The Breath In My Lungs

The Breath In My Lungs
by Michael Doyle

God brings light to the darkness,
He brings me peace from this harshness.
I lean on His love that is spoken,
And He restores my heart that has been broken.

I join in the choir passing out praise.
On all the Earth, through all our days.
I consecrate my soul to holiness,
Filling with His love what was loneliness.

He gave His Son to save us all,
And as I listen to sermons, I recall
His breath in my lungs gives me voice.
I feel this in making every choice.

In my baptism, I felt my conversion,
Bathed by the healing waters through immersion.
I have put off the recommendations of an old man.
Now I serve the Lord every way that I can.

God knows every way I need to grow,
And He understands when my change is slow.
With all the evidence given, I daily see
How God has given me peace with the Holy.

He gave His Son to save us all,
And as I listen to sermons, I recall
His breath in my lungs gives me voice.
I feel this in making every choice.

(c) November 4, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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Thought For the Day: We Are Not Educated Well Enough To Perform the Necessary Act of Intelligently Selecting Our Leaders

“We’re an ignorant nation right now. We’re not really capable, I do not think, the majority of our people, of making the decisions that have to be made at election time and particularly in the selection of their legislatures and their Congress and the presidency, of course. I don’t think we’re bright enough to do the job that would preserve our democracy, our republic. I think we’re in serious danger.” – Walter Conkrite

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First Principles: We Have A Government of Limited Power Under the Constitution, and We Have Got To Work Out Our Problems On the Basis of Law

“We have a government of limited power under the Constitution, and we have got to work out our problems on the basis of law.” – William Howard Taft

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Gary Thain

Gary Thain
by Michael Doyle

The late 60s were a psychedelic dream
Where sonic inspiration printed on silk screen.
Everything London was the aspiration
For all who dare to drive their imagination.

One man and his love of the bass
Dared to look this straight in the face.
Playing his soul for the benefit of rock,
Who knew it'd end with a rainy-day shock.

Uriah Heep shaped his destiny
As a swirling organ and on an operatic journey.
The early Seventies brought them toward success.
They were on the cusp of being among the best.

From Christ Church, Gary came on progressively
And that lifted the rhythm of his musicality.
Root notes were not enough for the harmony
And there was more to say with a good melody.

He and the others swam a turbulent ocean
Where to do music was to wear emotion.
There was a bit of magic up his sleeve
And he had enough competence to make others believe.

A sense of the melodious bred great fluidity
That delivered on promises without cupidity.
There's more than thunder in the bottom end's art,
And Thain always did his best to play his part.

Gratitude for gifts given is truly transformative
And when it comes to music, it's also informative.
Unlocking the potential of living deliverance
As if he had arrived with a direct line to providence.

Demons and Wizards had a counterpoint of delivery.
It danced armed with guitar, breeding pages of history.
Whether it is a driving pulse or complexity.
A lot extra was delivered by his dexterity.

Something old that songs might borrow
Seeking to say more seldom leads to sorrow.
Let in a semblance of circular, melodic spaces,
Magic lives in the warmth of musical graces.

(c) November 3, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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Thought For the Day: No One Expects This Nation To Become A Theocracy,…But We Do Indeed Say That the Essential Values and Founding Principles of the Nation Should Not be Ignored

“No one expects this nation to become a theocracy, where Christianity is the only value, but we do indeed say that the essential values and founding principles of the nation should not be ignored.” – D. James Kennedy

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First Principles: There Is A Delight In the Hardy Life of the Open. There Are No Words That Can Tell the Hidden Spirit of the Wilderness, That Can Reveal Its Mystery

“There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased; and not impaired in value. Conservation means development as much as it does protection.” – Theodore Roosevelt

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Eyes Opened To See

Eyes Opened To See
by Michael Doyle

There's an art to living gratitude.
It is transformative of our attitude.
The habits you adopt as your own,
As if nothing can bother the life you own.

So much around us easily shatters.
It comes down to what really matters.
In a world of anger that is filled with fear,
We must remember gratitude is the only true power here.

However much the world knows darkness;
And however much life treats us with harshness,
We can always rebuild what we truly know,
And in this rebuilding, we flourish and grow.

Shawneetown picked up from the 1937 flood,
And it left its past in the decrepit mud,
Choosing to make the most of its opportunity
Shawneetown rebuilt and outgrew its history.

Everything around us constantly rearranges.
Nothing stays the same; everything changes.
Slivers of beauty and hope are all around.
If you look for it, you'll find that it openly abounds.

For this, we live best by taking on gratitude,
And deciding that life becomes ours in our attitude.
Every situation has something that is bountiful.
In recognizing this, we reach for what is wonderful.

It is by taking this on that we see without concealing
The Lord's joy that waits and is openly revealing.
It is waiting to enrich us for all our seeing.
This is the joyous complexity of being a human being.

Everyday's gift is the sun we see shine
And knowing it's shared and not yours or mine.
Tomorrow is here for us by providence and not design.
That is the distinction brought to its fine line.

Seeing this provides us all with the living key.
We are no longer imprisoned but have been set free.
This and finding our way in our Father's kingdom
Are the qualities that combine to give us our freedom.

(c) November 2, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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Thought For the Day: Beware of False Knowledge; It is More Dangerous Than Ignorance

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” – George Bernard Shaw

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First Principles: War Should Never Be Entered Upon Until Every Agency of Peace Has Failed

“War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed.” – William McKinley

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Paul and The Way

Paul and the Way
by Michael Doyle

Saul became Paul and was intensive.
In his appearance, though, he was unimpressive.
He wrote thirteen letters in his testimony,
Saving the world for the rest of history.

Early, he persecuted the followers of The Way,
He even caused Stephen's death that fateful day.
But just one encounter with Jesus can change a soul.
After all, it is ultimately God who is in control.

On the road to Damascus, one late dark night,
Jesus reduced Paul to blindness to show him right.
In finding value in God's path, we receive sight,
And that divides for us, wrong from right.

We find when we know each other's name,
We find the Way to heal from any blame.
Jesus knows everything about us each,
And from this familiarity, He draws to teach.

Leading all Christians into our family.
This is the Way we grow our community.
God chooses us all directly and on purpose,
To do His good works as instruments of service.

All of us fall short of God's rich glory,
But whatever our past, we are part of His story.
None of us are qualified as lacking sin,
But the God of second chances lets us try again.

With his encounter, Paul readily embraced the Way
Knowing that while we are sinners every day,
We are responsible to follow God's holy will,
And this becomes active as time reveals.

Every one of us is charged with the Great Commission.
If we fail to share this, it is a tragic omission.
The clarion call is for us to go and evangelize
And by this, remove the scales from unbelieving eyes.

When we have our moments of sterling opportunity,
We must take these moments to grow the Christian family.
Though we know nothing else but the love of God above,
While we have our chance, let us spread God's love.

(c) November 1, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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