How to Find Significant Purpose in Your Grandparenting by Lillian Penner

I received the special gift of grandparenting as I approached my midlife season. It was exciting to become a grandparent! However, I learned that along with this gift came a sacred trust to imprint another generation with the message of God’s faithfulness. Reflecting on my new responsibility, I realized my prayers were too general and vague and I became frustrated with how I was praying for my grandchildren. After I asked God for wisdom and read several books about prayer, my praying changed dramatically. I discovered God’s Word was a great resource to help me with my praying, not only …

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6 Reasons Being a Grandmother is Better Than Being a Mom

I am a mother of three and grandmother of four. In fact, my second daughter gave birth to baby Josiah just two weeks ago. I’ve had the awesome blessing of being here with my daughter and her family for the last 14 days, hip deep in both mothering and “grandmothering!” Which is better? Being a mother or a #grandmother? Click To Tweet Since I’ve had plenty of experience with both roles, I’ve been doing some comparison recently. Which is better, being a mother or a grandmother? I’ve decided that although being a mom is awesome, being a grandmother is even …

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Do You Know God’s Purpose for You as a Grandparent? by Lillian Penner

 Just as David was chosen for his generation God has positioned us, as grandparents for our generation with our personality and gifts for our families. We read in Acts 16:36 “ David served God’s purpose in his generation.” According to Deuteronomy 4:9, God’s purpose for us, as grandparents is to teach God’s commands to our children and our children’s children. 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, I and II Timothy in the Bible today. This is a good generational example …

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Are You a Grandmother Estranged from Your Grandchildren?

Recently, I received an email from a grandmother who was asking me to pray with her because she was estranged from her granddaughter. Her heart is broken, finding it very difficult to deal with the situation, like many grandparents do today. When we reach the mid-life years of our lives we look forward to becoming grandparents and very excited when our first grandchild is born and the grandchildren that follow. However, today there are many grandparents with broken hearts because they are estranged from their grandchildren. Being estranged from your grandchildren often results in many negative emotions. Sorting out exactly …

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Something New Emerging for Praying Grandparents in 2016

  I am the National Prayer Director for Christian Grandparenting Network, and I have a dream to form a movement of A Million Praying Grandparents who will commit to pray intentionally and regularly for their grandchildren and their parents. I want to share my dream/passion with you because I believe you too, share my concern for our grandchildren growing up in the broken world we live in today. The mission of Christian Grandparenting Network is to mobilize grandparents throughout the world to commit to pray daily for their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s parents. In Christian Living Today, a magazine for …

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How to Pray for the Parents of Our Grandchildren

Recently I had the joy of ‘meeting’ Lillian Penner through a phone conversation and I instantly loved her heart for God, for God’s girls and for the need to bridge the generation gap and embrace the godly influence that grandparents can have in the lives of their children and grandchildren. I asked her to share some words of wisdom here at The MOM Initiative. SO without further ado, here’s Lillian sharing How to Pray for the Parents of Our Grandchildren.   The parents of our grandchildren have a great responsibility parenting our grandchildren in these insecure, unstable times we live in. …

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Caring for Your Own Mom

Have you ever wondered what it might be like when your role as a daughter gets reversed and you become the parent to your mother? I didn’t give it much thought until I was suddenly faced with an ailing mother who needed full-time care. Most of my friends and family assumed that she would move into a nursing home facility. But, I knew God had quite a different plan for our family. Ever wondered what it might be like when your role as a daughter gets reversed & you become the parent to your mother? Click To Tweet I felt the constant …

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When Grandma Becomes a Mom Again

I remember years ago standing and watching my dear friend with her grandson, thinking I will never do that. She was now raising her grandson after her daughter-in-law died unexpectedly.  My thoughts were, “Why would you do that when his dad was a grown man, in good health, and quite able to take care of him?” Over the years I really had no understanding of why she didn’t just let her son take care of him. I knew he had some problems, but still… this was his child and he needed to step up to the plate. How ignorant was …

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Celebrate Grandparents Today

 Did you know that today is National Grandparents Day? It’s a day to celebrate all grandparents and thank God for our heritage and the legacy these precious grandparents have passed down to us and to our children.  My husband and I are the proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren, who are spread all over the United States. We make the rounds at least once a year to see them all, but even though I can’t be with them face-to-face on a regular basis, I do come face-to-face with the Lord daily praying for these special gifts He has blessed us with …

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Detour – Teenage Motherhood – How to Survive (sneak peek of Better Together Session)

  This wasn’t the part of the plan. You and your daughter were planning for high school graduation, but now you’re trying to get used to the idea that she is going to be a mother. You’re both trying to sync schedules around baby. How exactly will she do this mom thing and how do you help her?   It happened to me. One day I was cheerleading for the football team and the next–I was fighting with my mom, feeling oh-so tired and scared as I held a positive pregnancy test in my hands.  What did my future look …

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