The Wilkes Team

It is so easy to develop a self-centered mind set focusing on what we think is important. When that happens we  lose opportunities to bless and serve others.

Not long ago our church had the opportunity to bless two families from our fellowship; the Butlers and Potters with various projects around their homes. Digging a trench from the house to supply water and electricity to a barn,  building a patio and walk way, painting, planting, re-grading, etc!

The Joyful spirits everyone had were contagious! Each person desired to help and serve in any way possible. It was a joyous sight to behold.

Each person, with their own special gifting and in working together as a team, accomplished much in only a little bit of time.

It was a blessing to see the discipleship, the determination, and the joy and fellowship which surrounded those days.

But most importantly it was a time for being together, encouraging one another in the ways of the Lord, singing, and giving God glory through everything we were doing.

John 13:34″ “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

1 Comment » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports

The great Seal of the United States is a symbol that signifies America’s Sovereignty.

It was after the signing of the Declaration of Independence  on July 4, 1776, that congress in Philadelphia organized a committee to design an official seal for the United States. This was to symbolize the sovereignty of America. on June 20,1782, congress adopted the design, submitted by William Barton and Charles Thomson. By 1789, this design was made an official Seal of the United States. The meaning behind this seal is fascinating:

The Front of the Seal is called the Obverse.

The Crest- the Circular design above the eagle’s head –pictures our nation as a new constellation in the sky. The thirteen stars represent the originals colonies. the ring of light breaking through the cloud symbolizes God’s guidance of the nation.

The Eagle — the United States emblem — depicts national self-reliance, strength, and pride. In the eagles’s right talon is an olive branch bearing thirteen leaves and thirteen olives, In its left talon is a bundle of thirteen arrows signifying that although our nation prefers to live in peace, it is prepared to wage war to defend the principles America stand for.

The shield on the eagle’s breast symbolizes the unity of the nation; the blue bar symbolizes all branches of Government The red and whites stand for the original 13 colonies. Congress assigned the following meanings to the colors on the shield, Red- hardiness and courage; White – purity and innocence; Blue- Vigilance, perseverance, and Justice. Also, these are often said to be the significance behind the colors of the national flag.

The scroll coming from the eagle’s beak bears the Latin inscription, E pluribus unum, which means one (nation) out of many (states).

Now the reverse side of the Seal

The pyramid represents the strength and stability of the Government. The date of the nation’s birth, “1776,” is inscribed in Roman numerals at the pyramid’s base.

The eye, called the eye of providence, depicts the watchful eye of God. The light all around the eye shows His Glory.

Two Latin mottos appear on the back of the seal. The upper motto, Annuit coeptis, means He (God) has favored our undertakings. The lower motto, Novus ordo seclorum, means the new order of the ages, referring to the founding of America’s unique system of self-government.

I hope you find this as encouraging and insightful as it has been to me. While reading about the Great Seal, it gave me goose bumps thinking about the fact that we live in a Nation that has put God as supreme authority over everything, but is now turning away. Though we as a nation are beginning to move away from the foundation of Jesus Christ who came and died for us so that we could be sealed in Him forever, the question must be asked, will you turn away from a God that loved you so much that he gave his life for you? Will you go the way of the many who think Christ is unneeded?

“….for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matt. 7:13-14).” The decision as to whether we will follow Christ or not, is one we each must make. Have you given Him your life?

Romans 10:9 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” This is the only way we can be saved from the punishment of our sins and have our eternal destiny sealed forever.

4 Comments » | posted in HIS-story

Every Friday morning the men in our family gather together for a time of accountability. It is a time where we strengthen our relationships with each other and with the Lord. This past Friday, Dad decided to spend our morning in Washington D.C. so we could take pictures of the cherry blossoms. Every year around this time, thousands of people come to D.C. to see the beautiful trees. It was quite a sight!

Thinking back on that morning as we walked up and down the sidewalks looking at millions of beautiful blossoms coming from old, gnarly trees, I am reminded of the Chistian walk. Each one of us, who have been grafted into the tree of the Lord have the ability to produce great beauty by the warming grace of God upon our life. He gives the grace, we blossom and do His will, and many are awed by the beauty of Christ working through simple, sometimes gnarly old twigs. Just think, if there were hundreds and even millions of people committed to living by God’s grace. There would be a huge impact on the world with blossoms everywhere drawing people to glorify our One and only, Jesus Christ.

6 Comments » | posted in Family News, Photography

Soon after dinner, the night of November 16th, the Wilkes Team men began scurrying about the house, gathering piles of gear. Much planning went on as each one prepared the things they would need for the following day. A day of excitement, adventure, and anticipation.

Beep, beep, beep! Alarms clock began to go off at 4am. Springing out of bed, each man grabbed their gear. Everything had to be ready for departure at 5am. Grandpa was to be expected at any time now. Jumping into the car, we paused for a moment of prayer asking for God’s blessing and safety and then began our expedition.

The morning light was just beginning to glow through the darkness as the van rumbled to a stop on our land in Culpeper. Day one of the regular hunting season had begun.

Moving quietly through the quickly departing darkness, each hunter advanced to one of 4 locations. Kenan and I were assigned to the tree stand. Sitting quietly with great anticipation, our eyes and ears searched to and fro for movement. Not more than 30 minutes after situating ourselves, Kenan spotted a herd of does heading straight toward us. He prepared himself, took aim, and fired his very first shot at a deer. Barely missing but now full of deer fever, Kenan and I began looking diligently in every direction. All went quiet for about 45 minutes.

A distant rustle in the woods roused my attention. Turning my focus, I laid eyes upon a 6 point buck heading straight our way. In slow motion, I raised the gun. Moments later the buck was lying still, on the ground. What excitement came upon us both as we looked at the harvested deer.

Later as stories were shared, we realized that just about everyone had prayed for a deer to be harvested. The Lord blessed us by both answering our prayer and giving us another memorable hunt with Grandpa. We appreciate Grandpa’s hunting tips and look forward to many more hunting trips with him.

4 Comments » | posted in Family News, Outdoor Adventures

Recently, Kenan and I have been experimenting with the production of pure maple syrup. We have tapped over 20 maple trees and have gathered about 100 gallons of sap. We have been thrilled by having pure maple syrup from our own back yard. Tapping maple trees is a very simple and fun process to do but most importantly the temperature needs to be right. When it is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or more in the day and 30 degrees fahrenheit or less at night the sap will run more freely.

Now this is how you tap maple trees. First, find the your tree. The best type of tree to tap is the sugar and black maple which are often called rock maples. Other maples called soft maples (silver, red, etc) can be used, but syrup production is lower. Secondly I got some inexpensive writing pens: white ones that look like small PVC pipes when you take the inside out. I cut the small pen in half to get a 2 inch long pipe, and then I drilled into the tree 2 to 3 inches at a slight upward angle of 10 to 20 degrees. Drill the hole any where from 2 to 6 feet above the ground. Thirdly, I stick the 2 inch long pipe or pen into the hole, place the milk jug around the pen, and circle wire around the tree through the milk jug to keep the milk jug from falling.

Next comes the fun part: boiling down the sap into syrup. I pour 2 gallons of sap into a pot, boiling it down at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. It doesn’t matter where you boil your syrup. I just boil it on our kitchen stove and haven’t had a problem. Every 2 gallons of sap that I have boiled produces about 1cup of pure maple syrup. Although it is a little runny the syrup still tastes pretty good. If you like syrup thicker just keep boiling but keep a good watch that it doesn’t burn. After boiling the sap, filter the syrup through a paper towel or coffee filter to take out the crystals and other impurities that may be in the syrup. Then make yourself some delicious pancakes and use your freshly made ‘maple’ syrup. Enjoy!   

“The trees of the LORD are full of sap…” Psalms 104: 16

 

10 Comments » | posted in Farming 101