Issue #15 – August 8, 2022
IMMEDIATUM OPERUM
Recruit Your
Local Area
When times get tough(er), you will want your nearby friends to be with you, helping you help others… more >
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
Restrict DNA Permissions
Did you send your saliva on a stick to Ancestry.com or 23andMe?… more >
When CORAC first
began two years ago,
the website had some issues, as the admin tried to figure out the best way to deliver information about low-tech living on a high-tech platform. It was a tricky job for a while, but the result is excellent!
Explore the website. The national teams are adding new information all the time, on Communications, Health & Wellness, Sustainable Living, Prayer, Education and Crisis Management. The videos are high-quality, and range in topics from basic CORAC intro to foraging. I will continue to link the latest website additions, but go digging in your area of interest.
Sheryl Collmer, editor
sherylc@coracusa.com
WEEKLY PODCAST
California Dreamin
The newest podcast, with guest Paula Tomei, a farmer in the Golden State… watch >
From the cockpit
of the Subaru
Charlie traverses the country at the wheel of his trusty 2002 Outback to speak personally to crowds from one coast to the other. Check the website for his upcoming visits >
Charlie Johnston, founder,
Corps of Renewal and Charity
charliej@coracusa.com
Call on God of the Gaps
When I became a single parent long ago, I drove myself nuts for a long time. If I was working enough to support my kids comfortably, I wasn’t spending enough time with them. If I was spending enough time with them, I wasn’t working enough. I agonized over this for a year, struggling and praying to find the right balance. Finally I gave up, conceding that there was no answer I could put together that covered all bases. I decided I would do the very best I could, and trust God to cover the many gaps I could not.
After that decision, grace took up residence in our little home. Somehow we became the center of the neighborhood, with kids always gravitating to our house to play – and asking to go with us on our many little day trips. Shoot, the neighborhood kids all wanted to go to Mass with us on Sundays. I decided they could take turns, two at a time, coming with us. Each week, whichever two got to come with us were so excited you would think they had just won the lottery. After a few weeks of bringing my kids and two random others each week, my priest asked if there was anything I needed to tell him. “Nah,” I responded, “Everything is fine. Just raising a couple of little evangelists.”
Grace only settled on our household after I recognized the problem was too big for me, and surrendered to God, trusting Him to cover the many gaps I would leave – because there really wasn’t anything else I could do. And it came in abundance. I still don’t know how it all managed to work. But it did.
In the last few months of my travels, I am hearing from many people about agonizing personal challenges that are bigger than they can handle. Some involve health issues, others family issues, and still others financial issues. It seems the devil is trying to soften people up for…something. He is gleaning the fields, looking for a few he might pick off to despair while he still has time to prowl the streets seeing whom he might devour.
A common statement says that God never gives us more than we can handle. Nonsense! That’s a mindless, chirpy statement that may quiet you for a bit, but you know quite well is not true. In fact, God routinely gives people – and particularly faithful people – more than they can handle. But He never gives people more than HE can handle. This is so common that I have come to think, over the years, that is one of His favorite tools to force people to rely less on themselves and turn their faces more definitively towards Him.
Shortly after Pharaoh did, indeed, let God’s people go, Moses and the Jews found themselves at the banks of the Red Sea with fickle Pharaoh’s troops in hot pursuit. Abraham set out for a promised land, wandering for several decades and then yet another for his promised son to be born. Joseph was sold into slavery and imprisoned by the Egyptians before he became a high-ranking official in that land. St. Monica prayed for decades for the conversion of her often wastrel, but brilliant, son, St. Augustine. Each of these people – and many more of great faith – were faced with many problems far greater than their ability to deal with.
What they did was to take the next right step in service to God and to those they loved – and in faith that God can surmount all obstacles. They all counted on God: heaven knows none of them counted on instant gratification. None of them were notable for carrying fewer burdens than their peers. If anything, they were notable for carrying more. Don’t even get me started on Job.
It is very noticeable now how very many heavy burdens many people are suddenly carrying. Do not let the devil seduce you into despair. Look with trust and confidence to the patriarchs who trudged along for 20, 30, even 40 years or more, with little to show for their efforts. It was their trust in God that sustained them and the same God ultimately brought improbably abundant fruit from their endurance.
Remember that yours is to serve God by taking the next right step, but that it is only He who will pen the outcome to your story. Has there ever been a hero who has not faced seemingly unbearable setbacks and loss? If there were, he would not be called a hero – just lucky. Heroes are forged in their response to trials.
God is calling you to be a hero. To forge you, He gives you things that are way too big and difficult for you to conquer. When you forge ahead anyway, trusting that God will do what He will with you to gain more souls for the Kingdom, your trust in God will grow with each step you take, even as you grieve over the trials that beset you. And when it is just too much for you, call on God to cover the gaps that you just cannot – and take the next step anyway.
It is of such stuff that heroes are made.
Charlie Johnston
If communication goes out for any length of time, meet outside your local Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Tell friends at Church now, in case you can’t then. CORAC teams will be out looking for people to gather in and work with.
CORAC PODCASTS
The newest podcast, “California Dreamin’” with guest Paula Tomei, a farmer in the Golden State.
A SIGN OF HOPE
Gangster Government Gears Up For War
I took the above picture of Fern Springs in Yosemite 11 years ago in the course of my pilgrimage. I played around with various filters and effects...
Be the Lighthouse
Some brief thoughts from Charlie Johnston about being ready, being calm and being the lighthouse as corruption and the fear of loss of power on the...
It’s Speeding Up Dramatically, Folks
Some brief thoughts from Charlie Johnston about why CORAC is more necessary than ever in light of the The Durham Report, the accelerating attacks on...
CHARLIE’S UPCOMING MEETINGS
- August 12 – Missoula MT
- August 20 – Sheridan, WY
- October 1 – Colorado Springs, CO
- October 7 – Fort Collins, CO
- October 11 – Omaha, NE
- October 22 – Morristown, NJ
- November 5 – Tyler, TX
- November 15 – South Bend, IN
IMMEDIATUM OPERAM
Things on the immediate radar screen
Recruit Your Local Area
When times get tough(er), you will want your nearby friends to be with you, helping you help others. Local communities will have the most impact on how we all weather the storm. Here’s an article I wrote for friends in Tyler, explaining what CORAC does. It could be helpful for recruiting your local acquaintances, too.
ACTION ITEMS
The price good men pay for indifference toward public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
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Restrict DNA permissions. Did you send your saliva on a stick to Ancestry.com or 23andMe? A Democrat Congressman is proposing that our DNA is being used for more alarming purposes than a family tree. Minimize the damage by logging in to whichever service you used, go to privacy settings and restrict all sharing. It may be locking the barn door after the horses have bolted, but it’s something. Intelligence Committee members warn US of bioweapons targeting DNA of individual Americans >
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Fly the American flag. The more I carry the Stars and Stripes, the more I love our flag. The flag is extremely powerful messaging. Get yourself a flag for less than $20 at Lowe’s or Walmart, or for a few dollars more, get one that’s actually made in America! Grace Alley >
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Encourage a J6er. CORAC members are in correspondence with the still-incarcerated J6 prisoners, most of whom are entirely innocent or guilty of a misdemeanor. They are suffering. If you would like to write to a prisoner, please contact Kristen Martinez, who is coordinating pen pals to try to cover as many as we can without duplicating. kannmartinez@sbcglobal.net
Consider these words from the wife of one of the prisoners:
Even just a message of encouragement goes so far. He needs to know that he is still human and worthy of receiving love and grace. This is something he has really been struggling with since this all happened. He feels shamed and ultimately condemned, but he needs to know that we are here for him and for the other January 6 defendants currently experiencing these things.
THE WEBSITE
HAM Radio Demo
Radio communications may get the most attention of all the subjects CORAC covers. Many of us know little about it, but we’re fascinated by the idea of being able to communicate outside the controlled media of internet and cellular.
The newest video from the Comm team gives you an actual, visual overview of equipment and processes.
The next video in the series will be a demo of the CORAC Sunday night radio broadcast. If you’ve been trying to tune in on Sundays, but striking out, the next video may provide some help. Look to the next newsletter for the link.
HAM Radio Crash Course
A channel on YouTube with Help for the HAM Wannabe >
Start at the beginning, with “How to Get Started in Ham Radio Easy” >
These videos are great for non-techies.
Foraging Education Series
Three sessions are up on the website now, led by Mick (head of Health & Wellness) and MP (executive director and desert forager). Each session also has a PDF guide that you can print out for reference. Tons of great material from veteran foragers, to save you from the trial-and-error method, which is not recommended!
Foraging
Summer Edition on July 26 at 6:00 pm Central. The initial class is filled up, but a repeat will be scheduled. Visit the webpage for updates >
Patient Advocacy
With so many doctors and hospitals having lost their ethics in the covid debacle, I would not consent to hospital care without an advocate. If you don’t have a relative up to the task, you can seek professional advocacy, especially for covid cases.
Graith Care, whose mission is to return control to the patient, and facilitate a holistic approach to care. Their staff are all experienced health care professionals. Graith Care >
America’s Front Line Nurses provides advocacy from an all-nurse staff who don’t have to worry about losing their jobs over standing up for their patients. You can schedule a private appointment, or join a weekly Zoom call that covers most FAQs. American Front Line Nurses >
Fate-filled Question About Vaxxes
CORAC member Steve Baker just put up a blog about the probabilities involved in taking the shot. Steve doesn’t claim any specific medical expertise, but his analytical skills are impressive and worthy of consideration. This article uses the “bad lot list” and vaxx uptake data to predict the overall damage the shot will do to Americans in the near future. Read More >
Vitamin D
I repeat this advice periodically for anyone who hasn’t heard of the vital importance of Vitamin D. Supplementing D up to healthy levels was associated with a 65% decrease in mortality from the syndrome we’ve been calling covid-19. In the summer months, we’re all getting good Vitamin D from being outside in the sunshine, but when fall comes, be ready to supplement. Supplement Download >
Should I Plant a Garden?
Have you been considering a garden, but just aren’t sure? Use this handy flowchart to help you decide:
Testing Your Soil
Knowing the structure of your garden soil helps you decide what and where you plant, as well as how to amend your soil. Most soil contains 3 components; sand, silt, and clay. A good combination of all 3 of these particles is referred to as loam soil. It’s the ideal. To make loam, you need to know what you currently have, so you can make adjustments. Here’s a simple test:
The Mason Jar Soil Test: Use a clean quart or pint size jar with lid. Fill the jar halfway with soil. Add water to about 1″ from the top and put the lid on. Shake the contents for a few minutes, then set the jar aside for a few hours. As the content settles, it will separate into layers of silt, sand, and clay. The heaviest layer will settle to the bottom, consisting of sand and rocks. The next layer will consist of silt. Next will be the layer of clay. Estimate the proportion in each layer. Do you have mostly sandy, silty or clay soil?
If all the layers are approximately equal, you have been blessed with loamy soil! If not, try these amendments:
Mostly Sandy Soil – Add compost or manure. If you already have high levels of salt in the soil, such as in seaside gardens, use a plant-only based compost.
Mostly Silty Soil – Till in 1″ Cocopeat (ground coconut husks, very good for aeration and water retention) to break up clay particles to help with aeration, 2″ of Perlite to help with drainage, and 4″ of compost to help with water retention.
Mostly Clay Soil – Till in 1″ Cocopeat, 4″ of Perlite, and 6″ of compost.
My test resulted in 80% sand, 15% silt, and 5% clay. To get ideal soil, I would need to add a lot of compost and a bit of Cocopeat. Do a different test for every area in which you intend to plant a garden.
The Self-sufficient Backyard
Here’s a blueprint for a large-scale backyard garden. It might give you some ideas.
Foraging Handbook
The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods is written by a biologist, is well-illustrated, and frankly… fun. Learn what weed can be popped for a snack, how to make bread from dandelions, and about a weed with tubers that taste like almonds. God gave us the plants for food; here’s how to use them! 319 pages.
The Bugout Bin
We’ve talked in past issues about the bugout bag; that’s a backpack with emergency supplies that you keep in your car, ready to travel. Now I’m introducing the Bugout Box; it’s for staying at home, which most of us will do in the event of an emergency. It’s most of the same supplies, and represents the bare minimum of what is recommended to have on hand.
- Protein sources: tuna, Spam, salmon, other canned/pouch meats
- Fat sources: olive oil (healthiest of the oils), mixed nuts
- Carb sources: dried fruits and vegetables
- Coffee: get 15 times as many cups per ounce from instant as from ground
- Garlic: strong anti-inflammatory, keeps colds at bay, adds interest to food
- Dark chocolate: anti-oxidant, feel-good treat
- Vitamins: at minimum, C, D3, zinc and quercetin
- First Aid kit, supplemented by Neosporin, Advil and Advil PM
- Lifestraw: water purification
- Heavy duty Hefty bags: sanitation
- Duct tape: 101 uses
- Tactical flashlight
- Batteries
- Sewing kit
- Plastic drop cloths: for catching rain, sealing gaps in doors and windows
- Binder clips: modern man’s answer to clothespins
- Bleach: disinfectant, water purification
- Lighter: for your portable stove, sterilizing needles
- Storage bin: can be used with plastic sheet for rainwater collection
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
Random stuff I just felt like sharing
Class Action Victory
The first class action lawsuit over vaxx mandates was settled last week. NorthShore University Health System will have to cough up $10 million for 523 employees who were denied religious exemptions. This is a great development before the next round of attempted coerced vaxxes.
Vaxx Damage
You don’t have to be a conservative to be awake to the damage being inflicted on us. Dr. Naomi Wolf, a feminist and former political adviser to Bill Clinton, is writing extensively of the massive vaxx damage out there.
When I saw the eighteen months’ worth of sudden deaths, slow deaths, encephalies, strokes, heart attacks, pericarditis, myocarditis, Guillain-Barre, Bell’s palsy, MS, blood clots, lung clots, leg clots, bblue-green breast milk, spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, neonatal seizures, neonatal multi-organ system failure, liver damage, kidney damage, suppressed lactation, suppressed sperm count, disrupted menses, all detailed in the Pfizer documents … I knew I was seeing not just medicine gone wrong on a massive scale, but rather that I was seeing an act of war.
ESG Scores
The ESG score is the next unlegislated attempt to control the public. All the big corporations now have ESG scores: how they perform on environmental, social justice and governance scales; in other words, how “woke” they are. Money will be steered toward those with high ESG scores, and those who refuse to play the game will be edged out.
Climate Change Oops
For decades, climate alarmists have been warning that the world’s coral reefs will die because of manmade global warming. Now it seems that the Great Barrier Reef is growing like crazy, with the highest levels of coral cover since measurements began 36 years ago. It’s great news for authentic environmentalists, but bad news for the climate change hucksters who need environmental disasters to increase their power.
Climate change becomes a topic of interest as it is another fear tactic, useful for controlling the population and diverting revenue from the people.
As Dr. Ian Malcolm said in “Jurassic Park, “Life always finds a way.” >
CBDC
Use cash when possible, because the CBDC is about to be foisted on us. The Central Bank Digital Currency will be a devastating tool in the hands of black hats if it gets rolled out. Learn about it so you aren’t taken by surprise. Read more >
War on Humanity
This extremely interesting paper by Drs. Mark Bailey and John Bevan-Smith is rather long, but answers the pressing question, “What in blue blazes has been going on for the past two years?!?”
The Covid 19 Fraud War on Humanity >
This report was recommended by Dr. Mike Yeadon, the former Pfizer VP who rose early to the gargantuan task of alerting the public to the dangers of the fraud.
Ukranian Atrocities
Amnesty International (not a conservative organization) is now citing the Ukrainian government for the brutal tactics it has used against its own people. Ukrainian military has based its equipment and launched strikes from schools, hospitals and heavily residential areas, so that the Russians could be accused of deliberately harming civilians. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president poses with celebrities and demands billions of dollars to continue playing war games.
Biolabs in Ukraine
The Russian military has accused Big Pharma and elites of the Democratic National Committee of creating gain-of-function viruses. It is a very big deal for one nuclear superpower to accuse another of such an enormous crime. Russia asserts that US bioweapons labs in Ukraine were producing viruses, and they have evidence to back the claim. This would explain the multibillion- dollar support for Ukraine, as the public’s attention is diverted by Vogue cover photos and benefit concerts.
Death Pact
Former Greenpeace president, Dr. Patrick Moore, hardly a conservative reactionary, says the global elites have an alliance to reduce the world’s population. “We’re now facing a situation where a huge number of very powerful organizations and elites at an international and at national levels are calling for policies that are basically a suicide pact. Basically a death wish of some sort.”
Food That Crawls
There is a coordinated effort to normalize a diet of insects. You’d think it’s a joke, but it’s a serious campaign. I have nothing against alternative foods (I tried the cricket bar) but I protest mightily against having insects shoved down our throats because wealthy elitists and cranky little girls are pushing another panic button. I think the underlying intention is to nibble away at our sense of our own humanity, until we think of ourselves as nothing more than animals. Then we can be more easily controlled.
*These images are not from the Babylon Bee.
More clear-thinking people are clarifying that eating a diet of bugs is risky business. They harbor parasites and contain chitin, which cannot be processed by the human gut, though it’s very tasty to cancer cells, parasites, and fungi. Insects also contain ecdysterone, which is not suitable for mammals. Only birds can safely digest insects. (Jacqueline Gan @theflowernurse on Truth Social)
The Got Bugs? push may be part of the worldwide movement to put farms out of business in a gigantic land grab.
How Are We Even Talking About This?
If cockroach milk didn’t have your stomach twisting, how about cannibalism? The former news organization known as the New York Times published an essay asserting that “Cannibalism has a time and a place. Some recent books, films and shows suggest that the time is now.” I don’t recommend reading the article; just know that very powerful people in the media are attempting to normalize human beings eating each other, in the name of saving the planet and indulging grotesque fantasies.
Why We Must Fight
This article for Crisis Magazine enumerates the reasons we don’t fight, and counters them with the reasons we should.
Fighting the Great Reset One Inch at a Time
“That’s where we come in — the outliers and misfits, the rebels and rule-breakers, the ones willing to throw a little sand in the gears of the Great Reset until it grinds against itself, buckles, splinters, and breaks. Systems are strong when they are selfsustaining… When they depend upon force, propaganda, and coercion to survive, however, a strong kick to just the right part of their artificial edifice collapses the whole monstrous tower of lies.” Read this whole article for a good dose of encouragement:
The latest post, “Homeschooling When the Stuff Hits the Fan” is an exploration of what you can do to carry on if there are communications or utilities breakdowns. Schooling must go on!
Prayer
Staying right with God
Introduction to the Devout Life
You can still join this bi-weekly study course with Dan and Stephanie Burke on the spiritual classic by St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life. The sessions will be delivered on Saturday mornings beginning in September. See details and get instructions about how to sign up here >
If you’re not familiar with the Burkes, check out their website >
The Catechism Series
The Catechism series is on hold at Episode 11. It’s a great time to catch up with these videos that have gotten great reviews from the regulars.
August Prayer Intentions
Please keep these intentions in your daily prayers.
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For all CORAC members who are tending to their dear ones who are going through trials or are in the process of dying… and for the repose of the souls of any of our dear ones who have died.
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That we all press on in this Storm, choosing to trust in God’s plan, no matter the chaos, darkness and troubles that intensify
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That each person takes time to unplug and enter into contemplation with the Lord every day, giving Him opportunities to calm us, steady us and strengthen us for each next right step
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That each day finds us ready to awaken with fervor to do all the ordinary tasks and deeds to which we are called that we may partner with God to bring His Kingdom more fully to earth
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As we give thanks to God for the life of our CORAC friend and leader, Bill Hammer, we pray for the repose of his soul. Praying, too, for his wife, Teri, their children and all the family as they mourn.
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For Desmond Birch as he and his medical team discern best steps for his heart health to improve… and for Jean, Desmond’s wife, as she takes care of him
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That Charlie continues to travel safely and for abundant blessings upon every meeting he has and everything he does
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For a great response to our CORAC summer fundraising drive
St. Gabriel, enlighten us.
St. Michael, defend us.
St. Raphael, protect us.
Ave Maria, Stella Maris!
Brazen Serpent Prayer Cards
Remember the Brazen Serpent Prayer. Carry copies of the prayer with you, whether printed on your own printer or on the beautiful prayer cards that can be purchased here >
©2021 Corps of Renewal and Charity is a 501(C)(4) Charity. All rights reserved.