Author Heather Grannum shares her favorite character from the Biblical historical novel “Where is Matthias?“
Nathan arrives in Jerusalem in time for the annual Passover celebration and looks forward to spending it with his childhood friend Yaron, whose sister, Abigail he is hoping to marry, except that difficult family finances have diminished the dowry he is able to offer.
As the city of Jerusalem welcomes its worldwide visitors, Nathan finds out that his sister, Eliza, and her husband, who are also guests, are excited about the strange rabbi who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Could he be the Messiah?
Their outspoken belief causes some discomfort in the home, especially when there is another distinguished guest who denounces Jesus and whose son happens to have all the necessary attributes as the perfect choice for Abigail.
As Jerusalem turns against Jesus, and amidst complicated family relationships which bring tragedy, it is Nathan who, in the face of his own suffering, provides a steadying hand.
Nathan is a balanced young man, well respected by the family who have invited his family for Passover. Matthias likes him because he chats with him like a fellow adult, unlike Yaron, who teases him.
Yaron is very outspoken about the state of affairs in Jerusalem, and his condemnation of the corruption he sees in the authorities tends to upset those around him, especially in the family. Nathan is the one who keeps him in check.
He is down to earth and accepts that his diminished financial resources might place him out of the running as a suitable husband for Abigail. Yet he is able to retain his composure in an uncomfortable situation. He can also play the flute.
Beaudin, author of theTimmy Dennison Series, shares what he feels is his most memorable character.This series of Christian coming-of-age books follows a boy named Timmy Dennison as he grows up dealing with family, grief, life’s trials, and what it means to be a believer in God.
Unlike most of the characters in the Timmy Dennison series, Mr. Clint Wadkins is only a player in one book, Ya Gotta Outmaneuver ‘Em. Mr. Wadkins is the owner of Wadkins Sporting Goods Store in the town center of Wynhope. He’s an older gentleman gifted with a friendly and gentle nature.
We know little of his personal life, and anyone reading “between the lines” will recognize that his store and his many young clients are more than a business to him. He attends school and town sporting events, is well known by school personnel, and, most importantly, is a friend to and respected by the town’s younger generation. Kids not only seek his help with sporting purchases, but they also visit him occasionally to chat, seek advice on important decisions, get help with problems, and even get help with homework projects.
The town of Wynhope is fortunate; every small town should have a Mr. Wadkins, a caring person who embodies truth, honesty, and integrity, and to whom local kids can go for support and friendship consistent with family values.
There are some things grandparents can give their grandchildren that cannot be bought in a store: A favorite family recipe. A story about what life was like when they were young. An old photograph tucked away in a drawer. A familiar laugh. A hug that somehow makes everything seem a little more manageable.
And, for Christian grandparents, there may be something even more valuable: a faith that has been lived out over a lifetime.
National Grandparents Day gives us an opportunity to stop and appreciate these gifts.
In the United States, Grandparents Day is observed each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In 2026, it falls on September 13. Although the holiday is a relatively modern one, the idea behind it is timeless. Families have always passed their stories, traditions, values, and beliefs from one generation to the next.
For Christians, that passing of faith is especially meaningful.
A Faith Worth Passing On
The Bible speaks often about the importance of one generation telling the next about God’s faithfulness.
Psalm 78 reminds us of our responsibility to tell the coming generation “the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.” The purpose was not simply to preserve history. It was to help children understand who God is and to encourage them to place their own trust in Him. Grandparents have a unique place in that process.
They have lived long enough to have seen both difficult seasons and joyful ones. They have experienced answered prayers and unanswered questions. They have made mistakes, learned lessons, endured losses, celebrated victories, and watched the world change in ways they could never have imagined when they were young.
That experience can give their testimony a special depth.
A grandparent doesn’t have to preach a sermon to pass on faith. Sometimes it happens in the simplest ways.
It may be a grandmother who quietly prays before a family meal. A grandfather who keeps his Bible beside his chair. A grandmother who tells a grandchild, “We’ve been through hard times before, and God has always been faithful.” Or a grandfather who takes the time to explain why a particular Bible verse has meant so much to him over the years.
Those moments may seem small at the time.
Years later, they may not seem small at all.
More Than Family History
One of the great gifts grandparents can offer is a connection to the past.
Children naturally live in the present. Their world revolves around school, friends, activities, technology, and whatever happens to be occupying their attention that day. Grandparents can help them see that their lives are part of a much larger story.
They can tell them what their parents were like as children. They can explain where the family came from. They can share stories about relatives the younger generation never had the opportunity to meet.
And they can tell stories about God’s work in their own lives.
Perhaps there was a time when the family didn’t know how a financial difficulty would be resolved. Perhaps there was a season of illness, grief, uncertainty, or change. Perhaps there was a decision that seemed insignificant at the time but eventually changed the direction of an entire family.
These stories matter.
They remind children that faith isn’t simply something they read about in church or in a children’s Bible. It is something that can be lived.
The Gift of Time
Grandparents Day also reminds us of something that is easy to overlook: time is a gift.
The older we become, the more aware we are that family gatherings we assumed would happen again may not. There will come a last Thanksgiving dinner, a last Christmas together, a last family photograph, and a last conversation.
We rarely know which one is the last.
That is why Grandparents Day can be more than a card, a phone call, or a bouquet of flowers. It can be an invitation to slow down and spend some time together.
Sit with a grandparent.
Ask questions.
Listen to the stories you’ve heard before.
And, perhaps most importantly, ask about the things you’ve never thought to ask.
What was your childhood like? What did you believe when you were my age? Who influenced your faith? What was the hardest time of your life? What did God teach you through it? Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Those conversations can become a priceless part of a family’s heritage.
I regret not having those opportunities when my grandparents were alive. My grandparents were born and live most of their lives in Prince Edward County, Virginia, while I was born in Washington, D.C., so I didn’t see them much. But I have now inherited the land on which the house they grew up in still stands. It is vacant and dilapidated, but it stands as a monument to my grandparents and their hard work and faith in raising our family. And every time I walk this land, I have so many questions that I wished I had the presence of mind to ask them back then.
I wish I had appreciated them more.
Author’s grandparents family home in Prince Edward County, Virginia
A Legacy That Goes Beyond Possessions
We often think of a legacy in terms of what someone leaves behind financially. But a Christian legacy is about much more than possessions.
It is about character.
It is about faithfulness.
It is about the example a person leaves in the lives of others.
A grandparent who consistently demonstrates kindness, humility, forgiveness, generosity, and trust in God may be leaving a far more valuable inheritance than anything contained in a bank account.
Proverbs 13:22 tells us that “a good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.” While that verse can certainly include material provision, there is also something deeply fitting about thinking of an inheritance as everything of lasting value that one generation places into the hands of another.
For Christian grandparents, perhaps the greatest question isn’t simply, “What will I leave my grandchildren?”
It is, “What will they remember about my faith?”
An Opportunity for Every Generation
Grandparents Day isn’t only for grandparents.
It is also for children and grandchildren.
It gives younger family members a chance to say something that can sometimes go unsaid: Thank you.
Thank you for the stories.
Thank you for the prayers.
Thank you for the sacrifices.
Thank you for the lessons.
Thank you for showing us what it looks like to keep going when life becomes difficult.
And thank you for pointing us toward a God who is faithful from generation to generation.
At Dove Christian Publishers, we believe books can play a small but meaningful role in that process. A good book can open a conversation between a grandparent and grandchild, preserve a story, encourage a struggling family, or simply provide an opportunity for two generations to sit together and share something meaningful.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons stories matter so much.
They help us remember where we came from.
They help us understand who we are.
And sometimes, they help us see where we are going.
This Grandparents Day, take a little time to celebrate the grandparents in your life. If they are alive, call them. Visit them. Give them a card. Sit down and listen to them.
And if you’re a grandparent yourself, remember that you don’t have to do something extraordinary to leave a lasting legacy.
Sometimes the greatest legacy is simply a life faithfully lived—and a story worth passing on.
