David Weaver

E. Coli, our friend.

The germ theory has long been the standard of thinking for the reason why we get sick. It plainly states that germs cause sickness and in order to eliminate sickness we need to eliminate germs. The word germ represents a large classification of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other foreign invaders that are unseen to the naked eye. It seems oh so easy to blame all of our sickness on something you can’t see. This theory has largely taken the route of faith in the way we look at our health.
First, I do believe that people can get infections due to germs but I don’t blame the germs. To do this we would have to deny the fact that our bodies house trillions of microorganisms at all times. If these germs were the main player in the equation then we all would be dead. We’d be dead and dying of massive infections from Stapholoccus, Streptoccus, and Esceherichia Coli. These bacteria are all over us and inside. They are largely opportunistic in that they only thrive when our bodies don’t keep them in check. Our intestines are full of bacteria to aid in digestion and the absorption of vitamins and minerals also know as our natural flora. Not to mention, I’m pretty sure I ate dirt many times when I was a kid. Who knows what kinds of germs were in there, and look—you’re reading my words.
Some would rely on viruses to be evil and the cause of most sickness every year. If viruses were that bad then every time you come in contact with someone infected you would get sick. This doesn’t happen. There have been numerous times when I’ve been around those with the flu, cold, and other nasties and I’ve been fine afterward. This is because our immune system is packed with thousands of years of knowledge. Memorizing everything you come into contact with, it marks all foreign invaders for elimination including cancerous cells. That’s right, cancer.

Delicious!

We get cancer everyday, mathematically speaking. Our body is made of a couple trillion cells all of which are multiplying constantly. To deny that a few of these are mutating into cancer would be beyond false. We fight off cancer everyday. Yes, we are winning the War on Cancer as we speak, silently, without the help of medications.
Saying that germs cause disease is like implying gasoline causes fire. Something has to start the fire. In our case it’s us, not germs who are to blame. Our immune systems are the limiting factor whether we get sick or not. Have you noticed during stressful times or stages in life when you are highly emotional you get ill? Or when you lose sleep for a prolonged period of time you don’t feel so well? This is because our immune system is affected by how we treat ourselves.
Granted, some of you will claim that antibiotics were the messiah in this belief, making it true to you and deep routing your faith. Antibiotics came around at the same time as sanitation became mainstream. So it can be argued that sanitation was just as important in changing our view on health.
I’m not saying medicine or antibiotics are bad for us just that I think we could use less of them. They actually decrease our natural immunity, ridding our bodies of most of the bacteria in our system. Bacteria is there for a reason; why eliminate all of it with one swoop? Can’t we find a more suitable way to improve our immune systems without degrading them?

Their so called killer.

I never thought I would see it. The news is blasting bunk information all over the tube and Internet. It’s advising everyone about how the FDA claims that green leafy vegetables are dangerous. The news is indicating that these veggies such as spinach are causing food borne illness by bacteria contamination. In addition they included eggs, cheese, tuna, and potatoes. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. This will make people doubt the use of these foods altogether. Yes there has been contamination in the past from fruits and veggies but these are imported from outside of the country.
Instead of thwarting everyone off of these foods they should be finding safe alternatives to foreign produce. The FDA is looking more and more negligent. Next they will try to tell everyone that you have to eat GMO produce (genetically modified foods) because they’re safer for you.
I can assure you if you were to buy from local farmer’s markets that grow safe and organic produce there would be no worry from contamination or even unsafe reaping processes. These small farms don’t use harmful chemicals, sludge pools (waste fertilizer), or contaminated seeds. They are dedicated to making wholesome food. This would be a great opportunity for everyone to start casting their vote for healthy, safe, and environmentally sound food in buying from their local farmer’s markets.
To find a farmers market near you visit www.localharvest.org.

With this film, his third, Jonze shows what he has only offered glimpses of previously—he’s one of the great young filmmakers today.   Fabulously gifted visually (he perfected his style making music video, a format short on character and plot development but long on aesthetics), he continues to break ground in harnessing the technology tsunami in digital media to tell non-linear  stories about our inner lives that make sense.  His first two films, Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, both deal with the inner landscape of the psyche, but Wild Things is another beast entirely.  In the film Max leaves home after a fight with his mother and sails to another world, a world populated with composite animal-like characters (think Revelations toned down a smidge), each of which, we grow to realize, represents aspects of Max and aspects of those around him.  What we see in these faces of Max are his kindness, his anger, his creativity, his immaturity, his love, his violence and his protectiveness all mashed together.  No wild thing is all good or all bad.  The one he’s initially closest to, Carol, represents Max’s destructive and creative sides.  At first he’s enchanted by Carol, then scared of him, as he swings violently between passionate extremes.

New York Times columnist David Brooks (generally a conservative political analyst) in this article does an excellent job of delineating the psychological view of character represented in Where the Wild Things Are.  Basically, this view of character says that we are not one static personality, but a number of tendencies that we exhibit depending on contributing factors such as location and situation.  So, someone may be honest in one situation (with his spouse, say), but completely dishonest in another (at work, for instance).  Or some Christians may be saintly in some aspects or situations, but pretty far removed from saintliness in others. This film will reflect for us, if we let it, the struggle that it is to be Christian (or Christ-like) all the time as we see our most noble and ignoble characteristics lived out side-by-side.  But it may also tell us why: Because we’ve got to get everyone of those Wild Things floating around in us saved and redeemed, including the Wild Things that rule when we’re lonely, angry, or jealous.  That’s a trick, and, like in this film, there may not be any quick or safe resolution save going back to the ones that love us, pleading for forgiveness, and starting over again.  But, that view seems much more helpful (and redeemable) than a static view that forces us to believe that we are always the worst version of ourselves masquerading as another.

I attended a local coffee shop in order to unwind and to enjoy some music and people. The coffee was mediocre, the company–bueno, but the music wasn’t anything short of inspiring. I found myself ignoring those in proximity and neglecting conversation keeping it shallow and contentless so that I may indulge in a pleasant thought. This band was in rare form for my eyes: enjoying every minute of their performance, as was everyone else.
My thought was why can’t we notice what’s right in front of us. Around every corner there’s a coffee shop or watering hole that hosts local talent. Talent that goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Instead enjoying true composition and prose we usually are bombarded by the talentless sounds from our radios. Well, there is a cornucopia of great sounds right outside your door, down the street.

In every city in this country there is limitless artistic ability. And the other night reminded me of when I lived in Oakland. I housed right down the street from an artist’s café. They hosted live local bands every night most of which was jazz. I had the opportunity to listen to “no names” play their hearts out every night; all I had to do was open a window. On some occasions I would walk done and do homework or just enjoy the music. One night I witnessed something amazing. I saw a 90 year old man snail his way into the café. After what seemed to be utterly laborious he sat down in a chair and used his frail hands to open his case. Out came a blazing shiny jazz sax. As soon as that brass touched his lips it lit the man on fire. The once slow and lifeless man became entirely the opposite, possessed by some inner spirit. He continued non-stop for two hours after he which transformed right back to the man I saw before. He got up shook one man’s hand, waved to another, and then started his long journey out of the café.

I don’t think many even knew his name but to me that night he became best artist I’d ever heard. I didn’t even get a full name. He didn’t have a CD or T-shirts; he just played because he could. And I think people like this man make the best artists. These people are everywhere. Whether it be a painter down the street or a poet next door. Awe -inspiring people surround us; we just need to look around and be willing to notice them.

I began in ministry at a young age. I started playing gospel music and eventually served as a youth director in a small Baptist church. At the age of 27, I was ordained and within a year, I became a pastor. Over the next 16 years, I served in a variety of capacities including starting a church. I did concerts in multiple states and was known in my area.

At the age of 43, I went through a painful divorce. I won’t go into the details but I felt like a failure in every area of my life. I was certain that my ministry was over. Divorced ministers are often “persona non grata” and shame + condemnation tends to equal reclusiveness.

It was then that the Christian community came to my aid. I began to get phone calls asking me to speak at this event or play at that event. I can’t tell you how good that made me feel. I turned most of the invitations down but I began to take a few and as I did, I was met by scores of encouraging people. One particular incident stands out. I was invited to sing on a Christian television station. They made it clear that they knew about my circumstance but they wanted me to come. When I arrived at the station, there was a local pastor named Mark that was also scheduled for an interview and he approached me and smiled. “How are you doing?” he asked. “Not to well.” I replied. He looked at me and said, “You’re a victor.” I looked back at him and replied, “How can you say that?” He said, “The enemy tried to destroy you; to get you to quit or give up but you’re still here. He failed to destroy you. You’re a victor.” It took me a long time for that to sink in but it started a healing process.

I was still bleeding spiritually and needed healing. I looked for a big church where I could sit in anonymity, take in the message and begin to heal. I chose a church of about 800 called “Lima Community Church.” As I began to attend, what happened next was wonderful. People didn’t play 40 questions or attack my character. No one seemed focused on my failures. I was included, invited, and made a part of what was going on. The worship leader came to me with kindness and grace. She said, “We would love for you to play when you’re ready but take all the time you need to heal.” Wow, in the messy middle of my situation, there were believers willing to climb into the pit and give me a drink of water. I thought I was cautiously approaching the church but like the returning son, they ran to meet me.

I spent the next 12 years as an integral part of that church. I ministered to more people, in more states and in more ways than I did the whole first part of my life. While I was there, I met the wonderful lady who is now my wife and the love of my life. I also became great friends with a man who would eventually become a pastor and call me to Oklahoma City to work with him. I was even invited to do music in Jamaica, which technically makes me an international musician. I include that now on my resume.

The people who helped me were not perfect. They varied in their doctrinal views. They had their share of warts but their overall effect on a wounded man was nothing short of miraculous. I owe a lot to them and I hope I will always show the same grace to those I find wounded and bleeding on the way.

David Weaver

When I began to look deeper into why this might be I’ve found several possible reasons. The lyrics are horrible. Now these artists repeat several words and lines that have little content. They use spelling constantly to fill time that is usually melded into melody or the “hook”. Also, almost everyone (rappers and singers alike) are using voice manipulators. So now we’ve reduced the music to a generic beet, an overused hook, and poor lyrics that have been manipulated. The end result resembles auditory garbage.

It seems that an extremely untalented “artist” is over produced to hide where they might be lacking for profit. Yet the driving market is craving more and more of this music and I don’t see it coming back anytime soon.

Am I wrong or is this music still good? Could it be my age or is it the poor content? Does anyone else agree that older rap and R&B was the cheese?

More “Things That Used to Be Good” to come.

In the years that followed that trip I went through some stages of guilt, conviction and finally becoming a Christian. I was a new man. I decided that I needed to go to church. I entered the church with great anticipation of what I might learn. I shook hands with the usher and as he welcomed me he posed a surprising question. He asked me if I would like to go into the “adult” Sunday school class. I told him, “No Thank You. The Lord saved me out of that kind of thing a long time ago”.

David Weaver
From “Thoughts From The Throne”

This is exciting as well as scary. I remember on the playground as a child the big kid reigned supreme. He changed the rules to games, took what he wanted, disregarded well displayed playground rules, and was infamously lionized. When anyone would find themselves in a pickle with him they had a choice. They could either go to the playground aide and begin a long lasting relationship of torture with little or no retribution or they could just take it and hope it didn’t happen again. In this case, Jim Turner did neither. He stands to expose the “big kid” to everyone in hopes that it will discourage the present wrongdoing. What’s scary is how devious this kid has been in the past. Will attempting to take down the “ruler of the playground” help or will it just make room for another one? Or could it disrupt the entire social networking of the playground?