Thought For the Day: There Is Tremendous Relief In Knowing That His Love Is Based At Every Point In Prior Knowledge of the Worst About Me

“There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me.” – J.I. Packer

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First Principles: Do Not Conform To the Pattern of This World, But Be Transformed By the Renewing of Your Mind. Then You Will Be Able To Test and Approve What God’s Will Is

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.– Romans 12:2 NIV

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A Case For Somaliland

A Case For Somaliland
by Michael Doyle

Washington held it as a proper expectation
That immigrants would adhere to dedication
That anyone moving into our great nation
Would endeavor to adopt the path of assimilation.

Still, we find that there are familial ties
To their past nation, and without the need for lies
One such nation has risen from the clouds of darkness.
And as a sovereign nation, it escaped from harshness.

Somaliland is independent and holds sovereignty,
But it needs acknowledgment for its legitimacy.
Said Barre sought to dismantle Somalia's dignity,
Ruling through death and causing an insurgency.

This crude tyranny relied on Marxist-Leninist ideology.
Democratic dissent was disallowed through his cruelty.
Bowing to his Soviet paymasters, in practiced annihilation
Barre's rule brought death and destruction to this nation.

Generations of trauma ended with the regime in 1991.
In a miracle, victory brought consensus, not the gun.
With determination and the vapid will to endure,
Somaliland sought constitutional rule as its cure.

While the rest of Somalia struggled itself into error,
Somaliland sought order, not warlordism and jihadist terror.
The hand of God was clear and evident in this choice.
Refusing hatred, Somaliland chose, instead, a healing voice.

In a region filled with the atrocities of extremism,
The people of Somaliland, instead, embrace pluralism.
Allowing each person to find their way to God's voice,
As a matter of individual dignity and each soul's free choice.

British respect for the rule of law has wrought decency,
In a region that has expressed a preference for tyranny.
Representative rule is handled by democratic institutions
Within the parameters of law set out in its constitution.

The economy is based on a sound respect for property.
The greatest resource is the love for fostering stability.
Lasting respect and rightful standing, it's known
This peaceful land may just reap what it has sown.

Embracing the ways of America with eyes toward tomorrow,
Brings hope but doesn't completely erase the sorrow.
Somaliland has shown that much is quite possible,
And with support, its continuing success is probable.

(c) September 6, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved

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First Principles: The American Dream Is Freedom, Prosperity, Peace – and Liberty and Justice For All. That’s A Big Dream. It’s Not Always Easy To Achieve, But That’s the Ideal

“The American Dream is freedom, prosperity, peace-and liberty and justice for all. That’s a big dream. It’s not always easy to achieve, but that’s the ideal. More than any country in history we’ve made gains toward a democracy that is enviable throughout the world. Dreams require perseverance if they are to be realized, and fortunately we’re a hard-working country and people. We are the luckiest people in history, just by the fact that we are Americans.” – Donald Trump

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Thought For the Day: He Is Happiest, Be He King Or Peasant, Who Finds Peace In His Home

“He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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All the Days Are Gone

All The Days Are Gone
by Michael Doyle

Listen a little closer to the song,
Tell me, does it somehow belong?
It's not a case of stump the band,
But it's a memory of favorites across the land.

Standing ready across this promised land,
What you want to hear, a wish becomes a command.
Happiness in a song isn't so hard to find,
It's the memory dedicated to those left behind.

Death's final gift to those left living
Is the memory of what life keeps giving.
It may be hard. It might be demanding.
But we do what we do to still be standing.

Standing as the lights go down,
Somehow we wear victory's sweet crown.
A salute to our friends lost along the way,
The truth has run us down to this day.

There's a pounding in my chest,
As I fight to live, like all the rest.
Playing it out to the very end.
We find our memories are our last best friend.

A hushed kind of whisper shines its light
On our every wrong we thought was right.
On the back streets of our fallen night,
Man, what a mess we were in God's full sight.

The last chord played in our heart,
Was the lost chord we searched for from our start.
A tear of happiness rolls down a wrinkled face
Of every broken heart that remembers the place.

Tramps like us, we were born to run
As we chased after our place in the sun.
We really had quite a lot of mischievous fun.
Let's have one more day before all days are gone.

...There's no one left to carry on.
My heart was sold down at the pawn shop and is gone.
... There's no one left to lean on.
It turns out life's fairytale was no once upon...

(c) September 5, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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First Principles: The Audacity of Hope! In the End, That Is God’s Greatest Gift To Us…A Belief In Better Days Ahead

“Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us…A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.” – Barack Obama

Bari was again entirely wrong on this one. God’s greatest gift to mankind is salvation. But he was right, considering how his administration dragged America downward; better days were found immediately after Bari left office.

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Thought For the Day: If You Want Children To Keep Their Feet On the Ground, Put Some Responsibility On Their Shoulders

“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.” – Abigail Van Buren

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Syncopated Anticipation

Syncopated Anticipation
by Michael Doyle

The music, any music, has its own flow,
Leaving behind the day as we dance.
We enjoy the moments as these flow,
As if inside a fluid sense of trance.

The audience is part of the show.
The thunder roars across the road.
We share a laugh as if we know,
Maybe it is a mystery that didn't need told.

Sleeping sitting up as the day goes,
Somewhere into the nether world of shadows.
These were the rituals of transference
That breaks our way, despite its appearance.

Despite the days that seamlessly roll on,
No one ever really dies if their memories go on.
Our hearts are revealed in every audible line;
Music caresses our ears like a forever Valentine.

I look into the loneliness of the night,
Wondering if tomorrow will be all right.
My soul has peeled away into the darkness,
No longer able to hold back life's harshness.

No one writes the diary of the endless road,
Except page by page, it cannot be foretold.
There's bound to be a nightly miracle displayed.
If you listen closely, you'll hear it in every note played.

Tapped into the gospel's not-so-hidden slipstream,
Its improvisation becomes our fulfilled dream.
Everyone's moments spill into bringing pause,
As hot jazz slides past its own regal laws.

We never know past the contrarian fascination,
How it will come out beyond the syncopation.
Approached with madness and deliberation,
The sum of all parts is felt with dedication.

(c) September 4, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
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First Principles: The Peaceful Transfer of Authority Is Rare In History, Yet Common In Our Country. With A Simple Oath, We Affirm Old Traditions and Make New Beginnings

“The peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.” – George W. Bush

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