There was a classic movie on the tube today that provided some excellent father-son bonding for Rylz and I… “Jeremiah Johnson”.

It’s a classic flick that celebrates the wild-ness of men… and plays on the desperation for adventure and exploration and freedom that has been implanted in the heart of all humanity. This appeal is thick throughout the script… even up to the last line… which served as the inspiration for the title of this blog.

In the midst of an abnormally busy Saturday (which provided an opportunity for me to catch my first Lacrosse game as I watched one of my students named Ragan Ringer run around with her field hockey stick named “Wilma”…) I was flipping through the dish channels, seeking a soundtrack for some wrestle-time with Rylz (while Amanda was catching her first muscial on the Eastern Shore that featured another of our students… Mitchell Melton as Nibs in Peter Pan… and then practicing with the AMBC Drama Team for a skit that they are performing tomorrow).

Flipping through the Backyardigans’ and Veggie Tales’ and Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s and the myriad of solid NCAA hoops action… I was caught off guard by seeing “Jeremiah Johnson” as an optoin to add to the list. My mind spun back to memories of watching Robert Redford fight to survive the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains with my Pops (on repeated occasions) as we wrestled on the floor and dreamed of adventures like Jeremiah’s.

So I stopped on the channel… and re-lived the same interaction with my son.

Chico and I watched every moment of Jeremiah’s epic struggle together… and we wrestled… and we laughed… and we talked about the unknown journeys that he and I will take together… and we dreamed about the unexpected adventures that Abba Father will unveil…
                         …after Chico learns to walk.

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Assateague Island is a new adventure spot for the Weaver Fam. We took our first excursion with the Thompsons last Thursday. The island promises to be a place where many adventures will be found and created. Ryan can’t wait to let the air out of the Jeep’s tires and head out onto the beach… many reckless moments will be encountered by Ryan and Ryland at Assateauge Island. They will undoubtedly be accompanied by moments of tongue biting for me (Sometimes I won’t be able to stop my mother’s heart from holding back the wild men in my life, but I try to understand and encourage the wild hearts God placed in Ryan and Ryland).

This barrier island that spans from southern Maryland to northern Virginia (called Chincoteague on the VA part) is confusingly beautiful. The terrain has aspects of woodlands complete with feral horses (not wild horses cause they were brought from Europe and are descendants of domesticated horses), yet looks like a desert in places, contains fine white sandy dunes and beaches, and has swamp like areas. I found myself grasping to understand its beauty based upon other places I’d been. I tried unsuccessfully to place it in a neat little category of like places I’d seen before. But there was no such category. 

Sometimes I face this same dilemma when God allows me to see glimpses of His overwhelming beauty. I try to relate it to previous experiences or reduce it down to something I understand. But you can’t reduce the captivating beauty of Christ. You can only relinquish your self-centered perspective and revel in the Holy.  We must experience and stop trying to understand. Abba will provide the wisdom and discernment through our relating to Him.

I am longing for our next adventure at Assateague… there is so much to explore and experience. Here are a few kisses of beauty I captured. May you all enjoy God’s creation as I have.

8 down 4 to go till chico reaches the big uno!

Ryland has become very mobile within the last few days. He began crawling officially on 3/17/07. He goes back and forth across the living room within moments. He’s got Ryan and I jumpin’ around moving things out of reach. A few of his favorite no-no items include an acoustic guitar, Ryan’s cell phone, my laptop, the TV controller, and anything resembling a string or a chord. Ryland does respond to “No”, but he forgets quickly what he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Which is to be expected at this stage in his journey.

Chico also started pulling up and doing some cruising on 3/20/07.  Rylz is also climbing up on the couch, and on Ryan and I whenever he has the chance. This, of course, has made life so much fun, and little nerve racking at times. Our son is so close to toddling around… I feel like my baby is no longer a baby. I know I have got a long way to go, and I cherish each moment of his adventure, but those calm cuddly moments are greatly missed.

We have finally found a Pediatrician for Ryland after a very frustrating search. Ryland’s first appointment with Dr. Cooper was on 3/19. He is a woderful Doctor. He engaged and interacted with Ryland with great compassion and understanding. We are very pleased with his knowledge and delivery of information to us. Though we are saddened to have left Dr. Kalil, God has guided us to a man who will care for our son just a well.

At the visit Ryland got his third round of shots. His wieght was 20 lbs & 11 oz (he is in the 70th percentile… meaning he wieghs more the 7 out of 10 kids his age). His hieght is 28 3/4 inches (this puts him in the 90th percentile… taller than 9 out of 10 kids his age). Dr. Cooper described him as “tall and skinny, but strong as an ox”. He also discovered that Rylands front/bottom/left tooth is ready and will break through in a couple of weeks. We are definately seeing the effects of teething. Ryland has been waking up around midnight wanting a bottle and his dose of tylenol. Hopefully we’ll see that pearly white  very soon.

Thanks to all of you have been praying for Ryland as he crawls, cruises, and climbs through these exciting days of his adventure.

Many of you have the priviledge of knowing Jeffrey D. Woodard. The following is an excerpt from an email that I received from him this week. Jeffrey has been an adopted brother, close friend, and cherished mentor in my journey with Christ for many years now. In sharing this small portion of our email correspondence, I pray that Jeffrey’s prayer in these words will impact your heart as much as they have impacted mine.

Read in reverent peace.
Enjoy the humble reflection upon His Grace.
Worship the One Risen King as you pray the Truth in these words.
May our hearts connect “across the skies” in the resonance of the Lord’s redemptive movement among the nations.

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

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“Dare I correspond across the skies without giving acknowledgement of their owner?  I think not!  Permit me a closing thought as I recount the richness and the depth and the completeness of God’s grace.  Whether walking far or near, His love is ever before me.  He and His Love are all around.  Whether sharing in the fellowship of His suffering or feasting on the finery of the flesh, my heart is aware and in need of Him.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forevermore.  I am frequently overwhelmed with the tsunamis of His love and limitless loving kindnesses.  At times I am on the frontline of the battle wielding the Sword of Life and others, bottling up tears of brokenness.  In the midst of my sin, sorrow, supplication and surrender, I completely resign that He is loving me.  My soul in His sway is framed about in wholeness and completeness.  ‘Where shall I go but to the Lord?’  Who has ever heard of such Healing Oil, Refiner’s Fire, or Eternal Fatherhood except in Christ Jesus?  I know of NO such love, nor do I know of a more worthy Battle Cry than to take up my cross and follow Him.  May He, The Mace of Majesty and the Plurality of Peace guide your spirit and your faith into an encounter with His Love Altar.  May that Encounter change what you know and believe about Him.”

.: Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller :.

Truthfully… I had no stinkin’ clue what I was getting myself into when I picked this book up two weeks ago. The cover said that the author’s name was “Donald Miller”… and that was enough for me to pick it up… buy it… and read it. The journey that followed (from Houston through Oklahoma City to the Grand Canyon to California and finally to Oregon)  in a 1971 VW Hippie Van was one that revived my passion to experience some of the amazing sights that the United States of America has to offer.

Amanda and I have been re-inspired to speak some of our previously unspoken (or unfortunately underspoken) goals and plans to backpack, climb, scuba dive, explore, drive, swim, camp, surf, and travel all over this great country. I am sure that our adventures (and plans for adventure) will be well-chronicled over the next few weeks and years. Until those “Weaver adventure chronicles” start crankin’… pick up Donald’s journey… a re-write of his very first novel… and enjoy…

+ Weaver’s favorite “Through Painted Deserts” quotes:

     -”I could not have known than that everybody, every person, has to leave, has to change like seasons; they have to or they die. The seasons remind me that I must keep changing, and I want to change because it is God’s way. All my life I have been changing… Everybody has to change or they expire. Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons.” (p.X from the Author’s Note)

     -”I went to Walden Pond a year ago, just to see and feel the place, just to walk alone around the water, and they’ve made a suburb out of it. It hurts to hear the traffic rolling through the trees. People commute from the land of Thoreau’s solitude to Boston, to work at banks, to work at law firms. And I wonder if Walden exists anymore. I am not talking about the real Walden, the one in Boston; I am talking about the earth God meant to speak before we finished his sentence.” (p.4)

     -”Trouble leads to question and question leads to prayer.” (p.70)

     -”We drive around in a trance, salivating for Starbucks while that great heaven sits above us, and that beautiful sunrise is happening in the desert, and all those mountains out West are collecting snow on the limbs of their pines, and all those leaves are changing colors out East. God, it is so beautiful, it is so quiet, it is so perfect.” (p.76)

     -”It confuses me that Christian living is not simpler. The gospel, the very good news, is simple, but this is the gate, the trailhead. Ironing out faithless creases is toilsome labor. God bestows three blessings on man: to feed him like birds, dress him like flowers, and befirend him as a confidant. Too many take the first two and neglect the last.” (p.90-91)

     -”These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise, but stand reverent, silent so that man’s weak praise may be given God’s attention.” (p. 253)

     -And I recommend that you just bust out and READ ALL OF CHAPTER FIVE… it is GREATNESS… and way TOO much for me to quote here. Read it in context of the journey that we are all travelling together… to God… and enjoy the love of His Light…

PRESS ON!!!

 -Weav