I – Prepare

Quality Self-Defense Training Builds Character

IDPA target to illustrate the importance of firearms trainingAn article in Psychology Today suggests that training seriously and responsibly for armed self-defense contributes to developing a sense of human empathy and strengthens human character.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Greatest Man… ]

The article’s author, David Yamane, professor of sociology at Wake Forest University, writes that those who are dedicated to improving their self-defense knowledge and skills “see that it is indeed appropriate at times to use our human capacity for violence pro-socially, in defense of self, loved ones, children, the weak and infirm, and other innocents. Gun Culture 2.0, to borrow an idea from sociologist Harel Shapira, sees defensive violence as ‘civilized’ rather than barbaric.”

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Checklist: Categories and Their Items for Every Day Carry (EDC)

Browse EDC items at AmazonPreparedness is a vital element of SemperVerus mindfulness. One act of being prepared is to be intentional about selecting specific practical items to keep with you in your pockets, purse, belt pack, day pack, or vest as you travel through your day.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, SemperVerus and the Noble Foundation of Scouting ]

Everyday carry (EDC) is the collection of useful gear you consistently tote on your person to help you overcome simple everyday problems and to anticipate unexpected and possibly dangerous situations. Your selection of tools you consider to be essential is a personal decision. An item you think is vital may not even enter the mind of someone else. But that makes it no less important for you. You need to balance practicality and preparedness with weight, bulk, and comfort. Each component of your EDC should serve a purpose or have at least one specific, useful function.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Prepper Survival, Travel, Leadership, Reader Apps ]

Every day, your EDC essentials prepare you for the worst and empower you to do your best.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Questions to Ask Yourself ]

To help you think through your own EDC, here’s a list of major categories to consider and item ideas for each one. You decide what and how much you want to carry every day.

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Practical Knot Tying

Adventurer Bear Grylls provides instructions on learning how to tie the most practical knots you can use for everyday needs:

  • reef (square) knot (tying two rope ends together)
  • reef knot with two hitches (to prevent slippage)
  • overhand knot (tying two rope ends together that won’t unravel)
  • clove hitch (securing the rope to a post)
  • clove hitch with additional hitch or two overhand knots (to prevent slippage)
  • clove hitch using loops (securing the rope to an open pole or stake)
  • clove hitch sliding the loops together (securing the rope to a carabiner)
  • Italian hitch closing the loops on itself (to belay a person down a cliff)
  • stopper version of a hitch (to trap the rope )
  • bowline knot (for tying a rope around your waist)
  • figure-of-eight knot (for tying an adjustable loop or handhold)

[ Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Devotional Insights on Courage by Bear Grylls ]

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Concealed Carry Daily Prayer

More than two-thirds of Americans pray and a majority pray every day. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, 55% of Americans say they pray every day, 16% say they pray weekly, and 6% pray monthly: add them together for a total of 77% of USA citizens say they talk to God in prayer.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness in the USA Military ]

And according to a LifeWay Research survey, most Americans who pray (83%) think at least some of their prayers are answered. Their topic of prayer focuses mainly on their family and friends (82%) or their own problems (74%).

Chart: What People Pray For

Depending on God for guidance and protection are common themes of everyday prayer. And since carrying a firearm for self-defense is such a high responsibility, it makes sense to turn to the highest power to request divine care in properly meeting that commitment.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Jeff Cooper’s Principles of Personal Defense ]

Here’s a prayer by SemperVerus® you may want to say when you arise every morning:

Concealed Carry Daily Prayer

My Father in Heaven, your will be done.
 
I pray today that I will love you with all my passion, character, intellect, and muscle and that I will humbly love the people with whom I come in contact.
 
Help me to be a disciplined peacemaker—a wise discerner of good from evil—proactively alert and aware of my spiritual and physical surroundings.
 
I pray I will never be forced to use my weapon. But if I must as only the last resort in self-defense, make me courageously fast and accurate to stop the attack.
 
Amen.

(Concepts for this prayer are taken from Matt. 6:9-14, Mark 12:30-31; Heb. 12:14; Phil. 1:9-11; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; and 1 Cor. 16:13-14)

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 main strategic principles—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

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