Thought For the Day: The Christian Does Not Think God Will Love Us Because We Are Good, But That God Will Make Us Good Because He Loves Us

 “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a sunhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.” – C.S. Lewis

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First Principles: The Word of God Is Alive and Active. Sharper Than Any Double-Edged Sword, It Penetrates Even To Dividing Soul and Spirit, Joints and Marrow

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

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A Little Bit Country

A Little Bit Country
by Michael Doyle

Rolling down the back road
Going places, I've been told
Hold to the roots of this nation
Beyond the small towns lay my destination

Mom-and-pop stores dotting the places
Finding myself in these pleasant traces
I found myself looking easy halfway around
There's a lot of life to these small towns

Spotify went out and searched the radio
I heard a tune with words and a nice melody
It was smooth truth told with an even flow
I think I'm turning just a little bit country

The songs were pulling hard at my heart
Feeling sentimental as I heard tune after tune
I listened to every note played, finish and start
And I found myself singing along at half past noon

There's so much truth expressed plainly
So quickly, I found myself in empathy
With every note and word in the melodies
It seems so pleasing this little bit of country

Spotify went out and searched the radio
I heard a tune with words and a nice melody
It was smooth truth told with an even flow
I think I'm turning just a little bit country

(c) September 21, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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First Principles: Without Freedom of Thought There Can Be No Such Thing As Wisdom; and No Such Thing As Public Liberty, Without Freedom of Speech

“Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech.” – Benjamin Franklin (1722)

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Thought For the Day: What Power Has Love But Forgiveness?

“What power has love but forgiveness?” – William Carlos Williams, poet (17 Sep 1883-1963)

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Children Jumping Shadows

Children Jumping Shadows
by Michael Doyle

I listened to a whisper barely heard
About separating myself from the herd
It wasn't the desire to stand out
As much as it was living in worldly doubt

I look around me, unable to truly see
What difference each can make separately
But I'm sure it's not as much as together
There is a begged question of what makes it better

Twentieth-century gurus play in the shallows
While hungry children are jumping their shadows
A handful of pixels build the hope of the few
Pressing fast forward in a world of worn-out shoes

Tiny drops of dreams that have fallen and felt
Become the oceans from yesterday's glacial melt
This world knows far too much desire and sorrow
As we reach forward into the unknown tomorrows

Of children who have been cast out by life
Whether through hunger or a continent's strife
We all need a little bit of transpired sunlight
As we struggle through the ashes of a darkened night

Twentieth-century gurus play in the shallows
While hungry children are jumping their shadows
A handful of pixels build the hope of the few
Pressing fast forward in a world of worn-out shoes

(c) September 20, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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First Principles: The States Can Best Govern Our Home Concerns…I Wish Therefore…Never To See All Offices Transferred To Washington

“The States can best govern our home concerns and the general government our foreign ones. I wish, therefore … never to see all offices transferred to Washington, where, further withdrawn from the eyes of the people, they may more secretly be bought and sold at market.” – Thomas Jefferson (1823)

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Periodic Burn Offs

Periodic Burn Offs
by Michael Doyle

It is all about maintaining our true wealth
When we cooperate with our natural health
Keeping the functions on which we depend
Is absolutely necessary, or we will all surely end

With a world less desirable for all to live
And perhaps worse, we might find nature won't forgive
Good stewards know this and will not compete
But work together to keep our natural spaces replete

Placing a call for California's learning
About the necessity and use of periodic burning
This is something needed for nature's improvement
And nature for a well-maintained environment

It's hard for progressive to actually progress
Believing that listening to others ends in less
They talk of controversy and make up uncertainty
Yet periodic burns benefit the land and people's livability

But more than that, whatever other desires
Periodic burns decrease out-of-control wildfires
It doesn't take much observation or sophistication
To reap the benefits from the cycle of mesophication

Placing a call for California's learning
About the necessity and use of periodic burning
This is something needed for nature's improvement
And nature for a well-maintained environment

To practice the precepts of good and wise government
We need to begin with natural and human development
Treating ourselves and the environment as best we're capable
This is what it will take to make our world sustainable

There's more than enough on earth to meet our needs
But not enough to keep up with the demands of greed
The future is best guaranteed through present responsibility
This means using every tool to the best of our capability

Placing a call for California's learning
About the necessity and use of periodic burning
This is something needed for nature's improvement
And nature for a well-maintained environment

(c) September 19, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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First Principles: In the Supposed State of Nature, All Men Are Equally Bound By the Laws of Nature, Or To Speak More Properly, The Laws of the Creator

“In the supposed state of nature, all men are equally bound by the laws of nature, or to speak more properly, the laws of the Creator.” – Samuel Adams (1794)

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