Storms of life blow Big Daddy Weave to new life in Wilson County
By RANDY RUDDER
Mike Weaver and the members of his Dove Award-winning band, Big Daddy Weave, were living in the Pensacola area in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan hit the Gulf Coast. It did significant damage to several of the band members’ homes, prompting them to pick up and move to Middle Tennessee. Although the storm seemed like a curse at the time, it led to Mike’s marriage to Fervent Records staffer Kandice Kirkhan, and eventually to his new home in Wilson County, proving once again to Weaver that God is still in control, even in the storms. “Even in the bad times, he’s working it out,” Mike says.
Big Daddy Weave was formed at the University of Mobile, when Mike and Jay Weaver, along with guitarist Jeremy Redmon, saxophone player Joe Shirk, and drummer Jeff Jones were students there. Since their formation in the late 1990s, the band has produced more than a decade of hits, including “In Christ,” “Audience of One,” “You’re Worthy Of My Praise,” “Every Time I Breathe,” “What Life Would Be Like,” and “You Found Me.” The band earned its First Dove Award in 2002 when they were named New Artist of the Year, and the accolades continue. They have been honored at ASCAP’s Christian Music Awards, and have been one of the 10 most played artists at Christian radio over the past decade. As of this writing, the single, “Redeemed,” from the band’s latest CD, Love Come to Life has held the #1 spot on the Billboard Christian music charts for five consecutive weeks.
The inspiration for the material on Love Come To Life started in 2009, the same year he moved from Davidson Country to Mt. Juliet. That year, Mike went on a weight loss and fitness regimen with a goal to lose 90 pounds in ’09. His progress was charted each month in the “Skinny Wednesday” health segments on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s 700 Club. Although Mike made great progress, he missed his goal by just a few pounds. While working out one day in his ‘man cave’ (his garage/workout room), Mike was beset by the feelings of self-hatred that have plagued him for much of his life. “I just had this breakdown,” he recalls. “I was really at a low point,” Mike says, “struggling with my imperfections. But the breakdown then led to a breakthrough.”
As he sat there that night, recounting the litany of his perceived defections, Mike says, “I felt like God said to my spirit, ‘Why don’t you let me tell you what I think about you and what I like about you?’” Weaver remembers, “God said, ‘I love your heart for people,’ and went from there. I was like a broken heap on the floor of my garage. He said ‘I love who you are right now. I accept you right now. You need to accept you right now.’”
“Truly admitting these things to God may seem like defeat,” Mike says. “But that place of honesty and the realization of our need is what He is looking for more than our success in our own strength.” Mike says. “And that’s the posture from which He can use anybody.” “Redeemed” was one of the songs that was born from that experience.