I am going to be a grandpa

We got a FaceTime call from my oldest son and his wife. This rarely happens.  We were in the middle of marriage mentoring with a couple but we knew we needed to pick up.  Our son had a health scare a few months ago so, concerned that something was wrong, I braced myself for something bad.  Instead, they informed us that we would be grandparents for the first time come January!!!!!  We are soooo excited!!!  So I am resigning my position and moving to Cleveland…..

Ok, maybe not but I am sure we will have many more trips out there and I may or may not be not so subtly encouraging them to move to PA😊.

This is new to me, so I am not going to even attempt to share sage advice about grandparenting, but stay tuned.  Instead, this is a time to reflect on the passages and chapters of life.

As a pastor I deal with peoples’ deepest heartaches and greatest joys.  I stand at bedsides and pray over new babies just born with all of life’s potential in front of them.  I also sit with couples in their living rooms and pray with them as they mourn the loss of their baby.  In the good and the bad, I always have one main goal and I want to keep that in mind as I enter this new phase.  What is that goal?  To help people in each chapter of life to focus more on Christ.  He is the one to bring to our greatest celebrations and our greatest tribulations.  Each day that is our calling as His children.  The question then is this: How are we using all that we have to invest in what He has directed us all to do?

The Christian Life is like any human’s life in many respects.  We are born, have birthdays, vacations, scraped knees, first kisses and the list goes on.  However, the big difference is that those of the household of faith know that this is just a place we pass through.  We are pilgrims, not settlers.  Our roots on this planet should be shallow knowing that our eternity is not here.  So how do we live our lives on this earth that God has placed us?  In Christ.  We allow His Word to guide us, embrace a life of obedience and make His priorities our priorities.  This is what will give us satisfaction and the ability to embrace the chapters and relationships that God gives us in a Christ centered way.

I look forward to ways that I can instill these principles in my grandchild but also in my grown children, church members and whoever God leads me to.  I encourage you to join me on this journey until He calls us home.