For the Love of Us All

MARRIED TO THE CHURCH

Growing up

AS a young man in Pittsburgh, Pa.

ALL I ever thought of

As I got older

Was going to college

Meeting a woman

That I very much loved

And raising a family

In other words-like many of us

I wanted to-pursue THE AMERICAN DREAM

Then came my 22^nd birthday

My first deathbed experience

And my promise to GOD:

“To live for my family

My friends

And ALL people everywhere”

About 2005 or 2006

I finally began to realize

That God had a different plan for me

Than I had for myself

A different plan for me

Than he had for most others

Like Jesus

I was to be committed

To God and the CHURCH

SO I FOLLOW CHRIST

AS MOST ALL of us do

As he is the Head of the Church

“For the husband

Is the head of the wife

As Christ is the head of the church

His body

Of which he is the Savior”                                                      Ephesians 5:23

“After all

No one ever hated his own body

But he feeds and cares for it

Just as Christ does the church-

For we are members of his body

‘For this reason

A man will leave

His father and mother

And be united to his wife

And the two

Will become one flesh’

This is a profound mystery

But I am talking about Christ and the church”                                Ephesians 5:32

So I believe I have

A different calling than you

Not better or worse-just different

I have a friend

I call her “Maggie”

And she is my sister in Christ

And my soul mate (a purely platonic relationship)

She says that she believes

That I was

Never meant to share my life

With just one woman

Because I can reach SO MANY

So Christ

Was married to the church

And he had Mary Magdalene

Following in his footsteps

In my own “little” way

I have my friend Maggie

I BELIEVE

The church to BE a FAMILY

And I believe in FAMILY UNITY

Both in the church

AND IN FAMILIES

UNITY IS SO PRECIOUS

I just don’t understand

HOW THE CHURCH

HAS BROKEN into so many pieces

As I don’t understand

HOW families break apart

Well-FOR what it is

I WILL REMAIN

Married to the church

And to my own PRECIOUS FAMILY

And most importantly

I will remain-COMMITED to my promise

And married to God

And PRAY that God

Will make something

Out of my life and yours

For we are all

“PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD”                        Psalm 116:15

Robert P. Wallman

5-15-13

Ps        Maggie has been my friend since 2006

            She has attended five different churches with me

            -Four different denominations

            She CONTINUES to be my BF