With Grandparents Day just around the calendar corner (Sept. 9th), we thought it would be good to look at the important role grandparents play in the lives of children.
Grandparents can be a big support to their children who are the parents of their grandchildren. By support I mean being involved and available for the spiritual, physical and emotional support of their family.
Children from Christian homes are walking away from their faith in Christ and belief in God at frightening speed. Parents who have looked to church and Christian school leaders to prepare their children to leave home for college or career are now asking “what happened” to their kids. Why would their child call them to say they no longer believed in God?
May I state the obvious? God expects parents to raise children to believe in Him and be able to defend their beliefs when attacked by a secular world.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
“My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.” Proverbs 1:8-9
Proverbs is an excellent example of how parents should train their children. King Solomon used the term “my son” more than 20 times in his wisdom writings. He was addressing his son personally and pointing him to the many errors a young man can make in life.
One of the reasons I wanted to review this book about Grandparenting is because of the position God has given grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren. We can make a difference in their lives as well as the lives of our children.
Grandparenting – Loving Our Children’s Children is part of IVP’s Life Guide Bible Studies series of books. It is designed for individual or group study. I recommend that grandparents go through the study as a couple first, then talk with some of your friends about going through it as a group. There are benefits in both ways of approaching the study.
While the study is not specifically designed for a discussion about helping our grandchildren defend their faith in Christ (apologetics), it does address those supporting issues well. You could also transition from this book into another study that addresses faith defense for your grandchildren. I definitely recommend it for you and your friends to study and discuss.
Contents
Getting the Most Out of Grandparenting
1. A Grandfather’s Blessing
Genesis 48:1-20
2. Praying for Our Grandchildren
Ephesians 1:15-22; 3:14-21
3. From Generation to Generation
Psalm 78:1-8
4. Nurturing Contentment
1 Timothy 6:2-10
5. Loving Your In-Laws
Ruth 1:1-19; 2:8-13; 4:9-16
6. The Problem with Favoritism
Genesis 27:30-41; 37:1-26
7. Family Forgiveness
Matthew 18:21-35
8. Never Too Late to Change
2 Chronicles 33:1-20
9. When It Is Time to Step Aside
2 Samuel 19:31-40
Leader’s Notes
Publisher Notes
Written by grandparents and expert Bible study authors Phyllis and Andrew Le Peau, this LifeGuide Bible study explores the biblical framework for being a godly grandparent.
In nine sessions, this study guides you in how to be a loving and caring presence in the lives of not only your grandchildren but also your adult children as they parent.
About the Authors
Phyllis Le Peau worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for over two decades in St. Louis and the Chicago metro area. She is also the author of several Bible study guides published by InterVarsity Press and Zondervan. She and her husband Andy have four married children and thirteen grandchildren.
Andrew T. Le Peau is a writer and editor living in the Chicago area. He was the long-time associate publisher for editorial at InterVarsity Press where he worked from 1975 to 2016. Before that he was a campus staff member for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, serving in the St. Louis area.
He is the coauthor of several Bible study guides including James and Ephesians in the LifeGuide Bible Study series, and author of Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength. and Mark Through Old Testament Eyes.
Grandparenting Loving Our Children’s Children, IVP Connect, 2017