©2025 Fable Group Inc.

Once Upon a Time There Was a Three-Year-Old Grandpa

By David Janzen & Nancy Gatlin &
Once Upon a Time There Was a Three-Year-Old Grandpa by David Janzen & Nancy Gatlin &  digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

This eccentric title recalls a collection of tales first told to grandchildren at bedtime. Each chapter begins with a fun-to-read farmer-boy story from the 1940s, an era before industrial farming when horses, cows, and chickens were still members of the family. These anecdotes each launch a theme that splashes down with further development in later decades of life. Diverse topics include imaginative play, construction crew humor, animal intelligence, contemplative prayer and journal writing, rural and urban farming, communal wisdom, and affordable housing, along with a few serious pranks and the prophetic mischief that follows. This memoir is also a confession in the pattern of Augustine, reflecting on God's in-breaking initiatives and the writer's emerging sense of calling in lifelong conversation with Jesus. Its stories offer a series of curiosity-driven on-ramps into eight decades of transformative experiences for curious souls to ponder an open-eyed faith and a communal way of life for the long haul.

Download the free Fable app

app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities
app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

No Reviews

About David Janzen

David Janzen is a member of Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston, Illinois, whose current work is nurturing a new generation of intentional Christian communities. He is the author of Fire, Salt and Peace: Intentional Communities Alive in North America (1996) and The International Christian Community Handbook: For Idealists, Hypocrites, and Wannabe Disciples of Jesus (2012).

Nancy Gatlin

Nancy and Joe Gatlin have lived their passion for community building for more than forty years in Chicago and Waco as members and cofounders of communal households and two inner-city church communities. Joe has worked with Habitat for Humanity for the last thirty years and currently is Director of Field Operations for the US Area Office. Nancy, born in Costa Rica and raised in Uruguay, is a teacher and educator and has led SMC delegations to Valle Nuevo for many years.



Nancy y Joe Gatlin han vivido su pasión de establecimiento de comunidad por más de cuarenta años en Chicago y Waco como miembros y cofundadores de hogares comunitarios y dos comunidades esclesiásticas urbanas. Joe ha trabajado con Hábitat para la Humanidad por los últimos treinta años y actualmente es Director de Operaciones para la Oficina del Area de los Estados Unidos. Nancy, nacida en Costa Rica y criada en el Uruguay, es maestra y educadora y ha dirigido las delegaciones de las CMS a Valle Nuevo por muchos años.


Joe Gatlin

Nancy and Joe Gatlin have lived their passion for community building for more than forty years in Chicago and Waco as members and cofounders of communal households and two inner-city church communities. Joe has worked with Habitat for Humanity for the last thirty years and currently is Director of Field Operations for the US Area Office. Nancy, born in Costa Rica and raised in Uruguay, is a teacher and educator and has led SMC delegations to Valle Nuevo for many years.




Nancy y Joe Gatlin han vivido su pasión de establecimiento de comunidad por más de cuarenta años en Chicago y Waco como miembros y cofundadores de hogares comunitarios y dos comunidades esclesiásticas urbanas. Joe ha trabajado con Hábitat para la Humanidad por los últimos treinta años y actualmente es Director de Operaciones para la Oficina del Area de los Estados Unidos. Nancy, nacida en Costa Rica y criada en el Uruguay, es maestra y educadora y ha dirigido las delegaciones de las CMS a Valle Nuevo por muchos años.


Start a Book Club

Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!

FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

Error Icon
Save to a list
0
/
30
0
/
100
Private List
Private lists are not visible to other Fable users on your public profile.
Notification Icon
Fable uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB