Isn’t it exciting to have your precious grandchild come running into your arms with hugs and kisses? Your six-year-old granddaughter calling to tell you she lost her first tooth and the tooth fairy is coming to her house or your seven-year-old grandson thrilled to tell you how many goals he made in his soccer game. Last Saturday my two youngest granddaughters came over to visit and we enjoyed making cookies together. Just as you enjoy your relationships with your grandchildren, God enjoys your relationship with Him.  

     This month as we celebrate Valentine’s we are reminded of our relationships, a time when friends express love to each other. However, it can also be a great reminder for us to express our love to our heavenly Father for the privilege of having a personal relationship with Him.

      Prayer is about a relationship, our relationship with God, and those for whom we pray. God gave us the gift of prayer so we could communicate with Him because He loves us and desires our communication. God does not want us to make our prayers a great production. He wants us to have a personal, intimate conversation with Him from our hearts, sharing our fears and struggles.

      Paul Miller writes in his book, The Praying Life, “American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray, we are so busy that when we slow down to pray, we find it uncomfortable. We prize accomplishments, production. However, prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time.” ₁   Our heavenly Father rejoices when we take the time in our busy, hurried life to communicate with Him in prayer, expressing our love to Him, since relationships thrive on communication.

      The enemy, Satan distracts us with our busy lives hindering our walk with God by distracting our thoughts, making our prayers shallow, hurried, or rote. We face a great deal of stress, difficulty, and disappointments in life for which we need to be deliberate in setting a regular time to pray for our loved ones and ourselves, not just when we have a crisis.

      Our lives will be less stressful if we bring our needy hearts to God asking Him to work out His agenda in our life and in the lives of our loved ones, instead of trying to figure out our own agenda. As we see our prayers answered, we will grow into a more intimate relationship with God and experience more boldness in our praying.  

      Our Enemy knows a family’s faith can be lost in one generation. However, we as grandparents can be their prayer warriors to defend their faith in Jesus Christ by praying for them. Our children and grandchildren do not inherit our salvation. Nevertheless, we can pray that when they are presented with an opportunity their hearts will be prepared to step into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

      Do you sometimes feel like you are too busy to pray?

      Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?

      When you pray do you find it hard to connect with God in our distracting world?

      How is your relationship with God?

      Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:7, 10, 11, “If you love me, you will obey me. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you . . . I have told you this so that my joy will be in you and that your joy will be complete.”

      Send your heavenly Father a Valentine telling him of your love for him by your obedience to him.

 Dear Father, I choose to make a daily appointment with

You to pray intentionally for the hearts of my children, grandchildren, and myself. I want to have an open intimate relationship with

You so I feel comfortable bringing my needy heart to You. I am going to trust you that the seeds of prayer I sow today will bring forth a harvest of blessings in the days ahead.

In Jesus Name.

Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress  2009), 15. Used by Permission of NavPress, All Rights Reserved. www.navpress.com

 © 2012 Lillian Penner

Author of the book Grandparenting with a Purpose.

An excellent resource to challenge grandparents and suggestions

of how to pray for their grandchildren.

The last few months have been very busy and hectic for me, my life felt weighed down and cluttered. However, I have been focusing on getting my life, home, and grandparenting ministry in order.

We are often weighed down with clutter in our lives, focusing on the many petty tasks before us. However, Jesus asks us to rest in him forgetting the worries of the world and focus on Him. If we focus continually on Jesus throughout the day, His presence will bring order to our thoughts, infusing peace into our lives. If we begin each day with Jesus, we will experience the reality of his presence with us. As we spend time with Him, the journey before us opens up step-by- step. He is waiting to smooth our path as we make it a priority to hold his hand and deliberately depend on Him.

Our children and grandchildren can also be weighed down with clutter in their lives with their homework and activities just like us. The enemy is watching for vulnerable spots and the unguarded door to their hearts.

Pray for your children and grandchildren to guard the doors of their hearts, placing their focus continually on Jesus. Then God will guide their lives step-by-step and your grandchildren will experience the reality of His presence.

Recently I had the privilege of visiting a Grandparents@Prayer (G@P) group in Branson, MO. It was such a blessed time as we prayed together for our grandchildren. I am pleased that there are many G@P groups seeing the urgency of meeting together to pray for their grandchildren. We now have a number of G@P intercessory groups meeting in Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Dakota, Alabama, Florida Colorado, Texas, and England. Some of the groups meet in retirement centers, schools, churches, and homes, meeting weekly, some twice a month or once a month, whatever the group desires.

Christian Grandparenting Network has a passion to encourage and equip grandparents to pray for their grandchildren. Therefore, we have organized “Grandparents@Prayer” (G@P) intercessory prayer groups. Our goal is to encourage grandparents to be prayer warriors through the personal discipline of intercessory prayer in the battle against the enemy. We encourage grandparents to meet together in small or large groups on a regular basis to unite in prayer.

As we start the year of 2012, I would like to challenge grandparents to think about getting involved in a Grandparents@Prayer intercessory prayer group

I want to challenge you to join the Grandparents@Prayer group on this PRAY! Network. Go to the “Group” link and look for “Grandparents@Prayer” We would love to have you join us.

We do not know the challenges that lay before us in 2012. In addition to our economy, the moral and social issues in our world are troubling us. Our grandchildren are growing up in a godless environment. However, God has promised to walk with us in the sin-stained world we live in when we hold his hand in deliberate dependence on Him. We read in Hebrews 13:5, “God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

Let’s pray deliberately for our grandchildren with urgency for God’s protection spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

By Lilllian Penner

National Prayer Coordinator

Christian Grandparenting Network

After the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they immediately ran to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph and the baby was lying in a manger. Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel said about the baby. The people who heard their story were astonished.

The shepherds returned to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God. However, Mary quietly treasured all these things in her heart and thought about them often. Later some wise men from the East guided by a star came to their house fell down before baby Jesus and worshipped him, bringing expensive gifts with them.

Now that the Christmas celebrations are over, the tree must come down, the decorations put away for another year. What is your response to the birth of Jesus Christ?

• Are you glorifying and praising God for sending his Son into the world to save our sins?
• Are you worshipping the Lord and quietly meditating on His Word?
• Pray that your children and grandchildren’s response to the birth of Christ will be one of glorifying and praising God for the new life he provided. 
• Pray they will stand as a symbol of hope in a dark world, adorned with God’s strength and beauty.

 Don’t pack Jesus away with the Christmas ornaments until next Christmas. 

My prayer is that your response is to grow in your spiritual life so you will be able to be an even greater godly influence in the lives of your grandchildren in 2012.    

₁ Taken from Luke 2:15-20 TLB

₂ Matthew 2:11

 Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census had to be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone had to go to his or her own town to register. So Joseph and Mary made the difficult journey to Bethlehem even though she was about to have her child.

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, the innkeeper told them there was no room in the village inn for them. However, the innkeeper noticed that Mary was about to have a child. He had the stable boy take them to the stable, a warmer place for them to spend the night rather than on the street.

As I was pondering the response of the innkeeper, I was thinking about my response to Jesus during the busyness of this Christmas season. Do I spend time in God’s presence each day, as I go about my preparations for the Christmas season? Do I make room in my life to spend time in His presence or is my life filled with the busyness of the season? He desires to stretch our time, to help us with our decorating, baking, gift buying, dinners, etc if we ask him. It is through the sacrifice of our precious time, making room in our life for God, that we will find fulfillment because He designed us to need Him.

Just as the village innkeeper missed having Jesus born in his inn, what are you missing by hanging out your “No Vacancy” sign because you are too busy to take the time to be with Jesus? Make room in your life for Jesus this Christmas.

Merry Christmas

By Lillian Penner

  Recently my husband and I attended a reunion in Branson, MO where we saw the awesome performance of The Miracle of Christmas at the Sight & Sound Theatre. I was impressed by how they displayed the emotions of Mary and Joseph when they were faced with the announcements of Gabriel.

While the Jewish nation was waiting for God to free them from living in Roman bondage God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary, “You are highly favored! The Lord is with you . . . You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus…” Since she was, a Virgin Mary was greatly troubled and questionedthe angel. Gabriel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. . . For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary recognized God’s voice and answered, “I am your servant, and may it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Joseph, Mary’s fiancée was troubledwhen he learned Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. He did not want to expose her to public disgrace so he had in mind to divorce her quietly. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (bondage).” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel commanded him and took Mary home as his wife but had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named the son Jesus.   

 Even though Mary and Joseph questioned the angel, they recognized the voice of God and submittedto his agenda, not knowing what it would mean for them and their people at the time.

 Pray for your grandchildren to live so close to God that when He speaks to them they will recognize his voice, listen to Him, follow Him in obedience, and trusting Him, as Mary and Joseph did. They were greatly troubled, however, they recognized the voice of God that the angel Gabriel delivered, and they obeyed. Mary had the honor of giving birth to Jesus, the long awaited Messiah fulfilling what the Lord had said through the prophet Isaiah.

May God bless you richly as you prepare for the Christmas season

as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By Lillian Penner

National Prayer Coordinator

Christian Grandparenting Network

 Christmas Gift Suggestion

Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your grandchildren would make an excellent Christmas gift for your friends who are grandparents.

In celebration of the Christmas holiday, I would like to offer you an autographed soft cover copy for $12.00, including shipping and handling. Just go to the “Purchase Now” link and we will send your shipment. 

 In our culture today, we have become me-centered, even in our prayer lives. It seems like we are encouraged to listen to our feelings, allowing our feelings to dictate our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God cannot be based on our feelings. The foundation of our relationship must be our trust and faith in God.

The purpose of prayer is not for God to give us what we want, but to open our hearts, focusing our minds on Him, yielding ourselves to His higher purpose. As we open our hearts to God, his thoughts will become our hearts.

Eugene Peterson writes in Answering God, “To pray by feelings is to be at the mercy of glands and weather and digestion. And there is no mercy in any of them . . . we need more than our wants and whims to grow in our relationship with God. We need revealed truth.” ₁

A godly woman once told me, “Don’t pray when you feel like it, make an appointment with God, and keep it each day.”

When praying for your grandchildren ask God to shape their character according to His Word even if it requires some struggle. Ask God to give them a soft, teachable heart and a love for God’s Word so they will grow to be men and women of God who share the gospel with the world. 

₁ Pray! Magazine, Nov/Dec/ 2008 issue, page 32, published by The Navigators.

© 2010 Lillian Penner

As I was thinking about Halloween coming up at the end of this month, I started thinking of jack-o-lanterns, costumes, masks, etc. Children have a good time deciding who they are going to be and what they will wear as they go trick or treating and of course eating their treats.

            It reminded me of how many of us try to cover up our feelings or who God designed us to be. We too, as grandparents tend to hide, conceal or disguise how we really feel about ourselves or who God says we are to be. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God created us to be genuine, authentic, sincere, and truthful, pleasing Him with doing good works for Him. Wearing a mask to cover up who God designed us to be will not bring us fulfillment.

Let’s ask ourselves:

Do I really believe God is who He says He is?

Do I really believe I am who God says I am?

Do my grandchildren see that Jesus Christ is the focal point of my life or do they think I am wearing a spiritual mask?

During this Halloween season, let us encourage our grandchildren to be real and honest and not wear masks in their relationship with Jesus Christ, their families and at school.

“A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful”

(Proverbs 14:25 NIV).

By Lillian Penner

 As we are in the autumn season, I was reminded of my childhood, growing up on a wheat farm in Oklahoma. In the summer after the wheat harvest, my father would prepare the soil for the next year’s harvest and in the autumn, he would sow the wheat seed. Throughout the winter months, we would wait for the rains to water the seed and wait for it to come up and watch it grow. In the spring, we would see the wheat heads form and ripen to a golden color for the harvest in early June.

We simply had faith that once the seed was in the ground, nature would take its course, and the golden heads of wheat would be ready to be harvested in the summer.  

It reminds me of when we pray we are sowing seed, asking God in faith for what we desire. Once we have asked, things start happening behind the scenes, whether we are asleep or awake, God is at work, preparing an answer to our prayers. In God’s timing the answer will be evident and we will “reap” the results of our seed (prayer) sown.

However, we must have faith trusting God is at work even when it seems like nothing is happening while we are wait for the seed (prayers) to sprout, grow, and bring forth a harvest.

One little seed has a lot of potential, it seems so small, but under the right conditions, this one seed can grow into a plant that will yield a great harvest! Spiritual multiplication is the same. The seed (prayers) that we sow in the lives of our grandchildren will produce a harvest, even into the next generation, our great-grandchildren. The seeds of prayer that we plant today will yield a harvest of blessing in the future.

Questions: What are you asking God in faith for your grandchildren today?

Are you able to fully trust God with the prayers that you are sowing to bring forth a harvest in the lives of your grandchildren?

“And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9, NKJV).

“Prayer is one of the easiest subjects to talk upon, but one of the hardest to practice.”

−Henrietta Mears, What the Bible Is All About, p.598.

I would appreciate your comments about how you are sowing seeds in the lives of your grandchildren.

Timothy, an Example of Generational Faith

The only time Timothy’s grandmother Lois is mentioned in the Bible is that she passed on her faith to her daughter and grandson. Paul writes that she was a godly grandmother and gives us a glimpse of what caused Timothy to become a godly man, serving the Lord with Paul and writing two books of the Bible. It appears that Paul was his spiritual father.

“I have been reminded of your sincere faith,

which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice

 and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (II Timothy 2:5)

When Timothy left his home to travel with Paul and minister in the churches, he left with his own faith, not his mother, or his grandmother’s. If we are godly grandparents that should be our goal. Our children and grandchildren do not inherit our faith but we can pray they will accept our faith, grow in their relationship with the Lord, and pass it on to their future generations.

In her book Living the Lois Legacy, Helen K. Hoosier writes, “Eunice and Lois must have rejoiced as they saw Paul’s mantle fall upon this much-loved young man. Never let anyone say that family religion is not of importance. . . And never let anyone try to tell you that an inheritance of godly traditions cannot be passed on.” ₁

Today’s children need a model to follow of those who have gone before them, not just surviving but also overcoming in the journey of life. I am very grateful that I have had the privilege of having a godly faith passed down to me by those who have gone before me. My prayer is for my children and grandchildren will accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, grow into an intimate relationship, and pass a godly faith on to their future generations. If you are a first generation believer in Jesus Christ, you have the opportunity to pass on your faith to your future generations.

Let’s pray that we as grandparents will pray intentionally, nurture our grandchildren, and model a godly life before them so they will pass a godly faith to their generation.

What is your goal for your children and grandchildren? (Comment below)

₁  Helen Kooiman Hosier, Living the Lois Legacy, (Wheaton, IL, Tyndale House, 2002), p 5.

© Lillian Penner 2010

 The Bible describes prayer as “Standing in the Gap” or “Bridging the Gap” the channel through which God’s will is brought to earth. We are going to look in God’s Word to see some examples of people he useto stand in the gap so his purpose could be accomplished.

God chose or appointed Moses to stand in the gap between His people, the Israelites and Pharaoh. Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Israelites with prayer and fasting when Haman wanted to destroy the Jews.

After God created the earth, He said, “It was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) There was no gap between God and the earth, however, after Adam and Eve sinned, sin created a gap between God and what He had planned for the earth.  

Fortunately, God stood in the gap for us by sending His Son, Jesus to the earth to live as a man, die for our sins, and arise from the dead so we could have a personal relationship with Him. 

God is our source of power and He chose us to be intercessors, a channel for His power to bridge the gap between himself and the earth. Daniel knew that prayer was the means that would bring God’s will from heaven, causing His will to be activated, releasing His power for His purpose on earth.

God chose us, as grandparents to partner with Him in behalf of our children, grandchildren and future generations to share in His work and blessings.  Jennifer Kennedy Dean writes in her Bible study, Live A Praying Life, “Prayer is the most aggressive, offensive, pro-active, invasive work you can ever engage in.” ₁

Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-18, we are to be strong and firm in our relationship with the Lord. We are to stand firm against Satan’s well- thought-out plans and agenda for our children, grandchildren, and ourselves.  

Just as Jesus, Moses, Esther, Daniel and many others in the Bible stood in the gap, we as grandparents have the privilege to stand in the gap with prayer for our families.  Satan is very active in the world today; he knows his time is short. Let us urgently and intentionally pray for God’s will and protection for our family members. 

It is not only important to pray for our families individually, it is important that we meet with other grandparents to pray together for our families in these crucial times. As Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network, I would like to encourage you to join other grandparents praying for their families in the Pray! “Grandparents @ Prayer” group to pray for their grandchildren  

As grandparents, let us be the channels through which God’s will is brought down to earth for our children, grandchildren, future generations and ourselves.

₁ Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Living A Praying Life, (Birmingham, AL: New Hope, 2003).

 p 60.

© 2010 Lillian Penner

 This past weekend, we were reminded of the tragedy our nation experienced ten years ago. It was a time to review the events and remember the many victims in our prayers. Now our country is facing many difficult issues, it is easy to get discouraged, especially when we thinking of the world our grandchildren growing up into. However, we have a big God bigger than the challenges and struggles we experience at this time and our grandchildren’s future. In the Bible, we have a great example of how Joshua and Caleb handled their challenges.

Moses sent Joshua, Caleb, and the ten other men on a scouting exploration to Canaan, as spies to the Promised Land. After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses to give their reports. Ten of the spies reported that it was a magnificent land but the people are very powerful and their cities are fortified and very large. The people are giants, much stronger than we are, we would not be able to attack them.

However, Joshua and Caleb reported to Moses that the land was good but God would lead them, and they had nothing to fear, because their God was bigger than their obstacles. How do you see God? Do you see God big enough to meet your challenges, and struggles?

God often allows challenging situations in our lives for a purpose, teaching us to depend more on Him. Although trials and challenges are inevitable, they can be our friends. Pray your grandchildren will learn to expect them, submit to them, and learn from them. The challenges and struggles they face are not meant to destroy them. They are designed to promote spiritual growth, develop character, and make them capable to fulfill their God-given assignments. Our adversities may be blessings in disguise.

God sometimes wants to demonstrate to us truth about Himself. Only through trials do we move from theoretical (academic) faith to practical faith. As grandparents, we can pray for our grandchildren to see their challenges as exercises designed to make them become stronger spiritually and mature in their character.

Pray that your grandchildren will see God as a great, big, strong God they can trust at all times, in all circumstances like Joshua and Caleb.

Taken from Numbers 13

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children

        are walking in the truth” III John 1:4.

For PRESCHOOLERS, pray they will:

1. Develop a well-balanced personality.
2. Learn problem resolution skills.
3. Play well with others.
4. Learn to obey quickly; respect authority
5. Explore and create without fear of failure.
6. Develop a soft heart toward Jesus.
7. Develop confidence and independence.
8. Learn to control their emotions and anger.
9. Develop an awareness of God’s love for them.
10. Build positive friendships.

For ELEMENTARY-AGE children, pray they will:

1. Discover their God-given gifts and talents.
2. Develop a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment using their skills.
3. Be motivated, disciplined and challenged in their learning experiences.
4. Treat others with respect.
5. Stand firm for what is right and refuse the wrong with a positive attitude.
6. Choose friendships wisely.
7. Obey their parents.
8. Understand their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and invite him into their heart.
9. Develop a strong and healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.
10. Have a safe, healthy classroom environment.
11. Be protected from the deception of the enemy.
12. Develop a hunger for God’s Word

As TEENAGERS, pray they will:

1. Be motivated, disciplines and challenged to apply themselves and excel in their academic studies.
2. Experience the reality of Jesus Christ in their lives, as they grow strong in their faith.
3. Recognize the deception of the world.
4. Be covered with God’s safekeeping physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
5. Date wisely (which leads to a spouse for a lifetime).
6. Be sexually pure.
7. Have communication and a good relationship with their parents.
8. Choose friends who will have a positive influence.
9. Grow spiritually with a hunger for God’s Word.
10. Have a balanced view of their beauty, charm, and strength.

As COLLEGE STUDENTS, pray they will:

1. Be motivated, disciplined, and challenged to apply themselves in their studies to excel academically.
2. Seek God’s wisdom and direction in their management of time, money, and talents.
3. Think creatively and live with integrity.
4. Recognize their gifts so they can find their God-given assignment.
5. Provide the resources to fulfill their God-given assignment.
6. Find a spouse with a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
7. Be sexually pure.
8. Be willing to accept responsibility and make wise financial decisions.
9. Have open communication and a good relationship with their parents. 

By Lillian Penner, National Prayer Coordinator

Christian Gandparenting Network

lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

For additional grandparenting resources go to

www.christiangrandpparenting.net

 Pray for Protection and Victory in the Battlefields of Life

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10, 11).

      A grandfather understands the nature of warfare and that our grandchildren are prime targets for the enemy who is seeking to devour them (and us). Gentlemen, we are soldiers engaged in the battlefield of war for the hearts, minds, and souls of our grandchildren. If we fail to engage in battle, then we set the enemy loose to do whatever he wants with our children and grandchildren.

      Our grandchildren need grandfathers who are good soldiers—soldiers who understand they are not on vacation but at war. Men who grasp their calling, committed to fulfilling it and pleasing our Commanding Officer (Christ). Men who have learned how to endure hardship with courage and faith, and clothed themselves with the full armor of God and are engaged in fervent prayer on their grandchildren’s behalf.

      Such soldier grandfathers will pray that for their grandchildren to grow strong in their walk with the Lord. They will pray for and show them the importance of the armor of God to stand firm against schemes of the devil who will tempt them to lie, to cheat, to disobey their parents, and to follow all the ways of the world. The enemy is cunning, deceptive, and powerful. He will do everything he can to distract our grandchildren from walking with the Lord and seek, instead, to gratify the sinful desires of the flesh.

 Grandfathers, pray that your grandchildren will:

1.   Recognize the deception of the world and resist temptation.

2.   Gird themselves with the belt of truth (God’s Word) and stand firm in the truth

3.   Take up the shield of faith so that they may stand firm against and extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

4.   Put on the helmet of salvation by the Holy Spirit will guard their hearts and minds, and fill them with hope and courage

       to live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus, their Lord and Savior.

5.   Be alert, self-controlled, and firm in faith—faith in God and the work of Christ on the Cross.

6.   Persevere and endure hardship in the face of hostility and ignorance.

7.   Take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, as their only weapon against which Satan cannot stand.

            Pray that they will hide the Word in their hearts through study and memorization.

8.   Be alert, self-controlled, and firm in faith—faith in God and the work of Christ on the Cross.

9.   Persevere and endure hardship in the face of hostility and ignorance.

10. Live a life worthy of the calling they have received as a child of God.

 One final thought for grandfathers…

Men, soldiers are not supposed to fight the battle alone. They fight as a company or platoon, part of unit watching out for each other’s back. The Scriptures are clear as well that we are to fight this battle as a unit—we are the body of Christ. I urge you, therefore, to band with two, three, or more brothers who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and you with them, to do battle for the hearts and minds of our grandchildren (and children). A band of righteous men gathered to pray is a powerful force against our enemy.

Decide right now to ask other grandfathers to form a band of grandfathers who will pray together and develop a strategy for fighting in the power of God on the battlefield for life. Grandparent’s Day of Prayer is a perfect staging area for this purpose. Talk to a few other men in your church, neighborhood or place of work, and ask them to join you to form a Grandfather’s G@P group—a band of brothers who will do battle for the souls of the next generations. Our Commander In Chief has issued the call. Will you respond?

 I would also like to invite you to join “Grandparents @ Prayer” on this Pray! Network.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, go to www.chrisitiangrandparenting.net or contact me at charper@christiangrandparenting.net.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” III John 1:4.

Guest Blog by Cavin Harper, Executive Director of Christian Grandparenting Network

GRANDMOTHERS – SPIRITUAL ROLE MODELS If Timothy’s grandmother Lois had not been faithful in passing on her faith to her daughter Eunice and grandson Timothy we would not have the books, First and Second Timothy in the Bible today. This is a good generational example of the importance of passing on the faith to future generations. Lois is our forerunner who modeled grand mothering for us. (II Timothy 1:5) Isn’t it interesting that nowhere in the Bible does it say that the church has the primary responsibility to pass on our faith to the next generation. It makes clear that parents and grandparents are the principal conduit to instruct their children and grandchildren about God and his love for them.

Many grandparents are greatly concerned their children are not passing on the values and faith by which they were raised. Therefore, grandparents have a crucial role to fill if faith is to be found on earth when Jesus comes back for his own. The demonstration of a faithful walk with the Lord and prayers for our grandchildren is a powerful way to pass on the love of Christ to the next generation.

Grandmother’s Role The role of godly grandparents is to communicate their faith in Jesus Christ and pray diligently for their grandchildren. We are also to tell future generations how God has walked with us and demonstrated his mighty works in our lives. God is waiting for us to ask Him for opportunities if we are overwhelmed with how to be a godly influence on your grandchildren. God has given us the responsibility and power to set a positive example. We do affect our grandchildren one way or another, in a positive or negative fashion. In Proverbs 27:19, we read, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person” (NLT). What does the reflection of our “real person” look like? When we are committed to read and meditate on God’s Word, we reflect a life transformed into his image. As we invest in our own walk with the Lord, we are spiritually investing in the lives of our grandchildren by modeling a godly example. As spiritual role models, we demonstrate the reality of our faith by walking with God through both the stormy and sunny days of our lives.

We, as grandmothers love to give gifts to our grandchildren, however, the greatest and most lasting gift we can give them is to be their prayer intercessor, affecting and imprinting their generation with God’s faithfulness. The material things we leave our grandchildren are temporary; however, our prayers and examples can make a significant impact on them for a lifetime. Our greatest blessings will come when we observe the results of our answers to prayer in the lives of our grandchildren. Even though we may go to heaven before God answers our prayers, our prayers will be deposits in their spiritual trust fund. With the pressure on families today, grandchildren need our hugs, reassurance, and wisdom more than ever. It is also imperative for us to communicate to our grandchildren our love for them and accept them, even though we may not accept their behavior. In today’s broken world, Satan’s purpose is to destroy the family. It is imperative that we pray God will give the mothers and fathers of our dear grandchildren godly wisdom in the monumental task of teaching and guiding them in the ways of the Lord.

Do your grandchildren see an authenticity and sincerity about you in your relationship with God? What a blessing it would be for me to hear my grandchildren say, “I want to have a relationship with the Lord like my grandmother modeled for me.” I hope I can say in the years to come, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children and grandchildren are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).

Ask yourself:

• What kind of memories will my grandchildren have of me when I pass away? • Is my walk with the Lord what I want reflected in the lives of my grandchildren?

• Do I want my grandchildren to imitate my spiritual life?

• Will they want my Jesus? • Will my love for God keep on living through my grandchildren, even after I am deceased?

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive me when I have not taken the time to be in your Word or modeled the life of a godly grandparent. Help me to take the time to read and meditate on your Word every day so I will reflect Your face in the heart of my grandchildren. Help me to be a godly example, teaching my grandchildren to live lives of truth with integrity, authenticity, and seriousness. Help me to give sound, wise, wholesome counsel and guidance, encouraging my grandchildren to know and follow Christ wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Note: Christian Grandparenting Network is forming Grandparents@Prayer (G@P) groups all over the United States. I would like to ask grandparents to join me to stand in the G@P to pray for your dear grandchildren on a virtual G@P group on Pray! Network. Please share your prayer requests and we will join you in interceding for your grandchildren.

Lillian Penner

National Prayer Coordinator

Christian Grandparenting Network

Grandparent’s Day of Prayer

This year the Christian Grandparenting Network is declaring September 11, 2011 as Grandparent’s Day of Prayer. It coincides with the National Grandparents Day as designated by a Senate proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia organized the effort after an initial resolution introduced to the Senate in 1973 failed. Mrs. McQuade managed to gain the support of governors, senators and congressional representative’s support in forty-three states over a period of three years. Finally, in February 1977, Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) introduced a Joint Resolution to the Senate requesting the President to "issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as 'National Grandparents Day'." Congress passed the legislation and on August 3, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation^. citing the purpose as a day "...to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer.”

In the spirit of this proclamation, the Christian Grandparenting Network, whose mission is to promote effective, godly grandparenting that is intentional about representing Christ to the next generation is calling a Grandparent’s Day of Prayer. It is a way of engaging grandparents in this cause through prayer for their grandchildren and families, our schools and our nation. As your grandchildren return to school in August and September, we invite you to join grandparents across this nation for an intentional day of prayer for our grandchildren. September 11, 2011 is the date on which the call is being issued for godly grandparents everywhere to stand in the gap together for our grandchildren as Esther stood in the gap for her people in a desperate time. The call is being issued for prayer warriors to link arms and go to battle for the sake of the next generation.

For further information about the Grandparent’s Day of Prayer for yourself or your pastor, please contact Lillian Penner, CGN National Prayer Coordinator at lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net or go to www.christiangrandparenting.net .

When I was a young woman, I had many opportunities to visit my widowed grandmother while I attended college in her town. As she grieved my grandfather’s death, she reflected her trust in God to care for her and showed how God sustained her each day, by claiming the promise Jesus gave His disciples after His resurrection. 

“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Matthew 28:20 (KJV).

My grandmother’s faith that God would always be there for her made a great impact on my life. Her testimony influenced me to incorporate that verse into my daily experiences. Since those early adult years, whenever life has been difficult, disappointing, or downright discouraging, I have claimed that same scripture verse. My prayer is that I will have opportunities to reflect my life experiences of trusting God during my difficult times to my children and grandchildren.

In Proverbs 27:19 we read, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.” However, we may ask what does that look like. When we meditate on God’s Word and grow in our relationship with God, we will reflect God’s glory because we are being transformed into His image. We glorify God when we reveal or manifest his character by the way we live by demonstrating God’s love to those around us.   

 We, as grandparents who love the Lord have a responsibility to reflect a godly life to our grandchildren. We must ask ourselves, is my walk with the Lord as I want reflected in the lives of my grandchildren. 

My grandmother made a lasting impression on my life because she reflected her faith in God’s provision to sustain her during her time of grieving. When we reflect God’s love to our grandchildren and they are walking with the Lord, our love for God will keep on living through our grandchildren.

Questions to ask ourselves:

What does the reflection of my life look like to my grandchildren?

Do I want my grandchildren to imitate my spiritual life?

Will they want my Jesus?

Pray your love for God will keep on living through your grandchildren, even after you are deceased. 

Prayer

Lord, forgive me when I have not taken the time to be in Your Word

 and model the life of a godly grandparent.

 Help to take the time to read and meditate on Your Word every day

So I will reflect your face in the heart of my grandchildren.  

Even after I have passed on to be with you.

In Jesus name.

© 2010 Lillian Penner

God placed our hearts at such a great value that He sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins so we could have a personal relationship with him.

If we really believe, God values our hearts enough to send His son to die for our sins we must guard our hearts. By guarding our hearts, we protect our relationship with Him. We must choose to abide in Him on a consistent daily basis, it does not happen automatically. He desires for us to handle our hearts as His treasure, holding it tight and not be careless.

As grandparents, let’s pray that our grandchildren will allow their hearts to be tender and teachable to God’s Word, and not be careless with His treasure. Our grandchildren live in the midst of a battle; a brutal and vicious war against a subtle and friendly enemy who knows his time is short. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” When we guard our own hearts, we can have a part in nourishing the hearts of our dear grandchildren so they will recognize the deception of the world and guard their hearts.

How do we guard our hearts? We protect, defend, and shield our hearts from the enemy by developing an intimate relationship with God. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1. “Set your hearts on things above, not on earthly things.” The enemy wants to rob our hearts, trying to get us over-whelmed, defeated, and tired. The enemy wants us to be so busy that when God wants to get our attention and communicate with us His call goes to “voice mail.” As grandparents, we can set an example by demonstrating that our relationship with God is a high priority for us.

A weak or empty heart is vulnerable to temptation by the enemy. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray so you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” When we are tired, sad, and discouraged or when our hearts are cluttered or divided we are often weak. However, when we yield to temptation, God has made a way to escape. If we confess our sin, He will forgive our sin, and cleanse our hearts because we are His treasure.

Paul tells us several times that we need to be strong in our faith to resist the enemy. By choosing to spend time in God’s Word, communicating with Him in prayer, we can strengthen our heart to resist the enemy.

 Encourage your grandchildren to invite Jesus into their hearts, grow strong in their faith, and guard their hearts. If you want to learn more about grandparenting with a purpose check out the my book Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren at www.grandparentingwithapurpose.com.

Lillian Penner

The Ripple Effect of Praying Grandparents

During the summer, many grandparents will vacation with their grandchildren. Some will go camping. It is a great opportunity to spend extra time with the possibility of quality interaction. Now imagine you are camping with your grandchildren in the mountains. You have cooked your campfire stew for dinner and you are relaxing around the campfire beside a big lake. It is perfectly still; there is no wind. The lake is a mirror reflecting a beautiful sunset. Sticky-fingered grandchildren delight in s’mores while skipping stones across the lake’s glassy surface. They are enthralled with the traveling waves seeing who can make the biggest ripples.

Grandpa tells Grandma, “Just as the kids are making ripples in the water with the rocks, we can make ripples in the lives of our grandchildren with our prayers.” Our prayers for our grandchildren to invite Jesus Christ into other lives and to walk with Him throughout their lives will have a ripple effect on their families, friends, their world, and their future.

Another way we as grandparents can have a ripple effect on the lives of our grandchildren is by the way we live our lives. As we seek the Lord ourselves, investing time, energy, and effort in our own spiritual walk with the Him, our example will have a ripple effect on our children, grandchildren, and future generations.

My Great-grandfather’s Prayer

I found a letter in my family archives written by my great-grandfather in Poland, addressed to my grandfather who had immigrated to America. In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for my grandfather and his future generations. It was a special blessing for me to see in writing that my great-grandfather prayed for me before I was born. His prayers had a ripple effect on my grandparents, my parents, my life, my children and my grandchildren.

You will have the privilege to start the ripples in your family if you did not have a Christian heritage. Prayer is the greatest gift we can give our family. Material things are needed but they are temporary. Our prayers will affect them for a lifetime.

My friend’s story

I would like to share the story my friend shared with me how her grandparents influenced her life, even though her parents did not influence her spiritually. She said,

“I grew up in a non-Christian home. My father’s father was a minister and his mother was a devoted Christian. My mother’s parents were also church-going people. However, my parents rebelled against God and the church, even though they both grew up in Christian homes.

“However, my grandparents took their responsibility very seriously, and my spiritual influence was a high priority for them. I remember hearing my father’s father pray for me when I was a young child visiting in their home. Although my father’s parents died while I was a child, I respected them very much. 

     “My mother’s parents often told me, ‘We are praying for you.’ As a young child, my neighbors invited me to go to church with them and as a result, I did ask Jesus into my heart. My grandparents were thankful to know their prayers were answered before they passed away, even though my parents did not teach me about Jesus or take me to church. It means so much to me that both sets of my grandparents let me know they prayed for me. I strongly believe the prayers of my grandparents led me to invite Jesus Christ into my life, marry a Christian young man, and be actively involved in my church. I only remember my parents attending church with me one time and that was many years after I was married. However, as a result of my praying grandparents, my children and my grandchildren have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and carry on the faith.”

Even though my friend’s spiritually rebellious parents interrupted the ripple effect, the intentional prayers of her grandparents passed their heritage of faith to the future generations, and the ripples continued.

Be a Prayer Warrior

God has placed our grandchildren in to our families so we can be their prayer warriors. He has given us the awesome opportunity to partner with Him on behalf of these dear ones. He has given me nine grandchildren to pray for and He has given you your grandchildren.

It is not about the expensive gifts we give our grandchildren or the vacations we take them on, they are not lasting, however, our prayers are the most important gift we can give them.

Sometimes, as we get older and limited physically, we might feel useless. However, if we have grandchildren, God has a purpose for keeping us on this earth, to be a Prayer Warrior for your grandchildren living in this spiritually deprived world.

As grandparents, let us pray deliberately and pass on our love for God to our children, grandchildren and future generations. This ripple effect of specific prayer communicates our love and acceptance, as well as giving them an example of living a God centered life.

“Your faithfulness continues through all generations;”

(Psalm 119:90a)

Taken from Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren

by Lillian Penner. www.grandparentingwithapurpose.com