Author: Andrew T. Le Peau
Located in: Downers Grove, IL
Submitted: October 03, 2017
Tell us a little about yourself. Phyllis and I are very proud of all thirteen of our grandchildren, some living nearby and others across the country. Phyllis served for many years as an area director and evangelism specialist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I was the long time associate publisher for editorial with InterVarsity Press. Now I am a writer and editor who blogs at Andy Unedited. Together we have written several other Bible study guides.
What was your motivation behind this project? While there is a growing number of resources for grandparents, we knew of no other Bible study guide on the topic. And that is understandable. Few grandparents are mentioned in Scripture, and when they are, they are not always presented as positive role models. Would there be a way, we wondered, to dig into the issues grandparents need to deal with that used Scripture as a primary resource?
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? We love Scripture and we love studying it in a group. The guide is designed to be used equally well by an individual, a couple or a group. The advantage of a group is that we can learn not only from the insights of each other into the Bible but also hear what others have learned about grandparenting that can benefit us.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? We interviewed a number of grandparents in preparation for writing the Bible study guide. We were impressed by how much they emphasized the importance of having healthy relationships with the parents of our grandchildren. Grandparenting is not just about us and the grandkids. It is a multigenerational adventure.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: We also learned in writing the book that grandparenting is not just about things we do with our grandchildren. It is about who we are as people--our character, our values, our priorities. Who we are has as much more impact on our grandchildren than the things we give them. The guide gives people an opportunity to consider how we might need to grow and change, and when the right time for that may be. With God, it is never too late.
