Grandparenting with Grace

“When my wife and I were asked to teach a class on gospel-centered grandparenting at our local church, we were taken a bit by surprise. It’s not that we were against the idea. We just hadn’t given it much thought. And I’m a pastor!” so writes Larry McCall in his encouraging new book. Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation has seven short chapters. Rather than trying to summarize each chapter, I’ll simply include a short quote to whet your appetite.

Learning about Grandchildren from God – “The very reason for our grandchildren’s existence is to bring God glory (Isaiah 43:7). We have the privilege of lovingly guiding our grandchildren into a deeper knowledge of their relationship to God and helping them to make God-honoring decisions about their relationships and responsibilities as they walk through life.”

My Grandchild Needs a Savior – “Our grandchildren were born not only in God’s image, but they were also born in our image….Understanding our grandchildren’s need for salvation can help us to point them to their need for Jesus every day—for forgiveness and the power to follow him.”

Developing God-Honoring Relationships with My Grandchildren’s Parents – “Some grandparents have overstepped the bounds of what it means to be biblical grandparents, wrongly assuming a role in the grandchildren’s lives that rightfully belongs to the parents.”

Intentional Grandparenting – “In God’s gracious providence, the torch of faith that was carried by those who preceded us has now been placed in our hands. God wants us to be faithful in passing that torch to the coming generations.”

The Power of a Praying Grandparent – “”If our core motivation…is that we just want our grandkids to be happy, then our grandparenting will be given over largely to spending our time and money to make sure our grandchildren are having a good time. But, doesn’t God want us grandparents to have objectives that go deeper and further than that?”

Gospel Grandparenting in Today’s Culture – “Gospel-empowered, Christ-reflecting grandparents can take the initiative to nurture a close relationships with our long-distance kids and grandkids, even when that requires a sacrifice of time, effort, and finances.”

How Do I Leave a Godly Legacy? – “Here’s a heart-searching exercise: Imagine that you have passed away, and the pastor presiding at your funeral asks your now-adult grandchildren to give a testimony at the funeral of the impact you had on their lives. What will your grandchildren say at your funeral? What do you hope they will say?”

Grandparenting with Grace fills a significant hole in Christian publishing. If you are a grandparent, this short, easy read is well worth your time. Also, the author was recently interviewed on the HELP + HOPE Podcast. You can listen to that here.

Print this entry