I am not a normal dad. Normal dads don't read Jonathan Edwards to their children the day they are born as they sit with them in the hospital. I guess that is one of the down sides of having a pastor as your dad, but from the time our children were born, I have read to them.  And not just children's books, I have read adult books to them. I have read through most of the Chronicles of Narnia (among other things) with our oldest and the reason for this is simple. Studies have shown that reading to our children from a young age helps their development. They speak better and understand better through exposure to language. They begin to appreciate reading from a young age which, if it sticks and reading is a joy, results in a love of reading and exponentially increases their ability to learn and understand the world around them throughout their lives. 

This last week, we were on vacation in Missouri and I had the joy of being able to preach at the church that ordained me to ministry. This church was incredibly influential in my life and spiritual growth and there was something pretty special about being able to go back and preach the word and in a small way, bless this church that has blessed my family so much. They have been preaching through the gospel of John and so I was assigned the next text in the series. This text is particularly important for Christians today because it is easy to focus on the wrong things in Christianity. We can easily read our Bibles to know ABOUT God and totally miss KNOWING God. Jesus said that the scriptures tell about him and are the Father's witness to the truth of Christ's claims. In an age when there are pastors advocating that the Old Testament isn't relevant to Christians today, this text shows that all of Scripture is meant to point us to know and love Christ. I hope this blesses you.