January 5, 2025 — Episode #53

Kicking off the new year, Jerry and Becky Drace begin a series on growing older, starting with the biblical idea that gray hair can be a “crown of glory.”

Working from Proverbs 16:31, they discuss what it means to age in righteousness and share a list of ten characteristics of what they call “seasoned saints” — including a changing sense of time, an awareness of the full life cycle, a tendency to review one’s past, and the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, and depression). They talk about the comfort of familiar routines and surroundings for older adults, the importance of leaving a spiritual legacy, and the value of passing wisdom to the next generation. Becky shares a personal story of praying for thirty years to be reconciled with estranged family, and the couple remembers a dear family friend who was like a second mother to them and who kept growing in her faith into old age.

Topics discussed:

• Proverbs 16:31 and the idea of a “crown of glory”
• Ten characteristics of what they call “seasoned saints”
• The stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression
• Making peace with the past and building new memories
• Attachment to familiar people, places, and routines
• Leaving a spiritual legacy for future generations
• Becky’s book “The Bright Side of Blue”

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