In my last article, I shared one of the primary lessons I learned during my recent Sabbatical: how tired I had become and how much I desperately needed help in ministry at The Bridge.
I am seeking to do a better job at defining what needs to be done, making needs known, recruiting, equipping, delegating, and deploying both staff and volunteers in the ministry. Thank you for your prayers!
This week I will share lesson #2: The Vital Role of Godly Grandparents. Society says very little, but the Bible has much to say about grandparenting (look up Deut. 4:9; 6:1-2; Ps. 78) and the impact of godly grandparents (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15). This role even continues after a grandparent’s death via inheritance (Prov. 13:22). The consequences of not being godly grandparents (and/or parents) can be seen in Judges 2:7-10:
“The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”
How is this possible? Parents & grandparents failed to do what they were clearly commanded to do in Deuteronomy 4 & 6!
During our Sabbatical, Diane and I planned what we called, “Camp Brown Bear 2.” It was “#2” because we had the first one in 2019 (pre-Covid). This time we had our 5 oldest grandkids (ages 12, 10, 8, 7, and 5) with us for 8 days. They were with us 24-hours per day, and it was a DOUBLE BLESSING to Diane and me. Why a double blessing? Psalm 127 makes it very clear that children are a GIFT from the Lord (a blessing). Since that’s true, when our children have children (a gift / blessing to them) it’s a double blessing to the grandparents! And I’ve got to tell you those 8 days were a double blessing. We had a blast eating, playing, laughing, reading, praying, memorizing Scripture, singing, driving, swimming, cooking, doing chores, learning about the Fruit of the Spirit, encouraging, counseling… and loving each other the whole time.
What did we do? Great question! We spent months planning & preparing for each day that they would be with us. We saved up money to pay for it (invest in their lives). We primarily stayed at our house and decorated for Camp Brown Bear 2, including putting their names on the door to their rooms (called cabins). We planned the meals to include “new foods” they had never tried before and gave them rewards for trying them. We had a chart that rewarded them for cleaning up after themselves (room, games, toys, dishes). We taught each day from the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and had them memorize that passage. Each evening we had them help us determine who best exhibited the fruit(s) for that day. We took them to special educational places where they could learn new things. We did physical things as well (swimming, hiking, competitive games, go-kart, hoverboard…). We took them overnight to a cabin in the mountains (Pine Mtn Club – spent some of their inheritance on that 😊). Each night, before bed, we read the Bible, sang songs, and prayed together.
And we had a theme passage from Psalm 78:1–7:
“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, 6 that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, 7 that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments…”
We made memories that will last a lifetime and hopefully instilled character & convictions that will last beyond that. After Camp Brown Bear 2 was over, Diane created a photo book to capture all the things we did so we can remember those precious moments for years to come. It was a fantastic 8-day adventure with our 5 oldest grandkids. We hope to repeat a version of it each year and increase the number with more of our younger grandkids when they are old enough to fully participate (slang for“potty trained”). But that’s just one week out of the year. We plan to invest in their lives as much as possible throughout the year. Family events, birthdays, sports, music recitals, school events & graduations, holidays, grandkid sitting (so our kids can get out), etc. We WANT to invest in them and show them that knowing, loving, serving, following Jesus is the best way to live. We want them to know the LORD, the great work He has done & is doing in our lives, and what He has and will do for them if they will turn from sin and trust in Jesus alone.
So Lesson #1 and Lesson #2 tie together. If I successfully share more of the ministries at The Bridge with all of you, I will have more time to invest in my children and grandchildren. I consider both to be an incredible privilege and look forward to a year filled with precious memories investing in your lives and theirs. Praise God for this high and holy calling!
Pastor Paul