God is so good to me. Last week I got to reconnect with a couple of old friends. These are guys that have had a great impact on my spiritual life. Reconnecting with them just reminded me of all the people God has sent me in my life to shape me into who I am today. From my parents, to my kids, my sis, my brothers…all in different ways, my wife who may have saved me, my grandparents who were and are all followers of Christ, friends like Josh, Steven, and Jeremy who influenced me as a worshiper, Darrell, all those old people at the hotel, all the people who I worked with at the hotel, all the people growing up at Quaker like Russell, Jared, Kevin, Corbin, Chris, Elizabeth, Susanna, Karena, Tracy…so many of those guys…older people like Tommy, Herb, Joe, Elmore, Bro. Bobo, Sister Bobo, people like from my growing up years at SE like Richard, Dave, John, Ted…oh and Ricky and Craig, and who could forget Michelle, and then people that are such a great influence on my today, Brian, Brad, Kyle, Landon, Jerry, Tomtom, Mary….the more names I think of the more names I think I’m leaving off. This is overwhelming me…how many people have influenced my life to make me who I am today. Not all of them were even necessarily good…but all of them made me who I am today….and who I am….is GOD’S. Father, today I thank you for all the people who have made me who I am. Thank you for all the people you have used me to influence to make them who they are. You are sovereign God. I praise You that you care enough about me to know every hair on my head…you knit me in my mother’s womb…I praise you God. Thank you for making me in Your image.

My sport’s weekend last week. Amarillo High smacked Coronado (my alma mater), Texas (evil) smacked Texas Tech (my alma mater), Angelo State beat undefeated WTAMU (my new favorite D2 school!), Cowboys lose, Astros lose, the only redeeming factor is that my 2 fantasy teams (Fightin Woolly Mammoths and the Choir Boys) eeked out Monday night victories. Moral of the story….um….there’s not one really.

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Yesterday, I ordered a new guitar. I thought it would be delivered in less than a week then found out it won’t get here till the MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER!!! Grrrrrrrrr. Oh well, patience.

Quote I read yesterday:

“I can talk to anyone about anything. What I don't know, I make up. What I know, I'm not certain of. What I'm certain of is that everyone seems to enjoy illuminating my dark little cranial cavity, and I always enjoy seeing things in a different light.”

Nothing to say about it just thought is was cool.

Last thing…Summer Excitement news…..We met couple of weeks ago and decided on the SE 06 theme. GO! When I type it, it doesn’t seem real exciting but I’m jacked about the teaching this year. God always wow’s us. Because, God is GOOD!

More info coming soon.

So…if anyone has read this far. Who are the people who have influenced you the most in making you the person you are today?

Out

Doyle

Just some thoughts from the Zoe conference…some good memories…some good teaching…etc.

1. Who is eating at my table with me…who is not. Who does Jesus want me to have table fellowship with?
2. Magdeline Ministry…wow…THAT may be what healing looks like in our culture. What is it that our church needs healed from? I believe pride is the root of all the sin that keeps our body from being healed?
3. LEN SWEET REBUKING THE NO VOMIT GUY WAS SO COOL! I don’t want our church to be vomit. I don’t want my worship to be vomit. I’m tired of vomit…….
4. Seeing Lori and David hug…and cry…Praise God for that. Now there’s the start of some healing.
5. Thursday night praise with Brandon….don’t know why..but it was way good for me! Thank you God.
6. Along with #5…”Sing to the King” is a great song to sing. Praise God!
7. Mike Cope…wow…the message of Jesus…sermon on the mount…very powerful reminder of what it means to be of Christ.
8. In Christ Alone….with tears running down my face…knowing that I NEED NOTHING BUT CHRIST!!
9. The add for old songs dvd by Mike might be the funniest thing I have seen in church in a while!
10. I learned the people of the continent of Antarctica don’t pray for Mike Cope’s son. Evil people!
11. John Chisum is a very talented, very spirit filled man.
1. While I loved his “concert”/worship time…his classes weren’t my favorite. I want more interaction I guess.
12. Remembering my good friend Steven as I worshiped tonight with John and last night with Brandon. Forgive me God for my arrogance when I said that there was only one way to worship you that is acceptable.
13. Amos teaching me…Will God really bless us while we sleep in fancy houses and eat fancy foods and meet in fancy buildings and children are dieing of hunger? What will we do? I will choose to listen to God, not America on this. Can the church overcome being American? Disclaimer…I love America…but I love God MORE!
14. John Chisum: “I’ve been overcome by the spirit of buffoonery!” Wow! How many times have I been there?
15. Great talk with Candace….”If this is what the church of Christ is about (arguing about ‘stuff’), I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” Is that what I am communicating to the next generations of followers? Will my kids reject Christ or the “Church of Christ” because they see that all we do is argue about being right? Are we talking about good news or right rules? Rules aren’t bad…but I want my children to know Christ, not the right rules. I’m not saying that righteousness is bad…I’m saying that righteousness ONLY comes through the blood of Christ…now I’m preaching to myself!
16. Michael Card Concert – That guy plays his guitar upside down but is just down right fantastic. I think I like him so much because he is so REAL. I love real people…like JESUS!!!
17. Jeff Walling…can’t describe it…hope I always remember it!
18. The Commissions …yeah…I want to live the commission every day, every minute of my life.
19. William Eudy!! What a great time getting to spend time with him, his friend Jackie, and his Shepherd JP. Sounds like God is doing great things in Mineral Wells.
20. Otter Creek Sunday a.m….as good as it was to be there….I was homesick!!! I love worshiping with my family.
21. Brandon’s bathroom story in the Saturday afternoon session. Too funny!
22. Spending 5 days with my wife…man I love her.
23. Spending 5 days getting to know the Mize’s a little more. They have been so stressed…May God give them peace.
1. Them matching!!!
24. Picking up the hitchhiker in Elk City. Thank you God for sending Him our way…lead him to You now. I wish I had a cool story to say we picked up this guy and fed him and gave him a ride and lead him to Christ and baptized him and now he is living with us leading our neighborhood to Christ. We just picked him up, and gave him a ride, and gave him some food, and he slept in the back of the van while I prayed for him for about 2 hours!
25. Getting Home…kids hugging…spending the day with the kids…all that stuff. I love my kids. God, thank you for protecting my kids while I was gone. Thank you for Scott. Continue to draw him to You. Give him CLARITY in everything.

I guess that’s it. I’m sure there was a lot more. It was a good weekend. One of the things I realize when I leave is how good things are at Southwest. The things churches are just now starting to get…we’ve at least been talking about for a while. That’s not ego or pride…I’m just thankful to be in this place. It is so good for me to go…but even better for me to come back.

This week, I start preaching on Sunday nights!! Wow! I can’t believe I’m doing this. If you read this blog, please pray for me. I’m gonna need it. Begin praying that God give me what he wants me to talk about in a quick way. I want to be more and more and more and more about people…with people, not just planning for people. That is gonna be hard…I will lean on God for this.

Yesterday, my dad turned 70…wow…I used to think 70 year olds were really old. I guess they are!! (sorry Dad!). I love my Dad so much. I see so much of Him in me. Good and bad! Most of all, I love that my Dad depends on Jesus just like I do. He knows that when he’s sick, or Knee-knaw is sick, or the church is doing something he doesn’t like, or he doesn’t have enough money, or...well…whatever is happening, he is dependent on the blood of Jesus just like me. God, thank you for giving me a father on earth that would lead me to You. Thank you for his love for you. Help him to continue to be transformed by you, into the likeness of Your Son. Help him love you more tomorrow than he does today…even when that doesn’t seem possible. God, give him relief from being sick. Give him relief from Knee-knaw being sick. Give him peace. Give him YOU! Thank you so much for putting Mom in his life. He deserves her. God, even as he ages, do Dad the honor of using him to bring You glory. Let him see how useful he is to Your work. Thank you Father, for my Dad!

Ok, tomorrow, back to work…lots to do. My prayer is that God interrupt me or allow me to make a priority of people in some way tomorrow.

Father, thank you for the weekend, for Zoe, for BST, Mike, Jeff, etc. For people who love you, for my time with Christy, for my time with YOU. Grow in me the desire to be more like Your Son. Let the words that have cut deep in my heart be loud as I walk around in this foreign land tomorrow. I love you Father.

Your Son,

Doyle

1 more thing...the Astros won in 18 innings last night....that's 2 games...how incredible would it have been to be AT that game...the highlights alone freaked me out!!!

Ok…who knows how much of this makes sense. I can’t believe I just wrote this much…if you are reading, and it doesn’t make sense…sorry, if it does make sense…then you should believe in miracles!! If you are reading and were at the Zoe conference, leave comments, what was your favorite part? If not at Zoe…what is the song that connects you to the Kingdom of God more than any other.

Doyle