Contact: Jon Hirst, Christian Grandparenting Network, 719-362-5235, jhirst@dotheword.org 

TWIN CITIES, Minn., Oct. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- During a recent project conducted in Albert Lea, MN, residents increased their lifespan by an average of 3.1 years per person. Cavin Harper, founder of the Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN), believes that this increase in lifespan is an opportunity for this generation to have a lasting impact on the next.

The AARP(R)/Blue Zones(R) Vitality Project was 10 months long and sponsored by United Health Foundation. Projected life expectancy based on current behaviors was measured by an online tool called the Vitality Compass ® Over 2300 residents followed the online tool to help change their lifestyle for the better.

Harper says, "This project shows that we can have some affect on our lives here on earth. It's wonderful that people in Albert Lea are living longer, but what are they doing with the extra years? We need to be careful how we spend our time, being intentional about spending it with the next generation."

Harper believes that grandparents need to be intentional in recognizing and utilizing this increased time. Harper says, "It's so easy to let time just slip away. Parents and grandparents need to see each day they have as a gift to be given to the next generation. We will be accountable for the time we are given, and we need to be intentional about how we spend it. Are we reading our grandkids good books? Are we talking to them about the moral foundation they will need to face our world today?"

October 23-24, Harper's Christian Grandparenting Network is hosting a Christian Legacy Conference in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, with workshops by accredited counselors, pastors, authors and speakers that focus on foundations of grandparenting, healthy family relationships, reconciliation and creative ideas that will help parents and grandparents impact their children and grandchildren. To find out more about the conference, go to www.legacyconference.com.

To sign up for the newsletter, Carry the Torch, go to www.christiangrandparenting.net. To discover more about CGN or find additional ways to build the grandparent-grandchild bond, call Cavin Harper at (719) 522-1404.

The Christian Grandparenting Network promotes effective grandparenting which is intentional about helping children and grandchildren know and follow Christ wholeheartedly.