“Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Flickr Photos
Thought For the Day: Being A Christian Is Less About Cautiously Avoiding Sin Than About Courageously and Actively Doing God’s Will
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Active, Avooidannce, Caution, Chriistian, Courageous, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God's Will, Sn, Thought For the Day
Leave a comment
First Principles: My List of Virtues Contain’d At First But Twelve: But A Quaker Friend Kindly Informed Me That I Was Generally Thought Proud.. So I Added Humility
“My List of Virtues contain’d at first but twelve: But a Quaker Friend having kindly inform’d me that I was generally thought proud; that my Pride show’d itself frequently in Conversation; that I was not content with being in the right when discussing any Point, but was overbearing & rather insolent; of which he convinc’d me by mentioning several Instances; – I determined endeavouring to cure myself …, and I added Humility to my List, giving an extensive Meaning to the Word.” – Benjamin Franklin
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Benjamin Frankln, Extensve Meanng, First Prnciples, Hmiilty, List of Viirtes, Pride, Quaker, Twelve
Leave a comment
Facing It Down
Facing It Down
by Michael Doyle
Facing down the gates of Hell,
I found a better place to dwell.
My shame was provided healing,
And now I am blessed with this feeling.
My heritage from God runs in my veins,
As I praise the holiest of known names.
I've finally done one thing clever,
As I kneel before the cross, now and forever.
His is the kingdom in this eternal hour.
I am blessed to know His holy power.
Jesus, our savior, causes Satan to cower,
And I am blessed by his eternal power.
Forever, I take part in His story,
Amazed by all that is His heavenly glory.
I've put on a blessed attitude,
As I witness this with obedient gratitude.
Rolling thunder displays His universe,
As I lay my pen to humbled verse.
My soul sings in my trembled tone,
That the Lamb gave all that I be no longer alone.
(c) April 8, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Better Place, Blessed, Clever, Corss, Down, Facing It, Feeling, Gates of Hell, God, Healing, Heriitagee, Holy Name, Kneel, Now and Forever, Poetry and Poems, Shame, Veins
Leave a comment
Joyous Tears
Joyous Tears
by Michael Doyle
Heavy with my sins,
I was in need of a friend.
Driving by church on a Sunday,
I walked in with a word to pray.
The songs began as usual in those days.
Smiling to myself, I joined in the praise.
I never missed a single beat
As I walked inside and took a seat.
Hallelujah, God's love is shown,
To friend and stranger, it will be known.
In love, I joined this celebration,
Knowing my soul needed its redemption.
The minister invited me to change my life.
He told me Jesus offers peace, not strife.
Now, because of this, I know my salvation.
Jesus gave Himself, and we know the benediction.
He humbly pardoned my many transgressions,
Covering all of my omissions and aggressions.
His love has taken away my dreaded fears;
Love like this causes my joyous tears.
(c) April 7, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Celebration, Change My Life, Church, Friend, God's Love, Hallelujah, Heavy, Inside, Jesus, Joy, Knwn, Love, Minister, Poetry and Poems, Praise, Pray, Redemption, Seat, Shown, Single Beat, Sins, Smile, Songs, Sunday, Tears, Word
Leave a comment
Thought For the Day: The Meaning of Life Is To Find Your Gift. The Purpose of Life Is To Give It Away
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Find, Gift, Give It Away, Lfe, Meaning, Pablo Piicasso, Purpose of Liife, Thought For the Day
Leave a comment
First Principles: The Highest Glory of the American Revolution Was This: It Connected In One Indissoluble Bond the Principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” – John Quincy Adams
Thought For the Day: Difficulties Are Meant To Rouse, Not Discourage. The Human Spirit Is To Grow Strong By Conflict
“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.” – William Ellery Channing
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Conflict, Difficulty, Discourge, Growth, Human Spirit, Rouse, Strengthh, Thought For the Day, William Ellery Chaniing
Leave a comment
First Principles: I Never Considered A Difference of Opinion In Politics, In Religion, In Philosophy, As Cause For Withdrawing From A Friend
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” – Thomas Jefferson
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Cause, Difference, First Princples, Friend, Opinion, Phiilosophhy, Poliitiics, Reliigiion, Thomas Jeffersoo, Withdrawal
Leave a comment
The Wagner Problem In the 21st Century
The Wagner Problem In the 21st Century
by Michael Doyle
What do we do when authority doesn't fit?
In point of fact, Wagner was an ethical nitwit.
Despite 10 operas being core pillars of our iconography,
It's hard to get the blood stains out of his geography.
Hateful is as hateful does, and the Left's has been discerned
As an antisemitism that is avoided but cannot be unlearned.
The rude boy's vapidness will not be forgotten over time,
However much the academics dress up as being sublime.
Staging operas at the Met makes for a necessary confrontation
Noble gods and subterranean opposition fight before the nation.
There's a lot of pain in racism's rubbed raw friction.
The worst of this is that fascism is not just useful fiction.
It is the incomplete lessons that we pull from man's history,
And how we deal with this brings defeat or humanity's victory.
In the worldwide conflicts that fill our days with frayed doubt,
There is a lot left for this world yet to figure out.
Artistic traditions are forsaken in the name of diversity.
Old classics are overlooked and abandoned without mastery.
Western culture is stared down with self-loathing and timidity.
As though DEI is a greater investment than true artistry.
Tristan and Isolde is a metaphor for cultural memory.
This structure has its roots in the struggle of our family.
On the one hand are questions of modern sensibility.
On the other hand, there are questions of civility.
(c) April 6, 2026 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged 21st Century, Acaemia, Antisemitism, Authhority, Blood Stains, Core Pillr, Ethics, Fascism, Geography, Hate, Iconography, Opera, Poetry and Poems, Problem, Racism, Sublime, The Left, Wagner
Leave a comment
Thought For the Day: The Judging Mind Is Very Divisive. It Separates. Separation Closes Your Heart. If You Close Your Heart To Someone, You Are Perpetuating Your Suffering and Theirs
“Watch how your mind judges. Judgment comes, in part, out of your own fear. You judge other people because you’re not comfortable in your own being. By judging, you find out where you stand in relation to other people. The judging mind is very divisive. It separates. Separation closes your heart. If you close your heart to someone, you are perpetuating your suffering and theirs. Shifting out of judgment means learning to appreciate your predicament and their predicament with an open heart instead of judging. Then you can allow yourself and others to just be, without separation.”– Ram Dass
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Comfort, Diivisiion, Fear, Heart, Judgment, Mnd, Open Heart, Predicament, Ram Dass, Relasionship, Separation, Suffering, Thought For the Day
Leave a comment
ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 