The Wilkes Team

Any ideas as to what you are looking at in this picture? This is the inside of our dishwasher. Yesterday our family learned a valuable lesson on orderliness. We had begun to wonder why it was that the dishwasher was failing to clean the dishes….and it was not because they were not getting washed. Hmmmm……

The mystery was solved yesterday afternoon when the dishwasher was taken apart and a whole bunch of food, small pieces of garbage, and more were found to be blocking the filter – not a pleasant sight! Tools are a wonderful asset, but they must be maintained. So if you have not checked your dishwasher filter lately, take this as a timely reminder!

Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40

Leave a Comment » | posted in Home maintenance

While the girls and dad were away last week, Adam and I decided to put up a long rope about 10-15 feet high between two trees. Our goal was to go from one tree to the other using our hands, with out falling. But the idea failed. The rope made our hands hurt, and we would fall down before we got to the other tree.

Soon Joshua came and said we needed some help. He went under the deck, while Adam and I thought what he was going to bring out. He then came out with a pvc pipe which was about 1 1/2 inches wide. Joshua put about 8 inches of pcv pipe on the rope, and put the rope on a slant. Matthew and Daniel were a big help. They tightened the rope for both of the ‘zip’ lines. Adam and I took turns wrapping our hands around the pipe and flew down the rope as if we were on a real zip line! But we could not do it too many times because the rope would wear out. It was neat seeing everyone work so well together.

7 Comments » | posted in Outdoor Adventures

In the book of Exodus, Moses recorded the 10 plagues God sent upon the Eqyptians leading up to the mass exodus of God’s people, the Israelites. Prior to the 10th plague (the death of all first born animals and humans in Egypt), God commanded the Israelites to hold a special feast known as the Passover (Exodus 12).

The night before the plague hit Egypt, the Israelites were to kill a spotless lamb, spread the blood on the frame of the door, and eat the lamb in full preparation to flee in a moment’s notice. This meal became a yearly tradition among the Israelites and Jews that has been passed down through their generations for over 3500 years. Unfortunately, for many Jews the significance of this ceremonial meal, which is had every year before Resurrection Day, has been lost.

Our good friends, the Savoias, had us over this past Friday evening for a Seder meal. The Savoias worked extra hard that day to prepare all the food and symbols for the meal. Dad & Mr. Savoia lead the dinner. There were many amazing analogies between the dinner and Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. We would like to share a few of the many with you.

1. Four different glasses of grape juice are poured and drunk over the course of the meal. They symbolize 1. Sanctification 2. Deliverance 3. Redemption 4. Thanksgiving & Hope

2. On the table 3 pieces of Matzah are wrapped in cloth napkins symbolizing the trinity.

3. A plate with 5 different samples of food: 1. Roasted Egg: Sign of new life 2. Lamb Bone: Symbolic of the Passover Lamb 3. Sprig of Parsley: Our life that is sustained by God 4. Horseraddish: Reminder of the bitterness of past bondage 5. Charoset: Reminder of the sweetness God brings amidst bitter circumstances.

Time and space do not allow for the many more wonderful analogies. We would encourage each one of you to at some point take the opportunity to participate in a Jewish Sader meal. When seen in the correct perspective, it offers beautiful light upon the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here is an example of a Jewish Seder for you to read through.

4 Comments » | posted in Family News, HIS-story

Spring is a time of new beginnings for the year. We celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord who brought new life to the world. Plants begin to emerge from their winter hibernation. Birds are building their nests. Trees begin to bud. And weeds begin to grow . Everyone seems eager to enter the great outdoors and till the ground.

On a recent escapade to our newly planted fruit orchard, Kenan excitedly exclaimed that the peach trees had large beautiful pink blossoms on them. Everyone was overjoyed at the sight. Another miracle of God’s creation.

But more important than the new beginnings of God’s creation, this ought to be a time of new beginnings for God’s children. We were privileged to begin this year’s Spring with a seminar on how to strengthen family relationships and respond to conflicts. Our good friends, the Staddons, in West Virginia hosted the seminar a couple weekends ago. We appreciate their hospitality and invite you to read the full account of this refreshing weekend on their blog. 

So then, what ground is God calling us to till within our soul? What part of our life needs to be pruned away? What vision is budding forth? Let’s ‘Spring into Action!’

Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;  To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? – Job 38:25-27

5 Comments » | posted in Family News, Outdoor Adventures