FEBRUARY 2022 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
THESENIORPOINT THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
GRANDPARENTING WELL
LENT
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
Friends! Let me tell you something exciting…
Written by: Dr. Stew Grant
— Proverbs 17:6 Ogden Nash said, “When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.” There is some truth in that. As parents, we did our time with the discipline. Discipline is hard. But Grandparenting is not supposed to be about discipline necessarily. Grandparenting is a break from discipline at least in partiality. Your loving role and positive influence as a grandparent have exponential benefits to both the grandchild and your child as their parent. It is in the research. Whenever a grandparent shows their grandchild unconditional love and support, the parents are benefitting from that very special support. The support can be in the forms of safety, grace, reinforcement just to name a few. This help is crucial for a child’s development. Grandparents are often an introduction to family ties, unconditional acceptance and even community. One of the biggest mistakes in parenting is thinking you are your child’s best friend. That’s a lower relationship to the high calling of parenting. And it undermines discipline. However, Grandparents have a unique position in the development of their grandchild. You are a fact-checker and not the political kind or maybe you are. You are a source of normalcy and functionality. You are a sure guide in an unsure world to them. Some kids around puberty doubt their security and question their existence as normal or par. But those questions cease in grandma’s and grandpa’s house. Grandparents have a unique and limited window to speak truth into their grandchild’s life. So, grandparents are also much better than a best friend. In truth, there is a high calling for grandparents. The high calling of grandparenting is teacher of God’s ways! Deuteronomy 6:1-2 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.” Sadly, yes sadly we are in a culture that idolizes youth and youthfulness. Wisdom from elderly advice is passed over for quick wit and cleverness. A migration of marginalization is occurring as generational distinctions are emphasized in derogatory ways. ‘Millennials, X’ers, Boomers’ all have faint barely discernable lines but the labels stick and one generation does not use the other labels fondly. And if one offers another unsolicited advice then often the result is more or less resentment. How do we ‘grandparent’ well in this day and age? We continue to teach those things which are positive and good. Just like we did to their parents and it was years before they realized the lesson. We teach them about Jesus and the abundant life of faith. We emphasize the highest hierarchy of values that comes from Scripture. When you feel like it is not working, candy and money help. This is like shaking them up like a soda can and handing them back to their parents. We are not going for perfection here. Also, buy them the loudest toys you can find.
Written by: Chris McLain
My favorite season is almost here. No, it’s not the season of Spring… It’s the Christian season of Lent. This is the church season of repentance and preparation for God’s greatest work in the world, the work of salvation. This year, Ash Wednesday is March 2! This means we have work to do! Over the next month, whether you are a planner or not, I’d love to challenge you to seriously consider fasting for Lent. John Wesley said that fasting is one of the “means of grace.” It’s one of the ways we experience God’s unmerited favor. When we deny ourselves something that is either a luxury or a necessity, we start to understand our reliance on God as provider! Jehovah-Jireh is the name for God that means “The Lord provides.” As we draw nearer to God, we recognize that He really is always with us! It makes the Advent/Christmas moniker Immanuel, “God with us,” even more poignant. So, start praying today about how you can deny yourself this Lenten season. Whether it’s your morning coffee, your afternoon soap opera, or your Tuesday bridge game, we can all find a way to grow closer to God by spending more time in prayer and intentionality. Finally, as we remember those words annually spoken over us when our foreheads receive lightly oiled, crossshaped ashes from last year’s palm branches, and as we prepare to receive the comments from the folks at the lunch table next to us. Hear them again “…. From dust you have come, and to dust you shall return.”
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY FROM SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY!