Ruminant Covenant - Adaptability

For life, natural disasters, Y2K and beyond

29 September 1999

Last week we looked at Rules 1-3 in our adaptability section of God's ruminant covenant people, focusing on God's Word as the absolute foundation of our ability to adapt. This week we will look at Rule 4 and have a few words as to why we need to be prepared to walk through natural and other disasters or occurrences.

Rule 4. When all else fails cut wood. Saws, Axes and fossil fuels. All over the world wood is the renewable energy source. The best way to utilize this vast supply is to cut it with a saw into manageable size units. There are a number of folding saws that work fine for cutting wood in an emergency, or when out in the woods. I have what is called a Sven Saw, with large well set teeth that I have had for many years and which I take with me when fires are appropriate. There are other similar variations of this available from outdoor equipment stores. Most of these are manufactured in America or Europe, but there are probably some Asian knock-offs. Since all of these are essentially a blade with some metal to hold it in a cutting tension, check to see if it is of high quality. Saws are generally lighter, faster and easier to use for a novice than an axe.

Axes come in all sizes from small hatchets to real wood cutting machines. In the hands of a well conditioned and trained individual a lot of large pieces of wood can be handled in a short period of time. One of those persons I knew well, was my cousin Jim who's parents used wood to heat their home when I still in high school. One time when out by himself cutting wood the for the winter, Jim sliced off his boot and the side of his foot with his trusty axe. Because he was acquainted with woods procedure and the foot is not over supplied with blood carrying arteries, he was able to get out to help and suffered no permanent effects. An axe is a dangerous tool and should always be used with the greatest care. Beginning with hand axes or hatchets, which some woodsmen call "finger pruning devices," up to a full size double bitted wonder there may be times when a good axe skills are something you would like to develop. Splitting firewood rounds with a splitting mall, is good exercise and will help you hit where you look and is relatively safe if you don't do anything stupid. President Reagan being an example of someone who enjoyed the metaphysical aspects of chopping wood.

Perhaps the best axe for portability is what is known as a 3/4 or boy's axe. They come in various styles, my favorite being known as a Hudson Bay or canoe axe (it looks kind of like a tomahawk with a long handle). Three quarter axes are the most dangerous. A missed or glancing swing instead of hitting the ground or in worst cases your foot, as with a full size axe will now hit you in the leg and could put you in a serious hurt. Axes can be something quite valuable in your adaptability arsenal however, and I don't want to imply they are any more accident prone than other tools, it is just that in the case of the axe a mistake it can be quite dangerous. Therefore in remembrance of cousin Jim, I am always quite safety conscious when using an axe of any persuasion. A good 3/4 or full size axe of American or European vintage will cost between $20 to $40 for a double bitted beauty that Paul Bunyan would be happy to shave with. Axes are sharpened with files, except for shaving, generally with a fine Mill Bastard. (That is the actual name.)

We live in an age of fossil fuels. If there is one resource that has greatly increased the quality of our lives in this century it has been the use of petroleum products. In our look at adaptability we need to see that function as an incredible asset and make provision to utilize it without becoming overly dependent upon it. Propane and butane can be used as a source of heating, cooking and lighting energy. The one potential problems, as with all fossil fuels, is that it must be purchased from the world economy. Until the Lord returns, it will always be available. The question is are you willing or able to pay the price. With the exception of Gaz brand of stoves and lanterns, the new Coleman line of appliances, and some off the wall stuff, most of the appliances available can be adapted to use larger bulk containers. It might not make any sense operating a backpacking stove or lantern off a forty pound bulk tank, but there are adapters out there when properly linked together that can make it happen, if you can find them. As I said earlier one of my purchases for Y2K will be one of these adapters that you can use a one pound propane cylinder on a Coleman stove that I inherited from my parents. From that adapter,you can buy a hose and/or other adapters, to use a propane bulk tank. That way I can either use white gas or propane.

If I had the opportunity to start fresh I would probably buy a propane unit either already set up for use with a bulk tank or to be able to be converted through the hose adapter. Propane lanterns will also work off one of those posts that are available where all that stuff is sold. There you have it light and heat in one easy to use central unit. You wives may want to send your husband to look for all the different parts and adapters, then if it doesn't work properly the first time you try to use it he only has only himself to blame. This really is a guy type of thing, anyway.

I bought my first bulk propane tank and an accompanying heater, after the power had been out in the house three days. Even though it is a gas furnace, you need electricity to run the furnace blower and draft, so I was without heat all that time. Gas logs in the fireplace would have solved the problem or here turly is a use for a small gas generator. The first night it was kind of fun, with a fire in the fireplace, the second night it was getting cold and the wood was running out, and it was beginning to get cold. The third night it was cold! Before going to sleep the third night, enclosed in my down sleeping bag, after relating the afore mentioned facts to the Lord, I said that this was just about all the fun I was prepared to handle. About two in the morning the power came on and the problem was alleviated.

During the spring seasonal sales, I bought a heater and the bulk tank. Since initially trying them out. They have never been used. With the use of gas appliances indoors you should always supply adequate ventilation. Like, read the directions! They say for outdoor use only, or use only with adequate ventilation. These appliances all produce a certain amount of Carbon Monoxide, even the non-vented and catalytic units. Carbon Monoxide is odorless and can kill you by replacing the oxygen in your blood with this gas. During those three nights I used a Alladin light, which are kerosene lamps with mantles. Which according to the advertising, says it has the output of a 75 watt bulb. I had an antique one that my mother had given me and one I had bought when a hardware store went out of business. The new one worked much better. As far as those other kerosene lanterns in the stores, the ones with the wicks, they may be better than nothing or candles, but not that much better. New modern airtight houses, even in the all electric mode, are quite prone to indoor air pollution, perhaps more dangerous long-term that anything we produce outdoors. Any fossil fuel use in one of these homes will exacerbate this problem with potential combustion by-products.

This leads us to the lantern that has probably lit more cabins, barns, tents and open spaces in this century than any other. That being the two mantle Coleman lantern. For the amount of light produced, there is really no substitute. I bought one at a garage sale for $10 (new they are about $50). It had been used once. Coleman now makes them in a number of different variations and mantles, but as far as dependable light either in liquid fuel or propane, they are the standard by which all other fuel lighting sources are to be measured. Again, the man of the house can be the engineer of this whole energy utilization system.One lantern may be all the heat that is needed in a tent.

What I call community cookers should also be mentioned. What separates Christians, or should separate Christians, from the secular world is the understanding that we are eternal personalities living in eternal community with other saints, both living and dead. We have not only the right but the obligation to provide for others in times of personal hardship. I will have more to say about this at the end of this section, but we need to be cognizant of a responsibility to provide soup kitchen and similar feeding facilitates during times of crisis. Portable propane stoves, turkey fryers and similar devices that put out 30 thousand BTU's or more, fueled from bulk cylinders are readily available priced and from $25 to about $100. Twenty quart or larger pots are also available. These could be used within the church proper in means of community outreaches, work parties, or just general fellowship. A number of churches around here also have converted old oil drums and similar devices for Barbecues, either gas or wood fired

As far as liquid fuels, white gas and kerosene are probably the safest. Unleaded automobile gas can be use in a number of appliances but I would only recommend it as a last resort. Partially because of all the hazardous compounds that are present in our gasoline that fuels our automobiles. In the old days, it was just a lot of straight chained hydrocarbons and tetra-ethyl-lead. Now only God, and a few petroleum refinery engineers know what types and amounts of cancer producing and other hazardous compounds that are present in our motor fuel.

Regular gasoline "gas" is of use in a number of other worthwhile appliance however, in your adaptability program design. A small gas generator may be one of those. It can run your furnace, cool your freezer and refrigerator and provide lights to keep everyone cheery, but sized for electric cooking and your water heater, might be typical, but is really a form of American gluttony. If you are going to head for the hills or the water to get away from it all, a small kicker outboard and gas might allow you to find a safer locality from which to adapt.

Probably the one other gas device that I would recommend is a chainsaw. Use it when that 75 ft. Pseudotsuga menziesii falls across your generator building, the freezer and the rest of your house, or to cut wood in the woods, or to build a more long term shelter for you and your family. We started this section with handsaws and we will finish with a real mans tool. Powerful and noisey! Again they too can be quite dangerous, because not only do you have a high tech wood cutting machine, you can also use it to cut wooden trees that may weigh many tons. The combination can be lethal, but also can allow you to adapt in time, places and at a speed that the pioneers could not have dreamed about.

Chainsaws come in basically three varieties, toys, farm and ranch models, and professional saws. Most of the saws you see in most places fall into the toy show. The come in gas and electric. A good electric toy is something you might consider for work around the house in the suburbs. You can cut up that little tree and those limbs into firewood and a lot of other things around the house. The other thing is that they are cheap, most well below a hundred dollars. Small gas powered saws are hard to start, built to be disposable, with bar too long and chain too small to seriously cut real wood.

Farm and ranch models are really where you should look if you want to seriously consider buying a chainsaw for use and adaptability. Look for names like Stihl, Husqvarna, and Echo for some of the most dependable manufactures. The farm and rancher models are usually the smallest model that comes with a full sized chain (7/32"). They also normally have an 18-20" bar and chain and an engine displacement of over 50 cc. A lot of the year they are on sale, but even so prices usually begin at no less than $300 on sale, so this is an investment. Used as the name of the class implies, or to build a small cabin or any other thing you call on it to do, it will perform well. Sometimes you can find these brands in the pawn shop or other used supplier of tools, all brands other than Stihl tend to loose resale value more rapidly. The major problem with buying one of these saws here, is just how used, is it. These saws will cut a lot of wood, and if you can find one that has not had a lot of use it may be a good deal. These manufactures make smaller saws also, but they are not really that much cheaper than the step up to the next grade. They are really designed for urban landscapeprofessionals using them for specific trimming tasks and for upscale suburbanites who like to spend their money.

My chainsaw is a Makita, that I bought just after Makita purchased the company that makes it. It is made in Germany, displaces 52 cc, has an eighteen inch bar, weighs in at less than 15 pounds ready to cut wood. It is almost too easy to start, which is the most frustrating attribute of operating a chainsaw. It is a high tech powerful machine that I would recommend highly, especially if you tend to lean a little bit toward being an eccentric old goat. "What kind of chainsaw is that blue thing you got there? I didn't know Makita made chainsaws, if its as good as some of there other tools it must be pretty good." To have to head for the hills to stay for a potentially long time, if I had to make a choice, I would probably take it and leave the Dutch oven behind. The two combined with a good axe and even in the most trying time you could say, "Life is good! Praise the Lord!"

Professional saws are used by professional loggers to cut big trees, you and I have no business using one of these machines unless you are a professional logger. For smaller trees and general usage professsionals too will use a farm and ranch model. Saws from morewell know brands, Homelite, McColloch and Poulan, many times private labeled by Sears may more than fit your needs. They are the prime manufactuers of what I have called the gas powered toys. When you get into there larger models, they get heavy (meaning weight). Sure you may save fifty or more bucks in the initial purchase, but after one real day of working with one you may quickly realize that you were dollar wise but pound foolish. The used market for these saws is slight however, so by shopping around you might find one for a good price that will be more saw than you will ever need. Reasons why both Homelite and McColloch lost out in the more high end markets, which they onetime lead, had to do with tecnololgy-weight issues and starting problems. Whether the starting issue has been resolved I do not know, but I do know and have heard a lot of stories.

Near the end of John's gospel we have a familiar section where the resurrected Christ restores Peter (John 21:15-19) In response to Jesus' questioning Peter of his love for him. Jesus says, "Feed My lambs. Tend My Sheep. Feed My Sheep." Following that third statement in verse 18 and following, we read, "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish" This He spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him "Follow me."

We do not like to look at death, but the importance of the underlying cause and effect of times of natural disasters and similar occurrences, is to allow us all, believer and non believer, to take a look at death and its consequences and make appropriate changes in our lives. This occurs in every human being. Jesus used this situation to get the strong willed Peter to consider his own mortality for, perhaps the first, but at least another time. This time for sure, in the context of the living and risen Lord.

We, as Christians, in that same context, are the only persons on this earth who can truly walk that path with Peter. Consider that earthquakes, floods, shootings, wars, and other times of community and individual hardship as God's operating room, where He may operate upon our bodies, but definitely our psyche, believer and nonbeliever alike in mortality. We as those Bible thumpers, have access to the grace from God alone, to bring life to the recovery room. We may not consider it to be important, especially in some of the personal circumstances we ourselves may be encountering, but for someone with no hope of glory, a smile, a kind word, or to take it back out into the broader world, a meal, a blanket or some other kindness, may give them renewed hope for a brighter day as well as the direction toward the sole Savior of our soul.

Feeding and tending God's sheep and lambs is most importantly learned by doing, serving in the recovery room of life. Religious training, formal or informal may be a hindrance in many respects, because the eternal light of Christ must share the spotlight with our own knowledge, our own religion. Our incredible potential in Christ, is to work to grow in knowledge and admonition of the Lord, through life experiences, both easy and hard, and through his Word, covenantal promises and ordinances, while maintaining transparency. The indescribable beauty of Christ, comes only from the willing servant of God's ruminant flock, whether they be sheep or goats. It is only in recovery room work can we look at death and suffering and not be consumed by their consequences. We walk with the risen Son of God, in community with fellow shepherds and fellow sheep, we walk together bound by His sacrifice. True understanding of His gift of love, is only understood as part of that walk taken by Peter and all saints. At times it appears so dark or hidden within the cloud of His sufficient grace, but that is just a way to protect us from worrying about circumstances we cannot control and to depend more on Him to shift or move the ground before our steps into His straight and narrow path..

Amen.

End of Part 2. Next week. Rule 5. Get our of the weather and keep warm (or cool). Clothes, Shelters, Tarps, Tents & Sleeping Bags

PRAYER PLANTS

All the specifics, that I may be able to detect through the fog surrounding, are continually before me as destination points. As time proceeds, way points are fast approaching however, without the means to satisfy passage requirements. That is just an obtuse way of saying that God needs to opens some of his promised provision, to continue the journey. Please pray for those provisions to the witness of God's Glory.