As we traveled to church last Sunday Dad asked us to each share what it was we were thankful for as we looked over our lives. It was so encouraging to hear the hearts of each of my family members.

As different ones were sharing I was thinking – What is it that I am most grateful for? It then hit me. The faithfulness of my God towards me. Who am I to have been so blessed to be called a child of the Most High? Why does His compassion towards me never fail? Without His direct action in my life I would have no true joy or peace. What a gift I have been given! One that I will never be able to repay. The least I can do is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, to love repentance, and to never give up!

Failure is an area that Satan likes to deceive us in. He wants us to believe that because of our failures we’re unfit to be used by God to fulfill His work. Because we see our lack we allow discouragement to set in and our hope perishes. This downward spiral can happen so quickly and before we know it, we’re despairing and lost in our emotions and feelings. Our natural man will quickly allow us to go down this path. If we have not been faithful in applying the truths of God’s word to our hearts and lives.

Our sin humbles us and causes us to see what we would truly be without Christ. Yet in the sovereignty of a loving Heavenly Father, even our sin is a tool used by Him to draw us back to Christ! How? By His mercy, He takes His Word hidden in our hearts and through His Holy Spirit, and brings it to mind in our time of need.

What are some of those things He reminds us of when we are fighting for joy, struggling with discouragement, or overwhelmed by our failure to obey? 

• His faithfulness!
• His mercy towards us is new every morning!
• He is our portion (inheritance)! Our joy and peace is found in Him not in people, things, or situations going the way we want them to go.
• We must seek the Lord with our whole heart. He promises to settle and strengthen us.
• Hope and quietly wait for the salvation (deliverance, victory) of the Lord.
• The struggles we face are designed for one purpose – to draw us closer to Christ.
• Don’t resist the working of God in our hearts. We must humble ourselves under His mighty hand and let Him establish, strengthen, and settle us. – 1Peter 5:6

Lamentations 3:18-26 shares the struggle that man has but then beautifully exhorts us to hope and wait till the Salvation of the Lord comes!

“And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

This has been a passage lately that God has used to encourage and strength my walk with Him. How blessed we are to have the ability to read, believe, and dwell in the truth of God’s Word!

He responded: "The President and I are good friends, we both began working for the railroad at the same time over twenty five years ago."

"That doesn’t make sense, why is he the President of the railroad and you are out here working with us?" They asked.

"Well it’s like this" He said, "Twenty five years ago I went to work for $2 an hour while he went to work for the railroad"

I’ve always appreciated this story. Not for the story itself but for the powerful analogy that relates so well to our own lives. The way we live, in a way, is similar to how we work for the railroad or anything else for that matter. We are either living life for ourselves or for something bigger than ourselves. We either are living for worldly achievement or  the advancement of God’s Kingdom. As children of God we are commanded to *"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." This commandment leaves us with only one course of action; life is to be lived for the Kingdom of God.  Our purpose is to bring honor and glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

On most tombstones, there is a birth date and a death date. In between those two dates is a dash. What will that dash consist of when your tombstone is placed? Will it be full of temporal endeavors, successes, and praise? Or will it consist of eternal relationships, heavenly blessings, and supernatural works of God? The dash’s consistency is dependent on your choices. It is dependent on whether you live for self or live for Christ. The choice is made minute by minute; one to be made now and not tomorrow. When the inclination for passivity rises, reject it and cling to initiating action. Then throw yourself on the grace and wisdom of God to enable you and empower you.

Fellow citizen! You are called to a pilgrimage! Your home is an heavenly kingdom but now your on a journey. Live for your King, live for the advancement of His cause, His glory, and the expansion of His kingdom. Study His laws, understand His vision, and seek His will. Your a pilgrim for such a short time. It’s even as a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Don’t let it be wasted on yourself! Don’t satisfy your foolish desires! Choose to serve Him who created you, gave you life, loves you, and redeemed you. The greatest fulfillment will result from this choice. You won’t look back and regret it. Therefore I write, in agreement with scripture:

Be a faithful pilgrim!

Live for His kingdom!

Live for the Lord – not $2 an hour!

*Matt. 6:33

How I rejoice over the faithful prayers of parents for their children. Oh the precious thoughts of a father and mother towards their newly born baby. The vision and desires they hold for this new life. Such love for the dear little one turns their hearts to fervent prayer – prayers for salvation, a tender heart, a love for God’s Word. These prayers continue as the baby grows. They realize the day will come when their precious son or daughter follows the leading of the Lord unto the establishment of the next generation. The day seems so distant, but the loving father & mother lift their hearts in prayer for the future spouse and children of this little one who now sits upon their lap.

The Scriptures say that, ‘Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it (Ps. 127:1).’ ‘For he established a testimony……that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them…. (Ps. 78:5-6).’

Several months ago, I had the joy of approaching a father and sharing with him my heart and how I believed it was the Lord’s will for me to marry his daughter. This began a season of waiting on the Lord’s direction and His perfect timing. His daughter – she had desires but rather than leaning upon her own understanding, she purposed to rest in the loving arms of her Savior. She was at peace with how the Lord would guide and direct.

In God’s timing, He makes everything beautiful. We rejoice to say that through the leading of the Lord and our precious parents, the Lord has confirmed that it is His will for Lisa Butler and I to be united together in marriage.

We are grateful for the way our parents fervently seek the will of the Lord and for the way they have faithfully prayed for their children and the generations to come.

Thank you for the legacy you are laying for the future generations.

Though the pathway before us uncertain may be, the Lord lights just enough of our pathway before us. As we look over the past 2 months, we rejoice over the evidence of God’s guiding hand and look forward to sharing several of these testimonies in the ensuing posts.

“And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long (Ps 35:28)."

The preciousness of each individual member within a family is all too often overlooked until they are absent for even a short time. Jennifer has been absent for the past couple days for a time of service to a dear family down south. The picture up above shows her plane’s current position as of 10 minutes ago, and my are we excited! A special meal featuring one of Jennifer’s favorite dishes has been postponed until we arrive back from the airport. As many as possible will be piling into the van to greet and her at the airport with a good old Virginia welcome!

This brings to mind the importance of never taking for granted the meaningful years spent all together as a family. Some friends up in Connecticut have recognized the brevity of life and so are encouraging others to invest time and energy into those things so many wished to have accomplished earlier in life – like the building of family relationships and memories.

The year 2010 comes with an abundance of anticipation, wonder, and excitement. As God’s children, we have been entrusted with the Truth, life changing principles, and inspiring testimonies for to share. We are living stones of remembrance that should spark questions and wonder from the world around us so that many may be drawn to Christ.

With the advent of a new year, many are filled with aspirations for improvement and change. Goals are good, but what will be the steps of action unto the completion of the goals. How do these goals line up with the Word of God, the family vision, and God’s specific call upon your life?

Over this next week, we are looking forward to, as a family, reviewing the goals of last year and setting the sights for 2010. Last year, we found this time to be of great benefit and would encourage every family to spend at least an evening or two planning out definitive goals with as much specific steps of action as you can. It takes time and effort but the rewards are well worth the investment.

Here are two earlier posts that help provide some direction on family goal making:

Ponder, Prepare, Perform

Show me a way to get more things done.

as well, a list of questions for you to review the year with as your finish up your 2009 journals.

May the Lord draw your family closer together this year. May He strengthen your relationships one with another. For as families draw close together around Jesus Christ the church is unified and the world glorifies God.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:34-35).

May each of our families be tools in the Master’s hands unto the proclamation of His name unto the world!

Happy New Year

One of the things that I have taught my sons is that they are responsible for what they look at and think about. It never ceases to amaze me the junk that we are bombarded with in the check out lines at grocery stores. This time was no different, the magazines and articles presented on a majority of their covers were clearly indicative of a culture that is confused with what is right and wrong and important. We are as a culture fixated with looks, sex, popularity and how we feel. We get caught up in new fads and ideas without any thought as to where they come from or whether they are right or wrong. We have lost our moral compass.

Mark took one look at the shelves and turned away guarding his eyes and his thoughts. I reached out to him, got his attention and praised him for his self control. We talked for a few minutes about the battle we are in as individuals and as a culture. It is a conversation we have had many times and will have many times again. When I talk to my children about their responsibility as moral beings I often remind them that the freedom we have been given is not the freedom to do as we please but the freedom to do what is right.

In our time of talking together I shared with Mark a portion of scripture that I have been trying to memorize and meditate on, it is in Proverbs 2

1…..if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;3 Yea… if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;4….. If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;5 ….. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

It was then that I noticed the clerk, there at the end of the line checking out the customers before me. She was hard to miss and I observed her with much curiosity. When it was our turn to go through she immediately smiled at Mark Christopher and asked him if he had found everything he needed. He said yes and they went on to have a short and fun conversation. She turned to me, said hello and began to ring up our groceries. I smiled at her and said “I have noticed something about you in the few minutes I have had in line here”. She paused and gave me an inquisitive look. I continued “You are a joyful person aren’t you?” She let out a full laugh and said rather gently “Yes I am”. I followed up, “What makes you so joyful?” She again paused, looked straight at me, lowered her voice so she would not share what she about to say with those who would not understand ”My relationship with God” was her answer.

The world we live in offers many things that it claims will bring satisfaction, joy and peace. I in much regret have tried many of them and found them to be unfulfilling at best. It has only been with Jesus Christ that I have found true peace. Yet it is not peace as the world gives but it is peace that only God can give through His Son Jesus Christ. It is a peace that passes all understanding and it is a peace that is given not earned. It is the assurance that you can be forgiven, it is the assurance of hope, it is the assurance that life has meaning, it is the assurance of eternal life, it is the assurance of unconditional love.

People, things, governments, money, houses, health, churches, denominations, political parties, careers and so on will fail us. Jesus Christ never will, in fact He loved us so much that He gave His life for us.  A bumper sticker I saw a few years ago stated Christians are not perfect just forgiven. I fit that description very well and if you don’t, ask Him to forgive you. He will. May the true peace that Jesus Christ gives to those who ask Him be yours in 2010 through out eternity. Wise men still seek Him.

The ALERT Men’s Chorus traveled from Texas all the way to Washington D.C. area this past week for a series of several local performances, one being the White House.

Last night we had the privilege of hearing them sing at a church in Leesburg. Attired in their Dress Uniform, all 18-20 ALERT men sang a collection of beautiful hymns and carols with passion that spawned great inspiration and joy for all in attendance.

Through our discourse with them, we learned that their group received a potential trial of faith when the opportunity to sing at the White House was lost. Feelings of disappointment were assuredly worked through, but God orchestrated events. He opened up an avenue wherein the choir was able to sing in the rotunda of our Nation’s Capitol and aboard one of the few ships that actually returned fire upon Japanese airplanes in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Joy was further realized when an opportunity afforded them to sing for a 95 year old WWII veteran.

Last night was their final performance on this tour and the joy and passion with which the ALERT Men’s Chorus is known shone through unhindered. An example of great inspiration!

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!!!!NEWS FLASH:

Matthew was the only member of the Wilkes Team not present last evening at the performance. His location is currently classified info . We are finding his absence most noticeable and are eagerly awaiting his return which will bring with it great joy to our hearts and an abundance of thrilling reports on theWilkesTeam.com – stay tuned for details!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, our morning Bible reading came from two different chapters: 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 and Psalm 105. Written on the occasion of Israel moving the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, they are beautiful reminders of how much we have been given and to not take what we have for granted.

1 Chronicles 16:15 says,

“Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;”

What was that covenant which was given to us through Abraham?

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).

The Lord has truly blessed and given us so much. He has given salvation, health, family, homes, hope and the list could go on and on….. But as 1Chronicles 16:15 says we must be mindful and not forget what we have been given. For when we forget, we loose our heavenly perspective on life.

See things from God’s perspective because He works all things together for good! We serve a Lord who brings peace and comfort to one’s heart. He is one who gives hope to the faint hearted. He strengthens the weak then enables them to press on in this faith walk.

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving! May it be a season of rejoicing over what God has so graciously given to you as well as a time of remembrance of where you have come from!

First, a spectacular awe-inspiring 2010 calendar entitled, “The Inspiration of Creation.” With a beautiful touch of creativity, James Staddon has truly brought out the glories of God’s marvelous Creation through the photographs within the calendar. With each passing month, you will come face to face with a breath taking photo highlighted with timely Scripture verses and stanzas from some of the dearest hymns. This resource is a wonderful way to be about, as Paul said in Ephesians, “Redeeming the time for the days are evil. ” And so while you are numbering your days that you may apply your heart unto wisdom, do so with one of these memorable calendars currently available for a discounted price at www.staddonfamily.com/onlines-store .

Secondly, we would like to recommend a Christmas CD that the whole family is bound to enjoy and want to hear, “just one more time.” We have seldom recommended any particular Christmas CD but upon receiving, “Let the Joy Begin” by the Neely Team , everyone would call it their all time favorite. Your heart will be filled with joy as you listen to this dear family sing and play the songs of our Savior’s birth with God honoring music. They are a beautiful testimony of an imperfect family seeking to glorify their Creator through working together in harmony, as a family. The CD is now available and offered for sale at: www.theneelyteam.com/online-store . 

We hope these resources are as encouraging to you as they have been to us!