Grandmas with Heart: December 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

Walk Worthy in 2019

I love this quote from the Kimmels and also find it challenging - I absolutely want my grandsons to be able to trust me to walk worthy of the incredibly sacred calling from God to hand faith to them. Handing down our faith is the thing which matters the most. Take time today to pray for your children and your children's children and plan a way to walk worthy and grandparent on purpose; to hand down your faith!

Do you believe it? 2018 is about to become part of the history books. As 2019 begins, it is often easy to become so focused on the things we are planning for the year, we forget to take time to thank God for His many blessings - big and small - from 2018. So, let's take some time to remember the blessings we experienced throughout the past year. Consider the following . . .

A New "Normal"

Well, it is almost 2019 . . . Thanksgiving and Christmas have been celebrated at my house, tomorrow my grandsons will be here for their New Year's Eve Sleepover/Celebration. Tuesday our Christmas tree and lights will come down; yes, 2019 is about to begin and life will return to "normal".

So, as 2019 begins, and we tend to get back to what we typically consider our "normal" day-in-day-out life, let's commit to a "new normal". One which includes the following . . .

Yesterday I wrote about what my husband and I are doing this year to hand faith to our grandsons. I shared how we are making Lamentations 3:21-23 our focus in 2019.

Today I'm writing about the second thing we want to focus on with them . . . helping them become people who read God's Word. We are using Generations Quest with them this year and are looking forward to discovering who Daniel was throughout the month of January and learning together about the choices he made; and how they are able to make wise choices as well.

Heavenly Father,

We approach You on bended knees, our hearts heavy for those who celebrated this Christmas with grieving hearts. Whether it was one less stocking on the mantle or one less chair at the dining room table, the reminder of a lost loved one was painful, sometimes even cruel.

Have a Purpose & a Plan for 2019

2019 is before us and while we do not know what all it holds, you are likely similar to me; I have hope for 2019 to be a year filled with opportunities to hand faith to my grandchildren and build solid, wonderful, joy-filled memories with them as well!

While I have plans for fun – trips to our local garden, I may bury “treasure” in the sandbox again this summer for them to discover, science projects for them to enjoy, another candy cane hunt next December and many more opportunities for “fun” – the things I’m most focusing upon, are two ways to build their faith over the coming year.

Think today of a way you are able to show love to your grandchildren - be it a hug in person, or an email expressing why you end 2018 so thankful God blessed your life with them as your grandchildren. It is important for our grandchildren to grow up with the absolute certainly we not only love them, but we are so thankful they are our grandchildren.

Proverbs 14:26 says; “Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.”

Today, and as the new year begins, whenever you think about your grandchildren, consider making this your prayer . . .

Be the Grandparent Who Does Not Underestimate God's Power

I love this quote from Max Lucado and find it to be extremely encouraging. There are people I love for whom I pray, and continue to pray even when I do not see an answer. I need to be reminded of the truth of how God hears, listens and has the power and will to answer!

When God gifts children to our lives, along with the great joy comes great responsibilities. We need to remember what matters the most - seeing those children grow to be adults who know, love and follow God. This is what really matters.

Thankful Thursday - God Works it All for Our Good - Romans 8:28

Our lives, and the lives of our children and grandchildren, will be filled with blessings and joy-filled moments. Our lives will also have those times when we do not understand what is happening; times when we are truly filled with grief. But, Romans 8:28 gives us a powerful promise from God; one for which I am extremely thankful. He promises everything - all things both blessings and challenges - work together for good.

The "things" we leave behind are not the things which truly matter at all. The most important "thing" we will ever leave behind is a lasting legacy of faith and character.

A Recipe for a Grandma

As 2018 ends and 2019 begins, focus upon living in a way which shows your love for God on purpose, so your grandchildren see Him in all you do and say.

Life has many times filled with joy. Times we want to remember. Times where we are very thankful for all we experience. But, life also has times where we do not understand what is happening. Times we may not want to remember. Times where we may not feel very thankful for the things we experience.

Throughout their lives, our grandchildren will experience times of joy and times of challenge as well, so it is very important for us to prepare them; especially for the times they do not understand. Difficult, challenging times in life have the potential to leave the ones we love sidetracked, derailed and in a place where they turn away from following Jesus.

But, if we help prepare our grandchildren and equip them to see these times of their lives as something where they are able to trust God's love and goodness for them, they will be able to go through them and come out the other side stronger in their walk with God. Today's "Mystery Bag" is designed to help you do this - in a fun and tasty way!

A Prayer to See, Know, Believe & Hold Tightly to the Truth - John 7:17

On this Christmas day when we particularly think about Jesus, take time to pray for the ones you love to have eyes which are open, so they will know the truth and choose to believe. The evidence is there in the world around us, in the Bible and recorded in history - Jesus is real, He is God and He loves us - we are able to choose to believe! Share with your children and grandchildren why you believe and pray for them to always believe as well.

For those of us who believe in Jesus, Christmas is a time of celebration - a time to remember and be so thankful for the great Gift God gave us in the birth of Jesus. It is the reason we hand down the faith - because we want our grandchildren (and children) to believe and receive God's Gift of love.

For us believing Jesus was a real person who was born as a baby, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for us then three days later rose from the dead is a "given". We celebrate Christmas because we believe. It truly is our "reason for the season".

But, if we have people we love who do not believe, consider approaching who Jesus is from the record of history - outside the Bible. Yes, Jesus was a real, historical person. Yes, there is recorded history of who He is - outside the Bible. If Jesus was a real person - and He is recorded as such, then we have to make a choice. Do we believe who He said He was, or not?

Not Just a Baby in a Manger

As you celebrate Christmas and teach your grandchildren about what it is really all about, do not just leave Jesus as a baby in a manger. Be sure to tell why He came and how His resurrection makes it possible for us to receive His amazing grace.

As you celebrate Christmas this year, keep this truth in mind - "God is near, whether you sense His presence or not."

At my house (Lynda) we celebrated Christmas last night. My grandsons were very excited about being able to open their gifts, but I'm happy to say they all know Christmas is about much more than receiving gifts - they know it is about Jesus. They remember the reason for all the celebrating.

Our society tends to make such a big deal about famous people when they have their babies - especially some of the royal family in England. Media even waits outside the hospital for the official news of the new baby's birth.

But, when the one, true King was born, there was no hospital. There was no waiting media. There was no "big deal".

Forever & For Always My Grandchild You Will Be

The love we have for our grandchildren will never end - it grows and grows! This of course brings great joy to us as grandmas (grandpas) and a deep sense of security to them.

Christmas is just a couple days away and today is a great time to remember God's greatest gift - Himself!

Dearest Lord Jesus,

You ask us the same question You asked the disciples. “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). And we answer:

Christmas in a "Nutshell" from John 3:16 & Corrie Ten Boom

With Christmas just a few days away, I thought I'd share with you some Christmas thoughts . . .

Corrie Ten Boom knew the joy of life with family and the incredible loss of her loved family in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Yet, through it all, she held tightly to her faith in God, His love and His goodness. I love this quote from her . . .

A couple weeks ago I (Lynda Freeman) was talking with my grandsons about making wise choices and my youngest grandson (five years old) said; "You sure are wise, grandma. How did you get so wise?"

We talked about how God will help us be wise and make wise choices when we ask Him for help. This is one of the most important conversations we will ever have with our grandchildren. After they make the choice to believe in Jesus, we want them to grow to be wise people. When God gave Solomon the choice to have anything he wanted and he chose wisdom, God was pleased and told him he had made the best choice.

For the past week and a half we have been looking at the best gifts we will ever give to our children and grandchildren - showing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives and homes. Today we will look at the last part of the Fruit - Self Control.

Grandparents are the second most influential people in the lives of their grandchildren, which is why it matters what we say and do with our grandchildren. Keep the future in mind as you pray for and interact with them today . . . and for each day of the rest of your life.

Give the Best Gifts Ever - Be Gentle

Don't you just love this quote! It is so true and as we apply it to our grandchildren, we are reminded our grandchildren are gifts from the hand of God. He chose the grandchildren we have to be our grandchildren - and us to be their grandma (or poppa). Since God chose the grandchildren we have there is every reason for us to love them with our all - and to be grandmas who show great gentleness to them.

Yes, our true grandma (and grandpa/parent) power is prayer, because the One to whom we pray is big enough to hear and answer our prayers. We need to know and hold to this truth, but we also need to be purposeful about communicating this to our grandchildren, because their true "super power" is found in prayer, too!

So, as you go through your Christmas celebrations and look at beginning a new year, consider making the following from Psalms 27:7-14 your prayer for your grandchildren . . .

From time to time we share a link to a free card which you are able to download, print, cut apart and snail-mail to your grandchildren along with a note from you. Whether your grandchildren are young or old and live near or far, sending them actual mail from time to time is a great way for us to be intentional about connecting with our grandchildren and handing down the faith.

This new card has three cards with verses - they are great cards to mail and encourage your grandchildren with the truth of God's love, joy and peace as the new year begins. You will find it at this link.

Give the Best Gifts Ever - Be Faithful

When we think about words which describe God, "faithful" is a word I love, because in a world where all too often people let us down, God is faithful and He NEVER lets us down. The on-line dictionaries give several definitions for the word, "faithfulness", but basically they all carry the idea of how a faithful person does what they say they will do; they are able to be believed and trusted.

We are absolutely able to always believe and trust God, because He always does what He says He will do. So, when we show the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we will be people about whom others are able to say these same things.

Christmas is just five days away, so today is a great time to stop and think about all the many good and perfect gifts with which God blesses us on a daily basis - not just once a year. Take time to be thankful and share with your family even just a few of the good and perfect gifts with which God has blessed you.

A Prayer for Those You Love to Hope in & Seek God

With the new year just around the corner, it is a great time, as is any time, to focus your prayers upon those you love. If your sons, daughters, their spouses and your grandchildren are people who love, follow and walk with God, be very thankful. But, keep in mind, all it takes is a difficult situation, a time when a trusted leader lets them down or friends who are not people who love, follow and walk with God to influence the ones you love to fall away. Do not let up on your prayers for them to walk with God and hand down the faith to your grandchildren.

If your sons, daughters, their spouses and/or your grandchildren are people who do not yet know God or who are no longer walking with Him, do not lose heart. God's love is unending and immeasurable; He loves them. Put your hope in Him and do not give up praying for the ones you love.

So, today for your family who is walking with God and for the ones you love who are not, make Lamentations 3:24-26 your prayer . . .

How would you define, "goodness"? Perhaps as being good, doing what is right, or showing excellence? These are all ways Dictionary.com defines it, along with . . . "The best part of anything".

I really love this last way of defining, "goodness" and want to encourage you to make it the way your grandchildren grow up being able to describe you, because you gave them your, "best part". Yes, we want to give and do what is good, right and excellent when it comes to our grandchildren and when we do, we are giving them the gift of "goodness".

Our grandchildren grow up in a world where they are not only told science teaches the world just "happened", but they are also taught it is possible they are a "mistake" . . . if they were born as a boy, the could really be a girl - or vise-versa.

But, the absolute truth is God made everything, He knew what He was doing when He created our grandchildren and He did not make any mistakes. Today's Mystery Bag will help you share these important truths with your grandchildren in a very hands-on way.

You will need . . .

Give the Best Gifts Ever - Model Kindness

Of course we all want the children we love to be kind, as children and when they are grown. While they are able to learn to be kind from others in their lives, if we as their grandmas (grandpas and parents, too) treat them with kindness throughout their lives, they will learn to treat others in the same way.

When we speak softly with love, we are showing what it sounds like to be kind. When we give an encouraging hug or pat on the back, we are showing what it feels like to be kind. When we share with them - and take them with us to share with others - we are showing them what it looks like to be kind.

"Jesus knew He only had to ask His Father for help and thousands of angels would have been there to help Him! Jesus knew He didn’t even need the angles – after all, Jesus made the angels! Jesus knew real strength is not shown by bragging or showing off, but rather by doing what needs to be done for the ones you love! Jesus showed us His great love by showing us what it means to be meek, what it means to have real strength!" (Deeper In Praying the Psalms 4 Children)

If you are like me, you have been thinking about and looking forward to Christmas - it is just a week away. But, 2019 is nearly upon us - it is just two weeks away. As your grandchildren face the start of 2019, make it a point to pray for them to be people who have meek hearts; people who do not brag or show off, but who instead are quick to do what needs to be done for others. People who show true strength.

Lamentations 3:21-23 - A Prayer & A Blessing

I originally posted this prayer last Spring, but with the new year nearly upon us, I wanted to share it again with you along with a challenge for us all. It is all too easy for us to become busy with the day-in-day-out living of our lives and forget things we wanted to do to hand down the faith. So, to help me remember this prayer and to engage my grandsons in making it part of how they talk with God, I am going to get some supplies and have the boys help me make this prayer into a design we will hang near our table, to remind us to make it our daily prayer. We will also learn the blessing and make small copies of it for them to keep in their room near their beds.

Hope, yes we are able to have hope, because God's love, mercy and faithfulness never end and I want us to remember this! Take time today to notice how God shows these three things to you and tell your grandchildren all about it! Help them learn to watch for how God shows His love, mercy and faithfulness to them as well - so they are able to live with hope.

Consider accepting my challenge and post this verse in your home as well as make it a part of what you pray daily for your children and grandchildren -

When we invest our time and love in the children with whom God has blessed our lives, it is time well spent. This investment of our time will reap a truly valuable return as we make an impact on their lives.

Patience is another of those words which we know and use, but do we really stop to think about what it means, and more importantly, are we truly patient; especially with the children we love? Dictionary.com describes patience as . . .

the quality of being patient as the bearing of annoyance, misfortune or pain without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like.
an ability or willingness to suppress annoyance when confronted with delay.
quiet, steady perseverance, even-tempered care.

I love how they describe being patient as bearing annoyances without complaint and a quiet, steady, even-tempered care.

The Bible gives us a clearer view of patience. Look at 2 Corinthians 13:4 . . .

Give the Best Gifts Ever - Give a Home Filled with Peace

"Peace" is a word we tend to see and hear around this time of year; particularly on Christmas cards and in Christmas carols. Peace is something we all certainly want to experience in our country and world, at Christmas and all year long.

Heavenly Father,

Today, we stand in the gap, interceding for our family members who either don’t know You, or like lost sheep, have gone astray. Our hearts ache for their hearts; our minds agonize over their salvation.

Give the Best Gifts - Give a Home Characterized by Joy

Joy is another of those words which we tend to think about more this time of year, but do we really know what joy is? Dictionary.com defines it as:

the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something someone greatly valued or appreciated
the expression or display of glad feelings.

These may be the things we think of when we think about joy. It is different than being happy - which depends on circumstances. Joy is more. Joy is "exceptionally good/satisfying" and "greatly valued/appreciated", but the Bible gives us an even clearer view of joy.

Isn't it comforting to know the God Who created everything loves our grandchildren - even more than we do and He wants them to love Him even more than we want them to love Him?

We all want to live in a world and in homes where we experience "Peace", but do we really know what it is? Dictionary.com defines "peace" as;

the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations or the world
an agreement or treaty between warring or antagonistic nations, groups, etc. to end hostilities and abstain from further fighting
a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations
freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction anxiety, an obsession, etc. tranquility, serenity
a state of tranquility or serenity
silence; stillness

Peace is all of these things, but as wonderful as these descriptions of peace are, God's peace is even better! In John 14 Jesus said His peace is more than the peace of the world and it is a gift from Him. In Isaiah 26:3 we read -

Hold to the Truth - God Hears & Answers Our Prayers

There are times when we pray when we are able to see how God answers our prayers. These are wonderful, exciting times for sure.

However; there are also times when we pray and pray and pray and do not see any answers. These times are challenging, to say the least. It is easy to wonder if God really does hear us when we pray and pray with no answer we are able to see.

But, it is essential for us to hold tightly to the truth. Look at what 1 John 5:14, 15 has to say about this -

One of the fun parts of Christmas is selecting gifts for the children you love which you know they will enjoy. After all, we grandmas do tend to love to give gifts to our grandchildren!

But of all the "perfect" gifts we may give our grandchildren there are nine gifts which are absolutely the best gifts we grandmas (and grandpas and parents, too) will ever give to the children we love. They are listed in Galatians 5:22, 23 -

Pray for Your Grandchildren to Hold Firmly to God

Our grandchildren will not find firm, stable footing for their lives in the world, but they will in God! Share with them how holding to God as your Rock has given your life stability and peace - consider making a journal for you and your grandchildren to record how God has been your Rock!

While this time of year tends to be busier than others, it is not unusual for us to find ourselves busy and tired. But, thankfully, God has promised when we wait on Him, He will give us the strength we need to do what He wants us to do.

Have Fun - Make Memories So They Will Remember What Mattered the Most

Definitely be a grandma (grandpa) who has lots of fun with your grandchildren! Laugh . . . a lot! Build those memories - on purpose and as often as possible - of enjoying your time together. Do fun things together. Do crazy things together. Do things together which they will never forget.

Make memories they will cherish AND at the same time be sure they know what matters the most.

Pages

Monday, December 31, 2018

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Friday, December 28, 2018

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Monday, December 24, 2018

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Friday, December 21, 2018

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Monday, December 17, 2018

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Friday, December 14, 2018

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

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