Saint Catherine Laboure'

THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL-Saint Catherine Laboure’

Saint Catherine Laboure’

Was a sister of charity

And born in France

To a large farming family

In the 19^th century

She looked

After her widowed father

For several years

Then worked as a waitress

In her uncle’s café in Paris

She joined

The sisters of charity in 1830

And lived inconspiculously                     

For 46 years

Her superiors labeled her as:

“Matter of fact, unexcitable, insignificant,

Cold, and apathetic”

Doesn’t sound much

Like a Saint-does it

So there must have been

Something going on inside of her

Until a few months

Before her death

Hardly anyone knew

About the visions

She had as a young nun

Her most famous visions

And dialogues

Were with the Blessed Virgin

In one such vision

Mary appeared

As in a picture

Standing on a globe

With rays of light

Coming from her hands

And this inscription surrounded her,

“Mary conceived without sin

Pray for us

Who have recourse to thee”

On the reverse side

Was a capital “M”

With the cross above

And two hearts below

Catherine believed

She was to have this medal produced

And it was

In 1836

A church inquiry

Declared the vision authentic

I carry my miraculous medal

With me daily

And if you like me

Are a BELIEVER

I am sure you do too

Catherine died

On December 31^st, 1836

And her body

Remains incorrupt in Paris

Miracles have been reported

At her tomb

And she was canonized

In 1947

Her feast day is November 28^th

Robert P Wallman

1-8-13

FILLED WITH GRATITUDE

FILLED WITH GRATITUDE

Each autumn

We take time

To give thanks

In America

For our God

For our country

For our very lives

In Luke 17:15, it says,

“One of them

Realizing he had been healed

Returned

GLORIFYING GOD in a loud voice”

LOOK a little deeper

EVERY day is a day

To give thanks to our God

Thank you

For our families

The  parents

We were born to

And for our siblings and extended families

Thank you

For our friends-neighbors-fellow

Country men and women

And for our own lives

“Whatever you do

In word or in deed

Do everything

In the name of the Lord Jesus

GIVING THANKS to God the Father

Through him”                                                                          Colossians 3:17

GRATITUDE is

A lot like love

The more we give

THE MORE

We have to give

Gratitude is a hallmark of our faith

“Now therefore-our God

We thank thee

And PRAISE your glorious name”                                             1 Chronicles 29:13

Even if like me

Your life turned out

Like nothing you ever thought

It would be

WE have many BLESSINGS

And a lot to be THANKFUL for

LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER

Be filled with gratitude

Give thanks to God

“Enter his gates

With thanksgiving

And his courts with PRAISE

Give thanks to him

And praise his name

For the Lord

IS GOOD

And HIS LOVE endures forever

His faithfulness

CONTINUES through ALL generations”                                               Psalm 100:4-5

I received nothing

That I ever wanted:

               A loving wife

               Children of my own

               A self-sustaining career

But EVERYTHING that I needed:

 

               BORN in America-a FREE nation

               Born into the Christian faith

               And KNOWING I need help

               The greatest parents-sisters-nieces

               And extended family

               That a man could ever HOPE FOR

           

                And great great friends-neighbors-and churches

                AND LIFE

I am among all men

MOST GREATLY BLESSED

“But thanks be to God

Who always LEADS US

In triumphal procession

In Christ

And through us

Spreads everywhere

The fragrance

Of the knowledge of him”                                                   2 Corinthians 2:14

BE LIKE the ONE leper

And RETURN to God

Return to Christ

AND GIVE THANKS

BE FILLED WITH GRATITUDE

For the life

That you have

TODAY AND EVERYDAY

Life itself

IS A BLESSING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I LOVE YOU ALL

Robert P. Wallman

11-16-13

Ps        it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE!

     

              

              

         

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACCOUNTABILITY is defined

As the fact or condition

Of being accountable

In other words

RESPONSIBLE

Responsible

For HOW MUCH love

We show

In this world

Responsible

FOR how much kindness

We show

In this world

AND RESPONSIBLE

For how much FORGIVENESS

We show in this world

MANY people

Who are unaccountable

Seem to skate through this life

Foot loose and fancy free

NOT responsible or accountable

To anyone

BUT THEY WILL

As you and I will

Be accountable

To OUR LORD AND CREATOR

“NOW we know

That whatever the law says

It says to those

Who are under the law

SO that every mouth

May be silenced

And the WHOLE WORLD

Held ACCOUNTABLE to God”                                                Romans 3:19

That means you

That means me

That means

EVERYONE of us

WILL be held ACCOUNTABLE

TO GOD

For what we do

In this life

What we don’t do

In this life

And the REASONS thereof

“BUT I tell you

That men to give will have to give account

On the day of judgment

For EVERY careless word

They have spoken

FOR BY YOUR WORDS

You will be acquitted

And by your words

You will be condemned”                                                       Matthew 12:36-37

DEAR LORD

We pray for your MERCY AND FORGIVENESS

As we FORGIVE others with MERCY

Because

NONE of us are so self-righteous

SO ACCOUNTABLE

That we can stand

On our own merits

ONLY YOURS

“The righteousness from God

Comes through FAITH

In Jesus Christ

To ALL who believe

There is no difference

FOR ALL have sinned

And all FALL SHORT

Of the GLORY OF GOD

And are justified

FREELY by his grace

Through the REDEMPTION

That came by Jesus Christ

Dear Lord-WE SAY

THANK YOU for being ACCOUNTABLE

FOR US

Robert P. Wallman

9=20=13         

HONESTY AND TRUTH

HONESTY AND TRUTH

Did you know

That one of the two things

That it is IMPOSSIBLE for GOD to do

Is to lie

I wish

I could say that that was true

For some of the human beings

That I have known

In my life

“Men swear

By someone greater than themselves

And the OATH CONFIRMS

What is said

And puts an end

To all argument

Because God wanted to make

The UNCHANGING NATURE of his purpose very clear

To the heirs of which was promised

He confirmed it with an oath

God did this so that

By TWO unchangeable things              

In which it is IMPOSSIBE

FOR GOD TO LIE

We who have fled

To take HOLD

Of the HOPE

Offered to us

MAY be greatly encouraged”                                                      Hebrews 6:16-18

SO GOD CAN’T LIE

So if someone is lying

To you

You KNOW

It is NOT coming from God

“I PROMISE to tell the truth

The whole truth

And nothing but the truth”

Our courtroom oath

And what about our marriage vows

“I, (John/Jane), take you, (John/Jane), to be my (husband/wife), to have

And to hold, from this day on, for better or worse, for richer-for poorer,

In sickness and in health,

TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH

UNTIL death do us part”

I KNOW people

Lie on the witness stand

And our divorce rates

CONTINUE to hover around 50%

I have to wonder

IF anyone

Takes anything they say seriously

I KNOW

GOD DESIRES honesty and truth

After all

Our God cannot

And would not lie

GOD DESIRES HONESTY

Psalm 105 tells us:

“He whose walk is blameless

And does what is righteous

Who speaks the truth from his heart

Has no slander on his tongue

And does his neighbor NO WRONG

And casts no slur

On his fellowman”                                                          Psalm 15:2-3

And Proverbs 12 says:

“A truthful witness

GIVES honesty testimony

But a false witness tells lies”                                           Proverbs 12:17

“TRUTHFUL LIPS last forever

But a lying tongue

LASTS only a moment”                                                     Proverbs 12:19

I know the words

I spoke on my deathbed

When I was 22-was a vow to God

And I know

While I can never live up to them

At least-I can always try

“FINALLY brothers

Whatever is true

Whatever is noble

Whatever is right

Whatever is pure

Whatever is lovely

Whatever is admirable

IF anything is excellent

Or praiseworthy

THINK about such things

Whatever

You have learned

Or received or heard from me

Or seen in me

PUT INTO PRACTICE

And the God of peace

Will be with you”                                                                  Philippians 4:8-9

May ALL your words

BE TRUE

Robert P. Wallman

7-22-13

BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS

How many blessings

Do you have in your life

Or do you have any BLESSINGS

At all

What is a blessing to you

To me-well I define BLESSINGS

As something given to us by God

That moves us forward

In some way

Or something

For your own best welfare

Our very own life

Is a blessing

The next breath of life

That you take

Is a GIFT from God

Your job and your school

Are blessings

Your family and friends

Are MAJOR blessings

In fact

As in my own case

Trials and setbacks

Can be blessings

BECAUSE it allowed me

To mature

And be thankful

For what I do

Have in life

“May God be gracious

To us

And BLESS us

And make his face

Shine upon us

Lord

That your ways

May be known on earth

YOUR SALVATION-among all nations”                                              Psalm 67:1-2

Thank you Lord

FOR THIS GIFT OF LIFE

BLESSINGS

Thank you Lord

For a roof over my head

And food

On the table

BLESSINGS

And thank you Lord

For family and friends

In my life

MOST EXTREME BLESSINGS

And thank you Lord

For the gift of your love

Our most BENEFICIAL BLESSING

Dear Lord-we pray

We NEVER

Take our blessings

So much for granted

That we forget

The giver of our blessings

YOU

We love you Lord

And we appreciate our blessings

Because they are from you

And we thank you Lord

For our spiritual blessings

And the gift of your WORD

In our lives

“BLESSED is the man

Whose sin

The Lord does not count against him

And whose SPIRIT

Is NO DECEIT”                                                                        Psalm 32:2

I will BLESS them

And the places surrounding my hill

I will send down showers in season

There will be SHOWERS of BLESSING”                                Ezekiel 34:26

Dear Lord

We say thank you

For all of our BLESSINGS

Material blessings-spiritual blessings

And mostly

Just the love that you have for us

Oh Lord

Robert P. Wallman

5-23-13

LOVING INCLUSIVELY

LOVING INCLUSIVELY

From the time

I was a young boy

My mother

ALWAYS taught me

That love was INCLUSIVE

In fact-she would say

        “LOVE draws a circle

         And pulls people in

         And hate draws a circle

         And pushes people out”

And we know

Through Jesus’ teachings

And HIS LIFE

That love and forgiveness

Were central messages

SO we know

That LOVE is to be INCLUSIVE

And in Luke 13-Jesus says:

“People will come

From the east and the west

And from the north and the south

And will RECEIVE

At the table

In the kingdom of God”                                                         Luke 13:29

What could be more inclusive

Than that?

And in the old testament

Reading of Isaiah

“And they will bring

ALL your brothers

From ALL the nations

To my holy mountain

In Jerusalem

As an offering to the Lord”                                                  Isaiah 66:20

PEOPLE from

ALL over the world

Will be INCLUDED

In God’s KINGDOM

LOVE draws a circle

And

PULLS people in

And HOW did Jesus

LIVE his life out

BY HEALING the sick

LOVING the poor

LOVING the orphan, the widow

And BEING KIND to the children

“Religion

That God our Father accepts

Is this:

To look after orphans and widows

In their distress

And to keep oneself

From being polluted

BY THE WORLD”                                                                       James 1:27

“He called a little child

And had him stand

AMONG them

And he said:

‘I tell you the truth

UNLESS you change

And become like little children

You will never into

The kingdom of heaven’”                                                      Matthew 18:2-3

Dear friends,

We are to be as TRUSTING as little children

WHEN it comes to LOVING

LOVE indeed DRAWS A CIRCLE

And LOVE IS TO BE INCLUSIVE

Robert P. Wallman

8-26-13

JUSTICE-WHERE DO YOU FIND IT

JUSTICE-WHERE DO YOU FIND IT

For the umpteenth time

This week in Miami

I have seen someone on television

Crying out for someone

To come forward

So they can get JUSTICE

For a family member who has been WRONGED

We ALL

Have INJUSTICES in life

And often times

LIFE JUST ISN’T FAIR

“DO NOT put your trust

In mortal men

WHO CANNOT SAVE”                                                 Psalm 146:3

“BLESSED is he

Whose HELP

IS the God of Jacob

Whose HOPE

Is in the LORD HIS GOD”                                                   Psalm 146:5

IT’S GREAT

If we can find justice

In this world

It’s great

If we can find justice

In the LAWS of our world

IF LIFE

Treats us fairly

But you know

As well as I do

That that

Doesn’t always happen

The Lord Our God

HATES INJUSTICE

“SEEK GOOD-not evil

That you MAY LIVE

Then the Lord God Almighty

Will be with you

Just as you say he is

HATE evil-love good

Maintain JUSTICE in the courts”                                                 Amos 5:14-15

The Lord God

Hates injustice

“HE has showed you

Oh man

What is good

And what does the Lord

Require of you

To act justly

And to LOVE MERCY

And to WALK HUMBLY

With Your God”                                                                       Micah 6:8

Those who act unjustly

Those who show NO MERCY

In this world

Will receive their punishment

From the Lord

But those of us

WHO ACT JUSTLY

Who show mercy to others

Will be FREED from guilt or blame

BY FAITH

“But NOW

A righteousness from God

APART from law

Has been made known

The RIGHTEOUSNESS from God

Comes through FAITH in Jesus Christ

TO ALL who believe

There is NO DIFFERENCE

For ALL have inned

And fall short

Of the glory of God

AND ARE JUSTIFUED

Finally by his GRACE

Through the redemption

That came by Christ Jesus”                                                                     Romans 3:21-24

MY FRIENDS

There is NO justice

In this world

OUR justice

And our JUSTIFICATION

Can come ONLY THROUGH GOD

Robert P. Wallman

8-22-13

                                      

THE AUTUMN HARVEST

AN AUTUMN HARVEST

OTHER than the people

BOTH family and friends

There is not

A lot that I miss

About LIVING up NORTH

But on my current trip

I was REMINDED

Of just how much

I MISS

The beautiful AUTUMN leaves

Or AUTUMN HARVEST

If you prefer

“Then he said to his disciples,

‘The harvest is plenty

But the workers are few

ASK the Lord

Of the harvest-therefore-

To send out workers

Into his harvest field’”                                                        Matthew 9:37

On the drive

Down to Maryland from Pennsylvania

With my sister, Mary,

WE saw a beautiful HARVEST of leaves

Red ones-green ones-gold ones-and brown ones

-ALL quite a collection-

A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE

PAINTED by God

MAGNIFIED by the crisp golden sun

And in life

The leaves NEED

To be picked up

By the workers-men and women

Or they die

IN the cold cold days of winter

AND the people-LIKE YOU AND ME

NEED to be gathered in

Or

IF we are working FOR GOD

We need

To HELP God

With the people

As they are ready

“Do you not say

‘Four more months

And then the harvest’

I tell you

OPEN your eyes

And look at the fields

They are

RIPE FOR THE HARVEST”                                                      John 4:35

AUTUMN HARVEST

We are ALIVE

RIPE for the picking

NOT DESTINED to die

In the cold cold days

Of winter

AN AUTUMN HARVEST

“Let s not

Become weary of DOING GOOD

For at the PROPER TIME

We WILL reap a harvest

If we

DO NOT GIVE UP”                                                                           Galatians 6:9

And like

The DIFFERENT colored leaves

We-GOD’S PEOPLE

Are no less important

NONE more important

Or less important

Than one another

“Therefore

As we have opportunity

Let us DO GOOD

To ALL PEOPLE

Especially those

WHO BELONG

To the FAMILY OF BELIEVERS”                                                        Galatians 6:10

An AUTUMN harvest

Of ALL of God’s people

And the harvest will produce

GOOD leaves-all DIFFERENT types

Of every people

“No discipline

Seems pleasant at the time

But painful

Later on-however-

It produces a HARVEST

Of righteousness and peace

FOR THOSE

Who have been trained

BY it”                                                                                          Hebrews 12:11

The harvest is ready

But the workers are few

BE A WORKER For God

It is time

For the harvest

THE AUTUMN HARVEST

Robert P. Wallman

11-6-13

LIVING IN HARMONY

LIVING IN PERFECT HARMONY

As Christians

One of the things

We are called on to do

Is to live IN PERFECT HARMONY

With one another

In HAMONY with God

And in harmony with one another

We do this

By making allowances

For others’ weaknesses

And by NOT making judgments

On one another

And we do it

Because Christ did it first

And he is OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE

“LIVE in HARMONY

With one another

Do not be proud

But be willing to associate

With people of low position

DO NOT BE CONCEITED”                                                               Romans 12:16

This is what Christ did

LOVE GOD

LOVE OTHERS

BE AT PEACE with the world

“FINALLY-ALL OF YOU

LIVE IN HARMONY

With one another

Be sympathetic-LOVE AS BROTHERS

BE COMPASSIONATE AND HUMBLE”                                           1 Peter 3:8

Do this

And you will be ONE

ONE WITH GOD

AND ONE WITH THE WORLD

Robert P. Wallman

5-23-13 

SINCERITY

SINCERITY

SINCERITY is one of the

GREATEST single qualities

That a person can have

Sincerity is defined as

The quality of being

FREE from pretense, from deceit

Or hypocrisy

What a fine quality

To have

Have you ever heard

OF insincere love

In Romans 12

Paul tells us,

“LOVE MUST be sincere

Hate what is evil

CLING to what is GOOD

BE DEVOTED to one another

In brotherly love

HONOR one another

ABOVE yourselves”                                              Romans 12:9-10

What could be MORE IMPORTANT

Than to be called “SINCERE”

It means that you are HONESR

It means that you are genuine

IT MEANS

That you are the REAL DEAL

And we know

That being sincere

Will draw us CLOSER to God

FOR it is a quality

That GOD HIMSELF had

“And since we have

A GREAT PRIEST

OVER the HOUSE of GOD

Let us

Draw near to God

With a SINCERE HEART

IN FULL assurance of FAITH

Having our hearts sprinkled

To cleanse us

From a guilty conscience

And having our bodies washed

WITH PURE WATER”                                                     Romans 10:21-22

And so our SINCERITY

Brings us CLOSER to GOD

-A QUALITY OF GOD HIMSELF

What could be

BETTER than that

And we should

ALWAYS serve the Lord

In sincerity

ALWAYS serve the Lord

In honesty and truth

“Now therefore

FEAR the LORD

And serve him in sincerity

And in truth”                                                                    Joshua 24:14

“Therefore

Let us keep the feast

NOT with old leaven

NEITHER with the leaven

Of malice and wickedness

But with the UNLEAVENED bread

OF SINCERITY and truth”                                               1 Corinthians 5:8

Dear Lord

We thank you

For the gifts

Of honesty, sincerity, and truth

That you

Have bestowed on us

And we OFFER them

Back to you

IN SERVICE

FOR THE BUILDING UP

OF YOUR KINGDOM

Robert P. Wallman

9-20-13

NOT WELCOME HERE

NOT WELCOME HERE


In the 5th chapter
Of Saint Mark’s Gospel
Jesus is traveling
Through the Gentile territory
Of the region of Gerasenes

A man
Who was positively possessed
By evil spirits-says to Jesus
Actually shouts at the top of his voice,

“What do you want with me Jesus
Son of the Most High God
Swear to God
That you won’t torture me”

For Jesus previously said to this man,
“Come out of the man
You evil spirit”

NOT WELCOME HERE

Jesus asks him,
“What is your name”

The man says,
“My name is Legion-for we are many”

Many evil spirits
Were living inside
Of this man

There was
A large herd of pigs
Feeding on the nearby hillside

The demons inside of this man
Beg Jesus,

“Send us among  the pigs
Allow us to go into them”

Once of the demons
Were inside of the pigs
-About two thousand in number

They rushed down
The steep bank
And drowned

NOT WELCOME HERE

There were
A number of witnesses
And they went off
And reported it to
Everyone in town

STRANGELY ENOUGH
Jesus was NOT WELCOME
After this miracle
The people began
To plead with him
To LEAVE their town

NOT WELCOME HERE

What about us-in this MODERN day world
What about our HEARTS
IS HE WELCOME
Or is there only room
For our own personal demons

Or do we say:

“COME LORD-come Jesus
You are WELCOME
To LIVE inside of  me

“Anyone who runs ahead
And does not continue
In the teaching of Christ
Does not have God

Whoever continues
In the teaching
Has BOTH the Father
And the Son

If anyone
Comes to me
And does not bring this teaching
Do not take him
Into your house
Or WELCOME HIM”                                                                                   2 John:10 & 11

Dear Lord we say

“NO to our personal addictions
We say no to temper
No to laziness
And NO to an unwholesome lifestyle

And YES to you

COME LIVE
Inside of us

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE”

Robert P. Wallman
3-5-13

UNDERSTANDING

UNDERSTANDING


Do you understand
The mysteries of LIFE  
Do you understand
THE MYSTERIES OF GOD

CONGRATULATIONS!-if you can say yes
To BOTH questions-and actually mean it
YOU are the ONLY human being ever
With the EXCEPTION of Jesus Christ
That can

“TRUST in the Lord
With ALL your heart
And lean NOT on your own understanding”                                                            Proverbs 3:5

Well
If you can actually look back
And say
You UNDERSTAND your own life
As it was happening

You are way ahead
Of most of us

BUT GOD UNDERSTANDS

“GREAT is our Lord
And mighty in power
HIS UNDERSTANDING
Has no limit”                                                                                                             Psalm 147:5

We all have lessons
To learn in life
And we all have
To learn them
In our OWN way
And sometimes
These lessons are very painful

If you’re like me
The lesson has to COST you something
(even if it is just peace of mind)
To really take hold
And become ROOTED in you

“:I am
NOT saying this
Because I am in need
For I have LEARNED
To be content
Whatever the circumstances

I KNOW
What it is
To be in need
And I know
What it is to have plenty

I HAVE LEARNED
The secret of being content
In any and every situation

WHETHER well fed or hungry
Whether living in plenty
Or living in want

I can do everything
Through him
Who GIVES me strength”                                                                         Philippians 4:10-13

And that
Is what
I wish for you to UNDERSTAND
How to find peace

PEACE from your past
PEACE in your present
AN D PEACE
As you wake up tomorrow
And embark into the future

“FOR the PEACE of GOD
SURPASSED ALL UNDERSTANDING”                                                         Philippians 4:7

May you UNDERSTAND your life
And the lessons learned
And may you find PEACE

Robert P. Wallman
7-22-13

VIOLENCE-DO THE RIGHT THING

VIOLENCE-DO THE RIGHT THING


“DO THE RIGHT THING”
Is a 1989 film
Written and directed by Spike Lee

It was-it is-a CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED film
And in 1999
Was deemed to be “culturally significant”
And was selected
For preservation
In the National Film Registry

It tells the story
Of a neighborhood’s simmering racial tension
Which comes to a head
And ends in tragedy
On the hottest day
Of the summer in Brooklyn, New York

WE ARE ALL GOD’S PEOPLE

The movie begs the question:

When is violence necessary
And when should force be used?

When is it the RIGHT thing?

I say NEVER
And I believe God and our Lord
Would AGREE with me

“NO LONGER will violence be heard
In your land
Nor ruin or destruction
Within your borders
But you will call your walls SALVATION
And your gates PRAISE”                                                                     Isaiah 60:18

“This is what
The Sovereign Lord says:

‘You have gone far enough
O princes of Israel
GIVE UP your violence and oppression
And do what is JUST AND RIGHT’

STOP possessing my people
Declares the Sovereign Lord”                                                                   Ezekiel 45:9

In other words
DO THE RIGHT THING
FORGIVE

We could at least
Give it a try
Could this world
Be any worse off

Vengeance is mine
Says the Lord

LEAVE it to God

“DO NOT seek revenge
Or bear a grudge”                                                                    Leviticus 19:18

“Do NOT take revenge my friends”                                                 Romans 12 :19

Do the right thing
LEAVE JUSTICE to God
And OUR Lord

I see so many people
On television
When something tragic happens
Saying, “I want justice”

DO THE RIGHT THING
Leave it up to GOD

Our Lord
Was a pacifist

Martin Luther King
Was a pacifist

THEY BOTH
Had to give up their lives
For their beliefs
But they CHANGED the world
FOR THE BETTER

In the 6th chapter
Of Saint Luke’s Gospel
Jesus says something startling:

“But I tell you
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
DO GOOD to those who hate you
BLESS those who curse you
PRAY for those who mistreat you”                                                       Matthew 6:27-28

STOP the violence
LOVE AND FORGIVE
And you will be doing

THE RIGHT THING

Robert P. Wallman
6-16-13

GOD WILL PROVIDE

GOD WILL PROVIDE


You have needs
I have needs
The question becomes
How are we going to provide for them

Don’t worry
God will provide for them

It may not be
What you want’
But it will be
What you need

How do we know
We know-because the Bible tells us so

God will provide

In Genesis 22
God tells Abraham
To sacrifice his son Isaac

Isaac-the boy-says to his father
“Father?”
“Yes my son,” says Abraham

“The fire and wood are here
But where is the lamb
For the burnt offering”

Oh-how Abraham’s heart
Must have been breaking

Yet-with FAITH-he says
“God himself
Will provide the lamb for the burnt offering
My son”

Abraham and Isaac
Went out together

Abraham laid his son Isaac
On the altar
But the angel called out
“Abraham-Abraham”

“Here I am,” Abraham replied

“Don not lay a hand
On the boy,” the angel said
“Do not do anything to him
Now I know
You fear God
Because you have not
Withheld from me your son
Your only son”

Abraham looked up
And saw a ram
Caught by its horns

GOD WILL PROVIDE

And when
It was time
To pay for the sins of the world
God PROVIDED the sacrifice again

HIS ONE AND ONLY SON

“For God so loved the world
That he gave his one and only son
That whoever believes in him
Shall not perish
But have ETERNAL LIFE”

God’s LOVE is contagious
God’s KINDNESS is overwhelming
God’s compassion for us
Is unlimited

So you have needs
I have needs
The world has so many needs

But we needn’t worry
GOD WILL PROVIDE

Robert P. Wallman
11-15-12

WEAKNESSES

WEAKNESSES

We ALL have weaknesses

SOME of us

More so than others

And while we may not like

To admit it-EVEN to ourselves

WE do have them

ALL OF US

The great Saint Paul

One of the early leaders

Of the Christian movement

Even had weaknesses

He once wrote:

“Three times

I pleaded with the Lord

To take it away from me

But he said to me

‘MY GRACE is sufficient for you

FOR MY POWER

Is made perfect in weakness’”                                                2 Corinthians 12:8-9

I CAN empathize with Paul

BECAUSE I now live

A life TOTALLY DEPENDENT

ON GOD

Thank God for the spirit

THE ONE TRUE LIVING SPIRIT

Or I would have given up

Long ago

“In the same way

THE SPIRIT HELPS us

In our weakness

We do not know

What we ought to pray for

But the SPIRIT himself

Intercedes for us

With groans

That words cannot express”                                                  Romans 6:26

GROANS-I made a lot of them

In the early stages of my illness

I wasn’t prepared

To ACCEPT my lot in life

“Watch and pray

SO that you will not fall into temptation

The SPIRIT is willing

But the flesh is WEAK”                                                                  Matthew 26:41

And that’s what my body was

WEAK

And though I didn’t know it

That’s what my mind was too

WEAK

I continued to SEARCH

For scientific answers

That just weren’t there

Surgeries, medications, any kind of remedy

That offered HOPE

NOTHING HELPED

BUT MY FAITH IN GOD

And I had to LEARN to live

A life TOTALLY dependent on God

And the miracles

OFFERED to me

Through others-BY GOD

And I learned

FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE from GOD

And from family and friends

“For the foolishness of God

IS WISER than man’s wisdom

And the weakness of God

IS STRONGER than man’s strength”                                                1 Corinthians 1:25

So I am weak by man’s standards

But I have FOUND my strength

IN GOD AND FAITH

MY GOD IS STRONGER

My God is my ROCK-MY REFUGE

IN times of trouble

And if he can be that

For me

He can be that FOR YOU

Like Saint Paul

I feel GOD’S GRACE is sufficient

And that GOD’S POWER

IS MADE PERFECT IN OUR WEAKNESS

Robert P. Wallman

7-19-13

THE SIMPLE TOUCH OF GOD

 

 

 

THE SIMPLE TOUCH OF GOD

 

The simple touch of God

IS- for me

The simple touch of God

IS-for you

WELL-The simple touch of God

Is FOREVER and for everyone

 

That is

What happened to me

 

God has TOUCHED me

God has touched my heart

And he has

NEVER let me go

 

TOUCH my heart

Touch my soul

Touch me

TOUCH US FOREVER MORE

 

2,000years ago

After Jesus Resurrected

He appeared to his disciples and said:

 

“PEACE be with you……..

Why are you so troubled?

 

HOPE ENDS IN FRUITION

 

And WHY do doubts

RISE in your minds……..

 

LOOK at my hands and feet

It is I myself

TOUCH me and see

 

A ghost

DOES NOT have flesh and bones

As you see I have”                                                                              Luke 24:36-39

 

And today

MANY OF US are troubled

About any of an assortment

Of things

That this life can bring

 

We need

To reach out and TOUCH GOD

We need

To reach out

And TOUCH Jesus

And not be afraid

 

The simple

TOUCH OF GOD

Makes all the difference

In this world

 

“God is our refuge

And strength

An ever-present HELP in trouble”                                                                Psalm 46:1

 

The simple touch of God

CALMS our hearts

 

“AND ALL

Who TOUCHED him

Were healed”                                                                              Matthew 14:36

 

THE SIMPLE

Touch of God

The simple

TOUCH OF CHRIST

 

Dear Lord

We pray

You-OUR ever present HELP

In times of trouble

 

REPLACE our coldness, our indifference

OUR ingratitude

WITH your courage

AND INFINITE LOVE FOR ALL

 

REPLACE our indifference

With COMPASSION for others

 

TOUCH our minds

With your wisdom

 

And wherever and whatever

We are lacking

REPLACE IT

With

THE SIMPLE TOUCH OF GOD

 

So that

We can carry to others

 

THE SIMPLE TOUCH OF GOD

 

Robert P. Wallman

7-30-13