Ryan Weaver

storyteller//gospelplanter

.: Hold Fast…

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A story aired in North Texas last week about my Pops as his battle (since 2008) against multiple myeloma continues. His motto has been “Hold Fast” through this journey.

My Dad, Kevin Weaver, has been working as often as possible through the stem cell transplant (his second) in the last 18 months and the on-going treatment. He is the principal at WhiteWright High School, and it is such an encouragement to see the WhiteWright community embracing my Dad’s story in this way.

I have written about my Dad in the past, and pedaled my first SeaGull Century in 2013 in his honor.

#HoldFast

.: Cardboard and Ashes…

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Today is the final Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

Lent is a season of giving up something(s) in our lives that we normally enjoy to allow for a deeper focus on what Jesus the King has done for us. Lent is a traditional 46 day fast, which includes 40 days of fasting (Mondays-Saturdays) and a weekly day of communal celebration (Sundays)… and culminates on Resurrection Sunday (or Easter).

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Last year, I wrote about my family’s annual Lent rhythm, gave a bit of further insight on Lent, and provided some helpful resources that many in our community at Remedy Church have discovered during this season of fasting and feasting.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that creates an intentional void within our lives. This void reminds us to be filled with deeper devotion to Jesus the Christ.

While we were in Haiti last month, we visited a sustainable artisans’ guild called the Apparent Project which works to preserve Haitian families and prevent children from being orphaned by empowering artisans to care for their families’ with dignity and hope.

The artisans at the Apparent Project create amazing art from discarded materials like oil drums, trash paper, and cardboard cereal and cracker boxes.

After only a few moments watching one of the artisans create a jewelry bead from a triangle strip of cardboard on a stick and a small tube of glue, Rance sat down and began creating. He didn’t even hesitate long enough to ask permission or pause to consider the probability of failure.

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There was such focus in his face and determination in his hands. We all stopped moving and watched. We stopped our activity to observe his activity. We smiled and paused as this ever-moving and ever-exploring jitterbug of a boy sat on the edge of a Haitian concrete wall, slowed his breathing, and moved his fingers over the reclaimed strip of cardboard with skill.

He was inspired and he moved to act on that inspiration.

And that’s exactly what Lent is all about.

Faith. Forgiveness.
Remembrance. Inspiration.
Hope. Healing. Emptyhandedness.

We determine to act on the inspiration.

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This year, the elders at Remedy have decided to host two Ash Wednesday gatherings for reflection, worship, and prayer. You are invited to begin your Lent rhythm in community with us on the third floor of the City Center at 6am or 6pm this week.

Regardless, of your Lent rhythm, please remember that we are called out of our isolation and into community during this season of remembering and forsaking.

Join.
Love and be loved.
Act on the inspiration with others.

.: One Story by Ryland…

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Fatherhood is the best. Seriously. The best.

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I love being the father of Ryland Von Weaver and Rance D Weaver.

Fathering (for me) is about raising and sending my children. This is the pain and the joy of fathering. My sons are not mine to keep. And while they are young, it is my responsibility to raise them well… which includes challenging their accepted worldview and encouraging them to test their perceived limits.

On our return journey from Haiti last month, I began looking over my journaling notes and preparing my thoughts to share the story with Remedy Church on the following Sunday morning. I wasn’t planning any huge talk, but the Elders at Remedy had asked Amanda and I to share for a few moments about the trip. I was simply narrowing the scope of what I wanted to share so I could allow Amanda to “freestyle” quite a bit since this was technically a MandaWeaver Photography trip.

As I was organizing my thoughts, Ryland interrupted with a bit of shocking news:: he wanted to share his story of our trip.

On the previous Sunday at Eglise Baptiste Compasion de Christ, Pastor St Cyr had asked our whole family to join him on stage so he could introduce us and say a few words. Before we exited the stage, Ryland asked for the microphone so he could read a few words to the gathered congregation that he had written.

Ryland had pressed into his perceived limits and had done amazingly well.

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And now Ryland wanted to carry that same message to our local church in Salisbury.

Have I mentioned that I love fathering?

On Sunday, February 1st, Ryland stepped onto the stage at Remedy Church and shared his perspective on our first family journey together in Haiti. Amanda and Rance filmed, and I fired the slides for Ryland as he shared.

Ryland Von is quite the 8-year old storyteller.

Enjoy…

(You can also see Amanda’s photos from Junior & Dominique’s Wedding on her photography website…)

.: photogs & fé disíp…

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Our first full day in Haiti as a family contained much photography, laughter, climbing, and teaching at Eglise de Compassion with Junior St Cyr. There were 17 students at the photography seminar… 13 students at the narrative discipleship seminar… and 2 Weaver boys who were involved with each part of the adventure.

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.: able…

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It’s 5am in Maryland right now.

I’m waiting on the sun to rise.

I believe that every sunrise, every sunset, every breath, every heartbeat, every moment is an invitation to live my life completely engaged.

I can’t sleep. Haven’t slept much over the past week. I talked a bit about all this with a touch of vulnerability this past Sunday in my sermon at Remedy. But I realize this early morning how inadequate my vulnerability truly was. My messy church deserved a bit more from me.

We celebrate the holiness of vulnerability at Remedy Church.

But the holiness of vulnerability will not extend beyond the level of its own leadership… the elders and deacons and covenant partners.

My dad began the most difficult leg of his 6-year marathon against multiple myeloma this last week. Right now there are cocktails of poison being pumped into his veins through needles. There will be more this week.

I’ve been up since 3:20am with my dad on my mind, with hope in my heart, with words in my head that needed to be written and journaled and blogged and dropped into the keynote for this next Sunday at Remedy.

I just had a minor surgery on my back yesterday… on Amanda’s birthday (#sheesh). My back has progressively gotten worse over the past couple of years. My doctor wanted to have my L-5 injected with a cortisone cocktail to ease the pain on the jacked-up disk and broken vertebrae.

The simple irony was not lost on me::
1600 miles from here
my dad also had needles in his body
and cocktails flowing into his veins.

I’ve been listening to an older NEEDTOBREATHE album (the Reckoning) this morning. There’s a song called “Able” that has been an encouragement to me recently, and especially this morning. The whole album is excellent, but that song is particularly moving. There’s a guy who made a music video of “Able” which captures the essence of the lyrics… and reminds me of the many adventures I’ve lived with my dad… and the many adventures my sons have lived with my dad… and the many which are yet to be lived.

I’ve talked about vulnerability before in this forum.

Vulnerability is not over-sharing or sarcastic self-posturing or attention-seeking by shock-statements or emotionally-vomiting on everyone who has the misfortune of being within our verbal “splash zone”.

This has been a tough sequence of days for me.
Not the toughest… but tough nonetheless.

I’m not able to write the ending to this story.

I’m not able on my own…
nor do I worship a God who would grant such a selfish request.

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