SE 05 Chronicles - Monday

Boy do I feel beat!!! I am amazed at how tired I can get at SE. As I write, I fall asleep between letters! This will probably be a short entry.

Today went great...of course...God was here. John taught on commandment 1, "You shall have no other God's in my presence" or in the DLC translations. Just me guys don't worship anything else! Sometimes when I think of this commandment I think....DUH!!! Why in the world would we want to worship anything but God. Why would we want to be in the presence of anything but God.

In His presence, there is comfort.
In His presence, there is peace.
When we seek the Father's heart,
We will find such blessed assurance.
In the presence of YHWH.

Why do we seek the presence of other things with the presence of the Lord is so sufficient for us. He provides light when we need it (not just talking about the sun). He provides direction, he provides protection, he provides the energy, he provides...EVERYTHING. Why do we then seek other things? I don't know the answer to that. Or maybe I do but my brain is dying as I speak because I am so tired!! Father, give me the energy I need tonight and tomorrow. I want to be a light for you. You are all I need. Cover me YHWH with your presence. Hide me in your presence so that I will be safe and that I wil be strong and that I will know I'm yours. Thank you for continueing to remind me that I'm chosen by you. Thank you.

I guess the question is still there...why do we seek other things when God is clearly enough? I'd like somebody to answer that when my brain can get around it!

Entertainment tonight, tonight, was great. Josh was his usuall funny self. He is such a great man of God. Father protect him this week. Take away his headaches. Take away the stress and let him totally depend on you and your strength.

Josh was great and Mirrored Souls was great. I was a little worried at the beginning because the kids weren't really getting into it and they were good. Finally they started getting into it. The highlight for me was when we started worshiping together with them. There's a Stirring is such a powerful song to me. I WILL RISE UP!!! Yes YHWH, I will RISE UP!!! The picture of me laying at the wounded feet of Jesus, my Savior, brings tears to my eyes everytime I think about it and especially when I sing about it. I can't wait for that day. Lord, come quickley. Anyway, the band was great and I think Ross had a great time playing for his friends. I know how special it is to perform in front of SE. What a rush. Everybody there wants you to succeed. Everybody there is engaged in what you are doing. It's like the best congregation ever. I wish all of our churches were that engaged in worship all of the time!!

Oh, I almost forgot, Wild n Crazy Games (WnCG) today was crazy (and wild I guess!). We made Ice Cream. I have to admit, I never thought this would work. I thought the students would think it was stupid and not participate. Well, they might have thought it was stupid but they did participate and seemed to have a lot of fun. I heard that 1 family actually made real ice cream. I wouldn't be suprised if someone was sick tonight from eating rock salt laced ice cream...man that was nasty!!! Worked great though and we had a lot of fun!

Tomorrow, I get to go home to a funeral for a great lady, Charlene Sweeney. I'll write more about her tomorrow.

Father,
Keep me safe on my trip tomorrow...keep me awake. Please continue to change lives in the students here as you already are. God you are the director of Summer Excitement. Thank you for letting me serve you. Give me rest now. Let me wake up in the morning with more energy than I can imagine. I love you God. I WILL RISE UP!! WOO HOO!! Can't wait to be TOTALLY in your presence. Forgive me when I look to other "gods". I love you God.

Your son,
Doyle

SE 05 Chronicles - Sunday Evening

Wow, what a day!!! Over the last 3 years, SE Sunday has become one of my favorites. There is something about being home No, Lubbock is not home anymore to me but deep in my heart, it is still home somehow. It is such a blessing for me to look out over the crowd at worship on Sunday morning and see the faces of my history joining together in worship.

I lead worship well over 100 times each year but for some reason when it comes to leading on Sunday morning at Quaker...I get anxious. I'm sure it's just some stupid fear of not being good enough. Why should I fear that? I know that I’m not good enough and at the same time know that where I’m not good enough God is GREAT enough.

Anyway…this morning was awesome. The presence of the Lord was thick at 17^th and Quaker this morning. Thank you Father for using me for your glory this morning. I am honored that you would choose me and use me to bring some closer to you. Thank you for the present you gave me in seeing you on the face of the worshipers this morning. There is no better gift you can give me. Thank you.

It is so cool to see SE rookies come into our first session. When we are being stupid and yelling for colors and everything. I loved seeing look on their faces when Cole and Devon rode in on their “horses”. The best line of the night was during the fight scene with Devon and Roger. “Side parry, side parry, stop….thrust” or something like that in a very bad British (French) accent! All of the TLC’s did an incredible job of presenting their themes. They are going to do a great job this week…every one of them.

So…tonight was awesome. Kent was so good. The painting was so cool. The power of art rocks! I can’t believe how cool that looks with the black light on it. While we were worshiping in the dark, I kept hearing Him say to me “peace, be still”. I found out that a close friend at church died today. Charlene was worshipping with us last Wednesday night, had a stroke late Wednesday night, and died yesterday. She has been such an encouragement to me over the last 5 years. So tonight…thinking about all the things that need to happen, trying to make sure I don’t forget to do anything…worrying about Phil and the rest of Charlene’s family…thinking about going back to the funeral on Tuesday…worry…worry…worry…He said to me “peace, be still”

Thank you Father for speaking peace to me.

You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking you as a precious jewel. LORD TO GIVE UP I’D BE A FOOL!!!!

You are my all in all.

Thank you for being everything I need. I offer this next week to you as a sacrifice of praise. Give me peace tonight as I sleep. Thank you Father for taking the small amount of faith that I can muster up and moving mountains. You are my Rock!

Your Son,
Doyle

Must sleep…..!

Just wanted to post a pic of my kids because THEY ROCK!

DC
And Libbey!

SE 05 Chronicles - Friday Night

Tonight it happened. It happened like it has happened for the passed how many ever years...I got to SE and realized that all the work I have done...all the hours I have put into thinking and praying about this year, all the thought we have put into the theme...all the conversations that the TLC's had with the TL's and the TL's with their students...no matter how good or bad we trained tonight and will train tomorrow...no matter how much Laci did...no matter how many volunteers we have that will help...no matter how much the deans have worked and studied...no matter what (get the picture!) it all doesn't matter if God doesn't show up. It doesn't matter if God doesn't do His thing...it doesn't matter if God doesn't soften hearts. It doesn't matter if God doesn't intervene and take over. It doesn't matter if God doesn't send His warriors to battle for us against the evil one as we seek our Father's face this week. Nothing matters without YHWH. That's right...nothing at all will be good or bad or whatever without YHWH being here.

That's so true for everything we do in life. None of it matters unless God shows up. None of what we do is worth anything without God getting glory and fame for it. It's been true throughout all of time. Adam wouldn't have...well...been, without God. Abraham, just another drifter. Moses, just another wanderer. Israel, just a good nation of slaves. And the stories of God go on and on.

The great thing about tonight though is that I have no doubt. I have no doubt that all we have done to prepare for this week is not just good, it is God's. I have no doubt in my heart, mind, or soul that God will show up and that he will take our efforts and multiply them exponentially for His glory. He always has...and he always will.

At SE it is easy for me to remember that....for some reason, other times in my life...it's not so easy. I want to depend on god for every breath that I take. I want to give Him glory with every breath I take. I want to be fully alive in HIM.

Right now, with all the doubts I have... all the fears I have about "will this work this week"...It doesn't matter...because I know God's will will be done this week. PRAISE YHWH.

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Tonight we met the TL's, got to know them for a little, went through our first family time and training, and had our reconnect time. Reconnect was great for me because I got to have a great conversation/prayer time with three of our TL's.

The first one was awesome with Danna. God is working on her in such incredible ways. Thank you Father for working on her in such a cool and awesome way. Thank you for tearing down walls and drawing her closer to you. Use her this week for your glory.

Next was with Randy Wesson. What a cool guy!! I didn't really know him until tonight. He and Roger are dealing with the sickness of their Mom and Dad. Wow, this must be hard. But,they are so strong...so in love with their Savior. Yeah, they have their struggles but they are pretty stinking awesome. Father, thank you for sending Randy to me. Thank you for his love for you and his desire to do what is right. Father, hold him this week. Let him know who he is in You. Let him know that it's not his fault. Heal his mom and dad. Yeah, just heal them!

And then Greg. Pretty cool. Greg was in my youth group in Pville. He has grown into a man seeking God. Greg just wanted to pray. Father, thank you for Greg. Thank you for guiding him through his life. Thank you for putting in his heart his desire to pray and seek you. Use him and his story for your glory this week.


So...it's gonna be a great week. I'm tired....gonna try to sleep now.

Father,

Bless us this week. Thank you for always being here...in my life. Thank you for always loving me...even when I don't deserve it. Accept everything we do this week as a sacrifice to you. I love you Father.

Your son,

Doyle

Over the next couple of days I am going to post from my journaling over the past week at Summer Excitement. But first I want to just write about SE in General...be sure and make comments if you are an SE student or alumni.

Over the last 21 years Summer Excitement has meant so much to me as I have formed spiritually and as I have...well...just grown up. There are so many memories that are permanently etched in my brain and that have meant so much to me or made me laugh over the years. There's the very first year...the painting, wow that was awesome...the girls!!!...the pizza man...the shaving cream baseball...the football/cokecan...the worship that formed me (Thank you Stephen Polk)...the broken toe...Josh...Kirk...well, so many names of people that have influenced me...Watermelons...the car race...the best news west of the pecos..."Say So"... Bart Rocket...so many Rainbow Celebrations...the worship time with Between Thieves...The burping contest, I think my girlfriend at the time nearly won!...Karioke...Green Thumb...Arrrrgh you hooked....the Hotel.....that nasty dorm. KRED...Blues Brothers... Siyahamba... Wrestling!... worshiping at the branch...worshiping at Quaker... conversations with the nurses.... my first baptism... Richard Seymour.... Boy Do I Feel Great! ...I've Got Joy... Swell ... Kid Prov ...the guy that said that Richard Flipped him off... Laci and Tina... Wolfman ... AND SO MUCH MORE

God has worked so many ways and for so many years through Summer Excitement.

Father, thank you for using SE to mold me and shape me. Thank you for continueing to bless us...year after year. You are so awesome. Just thinking about what you have done drives me to my face in humility before you. You are my Rock! Thank you for using me in this way. Continue to raise up leaders in your bride, the church. Continue to reveal yourself to us in new and exciting ways. Continue to show us how much you love us. Father, bless what has happened at SE 2005 that the fruit will multiply beyond our wildest imaginations. Remind us with your spirit of the things You have taught us and of the conversations that you were a part of. Thank you for John, Dave, Brook, Kenneth, Josh, Laci, and so many more. Bless them with energy from you to invest in and love their families as they return home. Thank you for the TL's and TLC's. Thank you for speaking through their strengths and weaknesses this week. Give them energy to replace what they lost this week. Show them fruit from the time and energy they put in this week. Thank you for the lives changed this week. Protect them for the evil one. Protect all of us. Stand by us like the mighty warrior you are. Thank you Father, you are my Rock and my Salvation. You cannoned to restore the joy in my salvation. Thank you for reminding me of the joy this week. Thank you for reminding me not to limit you this week. You alone are worthy of the energy expended this week. Please accept this as my worship to you. I love you God. I love you. Thank you for loving me.

Your son,
Doyle

So, if anybody reads this...What is your favorite memory of Summer Excitement. What was your favorite theme, favorite entertainment, favorite TL, favorite Dean and teaching, or just other favorite memory?

What a week this has been. I absolutely hate it. I hate the wierd looks I get when people see me in my glasses. I don't particular enjoy having the same conversation over and over again about why I'm wearing my glases. But most of all, I'm sick of the headaches and not being able to see and not being able to drive.

Tuesday is the first surgery. Father, please see fit to let me see perfectly from this surgery...please. And Father, let me keep my sanity until then!

Last time I blogged, I had quit...not really quit...but yes gotten very frustrated with people's perceptions. I think God is teaching me something about myself...saying, it could be worse...so much worse...and it can be so much better. I am praying for the better to come soon.

It seems to me that in churches, we latch on to some very basic truths that make us blind to the other very basic truthes. For example, we got the "obey God" thing going. When he tells you to do something...do it. Then we took it so far as to say, "if you think he might have said something maybe or implied it or infered it...you better do it (or not do it..you know?) While we do all of this, we overlook His direct commands. "Love your neighbor" "When someone wrongs you, go to them" "Forgive your enemies" etc. God, forgive us and empower us to take those commands to the EXTREME!!

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My kids have been so awesome lately. Yeah, they have there little problems, but they are awesome. They have been running around all of creation, defeating the world with their light sabers in the name of the Jedi. They are so funny! Thank you God again for them!

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2 weeks to SE. Nearly done with the book but not nearly done with the rest!!! OH..got to get to work!!