Yesterday was my daughter’s – Natalie Marie Charles – tenth birthday. I thank God for my little princess.

Last year, I had the privilege of baptizing my daughter as a follower of Jesus Christ. This was a step of faith that has been on Natalie’s heart for some time. I intentionally made her wait. But I am glad to see evidence of the Lord’s work in her heart.

Natalie is multi-talented. She is a bookworm, like her dad. And, by the mercy of God, she got her looks from her mother, Crystal. She is growing up into a beautiful young lady.

My prayer for her is that she will grow as Jesus grew (Luke 2:52).

Happy birthday, Princess! Daddy loves you always!

I love first Sundays!

We celebrated the Lord’s Table together in both services and welcomed our new members with the Right-Hand-of-Fellowship.

We sung corporately one of my favorite hymns: “Blessed Assurance.” More hymns, please!

As always, I am grateful for the guests who joined us in worship.

During Bible Study Fellowship, I had a heart to heart with my new Sunday school class. Then we had a time of questions and answers. I really enjoyed it.

For some reason, I ran out of gas by the time I had to preach the second service. But the Lord gave me strength (2 Co. 12:9).

I resumed my study of 1 John with a message on 1 John 2:3-6: “A Life of Obedience.”

Monitors!?!?!?

Sermon Point: The assurance of salvation is found in a life of obedience.

There are three reasons why true Christians strive to pass the test of obedience:

I.     A life of obedience brings assurance (2:3).

II.     A life of obedience produces maturity (2:4-5a)

III.     A life of obedience imitates Christ (2:5b-6)

I was struck all last week by Boice’s statement about the phrase “and the truth is not in him” in verse 4: “This phrase may be no more than a restatement of the claim that the man professing to know God while actually disobeying his commandments is a liar, but it may also mean more than this. It may mean that the truth is not to be found in him in the sense that the one seeking truth should go, not to this man, but rather to another source” (James Montgomery Boice, The Epistles of John, pp. 48-49)

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church yesterday at Shiloh!

Next Sunday, I plan to preach from 1 John 2:7-11: “The New Commandment.”

During lunch, Jessica Letson and her girlfriends came over to our table and sung “Happy Birthday” to Natalie – in three-part harmony! It is a sweet gesture Natalie will not soon forget. (If I could have recorded it, I would have a hit song on my hands!)

The Lakers caught my Heat napping yesterday and handed them their second straight defeat.

I thought I could catch up on my sleep by taking the family to see Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax! But I really enjoyed the movie. We left singing, “Let it grow!” Crystal – A.K.A. “Mr. O’Hare” – left singing “Let it die!”

Last night, I started reading Douglas Wilson’s “Easy Chairs, Hard Words.” I was hooked from chapter 1.