This article is courtesy of Mature Living magazine.
What happened to those adorable little grandchildren that I used to shower with love?
Perhaps the lyrics of "Sunrise, Sunset," from "Fiddler on the Roof," provide the answer:
"Swiftly fly the years." It seems like just yesterday that my main concern was how to
grandparent my long-distance toddler grandchildren. Now, they are grown and moving
on to college, to careers abroad, or to military service.
How can a long-distance grandparent keep in touch with grandkids who are scattering in
every direction? Here are some ideas that might be helpful. The first approach might be
new to you. The second is a time-tested way you can use to express love to your older
grandchildren.
Become a "Techie-grand"
If you aren't already, you definitely need to be keeping up on the latest communication
technology available. Learn to instant message your college grandchildren. They'll be glad
to instruct you, or you can get a young person from your church to teach you the ins and
outs. You'll find instant messaging a fun, rewarding way to keep in touch. College-age
grandchildren are generally in the computer lab or on their personal computers throughout
the day. Also learn to send text messages on your cell phone or use a camera phone, the
newest wave among the young cell phone holders. Don't be afraid to learn the latest methods
to keep in touch. Data shows that learning new information keeps us young.
E-mails and cell phones work with military grandchildren, too — after they complete their
basic training, that is. Many families with children and grandchildren serving overseas have
found it easier to contact their loved ones through e-mail than by phone. Don't miss this
opportunity to stay in touch. Your grandson or granddaughter will be blessed by a word from
home, and you will be blessed by a word from them.
In addition, you can access family military Web sites for your grandchild's particular
branch of the military. Just go to your favorite search engine, and type in "military families."
Many sites will appear, and you will be able to find the one that is most helpful to you.
You'll be amazed at the wealth of information and support you can glean from these sites.
Helpful information via the Internet is also available if you have a grandchild who is a
missionary. Again, go to your favorite search engine and type in "parents of missionaries."
The sites will offer tips on sending care packages and staying in touch by e-mail and the
postal service. You will also be comforted to learn how other families cope with separation.
In all these things (technological advances), give thanks! The use of computers has globally
shrunk the world so we can stay connected whether in the next town, the next state, or
on another continent.
Prepare and Send "Boxes of Love"
Nothing inspires a grandparent, especially a grandma, like preparing a care package to
send to her long-distance grandchild. Use the information you gather from the Web sites
to assist you in preparing the care packages for your military and missionary grandchildren.
The people who prepare these sites know what works and what doesn't.
College grandchildren enjoy receiving e-mail, but imagine their smiles when they receive a
package containing homemade cookies. To minimize damage, layer cookies between sheets
of paper towels until the container is full. You can purchase plastic containers, which fit
perfectly in priority mailing boxes. Always send extra to be shared with friends. They'll
be proud to treat everyone to Grandma's goodies.
Equip your grandchild for those times when the cafeteria is closed and the "hungries" hit
by mailing a box of pre-packed, microwavable food. A large variety of delicious entrees are
available at the supermarket.
The young and healthy don't always anticipate that they might need an over-the-counter
answer to a middle-of-the-night medical problem, so help them out by packing a medical
emergency kit. Include some of the following items: thermometer, ice pack, disposable stick-on
heat pad, antihistamine, antacid, pain relievers, meds for nausea or diarrhea, daily vitamins,
old medicine, Band-Aids®, and antibiotic ointment. A stroll through the health aid section at
the grocery store or pharmacy will spark additional ideas.
Military grandchildren especially need the support of their families, and nothing can
take the place of Grandma's homemade goodies. Consider sending care packages of cookies
to those serving within the United States as well as abroad. A word of caution: Don't
send a package to your military grandchild during basic training. It will probably be confiscated.
Care packages destined for grandchildren serving in combat zones should be frequent and
small. They have to carry whatever you send on their backs, so think trial-size. Also,
remember that it may take two to three weeks (or longer) for the package to arrive.
When in doubt, ask your grandchild what he needs. Go online to find suggestions for what
to include in these packages, as well as tips on what not to send.
Missionary grandchildren love receiving care packages, too. Missionary Web sites often
provide information on what to send. You can even find companies that will send cookie or
birthday cake packages directly to them.
Keeping in touch with older grandchildren may be more difficult, but you can still be the
grandparent you want to be by keeping up with the latest in communication technology
and by finding unique ways to utilize the tried-and-true care package.
Eugene Peterson: The story behind "The Message"
This article is courtesy of Mature Living magazine
Eugene Peterson grew up in his father's butcher shop in Kalispell, Montana.
Young Peterson ran errands, polished the meat display cases, ground hamburger,
and was allowed to cut liver "because you couldn't wreck liver." He learned and matured.
More importantly, the butcher boy of Kalispell listened. He listened to the
talk of ranchers, woodsmen, farmers, and townsfolk, and reveled in the rich
cadences and rhythmic speech patterns. A generation later, that ordinary,
plain talk came back to him as he struggled to do what only one other pastor
since the 19th century has ever attempted — a new paraphrase of the Holy Bible.
The Message enjoyed immediate acclaim and sold more than 3 million copies of
the core editions including Psalms and Proverbs, and another 3 million ancillary products.
"When Paul of Tarsus wrote a letter, the people who received it understood it
instantly," Peterson explains. "When the prophet Isaiah preached a sermon, I
can't imagine that people went to the library to figure it out. That was the
basic premise under which I worked. I began with the New Testament in the
Greek — a rough and jagged language, not so grammatically clean. I just typed
out a page the way I thought it would have sounded to the Galatians."
Peterson's contemporary version was judged a vigorous scriptural interpretation for
the ordinary person. The renowned biblical scholars who monitored Peterson's work
found the same thing. The Message was not only doctrinally sound, but delightfully refreshing.
In Christ's parable of the wedding banquet, for example, the "oxen and fattened
cattle" on the menu in older translations, became "prime rib" in the newest
paraphrase. Legalistic Pharisees once rebuked as a "brood of vipers" are now
roundly castigated as "reptilian sneaks." The apostle Paul has become that
"jailbird preacher."
"Many people had never read the Bible before or quit reading it years ago,"
says Peterson, the former Boston Marathon runner who picks passable banjo.
"The Message drew them in."
When the publisher approached Peterson with the idea for the project, he and
his wife Jan took six months of prayer and discussion before saying yes. They
had always ministered side-by-side, and he felt it was as much her decision as
his own. Certainly he was no stranger to publishing. The former Presbyterian
pastor is the author of more than 20 books.
Nonetheless, he was reluctant to begin the project. "Who was I to produce
another version of the Bible? I didn't think I could do it. My first few chapters
of Matthew just plodded along . . . But when I hit the Sermon on the Mount in
chapter five, it kicked in, and I just let loose. I got excited. I could do this!"
"He's just an ordinary guy who doesn't take himself too seriously," says Eugene's
friend and college classmate Russ Reid. "That's a rare trait among people of his
intellect and achievement." It is also the saving grace for a writer/translator
attempting to make the Bible more accessible to more people.
Reid agrees. "My wife and I had to laugh at the way he had the mourners in
Matthew 9 bring casseroles when the ruler's daughter died. He's one of a kind!"
A private person, Peterson doesn't much care for the glare of public attention.
"Jan and I have felt vulnerable. We've said no to most invitations. Our ministry
is to teach, to write, to be with students, and not get distracted." Those
distractions include as many as 300 speaking requests each year.
Eugene Peterson would rather climb a mountain or teach a class than speak
to a large audience. He holds a master's degree in Semitic languages from
Johns Hopkins University and is a professor of spiritual theology at Regent
College in Vancouver, B.C., where it is said that his bear stories are second to none.
Today, however, his knees are bad, and he and Jan must settle for long walks in the woods.
Besides, he must finish that monumental assignment from God received seven years
ago. He does it by what one reviewer called "ingenious (writing) in a homespun sort
of way" that breathes new life into the old, old story, proving once again that what
has been done many ways before has never been done this way. The beauty of the
Scriptures is that there's always room for one more telling, just as there was in
that butcher shop long ago when young Eugene cut liver and listened to grown men talk.
Finding quiet time
This article is courtesy of Mature Living magazine.
With all the time-saving inventions at our disposal, you'd think we would
have more leisure time than ever before. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be true.
The ease with which we get caught up in the chaotic world of cell phones,
computers, fax machines, and e-mail can make us feel scattered and stressed.
If we are to replenish and restore what we give to those around us, we need to
spend time alone reflecting on our dreams and goals and on who we are and what
we are about. Spending time in solitude nourishes and renews our spirits.
Time for solitude is not a given. We have to make time for it. Establishing rituals
can aid in keeping a daily appointment with ourselves so we can be quiet, reflect,
and unwind.
Each of us has our own way of seeking time to be alone. One of the best for me
is a solitary walk which gives me time to reflect, appreciate my life, and count my
blessings as I listen to the sounds of the outdoors. For others it might be listening
to quiet music, reading a book, or spending time in prayer.
My mother's quiet time usually came in early evening after the supper dishes had
been hand washed and dried. She would retreat to the porch and sit in her rocking
chair, shelling peas or breaking beans for the next day's meal. All the time her hands
were busy, she would be listening to the sounds of nature as the day came to a close
and night drew near.
Quiet times help us become more focused on what is truly important. And in the midst
of our hectic lives, quiet times keep us mindful and aware, thereby enjoying more fully
the present.
Pearl S. Buck wrote, "Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where
you renew your springs that never dry up."
If we are to have water to spill out through our actions in nourishing and refreshing
others, it is necessary that we make time each day to fill our own wells.
Seeking Quiet Time
Finding an activity which relaxes and calms you and making a daily appointment with
yourself to spend time being quiet will pay surprising dividends. Some possible activities
could be ...
- playing or listening to music
- reading a devotional or inspirational book
- taking a morning or evening walk
- writing in a journal or to a friend
- enjoying a cup of tea
- spending time in meditation and prayer.