Merry Christmas

FOR unto us a Son is GIVEN - and we are able to be

FORGIVEN! The message of Christmas - from Books by Lynda and Grandmas with Heart to you - Merry Christmas!

Hand Down the Faith - Help Your Grandchildren Learn & Love God's Word!

One of the best things you will ever do for your
grandchildren is to help them learn God's Word. I help my grandsons learn to pray Scripture back to God with my Deeper In books, we talk about Scripture and the people in it who chose to love and follow God with my Science, the Bible & Fun and we are reading the Bible together - a few verses each day with Generations Quest. 

What do you do to help your grandchildren learn and love God's Word?

A Gift Idea to Help You Do What Matters Most!

Have you been reading grandma's cookie jar and agree with me when I write about passing on a heritage of faith to your grandchildren, but are not sure where and how to begin? Do you have friends who are grandparents who also want to pass on their faith, but are also not sure where to begin? Are you looking for a Christmas gift for a grandparent/parent you know which is a good read and one which will help them know how to do what matters the most? 

If so, would you and they like to work through a book together to learn how to pass on your faith? Or, even if you know how to pass on your faith, does the idea of a study/book you could work through on your own or with friends sound like a good idea to you? 

Well - the good news is there are resources available to help you - and your friends - pass your faith to the children you love! Today I want to share one such resource with you. 

This book is one which you could read/work through on your own or in a Sunday school class or small group. It Is Impossible to Spoil Grandchildren has ten chapters, each dealing with how to pass faith to your grandchildren such as . . .

Give a Gift This Year Which Can Draw You & the Ones You Love Closer to God!

It is the time of year where we look for the "perfect" gifts to give to the people we love - gifts which are "fun" and will bring a smile to the face of the ones who receive them. 

I know I am looking forward to seeing happy faces as my family opens their gifts. However; along with the gifts which are "fun", this year consider giving a gift which has the potential to help draw you and the ones you love draw closer to God!

Generations Quest Giveaway on grandma's cookie jar

Each year I give away a lot of fun items in my Christmas Gift Review & Giveaway. This year I'm doing the same, but today's giveaway is more than just something which is "fun". It is something which has the potential to help draw you and the ones you love closer to God!

Being Intentional - On Purpose

What does it mean to be an "intentional Christian grandparent"? The definition on dictionary.com pretty much relate to the idea of doing things on purpose. So, if we are "intentional Christian grandparents", then we do things with our grandchildren, "on purpose" and since we are Christian grandparents, we do these things on purpose to hand down our faith. 

Have Fun Handing Down the Faith with Science, the Bible & Fun!

My grandsons love science projects - especially any with big, surprising results . . . like when we combine baking soda and vinegar! So, knowing I could get their attention with science projects, I wrote 52 lessons with the goal of introducing the boys to real people like Josiah, Caleb, John, Jehoshaphat, Daniel and of course, Jesus. I use science projects to introduce the point - and to help my grandsons remember the point. We keep prayer journals. We play silly games. We have fun together - hence the name; Science, the Bible & Fun!

I want my grandsons to know, love and walk with God, so to help them with this I'm intentional about doing things with them to help them learn to read their Bibles, pray and walk with God. You can do the same with Science, the Bible & Fun - check it out at this link.

Christmas & Generations Quest

Today, where I live in Michigan, it is expected to be in the 90's . . . yes, I said the 90's in late September in Michigan. No, this is not typical! (In an average year it would be around 70 degrees outside.)

So, while it is very warm out today, my thoughts are going towards Christmas. I'm thinking about the gifts I want to give my family this year. My grandsons are young (nine, six and four) and so to them, not surprisingly, great gifts tend to be tech focused or with a heavy emphasis on super heroes! And since they love rocks and fossils, should they receive any of these, they would be quite happy for sure!

It is likely my grandsons will receive gifts which put a smile on their faces, but along with those smiles I want to give them something which will have lasting value. Something which encourages their walk with God, because while tech, super heroes, rocks and fossils hold meaning for them today, anything I do which helps them grow in their walk with God has the potential to last for their lifetime.

Hand Down Your Faith & Connect with the Children You Love

If you have been reading grandma's cookie jar for very long, you know passing on a heritage faith to my grandsons is something I care very, very much about. I want my grandsons to grow to be boys, then teens and one day young men who love, know and walk with God, faithfully, with all their heart.

This is the reason I wrote a resource I am using with my grandsons . . . and which you will be able to use with the children you love, as well! Generations Quest is a tool which will allow you, and the generations which follow you, to connect throughout a month over what matters . . . understanding and living God's Word!

Grandparents, parents and children of all ages - preschool through college age - will all read (or have read to them) one to five verses a day with a simple question to help them think about the verses they read. Families will be able to talk about what they all are reading and learning together! 

Grandparent's Day & a Giveaway!

September 10, 2017 is Grandparent's Day . . . a day set aside to, "Honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of the strength, information, and guidance older people are able to offer".

It is also the day for the observance of the Million Praying Grandparents, with the goal of, "Mobilizing Christian grandparents worldwide to regularly and intentionally pray for their grandchildren, families, and the influences in their grandchildren’s lives." (You'll learn more about how you are able to become one of the million praying grandparents at this link.)

So, with Grandparent's Day just around the corner and the focus upon the Million Praying Grandparents, I thought it sounded like the perfect time to have a giveaway . . . I'm giving away one autographed copy of my Deeper In 4 Grandparents & Parents, Too! Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love - Psalms Edition!

Pray & Help Those You Love Learn to Do the Same

Prayer is taking the time to talk about what matters the most to us with the One Who is able to do what we can not. I have been able to see amazing ways God is answering prayers which matter very much to me - I know He does what He said He would do - He hears, He listens and He answers prayer!

If you would like help praying for your grandchildren, check out my books - Deeper In 4 Grandparents & Parents, Too - Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love (Psalms Edition and Old Testament Edition). I'm helping my grandsons learn the pray Scripture, too. We choose a passage in Psalms, talk about what it means and they they help write the "nut shell version" of a prayer for the passage. Children understand far more than for which we give them credit! My grandsons' prayers have been amazing!

What are you doing to pray for the ones who matter to you? How are you helping the children you love learn to pray?

Help Wanted!

For a few months now I've been working on a new writing project; it's title is, "The DNA of a Praying Grandparent". In this book I will be sharing the "Prayer Histories" of people in the Bible who prayed, people through time who prayed and people from today who prayed and talk about how to develop a life of prayer, live as a person who prays and reproduce this life of prayer in the children and grandchildren who come behind us.

I would love to be able to include the true, "Prayer Histories" of real people and how God answered their prayers - or the prayers of their grandparents. If you have a "Prayer History" of your own or your family's - or know someone who does - and would be willing to share it, please email me - lyndagcj@gmail.com

I shared about how God answered my grandparent's prayer a few weeks ago - you will find it at this link taken from a book about my grandparents, Clarence and Faye Fullmer, written by my sister (Clarence & Faye - copyright 2016 by Loretta Baughan). 

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July filled with grandchildren, cookouts and a reflection on the freedom we enjoy in this country and through Christ! 

This is from the Legacy Coalition facebook page and I thought I'd share it with you today! Feel free to share it with the people you know!www.LegacyGrandparentingSummit.com

Helping my Grandsons Learn to Pray the Scriptures!

My husband and I are praying through the Book of Psalms for our grandsons - and our daughter, son and daughter-in-law. We are using my book - Deeper In 4 Grandparents & Parents, Too! Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love - Psalms Edition. Each week we pray through a different passage, which is broken into seven smaller portions for focused daily prayer.

I am working on a "version" of this book for children where they will be able to pray through the same Scriptures as their grandparents - or parents - are praying each day. So, I've started having my grandsons give it a try! 

Reading God's Word Together!

For the past few months I've been giving my grandsons

specific Bible verses to read each day which their poppa and I are also reading. I believe there is much to be gained from reading God's Word and when we as grandparents are able to do it with our grandchildren, on a daily basis no matter where we all live, it is a truly wonderful thing!

I've been emailing my grandsons the daily Bible verse, along with what I think about the verse and often a fun website for them to check out as well. 

The other day my oldest grandson said he would like to be the one who emails the daily Bible verse to his poppa and I. It sounded like a good idea - worth trying - so he is not emailing a verse to me each day . . . or most days! If he misses a day, he sends me two verses the following day.

Let Them Hear & Read God's Word, Too!

I have personally read through the Bible many times in my life – as you have likely done as well, however; I recently came across a verse which I'm sure I must have read before, but just truly "noticed" . . . .

What Do You Want Your Grandchildren to Know?

Today is June 1st and it is the day those of us using Generations Quest to be intentional about passing on faith to our grandchildren will begin a study in the life of King Josiah and learn about what it means to love God's Word. It will be a great month of learning and important faith conversations for sure!

If you have not made the decision yet to use Generations Quest with your family, consider the following . . . 

Grandparents Do Matter!

Typically a couple times a week (but nearly always at least once a week) a wonderful person who is part of the Legacy Coalition makes and posts a photo gif to the blog. I personally have several which are my favorites, but I especially love the one he posted today - so I have to share it with you!

Your Words are Powerful - Use Them to Pass on a Heritage of Faith

A year ago I was invited to speak at a grandparenting conference in Minnesota - check this link to see what I had to say about how the way we see our grandchildren has a huge impact on the way they see themselves.

As grandparents we have the opportunity to impact our grandchildren in powerful ways - by the words we speak and the things we do. What do you do to pass on a heritage of faith to the children you love? Consider using Generations Quest to do exactly this - pass on a heritage of faith to the children you love! (Check it out at this link.)

Pass on a Heritage of Faith with Generations Quest

In just ten days it will be June 1st - and the perfect time to begin using Generations Quest with the children you love! You still have time to order and begin on June 1st . . . so why not order today?

Generations Quest will help you pass on a heritage of faith to the children you love - check it out and order it at this link!

The Best Mother's Day Gift & Why I'm An Intentional Christian Grandma

Today is Mother's Day and so I'm sharing with you a conversation I had with my five-year old grandson yesterday. He and his brothers spent Friday night here having their weekly sleep-over, but he woke up with a fever and headache. I told him I was praying for him and asking God to help him feel better. 

After a bit, he started to feel better. As I snuggled him, he, his brother and I talked about the Bible verses on our Generations Quest schedule for the day - Proverbs 3:5, 6 - which also happen to be our Scripture blessing verses. We talked about what it means to trust in God and I told the boys I prayed every day for them to love God with their all now and to grow to be men who will do the same through all their lives.

Caleb (five years old) told me; "Thank you grandma, for praying for me! I love God with my all and want to always love Him!"

This is the best Mother's Day gift ever - to have my grandsons love God and want to continue to love Him with their all! This is why I am intentional in my interactions with them and am focused upon passing on a heritage of faith to them. It is what matters the most!

Why Should I Invest in Generations Quest for My Family? One Final Answer . . .

For the past five days I've been writing about the reasons why investing in

Generations Quest makes sense - today I'm sharing one more reason . . . because it is something simple you can do to be intentional about passing on your faith with any of your grandchildren; preschool through elementary no matter where they live.

Far too often we do not do anything to pass on our faith . . . or we do things in a hap-hazard way, but with Generations Quest you will be provided the tools you need to be intentional and focused about passing on your faith to the children you love! You will find it is so much easier to stay in touch and to connect in truly meaningful ways with Generation Quest and you will find your grandchildren's love for God's Word and their own walk with God will grow deeper and deeper as you all read God's Word each day!

So, why wouldn't you spend the $15 it costs to connect your entire family by reading God's Word each day? (Grandparents who invest with Generations Quest are welcome and encouraged to share it with their children and grandchildren and Parents are welcome to share it with their children - making it an amazing buy and savings when grandparents invest in Generations Quest!) You will find the information you need to invest today at this link - get it today and get ready to begin on June 1st as your family learns together about Josiah and God's Word!

Why Should I Invest in Generations Quest for My Family? Answer #5

I've been writing this week about why investing in Generations Quest for your family makes sense - today I'm sharing another reason to do this . . . because since God's Word changes lives and helps us walk with God, why wouldn't we want to invest in a tool which gives us a simple way to do this?

No long reason. No big explanation. Just the simple truth - God's Word makes a real and important difference in the lives of our family, so at less than $1.50 a month, why wouldn't we want to invest in Generations Quest, and do so today?

You will find all the information you need and the link to get Generations Quest for your family at this link - subscribe and please share this link with the people you know.

Why Should I Invest in Generations Quest for My Family? Answer #4

For the past few days I've been sharing reasons to invest in Generations Quest for your family . . . because it will allow your family to all be on the same page when it comes to reading God's Word together, because helping the children we love become grounded in God's Word will help keep them from becoming derailed in a world which is running farther from God every day and because with Generations Quest being "too busy" is not an excuse for not reading God's Word, as it is designed to involve just reading a verse or two a day!

Today I want to share another reason to invest in Generations Quest . . . because it will help you to stay in touch with the children you love! I am using Generations Quest with my grandsons. I print out the monthly reading calendar for them to use at home, but they also wanted me to email them the daily passage and question, so each morning - first thing - I take a few minutes to email a simple note to my grandsons. This is the email I sent them this morning . . . 

Why Should I Invest in Generations Quest for My Family? Answer #3

Our lives, and the lives of our family members, tend to be busy. We have so much to do each day, which means, far too often we do not make time for what really matters; because we are busy. Generations Quest was created to help busy people make time for what really matters - reading God's Word together as a family!

With Generations Quest you, and your children and grandchildren, read just a verse or a few verses a day. You all read the same verses whether you live near or far, then a couple times a month - or whatever works well for your family - you will connect . . . in person, over the phone, through facetime, on-line - or whatever works best for you.

No longer will being, "too busy" be an excuse to not take the time to pass on a heritage of faith to the children you love by helping them learn to read, understand and live God's Word! Please check Generations Quest out at generationsquest.com - and invest today . . . start reading God's Word together with your family on June 1st!

Why Should I Invest in Generations Quest for My Family? Answer #2

As intentional Christian grandparents, we are serious about passing our faith to our grandchildren. But when we look at the world in which our grandchildren are growing up, we may fear there are too many things around them which will derail and side-track their faith. However; there are three very important things for us to remember . . . 

Why Should I Invest in Generations Quest for My Family? Answer #1

Last week Generations Quest released and more than 1000 people checked it out on the day it released! Thank you for taking a look at Generations Quest and for sharing it with the people you know!

This week I want to share with you some excellent reasons for you to move beyond checking Generations Quest out, to actually investing in it for your family . . . today I'm sharing with you my answer #1 . . . because it will allow your family to all be on the same page, reading the same Bible verses, the same day no matter the age or location of your family members!

Think about it . . . 

God's Word & Equipping the Children We Love

As Christian grandparents and parents we may look at the world around us and wonder how we are ever going to be able to pass on a heritage of faith when so many things which appeal to the children we love push them away from God. But, we do not have to be discouraged. We truly can be successful when it comes to passing on our faith. The “key” for helping the children we love grow to walk faithfully with God is found in God’s Word. Look at what we know to be true about God’s Word . . .

Intentionally Engage The Children You Love in Reading God's Word with Generations Quest

When you look at the world in which we live, do you wonder how the children you love will be able to maneuver around and through the many, “land-mines” which surround them?

Do you wonder how they will be able to grow up as children, then teens and eventually adults who love, know and walk with God, when everything around them seems to be focused upon keeping them from doing so?

Generations Quest is Here!

Today is the day! 

Generations Quest is ready for you to use with your family!

Recently my eight year old grandson began to read his Bible and my five-year old grandson wanted to read his Bible (he is learning to read). I knew I could get them devotionals for children, but they are typically something for children to read on their own. I believe it is my responsibility as an intentional Christian grandparent to be engaged with my grandchildren. To encourage them to read God's Word. To help them learn about real people in the Bible and how they chose to love, know and walk with God. To connect with them as they do to answer questions and have important conversations with them about the things they learn in God's Word.

So, since I could not find anything which would allow me to do these things with my grandsons, I began to write a resource for them which would. As I did, I realized it is a resource any intentional Christian grandparent could use with their grandchildren - no matter the age or location of their grandchildren - to be focused and intentional about passing on a heritage of faith!

And Generations Quest was "born"!

Generations Quest Launches in Three Days on May 1, 2017!

In three days, on May 1, 2017, Generations Quest will be launched! Today I'm very happy to share with you a "sneak peek" of sorts to let you know what Generations Quest is all about and how it will help the "generations" in your family and church!

Intentionally Pass on a Heritage of Faith with Generations Quest!

When you look at the world around you, do you feel afraid? Do you wonder how your grandchildren will possibly grow up and still choose to love, know and walk with God when all around them they are influenced to do everything but?

I admit, there are times I wonder these things for my three sweet grandsons. They are influenced by nearly everything in their lives to choose everything other than following God. But, then I'm reminded of the truth. The truth is as much as I love these boys, God loves them more. As much as I want them to know, love and follow God, He wants them to do these things even more. While I can not make them choose to know, love and follow God, the One Who loves them most is able to do what I can not.

However; knowing this truth - and it is the truth - does not relieve me of my responsibility to be faithful to pass on a heritage of faith to my grandsons.

Get Ready to Be Equipped to Pass on Your Faith Like Never Before!

If you had a resource you could use which would equip you to engage the children you love in reading God's Word, understanding God's Word and applying God's Word, would you use it and recommend it to the people you know? If this resource would help your family develop a strong, "Family Faith History", would you use it and recommend it to the people you know? If it cost less than a bag of chips each month, would you use it and recommend it to the people you know?

Well . . . stay tuned! In the coming month I'll be announcing and releasing just such a resource! Get ready! Things are about to change when it comes to helping your family pass on a heritage of faith!

New Look for Books by Lynda!

As you've likely noticed, this morning I changed the look for this blog - Books by Lynda. I decided to make it a little more "crisp" and hope you like the new look.

You will be able to find my list of the books I've written - with the links to where you will be able to purchase your own copies, if you "click" on the three lines to the top left of the title - "Books by Lynda".

Thank you for reading this blog and for your interest in my books. I'm currently working on a new book and a special project for grandparents, parents and grandchildren/children of all ages! Stay tuned for more information!

Praying Through Psalms for my Family

This year I’ve been praying through the book of Psalms for my family. Each week I have a different passage from Psalms which I work through, praying specifically and intentionally each day focusing on a different portion of the passage for the week. This week I’m praying through Psalms 107 – with the focus upon praying the following . . .