The Wilkes Team

Through a series of communication avenues, certain individuals, and the workings of Divine Providence, an opportunity arose for Sarah to play her harp at an event in Culpeper. She practiced and prepared and then the time came – Tuesday evening, 6:00pm. None of us in the family were actually sure what to expect at this event. We knew the Thanksgiving holiday was it’s impetus and we also knew they were going to have a guest speaker, U.S. Senate Chaplain, Barry Black. Nevertheless, the result of this event exceeded are expectations as we witnessed Culpeper coming together to give thanks to their Creator and Lord.

The service was initiated with the color guard and harp music playing in the background. Next, a series of introductory remarks were given, including gratefulness to our civil leaders (many of whom were present), a reading of the VA Governor’s Thanksgiving proclamation, and most importantly, praise and adulations to the Giver of all things, our God and Creator.

Then Rev. Black came forward and preached a sound, biblically based, and practical message on the importance of Thanksgiving. During his message, he alluded to experiences from his life relating to Thanksgiving. He shared how rough his beginning was of living in the hood of Washington DC and growing up in a single parent home. He also spoke of his mother instructing him in the scriptures and challenging him to memorize scripture. One day his mother brought him a recording of a Sermon preached by former Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall. Young eight year old Black listened to this message. Liking it so much, he listened to it again, again, and again. Then finally, he had memorized the sermon word for word. This young boy was inspired by this message not knowing in the least how God would place him in the exact same position as the Reverend who gave the message. These stories he shared with a true sense of gratefulness in how God had worked in his life. Another aspect of his message, which inspired the whole Wilkes team, was his Scripture memory. Verse after verse flowed from the man’s lips, verses that had been internalized and applied.

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity of attending this Thanksgiving service. It is an event we will remember for many years to come. We also are abundantly grateful for both church and civil leaders of the City of Culpeper who put this event  together, and their understanding of what Thanksgiving is truly all about.

5 Comments » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports

Four days of activity and team work produced 300+ quarts of applesauce, apple jelly, apple butter, and apple pie filling!

We had such a blast working together. Great team work Wilkes Team, Wilkes Clan, Wilkes Team #2, and Thrash family!

Making applesauce with the Thrash family!

Making applesauce with Wilkes Team #2

and the Wilkes Clan!

2 Comments » | posted in Family News

Two weekends ago the Stelzl family drove the long trip up from North Carolina to put on a workshop in Culpeper VA. A workshop specifically geared towards instructing families in raising entrepreneurs. The investment, the energy, the zeal, and the enthusiasm produced from the Stelzl family encouraged all who attended. Hearing from Mr. Stelzl’s wealth of experience and listening to the testimonies of his family helped put together a wonderful biblical perspective on how Christian families should view education, business and success.

In today’s American culture, entrepreneurship is slowly becoming a lost art. The modern education system doesn’t teach it. The corporate world purposes to have it extinguished. Even the federal and state governments often wield their regulatory power against it. Nevertheless, though it is attacked from many different fronts, Mr. Stelzl  passionately proclaimed that entrepreneurship is still alive and well in the United States. The potential opportunities are just waiting to be harnessed. So often, the only factor missing is the entrepreneur!

A primary focus of the conference was the Christian family.  Mr. Stelzl shared that Christ-centered families are so necessary.  They are the ones willing to bank upon the providence of God and use the gifts God has given them to meet needs through business. The family also is a prime environment for, handling failures, practicing innovation, and building businesses on the unchanging principles of God’s word.

    Exhorting – Encouraging – Brainstorming – Fellowshipping occurred all weekend!

Meal times!

  I don’t believe one attendee went away from the conference with out hope and vision for what the future could hold. Ideas were bouncing around the room, which led to thought provoking questions, and ended with good solid answers. It was a glorious time to consider how God would have us handle that wonderful and necessary activity called working for profit.

If you’re interested in gathering  further information about these Raising Entrepreneurs Workshops please visit the Stelzl family blog, Mr. David Stelzl’s blog, and also www.RaisingEntrepreneurs.net.

2 Comments » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports, On the Issues

THANKSGIVING DAY

WHEREAS, the first permanent English speaking settlement in the New World was established in Virginia at Jamestown in 1607, as Captain John Smith led a group of settlers across the Atlantic on a voyage that would entail much hardship over the coming years, including disease and starvation; and

WHEREAS, to show their appreciation for the colony’s success and to take stock and give thanks for their own gifts and blessings, and in spite of tremendous adversity, the settlers in Virginia found time to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in America at Berkeley Plantation on December 4,  1619; and

WHEREAS, while reflecting upon the actions taken by the colonists at the first Thanksgiving, we also honor the Indian peoples, for without their presence, the survival of the colonists would have been ever more difficult; and

WHEREAS,  American leaders and citizens have recognized a day of Thanksgiving since our first president, George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789,  stating “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor”; and

WHEREAS, it is a Virginia tradition for our citizens to come together in unity on Thanksgiving Day and give thanks for the great level of serenity, harmony and abundance with which we, as citizens of a free nation, have been blessed; the rule of law by which we peaceably govern ourselves and by which our civil and religious liberties are guaranteed; and the brave servicemen and women of our armed forces who risk their lives to defend the freedoms and blessings we cherish;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert F. McDonnell, do hereby recognize November 25, 2010 as THANKSGIVING DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens; and

FURTHERMORE, I encourage all Virginians to give thanks to our Creator for our plentiful blessings, including the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as well as the unwavering strength of our families and communities.

2 Comments » | posted in HIS-story, On the Issues, Proclaiming the Truth

“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 FAITHFULLNESS.” – Lam. 3:22-23

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!

7 Comments » | posted in Proclaiming the Truth, Tid Bits

The Family Encouragement Foundation is hosting a dynamic two day workshop full of hands-on information on the topic of Family Entrepreneurship from God’s perspective. Hope to see you there! The Wilkes Team

Raising Entrepreneurs with Purpose –

A Model for Family Success

with Speaker, Author, Consultant, and Entrepreneur David Stelzl

David Stelzl is a man who loves the Lord and desires to invest into the lives of others. A successful Entrepreneur himself, Mr. Stelzl travels around the world consulting and assisting businesses in achieving their greatest potential. As a pioneer in the field of family Entrepreneurship and from seeing the fruits of training his own family and thousands of business men around the world, Mr. Stelzl has put together a powerful hands-on entrepreneur workshop tailored for the Biblical Family to give them the tools and resources they need to step into the world of Family Entrepeneurship.

Dates:

November 11-12, 2011

Friday: 9-5pm

Saturday: 9-5pm

Conference Topics Include:

• Raising Entrepreneurs – Building a New Mindset
• A Father’s role in Raising Entrepreneurs

• Starting a Business – Biblical Principles of Success

Location:

The Barn at Honey Brook Farms

19030 Bel Pre Road, Brandy Station, VA 22714

Registration:

Go to: http://fefoundation.eventbrite.com

Lodging:

The Comfort Inn
890 Willis Lane
Culpeper, VA 22701
(540) 825-4900

The Comfort Inn is offering a special rate of $79 for a limited number of rooms during November 10-13. The hotel features an extensive breakfast and is approximately 10 miles from the conference. Be sure to mention the “Family Encouragement Foundation” when reserving your room.

The Time is Now

If there was ever a time for Christians to stand and lead valiantly, the time is now. The pressure to succumb to the world has intensified and mediocrity has been acceptable for too long. The current of the culture is running swiftly downstream to dismal destruction.The vision, the unity, the lifestyle, the convictions, the bulwarks, the hope of the Biblical family is under vehement attack. Yet the rewards for those fathers who will take the helm and rally their family to press on are precious. There is hope. And after ye have suffered a while, He will make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle you (1Pet. 5:10-12). Press on!

There is a need in our culture for leaders. Those who are equipped with the Truth and ready to stand in the gap. As Christians, we have the responsibility to proclaim the truth. Christ, the essence of truth, has the answer for marriage, family, business, health, the community, and more.

Our world is facing an overwhelming onslaught of crises – natural disasters, hunger, war, disease, and more. One significant crisis is the current economic instability of not only our nation but the entire world. When a nation forsakes the principles of God’s Word, there will be consequences like unto what we are witnessing across the land. As families, we need to be equipped with the understanding and tools necessary to rise above and be in a positionof influence in our communities so that others may be drawn to Christ and God is glorified.

Raising Entrepreneurs with Purpose – A Model for Family Success

To this end, we are excited to be able to officially announce that the Family Encouragement Foundation will be hosting a two day workshop designed to help Christian families think more Biblically in the area of economics, specifically, Entrepreneurship.

Your family will leave the workshop inspired and equipped with understanding and practical knowledge in Family Entrepreneurship.

2 Comments » | posted in Family News