“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9
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First Principles: It Is By Grace You Have Been Saved, Through Faith – and This Is Not From Yourselves, It Is the Gift of God Not By Works, So That No One Can Boast
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Boast, Ephesians 2:8-9, Faith, First Principles, Gift, God, Grace, Saved, Works, You, Yourselves
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In A Less Than Perfect World
In A Less Than Perfect World
by Michael Doyle
I look out into my living room
It gives me hope instead of gloom
To see my daughters study by preference
And not out of some required deference
Maybe I did one or two things right
To be a parent seeing this special sight
They express their views with elegance
And are well-spoken while prone to reference
In this less-than-perfect world
I often see them reading and curled
Reflecting on what they have read
It puts a happy thought in my head
That I have not had to strictly cajole or goad
To find their feet planted on the high road
That they have landed there of their own accord
Is something rarified and will carry them forward
Long after my time has come and has gone
This tenacity will push them forward and on
To the better things that life has to bring
Rather through engineering or the love to sing
It's a joy to see they have little procrastination
It makes me certain of them reaching their destinations
That is all a father can ever dream and hope for
At least in this less-than-perfect world I often ignore
This universe is not as confusing or mislaid
As often felt by those who walk lost and afraid
And I see two brave young ladies in my living room
Who will bring brilliance while dissipating the gloom
(c) August 10, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Accord, Afraid, Better Things, Brave Young Ladies, Brilliance, Bring, Cajole, Confusing, Curled, Daughters, Deference, Destination, Dissipating, Dream, Elegance, Engineering, Express, Father, Feet Planted, Felt, Forward, Gloom, Goad, Gone, Happy Thought, Head, High Road, Hope, Ignore, Joy, Landed There, Less Than Perfect, Life, Living Room, Look, Lost, Love, Mislaid, Parent, Poetry and Poems, Preference, Procrasination, Rarified, Read, Reading, Reference, Reflect, Right, Sight, Sing, Tenacity, Time, Two, Universe, Walk, Well-Spoken, World
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First Principles: A Republic, By Which I Mean A Government In Which the Scheme of Representation Takes Place, Opens A Different Prospect and Promises the Cure For Which We Are Seeking
“A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect and promises the cure for which we are seeking.” – James Madison (1790)
The idea that we live in a democracy and that democracy requires protection are misnomers. Our founders were adamantly against democracy and for the rule of law provided in the framework of the republic founded as The United States of America. The scheme of representation in our republic is provided by the democratic means of free election of those who represent the people. A democracy means that if there are 100 people and 51 decide to confiscate private property, they can.
A republic stands for the laws decided by our representatives on our behalf. 51 of the 100 can be in favor in taking the other 49’s private property. But if the law states this should not be under the given circumstances, the property cannot be taken. It comes down to the “rule of law.” Understanding this is fundamental to our nation’s well being and survival.
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Cure, Democracy, First Principles, Government, History, James Madison, Politics, Promises, Prospect, Representation, Republic, Scheme, Seek
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Thought For the Day: Intelligence Is the Ability To Adapt To Change
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” – Stephen Hawking
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Tagged Ability, Adapt, Change, Intelligence, Stephen Hawking, Thought For the Day
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Out of A Writer’s Head
Out of A Writer's Head
by Michael Doyle
Some who write
Have fumbled for words
As though words aren't right
Even as they've occurred
Whether poetry or prose
It's the words that pass
It's less what one knows
But what has amassed
Words flow best in experience
Then become arranged by test
Sometimes, it's not by preference
But what comes to pass the test
It's as if the mind
Collates all the little bits
That have gotten left behind
Words come from a collage that fits
That is at least enough
To pass on what might be said
As it it were the right stuff
To finally spill out of a writer's head
(c) August 9, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Amassed, Arrange, Collage, Collates, Enough, Experience, Fits, Flow, Fumble, Head, Knows, Left Behind, Little Bits, Mind, Occurred, Pass, Poetry, Poetry and Prose, Preference, Prose, Right, Right Stuff, Said, Spill Out, Test, Words, Writer, Writer's Head, Wwrite
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First Principles: If Men Are So Wicked With Religion, What Would They Be Without It?
“If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it?” – Benjamin Franklin
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Tagged Benjamin Franklin, First Principles, Men, Religtion, Wicked, Without It
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Thought For the Day: There Are No Answers, Only Questions, and I Am Grateful That the Questions Go On and On
“For me there are no answers, only questions, and I am grateful that the questions go on and on. I don’t look for an answer, because I don’t think there is one. I’m very glad to be the bearer of a question.” – P.L. Travers
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Beearer, Grateful, Look, No Answers, On and On, Only Quetsions, P.L. Travers, Think, Thought For the Day
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On Turning 17
On Turning 17
by Michael Doyle
The days crawl slowly on one by one
And your birthday is past and done
I am still thinking on what it means
That my baby girl has turned seventeen
Wasn't it only just yesterday
That you entered this world's way
Laying there like an angel I had seen
And now here it is, and you're seventeen
Soon enough, you will reach eighteen
I still won't be sure what all this means
I'll only know that I love you more than life
My wish for you is peace, love, and no strife
As you make your way with words to be spoken
I hope for you that your heart won't be broken
And know a father's affection is only a token
Of the love you deserve to go always unbroken
I remember you looking up at me, and the deal we made
Daddy to baby that you'd walk this world unafraid
This was the first time for us both, and we'd go easy
I took your smiling laugh that you agreed with me
You don't remember - I read to you in your mother's womb
And now I watch as you read in the living room
Then you write songs that you create and bring
And I wait to hear you on stage as you bravely sing
These are some of my thoughts on you turning seventeen
Knowing that a dad's love continues and that means
Even forever after, once you've reached past eighteen
You will remain one of two of my favorite human beings
I've watched as you've grown into the young lady I know
All your experiences and struggles only go to show
You are one of the best persons I've had a privilege to know
It's been my pleasure to watch you as you bloom and grow
Promise me to make the most of what comes your way
Making the best of your each and every passing day
You have so much to give this world, and I am so proud
Filled with more smiles and love than maybe allowed
I remember when you were prematurely born
I didn't give a darn what the doctor warned
You were going to live and you would thrive
I kept you near me night and day to survive
And here you are, my precious daughter, very alive
They were wrong, and I watch now as you do thrive
And maybe this is where I should end this bit of poetry
Knowing that a father's love is for all of eternity
Wherever you go in life, wear your father's love
Even as one day I look down from the heavens above
I know your life will have a lot of different stages
And I long to read each of your future turning pages
Here we are days past you having turned seventeen
Blessed by God, loved by me, for all that means
As long as I breathe, my promises will be duly kept
With all of the love and the tears we both have wept
(c) August 8, 2024 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Affection, Agreed, Allowed, Angel, Baby, Baby Girl, Best Person, Birthday, Blessed By God, Bloom and Grow, Both, Bring, Broken, Comes Your Way, Continues, Create, Dad's Love, Daddy, Days, Deal, Deserve, Doctor, Eighteen, Eternity, Experiences, Father, Favorite Human Beings, First Time, Forever, Go Easy, Grown, Heart, Know, Life, Living Room, Love, Loved By Me, Make the Most, Making the Best, Means, Mother's Womb, No Strife, On Turning 17, One By One, One of Two, Pages, Peace, Pleasure, Poetry, Poetry and Poems, Precious Daughter, Prematurely Born, Privilege, Promise Me, Promises Kept, Proud, Read, Remain, Remember, Seventeen, Show, Sing, Smiling Laugh, Spoken, Stage, Stages, Struggles, Survive, Thoughts, Thrive, Token, Turning Seventeen, Unafraid, Unbroken, Walk, Warn, Watch, Watched, Wish, Words, World's Way, Write Songs, Yesterday, Young Lady
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Thought For the Day: It Is Strange How Often A Heart Must Be Broken Before the Years Can Make It Wise
“It is strange how often a heart must be broken before the years can make it wise.”- Sara Teasdale
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Before, Broken, Heart, Often, Sara Teasdale, Strange, Thought For the Day, Wise, Years
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First Principles: I Tremble For My Country When I Reflect That God Is Just: That His Justice Cannot Sleep Forever
“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever.” – Thomas Jefferson (1781)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Conviction, Firm Basis, First Princples, Forever, Gift of God, God, Just, Justice, Liberties, My Country, Nation, Secure, Sleep, The People, Thomas Jefferson, Tremble, Violated, Wrath
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