Ryan Weaver

storyteller//gospelplanter

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.: triple-fire-thing…

September 26, 2013 by Ryan Weaver Leave a Comment

Weaver Boys create adventurous playgrounds wherever we find ourselves in #DowntownSBY… even on “triple-fire-things”!

Someday we hope to have an amazing park for even more creative adventures in Downtown Salisbury.

In fact, this is exactly the sort of development that makes any urban context more liveable, walkable, and attractive. Parks, designed play space, and cultivated green space in urban settings are vital to healthy neighborhoods… and healthy families.

In the meantime… here’s to “triple-fire-things”!

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Filed Under: #SBY, Family Tagged With: #DowntownSBY, #DowntownSBYpark, #SBY, #triplefirething, Family

#SYATP

September 25, 2013 by Ryan Weaver Leave a Comment

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Ryland, Rance, Amanda and I gathered in Downtown Salisbury this morning to pray at the flag pole by the obelisk. See You at The Pole is a global prayer initiative where students gather to pray for their school, their city, and healing for the nation.

Rance and Ryland both prayed at their first SYATP… and then we ate donuts!

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Filed Under: #SBY, Family Tagged With: #SBY, Family

.: Decades…

September 22, 2013 by Ryan Weaver Leave a Comment

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Ten years ago, today…

I began my commute from Honey Grove, Texas to my classes on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a family heirloom… and a plan. As I drove, I made one phone call to my dad and unveiled the details of my plan for the first time aloud. Dad gave me some advice (which I’m sure was sage wisdom at its’ finest) but I only remember the reality of my plan becoming more heavy… and exciting.

I paused briefly at Troy Vinson Jewelers in Ft. Worth to leave the heirloom for cleaning, appraisal, and re-sizing. The master jeweler and I talked about Paris Junior College, where I finished some of my undergrad classes and he had completed horology school. I nodded while he told a few stories. He didn’t smile a lot. I couldn’t stop smiling.

I parked in a lot on the south side of the seminary and began walking to my first class. I remember being thankful that I didn’t have to lock the heirloom in the truck… or (even more unthinkable) carry it with me into class. I don’t remember anything about the lecture and discussion that day… but I do remember everything about the clock on the wall between the two east-facing windows. And the hands that moved so slowly.

I left Southwestern’s campus as soon as possible and drove to pick up the heirloom from Todd the master jeweler. When he opened the black jewelry box… I almost wept. Then I paid him whatever he wanted to let me legally leave his store with the solitaire diamond ring.

I numbly drove around Ft. Worth for an eternity… until I saw a flower shop. Girls like flowers. I remember thinking that. Mothers of girls who like flowers also like flowers. I remember thinking that as well. I bought some flowers for both girls. Then I called my dad again (text messaging was a tool for the affluent in the year 2003) and we talked some more as I drove to Terrell, Texas.

I knew that the ring had to be hidden somewhere on me so I could produce it at just the right moment. I remember thinking that this must be the reason for that tiny pocket on my Levi’s. Miraculously, the dazzling ring fit into the tiny pocket. I delivered the flowers and listened to some things that I don’t remember… but I knew that I couldn’t say much because every word in my vocabulary seemed to be conspicuously connected and inextricably linked (through a trickery-web of rhyming) to the words “marry me”.

I asked Amanda Dawn Wilson to be my wife on the tailgate of a forest green 1996 Ford Ranger pickup truck. She said yes. Through our decade of adventuring together, I have never stopped thanking her for saying yes.

This date is a natural moment for us to pause press and remember together. For a decade, we have called September the 22nd our “engagiversary”. Many more decades await…

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Filed Under: Family, Storytelling Tagged With: Family, Storytelling

.: Baptizing my son…

August 20, 2013 by Ryan Weaver 3 Comments

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On October the 21st of last year, my son was struggling with sleep. Amanda and I had noticed that he was working through some heavy doubts and fears, and we were waiting for the right moment for him to invite us into those struggles with him. We were praying… and we sensed that the Lord was prompting us be patient with Ryland and wait for him. After 11pm that evening, when he walked into the living room, we were as ready as we could be to continue loving Hm toward Jesus the King.

Ryland expressed doubts that God has really created him to be special. We listened and assured him that he is special and that God has a mission to bring redemption to everyone, everywhere (and that includes him).

Ryland expressed that he was having a tough time knowing God’s Voice. We listened and helped him work through some specific examples of this… some were obvious lies he was believing, others were obvious thoughts of God, and others were somewhere in that difficult territory of the unknown (and we encouraged him to keep listening and praying).

Ryland expressed that he didn’t know if he had what it took to follow Jesus. We listened and shared that he would struggle with this the rest of his life (and that’s part of what makes the adventure with Jesus so exciting and challenging).

Ryland expressed that following Jesus would be difficult and that he was wondering whether we believed he could trust God’s goodness. We listened and celebrated with him in this vital stage of his story where trusting God’s goodness was being questioned (and we reminded him that God has provided His Spirit to urge him to trust Jesus with each step of his journey).

There was a definite sense of the presence of God as Ryland considered all of these things. And then he said that he wanted Jesus to be his King. Amanda and I held our emotions in check (and avoided eye contact with one another to aid in the effort) and then we asked Ryland if he would like to pray…

These are the words (verbatim) that my son prayed at 12:08am on October the 22nd::

“Jesus:: You are my King. Jesus, can you speak to me? And you can control me anytime, anywhere. Amen.”

Ryland decided the next day that he wanted to be baptized in the same way that he had seen dozens of others at Remedy Church. And on Sunday, December the 30th of 2012, our eldest son stood before a gathering of people in Downtown Salisbury and shared his story about trusting God and following Jesus with these words::

“Jesus came to mend my heart, and to mend His broken world. And Jesus is my King.”

and then my son, Ryland Von Weaver, was baptized.

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Filed Under: Family, Gospelplanting, Mission, Storytelling Tagged With: Family, Gospelplanting, Mission, Storytelling

.: Going Pro…

July 25, 2013 by Ryan Weaver Leave a Comment

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Occasionally, a phenomenal tool comes along that truly takes storytelling to the next level.

We purchased a GoPro Hero 2 video camera bundle last week and I have been amazed with this durable little sucker. In the photo above, Rance D is modeling the camera on one of our recent family adventures. This camera is well-worth the purchase price… but that’s not news to those of you who have already moved into the realm of the GoPro Camera tribe.

We should have a few epic family videos to share in the days ahead. This makes me glad.

Storytelling. I love it.

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Filed Under: Family, Storytelling, Tools Tagged With: Family, Storytelling

.: Thousand-Dollar Beard…

July 8, 2013 by Ryan Weaver 3 Comments

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My friend, Chris Marlow from Help One Now, was in Salisbury this weekend with his family to share the mission of Help One Now with Remedy Church. Chris decided to open his talk with a joke.

Jokes are good. I get jokes. But this joke involved my beard.

In fact, Chris joked that I had previously committed to cut my beard if someone would donate one thousand dollars to engage extreme poverty and the global orphan crisis during the service. The gesture was warmly received… the “ice” was broken and laughter was shared by all (less by me, but that’s okay).

When I followed Chris on stage to give a final challenge and provide transition toward our communion gatherings… I mentioned that if it took me growing (or even cutting my beard) to encourage our church to further engage the global orphan crisis then my beard was totally for sale.

I should have known better than to give such a challenge to this church full of generous and messy followers of Christ. The donation was given anonymously before we even sang the final song. When the news was broken to my sons, they had the following reactions:: Ryland was angry with me and Rance wept openly.

Ahhhhhhh yes. (sigh)
Teachable parenting moments.

My beloved beard will now be cut on Sunday, the 14th of July.

And I am now the proud grower of a One Thousand Dollar Beard.

You can listen to the podcast here::

(PS:: expect quite a few photos online this week as I say goodbye to my beard… which hasn’t been groomed since January of 2012.)

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Filed Under: Beardness, Family, Gospelplanting, Storytelling Tagged With: Beardness, Family, Gospelplanting, Storytelling

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