen at www.larrywho.com.)

Notes:

(5) http://is.gd/fdY8wH

Chapter 4

On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a donkey, heading to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. His short journey began in the nearby town of Bethphage.

The road was crowded with disciples, Pharisees, scribes, and thousands of pilgrims from the Jewish Diaspora. Jerusalem’s normal population of 120,000 swelled to over a million people during a Passover feast because Jews from all over the Middle East returned to observe it.

As Jesus rode along, His disciples praised God, saying, “Hosanna! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David. Blessed is the King.” They sang these praises hoping Jesus would be their new King David who would return Israel to its former glory. (6)

In the midst of the hubbub and excitement, Jesus paused at a spot on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple. This was the exact spot where Jews throughout history had mourned over the Temple.

Thus, when Jesus stopped, the people probably hushed, anticipating a historic speech. All would have squeezed forward to hear Him.

If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now, they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:42-44)

The people had to be shocked by His words.

Their beloved King David had prophesied the death of Jerusalem and the Temple. Without both, Judaism was a non-functioning religion. No more altar. No more sacrifices. No more priests. No more City of God. And where would God go? After all, He lived in the Holy of Holies.

For thirty-four years, after Christ's crucifixion, Christianity had an up and down relationship with Judaism. Times of heavy persecution were followed by times of coexistence. As for the Romans, they paid little attention to Christians and considered them a small offshoot of Judaism during much of this period.

Although Jerusalem's Christians assembled in home churches, Jerusalem Christianity still had a distinct Jewish flavor about it. A few modern writers even refer to Jerusalem’s brand of Christianity as “Temple Christianity,” distinguishing it from Paul’s Christianity.

But all of this peaceful coexistence changed in 64 AD when Nero began persecuting Christians. Then, in 66 AD, Jewish zealots openly fought Roman armies. (7)

In 66 AD or 67 AD, depending on what source you read, a Christian prophesied to the Jerusalem church. In the prophetic word, Christians were reminded of Jesus’ prophecy and warned about the soon coming devastation of Jerusalem by Rome. All were advised to flee the city. (8)

By early 69 AD, all of the Christians in Jerusalem heeded the prophecy, left their homes, their livelihoods, and their Jewish friends. They relocated to Pella (a city sixty miles northeast of Jerusalem) and other Transjordan cities.

Even though the prophecy was specifically spoken to Christians, believers certainly would have explained to their neighbors why they were leaving. They would have mentioned both prophecies and tried to convince their Jewish neighbors to leave, too. The neighbors then would have repeated the conversations to others. On and on, until the whole city knew the reason for the Christian exodus: the soon coming destruction of Jerusalem.

But sadly, at the time, the Jewish zealots were winning the war with Rome. And after all, Jerusalem was the City of God and the Jews were God’s chosen people. The result was that very few Jews listened to the Christians.

The siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D., under the command of General Titus, lasted five brutal months. Thousands starved to death and died of plagues. People drank urine because of the lack of water.

The siege finally ended when unarmed Jewish citizens surrendered to the onrushing Romans. As they stood there with their arms in the air, the Romans butchered them with swords. Pregnant woman had their stomachs slashed open and babies ripped out. The babies were then smashed against walls. Hundreds of people burned to death atop the Temple’s roof as they knelt in prayer, crying out to God for mercy. Men, women, and children of all ages were slaughtered.

All in all, the destruction of Jerusalem resulted in 1.1 million people being killed during the five-month long siege. Another 95,000 Jews were taken captive as slaves by the Romans. (9)

Horrific! Grisly! Gruesome! Distressing! Appalling! And more!

Yet, no one knows, except God, how many of the Jews during the five month siege, remembered the words of their departing neighbors and then repented, becoming converted Christians before their deaths. Probably many.

Okay, now we need to look at Hurricane Katrina.

Notes:

(6) Luke 19:38

(7) http://is.gd/1wG7mZ

(8) http://is.gd/bj3mkQ

(9) http://is.gd/Z7VK8z

Chapter 5

The cameras zeroed in on the President as he readied himself to sign a legislative bill.

“Today, I’m signing into law one of the most important legislative bills ever enacted. It comes with the full endorsement of both the House and Senate. This law declares all hurricanes illegal from this day forward and banishes them from our coastal shores forevermore,” said the President, pausing for a moment. Then he added, “I’m proud to sign this law because it means that innocent people will never again have to suffer through another calamity like Katrina.”

Ridiculous, right?

Yet, it is no more ridiculous then thinking that the federal, state, or local governments will protect us from natural catastrophes or terrorist attacks now or in the future. If nothing else, this should be the main lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina.

On August 23, 2005, Hurricane Katrina formed in the Atlantic Ocean over the Bahamas. It was at first labeled a Category 1 hurricane when it crossed southern Florida, causing minor damage. Then, it hit the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening itself into a Category 5 and turning northward toward New Orleans.

Katrina made its second landfall at Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, on Monday, August 29th, as a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds. It continued north and made its third landfall on the Louisiana-Mississippi border as a Category 3 with 120 mph winds.

At the time when Katrina lessened its strength to a Category 3 hurricane and hit land sixty miles east, New Orleans hoped it had dodged another hurricane bullet. Yet, the storm surge from Katrina – much like a tsunami – pushed waters into Lake Pontchartrain at such an overwhelming rate that the lake level increased seventeen feet in just a few hours.

The power of the storm surge then tore out the bases of the levees allowing water to flood into New Orleans. 80% of the city was flooded, causing 1,800 deaths and property damage of nearly $81 billion.

Katrina is now considered the costliest hurricane of all time.

Okay, but have you ever heard of Hurricane Pam? (10)

Pam occurred over a year before Katrina. It was labeled a Category 4 or 5 hurricane with winds of 120 mph. Its storm surge also toppled the levees, flooding most of the city. The effects of the storm caused over half of the population to be trapped in attics and on building roofs, with 80% of New Orleans’ buildings damaged.

Hurricane Pam sounds a lot like Katrina, right?

Yet, Hurricane Pam was a tabletop exercise on computers conducted by more than 250 experts from 50 federal, state, and local agencies over an eight day period in an air conditioned setting. The experts assembled themselves to figure out a plan of action if a Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane ever hit New Orleans.

“We made great progress this week in our preparedness efforts,” Ron Castleman, FEMA’s regional director was quoted as saying in a news release from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness. (11)

So, what happened to the plans developed by those 250 experts when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans?

Notes:

(10) Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe by Lt. General Russell Honore, Atria Books Publishing, 2010

(11) Ibid

Chapter 6

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” (President Ronald Reagan)

Over a year before Hurricane Katrina occurred, two hundred and fifty people from fifty federal, state, and local government agencies conducted a tabletop exercise with conditions closely resembling those of Katrina. They ended up with a coordinated plan of action for such epic disasters.

What happened to the plans?

First: the plans centered on using cell phones and computers.

Although this seems to make sense in our high-tech age, the cell phone towers were early on knocked down by the 120 mph winds and the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina. There were no backup communication plans.

Without proper communication, the government workers who were involved in the plans could not be reached. Thus, buses ended up sitting in flood waters because drivers were not notified to move the vehicles to higher ground. Evacuation then became an impossible nightmare for many.

Second: local and state government people were also victims of the storm.

Police, city employees, local FEMA workers, and others, who were a part of the coordinated plan, were hard pressed to choose between helping their own families – or – doing their jobs. Some made good decisions while others did not.

And to be honest, none of us really know how we would have reacted under the same stressful situations unless we were in their shoes at the time of the storm.

Third: by nature, government bureaucracies run on red tape and regulations.

Fifty agencies with fifty different bureaucratic systems in a perfect world without a storm would be a quagmire to waddle through. One example given by Lt. General Russell Honore in his book, Survival, perfectly illustrated the innate problems with bureaucracies. (12)

Because of the stifling heat and humidity, ice was needed. So, what happened?

Ice was ordered from a FEMA supplier in Chicago, one thousand miles away. The FEMA trucks were then routed to a FEMA center in Atlanta, 750 miles away, and then finally to New Orleans, another 470 miles. By the time the ice arrived, it was too late to help anyone.

Fourth: bureaucratic infighting.

A Democratic male mayor. A Democratic female governor. An unpopular Republican president. Now, add to this explosive political mix, the fact that the fifty agency heads received their positions because of their loyalty to one of these three politicians.

Boom! Crash! Bang!

Fifth: one part of the coordinated plan was left out and another part added.

The Fifth Army was an integral part of the tabletop computer exercise, but they were not used in Hurricane Katrina. Instead, Lt. General Russell Honore and the First Army were sent to New Orleans. Honore did not even know about the coordinated plan until it was too late. Thus, he started at scratch with a blindfold over his eyes.

Welcome to how the government helps us in calamities.

“A plan seldom survives first contact with the enemy. A plan is basically good intentions. The key question is not ‘Do you have a plan?’ The question is ‘…Can you take the plan and adapt it to the situation on the ground, no matter the situation?’ (13)

Besides learning that we should not depend on our governments when calamities hit, what else can be learned from Katrina?

Notes:

(12) Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe by Lt. General Russell Honore, Atria Books Publishing, 2010

(13) Ibid

Chapter 7

Katrina was a watershed event for many Americans. It made us realize the frailty and insufficiency of our disaster preparedness plans. The storm simply overmatched and exposed many of the shortcomings of federal, state, and local governments and businesses. (14)

Some of our preparedness lack is because of a too-busy society overwhelmed by other problems and unwilling to take the time to prepare…but some of it is the belief the government will step in and handle the problems. (15)

Once again, the number one lesson we must learn from Hurricane Katrina is that our federal, state, and local governments are neither good nor fast First Responders for calamities. They will eventually show up, but for many of us, it may be too late.

Who are the best First Responders for any natural or terrorist catastrophes? You and I are.

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31)

If you go to Google, and type on the search line "doomsday preppers," you will have almost 3,000,000 results. Some of the doomsday preppers are indeed Christians, but most are not.

Many sites will advise you to buy guns, army type MRE (Made, Ready-to-eat) meals, other foods, generators, and move to a wilderness location, preferably near a river. They will also mention you should buy trip wires and surveillance equipment so people can’t sneak up on you.

Why would people sneak up on your wilderness compound?

Because they will be desperate and hungry. This happened in Hurricane Katrina and will probably happen in future catastrophes, too.

As I mentioned in Chapter 3, if you believe the Lord wants you to move to a different part of the United State, do it now. Don’t wait! Save yourself the trouble of setting up trip wires, surveillance cameras, and buying guns.

But if you have made up your mind to stay on the West Coast or other areas where disasters may happen, then remember: this could be the church’s finest hour. People will be desperate for help. Thus, Christians need to be there as the Body of Christ, reaching out with loving hands to hurting people.

When we talk about planning and preparation in future articles, it will always be with our neighbors’ best interests in mind.

So, what should we first do?

Notes:

(14) Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe by Lt. General Russell Honore, Atria Books Publishing, 2010

(15) Ibid

Chapter 8

Flames and smoke engulfed the colonial home. On the second floor, the husband held his two year old daughter in one arm while he kicked the window open. Glass exploded outward, falling onto the stone patio, twenty-five feet below. His wife crowded close to him.

“Help! Help us! Please help,” screamed the husband, looking over his shoulder at the flames burning through the bedroom door.

A neighbor quickly appeared on the patio below with a long extension ladder.

“Thank God! You’ve heard my pleas,” screamed the husband.

“Could you please answer a few questions first?” said the neighbor.

“Like what?”

“Are you a Christian? If so, what kind are you?”

"Yes, I’m a Baptist!” the husband proclaimed. “Please hurry!”

“Don’t worry,” replied the neighbor, “just a few more questions, okay?”

“Please hurry!”

“Do you speak in tongues?”

“No. The flames are coming through the door.”

“So far, I like your answers. Do you believe in dispensationalism?”

“Not sure. Hurry!”

“Hmm! That’s not good. It shows lack of study on your part,” said the neighbor, “Oh well, let’s move on. Are you a member of a missional church or the emergent movement?”

“Yes!” shouted the husband, looking over his shoulder at the flames climbing the walls.

The neighbor shook his head. “I ain’t helping someone who might believe the Bible is not the inerrant word of God,” said the man, turning and walking away with his ladder.

Of course, the above story is silly, right?

Yet, we do this sort of thing all the time in our churches and think it is okay there.

…I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

For most of us, this first hurdle will be a tough one to jump over because we have spent our whole lives collecting Christian labels, much like a Boy Scout earns merit badges.

Our labels include: Baptist, Methodist, Assembly of God, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Catholic, Anglican, Dispensationalism, Reform, tongues, prophecy, Word of Faith, missional, emergent, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Conservative, Liberal, Red Letter, simple church, nondenominational, and thousands more.

But if you really want to help your neighborhood and city survive upcoming catastrophes, then you need to rip those labels off your Christian identity cards. These divisive labels will not save one person during a catastrophe, but instead they may hinder your preparation efforts.

So, even if you speak in tongues three hours a day or can walk on water across the San Francisco Bay or can raise the dead by snapping your fingers or have memorized the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation, be quiet and don’t mention it. Be the humble servant who is comfortable with just being a Christian.

Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.(Proverbs 27:10)

Chapter 9

In Hurricane Katrina (2005), communication problems ended up being twofold dilemmas for the inhabitants of New Orleans. The first problem occurred before the hurricane even hit, and the second, in its aftermath. Both dilemmas must be dealt with in all of our calamity preparation plans.

The following is the timeline before Katrina hit New Orleans:

Friday, August 26, 2005: Governor Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.

Saturday, August 27, 2005: Katrina upgraded to a Category 3 Hurricane.

Saturday, August 27, 2005: Federal Emergency declared, allowing FEMA to supply resources and assistance to the Gulf States.

Saturday, August 27, 2005: Mayor Nagin called for a voluntary evacuation of New Orleans.

Sunday, August 28, 2005: Katrina was upgraded to a Category 4 and later to a Category 5 Hurricane.

Sunday, August 28, 2005, 9:30 AM: Mayor Nagin issued a first ever mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.

Sunday, August 28, 2005, 4 PM: National Weather Service forecasted a dire warning for the upcoming hurricane – most of the area would be uninhabitable for weeks, major power outages, food and water shortages…

Monday, August 29, 2005, 7 AM: Hurricane Katrina hit land and thirty minutes later, the levees were breached.

As you can see from the timeline, there were numerous warnings for the inhabitants of New Orleans. Yet, most of the warnings fell on deaf ears.

Why?

Most of the people who remained behind had heard these types of warnings many times before and then nothing had ever happened – false alarms. Even when flooding occurred in previous hurricanes, the people were always able to tough it out.

Why would Hurricane Katrina be any different, the people thought, and if worse came to worst, the government would bail them out, right?

This attitude caused hundreds of people to die.

Now, when we extrapolate the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina to possible earthquakes or terrorists’ attacks, one major difference must be taken into account. Hurricanes can be tracked by satellites with warnings being given days ahead of time. But this is not true for earthquakes and terrorists’ attacks which usually happen without a moment’s notice.

So, how can we expect beforehand warnings for earthquakes’ and terrorists’ attacks?

If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:42-44)

On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem. Then, thirty-three years later, a Christian reminded the Jerusalem believers of Jesus’ prophecy and further prophesied that every believer should flee the city. By 69 AD, every Christian had heeded the prophecy and moved sixty miles or more away.

Thus, when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, none of the Jerusalem church’s members were among the slain. The prophecies saved their lives.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (John 16:13)

If Jesus gave a prophecy which saved lives, we can accomplish the same feat today because He said we could in John 14:12. Plus, disclosing the future is one of the works of the Holy Spirit.

For the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, I am praying the Lord will raise up 50,000 believers who hear His voice and have enough boldness to prophesy warnings for earthquakes and terrorists’ attacks to the people of their communities.

So, what about the second dilemma?

Chapter 10

Those who planned ahead of time for a hurricane did not plan for a disaster; they planned for minor inconveniences…Plans must be based on worst-case scenarios...(16)

After Katrina hit New Orleans, cell phone towers were downed almost immediately and electrical power outages blanketed the city. A few sporadic text messages squeaked out to people outside the city, but otherwise, the hurricane victims were shut out from receiving any communications about rescue responses to their plights. Thus, the victims were kept in the dark until rescuers showed up at their homes.

What little communications the hurricane victims did have, after Katrina hit, were with their nearby neighbors. Then, with this little bit of insight, life and death decisions were hurriedly made.

The second communications dilemma of Hurricane Katrina was the lack of adequate communications after the hurricane hit. And if you think about it, it was a major miracle so few people died because of this.

All plans and preparations for upcoming calamities must address this second dilemma. It may well be a matter of life and death for many people.

…do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. (Proverbs 27:10)

We Southern Californians are some of the worst neighbors in America. This is not due to being mean and unfriendly, but rather, many of us commute to workplaces far away. To do this, we leave early and arrive home late. So, our time is limited for interaction with neighbors during the week.

When Saturdays roll around, it’s family time. We travel to see parents or go to beaches or Disneyland. On Sundays, we attend churches which are often miles away. We travel, travel, travel.

Most of us don’t even know the names of our neighbors next door or how many kids they have. This information can only be gleaned by spending time with them.

Okay, let’s assume a disaster strikes here in Southern California.

A nuclear bomb hits the area. Your wife and your child are seriously injured. Both need help right away, but the phones are dead, the streets are impassable, and the air is filled with screams. What will you do?

The obvious answer is to run next door to your neighbors.

What do you think they will say to a person they don’t really know? And how much energy will they really invest helping you when they themselves probably need help, too?

…You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Whether we like it or not, we Southern Californians need to make efforts to know our neighbors. If this means breaking our present Saturday or Sunday routines, then let's take a hammer and smash away.

"Train like we are going to fight." (First Army maxim)

How can we meet our neighbors and talk about planning and preparations for calamities?

Notes:

(16) Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe by Lt. General Russell Honore, Atria Books Publishing, 2010

Chapter 11

Lester Sumrall spent most of his sixteenth year lying in bed, suffering through the final stages of tuberculosis. His mother and her Pentecostal friends continually prayed to God for a miraculous healing for the lad.

Then, on his seventeenth birthday, February 13, 1930, the doctor declared Lester would not live until the following morning. To save a trip back to the Sumrall's New Orleans home, the doctor signed Lester’s death certificate before he left that evening.

During the night, the Lord appeared to young Lester in a vision, showing him a coffin and a Bible. The Lord stated Lester had two options: die that night or preach the gospel.

The last thing Lester wanted to do was preach. He tried negotiating with the Lord, but the Lord would not budge off His two options.

Finally, Sumrall agreed to be a preacher.

The next morning, Lester jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to see his family. They were shocked and elated as they watched him eat for the first time in weeks.

Three weeks later, Lester and a young fishing buddy packed an old car with clothing, supplies, and headed down the highway looking for places to preach. On a gravel road, Lester saw an abandoned schoolhouse and decided it would be a perfect place to hold revival meetings.

Lester saw a farmer plowing in a nearby field. He climbed over the fence and asked the farmer if he could use the schoolhouse to hold revival meetings. The farmer agreed, but he had one condition: Lester had to feed the farmer’s pigs.

On the first night of the revival, a group of leather-skinned farmers, wearing bib overalls and scruffy work shoes showed up. They sat in the small children’s desks, facing Lester and his fishing buddy.

Lester somehow convinced his fishing buddy to lead the singing at the beginning of each revival program. His buddy could not sing and did not know any hymns. After struggling through a few songs, Lester walked to the middle of the room.

“I was dying of tuberculosis when the Lord appeared to me in a vision. He told me to preach the gospel or He would kill me. That’s the only reason I’m here tonight and you’re all going to Hell,” he proclaimed.

The farmers almost fell out of the desks into the aisles because they laughed so hard at his words.

Although the laughter upset Lester, he cared littler about the results of the revival. His only desire was to do just enough to stay alive.

The next night, even more farmers showed up. This time, all the farmers brought their wives along with them. The little schoolhouse was packed.

The fishing buddy repeated his bad singing attempts and then Lester again walked to the middle of the room.

“I was dying of tuberculosis when the Lord appeared to me in a vision. He told me to preach the gospel or He would kill me. That’s the only reason I’m here tonight and you’re all going to Hell,” he said, repeating the message from the night before.

The whole crowd erupted in laughter. Again, Lester was upset because he was the butt of the people’s humor, but he did not care about the people.

While feeding pigs the next day, the Lord gave Lester a vision of people dying and going to Hell in foreign countries. The vision broke his hard heart. Thus, his ministry began on that day as he dropped to his knees in the middle of the pig lot.

This short story was taken from The Life Story of Lester Sumrall. It’s an awesome autobiography about a healing pioneer. (17)

I included this short story to remind us how not to tell our neighbors about possible future earthquakes and terrorists’ attacks.

So, how should we do it?

Notes:

(17) The Life Story of Lester Sumrall by Lester Sumrall, New Leaf Press, 1993

Chapter 12

“Larry, I’m not you,” Carol often says when I offer her some advice based on my past experiences.

And 98.6% of the time, her way works out better than mine ever would have.

So, for me to act like I know the perfect way for everyone to plug into his or her neighborhood to talk about preparations for possible calamities would be a waste of time. After all, you’re not me.

But let me share a prayer which I have been praying for over seventeen years:

“Lord, fit me into Your Church, into my marriage, my family, the marketplace, and into my community.”

By using the word fit in the prayer, I have been asking the Lord to mold me, prepare me, adapt me, equip me, connect me, and insert me into all the different units of a community according to His ways and plans.

How has the prayer worked so far?

Carol and I have moved over thirty times during the last sixteen years. We have lived in seven different states and thirteen different cities. We have tried our best to fit into different communities, but until recently, it has never happened.

Yet, while we unloaded the moving truck at our new home a few months ago, a neighbor came over and introduced herself. Another neighbor then stopped by later in the day and did the same. Two days later, a couple knocked on the door, introduced themselves, and gave a plant to us for a welcoming gift. Another neighbor saw me working in the garage on a cabinet and came over to help me. None of this had ever happened to us before.

In times past, I often wondered, “Are we invisible or something? No one ever pays attention to us.”

But now that we are living in our new community, and hopefully this is our last move ever, I have been praying a different prayer:

“Lord, give me a love for my neighbors and help me to bring forth Your divine plans and redemptive purposes for this particular community.”

Even though there is no doubt in my mind catastrophes will soon befall America, especially the West Coast, I need to walk with God, waiting on Him each step of the way. Otherwise, I could end up just being a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, which would annoy many and help few.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck…Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt… (Genesis 41:41-42, 46)

How did Joseph, a Hebrew, arrive at being the second in command of Egypt?

Most of us know the story about Joseph having two dreams as a seventeen year old youth. (19) Although he had no idea what the dreams meant, he still told his family about them. His dreams caused jealousy to flare up in his brothers who then threw Joseph into a pit and sold him as a slave to Egyptians.

Over the following thirteen years, Joseph spent the first ten years as a slave overseeing Potiphar's household. But his last three years were spent in prison because of false charges brought against him by Potiphar’s wife.(20)

A chief butler and a baker, who had annoyed Pharaoh, were put under Joseph’s charge in the prison. Both had dreams which Joseph interpreted for them. Joseph asked the two to remember him, but the baker was soon beheaded and the chief butler completely forgot about him. (21)

Then, the Pharaoh had two dreams which troubled the ruler. Wise men were summoned, but no one could interpret the dreams. Finally, the chief butler remembered Joseph. The Pharaoh summoned Joseph from the dungeon and he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. (22)

Voilà! Joseph was second in command of Egypt, in charge of grain purchasing and sales. Because of his being in the right place at the right time, the nation of Israel was saved from extinction.

Of course, it was the hand of God who choreographed all of this. He molded Joseph, prepared him, adapted him, equipped him, connected him, and inserted into Egypt.

And yes, we can all be in the right place at the right time to help our neighbors in much the same way Joseph was in his day. All we have to do is be willing servants and pray for God to fit us into our neighborhoods.

Notes:

(18) 1 Corinthians 13:1

(19) Genesis 37:5

(20) Genesis 39:1

(21) Genesis 40:23

(22) Genesis 41:9

Chapter 13

Three days before His crucifixion, Jesus walked with His disciples on the road to Bethany, a four mile journey from Jersualem. He stopped at the summit of the Mount of Olives for a rest. The Temple and the city lay below Him in a panoramic scene.

Peter, James, John, and Andrew approached Him privately to ask about His prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. “When will these things happen and what will be the signs when these things are about to take place?"(23)

Jesus ignored the “when” part of their questions and spoke about the signs of what He termed the days of vengeance. (24) The prophet Isaiah, many years earlier, had used a similar term to refer to the punishment of God’s enemies. A later prophet, Hosea, used the term: days of retribution. (25) (26)

The Lord specifically spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem with His disciples, which finally occurred in 70 AD. We modern believers also look upon His words as being apocalyptic, or referring to the last days just before His return.

For the sake of this chapter, let’s view Jesus’ discourse as reported in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 22 in the same way the disciples did at that time, which was strictly about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Jesus stated that wars, earthquakes, and famines would take place and that the disciples would be persecuted. But the disciples were not to worry because their persecutions would be opportunities for them to preach. Yet, when Jerusalem was surrounded by its enemies, the end was near for the city. The believers should then quickly flee to the mountains and not even return to gather their possessions.

Then Jesus specifically instructed the disciples to do something:

But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on the Sabbath. (Mathew 24:20)

But pray that it may not happen in winter. (Mark 13:18)

It’s interesting to note that Jesus did not tell the disciples to pray that Jerusalem would be spared. That particular judgment had already been ruled on by the Judge and was an irrevocable one.

Yet, what Jesus did say revealed the compassion our Lord has toward His people.

He placed the responsibility for the timing of the destruction of Jerusalem – as to season and day of the week – into the hands of the disciples. His reasoning for doing so was that He did not want to add bad weather or Sabbath travel burdens to the people’s woes.

What eventually happened is amazing.

The attack by Titus and the Roman armies began in late March, 70 AD, and the final siege of Jerusalem ended in September of the same year. The disciples’ prayers were honored as the attack did not occur in wintertime.

Is there something we can learn from this particular example of Jesus’ compassion?

For me, a light switched on when I read the verses because of my wife.

Let me give you some background, okay?

We now live in Temecula, California, which is half way between San Diego and Los Angeles. Although my job is in Temecula, my wife works in a city thirty miles south of the city.

Can you envision a worse situation than my wife being stranded thirty miles away from our home if a massive calamity happened? It could be days or weeks before we would see each other again. And because of possible communication problems, we might not know if the other were injured or even dead. How horrendous would that be for us?

So, when the light switched on that morning, I prayed the following prayer:

“Lord, I ask that You schedule my wife’s work and travels so that she is at home when any massive earthquakes or terrorists’ attacks happen in California. I trust You to honor this prayer in the same manner You did for the disciples’ prayers about the siege of Jerusalem.”

There is no partiality in the Lord. What He did for the disciples, He will do for us.

Notes:

(23) Luke 21:7

(24) Luke 21:22

(25) Isaiah 63:4

(26) Hosea 9:7

(27) Acts 10:34

Chapter 14

Well, we’re now ready to stock up and prepare for calamities which may hit our neighborhoods sometime in the future. Where do we start? Water? Food? First Aid? Medicines? Clothing? Blankets? Batteries? Generators? Fuel? What?

Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. (Luke 12:33)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. (Matthew 6: 19-20)

In Jesus’ time, a man wore an outer garment, which was usually a long, sleeveless, ankle-length wool robe or coat. Under the outer garment, next to the person’s skin, he wore a tunic. The tunic resembled a modern t-shirt, in that it slipped over the person’s head, but it was much longer than a t-shirt because it hung down past a man’s knees. Most also wore loincloths.

To hold everything together, a man wore a belt, also called a sash or girdle, which he tightened around his waist. The belt was usually made of wool, cotton, or flax cloth and wide enough to be folded over. In the folds, a man carried his money or precious items. Thus, the term money belt.

Now, the Greek word thēsauros which is translated into the English word treasure can mean two related things. First, it can refer to a storehouse, coffer, treasury, or bank. Or secondly, it can refer to the precious treasure stored in the treasury or storehouse.

The treasure placed in the treasury is always thought of as a valuable which can be taken from the treasury or storehouse when the person needs it, much like withdrawing money from a bank to buy something or pay a bill.

So, what Jesus really said in the above scriptures was:

"If you want your earthly treasures (gold, silver, jewels, etc.) in the safest place possible, give to the poor. With your gifts, I will then open a storehouse account in heaven for you and credit your gifts to that account. Then, you can always make withdrawals from the account when you need your treasures on earth." (Paraphrased by me.)

Now, maybe you’re scratching your head and thinking, “Larry is usually out there, but today, he has slipped over the edge.”

Before, you tune me out, check out these scriptures:

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD – and he will repay you! (Proverbs 19:17 NLT)

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The LORD rescues them when they are in trouble. The LORD protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. The LORD nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health. (Psalm 41:1-3 NLT)

Knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord… (Ephesians 6:8)

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, and do it with love, it profits me.  (1 Corinthians 13:3 Paraphrased in the positive sense rather than a negative one)

Hopefully, you can see the importance of giving to the poor and needy. Because no matter how many items we may store in our basements, garages, or under beds in preparation for possible calamities, we will never cover every base. It is impossible to ever do that. We will always need something we don’t have.

How much should we give to the poor?

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9: 6-8 NLT)

I believe we Americans will soon have dark days filled with calamities and terrorists’ attacks. I also believe these dark days could last for weeks, months, and maybe years. So, with this in mind, each of us has to decide how much we will store up in our heavenly accounts and how much we will keep on hand here on earth.

Chapter 15

I generally listen to classical music or baseball games when driving, but one Saturday I listened to a talk show host as she interviewed a man who had prepared himself and his family for future calamities:

“Fifteen years ago, I decided to build a basement under our garage. The walls are built out of cinder blocks,” said the man. “It has an air filtration system and enough food and water to take care of ten people for three months.”

“Who are the ten people?” asked the talk show host.

The man replied that the ten included his wife, parents, and other members of his immediate family.

“Okay,” said the talk show host, “what will you do to keep other people out of your shelter, who themselves might be starving and thirsty, and know that you have supplies?”

“If need be, we will use the guns which are stored in the basement to protect ourselves from outsiders,” said the man.

The man then described how his family practiced dry runs every few months to help them prepare for any eventuality. As you can see, there were no if’s or maybe’s in this man’s preparation. He was ready and followed the maxim of the First Army: “Train like you’re going to fight.”

Like the man in the interview, I believe in doing everything we can to protect our immediate families, but here’s something I have learned over the last twenty-six years:

If I care about God’s family, which includes all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and also care about my neighbors, God will watch over and take care of my children, grandchildren, and immediate family, and do a better job than I could if I were there with them.

You see, God is a Father who understands our parental instincts and desires because He created them in us. Thus, we can trust Him to be the Good Shepherd for our families wherever they may be located.

Now, I don’t advocate hoarding supplies in a cave-like shelter and then using guns to fight off starving and thirsty neighbors. Not at all!

And I recommend, if you have these types of fears for yourself and your family, move to Montana or some far off location where you will most likely be safe from terrorists and earthquakes for a long, long time. And do it quickly, don’t linger. Who wants to live in fear?

But this is what I recommend for those who plan on staying in their present neighborhoods, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington:

1. Store up water in jugs or other containers in your basement or garage.

2. Store up cans of food.

3. Store up dry foods.

4. Store up extra pet food for your pets.

5. Store up First Aid supplies, toilet paper, medicines, and butane gas for the grill.

6. Buy a solar battery charger for your cell phone, flashlights, extra batteries, and candles.

7. Come up with a way to handle sewage and garbage.

8. Brain storm with your mate and others on what else you should store up.

After you have extra supplies on hand, do not forget your neighbors. This is a perfect time to remind them to do the same. And if you want, offer yourself and your home – and its supplies – to them if a calamity ever hits your neighborhood.

How in the world can I make this offer? What if a hundred people show up at our homes after a calamity hits our neighborhoods?

Chapter 16

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

Maybe your first thought when you read the above verse is: “Yuck! Here comes the Pentecostal/Charismatic phoney-baloney, plastic-banana, spiritual gifts stuff. This turns me off.”

Relax. Take a deep breath. Now, continue reading, okay?

Let’s say that you and your spouse take your daughter to a shopping mall. Your daughter is three years old and dressed up in a cute t-shirt and jeans outfit. Everyone looks at her and smiles. She’s a doll. Both you and your wife adore her.

But because you were in a hurry when you left home, you did not use the restroom, and you need to go NOW. You tell your spouse, who rolls her eyes, and points toward a department store.

“Use the one in Macy’s. We’ll wait here by the kids' play area,” she whispers.

You rush to Macy’s restroom, do your duty, wash your hands, and leave. As you walk out of the store, you see a flash, and hear an explosion from an Islamic terrorist’s bomb. It knocks you down. Glass particles and debris cover your clothing.

Brushing yourself off, you run to where you spouse and daughter were waiting at the play area. When you get there, you see bodies strewn all over the floor. Somehow, you find both of them, but sadly, they’re dead. Their bodies are mangled and bloody.

Now, what is your plan??

Are you going to pull out you cell phone and call the police? Or the mayor? Or a doctor? Or your pastor? Or a funeral home? Or are you just going to fall down and weep, bemoaning your fate?

You see, at this disastrous moment, you need the gift of faith, the gift of healing, and the gift of miracles for an attempt to raise your loved ones from the dead. (28) And I guarantee that you would do anything to have these gifts at that precise moment so you could at least give it your best shot, wouldn’t you?

So, what’s stopping you from seeking the spiritual gifts today? Pride. Bad teaching. Laziness. What? Because when bad things happen, it may be too late to learn about the spiritual gifts.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels… (1 Cor. 13:1)

Now, I wish that you all spoke in tongues… (1 Cor. 14: 5

I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all do. (1 Cor. 14: 18)

Once again, some of you may be groaning and screaming. “No, not tongues. Anything but that trivial twaddle. I ain’t doing it. No siree, Billy Bob. No tongues for me ever!”

Okay, relax. Take a deep, deep breath and hold it for a minute or so. Now slowly breathe out. Continue reading.

For this illustration, let’s say your family is staying at the luxurious Beverly Wilshire Hotel, just off Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. You, your spouse, and daughter are celebrating your daughter’s birthday with a shopping spree.

Then, while walking with your family through the first floor hallway, three Mumbai-type terrorists enter the hotel lobby, AK-47’s blazing away, and hand grenades exploding. Chaos and confusion reign as bodies hit the floor.

Somehow, you, your spouse, and daughter run into the first floor’s Sidebar Lounge. As you crouch behind a table, you hear the sounds of people begging for their lives out in the hallway. But then, bursts from the AK-47’s tell you that mercy is not a part of the terrorists’ makeup.

You hear footsteps approaching the lounge. It will only be seconds before they enter the door. You look at your spouse and daughter, tears stream down their faces. Like you, they don’t want to die. They want something to help them – NOW.

Will you pray? If so, how?

Now remember, your mind will be a pile of gray and white mush. You will have thoughts about wishing you would have stayed home or should have gone to Hawaii instead of California or should have spent a sunny day anywhere, but not where you are at that moment. Plus, fear, like you have never felt in your life before that moment, will grip your mind and paralyze your body. It will be total confusion.

How will you quiet your mind enough to pray at that moment?

Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8: 27-28)

There is no way any of us can possibly plan or prepare for every eventuality which could possible happen to us if a calamity hits. Food, water, medical supplies, and so forth will probably never be enough to help all the hurting people in our neighborhoods. And yet, Jesus has placed us in our neighborhoods to be His hands, especially for these calamities.

Don’t you think we should be equipped with every spiritual tool the Lord has given His church? So, consider the spiritual gifts as you plan and prepare for your survival. You just might need them.

Notes:

(28) 1 Corinthians 12:9

Chapter 17

One Saturday morning in 1994, a friend of mine walked into the kitchen and interrupted my Bible study for a teaching I was planning to give at an upcoming assembly.

“There is no spiritual hunger in this one-horse town. They’re all lazy,” he said. “What do you think I can do to stir things up?”

His intrusion perturbed me. So, I wanted to quickly be rid of him.

“Take your Bible and go find yourself a street corner to preach on. That will stir the city up.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” I replied. “The Bible emphatically says, ‘Go,’ and this may be your day.”

He stared at me a moment and then left. I returned to my Bible study.

Later, I cleaned the bathroom. As I knelt in front of the toilet bowl with a brush in one hand and a bottle of ammonia in the other, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart.

”What a hypocrite you are,” He said. “You go out and find a street corner to preach on. This is your day, not his.”

My tears helped clean the toilet bowl, and then that afternoon, I preached for the first time ever on a street corner.

The Lord certainly knows how to reveal our hearts to us, right?

But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” (Matthew 14:16)

Jesus spoke the above words to the twelve disciples just after they had returned from a ministry trip to the villages of Judah. (29) The twelve had been sent out with His power and authority which allowed them to perform miracles everywhere. (30)

Not only that, the disciples had watched Him change water into wine, help four disciples catch large numbers of fish in their fishing nets, calm the stormy seas, and do one healing miracle after another. All of this occurred before this particular day.

Okay, how did the disciples answer Jesus about feeding the five thousand? (31)

We have no more… (Luke 9: 13)

In John: 6:6, we learn that Jesus had been testing the disciples with His words. Looking at the disciples’ answer, what type of grade do you think they received on the test? They probably failed, right?

Yet, one of the disciples learned a valuable lesson from this test and a little while later, he did what only one other man ever did in the Bible.

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew 14:28-29)

Peter learned his lesson well because he understood that if Jesus told him to do something, he could do it. It didn’t matter that eventually Peter began to sink because even in that failure, Peter learned Jesus would save him if he stepped out of the boat and trusted Him.

In Chapter 15, I wrote:

After you have some extra supplies on hand, do not forget your neighbors. This is a perfect time to remind them to do the same. And if you want, offer yourself and your home – and its supplies – to them if a calamity ever hits your neighborhood.

How in the world can I make such an outrageous offer? What if a hundred people show up at our places after a calamity hits our neighborhoods?

I truly believe if we are willing to store up a few supplies ahead of time and tell our neighbors to come to our homes for help if they need it, we will see miracles in our homes and neighborhoods.

Jesus hasn’t changed, has He? And of course, He hasn’t. Then, His promises have to be true for us today, especially in times of calamity:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (John 14:12)

Remember: I believe the upcoming calamities will be the Church's finest hour if we Christians prepare ourselves ahead of time and act in boldness, believing Jesus is still able to heal and multiply fish and loaves of bread.

Notes:

(29) Luke 9:10

(30) Luke 9:6

(31) Luke 9:14

About the Author

Larry Nevenhoven is a businessman, an author, and a former real estate agent, living with his wife, Carol, in Temecula, California. They are the parents of four children and the grandparents of six grandchildren. Two ferocious cats round out their immediate family.

Connect with Larry at his author's website:

www.larrywho.com

Or his blogs:

www.larrywho.wordpress.com

www.tvsurvival.com

Or Facebook: Larry Nevenhoven

Or by email:

mr.larrywho@gmail.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

About the Author