The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Okay, it could be falling if evil terrorists have their way.  I don’t mean to be Henny-Penny, but it’s important to me that I’m not the only one making plans for the end of the world – but you decide for yourself.  

            According to Ron Rhodes, a researcher and author with more than a million books in print, it’s more likely than not that within ten years one of several catastrophic scenarios will befall the US. It could be a total economic collapse brought about by our overdependence on oil, a nuclear attack on our homeland, or the very real possibility of an EMP attack. According to Rhodes, there are countries that have currently tested and have the capability to explode a nuclear device 300 miles in the atmosphere over America, resulting in an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that would knock out all electronic systems across the entire United States. To cut to the chase, that would virtually eliminate transportation, computer systems, banking, all utility infrastructures, and the delivery of food and water to the general population, plunging us back into an 1800’s type society possibly for years. Our own government has tested this “theory” on an uninhabited island and inadvertently knocked out lights and phones in Hawaii in the process, 800 miles from the test site. Rhodes, in his book “Northern Storm Rising,”  reports that US Representative Jim Saxon, a member of a blue ribbon commission that studied the issue, asserted that the “technology is now here to bring Americas way of life to an end.” 

            Now are you ready to join me? The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We need to prepare. I know what you’re thinking, but this is not like Y2K. I’m not going to buy 42 cans of Spam this time; but I do think a little preparation might be in order. So, I have come up with a contingency plan.

            First, I’ll be stocking up on hair color. The end of the world is no reason not to look your best. Second, I will stock up on provisions for our horse, which will provide several benefits. First, he will be our sole mode of transportation when oil and gas are no longer available. Second, he will provide vital horse power for heavy pulling or hauling. And equally important, he will provide the essential fertilizer needed for our all important garden. I realize that I have never actually succeeded in my many attempts at gardening before, but it was never a matter of survival. Let’s face it, if Burger King closes my family could starve. Just in the event of such a catastrophe, I will be storing a variety of vegetable seeds in the freezer, with the sincere hope we never get that desperate. Finally, while I have discounted hording canned meats (this time), stocking up on toilet paper could give us barter power among the less prepared. 

            That’s it. That’s my plan for survival. Nothing too extreme. I’m not recommending an end-of the world garage sale or anything. Just a little advance forethought that could help my family survive any number of calamities: flood, famine, alien attack, asteroid shower, maybe even global warming. Perhaps though, the most effective step we can take will be a benefit us whether the world plunges into chaos, or we live on happy, healthy, and wealthy for a lifetime.          

            And that is to “take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer . . .  love each other as if your life depended on it . . . Be generous with the different things God gave (us) . . . That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything - encores to the end of time.” 1 Peter 4

            And remember dear friends, “when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job . . . Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it” even if the sky does fall.   (1 Peter 4, The Message )