Celebrating GRANDPARENTS

Grandparents.  Where would the world be without them? Every one of us had grandparents!  Grandparents play a significant role in the lives of their grandchildren.  When parents are busy working, many grandparents step in to help out.  Some grandchildren even live with their grandparents for a period of time.  Alison, one of our staff, shares a memory from living with her grandparents:

Grandma’s House was what it always had been – a sanctuary filled with joy. My grandparents, as it turns out, are fountains of knowledge, hilarity, and love. Living in their home has taught me many things. Things like how to make the perfect cookie, or deposit a check at the bank, or way too many jokes that are significantly less funny coming from me than from my comedic genius of a grandpa. I have learned how to be a woman of kindness and grace from my grandma, and my grandpa has instilled in me independence and too many skills to count.

September is the month we focus on grandparents and I want to make sure each of you know that you are appreciated and celebrated for the role you play in the legacy of your family. In honor of grandparents, I have included a package of Grandma’s brand cookies, because who can go to Grandma’s house without having some of her cookies?  It was a fond memory for me, so I share it with you!  Enjoy!  Christine

There’s a story in the Bible where we see grandparents showering their grandchildren with love. When Laban’s grandchildren were moving away from where he lived, he asked, “What can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne?” (Genesis 31:43). “Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them” (Genesis 31:55).

Did you see that?  He kissed them and blessed them!  Oh, to be able to kiss the faces of our grandchildren and great grandchildren!  And the powerful words of BLESSING are a longing of every grandchild!  Pray “the blessing” on your grandchildren.  Pray your grandchildren will have an undivided heart after God and be a godly influence on their generation. Colossians 1:9-14 is another good passage to pray for them. Pray the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 over them as you end a letter to them or as they depart from your home:

     May the Lord bless you and keep you;

     May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

     May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

GRANDPARENTS IN THE BIBLE

Grandparents were mentioned often in the Bible, but not necessarily in their role as grandparents.  Put on your thinking caps and try to come up with who the grandparents of these people in the Bible were:

National Grandparents Day Song

A Song for Grandma and Grandpa

Chorus:

Oh Grandma, Grandpa, you know that I love you
I love all those little things that you say and do
A walk through the park, a trip to the zoo
Oh Grandma, Grandpa I love you

Verse One:

Going to a ball game, fishing on the lake
Eating Grandma’s cookies, boy they sure taste great
Going to the circus when it comes to town
Eating cotton candy and laughing at the clowns

Chorus:

Oh Grandma, Grandpa, you know that I love you
I love all those little things that you say and do
A hug and a kiss, a ride home from school
Oh Grandma, Grandpa I love you

Verse Two:

Spending time together, talking on the phone
Happy birthday presents, chocolate ice cream cones
Photographs and memories, picnics and parades
Saying that you love me in so many ways

Chorus:

Oh Grandma, Grandpa, you know that I love you
I love all those little things that you say and do
The stories you tell, things I never knew
Oh Grandma, Grandpa I love you

Words and Music by Johnny Prill, Johnny Prill Music, BMI, © 1982, © 2004

TELL IT TO YOUR CHILDREN

Tell it to your children and your children’s children,
Stamp it on the doors of their hearts.
Make it the theme of every song that you sing
And sing it to them right from the start.

You’ve got to sing it in the morning, sing it in the night,
Make it your life, your joy and delight.
Tell it to your children and your children’s children that Jesus Christ is King.

BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS

1. Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

2. Before the Father’s throne we pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comfort and our cares.

3. When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.

MAKE ME A BLESSING (chorus)

Make me a blessing.  Make me a blessing.
Out of my life, may Jesus shine.
Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today!