WITNESSING TO THE WORD

WITNESS




10-24-13




WITNESSING TO THE WORD


Do you know
What the word martyr means
It means WITNESS
In this sense


A witness
That dies a literal death


But you don’t have
To physically die
To be a martyr
You just have to DIE to yourself
And your selfishness
In today’s world


YOU CAN BE
A living martyr


A witness
Gives evidence
Of WHO God is
And gives the evidence of truth
As to how
GOD AND CHRIST
Has changed our lives
And has worked in our lives


“YOU will receive power
When the Holy Spirit
COMES upon you
And you will be my WITNESSES
In Jerusalem
Throughout Judea and Samaria
And to
THE ends of the earth” Acts 1:8


Dear Lord-I PRAY-WE PRAY
That you ask me
That you ask us
To be true witnesses
IN TODAY’S WORLD


Robert P. Wallman
5-23-13




Ps Inspired by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE
By Mark Neilsen





WITNESS 10-24-13

THE NEED FOR GOD IN OUR LIVES

WITNESS




10-23-13




THE NEED FOR GOD




Contrary to the public opinion
In today’s world
There is a NEED FOR GOD
In our lives
In fact more today
Than ever before


More in our lives globally
More in our lives nationally
And more in our lives
Both in our families
And in our lives individually


Take a look around
Are you seeing
The same world that I am seeing


We have war in our streets
We have murder
We have rape
We have incest
And we have child abuse


Our families are NOT safe
Our children are NOT safe
And it is NOT safe to be on the streets
Of any major city in this country


And we have
MORE of a need for God
In our lives than ever before


“Do not be like them ( the pagans )
For your Father
Knows what you need
Before you ask him” Matthew 6:8


We have war among governments
We are having complete financial breakdowns
In many European countries
And yet the prevailing opinion is
For less God
In today’s world


The last time that I checked
It was not God
Who was responsible
For many of these things
It was us-but of course-WE KNOW BETTER


MORE GOD-not less


“Share with God’s people
Who are in need
Practice hospitality” Romans 12:13


MORE GOD-not less


Love God with your whole heart
Love your neighbor as yourself
Forgive 70x7


It doesn’t sound to me
Like God’s teachings
Lead to murder in the streets,
Rape, incest, or child abuse


It’s the me first-you last-or you never attitude
That exists in our world today
Selfishness
That is what gets us into trouble


Families breaking down-losing friendships
Over health, money, sex, and death


“He who despises his neighbor sins
But BLESSED is he
Who is kind to the needy” Proverbs 20:21


MORE GOD-not less


Leave the NAME OF GOD on money
Leave PUBLIC PRAYER in schools


Let us all
PRAY to the ONE true God
Whose name is LOVE


“So when you give to the needy
Do NOT announce it with trumpets
As the hypocrites do
In the synagogues
And on the streets
To be honored by man


I tell you the truth
They have received their reward in full” Matthew 6:2


More we-LESS I
MORE GOD-less me


We pray WITH GREAT NEED
To God
To my/our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ
To help us
To HELP THIS WORLD
IN OUR TIME OF NEED


“The Lord
Will guide you always
He will satisfy your needs
In a sun-scorched land
And will strengthen your frame


You will be
Like a well-watered garden
Like a spring
Whose waters NEVER FAIL” Isaiah 58:11


We pray for help
To the one true God
WHOSE NAME IS LOVE


THE NEED FOR GOD
In our lives and in our world
Is greater than ever before


Robert P. Wallman
8-5-12




ps WITNESS 10-23-13

THE LAST WORD-EVEN IN DEATH

THE LAST WORD-EVEN IN DEATH




Have you ever been
In a discussion
Or an argument-IF you prefer
With someone
TRYING to get the LAST WORD


You might as well
Take your head
And bang it against the wall
It will have
THE SAME EFFECT
On that person


But one thing
We KNOW for sure
IS THAT GOD
ALWAYS has the last word
Because his WORDS are true


EVEN in life and death matters


In his 7^th chapter
Saint Luke tells us the story
Of the WIDOW NAIN


Jesus-his disciples-and a LARGE CROWD
Were in a town called NAIN


As Jesus approached the town gate
A dead person
Was being carried out


THE ONLY SON
Of his mother
And she was a widow
And a large crowd
From the town Was with her


“WHEN the Lord
Saw her
HIS HEART went out to her
And he said,
'DON'T CRY' Luke 7:13


Then he went up
And touched the coffin
And said,
“YOUNG MAN-I say to you GET UP” Luke 7:14
And , of course, HE DID


DEATH was NOT
The last word
And it IS NOT
THE LAST WORD
In this world
Or the next


“THIS is what the Lord says
Israel's King and Redeemer
The, Lord Almighty,

'I am the first
And I am the LAST
Apart from me
THERE IS NO GOD'” Isaiah 44:6


“DO NOT be afraid
I am the First and the Last


I am
THE LIVING ONE
I was dead
And behold
I AM ALIVE
For ever and ever
And I HOLD the keys
Of death and Hades” Revelations 1:17-18


And WE ALL KNOW
The story of Christ
Bringing back Lazarus
(the loving brother)
Of Martha and Mary
From death


And CHRIST'S own victory
OVER death


He is-GOD IS
THE LAST WORD


Jesus said to Martha,


“I AM the RESURRECTION
And the LIFE
He who believes in me
WILL LIVE
Even though he died


And whoever LIVES
And BELIEVES in me
WILL NEVER DIE
Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26


Dear Lord
37 years ago
AFTER I was given the LAST RIGHTS
I LIVED


And like
THE WIDOW NAIN and her son
LIKE Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
AND LIKE YOU


I HUMBLY SAY
“I BELIEVE”


YOU LORD
have the LAST WORD
( even in death )




Robert P. Wallman
9-24-13




Ps I THANK YOU LORD for ALL the additional years
I have had to spend with family-friends-churches-etc.








DEAR GOD-I BELIEVE

A MOTHER'S LIFE-THE GIFT OF A LIFE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY






A MOTHER’S LOVE---THE GIFT OF A LIFE




With the exception
Of the Blessed Mother
I feel like
My 2 sisters and I
Had the greatest Mother---
The world has ever seen


Children are a reward
From the Lord


My sister Mary
Is also one of the finest Mothers
I have ever seen


A woman devoted with love
To her 4 girls


Lindsay born in 1990
Children are a reward


Allison born in 1992
Children are a reward


“For where your treasure is
There your heart will also be” Matthew 6:21


As long as I can remember
Mary’s treasure
Has always been
Will always be
Her family---her children


Stephanie born in 1995


Children are
A reward from God
A reward for a Mother’s love


Carley born in 1997
The gift of a life
A reward from God
For a Mother’s love


Mary is also
A devoted wife
Been married to David for 23 years


“A wife of noble character
Who can find?
She is worth
Far more than rubles


Her husband
Has full confidence in her
And lacks nothing of value” Proverbs 31:10-11


Mary has also been
A devoted daughter and sister
Despite living out of town
And having a family of her own
She spent much time
With my Father and Mother---always
But particularly
As they lived out their days


Mary and I
Have always been close
Going back all the way
To when we were teenagers


This continues to this day
As she continues
To call me numerous times each week
To see how that I am


Jesus once said,
“Who are my Mother and brothers?”
And then, as if to answer his own question, said
“Whoever does God’s will
Is my brother, my sister, my Mother” Mark 3:33 & 35


In that same spirit
On Mary’s 51^st birthday
We celebrate
The gift of a life
The gift of her life


The gift of a daughter
The gift of a sister
The gift of a devoted wife


But mostly
The gift of


A MOTHER’S LOVE






Robert P. Wallman
10-8-11





Ps Mary was named after the Blessed Mother---Happy 51^st Birthday Mary---I Love You

THE CHOICE---FLESH VERSUS THE SPIRIT

WITNESS




10-19-13




THE CHOICE: FLESH VERSUS THE SPIRIT




WE all have a choice
In life
To LIVE by the flesh
Or live by the SPIRIT


“YOU were called for freedom
Brothers and sisters
But do NOT use this freedom
As an opportunity
For the flesh
Rather
SERVE one another
Through love” Galatians 5:13


So the question becomes
What does BEING FREE
Really mean
And HOW
Can we attain it


THE TRUTH IS
We are ALL a slave
To something or someone
In this world


That is WHERE addictions come in


We have
SLAVES to sex
We have slaves
To money and materialism
We have
Slaves to drugs
Slaves to alcohol
And many other forms
Of slavery in this world


In the eight chapter
Os Saint John’s Gospel
Jesus tells us:


“IF you
Hold to my teachings
You really are
My disciples


Then you will know
The truth
And the truth
Will set you free” John 8:31-32


Jesus goes on:


“I tell you the truth
Everyone who sins
Is a SLAVE to sin


NOW a slave
Has no permanent place
In the family


BUT A SON
Belongs to it FOREVER


So if the SON sets you FREE
You will be FREE indeed” John 8:34-36


There you have it
THE CHOICE


The choice
Is between GOD AND FAMILY
And being a slave
To the things of this world


CHOOSE THE SPIRIT
CHOOSE GOD
CHOOSE FAMILY


Pope John Paul II once said:


“FREEDOM consists
NOT in doing what we like
But in having THE RIGHT
To do what we ought”


So the PATHWAY
To freedom
Comes through SERVING others IN LOVE


LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
What Jesus told us
ARE the GREATEST commandments


So-in doing this
We GROW beyond our selfishness
And serve others through our love
AND FIND LIFE
In and though God


“The mind of sinful man
Is death
But he mind controlled
BY THE SPIRIT-IS LIFE AND PEACE” Romans 8:6


Choose the SPIRIT
Choose GOD
Choose FAMILY
CHOOSE LIFE


Robert P. Wallman
7-21-13


Ps Inspired by LIVING FAITH magazine 6-30-13
Mark Neilsen




WITNESS 10-19-13

A MAN CALLED LUKE

WITNESS




10-18-13




A MAN CALLED LUKE




He is
The only Gentle writer
Among the 72 books of the Bible


He was
A Greek physician by trade
A disciple of Saint Paul
And his books include
The Gospel of Saint Luke
And the Acts of the Apostles


The Gospel of Saint Luke was once called
“The loveliest book in the world”
Or/and “The most beautiful book ever written”


Luke’s Gospel is considered the Gospel of women
Because of Jesus’ passion to the women of Jerusalem
Because of its emphasis
On Mary---the birth of Jesus---
Her visit to her cousin Elizabeth
Mary’s prayer of glorification to the Lord
And her acceptance of God’s mission
From the angel without hesitation


“I am the Lord’s servant,”
Said Mary to the angel
“Let it be done to me according to your word”


Luke knew
That then, as now,
We don’t understand this notion
Of God’s unconditional love
For us
We just don’t understand
The heart of God


So Luke
Gives us an historical account of Jesus’ life
He teaches us
About Jesus’ humanity
He teaches us about Jesus’ public ministry
Through his perfect compassion and forgiveness
Through stories like
The Good Samaritan, The Lost ( “Prodigal ) Son
And the rich man and Lazarus


Jesus understands our weakness
So says Luke
Jesus understands our temptations and our trials
So says Luke
He came to save both Jew and Gentile
So says our Saint Luke


He came for both the outcasts and the accepted
He came
To save both the poor and the rich
He came for
Both men and women
He came for
The free and the oppressed
He came for
Each and every one of us


So says
A man called Luke
In “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK EVER WRITTEN”


Go ahead and read
The book written by a physician and a gentile
A book written by


A MAN CALLED LUKE


Robert P. Wallman
4-30-11





Ps WITNESS 10-18-13

SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE-the SAINT OF FAMILIES

WITNESS




10-17-13




THE SAINT OF FAMILIES---SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE
( feast day OCTOBER 17^th )










She was born
In the 17^th century
The 5^th child of a notary
And she had an unhappy childhood


She became a VISITATION nun
At the age of 25
She was patient and charitable
But also clumsy and impractical


She had a series of visions of Christ
And along with some others
---Namely Saint Gertrude
Were responsible for reviving devotion
To the SACRED HEART OF JESUS
And reminding us
Of Jesus’ love for ALL men


Dear Lord
We pray that you use us
As you used Saint Margaret Mary
To revive interest in both God and family
In this indifferent Godless world
That we live in today


We pray to you Dear Lord
And the great Saint---Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
To help us revive this interest
Of GOD and FAMILY in today’s world


And we pray
That the SACRED HEART OF JESUS
And the IMMACULATE HEART of MARY
Reign again in ALL families
Both rich and poor


ALL nations, ALL religious, ALL nationalities
And ALL colors and creeds


We pray---Dear Lord
That you again teach us
The sanctity of human love
The value of human love
And the VALUE of family life


We pray
That you again teach us
To be united
In RESPECT and in LOVE
So that we may share in your life forever


We ask for ALL of these things
In the name of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
---The Saint of families
And in the name of THE HOLY FAMILY
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
And in the name of Jesus and HIS MOST SACRED HEART


Robert P. Wallman
10-19-11




Ps WITNESS 10-17-13

MISSING THE POINT OF LIFE

WITNESS




10-16-13




MISSING THE POINT ( of life )




Are you like me
Do you find
That many of us
Are missing the point
Of God’s central theme
Of who he is
And what he is
Trying to teach us


And what he is
Trying to teach us
Is that he loves us
With an ever-lasting---never-ending
Kind of love


And that
He has mercy and compassion for us
Even in our deepest---darkest moments


GOD LOVES YOU


Love is patient
Love is kind


God loves you


The Lord appeared in the past saying,
“I have loved you
With an everlasting love
I have drawn you
With loving kindness” Jeremiah 31:3


Love does not boast
Love is not proud
Love is not rude
Love is not self-seeking


If we are living out our lives
On these qualities
Putting ourselves first
We are MISSING THE POINT
Of life


“A new command I give you:
Love one another
As I have loved you
So you must love one another


By this all men will know
That you are my disciples
If you love one another” John 13:34 & 35


Love is not easily angered
It keeps no record of wrong


Love does not delight in evil
But rejoices in the truth


And the truth
Shall set you free
And the truth is that
GOD LOVES YOU


It always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres


If we live out our life
By loving him
If we live out our life
By loving others


We know that we won’t be
MISSING THE POINT
Of life


Because as 1 Corinthians 13 tells us


LOVE NEVER FAILS


Robert P. Wallman
11-11-11





Ps WITNESS 10-16-13

LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU-Saint Theresa Avila

WITNESS




10-15-13




LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU---
( the story of SAINT THERESA of AVILA)




So easily
We become disturbed
In today’s world


About our health
About our finances
About our relationships
And about a myriad of other things


Even as a child
Theresa of Avila
Was thought to be particularly pious
Playing with her brother---at hermitages


And once---the two of them even ran away
Hoping to die as martyrs in Monaco


Theresa’s mother died when she was 14
And her reaction was predictable
As she developed a desire for worldly treasures
Such as romance, fashion, and perfume


Her father sent her away
To be educated by Augustinian nuns
And while there---she became ill


While ill
She began so study the word of God
And became so enthralled
By the letters of Saint Jerome
She decided to become a nun


She became a Carmelite nun
But a year later---became ill again
Possibly a malignant malaria


LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU


Theresa began to practice mental prayer
But later abandoned it


But after her father’s death
Picked it up again
NEVER to give it up again


Theresa’s exuberance, prudence, and charity
Touched ALL---but later
When she began to experience visions
And other SPIRITUAL encounters
She began
To become misunderstood, ridiculed, and even persecuted


She identified herself with two great Saints
---Two great sinners-penitents
Who were TRANSFORMED BY GOD---
Saint Augustine and MARY MAGDALENE


She lived in a little nunnery
With 12 other nuns
Under conditions of poverty-hardship-and solitude


Theresa herself---took her turns at sweeping-spinning
And many other menial household tasks


Her prayers to God
Lasted a lifetime
And LIVE ON today in her writings---
THE WAY TO PERFECTION and THE INTERIOR CASTLE


Dear God
We pray that as we experience hardship in this life
And we will


That we adopt that same attitude
Of Saint Theresa
That we keep our eyes FIXED on you
And that we truly live by what Saint Theresa truly did
And in fact said:


“LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU”




Robert P. Wallman
10-15-11


Ps her feast day is October 15^th





WITNESS 10-15-13

A GRATEFUL HEART

WITNESS


9-30-13


“A Grateful Heart”

Oh Lord
You who
Have given us
So much
Give us one thing more

The gift
Of a grateful heart

In the Bible
Jesus tells the story
Of how
He healed 10 lepers

1 came back to thank him
What about us
Are we like the one
Or
Are we like the other 9

All we have
In this world
Comes from God
All we are
All we can ever become
Depends on God

What about us
Are we unreal
Are we selfish
Are we demanding
Are we proud and arrogant

Dear Lord
Please help us
To always be
Like the one leper
Who
Came back and said thank you

So finally Lord
We pray
You who have
Given us so much
Give us one thing more

The gift
Of A grateful heart                    Robert P. Wallman        4/28/10
Robert P. Wallman        April 28th, 2010


Ps        WITNESS        9-30-13

BE PTEPARED

WITNESS




10-14-13




BE PREPARED




Are you a Christian
Are you
Living your life
WITH HOPE


If you are
Always be prepared
To answer the question
Where did you get---SUCH HOPE


“But in your heart
Revere Christ as Lord
ALWAYS BE PREPARED
To give an answer
To everyone who asks you
To give the reason
For the HOPE that you have


But do this
With gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15


If you are a true Christian
You are living a life
Different from the way
Of the world


You are living a life
That someone in the secular world
Should be saying,


“What does that guy have
Or what does that girl have
That I don’t have”


And be prepared
To give an answer
IF and when you are asked


TELL them
YOU FOUND GOD
Tell them
You found Christ
Tell them
You found LOVE in your life


And that love
Is the REASON for it all
Is
The MEANING OF LIFE


BE PREPARED


“You PREPARE a table before me
In the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil
My cup overflows


Surely GOODNESS and love
Will follow me
ALL the days of my life


And I will DWELL
In the house of the Lord forever” Psalm 23:5-6


Be prepared
To give the reason for it all


LOVE


Be prepared
To tell others
WHY God loves you
And WHY God loves them


“NO eyes has seen
Nor ear has heard
No mind has conceived
WHAT God has prepared
FOR those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9


The reason for it all
IS LOVE
The reason for it all
IS BECAUSE GOD LOVES YOU
And the reason for it all
IS because you LOVE GOD


Always BE PREPARED
To give this answer


“This is my command
LOVE ONE ANOTHER” John 15:17


They’ll know you are Christians
BY YOUR LOVE


Robert P. Wallman
8-21-12




ps WITNESSS 10-14-13

GOD AND WORK

WITNESS




10-13-13




GOD AND WORK




Do you like to work
Do you
Have a GOOD work ethic


NOW a days
Not only do we have jobs
But we have CAREERS
That we specialize in


It may SURPRISE you
To know
That God
Has a LOT to say
ABOUT WORK


First off he says
Do your work IN SIX DAYS


“Six days do your work
But on the seventh day
DO NOT WORK” Exodus 23:12


After ALL
GOD CREATED the world in six days
And on the seventh day
He RESTED


These days
I do NOT work for money
BUT nevertheless
I consider the work
That I do
Very important


Perhaps more important
Than when I worked for a career


I am working for the LORD
In fact, Jesus considered HIS MISSION AS WORK


“As long as it is day
WE MUST do the work of HIM
Who sent me


Night is coming
When no one can work


WHILE I AM
in the world
I am
THE LIGHT of the world” John 9:4-5


And we
Should have the SAME WORK ETHIC
That Jesus did


Though we
MAY NOT be the light
Of the world


We may be
The ONLY LIGHT OF GOD
That some people
May see


And whatever work
That we do
We should do it well
We should
Have PRIDE in our work
Even if
It is just sweeping floors


And ALWAYS know
That God wants you
To be HAPPY in your work


“MOREOVER
When God gives any man
Wealth and possessions
And enables him
To enjoy them
To accept his lot
And be HAPPY in his work-
This is a GIFT OF GOD” Ecclesiastes 5:19


And KNOW
That whatever God began in you
He WILL carry it on to completion


God will NEVER forget you
And neither will I


BE HAPPY
In your work
WHETHER it is
THE WORK OF GOD
OR the work of your career
(or BOTH)


BE HAPPY
And do it
To the BEST of your ability


“I THANK my God
Every time I REMEMBER you


In ALL my prayers
For ALL of you
I ALWAYS pray
With JOY
Because of your partnership
In the gospel
From the first day
Until now


BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS


That he WHO BEGAN
A GOOD work in you
Will carry it on To completion
UNTIL the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:3-6


Until then
BE HAPPY-and do GOOD WORK


Robert P. Wallman
9-8-13





Ps WITNESS 10-13-13

ACCEPTANCE

WITNESS




10-13-13




ACCEPTANCE




ACCEPTANCE
It is a wonderful thing


Do you accept
The PRESENCE of God
In your life


Accept God
ACCEPT your family and friends
And MOST importantly
ACCEPT yourself (weaknesses and all)


“ACCEPT one another-then-
Just as Christ accepted you-
In order to bring praise
To God” Romans 15:7


Accept others
As Christ has ACCEPTED you


And accept GOD’S WORD
For we know
God’s Word
Is the eternal truth


For God CANNOT and WILL not lie


“Because God wanted to make
The unchanging nature of his purpose
Very clear
To the heirs
On what was promised
He confirmed it with an oath
God did this
So that by two unchangeable things
For which it is impossible
For God to lie


We who have fled
To take hold of the HOPE
Offered to us
May be greatly encouraged” Hebrews 6:17-18


And his purpose
Is very clear
That is: HE LOVES US
For ourselves
Weaknesses and all


ACCEPTANCE by God
Is a wonderful thing


And if God
OUR MAKER and creator accepts us
Who are we
NOT to accept ourselves


For he gave up
His very self for you and me
FOR ALL OF US


HE ACCEPTED US
It was us
Who did not accept him


“’I tell you the truth,’ he continued
NO prophet is accepted in his home town’” Luke 4:24


Dear friends
Let us not
Make the same mistake


ACCEPT GOD
Accept others
And ACCEPT yourself
For acceptance
IS A WONDERFUL THING


Robert P. Wallman
5-29-13




ps WITNESS 10-13-13

A NAME-NOT A NUMBER

WITNESS




10-11-13




A NAME AND NOT A NUMBER








We have a phone number
We have an address number
A social security number
And many many other numbers


So many other numbers
That I sometimes I forget


But to God---we are not a number
We are a name
Psalm 147
Says God even knows
Each of the stars---by name


I don’t know about you
But living in a world full of numbers
And sometimes feeling meaningless


I find it encouraging and reassuring
That God knows my name


In Luke 12, Jesus tells us,
“The very hairs on your head
Are numbered
Don’t be afraid
You are worth more than many sparrows”


God knows
Everything about us
Every little thought
That we have


He never forgets a thing
About us
Except, of course, our sins


That’s our God
Our God that we don’t understand
A God that is
Madly in love with us
Despite our small mindedness
And our weaknesses


God changed
Simon’s name to Peter
Changed Saul’s name to Paul


God may never change our name
But we can rest assured
That he does know our name
And we can rest assured
That he gave us work to do
In this world
That no one else can do---only us


So finally dear Lord we pray
That you---who always remember our name
That we---NEVER FORGET YOURS


Robert P. Wallman
7-31-11




Ps--------inspired by the teachings of Father Leo Clifford---OFM





WITNESS 10-11-13

YOU'RE A BETTER MAN THAN I---GUNGA DIN

WITNESS




10-10-13




YOU”RE A BETTER MAN THAN
I---Gunga Din








One of my Father’ favorite movies
Was a movie called, “GUNGA DIN”
It was about
A young Indian water boy
To British soldiers
In late 19^th century India


My Dad and I
Used to watch it together


Gunga Din
Always wanted to be a soldier


Towards the end of the movie
Three British soldiers and Gunga Din
Are captured, wounded, and incarcerated


The British troops
Are marching into an ambush
And are going to be annihilated


Despite being critically wounded
Gunga Din climbs up in plain sight of everyone
And blows the bugle
Warning the British troops
As he gets shot over and over again


Gunga Din---at the end of the movie
Posthumously is elevated
To the rank of soldier


I believe it was Rudyard Kipling
Who once wrote,


“If you can keep your head about you
When all those around are losing theirs
You are a better man than I am---GUNGA DIN”


Many people ask me,
“Why didn’t you become a Priest?”


The short answer is---health reasons
And I always HAD HOPE
That I might meet someone
And have my own family


It is funny
In that my father
Actually considered becoming a priest


Jesus, himself, was a nomadic preacher
Who moved from village to village
Town to town
Preaching the WORD OF GOD


It might be a good thing
That I never became a Priest


I find
That more people are open to me
And open to the WORD OF GOD
Because they know
I have no vested interest
Only to share
The message of God’s love and forgiveness with them


My friend---today---
We live in a godless society
In general
People don’t care about God
Only about their own selfish interests


If you believe in God
If you believe in love, forgiveness, and kindness
Towards and for each other


We are
ALL on the same side


Jesus himself said,
(When asked by the disciples
About someone doing miracles in his name)


“Do NOT STOP him
No one who does a miracle
In my name
Can in the next moment
Say anything bad about me


For whoever is not against us
IS FOR US” Mark 9:39-40


I have GREAT RESPECT
For ALL those
Truly doing the work of God
In today’s world


Those that are truly motivated by God and love
NOT their own selfish interests


And so
As this world
Continues to sling arrows and shoot at us
Shots of lust and sexuality
Shots of materialism and violence


Let us rise once again
Blow the bugle---and keep on blowing
For this world to RETURN TO GOD


And remember,
“If you can keep your head about you
When all those about
Are losing theirs
You’re a better man than I---GUNGA DIN”


IN JESUS’ NAME WE PRAY……………….


Robert P. Wallman
9-2-11



ps WITNESS 10-10-13

RESPECT-FEAR OF THE LORD

WITNESS




10-9-13




RESPECT-FEAR OF THE LORD




Do you
Have a HEALTHY respect
For God


MORE than that
Do you have FEAR of the Lord


“The FEAR of the Lord
Is the BEGINNING of wisdom


ALL who follow
His precepts
Have good understanding


To him BELONGS eternal praise” Psalm 111:10


I do respect
And I DO fear God
BECAUSE I know
IF he ceased to love us
FOR just one second
We would die


I don’t want to die
But more than that
I WANT TO LIVE


I want to live
And LOVE the way GOD WANTS me/us too
The way Jesus did
Because
I don’t ever want
TO LET GOD DOWN


HE HAS
NEVER let me down
NOR will he you


FEAR OF THE LORD
Is not only respect
But it is the REVERENCE to
And FOR GOD


FEAR of the Lord
Is not only expected-suggested
But in the 12^th chapter of Ecclesiastes
And in Deuteronomy it is commanded
And it tells us
HOW it is done


“NOW all has been heard
Here is the conclusion
Of the matter


FEAR GOD
And KEEP his commandments
For this
IS the whole duty of man


For God
Will bring every deed
Into judgment
Including ever hidden thing
Whether it is good or evil” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14


“LOVE the Lord your God
With ALL your heart-and with all your soul
And with ALL your strength” Deuteronomy 6:5


Do you want to do GOOD
Do you want to do evil
You will be TRUE to your nature
WHATEVER IT IS


But KEEP in mind
FEARING the Lord is good


“Let ALL the earth
FEAR the Lord
Let ALL the people of the world
REVERE HIM” Psalm 33:8


And the BEST way
To fear the Lord
IS BY LOVING HIM
AND KEEPING HIS WORD


“Take the helmet of salvation
And the sword of the spirit
Which is the WORD OF GOD” Ephesians 6:17


And the way
To KEEP the WORD OF GOD
Is by keeping the commandments


And the way
To keep the commandments
Is by living a life of love


Jesus replied:


“LOVE the Lord your God
With ALL your heart
With ALL your soul
And with ALL your mind


This is the first
And greatest commandment
And the second is like it
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF


ALL the Law and the Prophets
Hang on these two commandments” Matthew 22:37-40


So the TRUTH is:
IF we are living our lives out of love


THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR


Robert P. Wallman
7-19-13




ps WITNESS 10-9-13

TWO LITTLE WORDS

WITNESS




10-8-13




TWO LITTLE WORDS




In the XVII chapter
Of Saint Luke’s Gospel
Jesus again, tells us a story
Teaches us a lesson


He tells us the story
Of the ten lepers


Lepers were physically sick
They were social outcasts
They could not go anywhere
They could not see anyone
They were contagious
So they banded together
For compassion and inspiration


Outside a village
In the middle of nowhere
Jesus runs across them
And heals them


One comes back to say, “thank you”
Jesus responds,
“Were not all 10 cleaned?
Where are the other nine?”


Where are the other nine
What about us
Do we take the time
To say thank you to God
For our lives, for our family and friends,
For the good things in our life
Or do we
Just take it all for granted


God does not need to hear us say it


Jesus did not need to hear the words, “thank you”
From the lepers


But they needed to say it
We need to say it


If we don’t say thank you
To God and others
That help us along on our journey though life
1 of 2 things usually happen


We either become bitter or resentful
When bad things happen
Or we become arrogant
So impressed with ourselves and our success
That we think we did everything ourselves


We are all
Totally dependent on God
And others


Everything we have in life
Is a gift from God
And finally, dear Lord, we pray


“You who have give us so much
Give us just two things more


A GRATEFUL HEART
And that we always remember to say, “thank you”


Robert P. Wallman
8-13-11




ps WITNESS 10-8-13

MY SISTER-MY ANGEL-MY FRIEND

WITNESS




10-7-13




MY ANGEL---MY SISTER---MY FRIEND


How do you define
The word angel


I define it
As heavenly beings
Created by God
To assist people
But appearing in human form


My sister Terri
Has been an angel
To me
For a number of years


Terri was named
After Saint Theresa---the Little Flower
The Saint of the ordinary


And Saint Jude ( her middle name is Judith )
The patron Saint of hopeless cases


How fitting


She assisted my Mom and Dad
And me financially
When my Father
Was maimed by a surgeon
And couldn’t work anymore


Saint of the ordinary
My angel---our angel
My sister---my friend


After my Father died
Because of my health problems
And my Mom’s advancing years
She brought us to Florida
Found us a place to live
And continued
To help us financially


Our angel
My angel---my sister---my friend


What a grateful blessing
To me
To get to know
My sister Terri---as an adult
All over again


My Mom, Terri, and I
Had so many happy family times
Down here in Florida


I feel
So greatly blessed


My sister---my angel---my friend


When my Mom
Had her emergency surgery in 2007
And pulled through
My Mom said,


“I would have given up
But every time I looked up
You two were standing there
I had to go on”


So grateful
For the last 2&1/2 years
The 3 of us had together
As my Mom passed on


My angel---our angel
My sister---my friend


I never had a computer
Couldn’t afford one


Terri gave me her computer
In 2005---and thereafter


If one word
That I have ever written
Has touched you
You can thank my sister Terri


After my Mom died
She increased the amount of money
She was giving us/me
So that I didn’t have to move


Saint Theresa---patron Saint of the ordinary
Saint Jude---patron Saint of hopeless cases


Theresa Judith---
My angel---my sister---my friend


I always told her
That she was going to be the first Jewish Saint


Now that she is Christian/Catholic again
On her birthday which was October 7^th
I told her she was promoted
From a Saint to and angel


At any rate---today---the feast of ALL Saints today
Please join me in saluting her
And ALL the Saints that touch each
And every one of our lives on a daily basis


This one is for you


Robert P. Wallman
November 1^st, 2011


Ps Terri’s birthday was October 7^th---also the feast day of
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY







WITNESS 10-7-13

SLOW TO ANGER

WITNESS




10-6-13




SLOW TO ANGER




Do you ever get angry?


If you don’t
You are
NOT like the rest of us


Do you ever get angry
At God


I don’t
I think-in general
It’s people
And our way of thinking
That gets us
In trouble


But if you ever
Get angry at God
I think it is alright
At least
You are in conversation
With him


I think God
Wants to hear from us
Even if
He does not agree
With our way of thinking


“My dear brothers
Take note on this
Everyone should be
Quick to listen
Slow to speak
And SLOW to become angry
For man’s anger
Does not bring
About
The righteous life
That God desires”


If you are angry
Have a conversation with God
Tell how God how you feel
I think God
Is probably
As angry about it
As you are


God hates sin
God HATES injustice


“The Lord is compassionate
And gracious
Slow to anger
Abounding in love


He will NOT always accuse
Nor will he harbor
His anger forever” Psalm 103:8-9


Unlike some of us
Who hold a grudge forever


Look how the Lord
Treated Moses
Moses was angry at him
And said:


“Why have you
Brought this trouble
On your servant?


What have I done
To displease you
That you put the burden
Of all these people on me?


……..


Where can I get meat
For all these people
They keep wailing on me,
“Give us meat to eat” Numbers 11:11-13


Moses told God
How he felt
The Lord answered Moses
By sending his people meat to eat


So if
You are angry at God
About something
Tell him how you feel


The Lord
Wants to hear it
He wants to know
How you feel
Even if he doesn’t agree


The Lord is
“Slow to anger
And abounding in love”


Robert P. Wallman
12-16-12


Ps * the meat that God sent brought with it a severe plague-but this was because
God was angry with his people and had continued to ask for unnecessary things
They were NOT satisfied with the manna God had previously supplied them
With-much like us and our materialism in today’s world





WITNESS 10-6-13

SIBLING RIVALRY-THE STORY OF JOSEPH

WITNESS




10-5-13




SIBLING RIVALRY---THE STORY OF JOSEPH








Picture this


You go to your siblings
Your brothers and or your sisters
And say,
“I had a dream
And in that dream
You all bowed down to me”


Before they can respond, you say,
“I had another dream
And in that dream
The sun, the moon, the stars,
And the whole world bowled down to me”


Most of our siblings
I am sure
Would laugh right in our face
If not,
Belt us one---right in the mouth


Joseph---a young lad of 17
Was already hated by his brothers
Because his father Jacob
Had loved him SO much more


Well Joseph’s brothers
Took it a step further


They threw him in to a ditch
And left him there
Until a group passing by
Saw him there and took him


Talk about brotherly love


They then told their father Jacob
That he was killed by a wild animal
NOT sure themselves
What had happened to him


What was going through the mind
Of the brothers
Maybe jealousy---maybe revenge
Who couldn’t identify with that


“Then the Lord said to Cain,
“Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” Cain replied
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9


Joseph wound up in Egypt
And was sold to Potiphar,
The captain of the guard for Pharaoh


The Lord was HAPPY with Joseph
He prospered---and did well
Until Potiphar’s wife said,
“Come to bed with me”


Joseph responded,
“No one is greater in this house
Than I am
My master has withheld
Nothing from me except you
Because you are his wife
How then can I do
Such a wicked thing
And sin against God” Genesis 39:9


Of course, Potiphar’s wife was irate
Reversed the story---falsely accused Joseph
And Joseph was put into prison


But God had given Joseph
The gift of interpreting dreams
And 2 years later
When he correctly interprets
The pharaoh’s dreams
Joseph is put in charge
Of all of Egypt ( except pharaoh himself )


Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“Since God has made this known to you
There is no one
So discerning and wise as you


You shall be in charge
Of my palace
And all my people
Are to submit to your orders


Only with respect
To the throne
Will I be greater than you” Genesis 41:39-40


Who---if any of us
Hasn’t experienced some sibling rivalry
In our life
Particularly when we were young and naïve


“How good is it
When brothers live together in unity” Psalm 133:1


Eventually 7 years of famine strikes the land
And Jacob send all ten of his sons to Egypt
To purchase grain


Initially---they don’t recognize Joseph
And after he plays a trick on them
He forgives his brothers from his heart


The father, Jacob, and the whole family
Move to Egypt


“This is how my heavenly Father
Will treat each of you
Unless you forgive your brother
From your heart” Matthew 18:35


Dear Lord---we pray
That when one of our siblings upset us
In today’s world
That we have the LOVE and FORGIVENESS
Joseph had for his brothers


And personally---I THANK YOU
For the two beautiful sisters
You have given me in this life


Robert P. Wallman
2-1-12




ps WITNESS 10-5-13

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

WITNESS




10-4-13




SAINT FRANCIS---THE POOR MAN’S SAINT




Have you ever heard the saying
IMITATION is the most sincere form of flattery


I have
And if you believe in Jesus Christ
And/or his message
There is one man who stands out
And is considered to be
The closest thing to Christ
That ever walked this earth


SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISSI


He grew up in Assisi, Italy
Assisting his father
A wealthy clothing merchant
In the family business


He became a soldier
But was taken prisoner
And became ill


Eventually he turned his back
On the war
And heard a voice from God calling,


“Go and repair my house
Which you see is falling apart”


This led
To a prolonged conflict with his father
Culminating with Francis renouncing his inheritance
And even his clothes


Francis’ love for the poor
And for the lepers was long renowned
And the first time
He kissed a leper---Francis felt
That he had kissed the face of Christ


It is said that Francis
Read the Gospel with such passion
That grown men wept


He drew many followers
Both men and women
Most notably---Saint Clare


However it must always be remembered
That Francis’ true motivating factor
Was his love for Christ
And to live a life of suffering
Just like Christ


He accomplished this too
When on September 17^th, 1224
The stigmata---the 7 wounds of Christ
Appeared on his body


If it is true
That we are to become other Christ’s
In this world
And we are


We need look no further
Than Saint Francis of Assisi
As our model


Francis once said,
“Speak the Gospel at all times
Use words if necessary”


Saint Francis
A lover of nature
A lover of the poor
A lover of animals


But known mostly for
His ALL pervasive love for God
And his identification with Christ’s suffering


Saint Francis
A true lover of the poor
And


AN IMITATION of Christ


Robert P. Wallman
10-4-11


Ps Saint Francis’ feast day is October 4^th





WITNESS 10-4-13

NEVER FORGET-INCLUSIVENESS

WITNESS




10-3-13




NEVER FORGET--INCLUSIVENESS










I am sure
You have heard the saying
“Don’t forget where you came from”


Did you know
That the entire Christian faith
With the exception of one man
Was started and begun
By Jewish people


Christ himself was a Jew


Never forget


Of Christ’s 72 original disciples
Only one was a non-Jew
Luke ---a gentile and physician


Never forget


Abraham was a Jew
In fact---the founder of the Jewish nation
In fact---the 3 monotheistic religions
Can ALL be traced back to him


Abraham---the father of many nations
We owe him a debt of gratitude
Thank you Abraham


Never forget


Moses was a Jew
He led his people to the Promised Land
He gave us the ten Commandments
We owe him a debt of gratitude
Thank you Moses


Never forget


Christ himself was a Jew
He taught us the 2 GREATEST COMMANDMENTS
He taught us about forgiveness
He taught us the beatitudes


He was given an assignment by God
He COMPLETED it


HE was the WORD MADE FLESH
God himself
Yet one of us too
( KNOWS all too well about our pain and suffering )


Walked it, did, lived it , died it


Thank you Jesus


NEVER FORGET


As I said
71 of the original disciples were Jewish


How ironic is it
That Jewish people were the beginning
Of the entire Christian movement


We owe them a debt of gratitude
We must---never forget


My mother always told me,
“Bob, love draws a circle
And pulls people in
Hate draws a circle
And pushes people out”


We must LIVE AND WALK IN LOVE


Last I heard
There were 6 or 7million Jewish people
Living in the United States


If we are ever to really be
“ONE NATION UNDER GOD”


I suggest to you
We must NEVER FORGET


Robert P. Wallman
8-11-11




ps WITNESS 10-3-13

GUARDIAN ANGELS

WITNESS




10-2-13




GUARDIAN ANGELS




“Now I lay me
Down to sleep


I pray the Lord
My soul to keep……..”


Which of us
Hasn’t said that prayer
As children


Or even as adults
When times
Get extremely difficult


It may surprise you
To know
That the Bible
Speaks of angels
And even Jesus
Spoke of angels once,


“See that
You do not
Look down on one of these little ones
For I tell you
That their angels
In heaven
Always see the face of my Father in heaven” Matthew 18:10


MY SOUL TO KEEP
YOUR SOUL TO KEEP


Children have guardian angels
To be sure
For that is why
Jesus loves the children so much


“Let the children
Come to me
And do not hinder them
For the kingdom of God
Belongs to such as these” Mark 10:14


So children
Have guardian angels
But so do you and I


Angels
Are heavenly beings
Created by God
To assist people


And to guard-means to protect


How great is it that
To know that we have heavenly beings
To assist and guard us
In time of trouble


It comforts me
How about you


“And if I die
Before I awake
I pray the Lord
My soul to take”


George Bailey
In the movie,
“It’s A Wonderful Life,”
Wants to take his own life


And through
A series of flashbacks
Clarence-his guardian angel
Lets him see
HOW IMPORTANT his life was


And all the people
He had a positive effect on


YOUR LIFE too is also important
You too have a positive influence
On people


Your guardian angel-in your life
Is working in and for you
For we know


“Every time that a bell rings
AN ANGEL GETS HIS WINGS”


HERE IS TO
THE GUARDIAN ANGEL WALKING BESIDE YOU


Robert P. Wallman
10-4-12


Ps My mom called her brother-John-her Clarence


The feast day of the HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS is October 2^nd this year




WITNESS 10-2-13

MY VOCATION IS LOVE

WITNESS




10-1-13




MY VOCATION IS LOVE
( A Dedication to the Little Flower ) = Born January 2^nd---1873


She was born
In a little town in France


Her Mother died
When she was 4
And the family moved to Liseux
Where her Aunt helped her Father
To look after her and her sisters


One of 4 girls
Who all became nuns
Theresa, herself,
Became a nun
At the age of 15


Theresa never did anything extraordinary
But did everything extraordinarily well


She never
Held a position with great responsibility
But was gifted
With a great intimacy with God


She lived a life
Hidden in God’s love
But was directed
To write an autobiography
Which she called


THE STORY OF A SOUL


In this book
She described her life
“As a little way of spiritual childhood”
And wrote that what matters most in life
“Is not great deeds, but great love”


It is said That Theresa was a very sweet person
That lived her life
With a great simplicity


However it is very apparent
That she lived out her life
In conjunction with the 4 Gospels


A simple life
In obedience
To the Word of God---to the Will of God


She once said,
“My mission---to make God loved---
Will begin after my death”


And


“I will spend my heaven
Doing good on earth
I will let fall
A shower of roses”


My Mom, myself
And millions of others
Have received roses from unexpected sources
After prayers to her


In this cold, cruel, indifferent world
We could ALL
Learn some things from Saint Theresa


To live out her lives
With selflessness
Instead of selfishness


To try to do small ordinary things
Extraordinarily well


And live out our lives
With such passion for God
And for others


So that we can truly say
Like Saint Theresa


“MY VOCATION IS LOVE”


Robert P. Wallman
10-4-11


Ps Saint Theresa died at the age of 24 from tuberculosis


She is considered the patroness of Missions


Her feast day is October 1^st




My Sister---Terri---is named after her




ps WITNESS 10-1-13