“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson (1809)
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” – Nelson Mandela, activist, South African president, Nobel laureate (18 Jul 1918-2013)
“There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.” – Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (17 Jul 1921-1944)
Paul, the murderer, brought salvation Finding perfection in the worst situation Today in the world's secularization We can still find faith in our dedication
The traumas that come and go Can be disruptive to our best flow God somehow finds His way past our mistakes To bring the healing needed past our heartbreaks
People come along with their complications Some of these are vague and without explanation However enlightened they may feel There is only one foundation that keeps life real
Church is a place we can rest and heal And stop our misguided path toward Hell Faithful in Jesus, we learn to die to self Finding truth in wisdom, and no longer from the shelf
God does His best not because of us But miraculously found despite of us The Holy Spirit chases our consciences around In all of God's blessings to be found
Jesus hangs out with all of us sinners Turning around our lives into being winners Finding our way within God's grace The story is told and fulfilled in common place
Slaying the giants of fear and death We whisper the aloha of life with every breath Emmanuel died upon sin's Roman cross To make the way for victory from seeming loss
This then is the revelation of God's will There are gaps in our knowledge, and yet still We find the favor undeserved, somehow through grace When we look straight into God's beautiful face
Finding and living God's strength of courage Despite our faults, we can find ways to encourage That the heroes of the Bible were beyond comparison Examples of who not to seek on a holy horizon
Yet, accepting the stations n life were found To become the bounty that readily abounds When we find ourselves by being ourselves Speaking God's love and not from books on the shelf
Church is not a country club, but a hospital Salvation is not earned, but because God is hospitable To whos who need to find the way to heal And find our peace by and through God's goodwill
All of us are prodigal sons and daughters Who need to find our way back to the Father Like the good shepherd, the hound of Heaven hunts us down Until we become open to accepting victory's crown
The knocking that we hear is God at the door To get past the disruptions that make us ignore The faith that we need to give our lives and love And to accept our salvation from God above
(c) July 16, 2023 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
Everyday deserves a little celebration. None can be better than to keep a little Christmas in our hearts and souls every day of every year. Toward that end, Aloha Promises Forever aka Michael Doyle has created this Spotify playlist for everyone’s Christmasy enjoyment. Sure it’s July. But at over 10 hours of music, it seems that the playlist is only going to continue to expand as I find contemporary music that is original and enhances our lives.
Other lists will be added here soon. Please enjoy!!
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. – Ephesians 1: 1-9
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
