Just a little over two years ago, Shirley and I moved from NW Indiana to the Seattle-Tacoma area to be near our daughter, son, daughter-in-law and our three granddaughters. When we moved, our grands were 6, 4, and 2. What a great age to begin loving them in person!
Living Out the Gospel with the Next Generation
When I think of grandparenting, I think of living out the gospel with the next generation. Shirley and I pray for God’s strength to actively love our granddaughters so we can show them a small taste of Christ’s infinite, eternal grace-love.
Psalm 78:2-7 is one passage that I think about when I ponder the calling of Christian grandparents.
2 “I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.”
Show & Tell
Psalm 78 is a Show & Tell Psalm. Kids and grandkids love Show & Tell. As Christian grandparents, let’s “show and tell” by our lives that God is infinitely worthy of putting our trust in.
May our grandparenting lives and relationships be like “memorial stones” where our grandkids look up and ask us for a reason for the hope that they see displayed within us (1 Peter 3:15).
Oh, and that pic of Shirley and me? That’s us hosting our 2020 Grandkids’ Halloween Party.
Oh the places you go and the things you do when you’re grandparents!
7 Biblical Counseling Resources for Grandparenting
I’ve collated these 7 grandparenting resources from The Annual Guide to Biblical Counseling Resources. Learn more about this guide and its 920 resources here.
Deuel, Dave. Help! My Grandchild Has a Disability
A mini-book written with understanding on the blessings and challenges of raising grandchildren with disabilities. Kings and queens wear crowns, but the Bible says grandkids are crowns to their grandparents (Proverbs 17:6). But what if your crown is not what you expected? What if your grandchild has a disability? This mini-book offers grandparents their rightful place as kings and queens to their families. If the Lord has blessed you with a grandchild that has a disability, then roll up your sleeves and get ready to polish that precious and beautiful crown!
Fowler, Larry. Overcoming Grandparenting Barriers: How to Navigate Painful Problems with Grace and Truth
Even under the best circumstances, it takes time and intention to disciple grandchildren and pass on a legacy of Christian faith. So how much harder is the assignment in a family experiencing fractures such as divorce, estrangement, or prodigals? How are grandparents to reach grandchildren for Christ? In Overcoming Grandparenting Barriers, Larry Fowler offers a helpful guide to influencing grandchildren’s spiritual lives even in the most discouraging and hurtful situations, such as when an adult child is not following the Lord, when grandchildren are not being raised by the adult child and access to them is limited, and when grandparents are prohibited from addressing spiritual matters when they visit their grandchildren.
McCall, Larry. Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation
In this practical and biblical resource for grandparents, Larry McCall helps readers confidently carry out their mission of gospel-focused grandparenting. Grandparenting with Grace explores how to build a legacy of a life worth following and how to faithfully pray for grandchildren. What does God say about grandparents and grandchildren? Rather than relying on personal stories and ideas alone, Grandparenting with Grace seeks to explain from Scripture the what, why, who, and how of grandparenting.
Mulvihill, Josh. Biblical Grandparenting: Exploring God’s Design for Disciple-Making and Passing Faith to Future Generations
Many powerful voices are influencing our grandchildren, from those at home and in their schools to those in the world of entertainment and media. What can you as a grandparent do to speak wisdom and godliness into their lives? Biblical Grandparenting is a full-length leadership book that places grandparenting ministry on a firm scriptural foundation. It is ideal for pastors and church leaders as well as for use in the classroom at seminaries.
Mulvihill, Josh. Equipping Grandparents: Helping Your Church Reach and Disciple the Next Generation
Equipping Grandparents is a brief book to teach pastors how to begin a grandparenting ministry in their church.
Mulvihill, Josh. Grandparenting: Strengthening Your Family and Passing on Your Faith
Grandparenting gives you a biblical foundation for investing spiritually in your grandkids, walking you through the principles of influencing them for Christ—from sharing with unbelieving grandkids to discipling them into a mature faith. This book is perfect for individual use, small groups, or Sunday school classes. A Grandparenting DVD is available that features eight family ministry experts with over five hours of video content.
Rice, Wayne. Long-Distance Grandparenting: Nurturing the Faith of Your Grandchildren When You Can’t Be There in Person
Your heart aches for your grandchildren, even if you don’t get many chances to see them in person. You deeply want them to know how much God loves them, to grow in their relationship with him, and to make wise, God-honoring decisions. The good news is, just because you can’t spend as much time with them as you’d like, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a huge impact on their lives! In Long-Distance Grandparenting, you’ll learn how to make the most of the opportunities you do have to connect with your grandchildren, including using technology to keep your relationship strong and taking advantage of the time you have together.
Join the Conversation
What additional passages do you think of when you ponder biblical grandparenting?
What additional biblical counseling resources would you recommend about grandparenting?
