Wow.

The Tennessee Titans’ (and former U of Texas alum) Vince Young has been granted the cover of Madden 2008. What an honor to be bestowed upon a second-year player in the NFL… then again… maybe not.

I am not a man who readily and consistently believes in “negative superstitions”… but when I can see a legitimate pattern that can be tracked and confirmed over the process of 7-9 years… I tend to begin to take notice. The Madden Curse is as legit as these sort of things come. (see… Eddie George 2001, Daunte Culpepper 2002, Marshall Faulk 2003, Michael Vick 2004, Ray Lewis 2005, Donovan McNabb 2006, Shaun Alexander 2007.)

It’s ok if you are still a skeptic. I was too… until I was watching Michael Vick in a 2004 pre-season game… and he freakin’ fractured his right fibula only ONE DAY after the Madden cover hit the shelves around the world. Yep. “Bad things man. Bad things.”

Too bad for Vincey-Poo.

And might I also take this perfect opportunity to say… TEXAS SUCKS!!!

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Just caught some info about the latest Indiana Jones film at IMDB.

Dang.

I am quite confident that there are few movie trilogies that are as great as the Indiana Jones trilogy (the Temple of Doom is my favorite… although it’s tough to beat any of the three). And so… as I was perusing Wikipedia’s list of trilogies… all this got me to thinking…

 
Here are my rankings of the Ten Greatest Movie Trilogies of All Time:

.: 10 - Honey, I Shrunk the… ummm… Left Behhhh… ummm… Terminatoooo… ummm… oh crap… fine… I’ll admit it… Free Willy makes my top-ten list.

.: 09 - Crocodile Dundee

.: 08 - The Bourne trilogy (even though the 3rd is forthcoming)

.: 07 - The Matrix

.: 06 - Back to the Future

.: 05 - Star Wars (original trilogy)

.: 04 - Pirates of the Caribbean

.: 03 - Indiana Jones

.: 02 - The Godfather

.: 01 - The Lord of the Rings

 PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Sometimes the greatest attribute that we can apply to our lives is the ability to laugh at ourselves when we look stupid, to take ourselves lightly when every temptation is leading to an “all-seriousness-attitude”, and to practice the precious art of self-comedy. G-Dad (my paternal grandfather who is a retired Southern Baptist Pastor… and who has been a relentless source of inspiration, wisdom, encouragement, and unashamed self-comedy in the lives of all those that he has influenced) has taught me many important and memorable lessons about life, ministry, marriage, and loving people (many of these formative lessons I will refrain from repeating at this time… ummm… like the time G-Dad and I were sitting on a bench by a busy entrance on the second floor of Collin Creek Mall in Plano, Texas when G-Dad decided that it was the perfect moment to teach me how to “girl watch” by averting my eyes in side-ways glances without getting caught…). One of the most imortant lessons that I have learned about life from my G-Dad… is the art of self-comedy. In fact, I am pretty confident that it would be impossible for me to remember the number of times that I have heard my grandfather say something close to… ”Ohh… don’t take life so seriously. You’ve gotta be able to laugh at yourself.”

While holding my son this past Wednesday nite… I received an unexpected reminder of the art of self-comedy that G-Dad has tried to teach me over the years… when my crowned incisor decided that it was tired of remaining comfortably cemented to the fang-of-a-tooth in my mouth that the dentists call a “post”. After I extracted the tooth from my mouth… Ryland and I sprinted to the restroom to check the damage in the mirror. And that is when the art of self-comedy took over.

When I was in the Sixth grade, I had an incident involving a basketball, a brick wall, and my right-front incisor. This incident led to a dentists chair (repeatedly) as the dentists (repeatedly) cemented my broken tooth back together (repeatedly). In 2004, my dentist in Paris, Texas finally had enough of that cementing and re-cementing… and decided that it was time to perform a root-canal, carve my busted tooth to a tiny post, then fashion a crown to sit on top of that fang-of-a-tooth.

My wife had never seen my tiny fang-tooth since this all took place before we started dating. But on Wednesday nite… Amanda took every opportunity to lovingly remind me how freakishly Dracula-esque my smile had become.

Alas… the tooth is now fixed (and it is fixed much better than before… I might add). But this has been the perfect opportunity for me to practice the art of self-comedy.

So… enjoy the photos… and remember… “Don’t take life so seriously”… 

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+Caption: We are on the way to the dentist to get my “WeaverFang” fixed. Please note the zip-lock bag in my jacket pocket which contained the aforementioned tooth (crown).

+Caption: And now I’m in the dentist chair… about to get my “WeaverFang” fixed by a tooth doctor named Gus (whose brother owns Delmar Pizza by the way).

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(*please note: My use of the term “self-comedy” should not be confused with the term ”self-deprecation”… there is a definite difference between a person who has decided that their LIFE is naturally WORTHY of LAUGHTER… and a person who has defensively and destructively decided that their LIFE must be LAUGHED AT to discover WORTH… the difference may seem miniscule… but the implications of employing a self-defense mechanism as a lifestyle is rooted in a broken/wounded/false identity. If we are finding our self-worth in anything other than in the arms of the Creator… then we will most-assuredly find ourselves broken, wounded, and falsely identified as individuals. A person’s worth is not dependent upon the acceptance of humanity… and while this is valuable–to be accepted and loved and appreciated by our peers–it should not define our worth. Self-comedy is the art of laughing at life and my mistakes and my acheivements and my occupation and my family and my beliefs without allowing that laughter to define my identity. And while I have not always been the best at living out the art of self-comedy… this is a practice that I am finding more important to my health and sanity every day. Also… as is the case with most life attributes… self-comedy can also be destructive if not lived in the delicate balance of righteous living. See… Ephesians 4:22-32; Proverbs 20:7; Proverbs 11:29-31; Matthew 23:28-29; 2 Timothy 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

My son has decided that my new name is Dadda (*pronounced: dah-dah) and that this moniker is worthy of being his official first word.

In Ryland’s almost nine months… he has been a quick study of the English language… and has often accidently copied a string of consonants, a stutter of syllables, or a stammer of sounds. But he had yet to purposefully repeat a word, while also attaching meaning and emotion to that word… until last week.

The word “Dadda” has been among the words that Ryland has repeated on accident and said aloud while he was playing or just jabbering… so when we first noticed that he was actually attaching the word “Dadda” to me… (I’m ashamed to admit this) but I was a little skeptical. The “attaching” continued over this past Easter weekend… and I pretended excitement (with a heavy dose of the aforementioned skepticism) while Amanda glowed and cheered for Ryland.

It was yesterday when my son made me a believer… and the phonetic converstion occurred by cellular telephone. 

I was working at the church in my office yesterday after our weekly staff meeting, and made a quick call home to check in with my lovely bride. While we were talking about her morning and my morning… we both stopped in silence as we heard Ryland saying “Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah” in the background of our conversation. Amanda broke the three-seconds-of-silence when she said, “You’ll never believe this! Rylz is reaching for the cell phone while he is saying your name! Here… let me put the phone by his ear!” As soon as I heard the “dah-dah’s” getting louder I started talking… “Hey Chico! I love you.”

And that’s when it happened. As soon as Chico heard my voice on the phone, my son then began saying “dah-dah-dah-dah” louder and began waving his hand in the air toward the phone (oh… and did I mention that in addition to the Dadda-speaking… Rylz has begun waving in response to a “hello” and “bye-bye” and “hey”… yep… it’s true… and awesome).

So… in essence, that’s the moment when I converted from being “Ryland’s father” or “Ryland’s dad”… to “Ryland’s Dadda”. And now… please allow me to introduce myself…

Hello. I am Chico’s “Dadda”. 

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

 .: The Lost Choice by Andy Andrews :.

I reget to announce that I had never heard of Andy Andrews before picking up this book at Ollie’s last week. I was intrigued enough to make the $2.99 purchase for three reasons… #1 - the cover listed Andy Andrews as the author of another New York Times best-seller and #2 - this fiction novel was reviewed by a producer at ESPN on the back cover and #3 - it was a short 234 pages long.

When I started reading it on Monday night, I was immediately captivated.

Andy’s writing took a little getting used to, after reading so much Peretti and Dekker fiction over the past few years, but the read was a quick one. In this book, the chapters were little longer than I would have liked (I like the mental reasoning that I can read a short chapter quickly in the midst of a busy day… without making a long-term commitment to sit and read), but his descriptions of the character’s motives and movements made up for the lengthy chapters.

Overall, the storyline was great… and the plot was captivating enough that I had it finished by Wednesday. And there were some very memorable moments that played out on the pages of this novel that made an impression upon me. I have recently (over the last couple of years) become quite inspired to help students make the continual connection that their life is not ONLY about the here-and-now of their little world… but that they are a much smaller part of a much larger Story. This book does a great job illustrating this fact very well.

Apparently there are two other Andy Andrews novels that are written in this same “Discovery of a Lifetime” series. So I plan to read at least two more of his authored works (”The Traveler’s Gift” and “Island of Saints”).

Good stuff.

+ Weaver’s favorite “The Lost Choice” quote:

     -”The Lord provides everyone with life-changing ideas. These ideas are quite literally a treasure map from the Almighty. It is up to each of us, however, to choose to dig for the treasure. Every man or woman on the planet contains within them the power to change the world, but this power is only manifested when one makes a conscious choice to use it. This is why our world contains so many people who are depressed and unfulfilled. They have joined the growing multitudes who do not act upon the life-changing ideas that are theirs alone. A person who is acting upon an idea is happy and fulfilled. But a person who only intends to do this or that spirals into an ever-deepening pool of guilt and regret. Think of the books and songs that will never be written– works that will remain only in the mind of a person too fearful or selfish or lazy to dig for the treasure. And I am convinced– I have no proof of this, you understand, but I am convinced– that every choice one makes and every action one takes, or doesn’t take, significantly effects the lives of everyone else. We are all connected to each other through our actions. Our decisions to act or not to act, to help or not to help– well, those choices create a ripple effect that can last for centuries.” (p. 89-90)

PRESS ON!!!

 -Weav

Several weeks ago… if you would have asked me which store on the planet earth I considered the greatest… my answer would have been unflinchingly resolute and inhumanly quick…

“Half Price Books… that is the greatest store on the planet earth”.

Well… I have news.

Concerning “the greatest store on the planet earth”… I have unreservedly changed my mind. 

Please do not think less of me for changing my mind.

Sometimes this happens to people as they grow and mature.

Over the days that Amanda and I spent preparing for the move to the Eastern Shore, we also did some internet searches to seek out the location of some of our favorite shopping spots in relation to “The ‘Bury”. While most of Amanda’s favorite stores (Target, Old Navy, Kohl’s, Bath ‘N Body Works…) are located within five to ten miles of our greystone home… the closest Half Price Books is located in Pennsyl-freakin-vania! And while this was a depressing thing to discover, it was not enough to deter us from following God to Maryland (but the thought was entertained for a brief millisecond).

Anywho… several weeks ago, I stumbled upon a blog by Chris Walls who outlined his affinity for scouring the bookshelves of a Ollie’s Bargain Outlet that is located in several states in the Eastern U.S. (Maryland, Pensylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia). His description of the bargain outlet reminded me of Half Price Books so much that I checked out their website for the nearest store locations… and was shocked to see that there was actually an Ollie’s Bargain outlet in Salisbury! So I prompltly loaded my wife and son into the Jeep… and drove the fam to check this place out.

Our discovery was amazing.

The books are priced at crazy-liquidation prices… much less than half-price… and the titles that are offered on Ollie’s shelves are shockingly current-to-recent best-sellers (I bought a stack of eight copies of “Blue Like Jazz” for my Seniors for $2.99 a piece… and we have purchased several Ted Dekker, Brian McLaren, Frank Peretti, and other Donald Miller selections that were priced in the same price range). Amanda and I have now declared that one Monday (we chose this day because it is my regular day off) a month is now officially “Ollie’s Day” in the Weaver household. We save some money each week in preparation for the event… and we hold ourselves strictly to that budget… but the stack of books that we bring home is well-worth the wait.

In closing… You did not judge me when my mind changed from K.B. Toys to Toys R’ Us when I was a child. You did not chastise me when my mind changed from Toys R’ Us to the Nike Outlet when I was teenager. You did not correct me when my opinion then shifted from the Nike Outlet to the glory of Half Price Books. And now I trust that you will again support my decision to move Half Price Books down to second on my list… in order to make room for Ollie’s Bargain Outlet at the top of the list.

And the next time you feel inspired to ask me which store on the planet earth I consider the greatest… my answer will be unflinchingly resolute and inhumanly quick…

“Ollie’s Bargain Outlet… that is the greatest store on the planet earth”.

PRESS ON!!!

 -Weav

So what if I like my bowl on my head, and my Cheerios on the floor?

What, you don’t put your strings in your mouth?

And for my next trick I will proudly stand up in my crib.

Mom… don’t put my swing up yet, I can use it like this.

I can see you.

Can this be my veggie of the week?

(*all captions are not the actual thougths of Ryland)

Check out the free wireless internet system (TiSP BETA) provided by Google.

Lean More

I am not quite sure how this will work for those of you who are still tapped into localized septic systems. That is a great question for the Google experts team. For the rest of us… it’s time to “go with the flow”.

(Thanks to Matt Carlisle for the sweet-action reference on this new technology.)

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Ryland had his first zoological experience this past Tuesday (3/27/07). We got to see some interesting animals like the Cavy which is in the rodent family and resembles a very large rabbit. We also saw a peacock, a sleeping leopard, some bison, and even a few very stinky llamas (Ryan named one of them Tina). 

Patagonian Cavy

After seeing the animals Ryland had his first park experience. Salisbury City Park is located at the west entrance to the Salisbury Zoo. He rode Ben’s Red Swings and seemed to enjoy it. At first he and I swang together, but soon my adventurous son was ready to swing alone. Ben’s Red Swings is a playground reconstruction effort at the Salisbury City Park, in memory of Benjamin Layton who passed away in 2003 at age 4 following a two-year battle with cancer. Ben’s final wish was that he would receive angel wings when he arrived in Heaven in his favorite color—red. The Ben’s Red Swings project memorializes that wish by providing a safe place for other children to play. This park not only has amazing red swings but has castles, forts, and ships that Ryland will be able to explore as he gets older. It is a great place for the imagination to go wild.

It is wonderful to live in a place that has so much to offer families. Salisbury is a community where Ryland can have a vast array of experiences and countless opportunities to grow physically, mentally, and spititually. I am so thankful that God has brought us to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.