New Year’s Resolution: Let’s Take Out Some Trash!

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Here in Thomson, we set stuff by the road with a “FREE” or “TAKE ME” sign on it.

Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind. . .

— 1 Peter 1:13

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

—Ephesians 4:23

So What’s In Your Garage That Can Be Tossed?

Before we make too many resolutions for next year, maybe it’s time to do a little cleanup from this year’s clutter. Time for some New Year’s de-junking and trash removal. All right then, what can we get rid of? What needs to go? What’s really in the way?

First, let’s tackle the big stuff. For instance, pull out all the worn-out, beat-up pieces of furniture still in the garage or in paid storage… Now, this part should be easy. Here in Thomson, we set stuff by the road with a FREE or TAKE ME sign on it. Not quite gone in sixty seconds but close enough.

Now, since I use my Kindle a lot, how about all those books I’ll never read again? Especially any books ghostwritten for Glenn Beck, and maybe even some of my wife’s Christian romance novels. But don’t touch my comic books! I distinctly remember when one of my old and extremely valuable Spider-Man comics got tossed because someone thought it was junk. Ouch. Should have had a “price check in pile three.”

Sorting All This Out Can Be Painful!

What’s in my closet? Hmm. Out of style shirts, pants and pullovers from That ‘70s Show. Someone might want this stuff, right? Maybe Goodwill or the Thrift Shop in Clinton. My old leisure suit? Someone might need it. Though, I doubt even drifters would wear this stuff. My son Matt would look great in my old paisley, Nehru shirt though. Okay, Okay, off to the Thrift Shop then.

Now the old tools. I still have my grandfather’s rusty old tools from a hundred years ago. Most of these I don’t even understand how to use. But I hate throwing family stuff away. They’ll mean nothing to my kids down the road, though. Time to lose most of this stuff. But there are a few tools I‘ll rescue. Just a few.

Seriously though, it’s time-consuming and even painful to look back and reflect on what has lasting value and what doesn’t. The truth is, an honest look back can help us shape a cleaner look forward. After all, we’ll end up better organized and with more space, right? I hate getting started with a project like this, but I always feel like a dead weight has been lifted off me when I’m done. It’s more than that, however… it makes it much easier to move forward and make decisions with greater clarity.

Now the hard part…

Disposing Of Our Mental Trash

January is also a great time to de-clutter our minds. Using God’s word to shine light on the way we think and reason is a great start. Like me, you might find you’ve left some unbiblical junk just lying around, perhaps it’s even piling up. No doubt they’re in the way. So, let’s look for some unbiblical mind-clutter to toss this year. Here are a few things to look for:

“Religion Is Fine in Its Place”

Trash To Toss: Medieval Scholasticism and the post-60s Conservatism I grew up with join hands here. Religion is important, we’re told. We need a foundation for morality after all. We need meaning and purpose and some sort of hope for the afterlife. But beyond these basics, formal religion should be confined to church on Sunday mornings. Natural law, human reason, and our Western traditions can answer all our questions about practical morality, political, social, and financial ethics. Really? Some clutter here already.

Treasure To Store Up: Scripture, says that God is the Creator and Ruler of literally everything (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 103:19). All things exist for His glory (Rev. 4:11). All things have their source and meaning in Him. Man is made in God’s very image and inevitably lives out that reality in every circumstance of life (Gen. 1:26; 1 Cor. 10:31). Man’s life in all its fullness is religious (Col. 3:17). God calls his image-bearers to trust and serve Him in every area of thought and life (2 Cor. 10:5). Bottom line: Everything is religious.

“God Always Has To Make Sense To Me”

Trash To Toss: Everything God does has to make sense to me. Further, God agrees with me on all significant moral, social, and ethical issues. In fact, He’ll never say or require anything of me that would make me uncomfortable or stretch my conceptions of reality. He will always be reasonable as I understand reason.

Treasure To Store Up: Scripture says that God transcends human understanding (Ps. 139:6; Rom. 11:31-36). Yet God made man so he can understand the world and function well within it (Deut. 29:29). Human reason is finite and since the Fall is corrupted by sin (Eccles. 9:3). Man by nature often reasons sinfully and always reasons with less than 100 % of available information (1 Cor. 2:14; 3:19). He also reasons in terms of his lusts and his pretended autonomy (Rom. 1:18-32). He tries to make God conform to his notions of logic and truth. But as C. S. Lewis once said… you can’t put God in the dock. You can’t put Him on trial using human standards. I’ve learned and perhaps you have too, He won’t submit to my expectations (Ps. 50:21). God expects me to submit to His… whether I like what He says or not (Isa. 55:6-9).

“No One Can Understand God – What Matters Is If We’re Sincere”

Trash To Toss: God is beyond human understanding. He is too big, too great to fit into any one religion. After all, all religions are searching for the same truth and the same ultimate reality. What matters really is the journey, not the destination. What matters is our sincerity and love along the way. God is waiting for us up on the mountain. But there are a lot of paths up there. What’s more… He doesn’t reveal his truths in any detailed fashion. He also has no specific and understandable requirements of me. So, mostly… it’s all a mystery.

Treasure To Store Up: Scripture says God is by nature self-revealing. He reveals Himself perfectly in the person of His Son (Col. 1:15). The Father and the Son eternally breathe the Holy Spirit to each other in perfect love (John 15:26; Gal. 4:6). This Triune God reveals Himself in the world He’s made and in the words of Holy Scripture (Ps. 19). Because God is one in essence, without inner contradiction or change (Jas. 1:17),

And because He knows Himself exhaustively (1 Cor. 2:10), His revelation in Scripture is not only clear but authoritative (Ps. 119:130). We can understand what He says and what He means. And, what He says is coherent truth is truth for all of life (John 17:17). For instance, Mark Twain said this well when commenting on the Bible. He said and I’m paraphrasing here, “it’s not what I don’t know about God that’s troubling to me, it’s what I do know that’s troubling”. Despite Twain’s outer agnosticism, he had a conscience.

“People Are Basically Good”

Trash to Toss: People mean well. And for themes part … they do the right thing, kind of. When they don’t, it’s because of the corrupting power of their environment. They’ve been poorly educated, economically deprived, or physically or sexually abused. All of these things can be repaired with enough money, information, and the newest scientific techniques.

Treasure To Store Up: Scripture says however that man is made in the image of God, but he’s fallen in Adam and prone always to lust and pride (Rom. 5:12; 1 Jn. 2:16). Man’s heart is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). No amount of external force, no educational or psychological manipulation, can change his corrupt nature (Prov. 27:22). Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring new birth. Only the Holy Spirit can work regeneration (John 3:3).

“Love Justifies Anything And Everything”

Trash To Toss: Love is a warm feeling that makes the world go around. Nothing is more important. Love can’t be bound by rules or legal documents. It’s blind and embraces all humanity. Love never asks anyone to change. Of course, love is a bit fickle. And sometimes it just slips away. Then you have to do what you have to do.

Treasure to Store Up: Love is the communion, commitment, and self-giving that exists eternally in the Triune God. The Father and Son love each other eternally in and through the Holy Spirit. In love, God in Christ gives Himself to His people through the Spirit. God gave His Son to save the world (John 3:16); the Son loved His Church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25). Jesus Christ gives His Spirit to those whom He calls to faith. That same Spirit initiates love for God and man in the hearts of those He regenerates (Rom. 5:5). True love is an evangelical grace (Gal. 5:22). Love comes from God and has God’s word as its reference point. This makes love… the fruit of the gospel. Love is faithful and enduring and pure (1 Cor. 13). Jesus said love was a function of keeping His commands.

“All Violence Is Inherently Evil”

Trash to Toss: Violence is wrong, no matter what.

Treasure To Store Up: Scripture says, “The LORD is a Man of War” (Ex. 15:3). Scripture celebrates His war against Egypt (Ex. 15; Ps. 78:43-51) and His ongoing wrath against His enemies (Nah. 1:1-6): “His fury is poured out like fire.” When Jesus came to us the first time, He came as God’s sacrificial Lamb. He freely surrendered Himself to His enemies. Jesus told Peter to put away his sword (Matt. 26:51-54). He gave Himself a ransom for sin.

But now, in His reign, He wields a rod of iron (Ps. 2:7-12; Rev. 2:27). He strikes through kings; He “fills the places with the dead bodies” (Ps. 110:5-6). He treads the winepress of God’s fierce anger and pours out the blood of the martyrs in divine judgment upon the wicked (Rev. 19:15; 14:18-20; 16:1-7ff). He delegates the sword to the civil magistrate and allows the law-abiding to violently (if necessary) defend themselves and their homes (Rom. 13:1-6; Ex. 22:2). David could bless the LORD for teaching his hands to war (Ps. 144:1). Remember, Jesus told Peter to put his sword back, not to toss it in the trash. (Matt. 26:52).

“Mere Words Aren’t That Important”

Trash To Toss: The things that really matter in this world are beyond mere words. God. Faith. Love. When we try to describe deity or ultimate concepts with mere words, we destroy them. Truth is more likely located in our feelings.

Treasure To Store Up: Jesus Christ is the living Word of God, the divine Logos, the perfect expression of the Father’s heart and mind (John 1:1; Heb. 1:3). In His incarnation, He tabernacled among us and spoke to us with human words (John 1:14-17). God has been speaking in words to us since He created Adam (Gen. 1:28; 2:16-17). Our God is the self-revealing God who condescends to speak to us in words we can understand. God’s word is truth (John 17:17). Above all, when we reject God’s words on principle, we are, in effect, attempting to push God out of His own universe. We make Him incoherent and distant so we don’t have to be faithful.

Taking Action For 2019

In conclusion, what I’m talking about here is what Scripture calls putting off the old man and putting on the new (Eph. 4:20ff). Santification to some folks. If we’re going to do this faithfully, it should be obvious that we need to fill our hearts and minds with the word of God. We need to shine that light even in the darkest places.

This also means reading, studying, and searching the Scriptures. It means daily meditation on God’s word. It means giving thanks. Further, It means reading and listening as well as receiving the teaching and preaching of God’s word in a church that seriously believes the Bible is the word of God. After that, it may involve reading a few good books … recents and classics, that challenge us to confront the world with the truth of God’s word.

Happy New Year

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Increase In Violent Crime Among The Dangers Ahead In 2019

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As legislators press towards mob rule, an increase in violent crime may be ahead.

The old year has ended, and the new is beginning. For some this is a time of retrospection, looking back on the year they just lived through. For others, it’s a time of looking forward, making plans for getting through the new year. But for those of us who are preppers, it’s time to take out the crystal balls we don’t have and try to figure out what the new year is going to bring.

I don’t know about you, but God never issued me one of those crystal balls. Instead, I have to try and figure things out for myself, except in those cases where He chooses to show me. That’s why my prepping is so broad-based. I can’t just prepare for one or two disasters; like you, I have to prepare for everything that’s likely to come my way.

One of the ways I do that is to take a look at the world situation at the beginning of the year and try to decipher what’s likely to be coming down the pike. While my track record isn’t perfect in guessing what’s coming, I do have a perfect record in getting ready. So I guess I’m doing all right.

“Trump Take-Down” Attempts

One of the defining moments of 2018 was the November elections in which the Democrat Party regained control of the House of Representatives. Considering that they’ve been plotting President Trump’s downfall for the last two years, it’s really no surprise that they are already working on how they can use their newfound power to cause him harm.

There’s just one thing… they don’t have the power they think they have. While Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are busy posturing before the television cameras about their “legislative plan.” The truth is, they can’t pass a single bill into law without the cooperation of the Senate and the president. Since the things they are talking about doing are reversing what the president has accomplished … the chances of that happening are exactly zero.

Are They Secretly Pushing Mob Rule?

But the political left has never depended on passing their agenda legislatively; theirs is the politics of mob rule. That’s why they keep pushing the false narrative that we are a democracy, rather than a constitutional republic. These folks seem to want mob rule, as the major population centers are mostly Democrat.

The other part of mob rule is to use violence when they don’t get their way. We’ve actually been seeing a reduction of this in the last few months, but you can be sure that it will increase once again when Pelosi and Schumer discover how little power they have. The collective rage from the left will spill out on the streets.

If your EDC doesn’t already include a means of defending yourself, it should. Get your concealed carry permit and the necessary training so that you can defend yourself. This is already an essential in areas where there are ANTIFA strongholds. It will become more of a necessity as the left screams out in their combined temper tantrum.

The Threat of EMP Coming Back

Many have relaxed about the risk of EMP, because of North Korea coming to the bargaining table. Yet, as anyone who is watching can see, those talks are going nowhere. Shutting down a few border points and reducing their manning levels is nothing when compared to the real substantive issue of denuclearizing North Korea. They have merely taken a symbolic action to make themselves look good. Really it’s just cover up the fact that they aren’t following through as promised.

This is not the first time that North Korea has come to the bargaining table. Therefore, we should not be surprised when they do the same as they have other times and leave it as well. When they do, the threat of EMP will be even higher than it was before Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-un.

For all we know, the North Koreans could be preparing for an EMP attack right now, getting the pieces in place. If that’s the case, they could signal leaving the bargaining table by initiating that attack. Of all the countries in the world, theirs is one of the most likely to survive such an attack.

Now is an excellent time to review your plans for surviving the aftermath of an EMP and make sure you’re ready. This isn’t one to wait for the last minute on, as it takes too much to get prepared.

More Natural Disasters

It is easy to forget about natural disasters in the light of TEOTWAWKI events. Those major events are much more spectacular and preparing for them is much more interesting. But the reality is that any of us are more likely to be struck by a natural disaster than we are to suffer a world-changing catastrophe.

Predictions for the 2019 hurricane season show a slight increase in hurricanes over the last couple of years. Considering how devastating some of those hurricanes have been, this is something to be concerned about. There are parts of the country which are still reeling from the last hurricane season, and now they have to start worrying about the next.

But hurricanes, as horrific as they are, are not the only natural disaster to be concerned about. Every year that the Yellowstone Supervolcano doesn’t erupt, brings us one year closer to the time when it will. As it is already overdue, this could literally happen at any time. We will have little advance warning (just a few days) when it does.

Wildfires Still A Threat

The wildfires in California are a significant concern as well. The Camp Fire that just occurred was horrific, taking more lives than it should have. But there is little likelihood that this will get any better in the near future. California is more driven by leftist politics than any other state in the Union, and those leftist policies are mitigating against being prepared for or defeating forest fires. While other states may make progress in that regard, California will only get worse without federal intervention.

Finally, the incidence of earthquakes seems to be on the rise. Whether or not that has anything to do with fracking, like leftists claim, is immaterial. I tend to think it doesn’t, simply because the incidence of earthquakes is also on the rise in parts of the world where there is no fracking.

Of course, different ones of these disasters affect different ones of us, depending on where we live in the country and what disasters are likely to strike there. Let’s keep ourselves ready for at all times, as those disasters are something we are likely to face… if not this year, then next.

Financial Instability On The Rise

The economy has been going strong, ever since President Trump’s inauguration. His business acumen, coupled with his concern for American business, has led to the lowest unemployment rate and the highest financial growth in decades. But that may very well all be coming to a close.

Democrats are planning on attacking everything that the president has done to improve the economy. This includes tax cuts as well as deregulation. While they are not as powerful as they think they are, this is causing some instability in the financial markets. Granted, that is not the only thing which is, but the leftist news media is faithfully ignoring that it wasn’t until the Democrats won control of the House, that those instabilities in the markets emerged.

While the Democrats don’t have the power to reverse Trump’s successes, they do have the power to block many of the things that he still wants to do. With our country’s financial success so closely tied to what happens in politics, we can expect more instability in the stock market and other financial institutions. I’d say it’s a good time to pull money out of those places and get out of debt before you lose your shirt.

Increase In Violent Crime (in some places) As The Population Becomes More Polarized

As we all know, the country is becoming more and more polarized along political lines. Left-leaning states are becoming more and more extreme. Again, those of us on the right are just trying to hold our ground. That’s the way it always is, but the extremism of the left is growing stronger than ever before.

Two ways this is manifesting is the left’s anti-gun efforts and the whole idea of sanctuary states; both extreme leftist positions. There is ample evidence to prove that an armed population reduces crime. In addition, illegal immigrants are more likely to commit those crimes. Right now, states which are controlled by the Democrat Party are seeing an increase in violent crime. At the same time that the country as a whole is seeing it diminish.

With Democrat politicians pushing both of these policy areas so hard, citizens of states which they control can expect to see an increase in all types of violent crime. If you live in such a state, you may want to seriously consider finding somewhere else to live. If you can’t then find some way that you can defend yourself, preferably without breaking the law.

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Remote Supply Cache: Why Decentralizing Your Stockpile Is So Important

The article Remote Supply Cache: Why Decentralizing Your Stockpile Is So Important is republished from http://totalsurvival.net/

Having a remote supply cache could be the difference between life and death.

Prioritizing Your Remote Supply Cache

Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about having a remote supply cache. Yep, I’m constantly trying to increase my knowledge of survival. (It never really ends.)

I try to keep up by studying what others are saying, reading books, trying new things and analyzing disasters. It is probably this last area, analyzing disasters, where I learn the most. Each disaster that happens shows us more and more of what we can expect to encounter ourselves, when and if we are faced with a similar situation.

Take the recent fires in California. First off, I have zero risk of a forest fire where I live (we don’t have any forests). Nevertheless, I still took the time to learn everything I could about what happened, especially what transpired in Paradise, California. There an entire town was wiped out by fire, which destroyed the homes, businesses, and property of the inhabitants.

I don’t know if there were any preppers in Paradise, but statistically, it would stand to reason that there were. After all, something like one in every 50 families in the United States has embraced prepping. So, if 1200 homes were destroyed, it’s fairly safe to say that 24 of those homes were occupied by preppers. I wonder how well those families fared.

Spreading Your Supplies Around A Bit

But I have to confess, if I had been one of those families, the only advantages I would have had over anyone else would have been that I would have had a bug out plan prepared. I also would have had gasoline for my cars and my bug out bag packed. I also would have had a prepared list of other things I would have taken with me. That’s it. Everything else that I’ve spent countless hours and dollars doing in order to prepare myself for a potential disaster would have gone up in smoke, just like everyone else’s possessions.

This isn’t the only time that I’ve been faced with such a realization. When Hurricane Harvey was passing through the Gulf of Mexico, there was a time, before it turned north, where it was heading right for my home. Fortunately for my family and I, it veered north, hitting Houston. But as I looked at the flooded homes of those people, I realized something. I realized that any preppers amongst them weren’t any better off than the rest of the people awaiting evacuation by the Cajun Navy.

The Basic Problem With A Remote Supply Cache

Here’s the basic problem as I see it. A lot of us have taken the stand that it is better to bug in than bug out. The reason for this is that most of us don’t have a prepared survival retreat to bug out to. Without that prepared retreat, we are going to leave behind our home, which can at least serve as shelter, in order to find shelter elsewhere. That’s not an ideal situation.

Notwithstanding, putting all our eggs in one basket isn’t a good solution either. This is especially true when you consider that disasters like forest fires, tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes can totally destroy our homes. If that should happen, as it did to the people of Paradise, California, then all our preps will be for naught.

I think I am like many other people in this. That is, I want all my preps with me so that if a disaster strikes, I’ll have everything I need to have in order to have the best chance to survive. Anything I have off-site might be inaccessible to me, thereby making it turn into just so much wasted money. That’s something I simply can’t afford.

What’s The Solution?

I’ve come to the conclusion that my original premise was wrong. That is, I can’t afford to keep all my preps in one place. This ultimately means that I may lose access to some of them when a disaster strikes. Yet, We have to balance out our risks here. What if the options are to take a chance on losing everything or take a chance on losing a lot of things? It makes more sense to go with the latter rather than the former, as hard as that may be.

What this boils down to is splitting our preps between two locations: our home and a remote location. Keep in mind, an ideal remote location needs to be far enough away that it won’t be affected by any natural disaster which strikes our homes. At the same time, it would be good if it were somewhat close. This is especially crucial if the location provides us with the potential of recovering those supplies if we need to. I’m not sure that’s possible, but if it is, it would be good.

Remote Supply Cache On A Budget

Most of us can’t afford a cabin or bunker in the woods to use as a survival retreat. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that we can’t afford to stockpile some equipment and supplies at a remote location. There are mini storage warehouses all across the county. And it doesn’t cost all that much to rent a space that’s large enough to store a stockpile of food and other supplies.

Ideally, this remote supply cache should be someplace where it would be possible to establish ourselves in a serious survival situation, even in a TEOTWAWKI situation. To me, that means a rural town and preferably a rural farming town. Merely having a supply cache in such a town would give us some legitimacy should they try to shut the town down and not let any outsiders (like us) in.

This, of course, means having a definite bug out plan. It should be a plan which allows us to get from where we live to wherever that supply cache might be located. If it’s not all part of an integrated plan and if we don’t test that plan, then we might as well not have it.

Additional Caches

If the power is out and you can’t drive there in your car or truck, how quickly can your family walk there? Can you carry enough food in your bug out bag to make it? If not, where are you going to get more along the way?

That’s what an additional remote supply cache can be. It’s not a full cache, but merely a buried five-gallon bucket with some food and other essentials in it. All they are intended to do is help you reach your ultimate destination, nothing more.

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Winter Travel Survival: 7 Keys For Staying Safe On The Road

Do you have any other tips or suggestions on how to best utilize a remote supply cache? Let us know in the comments below.

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This Gorgeous Home is Made Out Of 3 Shipping Containers. This is so beautiful!

The article This Gorgeous Home is Made Out Of 3 Shipping Containers. This is so beautiful! was first published to http://www.totalsurvival.net/

Designed by Copenhagen-based studio, this project called WFH House is developed in China by Arcgency and Teknologisk Institut for their client World FLEX Home. As we all know, recycling is one of the major issues nowadays. Especially when it comes to architecture and sustainable design.

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House Democrats Plan Big Gun Control Push In 2019

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On the whole, Democratic leaders like U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) believe they can win more elections with a big gun control push.

Democrats are planning a big gun control push in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019. Specifically, the big gun control push includes universal background checks for all firearms sales nationwide.

The big gun control push will begin with a universal background check plan, U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (D-California) tells Politico. Notably, Thompson is the leader of the Democrats’ House Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce.

“It will be strong legislation to expand background checks,” Thompson promises. “I think you will see it happen in the first 100 days.”

Democrats’ Big Gun Control Push Includes Mandatory Background Checks Nationwide

In detail, the big gun control push will require background checks on all private and retail firearms sales.

Consequently, you will need to undergo a background check to buy a gun from a friend or relative. However, there could be exemptions to the background check requirement for family members. There could also be a temporary exemption for guns that people use for hunting.

Regardless, Democrats plan to move fast on the background check legislation. In fact, Thompson’s legislation could reach the House Judiciary Committee by February, U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler (D-New York) speculates. Moreover, Nadler expects the house to vote on background checks in Spring 2019.

Democrats Know Their Big Gun Control Push Will Fail

Strangely, the Democrats know that the big control push will fail but don’t care. Instead, Democratic leaders believe they can attract votes by being tough on guns.

To elaborate further, gun control legislation has to pass the U.S. Senate to become law. Nevertheless, Republicans have a comfortable 55-seat majority in the Senate. As a result, Republicans can easily kill the big gun control push in the Senate.

Additionally, President Trump has the power to veto gun control legislation. So, the Democrats’ big gun control push will die once it leaves the Senate.

Democrats Seek Votes With Big Gun Control Push

Democrats are planning a big gun control push because attacking firearms attracts votes.

In particular, 95 Democratic candidates endorsed by the anti-gun Giffords PAC won election to the House in November, NPR reports. To explain, Giffords PAC is the political action committee that former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) organized.

Bloomberg Is Paying For The Big Gun Control Push By Democrats

On the whole, Democratic leaders like U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) believe they can win more elections with a big gun control push. Furthermore, Democrats can attract lots of cash from donors such as Michael Bloomberg with a big gun control push.

For instance, Bloomberg’s Independence USA PAC gave $29.5 million to Democrats in 2018 House races, USA Today estimates. In addition, Bloomberg claims he spent $110 million on the mid-term elections alone.

Besides Independence USA, Bloomberg funds the influential Everytown for Gun Safety gun control group. Accordingly, House Democrats are repaying Bloomberg with a big gun control push.

Democrats’ Big Gun Control Push Goes Beyond Background Checks

All in all, the Democrats’ big gun control push goes far beyond background checks. In fact, Democrats want to ban private guns from the U.S. Capitol.

Particularly, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California) wants to eliminate a regulation that lets members of Congress bring guns to Capitol Hill. To explain, a 1967 regulation allows U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives to carry guns in Congress, The Washington Post states.

Notably, Huffman and Pelosi plan to change regulations in order to ban private guns from the Capitol. Hence, Democrats plan to strip members of Congress of their first amendment rights.

“Current regulations would literally allow a member to have a loaded pistol in a desk drawer, file cabinets, or sitting in plain view; or to have a loaded AR15 in an unlocked closet,” Huffman claims.

Democrats’ Big Gun Control Push Still Unclear

Tellingly, the Democrats’ big gun control push seems to have no agenda or plan. Rather, background checks seem to be the only item that Pelosi’s leadership is pushing.

For example, other popular gun control measures, such as reviving the “assault weapons” ban, are absent from news stories. As a consequence, the Democrats’ likely strategy is to concentrate solely on background checks for the time being.

On the other hand, Democrats will certainly launch a more aggressive gun control push if they get a foothold on the background checks issue. Moreover, individual Democrats are likely to introduce tougher firearms legislation to win support from gun haters like Bloomberg.

The Democrats’ big gun control push is only beginning. So, you can expect new gun control legislation for the foreseeable future.

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Study: Background Checks Did Not Affect Suicide Or Homicide Rates

What are your thoughts on the big gun control push that the Democrats are planning for next year? Let us know in the comments below.

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How A Quick Winter Walk Can Transform Your Health

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How A Quick Winter Walk Can Transform Your Health Image source: Pixabay.com

You may rather reach for blankets when you look out your window during the cold months, but there are some good reasons to pull on some boots and go for a walk. Cold temperatures and some snow should not stand in the way of enjoying the season and staying healthy.

There are both mental and physical benefits of this cold-weather walking, so grab a friend or two and head outside to experience what walking in the winter has to offer.

Benefits

With the lack of sun in the colder months, walking is a great way to keep your spirits up. Walking reduces stress as more sun equals more serotonin, which helps slow and stop food cravings. Winter walking also helps in weight loss regimes, because you have to work harder when walking through snow (that is, unless you have a sidewalk or clear street).

Walking in the winter, it may come as a surprise, actually helps fight infections. The infection-fighting cells will increase when you go out in the cold.

Walking in colder temperatures makes your body burn more calories than in warm weather. This is because you need to work harder to become and stay warm. Once the blood starts really pumping, endorphins are released, helping you feel great.

The sun gives us Vitamin D, and by walking for just 15 minutes three times a week, you can get enough Vitamin D to help strengthen your bones and other parts of your body. The sun causes your body to produce Vitamin D, so get outside and let the sun shine on you for a while.

Physically, walking improves balance and coordination, lowers blood-pressure and strengthens bones. It also increases energy and encourages better sleep patterns. Inflammation, swelling and joint pain are also reduced.

Mentally, walking improves concentration and acts like an anti-depressant.

Preparation

Image source: Pixabay.com

Of course, we should take precautions when walking in the winter. Know your route and surroundings. Be aware of the terrain. Remember to check the temperature as well. Sometimes taking two or three shorter walks is better than taking one really long one. Yes, sometimes it is just too cold. For the shorter walks, you may have to walk a little quicker than on the long one, but the outcome will be the same.

As with any form of exercise, always check with your doctor before you start. Begin slowly, and build up to your desired walk time. This will allow your body to get stronger and adjust to the cooler weather.

Walk with friends, or at least tell someone when and where you will be walking.

Bring water! Even if it is cold, you will still need to stay hydrated and will get thirsty. Have a warm up and go at a good, comfortable pace. There is no need to race.

Carrying a cell phone is always a good precaution, and you will still need to carry sunglasses and sun block. The winter sun’s strong rays can be deceiving, although warm.

What to Wear on a Winter Walk

Pick good, appropriate footwear. Don’t grab shoes or boots with flat or smooth soles. Put on a pair of well-tractioned boots or shoes, made with non-slip soles.

Put mitts or gloves on and keep your hands moving. Your center of balance is affected when you keep your hands in your coat pockets as you walk.

Wear a hat, scarf and mitts; those items are a must. Wear bright clothing so drivers and other people can see you clearly.

It is a very good idea to wear layers, and make sure your clothing is comfortable, not clumsy or bulky. This way, you can adjust to the workout you are getting from the walk.

Things to Remember

If possible, walk during the first half of the day. Morning and lunchtime is perfect winter-walking weather. You will have plenty of daylight hours and often have the warmest temperatures of the day.

You will need to rehydrate after your walk, even if you don’t feel like you’ve worked up a sweat. Drink some room-temperature water.

Be aware of frostbite, what it looks like and how to prevent it.

Enjoy your winter walks by being prepared, staying safe and finding joy in your surroundings. It is a great activity to do with the family or with friends. What better way to stay healthy than by doing something fun that you enjoy. Bring a camera — and create some memories along the way.

What are your tips for walking during winter? Share them in the section below:

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Struggling With Beard Balding? | How To Fix A Patchy Beard

The following blog post Struggling With Beard Balding? | How To Fix A Patchy Beard was originally published on http://www.totalsurvival.net/

A patchy beard is the bane of every type of beard, but luckily, it's something you can fix.

Patchy Beard Tips | Making The Most Out Of Your Beard

Step 1. Understand the Biology Behind Your Patchy Beard

How your beard looks is largely a result of your biology. A number of factors contribute to why you have a patchy beard. For one, you might not have enough beard hormones. To be exact, you might lack the testosterone that allows beards to grow all thick and bushy. You may also experience weak blood flow to the patchier areas. Blood flow encourages more hormones to visit your beard and help it grow out better.

And that's not all. Other factors cause a patchy beard as well. Nutrient deficiency, stress, and age all affect your beard growth. Not having enough vitamins stunts beard growth and may contribute to uneven patches. Stress also causes thinning and hair fall, both from your head and your beard.

These are factors that you have to keep in mind when you have an annoying, uneven beard. Don't lose hope, though: there are plenty of ways to heal thin beard growth. You can still grow the beard you want in no time—with the right care and knowledge, of course. There are ways to handle patchiness and plenty of patchy beard styles that can make an otherwise awkward beard look better.

Don't let a patchy beard worry you! Visit Wild Willies to know the rest of the tips.

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The Council Of Nicaea And Christmas- What Child Is This Anyway?

The blog post The Council Of Nicaea And Christmas- What Child Is This Anyway? See more on: Total Survival

Arius declared That Jesus Wasn’t Fully God.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
—John 14:6

Peace In Rome Brings Other Problems

The world was finally at peace. Constantine had defeated his rival and taken the helm of the Empire. As Emperor, he ended the persecution of the Church and professed faith in Christ. The new “Christian era” could begin now. So far, so good, right? Well, kind of.

It would not be easy. Once the persecutions were over, it was now safe to profess faith in Christ publicly. In fact, confessing Christ publicly even became “the thing to do” no matter what you believed or how you lived. The Church now had before it an enormous task of discipling the faithful and disciplining the unrepentant. In many ways, during this transition period, the Church failed. But at one crucial point, through some heated discussion and debate… the Church got it right.

The story begins in Egypt, in the city of Alexandria. An elder there, Arius, began to preach his own revision of who Jesus Christ was. Arius was a rationalist. He wanted a God who made sense to human reason. Earlier, the Christian gospel had denounced the polytheism of the pagan world. Well and good. But the Church insisted that the Father was God and that Christ, the Son, was also God. But that’s two gods. That’s polytheism, Arius argued. And so Arius soon campaigned vigorously for what he believed to be an unflinching monotheism.

The Arian Jesus

Arius insisted that there is only one God, the Father. He believed the Father alone is eternal and uncreated. He also believed the Father is wholly unlike anything in the created world. But like the God of neo-orthodoxy, he is ineffable in his transcendence. To Arius, God the Father is entirely beyond human categories of description: “God himself then in his own nature is ineffable by all men. Equal or like himself he alone has none or one in glory.” So describes Arius in his Thalia, a mixture of prose and poetry that described his theology.

So who is the Son then? Arius said that the Son is the greatest of God’s creatures. He isn’t God, but only the Son of God, and that only by adoption: “The Unbegun made the Son a beginning of things originated, and advanced him as a Son to himself by adoption. He has nothing proper to God in proper subsistence. For he is not equal, no, nor one essence with him.”

The Son, then, for Arius is a temporal and finite creature. He isn’t all knowing. He can’t even comprehend the Father, let alone reveal him to us. Arius said it this way: “To speak in brief, God is ineffable to the Son. For he is to himself what he is, that is, unspeakable. So that nothing which is called comprehensible does the Son know to speak about; for it is impossible for him to investigate the Father, who is by himself.” Arius declared God to be “forever silent.” So much so that not even his Son can describe him. But for Arius, it didn’t stop there.

Arius Opens A Dangerous Door

Arius went further. Since the Son is a created being, it would be possible for God to create other sons or “godlings” as great as Jesus. According to Arius: “One equal to the Son, the Superior is able to beget; but one more excellent, or superior, or greater, he is not able.” Arius believed that God could have many adopted sons, each one less than the perfect revelation of the Father and yet each potentially more relevant culturally or historically than the others.

Arius said he wanted a religion that made sense and yet he placed his version of God beyond any sort of intelligible description. Arius said he wanted a monotheistic religion and yet he opened the door for a plethora of new gods. He wanted clarity in religion but couldn’t bring himself to believe that Scripture was true and infallible. Arius wanted Christianity but abandoned the self-revealing God and the divine Savior. In the end, Arius created a world that did just what he wanted to avoid at all costs. Arius created a world that didn’t make sense.

The Council of Nicaea Meets To Sort it Out

Constantine wanted to ensure the unity of his empire. He knew (as most contemporary leaders don’t) that the roots of social and cultural unity are ultimately religious. A people, an empire, always moves in the name of its true God (Micah 4:5). Constantine knew his empire needed religious as well as political unity. And it was…

With great displeasure that he witnessed the Arian controversy. At first, he tried low-key intervention and diplomacy. It didn’t work. So he tried something new. He called together the first ecumenical council of bishops and presbyters in the history of the Church. Constantine wanted a unified, peaceful empire, and he thought the key was a unified Church.

The Council met at Nicaea in Bithynia. 318 bishops attended. The emperor paid the expenses of all the delegates. He made all the logistical arrangements and was also present at the Council meetings. At a critical moment, he even encouraged the adoption of an objective biblical orthodoxy. And yet he never interfered in the Council’s deliberations or tried to force his own opinions on the Council.

Arius Makes His Pitch

Meanwhile, Arius came to Nicaea along with some of his followers. They insisted that the Son is of a different essence (heteroousion) than the Father. The slightly larger “orthodox party” led by Alexander of Alexandria and Hosius of Spain, insisted that the Son is of one essence (homoousion) with the Father. In other words, Arius’ opponents at the Council declared that the Son is truly divine.

There was also a relatively large middle-of-the-road party, led by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea. For one reason or another, many of the “middle of the road” bishops were also unwilling to commit to the word homoousion. They preferred the word that differed by one letter… the word homoiousion. It meant “of like essence.” The Son was of like essence with the Father. He was like God. (but not God)

As is often His way, God stirred the pot in such a way as to make compromise untenable. First, Arius spoke to the assembled bishops and made his position very clear: the Son is not deity; he is a mere creature. To his surprise, many of the bishops reacted violently. Including one St. Nicholas of Myra. They would have none of Arius’s ideas. Arius had seriously underestimated the novelty of his position. He also underestimated his ability to convince other bishops with his written arguments.

The Council Of Nicaea Says “Not So Fast”

The Council quickly wrote off Arius’s position as heresy. But they then found it had an even more difficult task. They needed a statement of belief that would cover who Jesus was. They were forced to create an official position on the matter. What words could the council use to draw a sharp line that would place orthodox believers on one side while firmly putting Arius and his followers on the other?

The Council went to great lengths discussing the Scriptural references for the issue. Surely one of them would serve as a litmus test for Christological orthodoxy. Finally, the orthodox bishops “confronted the Arians with the sections of Scriptural which appeared to leave no doubt as to the eternal Godhead of the Son. But to their surprise, they were met with perfect acquiescence on the side of the Arians. The Arians agreed to everything.

As each test for orthodoxy was propounded, the Arians whispered and made hand signals to each other, evidently hinting that each test could be safely accepted, since they had already prepared what they thought were overwhelming responses. The truth was, Arius and his friends had been at this game for a while. They had an explanation of some sort for every passage of Scripture that declared the Son’s eternal deity.

A Clear Expression Is Finally On The Table

On top of that, the Council was still troubled by the word homoousion. It isn’t in Scripture after all. Further, it didn’t have a long history of well-defined use. It seemed they were at an impasse.

About this time, one of Arius’s main supporters, Eusebius of Nicomedia asked to address the Council. He believed that the Arian position was about to lose the debate. Here again, was the hand of God in history. Eusebius’ address was in error.

But here’s the thing: he felt compelled to testify against the orthodox position in the most precise, but the harshest language he could. And so he did. He put it all on the table.

A Shocked Council Responds

The Council was shocked. Finally, the matter was out in the open, and the position was made crystal clear. The orthodox members of Council responded, and in the end, the Council of Nicaea gave us the first form of what we now call the Nicene Creed. It read in part:

We believe in one God, the Father All Governing, creator of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father as only begotten, that is, from the essence of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father, through whom all things came into being, both in heaven and in earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down and was incarnate, becoming human. He suffered, and the third day he rose and ascended into the heavens. And he will come to judge both the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit.

Interestingly, in its original form, written in 325, the Council’s decision ended with an anathema, based on Galatians 1:8-9, which is a pronouncement of God’s wrath against anyone who would reject the truth of who Jesus really is:

But those who say: ‘There was a time when he was not;’ and ‘He was not before he was made;’ and ‘He was made out of nothing,’ or ‘He is of another substance’ or ‘essence,’ or ‘The Son of God is created,’ or ‘changeable,’ or ‘alterable’—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.

Conclusion

It would be nice to believe that the Council of Nicaea settled the Christological issue of Jesus’ humanity and deity once and for all. It didn’t. The controversies continued and continue to this day. But the Church, for the first time, had confessed Christ in the clearest possible terms, and later generations would continue to build on that confession:

Jesus is God and the eternal Word of the Father. He is God, come in the flesh… the Saviour of the World.

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Winter Travel Survival: 7 Keys For Staying Safe On The Road

Winter Travel Survival: 7 Keys For Staying Safe On The Road was first published on http://totalsurvival.net/

Guidelines for winter travel survival are crucial because it really doesn’t take all that much snow to make the roads impassable.

I’ve written before about the things you should keep in your car for winter survival. However, I want to talk more specifically about what you can do to survive if you are ever in a situation where you get stranded or go off the road in the wintertime due to bad road conditions. I’ve seen many a car go off the road at one time or another and even driven in situations where the visibility was very bad. In fact, one time I drove right off the road and into someone’s front yard while thinking I was turning down the street. Oops!

Winter Travel Survival: A Snowstorm Can Leave You Stranded In A Hurry

The good news is that this is a short-term survival situation. Snow plow drivers and police know to be on the lookout for vehicles which have driven off the road, as this is a common problem. So, while you might have to spend a night in your cold car, it’s doubtful that you’ll have to spend more than 24 hours there. That is unless the snowstorm is so bad that snow plows can’t clear the roads.

This is a real possibility, especially in the mountains or near the Great Lakes. The city of Buffalo, New York, which sits on the east end of Lake Erie and close to Lake Ontario, has had single snowstorms that dropped as much as 88 inches of snow. Before you dig your calculator out, that’s over seven feet!

Of course, you’re unlikely to find yourself in seven feet of fresh snow. Notwithstanding, it really doesn’t take all that much snow to make the roads impassable. This is especially true if that snow is blowing into drifts. I’ve seen situations where mere inches of snow drifted up high enough to shut down highways, leaving me stranded.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #1: Keep Your Tank Full

When traveling in winter, always keep your gas tank full. By that I mean to see the halfway point as empty and to fill it up when you are approaching that level. If you get stuck somewhere, that gas could provide you with heat and help to keep you alive.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #2: Stay Put

The number one rule, when caught in such a situation, is to stay put if you can. Granted, if your car is on fire, that’s not a good idea. Nevertheless, as long as it is possible to stay in your car, then you stand a much better chance of getting rescued than if you leave it and wander about. Not only is it easier to see, but the police and snow plow operators are looking for vehicles at the outset. They are not on the lookout for people traipsing through fields on foot.

The other reason to stay put is that your car can provide you with at least some protection. Granted, cars don’t have much insulation and so, therefore, aren’t very good shelter. Still, they make for better shelter than being outside in the ice and snow.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #3: Call For Help

If you have any phone signal whatsoever, make use of it and call for help. If you can’t get through, then call or text a friend who can pass a message on to the police or highway patrol for you. Text messages can often get through when voice calls won’t. They don’t require as strong a signal and are affected less by inclement weather.

Of course, someone should have known about the trip you are taking, when you are leaving, the route that you are taking, and when you expect to arrive. If you don’t call and tell them you’ve arrived or why you are late, then they should be making the call for help for you.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #4: Don’t Go Outside Without Tethering

I’ve already said that you shouldn’t leave your car, but let me be more specific. You can lose track of your vehicle within mere feet if you get separated from it in a snowstorm. All that would have to happen is for you to fall and lose your sense of direction. If you couldn’t see your car after this due to the storm, you’d be lost. Chances are against you finding it again if you can’t even see it.

The solution to this is the same one that astronauts use when spacewalking. You need to tether yourself to your car any time you go out the door. Don’t use the excuse that you’re going to keep in contact with the car because you don’t know if you’ll be able to. This means taking a piece of string or rope and tying one end to yourself (like your belt) and the other to the car (possibly the steering wheel). I like using paracord for this since it is strong enough to keep from breaking should I fall.

If worst comes to worst, you can find your way back to the car door simply by pulling on your cord and following it. That act alone could save your life.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #5: Keep Your Car Clear

While I’m not a big fan of leaving the car for any reason, you will have to for a few important things. The first is to keep the tailpipe clear. If you’re going to use your engine heater to keep you warm, then you need to go outside every once in a while to clear the snow from the tailpipe. Otherwise, the exhaust gas could come inside the vehicle and kill you. Don’t assume that it’s clear because of the heat of the gas melting the snow. You should absolutely check the situation out, especially when you first start.

The other thing I’m talking about here is clearing the snow off your car so as to make it more visible. Obviously, this is only important during the daytime. Nonetheless, if rescuers are looking for you, then it only makes sense to make their job easier. Looking like one more snowdrift isn’t going to help you at all.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #6: Keep Yourself Warm

This is the hardest part of the job. Winter weather can make it hard to keep yourself warm, especially at night. While the car will help some by blocking wind, what will you do if your engine won’t start?

In my article about prepping your car for winter survival, I mention taking some space blankets and duct tape along with you as well as regular blankets. The space blankets are for coating the inside of your passenger compartment with a heat-reflective surface. This strategy will help to keep your body heat inside the vehicle. Yet, that may not be enough. Bundle yourself up, huddling together under whatever blankets you have so that you can keep warm.

A couple of large candles can make a huge difference as well. While they won’t really make the inside of your car warm, they can help hold the temperature above freezing. This should be warm enough to help you survive.

Another way you can generate heat is to burn your spare tire. Yes, it will burn, but it will also produce a lot of smoke in the process. As a result, you’ll need to keep the tire outside of your car while doing this. Open a door on the downwind side of the car and burn the tire in the V formed there. But be sure to let the air out of it before lighting it on fire.

Winter Travel Survival Tip #7: Signal Rescuers

Finally, be ready to signal rescuers when they come by. Don’t assume they will see you, especially if you are off the road. Use flashlights, flares, whistles, and anything else you have to attract their attention, especially when you can see them near.

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Ice Caves: Surviving Harsh Conditions In A Wild Winter Environment

Do you have any other recommendations for winter travel survival? Let us know in the comments below.

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Study Reveals That Fewer Americans Want Christ In Christmas

Study Reveals That Fewer Americans Want Christ In Christmas was originally published to http://totalsurvival.net/

On the whole, LifeWay has discovered that fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas than ever.

New research shows that fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas. Specifically, the number of Americans who think “Christmas should be more about Jesus” fell by 20% in four years.

61% of Americans wanted Christ in Christmas in 2014, LifeWay Research calculated. However, only 41% of Americans want Christ in Christmas in 2018. LifeWay Research is a Christian polling firm that gathers data to help church leaders with their ministry. LifeWay surveyed 1,004 people through the website KnowledgePanel, by mail, and by phone to gauge attitudes about Christ in Christmas. They conducted the survey between September 21 and September 23, 2018.

On the whole, LifeWay has discovered that fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas than ever. In addition, more Americans admit to being unsure about their faith.

Fewer Americans Want Christ In Christmas Than Four Years Ago

At this point, only a handful of Americans will openly admit that they want Christ out of Christmas. Nevertheless, the percentage of Americans who want Christ out of Christmas is growing considerably.

For example, 9% of Americans strongly disagreed with the statement “Christmas should be more about Jesus” in 2014. Yet, 11% of Americans now admit they strongly disagree with that same statement. As a consequence, we can clearly see that the number of Americans who admit they want Christ out of Christmas is growing at a steady rate.

Remarkably, fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas but they could be afraid to admit it. In particular, just 3% of Americans said they were not sure about Christ in Christmas in 2014. Notwithstanding, 16% of Americans will presently admit they are “not sure” about the statement “Christmas should be more about Jesus.”

As a result, Americans appear to be less sure about their faith in 2018 than in 2014.

Fewer Americans Want Christ In Christmas But Xmas Still Offends Them

The LifeWay Research data reveals that fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas because fewer people are offended by Xmas and Happy Holidays.

The number of Americans who think saying Xmas instead of Christmas is offensive fell by 10% in four years. In 2014, 25% of Americans found Xmas offensive. Today, only 15% of Americans say Xmas is offensive.

Moreover, the number of Americans who are unsure whether Xmas is offensive is growing. In detail, only 6% of Americans were not sure about Xmas in 2014. Nonetheless, 14% of Americans are unsure about Xmas today.

Fewer Americans Want Christ In Christmas But They Do Not Care About Happy Holidays

Fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas, yet hardly any of them care about the phrase Happy Holidays.

To elaborate, merely 16% of Americans find saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” offensive. Furthermore, only 17% of Americans found Happy Holidays offensive in 2014. So, the phrase Happy Holidays is even less offensive than Xmas. Unfortunately, LifeWay does not explain the difference between the two terms here.

The most likely explanation is that most Americans do not think Happy Holidays takes Christ out of Christmas. For instance, some people think Happy Holidays is respectful to Jews and other non-Christians. On the other hand, Xmas appears to be an explicitly unreligious slang term which offends many Christians.

Putting Christ In Christmas Deeply Divides Americans

The concept of Christ in Christmas deeply divides Americans, Lifeway Research demonstrates. Particularly, fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas to avoid controversy.

Overall, college graduates were less likely to agree with “Christmas should be more about Jesus” than the less educated. 59% of those with a bachelor’s degree and 55% of those with a graduate degree disagreed with the statement.

Additionally, more Protestants want Christ in Christmas than Catholics. Notably, 87% of Protestants and 74% of Catholics believe that “Christmas should be more about Jesus.”

Meanwhile, 19% of Christians disagree that “Christmas should be more about Christ.” This means that the clear majority of Christians still believe that there should be more Christ in Christmas.

Significantly, Evangelicals are the strongest proponents of Christ in Christmas. Alternatively, only 59% of non-Evangelicals support putting more Christ in Christmas.

African Americans are also more likely to want Christ at Christmas. In fact, 73% of “black, non-Hispanic” people believe Jesus should be in Christmas.

Why Do Fewer Americans Want Christ In Christmas?

LifeWay Research finds that fewer Americans want Christ in Christmas but does not ask why. Further, LifeWay does not provide a reason to explain the surging number of Americans who want Christ out of Christmas in the past four years.

One explanation is the polarizing nature of Christ’s incarnation in the first place. After all, according to scripture, Christ came as Savior to a world in need of repentance. This fact alone creates issues. To celebrate the birth of Jesus is to confess that He came to save sinners. This means that many people become uncomfortable with what looks like criticism. We’re all guilty of this to some degree. Most of us are offended when our weaknesses are pointed out. But it’s more than that. The gospel of Jesus Christ specifies how we are to live. It places very real obligations and requirements on us. Who wants to be told what to do?

But the biggest offense in our culture is to believe and proclaim that there is only one way to salvation.

The truth is, we should anticipate even more hostility to Christianity as Americans continue to press the belief that “anything goes” personally and culturally.

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Grinch Principal Banned Candy Canes, Santa, And Christmas Trees

What are your thoughts on fewer Americans wanting Christ in Christmas? Let us know in the comments below.

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The True Christmas Story Of Our Messiah, Savior, And Hero

The following post The True Christmas Story Of Our Messiah, Savior, And Hero is courtesy of http://totalsurvival.net

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus / Born to set Thy people free.

— Charles Wesley, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” (1744)

The Redeemer has broken every bond: / The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.

— Placide Cappeau, O Holy Night, (1847)

In The Beginning

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Then God created man in His own image. He gave us the world and promised us life and joy. But we rebelled against God’s word. Adam chose to place his own interpretation on reality, an interpretation shaped by his inward desire to be his own god.

God could have destroyed man and his world on that day. But instead, He made a promise. A Hero would come to reconcile God to man and man to God (Gen. 3:15). And as a sign and seal of that promise, God sacrificed animals… probably lambs… and clothed our first parents with their skins.

As the faithful thought about that sacrifice, as they repeated it year after year, they should have seen that the sacrificial lamb died in the place of rebels. The lamb was a representative, a substitute of sorts. Through the sacrificial lamb, God was promising reconciliation and peace through a substitute.

But the lamb itself was not the substitute. After all, the slaughter of lambs and goats and bulls would go on for 4,000 years. Every sacrifice pointed to the Substitute, but no animal sacrifice was the Substitute. The faithful could have reasoned that the promised Hero would be the Substitute, but that would be an incredible conclusion because the Substitute had to die. But heroes never die in a good story… do they?

Waiting For The Messiah

Two thousand years after God gave His first promise, He called Abraham out of the city of Ur in Mesopotamia and led him to the land of Canaan — what we call Palestine. Following this, God gave him a promise. Abraham would become the channel through whom God would bless the whole world. “In thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). Abraham would be the ancestor of the great Hero who would restore the world to God’s blessing.

To confirm this promise, God swore an oath to Abraham. In a terribly stark but powerful ceremony, God swore unilaterally that He would not let His promise fail… that He Himself would die rather than let His promise fail (Gen. 15). There was a hint here. Later, God imposed the bloody rite of circumcision on Abraham and his descendants. Circumcision pointed to the necessity of God’s saving grace. There could be no hope in natural generation. The flesh could only produce the flesh. The promised Seed, Hero, and Substitute would be born through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Abraham, of course, was the ancestor of the Jewish people. And for 2,000 years their prophets and seers drew word-pictures of the coming Hero:

He would be the Seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of David. He would be born of a virgin, in Bethlehem of Judea (Isa. 7; Mic. 5). He would appear “70 weeks” of years after Cyrus ordered the Temple rebuilt (Dan. 9). He would arrive in the days of the fourth great world empire, the one that succeeded Babylon, Persia, and Greece (Dan. 2). He would come when Rome ruled the world.

The Hero, the Substitute, would be God’s Anointed, His Messiah. He would be a Prophet like Moses, a Priest like Melchizedek, a King greater than David. He would sit at God’s right hand, ruling in justice, wrath, and mercy. His government and peace would fill the earth (Isa. 9). All kings would bring Him tribute; all nations would serve Him (Ps. 72).

And yet this great Hero, this Messiah, would be despised, rejected, afflicted — without comeliness, without beauty (Isa. 53). His own people would conspire with the Gentiles to destroy Him (Ps. 2). He would be betrayed by His friend, deserted by His disciples, surrendered to the Gentiles, numbered with criminals, mocked by His enemies, pierced in His hands and feet, hung on a tree, slain, and buried in a borrowed tomb.

And on the third day, He would rise from the dead and take His seat at God’s right hand (Ps. 110).

With this picture of the Messiah fully drawn, the prophets fell silent and 4,000 years passed.

The Child Is Born

Image source: Pixabay.com

Finally… in the fullness of time… when Augustus was emperor, when Herod the Great was king of Judea… when pagan idolatry and Greek philosophy had not simply failed but carried culture into the depths of depravity… the Messiah came (Matt. 1-2; Luke 1-2). They called Him “Jesus.” He was born by miracle, born of a virgin without the interference of a human male. He was born in innocence and holiness. He was born the incarnate Son of God.

Incarnation. What a word! And on it, the whole promise of reconciliation turns. God Himself becomes the Hero. God became man. He took to Himself a true human nature. And yet He remained God, eternal deity: one Person, two natures. “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

The creeds of the Church put it this way:

I believe. . . in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man (Nicene Creed).

. . . [W]e teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation. . . (Formula of Chalcedon).

This Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the Hero. No other.

Because Jesus was truly man, He could suffer and die in the place of men. Because He was truly God, His life was of infinite value and He could bear all of God’s wrath against sinners.

The Belgic Confession (1561) summarizes the Gospel with these words:

We believe that God, who is perfectly merciful and just, sent his Son to assume that nature, in which the disobedience was committed, to make satisfaction in the same, and to bear the punishment of sin by his most bitter passion and death. God therefore manifested his justice against his Son, when he laid our iniquities upon him; and poured forth his mercy and goodness on us, who were guilty and worthy of damnation, out of mere and perfect love, giving his Son unto death for us, and raising him for our justification, that through him we might obtain immortality and life eternal.

Jesus died on the cross in the place of guilty sinners. The third day He rose again. He returned to life to give life to His people. Christ ascended to heaven and sat down at the Father’s right hand. He is Lord of all, and He reigns with truth and grace. Jesus forgives sins and changes lives. He frustrates and destroys His enemies. Our Savior directs history, in all its details, toward the peace and blessedness the prophets foretold. Those who trust in Him have peace with God now and an eternal place in His kingdom.

This is the meaning of Christmas.

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The One Plant Every Survivalist Should Grow

The following blog post The One Plant Every Survivalist Should Grow was originally published on http://totalsurvival.net/

If you could only grow one food as part of your emergency preps, which one would it be? If you ask me, it should most assuredly be garlic. This tiny little powerhouse of a crop not only improves the flavor of long-term storage meals, it also boasts potent medicinal and household uses.

Allicin is the compound contained in garlic that is primarily responsible or its antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral prowess. The allicin in garlic is exceptionally helpful in treating oral problems and yeast infections.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice. Please talk to your doctor before using any of the herbs and/or remedies mentioned in this article.

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Garlic, which is often regarded as a superfood, has been used as an herbal medicine ingredient for tens of thousands of years. Not only is garlic easy to grow, it can literally be grown indoors in any climate, even if you live in a tiny urban apartment.

Garlic Medicinal Uses

Gum Disease

There are at least 500 different types of bacteria that could be floating around inside your mouth at any given moment. Now, not all of the potential oral bacteria invaders pose a health threat – some actually aid the body. But, keeping both the good and the bad bacteria in check can help prevent painful gum disease and the tooth decay it can provoke.

The allicin in garlic can prevent the growth of bad bacteria and can help thwart tooth decay in the process. Using this natural gum disease fighter now, before an SHTF event, just might improve the health of your gums. Commercially manufactured products that claim to kill “99% of bacteria” inside your mouth would then, if the claim is accurate, be eliminating the good bacteria along with the bad.

You do not need to go the extreme route and scour the internet for garlic-flavored toothpaste to reap the benefits from allicin. You can purchase garlic in capsule form and consume it daily to weekly or add the veggie (yes, garlic really is classified as a vegetable and not an herb) to your meals on a regular basis.

Toothache

Chewing on a garlic clove may also help eliminate the pain associated with a toothache. To treat a toothache with garlic, peel away the paper-like outer covering from the clove and then place the clove over the sore tooth. Crush the clove slowly and repeatedly over the tooth to release the garlic juice, pressing as firmly as you can each time.

After a few minutes, remove the remains of the clove and rinse with warm water. The garlic juice should offer relief from the pain in about 10 minutes or so. Repeat this process several times a day to relieve pain and attempt to eliminate the infection caused by an abscessed tooth.

Making a poultice using a ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and clove oil and applying it to the infected tooth several times a day may also prove successful at eliminating both pain and infection.

Mouthwash

Making a natural mouthwash to both prevent and treat oral health issues is both incredibly quick and easy.

1. Mix together ½ cup of warm water (distilled recommended) with 1 teaspoon of garlic juice.
2. Add in 1 teaspoon of salt and stir thoroughly.
3. Optional, add in ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon and/or apple cider vinegar.
4. Once the mixture cools, use as a typical mouthwash.

Common Cold

Garlic is also used to reduce the time we are forced to suffer from common cold symptoms. Study results vary, but the consumption of garlic could reduce the time you have a common cold by up to 70 percent.

When my husband was struggling with a cold and possible bronchial issues for weeks and just couldn’t kick it, I started him on garlic capsules and added a few pinches more of powdered garlic to our meals and he started feeling better in less than one week. Garlic, more specifically the allicin it is comprised of, is often regarded as having immune system boosting properties.

Splinters

The anti-inflammatory antioxidants in garlic can help eliminate and soothe skin rashes – even psoriasis issues – when rubbed onto the problem areas regularly in oil form.

Yeast Infections

The antimicrobial properties contained in garlic could help thwart yeast infections. A research report by the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery determined that using a thyme and garlic based vaginal cream was just as successful as using the common commercially manufactured yeast infection cream that contains clotrimazole.

Cold Sores

To help heal a cold sore, cut a single garlic clove in half and rub the pain area. Garlic should decrease both the discomfort and inflammation commonly associated with cold sores.

Splinters

Cut a thin slice of garlic and put it over the area of the skin where the splinter is located. Wrap a piece of tape or a bandage over the splinter to hold the garlic in place. In about 30 to 60 minutes, the swelling and pain around the splinter should subside, exposing the splinter more readily so it can be pulled out of the skin completely with tweezers.

Acne

Cut several cloves of garlic and rub them onto acne breakouts to harness the antioxidant properties of garlic to kill the bacteria that caused the pimples. Ingesting more garlic may help prevent the formation of acne.

Athlete’s Foot

Soak your feet in warm water with about one tablespoon of crushed garlic for half an hour to treat athlete’s foot and similar fungal problems.

General Health Benefits

Eating garlic on a regular basis may help you lose weight and ward off cardiac issues.

Beauty

Applying garlic oil or juice to the scalp may promote healthy hair and spark growth. The increased blood flow and bolstered circulation prompted by the garlic could strengthen the hair. Some folks opt to rub unwrapped cloves onto the scalp directly or consume garlic capsules to garner the same hair health and growth results.

Garlic Household Uses

Pest Control

Finely chop an entire head of garlic – using a blender or food processor is highly recommended. Place the garlic in a quart Mason jar with hot water and allow it to steep overnight. Then, strain the mixture using cheesecloth and use the remaining liquid to spray areas where pests have been spotted to keep them at bay.

Crack Filler

Garlic not only has a plethora of healthy properties, it can also be used as a natural adhesive as well. To fix hairline cracks in both ceramic and glass objects, use garlic juice from a few to a handful of crushed cloves to fill in the crack and deter it from spreading.

How To Grow Garlic

Garlic should be planted in the early to middle of fall, depending upon your climate. I live in the Midwest and put my garlic into pots in late September for a June or July harvest. Garlic can be planted up to six or eight weeks before your first hard frost when growing outdoors in the fall.

• Garlic should be planted in rich soil that is well drained.
• Place your container pots in an area that gets full sun. Garlic needs six full hours of sun each day to grow.
• Garlic cloves must be planted root side down – the thin pointy side of the garlic clove is the root. Plant at least four up to six inches apart if using large pots or sowing directly into the ground. If planting in the ground, make sure the garlic is planted in rows that are a minimum of one and a half to two inches apart.

• Cover the garlic cloves with at least one but preferably two inches of rich fine soil.

Growing Hints and Tips

Garlic may also be planted in the spring for a fall harvest. If you live in a cold climate, add up to six inches of mulch if the garlic will be grown in the soil or outdoors in container pots over the winter.

Top 3 Ways To Preserve Garlic

1. 1. Freezing garlic is the simplest way to preserve it. Peel the cloves and put them in bags and simply place them in the freezer. You can open the bag and grate or chop the amount of garlic you want on an as-needed basis. Garlic that has been roasted or pureed in oil can be frozen in the same manner.
   2. Garlic can be dried by cutting the cloves in half in a lengthwise manner and dehydrating them in a machine, in the sun, or in the oven. If using a common household dehydrator machine, use the vegetable setting (about 135 degrees F) and keep them in the machine until they are completely crisp. If using an oven, bake at 140 degrees F for about 2 hours and then at 130 for another hour – or until crisp and dry.
   3. To make a garlic salt, use a food processor or a blend to finely chop a mixture created at a ratio of one part garlic to four parts sea salt. This mixture can be stored at room temperature in an airtight Mason jar for years.

You might not be able to survive on garlic alone, but this popular recipe ingredient can help you heal yourself, get rid of mice, and even fix a crack in your last remaining bowl, during a long-term disaster.

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