Ryland and Daddy Playin’ in the Boxes

Packing up your “home” is crazy business… It seems that with every item you place in a box you are destroying the life you have built and the memories created within the boundaries of your home. But as I have gone through the process of grieving the loss of what most would label as “home” I have found in the attitude of my son the reminder I needed.

All he needs is be with Ryan and I. He knows that with us he is safe, provided for, and loved…at home. He has no idea that he is now 1089 miles from the place that was his home for the 5 1/2 months of his life. It simply doesn’t matter to him. The boxes don’t matter to him. The fact that all his toys are on a Semi-Truck somewhere far away does not matter to him. We are his home.

My home is the arms of my husband, the trusting gaze of my son, and the everlasting love of my Father. I am home! Here in the Comfort Inn of Stauton Virginia where my husband is sawing logs next to me, my son is softly sighing, and my Father is in control…I am home.

NOW FOR THE JOURNEY…RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS

Watchin’ the Movers Load Our Stuff

The movers arrived at the Oak Street Weaver Casa at about 12:30 pm on Monday(1/8/07).  The guys from Condor Moving Co. came in and swiftly and methodically dismatled, padded, inventoried, and packed all of our wordly possessions in a matter of 7 hours. Ryan, Ryland, and I watched in amazment as these men put our lives in a truck. We are very easily entertained. However Ryland got a little tired of it. So I took him outside to play…his first time in the grass, and probably the last till spring.  

Playin’ in the Grass (1/8/07)

The movers finally drove off about 8:30 pm from Boyd’s Parking lot. The truck containing all our stuff as well as Ryan’s office items left for Arlington TX(which did not leave for MD until 10:00 am on 1/10…2 days later). Since it was a such a late hour we decided to crash at Lolly and Pops (Kevin and Chris Weaver…Ryan’s Parents) house in Honey Grove instead of beginning our trip east as we had planned.

Day One, January 9th, Memphis or Bust

We left Honey Grove at the wonderful time of 3:53am. Ryland was sleeping soundly in his carrier until our first stop somewhere in Arkasas. At which time he proceeded to hate his car seat which you can tell by the look on his face in the picture above. The boy likes to move around and play, and the straps and seat were bogarting his space.  He relaxed a little later and accepted his seated status. He’s a great kid. Meanwhile we made great time to Memphis arriving somewhere between 12 and 1pm. Memphis was our goal, and in Memphis we stopped. We were worn out from the last couple of weeks of packing from 10pm-2am (it was so much easier to get stuff done when Rylz was asleep). So we called it a day, had lunch, took a nap, ate dinner, and went to bed.

Day Two, January 10th, We’ll not Rest till Roanoke

This morning we left our hotel around 10:00am (approximately the same time our stuff left Arlington TX) with the goal of reaching Roanoke Virginia before we stopped for the night. We had about 700 miles to travel to reach Roanoke. We hit the road after eating a hearty continental breakfast and cleaning up after my son, who figured out how to push mommy’s plate onto the floor.

Ryland also figured out how that sleeping was the best way to endure the oppression of the car seat, and Ryan figured out how to score himself a police escort  from Memphis to Nashville.

Here’s the story…   
Shortly after leaving Memphis we were traveling through Brownsville when we saw a police car in the mirrors…yes Ryan was speeding a little. So we began saying the desperate prayers of those caught in their sin. When surpisingly the cop moves to the  right lane speeds up and proceeds to accelerate and then move back to the left lane.  At that time we were breathing sighs of relief, when we see a strange car with a huge Red Bull can on top of it. The car was on our butts, and Ryan couldn’t figure out what their deal was.  So we sped up, passed the truck that was to our right and got over so they could pass. That was when I saw the light bulb go in Ryan’s head.  Red Bull, as we would later call them, and West Memphis (a company truck from West Memphis Arkansas) were speeding up to use the cop as a ticket to drive at excessive speeds. Ryan joined the train…as a result we made a three our trip form Memphis to Nashville in approximately an hour and a half (it would have been faster, but as soon as the cop exited we ran into stand still traffic). That was thrilling and of course a little scary. Definatly a highlight of the day.

“Red Bull, It Gives You Wings”  Here Are Our Brave Friends

After Nashville, I took over for my portion of the driving duties. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as Ryan’s leg, but I did get to see some dustings of snow and the views that are created by the Smokey Mountains. Tennessee is an unecissarily long state. Although it is very beautiful. When your driving through you just can’t wait for it to end. Ryan and I have decided that when we drive back to see family we will choose a different route and avoid TN altogether. After about 5 hours of driving from Nashiville to Knoxville and beyond we finally crossed the state line into Bristol, Virginia.

Ryan took over driving duties after a brief pee break and proceeded to drive us to Roanoke which was another 137 miles. It was dark by this time and we were a little delerious but still of sound mind…if the two can coexist, when we finally arrived in Roanoke. We were planning to stay at the Holiday Inn so we could rack up some sweet action Priority Club Points.  In route we were slightly distracted by “The Bell” where we purchases some burritos and tacos. This distraction apparently caused Ryan to lose his sense of direction. As we were heading towards the Holiday Inn Ryan missed the turn and ended up back on the highway( if you read Ryan’s blog he says it just didn’t look good enough, but this is the truth…to his credit though, it really didn’t look very nice). We ended up driving another 100 miles( our mantra ===no back tracking, and no going of the highway…stay the course).

So here we are at the Comfort Inn of Stauton Virginia less than three 327 miles (4 hours) away from the new Weaver Casa in Delmar, MD. We will be in our new home tomorrow…waiting on our stuff to arrive.

…thanks to all of you who have prayed for us…we love you…

OUR GOD IS GOOD…HE BLESSES US BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS WHEN WE TRUST IN HIS PLAN. WE WEAVER’S ARE LIVING TESTIMONY OF WHAT GOD DOES WHEN WE ARE OBEDIENT. WE CAN NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR THE WAY HE HAS WORKED OUT EVERY DETAIL OF OUR JOURNEY TO MD. MAY WE LIVE WORTHY OF HIS CALLING.

Manda

As I have been considering the past and present situation(s) I can’t help but think of all those whom I love and have loved here in the Texoma Area, in California, and other various places of the world. There are so many family members, friends, and students who have impacted my life and who hold special place in my heart. …I Love Them! I Love You (you know who you are)!

But what overwhelms me is that I have the capacity for more. I in myself have not the energy or imagination to love even 4 or 5 people…But there is an amazing miracle that happens when you look through Christ’s eyes. His love is boundless. He has placed within us all the desire and ability to love others. But it remains a mystery to me how and why this is even possible for me personally.

I am saddened at the thought of leaving my chitlens from BBSM. I love them each for their unique personalities and dreams. I will not stop loving them. *Here is where it gets complicated.* I am now (with Ryan and Ryland) entering a new state, a new church, and a new student ministry. With this new relationships will come. Some have already begun.  I will/do love these people from Maryland, and  AMBC. I will not replace or exchange these relationships. They each have a place in my heart and life. How and why there is room I can’t explain, but it is true.

I am so thankful that our God has created this miracle of loving the masses within us. Replacement love would be so terrible. 

God is Love! This is TRUTH. And as is true of many truths it is a mystery and a miracle…because our God is infinate.

Just a quick update…

Ryan and I have been in conversation with a church in MD for the past 3 months or so. At first we thought it was just a joke. Then as we started to pray, God began to place a burden on our hearts for the students and the people of Salisbury MD.  As much as we fought it, as much as we contemplated running, we can not escape God’s calling (nor do we want to).

So we go.

Our last Sunday at Boyd Baptist will be January 7th. The movers will come and pack us up on January 8th. We should arrive the 10th or 11th. Ryan’s first Sunday as the Youth Pastor at Allen Memorial Baptist Church (check it out at impactingeternity.org) will be January 14th.

Please pray that we remain steadfast as God takes care of our remaining concerns in this move (i.e. selling our home in Bonham, the Students of Boyd, our family we’re leaving….)

Press On!!!

In Christ’s Abundant Love and Grace,

Amanda Dawn Weaver

P.S. If you would like our new mailing address please message me, and I will forward the info to you.

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
Im a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

After much demand and curiosity here are the details of Ryland’s Birth.

Ryland was due on August 16th, but I knew that our wonderful Dr. was wrong.  According to my confident calculations, Ryland was due on August 4th. As most pregnant women are at the end of pregnancy, I was ready to hold my child in my arms. Sooooo, Ryan and I spent some time back tracking, and presented Dr. Thornton with some dates that proved to him that my calculations were more than likely correct.  Having convinced him, he scheduled an inducement date for July 30/31st. He did this because of the one scare we had with Ryland’s heart rate dropping during my almost constant Braxton Hicks Contractions.  We were on twice a week fetal heart rate monitoring to make sure this wasn’t continuing to happen, and it didn’t happen again.

Ryan and I prepared our family to come to the hospital for Ryland’s birth on Monday July 31st for Ryland’s Birthday, but God had other plans…

On Tuesday evening (7/18) I think my water started to leak. Wednesday I began to question myself on that, but we had a Doctors Appointment the next morning so I thought I would just have the Dr. test for amniotic fluid then. Well when we did the test (7/20) it was positive for amniotic fluid.  Dr. Thornton told us we had one hour (12:00 pm) to be checked in to Labor and Delivery.

We rushed home to grab Ryan’s phone charger (everything else had been packed in the Endeavor for 3 months—Yes, were organizational freaks), ate lunch, called family, and checked in to L&D @ 1:15. They began giving me Pitocin to start my Labor immediately. At about 6:00 they checked me, and I was still at the “2″ I had started at.  They checked me again about 10:00 pm and found the same thing, but they stopped the Pitocin because I was having increasing contractions on my own.  I got my Epidural at about 11:00 pm (I loved the drugs!).

Ryan and I were left on our own (as much as you can be with nurses coming in every hour for this and that) to get some rest and just be us for a little while. — My husband was absolutely amazing through this whole process, and continues to be.  I am extremely blessed!—  The nurses came back in to start me back on the Pitocin at 5:00 am (7/21), because I was still at a “2″ despite the increasing contractions. When the Pit Drip started Ryland’s heart rate immediately dropped so they put me on oxygen and took me of the drip.  It took about three minutes to get Ryland’s heart rate back to normal, but it felt like forever.  The nurses consulted with Dr. Thornton and he decided that for the safety of Ryland we needed to do a C-Section.  I was placed behind another woman who had a scheduled C-Section, but they immediately began prepping Ryan and I for the delivery.  The next hour was very exciting and nerve racking.  I had always thought that I would end up having my children C-Section, because my mother had the same issues. I really didn’t mind the thought of having Ryland C-Section.  They took me into the OR and prepped me and opened me up while Ryan got dressed.  Ryan came in, and in a matter of moments we heard the incredible sounds of our son’s first cries.  It was the most beautiful music I have ever heard.  Ryland went with his Daddy to get checked out.  Ryan gave me a few updates, but in his amazement was barely able to speak (something that had never happened to my husband before). I really only think he told me that he was pink.  I also remember him saying “Hey buddy, I love you.” in the most sweet Daddy voice ever. At this point I still had not seen my son because of the screen they had put up.  Finally, Ryan brought him over to me. He was so handsome! When Ryan placed him in my arms I said “Ryland, I love you” and as soon as I said that his left eye popped open and my heart melted.  He knew me. He was mine, and I determined, at that moment, that he would always know that he is loved, safe, and free to become the man God desires him to be.

And the Adventure Began!
Ryland was born Friday, July 21, 2006, at 10:05 am.

He was 6 pounds 12 ounces and 19 inches long.

I am Ryland Von Weaver’s mother! I can’t explain the immeasurable pleasure my heart fills with when I look at his precious face, hold his tiny hand, or just think about his existence. I LOVE RYLAND WITH ALL OF MY HEART! 

Rylands journey to us was long and a bit ruff, but most of all it was miraculous. The gift of life is amazingly humbling and causes my heart to bow in worship of The Creator.  That He has seen fit to entrust the life of Ryland to Ryan and I is beyond a blessing. 

I have been dreaming of holding my child in my arms since I was a tiny little girl. I have always known that God placed me on this earth to be a wife and a mother, but I am overwhelmed at the way God is fulfilling his plan for my life. I have been given the most amazingly compassionate, self- sacrificing husband and father for my children, and a son who is filled with promise. I am determined to raise all of my children in a manor that honors and glorifies my Savior.  I will teach Ryland (and his future siblings) about the One who loves him perfectly. Ryan and I will teach him to live a life that is consistent, and passionate in all that he pursues. I will encourage Ryland to unleash his wild at heart nature, and follow his father in the adventures of becoming a man after God’s own heart.

The family is the most amazing picture of God’s love for the human soul, and I am a part of just one of those pictures. I am astounded at the beauty that He has created in this Weaver Party of Three. I am convinced that He is pleased with the lives that Ryan and I have chosen to live thus far. Though we are no where near perfect the reward for the choices that Ryan and I made throughout or teenage and young adult years far outweighs the sacrifices and suffering that those choices caused. So as I conclude let me encourage you to do the following:

Remain Pure (Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually) Until You are Married and Throughout Your Marriage.

Remain Obedient to God’s Will for Your Life Especially When You Don’t Understand.

Remain in Prayer for Your Future or Present Mate and Family.
Press On!!!
In Christs Abundant Love and Grace,
Amanda 

Since I have begun the conversion process from the blogging world of MySpace to the wonder of WordPress (yes it’s a process… because conversion is not a single, suspended moment in time… but a journey of Truth and growth and faith…) I have been enjoying my efforts to provide my readership (that’s you Landon… hhahahahaa) with a well-rounded list of blog and web links.

Here is a short description of each link and why they made the cut:

.: Henry Blackaby… check Blackaby’s site out for a daily reading from the greatest devo journal of all time… Experiencing God: Day By Day. You can also catch updates on Blackaby’s ministry (and his health).

.: The Blogging Irishman… my good friend Michael McMinn expounds upon his family, his spiritual journey, and his life as an Irishman serving the Lord in the McMinnistry.

.: Boondock Apostates… ah how does one describe the joy of observing a prized “pupil” (ministerially speaking) grow into his spirituality? Pure joy. Check out my boy Landon’s blog that is full of more McLaren-induced-heresy than he will ever be able to admit or recount.

.: Church Marketing Sucks… these guys desire to “frustrate, educate, and motivate the Church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the Truth of Jesus Christ.” Great website… and an awesome vision.

.: Donald Miller Words… the author of “Blue Like Jazz” offers some of his most recent thoughts on the blog on his homepage… and an online store to boot.

.: The Resurgence… is an online blogging community that includes Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, and others. Great place to discover some discussion-starters and idea-starters and theology-debate-starters.

.: Web Ministry… a link that has many amazing ideas concerning web ministry for those pastoral types with a propensity for non-computer-lific skills. Matt Carlisle has created this site to help people find easy access to some web solutions. Good info.

I will be adding to these links in the future and will give some thoughts highlighting the reasons for the adds as they are… umm… added. If you have any thoughts concerning links/blogs/stuff that is included or not-so-included in our links… please let us know.

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

I just downloaded all of Donald Miller’s lectures from his audio store.

Expect some blogged thoughts on his words in these lectures in the near future.  

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

A week has passed since I completed my first-run at the Theological Worldview Quiz.  And it seems that through the experiences of the last week… I have become SEVEN PERCENT MORE EMERGENT. This confirms that I must find, unpack, and re-read McLaren’s heresy-filled (joke… a tiny bit) Emergent documentary.

The most shocking of the revalations that stands out to me in the results from my first quiz-take to my second… is the difference in the percentages between my top-rated and second-rated Theological Worldview. I went from a 7% separation to a 28% separation (both were rated as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan).

Another note that I found slightly more than a little intriguing… the hit that my Fundamentalist view took as it dropped from 61% to 50%. I understand that this quiz is not designed to test political views (and I typically prefer to avoid such emotionally-charged political banter)… but I wonder (in jest) if the Right Coast is pushing me more to the LEFT?

I will waste my time again in the next week to make one last attempt at this quiz… because solid analysis is more accurate in threes. Have fun analyzing my results and poking holes in my conservatively-emergent-and-jacked-up-yet-still-seeking-study-of-The-One-Holy-God… UNTIL THEN…