Prayer Breakfast
0700 at BJ’s Restaurant
Hamilton Montana
Oh Father,
in whom I find life, health, and strength, through whose gifts I am clothed and
fed, through whose mercy I have been forgiven and cleansed, be for me guide,
strength, Saviour, and Lord all the days of my life. In Jesus Christ’s name we
pray. Amen.
1. Opening - Round the Table
Individual Prayers
2. Morning Psalm: 131
3. Breakfast Reading: Isaiah 40:9-11
4. Breakfast is served
5. Breakfast Discussion Topics:
a.
News around the valley
b.
Week 13 of 52 weeks of preparation by Tess Pennington
6. Closing - Round the Table
Individual Prayers
7. Benediction
Almighty
God, cause your good gifts to flow in and through my life and ministry this day
and always. Amen.
Upcoming Events:
18
Apr 2016 – Christian Veterans of the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
25 Apr 2016 –
Christian Veterans of the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
Follow the Fellowship of Christian Veterans:
Week 13 of 52:
Spiritual Preparedness
We tend to play stories in our
head. Whether they are truth or fiction, we live through these stories and feel
them as if they are really happening. When I began Ready Nutrition two years
ago, I plunged myself head first into every preparedness book and article,
studied every possible disaster I may run into, and every grim scenario.
Needless to say, I was playing a 24-hour TEOTWAWKI scenario in my head and
became weary as a result. In my mind, I was not studying it, I was living through
it. Even though, I prayed regularly and had accepted God into my heart and
lived a Christian life, I found it hard to cope because there was something
missing. I realized I had not put any thought into my spiritual
preparedness before I began this arduous preparedness journey.
I am sharing my doomer fatigue experience with you because I
want each of you to know that the end result of not preparing your spirit
for hard decisions and troubling times will effect your overall well being and
make it all the more difficult for you to shake the effects of the
disaster away. The longer you stay in the shock and awe of the
disaster moment, the longer it takes for you move into surviving.
Choosing to prepare now is a choice you made with your spirit to
survive. You are putting plans in place, purchasing basic living items,
tools, and presently you are working on your spirit to be prepared. When you
are spiritually prepared, the groundwork is then laid for mental preparedness (something we will dive into next
week).
As James Allen once said, “Every man thinks, lives and acts in
exact accordance with the belief which is rooted in his inner most being.”
Essentially, spiritual preparedness is your moral compass that guides you
through the good and bad times. It is your core beliefs that make up who you
are and serve you throughout your walk of life. These beliefs are
what guide you, motivate you, sustain you or they will do the complete
opposite. They will either become a negative or positive influence depending on
what they hold as truths about the nature of yourself and your reality.
Exercising these core beliefs will help you further
develop and be more aware of where your spiritual growth is at and
what you need to improve on. You can develop this further by
being aware of it and by utilizing these mental exercises:
1. Sit and reflect by asking yourself moral questions such as:
- Am I what
I want to be?
- Do I have the
courage to make the hard changes to be a better person?
- Do I have the
courage to turn away from bad habits?
And going even further, asking the tough preparedness questions
and really investigating why you chose to answer the way you did can help
you in developing your spiritual preparedness. Here are some examples of these
types of questions:
- What would I do
if a neighbor needed my help? How far would I go to help my neighbor?
- If a relative needed
food, would I help them? Why is it important to help others?
- Would using a
gun on a home intruder be something I could do? Why would I feel bad
about it?
- Would I feel
responsible if I could not help someone medically and they died? Why am I
taking that burden on?
Working and further developing your moral compass will
help you in finding the answers to tough situations during disasters. Most
importantly you will find peace in the midst of adversity. Possessing this
spiritual preparedness will lay the groundwork for being mentally prepared for
disasters. The card game, Conflicted to
exercise your spiritual preparedness and learn what you would do in certain
survival situations.
2. Knowledge is power. Reading inspirational books and printing
out inspirational passages that call to you is a tool that many use to stay
spiritually awakened. In addition, reading survival books and
survival fiction can help the reader look at preparedness from different
perspectives and learn more about their spiritual foundation through the
characters of the books. Devotional studies have helped many in developing
their spiritual preparedness.
3. Acknowledgement and gratitude are other ways that you can begin
laying a spiritual foundation. I have often started my prayers with how
thankful I am for the family, friends and events that shaped who I am. Even the
bad events played a part in who I am. I then follow the gratitude with further
prayers. After I am done, I feel at peace.
4. Find passages in a book or religious reference and writing it
down for you to turn to later also helps. In my preparedness manual, I
have an entire section of my book that has inspirational quotes and bible
passages that I have printed out or found that has touched me. In addition, I
have all of the church handouts that I have received over the years to turn to.
Preps to buy:
The best way to begin training your mind for mental preparedness
is through knowledge, faith and practice. Go online and purchase some
books to add to your survival library. Some books that I have read and
have found helpful in this area are:
- The Holy Bible
or an equivalent book on religion
- Devotional
books
- A New Earth: Awakening to
Your Life’s Purpose by
Eckhart Tolle
- The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley
- Are You Ready for Change?
Preparing for Tribulation in America by Philip Lewis
- Survive!: Essential Skills
and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive by Les
Stroud
- One Second After by William R. Forstchen
- Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour
Action Items:
1. Find some time and think about your core beliefs. What do you
believe in? What drives you to be a better person?
2. If you feel open in discussing your belief system, talk with
family members and find out what they believe.
3. Set up a time daily where you can sit and meditate on your
spirit.
4. Begin exploring ways to advance your core beliefs to spiritually
prepare yourself.
5. Practice your spiritual beliefs daily.
6. Talk with a spiritual advisor, pastor, or priest if you reach a
place where you need guidance.
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