by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
As a whole grain, dark hard winter or spring wheats store very well. Dried wheat pastas and pre-ground wheat flours can also be purchased, but individuals purchasing these items from a supermarket should be aware their shelf life will not be near as long as that of properly stored and prepared whole wheat grains.
Obviously, whole wheat products are easily acquired both in supermarkets and through preparation specialty websites and whole grain stores. The biggest difference you will find is that items sold in most supermarkets have typically been processed and are stored in such a way that they have a much shorter shelf life. Also, purchasing wheat pasta means your storage will only allow for eating wheat pasta. Buying wheat whole grains means preppers with grain mills can make just about anything they would like out of the whole wheat grains they have stored. A plethora of breads, pancakes and even wheat gluten meat substitutes can be fashioned from simple buckets of whole grain wheat.
Many highly-intense preppers recommend storing enough supplies (including wheat) to last your family a year. Less hardcore individuals suggest two weeks is enough. In the event of a serious disaster where infrastructure is compromised and food is not easily acquired, a supply of food that is enough to last a few months is probably a good goal. Whole wheat grains, when properly stored, can last for well over a year. An excellent grain storage bucket we recommend can be found at www.grainbuckets.com
We all are aware that we live in very difficult times. There is no longer a question about the need to be prepared. Like many people, perhaps you have decided that long-term food storage is a necessary, and you are now working to get prepared in the case of a world or national crisis.
A great place to begin your food storage is with storing whole wheat and grains. Whole Wheat and Grains can be easily stored for long periods of time, and will offer a variety of food options during a time of crisis. You will need preparation food, so it makes good sense to start with grains.
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
My family has been in preparation for many years. In fact, I started preparing before it was cool to be a prepper! That means absolutely nothing except, I’ve been watching, listening, and preparing for a long time :).
Years ago, I heard a preparation call and started on a journey that I assumed was all about survival and a self-sustaining lifestyle. I was looking forward to preparing by learning about gardening, food storage, and emergency preparedness. I never imagined that preparation would be so intense – but then again, when we began this journey most people didn’t even fathom a need for preparation.
Today, things are much different. People all over the world are beginning to see the need to prepare, and are asking “Am I too late to get prepared”? They aren’t quite sure what to prepare for, but they sense that something is happening in the world – and they better get ready for it.
My simple answer to the question of whether it is too late to get prepared is… absolutely not!. But that comes with a disclaimer that there is a limit of time, and once that time runs out – there will no longer be the option for preparation. I believe their is an increasing intensity of events, and the preparation window is beginning to shut. Time is running out.
According to the Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13 the five virgins who are prepared for the bridegroom’s arrival are rewarded and the five who are not prepared are excluded. Hear the Word…
1. Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4. but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5. But while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6. And at midnight there was a cry made “Behold the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”
7. Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”
9. But the wise answered, saying, NO, lest there not be enought for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.
10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us!”
12. But he answered and said, Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you.”
— Matthew 25:1-13
In the days ahead, I will share some of the steps we took to begin our journey toward preparation. For now, the most important first-step is to ask God to change your heart – so that you are prepared to greet the Bridegroom when He arrives.
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
Okay, here it goes – I’m certain I’ll be labeled (again) as some crazy conspiracy theorist, or perhaps a gloom and doom preacher. Feel free to label me whatever you feel is appropriate. I’ve been called lots of things before :).
First of all, let me state that I do believe we are heading toward a collapse. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that I would say that and be completely alone in my statement. Today, however, there are many people who now seem to agree with me.
This is not intended to be “gloom and doom” but a reminder that we must be preparing. I can not fathom how anyone can go through a day without the Faith in knowing the coming Messiah.
So why do I think there will be a collapse? Well, everything I’m seeing tells me so. You see, for a long time America has been the greatest financial powerhouse on the planet. Today, not so much. We are about to lose our lunch. Those who have held to a faith in the government structure will soon be very disappointed.
At this very moment the government wrestles with this issue of raising our debt ceiling. Basically, we have to borrow more money to keep us floating. At some point (which I believe is now), you simply can not continue borrowing above your ability to repay.
I certainly pray for our leaders and appreciate their hard work on this matter. It’s a very, very, difficult decision and one that will create major issues regardless of which way it goes. I recognize the difficulty. You see, I contend that regardless of the vote – we are heading for a collapse. Heed the call to prepare!
The US government likes to borrow money rather than make the tough choices of which programs to cut. We have become a Country of Entitlements and have continually fed the animal until it is very difficult to wean. The more we feed it, the closer we come to our own demise.
(more…)
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
In my lifetime, I have never seen such despair and ambivalence. People are afraid and many are losing hope. The times have impressed people to begin living more simple lives, and to prepare.
In fact, many people have felt a call to prepare and to be ready for the difficulties that are approaching. Those difficulties could be in the form of political or economic crisis, or they could be a catastrophic natural event like an earthquake or drought. Whatever the difficulty, countless families are now seeing the importance of preparing.
My family has been in active preparation for years now, although I’ve shared often that it is not what I assumed it to be. When I originally started on the journey of preparation, I assumed it was all about storing provisions and learning how to plant a garden. Certainly, those were/are important in the process of preparedness, but the real need of preparation is much greater.
God is calling us to a deeper Faith in Him. We can, and should, be better prepared for events that will impact us in a major way – but more than that, we need to be steadfast in our Faith. We need to be prepared to meet our God.
As we simplify our lives and look for ways to sustain our families in emergencies, we should also be preparing and softening our hearts to hear from God. Store the Word of God in our hearts, so when the times of troubled waters come – we are prepared.
“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Psalms 69:1-3
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
Preparation is now taking on a new and vital importance. For those doubters who have scoffed at the need or call for preparation, I hope you will soon arise from your sleep.
Many people never thought that the world and domestic events would push things to the point of where we now find ourselves. It is an amazing time to be alive! Prepare to meet thy God!
World events are changing very quickly with daily reports of wars and upheaval all over the globe. Everything is becoming more intense and will continue to intensify as we draw ever closer to the end of the age.
As I look over the events of the day, there are some amazing things that are happening – yet, most people do not seem to take notice (or perhaps prefer to ignore them).
Economies all over the world are failing (especially in the West) and people are taking to the streets in protest. Countries are selling their assets just to stay afloat and perhaps survive a few more months. Are we so ignorant to believe that a few changes will suddenly and effectively change the ultimate outcome? I am not an economist, but I just believe it is folly to assume we can continue “economy kiting” with more bailouts.
The more I see that is happening, the more I am convinced that people must expedite preparations. The world economy is in peril, and many leaders believe the best way to stimulate the economy is for war to emerge. When you look at the events all over the globe, it’s not a stretch to see that the US and other Countries are positioning and preparing for war.
Within the next six months it will likely not shock many people to see the US expanding operations and engaged in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, or Pakistan. In addition, it seems highly likely that Israel will be pressed on its borders, with significant new rocket terror from all fronts. (more…)
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
Emergency preparedness is an important part of taking care of your family. In addition to preparing for a possible natural or man-made disaster, by taking care of water and food storage, and having a first aid kit, you should also take steps to ensure that your finances will not be overtly affected by a wide scale situation, and that you will have enough funds on hand that will allow you to be mobile if needed. There are many different things that can be done to make you sleep easier at night, but the following are a few basic steps that should not be overlooked.
A big part of emergency preparedness is having cash available. This doesn’t mean funds in a savings account, money that in a normal situation would be easy to withdraw; it means actual cash that is hidden somewhere in your home that you can access if there is an emergency situation. If the power goes out throughout a large urban area, and for a long period of time, then credit card transactions and direct debit from your account may not be possible. If that is the case, then your foresight to have emergency cash on hand will serve you well, as it will probably be the only form of payment accepted.
After the situation has been resolved, then the next step is fixing the problems and confusion that occurred. Your emergency preparation should have involved making backup copies of all relevant data related to your finances. On an external drive, you should regularly backup any recent transactions made online, and your credit card information. The idea here is that even if there is a massive power surge that fries your computer, followed by a power failure, once things have been restored to normal you should be able to hook your external drive to an unaffected computer and recover all your data.
Another important step to being prepared for an emergency is having financial records and important contact numbers and names of people in a safe place. In fact, this information should ideally be stored in more than one place, in the event that the first location is compromised. Safe locations could involve an external hard drive, a safety deposit box, a home safe, or some other hidden location. Once the situation has been resolved, these records can be accessed and used to make a quick transition back to normal, and they can often suffice as evidence in case the original data has been lost or damaged.
It is hard to anticipate every eventuality, but one major part of emergency preparedness will always involve money. Make sure you have cash available for buying things even when there is no power, and make sure that you have a backup of financial records stored somewhere safe. It is not just the crisis that you need to prepare for. You need to make sure that when it is over that you and your family will be able to successfully survive the aftermath.
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
Every day it seems more-and-more people are concerned and are beginning to prepare. Some are not quite sure what they are preparing for, but I hear most say they are preparing for disaster.
I heard a preparation call more than 30 years ago. At the time, I didn’t quite understand what it meant to “prepare”, but I tried to just step on Faith. As it turns out, what I assumed was preparation is far more intense than I ever imagined.
The urgency and importance of preparation has never been more critical. As I hear comments from US Government leaders and see the direction we are headed as a Country, I realize that we are racing toward difficulties and disasters that we have never encountered before. The arrogance and audacity of hope founded on intellectual ascent may soon unleash peril upon us – if there is not repentance.
The stunning developments that are now unfolding impress upon me the urgent need for people to prepare. I believe there is an increasing intensity coming that will shake the foundations, especially if our leaders abandon Israel.
On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. New International Version
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Prepare, because the day of the Lord is upon us.
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
As we continue with the assignment of sharing the need for preparation, it seems we are now joined by the US Government in proclaiming the need to prepare for the Last Days Apocalypse.
In fact, in a recent and popular post on the Center for Disease Control site there was a somewhat disturbing article entitled “Preparedness -101: Zombie Apocalypse“.
Do you think the US Government knows something they are not fully disclosing to a sheepish public? Well of course they do.
I am quite sure the title of this recent article was carefully chosen to create attention and interest from a generation that seems to be strangely fascinated with the horror element and the spread of death through viral interactions. I certainly understand the desire for the Center for Disease Control to market their message of preparedness and certainly recognize the need to alert people of the need to prepare for difficult events.
However… as I read the article on the CDC website it does not really impact me as simply an attention-grabbing horror show fantasy. The fact is, the Bible has already disclosed the events that will unfold and has given us warning that we should be prepared for such events. Why are we now so surprised that even secular Governments are beginning to recognize the times that we live?
In the Book of Revelation we read:
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Rev. 6:8
I believe it is quite ironic that the US Government CDC website used a viral death plague as an apocalyptic description. The CDC urges us to get prepared because such a scenario is not out of the question. The fact is, the Bible has already given us this warning.
Governments regularly shout the message to their people to get prepared for earthquakes, famines, flood, disease, unusual weather events, and terrorism. We regularly hear of wars and rumors of wars, and even receive warning of impending disasters in the heavens (increasing solar flares, meteors, comets, etc). (more…)
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
As God pours out in these Last Days, it becomes incredibly important that we draw closer to Him. We need to listen carefully to what He is saying to us during this hour, and certainly immediately act upon His words. He is now shouting from the Heavens.
I firmly believe we are entering a time of increasing intensity. Events all over the world will seem magnified to a much higher degree and masses of people will be fearful and confused. They will seek answers and many will be led astray by the “experts” who will attempt to explain the events as a physical phenomenon.
Even personal emotions will become increasingly intense. As the foundations of the earth are shaken, so too will the foundations of our person be shaken. We are being prepared. I believe that which is at our core – fears, anger, frustrations- will begin to see increasing intensity. We will even see intensity in our relationships.
There is going to be turbulence in the world, and there is going to be increasing turbulence within the hearts of people. The preparation process is more than gaining a simple understanding, or perhaps following a task list. For me, the Preparation Call is less about stocking supplies, and more about surrendering to the reality that God is our refuge and strength.
As we are faced with the difficulties, it is vital that we turn to the One who loves us in a way that goes beyond definition. His love is deeper than our knowledge of personal comforts or intense pleasures. His love goes beyond the temporal issues we see in time and extends into eternity.
When turmoil comes, it is important to find a restful place that is quiet and peaceful, but more than that, a place where you can experience the presence of God. He wants a relationship with us, and wants us to rest in Him.
This is my resting place forever.” (Psalms 132:14)
According to Psalm 132:14, God has established resting places, literal places that are His resting places. God is calling each of us to find a quiet place, a resting place where we can get alone to spend time with Him. As you prepare, make sure to find a time to Rest in Him.
In the story of Noah, when the world was destroyed by the flood, the first thing Noah did was send a dove out to find a place to rest.
“Then he (Noah) sent forth a dove to see if the waters had decreased from the surface of the ground. But the dove found no resting place on which to roost, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were yet on the face of the whole land. So he put forth his hand and drew her to him into the ark” (Genesis 8:8-9).
Noah represents God, and the Ark represents the safety of the presence of God. Only when you enter into His presence will you find that place of peace and rest.
Trust Him to lead you to His resting place.
by Joseph | Jul 2, 2025 | Preparation, Sharing
I am convinced that there is going to be an increasing intensity of difficulties that we must face. As times get more difficult and events become more intense, it is increasingly important that we prepare ourselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
In the last several years of my life, it seems that I have been (and continue to be) led through a “purging process”. This process has been painful, especially as I tried to hold onto many things that I had accumulated along the journey. Now I realize, the purging is helping to lighten the load I am carrying so that I can better maneuver during the times ahead.
One of the areas that has been impressed upon me to purge, is the emotional baggage that has often been a weighty distraction. Hurts from broken or failed relationships, insecurities, and guilt from personal failures have all been obstacles to my movement forward. I have spent far too much time struggling under heavy emotional burdens that are completely unnecessary and are hindering me from being tightly focused on preparation for the path ahead.
Preparation is not as easy as I once imagined. Certainly, it can be easy to put a few things in storage and to learn some new skills, but the more difficult part of the journey is the process of transitioning. Habits that have been accumulated and comforts that have become a part of life – are now being altered. It is a necessity, because the journey ahead will not allow for the status quo.
Some of the greatest challenges that I am facing in my preparation call, occurs because my family circumstances are changing and we are forced to deal with discomforts. It has been difficult, but also quite enlightening as I realize the training is a valuable part of the preparation process. I welcome the training now, so that we can be firm when things around us may be wavering.
Tragically, too often family relationships are altered or broken simply because individuals could not handle transitions that emerged suddenly. For example, a lost income may force multiple changes in a lifestyle which may result in friction, anger, and blame – that ultimately impacts a relationship. If the relationship has been built on certain comforts or perhaps expectations, a sudden change in circumstances may unfortunately bring disharmony. Conversely, relationships that are God-anchored and nurtured on unconditional love can withstand difficult changes.
It is vital in the preparation process that individuals strengthen the foundation of their relationships and begin the process of growth through transitions. If we fail to purge ourselves of some emotional baggage now, when stressful times appear – we will not be adequately prepared to weather the storm. We need to quit looking back, quit feeling entitled to certain comforts, quit expecting others to supply our needs, and begin preparing for the beautiful journey ahead. Ask God to begin preparing you for the times ahead and rest assured… He will prepare you.
But be warned…from my experience, preparation will not look like what you expect.
