As I think about ways to raise my children, and guide them in faith as they grow older, I hope that I always remember the example that my great-grandma was to her family. She consistently modeled grace and wisdom every single day. She faithfully lifted her family up in prayer, and, without fail, generously gave to those in need. Her daughter (my grandma) and her granddaughter (my mom) were both heavily influenced by the faith she lived out every day. As I look at their lives, and think about how I want to be remembered in the future, I hope that my faith in Jesus is marked by as much love and authenticity as my great-grandma’s faith was. Quite simply, it can be summed up in one word: genuine. It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t something she did just to appear spiritual. Her faith was real simply because she loved and cherished her relationship with Jesus.

These past few days were definitely a time of celebration! I was glad to be a part of it and see family I don't get to see that often. But, it also was definitely a time of reflection -- and a time for me to take a step back and reflect on the legacy that my G.G. left during the 94 years she spent here on earth. Will mine look the same? Probably not... but I want my desire to be the same: to love and cherish Jesus to the fullest every single day I have on here on earth!

Thoughts?

Did I miss any?

FAITH:

- "Detours to the destination" - loved this from Steven Furtick.
- Craig Groeschel on planning - wow, never thought to re-shift thinking this way.
- Challenging post from Tim Stevens on 'failing is so sexy'. Another good post on reshifting the way we look at things.
- Anne Rice did a Q&A with Christianity Today. Here Facebook statement was a while ago, but I found this interesting.
- Sarah Cunningham writes for the Q Blog on a Christian response to the issue surrounding the "Ground Zero Mosque".
- As a father to two girls (albeit young girls), this was an interesting post for me - Pete Wilson on "Monitoring Modesty".
- Waiting on the Lord - some thoughts from the Relevant Blog. Thoughts?
- Solid insights on Luke 15 / the Prodigal Son from Kevin DeShazo. Dig in!
- Interesting article from WSJ, "The Perils of Hipster Christianity and Why Young Evangelicals Reject Churches That Try To Be Cool." Long title, but thought-provoking read.
- The WSJ was a well-read article this week, here are some responses from Maurilio Amorim and Tyler Braun.

OTHER:

- Jon Foreman had a great post in the Huffington Post, using a garden as an analogy.
- Great thoughts from Seth Godin about resilience and slow change.
- Not a Jets fan for sure, but loved this piece on Laveranues Coles.
- As a Dawg fan, I always get excited this time of year. But, reading this about our QB-Aaron Murray got me even more pumped.

I hope that you, like me, were encouraged/challenged by each of these!

Thoughts?

Dustin

Jen and Olivia got back in town yesterday afternoon from their 6-day trip to visit family in Denver. They had a great time! We'll post pictures and videos soon about both our adventures (their trip to Denver, and me and Soph's time at home) within the next few days.

By the way, the above picture was taken by our favorite photographer in ATL (he did our wedding 5+ years ago). We were at a friend's wedding and they happened to be shooting it. He pulled us aside and got a nice shot of us.

Below is the first single off his latest album, "The Comeback Kid":

Good stuff!

Tonight: We're heading to the Braves game. Should be fun!
Thursday: No plans, she'll be with the grandparents and I'll probably go golfing (I know, selfish me-time).
Friday: Playground at the outlet mall, then to the candy shop to get an Icee. Maybe a movie rental afterwards.
Saturday: DeKalb Peachtree Airport aviation park, lunch somewhere inside the perimeter, Riverside Splash Park in Roswell.
Sunday: Church, nap (yes, this is on the schedule), small group, then dinner somewhere in Cumming.
Monday: Sophia will be with Grandparents #2, so unsure what Monday night plans will look like just yet.
Tuesday: We'll go to the airport to pick up the girls!

I know that that she'll enjoy the trip with Mommy!

Any other ideas or suggestions for me this weekend?

FAITH:

- Some good thoughts from Dr. Russell Mooreon the comments that Anne Rice left on Facebook the other week. I also enjoyed to read what Eugene Cho had to say as well. In fact, there were a lot of people who chimed in.
- Don Miller on conditional love. Enjoyed this.
- I've enjoyed listening to Andrew Peterson lately. With his new album release, here is an interview (that covered a lot of different areas).
- Tim Challies wrote an challenging piece that referenced Stonewall Jackson and abortion.
- One of the best posts I've read in a long time: "You could have God! And you chose light beer."(from Mark Driscoll)
- Chris Brogan "visited" Lifechurch.tv. Here was his review.
- Jon Acuff hit the nail on the head with his post, "Quietly distancing ourselves from Mel Gibson."
- I really appreciated Shaun King's vulnerability and honesty in this post.

OTHER:

- A music video instead of a traditional wedding video? Very cool!
- The porn industry and the new iPhone 4. Sad.
- First this. Then this. I swear it wasn't like that when I went to UGA.
- I knew I wasn't alone in this whole social networking thing.
- Interesting read about the Iranian Stoning Case.
- "Negotiated Infidelity is a Crock". Bryan Allain knocks this one out of the park.
- An orchestra that generates music from its members' heartbeats -- now that's cool!
- Watch this: Seth Godin & Tom Peters on blogging.
- So, maybe my mom was correct after all. Don Miller is saying the same thing.
- 60 ways to increase your influence online. Enjoyed reading this.

I hope that you, like me, were encouraged/challenged by each of these!

Thoughts?

Dustin

Any that I missed?