If you have children, it's very likely that someday (sooner than you think), you will have the privilege of welcoming some extra blessings into your life--grandchildren. When this happens, The Godly Grandparent will be a great reference book to keep on hand. This 223-page manual on "living faithfully and influencing your grandchildren for Christ" is packed with Scriptural guidelines and practical information on how to develop a lasting relationship with your grandchildren. A study guide is available at the publisher's website as a free PDF download.

The Godly Grandparent is divided into chapters based on the attributes of elders found in the book of Titus. Some of these godly qualities include: blameless, moral, compassionate, sober-minded, and humble. As each attribute is presented, we are challenged as grandparents to be examples to our grandchildren, filling the "gap" in their young lives--especially in this post-Christian age--with our wisdom and experience. The author uses anecdotes from his own life to add a personal touch to the ideas presented.

Along with practical lists--such as the "Guidelines for Living Peaceably and Teaching Peace" list in the chapter entitled "Peaceable,"--each chapter concludes with bulleted sections called "In Review," "Additional Scriptures," and "What Others Say."

The only disappointment I have in this book is with the title! The Godly Grandparent is full of excellent ideas and information that should not be limited to grandparents. Perhaps a subtitle like . . . and Others who Influence Children for Righteousness would allow a broader audience for the superb advice found within these pages.

So whether you are a grandparent looking to influence your grandchildren to live "soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age" (Titus 2:12) or a parent or other interested "kinfolk," I recommend keeping a copy of The Godly Grandparent close at hand for ideas on how to do just that.

Product review by Susan K. Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2007