On Monday morning, April 27^th, the people of Baltimore woke to a normal Monday morning.  There was tension in the air from the recent demonstrations that the city had been experiencing. But most families, I would imagine, were not thinking about riots and looting or fires and destruction.  People woke up, had their breakfast, got their children to school and went to work.  Most were not prepared for what was to come.

In Nepal, last Saturday morning, families there were not expecting a 7.9 earthquake that so far has had a horrific death toll of over 5000 people.  Why would anyone think of an earthquake on that day?  There had not been such a quake of that magnitude in 80 years!  I am sure that thousands are still asking themselves ‘what happened?’

Being prepared is something Jim and I preach every single day of our lives.  We want you to be prepared with food, power, and water.  We practice what we preach with the knowledge that the unexpected will happen.  The earthquakes in Nepal and the violent rioting in Baltimore were unexpected.  Because of the book of Revelation we know that in a way, these events were expected too.   There is so much more to being prepared than food and water.  There is also the importance of preparing your mind and heart for the “expected unexpected” and ultimately this involves making a choice.

What I am asking you today is WHO do you want to be in times of such trouble?  Will you panic and attack others out of sheer terror?   Would you complain constantly or would you spread as much hope as you could find?  Would you quit or try to run?

We may think that as Christians these are easy choices to make, but in times of trouble, everything changes.  Fear has a way of pushing people to the extreme.  The gentlest people are capable of anything when they are afraid.  The good news is that there IS a way to prepare your heart.  There is a way to help you make the choice when faced with unbelievable adversity.

Between the covers of the Bible rests the best guarantee of courage in the face of fear, and kindness in the face of destruction. God has given us a ‘what to do workbook’ written out of His love for you!  I remember as a student in Master’s Commission we were required to memorize 450 bible verses to graduate. Although you might think I would forget many of these, to this day, whenever I am faced with a situation or a choice to make, His Words come back to me, bringing me comfort and guiding each decision. Of course I am not asking you to memorize 450 bible verses (although you will never be sorry you did).  I am saying you need to dig into God’s Word!   Find those verses that ring closest to YOUR heart.  Let Him speak to you!  Find the verses and the chapters that give you hope, write them down and remember them, memorize each phrase! Prepare yourself with God’s Word and you will be prepared in your mind and heart for anything! While you are at it, memorize your favorite gospel songs or hymns from church.  How can you not have courage when you are singing praises to Jesus?!

Below are a few of my favorite Bible verses to get you started!  I would appreciate it so much if you would share yours with me!

And always, always remember how much you are loved!!

Love,

P.S. Don’t forget to keep stocking up your pantry!!

Ephesians 4:32 (NCV) Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.

Zechariah 7:9-10 (NIV) ⁹ “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

2 Peter 1:5-7 (NCV) ⁵ Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; ⁶ and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; ⁷ and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.