Q: Our son and his wife just had their first son, and we're very excited. Does the Bible say anything about what we ought to do to be good grandparents? - Mrs. E.M.

A: You may not be aware of it (unless you've been in a greeting card shop lately!), but tomorrow is Grandparents' Day across our nation. If any of your grandparents are still living, I hope you'll make a special effort to call or visit them, and let them know how much they have meant to you.

Whenever I think of grandparents and the impact they can make on their grandchildren, I think of a young man in the Bible named Timothy. He was a close companion of the Apostle Paul, and was greatly used of God to help Paul on his missionary journeys. Later he became the pastor of the Christians in the city of Ephesus - a difficult assignment, since Ephesus was a major center of pagan worship in the ancient world. Timothy obviously was a young man of strong faith and deep conviction.

But where did Timothy get his faith? The seeds were sowed by his mother - and especially his grandmother. As Paul wrote in one of his letters to Timothy, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois" (2 Timothy 1:5). Paul also recalled that "from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).

Thank God for the privilege of being grandparents, and ask Him to help you be the best grandparents you can be.

Q: How can I decide which Bible to buy? I don't know anything about the Bible, but I recently gave my life to Jesus and I want to begin reading it. However, I went to a bookstore the other day and just got confused because there seem to be so many kinds. Why is that? - S.K.

A: The Bible was written many centuries ago in two of the major languages of the time - Hebrew (for the Old Testament) and Greek (for the New Testament).

Over the centuries, the Bible has been translated into hundreds of other languages - including English. And because the Bible's language is so rich and profound, various translations have been made into English to try to bring out its full meaning - including the many translations you saw in your bookstore.

Which one is best? The "best" Bible translation for you is the one that makes the Bible's meaning clear to you. It also should be accurate and faithful to the original languages. For the purposes of this column, I usually use the New International Version - but I probably have 20 or 30 other versions in my library. Your pastor may have a recommendation; you might also take a passage (such as John 3) and read it in several translations.

The most important thing, however, is to make the Bible part of your life every day. Remember: It is God's Word, given to us "so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). May this happen in your life.

Send your queries to "My Answer,"?c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit www.billygraham.org.