Quin M. Sherrer - Grandma, I Need Your Prayers

ZONDARVAN

Grandma, I Need Your Prayers

Copyright 2002 by Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock

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ePub Edition June 2009 ISBN: 0-310-86233-7

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sherrer, Quin.

Grandma, I need your prayers : blessing your grandchildren through the power of prayer / Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-310-24026-6

1. GrandmothersPrayer-books and devotionsEnglish. 2. GrandchildrenReligious

life. I. Garlock, Ruthanne. II. Title.

BV4847 .S48 2001

248.320853dc21 2001046640

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMPLIFIED are taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright 1965, 1987, by Zondervan. Used by permission. All rights reserved. And from The Amplified Bible, New Testament. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1987, by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

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Published in association with the literary agency of Ann Spangler & Company, 1420 Pontiac Road SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

Details and circumstances of certain events, and some names of persons and locations, have been changed to protect individuals privacy.

Interior design by Nancy Wilson

Dedicated to our grandchildren

Quins:

Kara Nicole, Evangeline Noel, Ethan Keil

Lyden Benjamin, Victoria Jewett

Samuel Johannes

Ruthannes:

Amanda Jean

Rachel Lynn, Lydia Marie, Joel David

I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore shall the people praise and give You thanks forever and ever.

Psalm 45:17 AMPLIFIED

I got word of the birth of my first grandchildKara Nicole, born on the island of Kona, Hawaiiwhile I was speaking at a Christian retreat center in the mountains of Pennsylvania. When my prayer partner, Jane, went to get us early morning coffee, the hotel clerk told her that during the night a message had come that Kara had been born.

Youre a grandmother! A grandmother! A grandmother! Jane shouted excitedly at me.

A grandmother. It was hard for me to comprehend the new title tacked to my name. A new identity. My three children were older when they married, and two of them had been married for several years. I had wondered at times whether Id ever be a grandmother. No need to worry! Now, six years later, I have six grandchildren, one born during the writing of this book, giving Kara and her sister, Evie, a baby brother.

Three of my grandchildren were born overseas, so at first I could communicate with them only by letting them hear my voice on the phone. They responded with silence or cooing. But now all three families are just a short drive from us, and the grandkids call me Mama Quin.

Our home quickly filled up with all the paraphernalia that goes with tending babies and toddlershigh chairs, baby beds, potty-chairs, swing set, T-ball stands, and a miniature basketball court. We also have childrens books on prayer and character development, phonics games, puzzles, videos, and music tapes. I became a regular baby-sitter, since two of the grandchildren lived across the street for a couple of years.

My goal is to be the best grandmother I can be, to establish a Christian heritage my grandchildren wont forget. As I rock them, I sing and pray over them. When we stroll around the block, I tell them were praying for our neighbors as we sing Alleluia. We enjoy having parades with rhythm band instruments in our den while the vibrant old hymns play on the video. In the summer, I splash in the plastic pool with them, and in the winter, I cheer as they coast down our back-yard snowbank. Since most have entered preschool, I attend their performances and get acquainted with all their teachers.

If you were to drop by my house today, youd probably find me sitting on the floor with two or three grandchildren building railroad stations out of plastic blocks, or drinking imaginary tea from tiny china cups, or sitting in a sandbox making sand castles. Id be wearing my favorite sweatshirt that says, Grandmas Are Antique Little Girls. I always stop whatever Im doing to give them attention. When they stay overnight, we have the best times sharing and praying. Right now they are the most important people in my life whom I can influence for Gods purposes.

I have a picture of all six of my grandchildren gathered around me on a stairway decorated with holiday holly. I carry it with me on out-of-town trips so I can see them smiling down at me from the bedside table. The wooden frame, a gift from a daughter, is carved with these words:

Grandchildren bring sunshine into my heart

And laughter into my household.

Their visits may be long or short, but always memorable.

I tell them my stories and they tell me theirs right back.

Its my grandchildren that actually made me a grandparent,

So Im eternally grateful.

They always bring such spirited joy into my life.

Author unknown

I dont remember having a grandmother who prayed for me. My maternal grandmother died just after I, the first granddaughter, was born at her home. My paternal grandmother was a pastors wife, but I never was aware whether she prayed for her fourteen grandchildren. I remember that as a twelve-year-old, I sat on a stool at the feet of my blind great-grandmother, whose brothers had fought in the Civil War. Once, after telling me stories of that tragic war, she asked me to guide her hand to rest on the top of my head. Did she pray for me? Id like to think so, but I will never know.