Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Grandma Jean and Children's Ministry

This week, the kids and I will be travelling to Texas to attend memorial services for Whitney’s grandmother.  Grandma Jean passed away suddenly on Saturday afternoon and Whitney has been with her family since Saturday evening. 
I’m grateful that Whitney’s sister and brother-in-law graciously drove Grandma Jean and Grandpa Bob up here last month.  We were able to visit with them and have a cook out.  Grandma took Hannah to get her ears pierced, just like she had taken Whitney when she was a little girl.  We also were able to pray and read God's Word together as a family in the evenings. 
Whitney often thanks God for our family’s “legacy of faith” and Grandma Jean embodied that legacy.  Her love for the Lord has impacted our immediate family in significant ways.
Her devotion to her husband was a model for how spouses should sacrificially love one another.  Her care for her family was a model for parents who desire to nurture their children.  Her prayer for the proclamation of the gospel was a model for those who love the glory of God.
When Grandma Jean prayed in our home, it was obvious that one of her greatest desires was that her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would walk with the Lord.
That’s the essence of effective children’s ministry, of course: having such a love for the Lord Jesus Christ that you are passionate about seeing the next generation carry on that legacy of faith.  It is a tragedy when, as the writer of Judges tells us, a generation arises that does not know the Lord or the great things He has done.
Grandma Jean strove to ensure that the generations that followed her would know both the Lord and the great things He has done.  Please pray for Whitney's family, especially her grandfather, as they minister to one another during this loss.

2 comments:

Whitney said...

I loved you pretty early on, but Grandma Jean was probably the first to love you(from the Pait fam)! Thank you for writing this.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this post, Daniel. It encourages me to keep doing what is right before the Lord, for my kids, knowing that there are many lives, for many years, affected by the choices I make each day! Thinking of you, Whitney, and praying for your family as you celebrate your grandma's precious life together!