{"id":305735,"date":"2020-02-06T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-intentional-grandparent\/"},"modified":"2020-02-06T06:00:04","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T11:00:04","slug":"the-intentional-grandparent","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-intentional-grandparent\/","title":{"rendered":"The Intentional Grandparent"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Grandparents Larry and Gladine McCall talk about the joy of grandparenting with intentionality. They share how they point their grandchildren towards the Lord, and at the same time respect their adult children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2020-02-06.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:25:35","filesize":"23.43M","filesize_raw":"24566496","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2856,2833,10379],"tags":[4474],"podcast_series":[8337],"cwp_profile":[9592],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-305735","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-children","category-godly-legacy","category-grandparents","tag-grandparenting","podcast_series-grandparenting-with-grace","cwp_profile-larry-and-gladine-mccall","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/305735\/the-intentional-grandparent","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/305735\/the-intentional-grandparent","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7sqFWCbf17\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-intentional-grandparent\/\">The Intentional Grandparent<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-intentional-grandparent\/embed\/#?secret=7sqFWCbf17\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Intentional Grandparent&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"7sqFWCbf17\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Grandparents Larry and Gladine McCall talk about the joy of grandparenting with intentionality. They share how they point their grandchildren towards the Lord, and at the same time respect their adult children.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2020-02-06.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>The Bible says there is no greater joy than to know that our children are walking in the truth. Larry McCall says knowing that our grandchildren are walking in the truth, too, is not far behind.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Ultimately, we can\u2019t give our grandchildren new hearts; only God can do that\u2014only God can grant salvation\u2014only He can change the heart of a child to become a follower of Jesus Christ. But as grandparents, to have that desire: \u201cWe want our grandchildren to follow Jesus Christ\u201d; so we pray that way; we want to display the gospel; we want them to be around us and to see Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, February 6<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. You can find us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. We\u2019re going to talk today about strategies: ways that we, as grandparents, can be involved in the lives of our grandchildren and can share Christ with them. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. One of the things that I have learned, over the years of being on this program, is that grandparenting, like parenting, needs to be done with intentionality. I would say Mary Ann and I are still trying to figure out what that means. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think we understood, intuitively, you\u2019ve got to be intentional as a parent. To be intentional, as a grandparent, is not as intuitive; it\u2019s something you have to purpose yourself toward. We don\u2019t know exactly what that means. All of our grandkids live out of state, which makes it a little trickier; but we\u2019re trying to get our arms around this subject so that we can look at the grandparenting years and say, \u201cLet\u2019s do this well.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I think we\u2019re feeling the same thing, because we\u2019re rookies. We have four grandchildren, and our oldest is four. We have three of those that are out of state. It\u2019s a different day and age: \u201cHow do you have a relationship with them? What is your role?\u201d It\u2019s not easy; is it? I wish there are more books on it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I actually didn\u2019t know it would be so exhausting. [Laughter] I mean, it\u2019s great; it\u2019s awesome; and you always hear those stories about everybody says: \u201cThis will be just so wonderful. You just spoil them and then give them back to the parents.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut our son and his wife went on their ten-year anniversary, and we watched all three grandkids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>For how long?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>For five days?\u2014four days? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I fell in bed at night exhausted! I don\u2019t remember parenting being this exhausting, but we\u2019re older now.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>More birthday candles on your cake.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Exactly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We\u2019ve got some grandparenting experts; can we call you experts?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry and Gladine: <\/strong>No!\u2014learners!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Learners\/fellow learners joining us on <a id=\"_Hlk29806597\"><em>FamilyLife Today<\/em><\/a>\u2014Larry and Gladine McCall. Welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today, <\/em>guys.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: <\/strong>Thank you!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Thanks for having us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>And thank you for writing a book on grandparenting.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>We need it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes; Larry has written a book called <em>Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation.<\/em> This idea of intentionality, can you relate to what I am feeling about: \u201cOh, it was more obvious when you were parenting than it is when you are grandparenting\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Yes; I think it\u2019s not intuitive, as grandparents. We live in a culture, where grandparenting is <em>not<\/em> intentional, so to think that way, as Christians, I think takes some real effort to learn how.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>There are hints in the Bible about what a grandparent\u2019s role is. I mean, we have some specific passages: \u201cParents train up a child in the way he should go,\u201d \u201cHusbands\/wives: interact like this.\u201d What we get with grandparenting is more a picture of what it looked like rather than instruction on how to do it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>I think there is some instruction, though, Bob. If you go back even to the days of Moses\u2014in the Book of Deuteronomy, for instance, in Chapter 4, Moses told the people\u2014he said: \u201cDon\u2019t forget what you have seen,\u201d and \u201cMake sure you pass this on to your children and your children\u2019s children.\u201d Clear back, from the time of Moses, there was a certain responsibility on the shoulders of grandparents: \u201cMake sure you\u2019re engaged, not just with your kids, but with your grandkids.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>When you think, like Bob said, intentionality, what does that mean to you, as a grandparent, when you\u2019re thinking: \u201cHow do I intentionally\u201d\u2014because, again, Bob said, it\u2019s something that was on the forefront of my mind, as a dad, but not as much as a granddad: \u201cHow does that work for you guys?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>First of all, to remember that God has a calling on our lives, as grandparents. I think most grandparents haven\u2019t even thought about that\u2014that: \u201cGod has a calling on my life, as a grandparent? What does He want me to do?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think to start with a goal in mind. One of the verses that has become precious to us in the last few years is in Psalm 78. In that Psalm, the psalmist says we want to make sure we don\u2019t forget to tell the coming generations about the glorious deeds of the Lord. And then in verse 7 it says, \u201c\u2026so that they would set their hope in God.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we look at our grandkids, that our goal\/our desire is that they would set their hope in God. What has to happen for that to happen?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Gladine, you have several grandchildren. Tell us their ages.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: <\/strong>We have seven grandchildren: the oldest is eleven; the youngest is four months. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>As a mother-in-law and a grandmother, are you guys checking in with your kids to find out: \u201cHow do you feel about this?\u201d and \u201cWhat is your goal?\u201d Is that something we should do as grandparents?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: <\/strong>We want to respect our kids and our sons\u2019-in-law in coming alongside them in raising their children. They are the primary disciplers of their children, not us; but we want to be whole-heartedly supportive, and encouraging, and engaged in helping in any way we can.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Just the week before last, our daughter, who lives in another state, she and her kids were down for a couple days. I sat in the living room with her and I just said: Janelle, how would you like us to be involved in the life of your kids right now? Is there something you would like us to be doing different?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Great question.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>We had a wonderful conversation, just sitting in our living room, talking about how we as grandparents can come alongside our daughter and son-in-law, supporting them in this role of discipling their kids for Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>What did she say?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Did she say to \u201cTurn it up\u201d? Or did she say, \u201cDial it back a little bit\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Actually, she was very encouraging. She showed appreciation for what we are doing and encouraged us to keep it up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>What are you doing? What kind of things are you doing? What does that look like to be intentional?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>One thing we do, since they live out of state, we\u2019ve set up a weekly video call with her older two. They have four children. Two are a little bit too young to do that with; but for the older two, we have a weekly Bible study with them. We found an interactive Bible study designed for grade school kids. Every Tuesday at 1:30, we call those grandkids; and we do this Bible Study with them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut we also just look for time to have with them. We\u2019ll go up to Michigan and spend time with them, or we\u2019ll invite them down to be with us. We try to think, ahead of time, what all we\u2019d like to do with them. There\u2019s an intentionality, thought of ahead of time, and how we are going to engage with those grandkids. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Are you thinking, \u201cWe need to do fun things with them\u201d? Are you thinking, \u201cWe need to do spiritual things with them\u201d? Are you thinking you should do educational things with them? How do you calibrate all that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>The answer is: \u201cYes! [Laughter] We like to do all those things.\u201d Of course, sometimes, your interaction with them is just for a brief period of time; we\u2019re just going to a soccer game together or something. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut sometimes, we get extended time. A tradition we started several years ago is\u2014every summer, we have all the grandkids\u2014except for the baby\u2014we have all the grandkids for five days\u2014we have Grand Camp.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Grand Camp!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>It\u2019s 24 hours a day for five days. We plan fun things: we go swimming; we go out for ice cream. But we only go out for ice cream once a day.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>\u2014only once. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>We have learning activities; we have devotionals at mealtime and at bedtime. It\u2019s intense, but I don\u2019t think it feels intense; the kids love it. We also have free time; we call it \u201cCousin time.\u201d They\u2019re allowed to just get away for an hour or two in the yard, or in the play room, and just play with cousins. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave, you mentioned about being tired. We are always <em>exhausted<\/em>! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Gladine, I\u2019m guessing it takes <em>weeks<\/em> to prepare for Grand Camp\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: <\/strong>Oh, we plan year-round. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Really?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014and just mapping it out. Do you have to be retired to be a good grandparent? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>No, we\u2019re not retired; we\u2019re tired, but we\u2019re not retired!! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You\u2019re squeezing this in around all the other activities you\u2019ve got going on in your life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Yes, I usually try to take a week off, but Gladine is a great planner. We sit and engage together and do this planning. This is our third year, so we have something to fall back on\/what worked well, and we engage the older grandkids:\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Oh, that\u2019s fun.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cWhat do you think we ought to do again? What do you think we ought to do differently?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur oldest grandson is going to be 12 this fall. We realized he\u2019s at that border age, where this could start to feel like little kid stuff to him; so we talked to him months ago and said: \u201cJackson, could you help us with this part?, Could you be in charge of the obstacle course this year?\u201d; and he <em>loved<\/em> that; so looking for ways to engage kids that are age appropriate.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Give us a picture of what a typical day could look like at Grand Camp.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>What we\u2019ve done\u2014a typical day would\u2014we would have the kids involved in breakfast. Like Katie <em>loves<\/em> to make eggs. She\u2019s nine, almost ten; so Katie\u2019s in charge of making eggs. The kids get engaged: <a id=\"_Hlk29889591\">they\u2019re learning to<\/a> work; they\u2019re learning to help\u2014they\u2019re not just passive. They are serving their siblings; they are serving their cousins. We\u2019ll have a meal together and a devotional. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe always try to have a theme. One year, we had a theme of the parables; one year we had a theme of Proverbs. This last summer, we did a theme of walking like Jesus. We looked for several character traits of Christ that can be replicated in our lives as followers of Christ, so the devotionals were all laid out that way. I would plan maybe a ten-minute devotional on something along that theme. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen there would be fun times. You know, we would say: \u201cToday, we\u2019re going to the pool,\u201d or \u201cToday, we\u2019re going to such and such and picking blueberries,\u201d or something like that. We just did a lot of fun activities. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019d have work projects. One day, the theme was serving like Jesus served. We called the parents ahead of time and we said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to need your van all afternoon.\u201d With the older kids\u2014especially the boys\u2014we watched YouTube on how to detail a van. Boy, did they get into that. All afternoon, all six of those grandkids were cleaning their parents\u2019 vans; we were serving the parents. They really talked about that; that was, <em>amazingly<\/em>, a highlight. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOf course, there are meal times; and like we\u2019d watch maybe a video of a missionary story\u2014something like that\u2014in the evening, just to get them calmed down. We\u2019d have family devotions in the evening and all crash! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Now, what\u2019s the range of age for the kids?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>The oldest is almost 12 and the youngest that comes to camp is 4. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s a wide range to try to plan activities around. What\u2019s your four-year-old doing while you\u2019re detailing the van? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>The four-year-old\u2014there are two four-year-olds\/cousins\u2014they were helping with the van, too. I don\u2019t know how much <em>help<\/em> they were\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I was going to say, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be detailing right behind them, wherever they go; but they helped; yes?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>It took some supervision; but I can still picture in my mind one of the four-year-old granddaughters taking the shop vac\u2014she was cleaning out her own car seat. There were plenty of Cheerios<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> and crumbs in there. [Laughter] I thought I had to empty the bag afterwards; you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>When that week ends, what are the grandkids feeling, and thinking, and saying?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry:<\/strong> They can\u2019t wait till next year. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Really!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>They are already talking about it: \u201cCan we do this next year?\u201d They don\u2019t get homesick; even the four-year-olds\u2019 do not get homesick.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I\u2019m sure there is something special about cousins getting together, too,\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: <\/strong>Oh, yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>\u2014that makes it really fun.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: <\/strong>They love it. They just really enjoy being together, and it\u2019s a sweet time. They love the activities. One of their highlights is the obstacle course we\u2019re done it for three years now. We started doing it from the Proverbs that talk about listening to the voice of wisdom, not the voice of folly. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey make this obstacle course through our backyard. They will take turns being blindfolded; and they have to listen to the voice of wisdom, which is Papa\u2019s voice; and at the same time, all the other children are the voice of folly. As Papa is directing them through this obstacle course: \u201cGo left,\u201d \u201cGo right,\u201d \u201cGo under,\u201d \u201cGo over,\u201d\u2014the other children are saying: \u201cNo, no; you don\u2019t need to do this. That\u2019s too hard; go this way. Go that way; turn around.\u201d They have to listen carefully to the voice of wisdom, and that has left a <em>deep<\/em> memory on them that they just really love.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s great. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAll of this intentional thinking about grandparenting is something that got prompted for you guys when your church came and said, \u201cWould you teach us about grandparenting?\u201d\u2014right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Yes! [Laughter] About four years ago, we were asked to teach a class\/a Sunday school class at our church on gospel-centered grandparenting. When the man in charge of that ministry asked us, my first thought was, \u201cWhat?!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gladine: \u201c<\/strong>We never heard of such a thing.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Over the decades, we\u2019ve taught plenty of classes\u2014Gladine and I\u2014on marriage or parenting\u2014but whoever heard of a class on grandparenting? But loving to be grandparents, we said, \u201cYes.\u201d We had no idea what we were doing. We started digging into the Scripture: \u201cWhat does the Bible say?\u201d We came up with different Psalms that talked about generational impact. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut then we started looking for books: \u201cWhat books are out there on grandparenting?\u201d There are a lot of books out there on parenting; there\u2019s a lot of books on marriage, but very few books on grandparenting. Actually, some of the ones that are out there\u2014it\u2019s not that they\u2019re bad\u2014but they\u2019re just stories; they\u2019re just antidotes, and they don\u2019t teach biblical principles. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe were <em>hungry<\/em>. We found one book that we were really drawn to called <em>Biblical Grandparenting<\/em>, written by a previous guest, here at FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Josh Mulvihill.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>I would be reading it on my Kindle at night. If Gladine was trying to sleep, she couldn\u2019t; because I\u2019d say: \u201cListen to this! Listen to this!\u201d [Laughter] I said, \u201cI want to meet this guy.\u201d And in the Lord\u2019s providence, we met Josh; and through him, we met some others involved in the <em>growing<\/em> Christian grandparenting movement. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we were teaching that class, several people in the class\u2014there were about 50 or 60 people in that class\u2014and a number of them said, \u201cLarry you need to write on this\u201d; and so we did. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Do you remember, as you were studying and preparing for the class, were there a couple of big \u201cAh-ha\u2019s\u201d that came out, where you said: \u201cWe never thought about this,\u201d and \u201cThis is what we\u2019re supposed to be doing?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Yes; I think, in general, one thing that really impacted us was this issue of intentionality\u2014that we needed to grandparent, going somewhere: \u201cWhat are we aiming at?\u201d and \u201cHow are we going to get there?\u201d I think that was <em>crucial<\/em> for us; it was kind of a direction turner for us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Talk about that: \u201cWhat are you aiming at?\u201d What would you encourage other grandparents to say, \u201cThis is the target.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Ultimately, we cannot give our grandchildren new hearts; only God can do that\u2014only God can grant salvation\u2014only He can change the heart of a child to become a follower Jesus Christ. But as grandparents, to have that desire: \u201cWe want our grandchildren to follow Jesus Christ\u201d; so we pray that way; we want to display the gospel; we want them to be around us and to see to Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDo you remember when Paul talked about the aroma of Christ? I like to ask people: \u201cDo you remember a certain aroma in your grandparent\u2019s house? Maybe it was your grandma\u2019s cooking or her baking; you remember that smell.\u201d I\u2019ve often thought, \u201cWhen we\u2019re gone and our grandkids are now adults, I would hope they would say, \u2018When we\u2019re at Papa and Grandma\u2019s house, [sniffs in] it smelled like Jesus.\u2019\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe want them to see Jesus in us: so displaying Christ; but also to <em>talk<\/em> about Christ. When they are around us, not in an artificial way, but just in the ebb and flow of life, they know that Papa and Grandma love Jesus and want to talk about Him. It becomes the topic of conversation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Now, if your children were not believers or didn\u2019t really model that in their own home\u2014I\u2019m not talking about your kids\u2014but you were the grandparents, and your children weren\u2019t doing that, how would you negotiate that with your grandkids?\u2014the children of parents that don\u2019t, maybe, want that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Dave, that\u2019s an excellent question, and a painful question, that a lot of grandparents face. We do not; but in the course of our ministry, we\u2019ve encountered a number of grandparents that ask that question: \u201cWhat do I do? My kids aren\u2019t following the Lord; how can I impact my grandkids?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to encourage grandparents not to give up too fast. Obviously, we can pray: \u201cOh, Lord, come. Move the hearts of my son\/my daughter-in-law. Come, and move the hearts of my grandkids.\u201d We go to the Heart-changer; we ask Him, \u201cWould You come and change this situation?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut then to have an open conversation, even with non-believing kids and kids-in-law\u2014saying: \u201cYou know our heart for Christ; you know we want to serve Christ. Would we have your permission to talk to your kids about Christ?\u201d I think a lot of kids\/adult kids would give grandparents, at least, some elbowroom to do that. But there are some, who say, \u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d We have some friends, where their adult kids have said, \u201cYou may not talk to my kids about Christ.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>If the kids say that, do the grandparents honor that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>I think we have to, but I think we can still pray; we can still model Christ. <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I think, too, we can still point out the things\u2014the godly attributes or the gifts that we see that God has put into them\u2014you know, to call out those things: \u201cI see your courage,\u201d \u201cI see that you\u00a0 have this gift of empathy,\u201d \u201cI see that you\u2019re strong,\u201d\u2014so the leadership gifts. We can point those out; and even if you <em>can\u2019t<\/em> say, \u201cIt\u2019s God [who has put that within you]\u201d; it\u2019s still giving them an image of the gifts that God has put in them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Amen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I know that I had a conversation with our granddaughter this past year, and we were talking about how God created her. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>She\u2019s four.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Last year, three.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes, so she was three. We were making breakfast together; it was just the two of us. There\u2019s something about being a grandparent\u2014you have a little more time. I remember, as a mom, I was rushed in, sometimes, putting them to bed; and I\u2019m thinking about the next day and all the things we had to do. But it seems like, sometimes, things slow down a little bit more when we\u2019re with our grandkids. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI said, \u201cOlive, I <em>love<\/em> how God made you.\u201d I said: \u201cI can imagine, when God started thinking about you, He started putting all these great things together; and He said: \u2018I\u2019m going to make her with blonde hair, and I\u2019m going to make her funny. I\u2019m going to make her with this sensitive heart to others. I am going to make it so that she is so helpful to her parents. She\u2019s going to have these blue eyes.\u2019\u201d I said, \u201cI can imagine God holding you up, with the image of who you will be, and He said, \u2018This is Olive Wilson\u2019; and all the angels were like: \u2018AAAAHHHHH! Wow!\u2019 And they were all clapping and cheering [Laughter] of who He made you to be.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe was mesmerized; she was mesmerized. I said, \u201cNow, I get to sit and look at you; and I can\u2019t wait to see all the other things that God put in you.\u201d Later that day, we were out with some friends. Someone went up to her and they said, \u201cOlive I love your blonde hair\u201d; and she said, \u201cOh, God put that on me.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Oh great.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>She was so <em>proud<\/em> of it. I think those are the moments that maybe we can\u2019t talk about God specifically; but we can still point out, \u201cThis is what I see in you, and it\u2019s a good thing.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think in moments where, again, you are trying to honor the parents\u2019 request, you could say: \u201cYou know, I look at you and I see your blonde hair,\u201d and \u201cI see the courage,\u201d and \u201cI see how funny you are; and I think to myself, \u2018Where did that come from?\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Oh, that\u2019s good Bob.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You\u2019re not answering the question\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>You\u2019re stirring the question.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: \u2014<\/strong>but you can sure ask the question\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Exactly\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014<strong> \u201c<\/strong>Have you ever thought about, \u2018Where did you come from?\u2019 and \u2018How did you get to be the way you are?\u2019 Isn\u2019t that an interesting question to think about?\u201d Just let that one hang in there for a while.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Or even, \u201cI wonder why you were born.\u201d I used to think that in the second grade. I didn\u2019t know Jesus; but I remember thinking, \u201cWhy was I born?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Yes, that\u2019s excellent, Ann.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is a part of, again, we have to, as grandparents, go, \u201cThis part of our lives\u2014God has given us an assignment with the future generations\/with our children\u2019s children\u2014that we\u2019ve got to steward that responsibility and not just go: \u2018Well, that\u2019s their problem now. We\u2019re going to go and play golf, and travel, and put the bumper sticker on the back of the RV that says, \u201cI\u2019m out spending my kids\u2019 inheritance.\u201d\u2019\u201d [Laughter] You\u2019ve seen that on; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Yes!!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is something God is calling us to\u2014to make spiritual investments in the lives of our grandkids; isn\u2019t He?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Larry: <\/strong>Yes; sadly, in our American culture, many grandparents are disengaged from the ministry of grandparenting. They see grandparenting as just occasional moments of having fun with the grandkids, making a few memories, and then sending them home; and there is not that intentionality. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think, for us, as believers, to say: \u201cNo, it\u2019s God\u2019s calling on our lives.\u201d We shouldn\u2019t be spending our \u201cGolden years\u201d just on ourselves: \u201cI want to spend my time\/my money on <em>me<\/em>. I\u2019ve paid my dues; I\u2019ve done my day, and now I get to spend the rest of my life on <em>me<\/em>.\u201d I don\u2019t think that honors God, and it sure doesn\u2019t help our grandkids either.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think what you have given us are some very practical ways that we, as grandparents, can engage heart to heart with our grandkids. You\u2019ve done that in your book, <em>Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation<\/em>. We\u2019ve got that book in our <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>Resource Center<em>. <\/em>You can go, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com to order a copy of the book; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com; look for the book, <em>Grandparenting with Grace, <\/em>by Larry McCall; or call to order at 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me just mention that, this weekend, we are beginning our FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> spring season. Our first getaway happens this weekend and then we will continue throughout the spring. We\u2019d love to see <em>you<\/em> joining us at one of these getaways. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, if you are a regular <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listener\u2014and maybe you have thought, from time to time: \u201cWe really appreciate this program. It\u2019s been helpful in our marriage\/in our lives; we want to help support the work you are doing,\u201d\u2014if you will sign up today to become a FamilyLife Legacy Partner, we want to make available to you a certificate so that you and your spouse, or another couple you\u2019d like to send as your guests, can attend a <em>Weekend to Remember <\/em>marriage getaway; and we\u2019ll cover the cost of registration for you. That\u2019s our way of saying, \u201cThank you for becoming a monthly Legacy Partner and supporting the work of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, month in and month out.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are listener-supported. It\u2019s folks like you who made it possible for today\u2019s program to be on the air. We\u2019d like to ask you to pay it forward and help other people benefit from the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. You can sign on as a Legacy Partner at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call and say, \u201cI\u2019d like to become a Legacy Partner.\u201d Call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Again, we\u2019ll send you a certificate so that you and your spouse can attend an upcoming <em>Weekend to Remember <\/em>marriage getaway as our thank-you gift for joining the Legacy Partner team. We look forward to hearing from you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe hope you can join us back, again, tomorrow. Larry and Gladine McCall will be here again as we continue our conversation about how we can connect with our grandkids. We\u2019ll have some strategies to talk about tomorrow. I hope you can tune in for all of that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. 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