JOURNAL=4-30-15=THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ME

JOURNAL=4-30-15=THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ME (FOR CHOOSING US) “I KNOW those whom I have CHOSEN” John 13:18 THINKING BACK to when we were kids-and playing baseball-I USED to feel sorry for the kids that weren't chosen-or were CHOSEN LAST/for they were always relegated to right field BUT NONE OF US-ever after worry about that with God-for we are ALL CHOSEN-and CHOSEN FIRST-it's just a matter of whether we want to BE ON GOD'S TEAM-for myself-there is NO OTHER team I would rather play on For with God-we are MORE THAN a face in the crowd-everyone of us are UNIQUE and SPECIAL-there is no one else exactly like us-we have some characteristic that makes us USEFUL AND SPECIAL to God-WHEN GOD made you-he put away the mold-you are THE ONLY YOU in this world God and Jesus CALL US to be more that a face-in the crowd-he calls us for something DEEPER than superficial popularity-THEY CALL US to have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with them-to be something MORE THAN we can ever become on our own WE are to live our life “through him and with him and in him”-and he gives us the GRACE AND MERCY to becoming who we are meant to be Dear LORD=”THANK YOU for choosing me/us” “Thank You for Choosing Me”   For love Thank you Lord For kindness Thank you Lord For forgiveness Thank you Lord   Thank you Lord Thank you For choosing me   For life Thank you Lord For family Thank you Lord For the children Thank you Lord   Of all The people in this world You could have chose You chose me   Dear Lord Thank you Lord Dear Lord Thank you   Thank you For choosing me   Robert P. Wallman 9/14/09

JOURNAL=4-29-15=BE BLESSED

JOURNAL=4-29-15=BE BLESSED “THEY laid hands on them and sent them off” Acts 13:3 HAS anyone ever given their blessing to you? Or have you ever bestowed your BLESSING on someone else? What a powerful feeling-or what a great feeling to BESTOW on someone else- In the above scenario the people put their BLESSING on Barnabas and Paul-HOW GREAT and grateful they must have felt-YOU need not be a PRIEST or ORDAINED MINISTER or someone else-official-it is just ANOTHER way of saying I BELIEVE IN YOU We can have the GRACE of the HOLY SPIRIT to bestow on another-or we can have the knowledge and the GRACE from SCRIPTURE to say; “GOD BE WITH YOU” or “MAY THE spirit of GOD go with you” AS PARENTS-we can BLESS our children with the SIGN of the cross before sending them to school-or BLESS our SPOUSE or significant other before leaving for work-it is JUST A WAY of extending KINDNESS-and wishing the HOLY ONE'S PROTECTIVE love on one another it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to RECEIVE GOD'S BLESSING and/or the blessing from another including our priest or minister WISHING YOU ALL PEACE-JOY-and GOD'S BLESSINGS TODAY BE BLESSED The other day I was watching the newly inducted Alonzo Mourning Talk about being inducted into the NBA HALL OF FAME He said, “HOW BLESSED he was In his life” He went on To say, “That the PURPOSE of a BLESSING Is to use it to BLESS others” I couldn't agree more I have been BLESSED With a second, a,third And many EXTRA chances At life HOPEFULLY I have learned From previous mistakes And using my blessings To help others From a material perspective WHEN I can But ALWAYS From a spiritual perspective I thank God For my many blessings And I say to you “BE BLESSED” ALL BLESSINGS come from God “BLESSED be The name of the Lord From this time forth And forever more” Psalm 113:2 Dear Lord Please BLESS our country and OUR FAMILIES “BLESSED be the nation Whose God Is the Lord And the people WHOM he has chosen For his own inheritance” Psalm 33:12 Dear Lord-PLEASE BLESS Your people-The people of God We thank you For our many blessings And as Alonzo said We thank you For the many blessings You have bestowed upon us Even for LIFE ITSELF And we thank you For our material blessings Whatever they may be And we ask you To HELP us PASS ON our blessings To others Jesus said, “It is MORE BLESSED to give Than to receive” Acts 20:35 For the PURPOSE Of our BLESSINGS Is to pass those blessings On to others So Dear Lord we pray, THANK YOU For our MANY blessings And as we pass Those blessings On to others We say: “BE BLESSED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD” Robert P. Wallman 4-12-14 4-29-15

JOURNAL=4-28-15=FAITH WILL BRING YOU HOME

JOURNAL=4-29-15=FAITH WILL BRING YOU HOME “It was in Antioch that the disciples were FIRST called CHRISTIANS” Acts 11:26 WHEN did you first say to yourself, “I AM A CHRISTIAN?” Better yet-WHEN did you first BEGIN to act like a christian-love like a christian-forgive like a christian-BE KIND-like a christian-IS supposed to be? The truth is-as we MATURE-and get older-we should be COMING closer and closer to the PERFECT love that CHRIST lived-that is our challenge-that is our mission-WE SHOULD be placing the WILL of God and the GRACE of Jesus above our own selfish interests and self-centered desires-GOD AND FAMILY-as we mature-should be taking over MORE of our thought processes and ALWAYS be #1 in our minds and hearts BEING A CHRISTIAN is MORE than a membership in a church-more than fellowship with other Christians-it is the TYING of our very hearts and bodies-and our very own crosses with the crosses and life of Christ FAITH is NOT something that we grasp-it the VERY LIFE that we live it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in God's LOVE for us-and a great day recommitting ourselves to being and LIVING like a real-life Christian “Faith will bring you home”   When you are alone When you have Nowhere left to go Faith will bring you home   Faith will Bring you through your trouble And when you’re stuck Down on your luck Faith will bring you home   When you’re lost in the woods When you have no idea Which way to go Faith will bring you home   Faith will Bring you through drowning water Faith will Bring you through a raging fire Faith will bring you through anything And every thing Faith will bring you home   Faith will bring you home     6/03/06        Robert  P.  Wallman       4-28-15

JOURNAL=4-27-15=FOLLOWING THE MESSENGER

JOURNAL=4-27-15=FOLLOWING THE MESSENGER “THEY do not RECOGNIZE the voice of strangers” John 10:5 OF COURSE we don't-we are the SHEEP O F GOD-the sheep of Jesus-as CHRISTIANS-that is the ONLY VOICE we are called to recognize FOLLOWERSHIP is definitely part of our lives in the 21 st century-it is OK to follow certain celebrities-it is OK-to follow sports teams-but GOD AND OUR FAMILY must always come first There are so many mixed messages in this world-but the ONE TRUE VOICE-is ALWAYS the voice of God and Jesus-GOD speaks to us in SCRIPTURE-he speaks to us in the deep yearnings of our heart and through his HOLY SPIRIT-but we must stay close to God-so that we can really and truly discern his voice WE ARE CALLED to be the people of God-the people of Jesus-get to KNOW him so well that you really CAN RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE and FOLLOW him above all else it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us and a great day to follow God and Jesus by loving-forgiving and and being KIND TO ALL OUR COMPANION AND OUR MESSENGER Jesus is OUR faithful companion WHO walks with us And talks with us On our JOURNEY through life He is our HOLY COMPANION Our leader And our messenger Who carries THE MESSAGE OF GOD In fact He is our scout He goes up ahead TESTS the waters And tells us Which way to go He explores The most productive The most hospitable And guides us To the BEST VENUE for our life And HOW to find PEACE And WHERE to find The most RECEPTIVE people For our message We are NEVER ALONE For we have The COMPANIONSHIP of God And God's own Son Who is ALWAYS with us And the companionship Of our brothers and sister In Christ Who WALK ALONG with us FOLLOWING Christ's message (AND GOD'S) “Who has BELIEVED our message And to whom Has the arm of the Lord Been REVEALED?” Isaiah 53:1 I BELIEVE LORD I BELIEVE in your message Of love-and mercy-and forgiveness For your love HAS TRANSFORMED my life Your message has Given me the FAITH To live off of YOUR POWER Not my own “Consequently Faith comes from Hearing the message And the message Is heard through The WORD OF CHRIST” Romans 10:17 THE MESSAGE of Christ The message of God Is to Pick up our crosses And COME and follow him The cross of chronic illness The cross of financial debt The CROSS of broken relationships The cross Is the ONLY WAY to SALVATION “And anyone Who does not pick up his cross And FOLLOW ME Is not worthy of me WHOEVER finds his life Will lose it And whoever loses his life For my sake will FIND IT” Matthew 10:38-39 JESUS CONQUERED his cross Through love and forgiveness Only to LIVE AGAIN We CAN do the same That is Jesus' MESSAGE I am following Jesus To HOPE AND SALVATION Are you COMING WITH ME? Let us ALL FOLLOW THE MESSENGER Robert P. Wallman 11-12-14 4-27-15

JOURNAL=4-26-15=WAITING ON A MIRACLE

JOURNAL=4-26-15=WAITING ON A MIRACLE “BY the Lord this has been done-it is wonderful in OUR EYES” Psalm 118:23 “DO YOU BELIEVE in miracles?! Do you BELIEVE in MIRACLES” That is a FAMOUS line-uttered by announcer Al Michaels-WHEN the college American amateur hockey players-defeated the RUSSIAN PROFESSIONAL hockey team in the 1980 OLYMPICS (some considered it to be the FINEST HOCKEY TEAM in the world) For the record-I DO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES-and you should too-OUR VERY LIVES are miracles-I just have the MEMORY and BLESSING of walking away from my death bed three different times I AM often left speechless by the GOODNESS and the WONDER OF GOD-Take a look at the GRAND CANYON-the sun RISING any morning-or the birth of any child-and you will KNOW that the HAND of God is at work Albert Einstein once said: “There are only two ways to LIVE your life-one is though NOTHING is a miracle-the other is that EVERYTHING is a miracle” I BELIEVE in the awesome wonder of God-I DO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES-How about you it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day for BELIEVING in the ORDINARY MIRACLES OF LIFE WITNESS 7-21-13 WAITING ON A MIRACLE How many of you Need a miracle in your life God knows I do A miracle In your health Waiting on God Waiting on a miracle A miracle In your marriage Or in your family Waiting on God Waiting on a miracle A miracle in your finances I sure could use one of those I think we all could Do you know what a miracle is A miracle is an extraordinary event Done through the POWER OF GOD I have ALREADY had a miracle In my life---OK maybe a few I’ll bet If you think about it Really think about it I’ll bet You have had some too NOT only do you and I Need a miracle Our country Needs a miracle Our world Needs a miracle Waiting on God Waiting on a miracle Waiting on THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF GOD I got some news for you God is quite capable and willing All it takes is some FAITH And some BELIEF And us turning back to God God made the world In seven days I call that a miracle God created Adam and Eve Out of nothing---us too LIFE itself is a miracle God told Noah to build a boat He did---and God SAVED them I call that a miracle God gave Abraham and Sarah a child At a very old age I call that a miracle God parted the Red Sea For Moses and his people Still another miracle David slayed Goliath With a sling shot Even one more miracle The key element In ALL of these miracles Is that first there was faith Faith is needed---belief is needed For God to use his power To make the unseen---seen Fast forward to the New Testament And we find Jesus Performing MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE Healing after healing A royal official came to Jesus and said, “Sir, come down before my son dies” John 4:49 Jesus replied, “You may go---your son will live” John 4:50 When the man returned home He found his son alive He inquired as to the time And found out---it was the exact time Jesus had said, “Your son will live” Waiting on God Waiting on a miracle Martha and Mary Sent word to Jesus, “The one you love, Lord, is sick” John 11:3 When he heard this, Jesus said, “The sickness will not end in death No it is for God’s glory So that God’s Son May be glorified through it” John 11:4 Jesus waited 2 days Then he and his disciples Went to Martha and Mary’s house Through Judea---the place Where they had just tried to stone him Jesus said to Martha and Mary, “Your brother will rise again” John 11:23 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again In the Resurrection At the last day” John 11:24 Jesus said, “I am the RESURRECTION and the LIFE He who believes in me will LIVE Even though he dies And whoever Lives and believes in me Will NEVER die---do you believe that?” John 11:25 & 26 She must have believed---Lazarus lived And walked the earth again Do you believe this---Do I Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me You have believed Blessed are they who have NOT seen Yet believed” John 20:29 Waiting on God Waiting on a miracle Maybe all we need to do is JUST BELIEVE Robert P. Wallman 8-28-11 Today---February 11th---is the feast day of OUR LADY OF LOUDES The day of the first apparition of the Blessed Mother to Saint Bernadette Lourdes, France is a place where many miracles have occurred It is ALSO THE DAY that I walked out of the hospital after my first surgery Ps WITNESS 7-21-13 A MIRACLE is defines as EXTRAORDINARY events done through GOD’S POWER But ALWAYS REMEMBER that God uses the ORDINARY events of life to show his EXTRAORDINARY POWER 4-26-15

SAINT MARK

SAINT MARK Saint Mark was an evangelist But not One of the original apostles He was the young man Who followed Christ After his arrest And later escaped capture “A young man wearing nothing But a linen garment Was following Jesus When they seized him He fled naked Leaving his garment behind” Mark 14:51-52 Dear Lord-we pray That as we follow you Through our lives When times become tough That we do not flee from you As the other apostles And Mark did Mark was later The companion Of both Paul and Peter Paul and Barnabas-Mark’s cousin Took Mark on Paul’s first missionary journey But Mark turned back For Jerusalem Paul became angry And his quarrel with Barnabas Led to Barnabas and Mark Preaching together in Cypress “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back And visit the brothers Where we preached the Word of the Lord And see how they are doing’ Barnabas wanted to take John Also called John Mark with them But Paul did not think It wise to take him Because he had deserted them In Pamphylia And not continued with them In the work” Acts 15:36:38 They had a sharp disagreement And Barnabas and Mark Preached in Cyprus Paul took Silas And headed out to strengthen the churches In Syria and Cilicia Later Mark was with Paul When Paul was in prison “My fellow prisoner Aristarchus Sends you his greetings As does Mark-the cousin of Barnabas (“You have received instructions about him If he comes to you-welcome him”) Colossians 4:10 And Peter referred to Mark, “As his son” “She who is in Babylon Chosen together with you Sends you her greetings As does my son Mark” We must remember That Mark was a good deal younger Than Peter and Paul And that Peter Is probably the SOURCE Of most of Mark’s Gospel It is believed Mark suffered martyrdom Possibly in Alexandria Of which he was the first bishop The symbol of Mark As an evangelist Is the lion And his feast day Is April 25th Robert P. Wallman 5-4-13 Ps MISC. WITNESS 4-25-14

JOURNAL=4-25-15=PRIDE AND HUMILITY

JOURNAL=4-25-15=PRIDE AND HUMILITY “CLOTHE yourself with HUMILITY in your dealings with one another.....” 1 Peter 5:5 Peter REMINDS us to be HUMBLE-for the Lord himself was humble-HE tells us and TRIES to teach us to treat one another WITH KINDNESS AND COMPASSION-for as TRUE CHRISTIANS that is what we called upon to do Peter also REMINDS US that we will ALL be tempted-and that we will all sin-at one time or another-so we should NOT approach our brothers and sisters with PRIDE WE are to take our WORRIES to God-and KNOW that our FELLOW BELIEVERS are undergoing sufferings also TREAT one another with humility-NOT PRIDE Dear Lord-WE PRAY-that we TREAT all CHRISTIANS and ALL people with a SPIRIT OF COMPASSION-and MERCY-but never judgment it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day for living in HUMILITY AND LOVE PRIDE AND HUMILITY We are ALL proud Of ourselves in life At one time Or another PROUD of who we are PROUD of What we have accomplished Or maybe just proud Of someone else in our family God tells us WE are NOT to be proud “To fear the Lord Is to hate evil I hate pride and arrogance EVIL behavior and perverse speech” Proverbs 8:13 I don’t think There is anything wrong About feeling GOOD about ourselves Feeling good About something that we have accomplished But I think There is an inherent danger In this In ALLOWING ourselves to think We have become BETTER than The man or woman Standing or sitting Right beside us “The eyes of the arrogant man Will be humbled And the pride of men Brought low The Lord ALONE Will be exalted in that day” Isaiah 2:11 God wants us to know That we could accomplish nothing Without him And that we are ALWAYS dependent on him And other people In this world God wants us to know That all of us Are DEPENDENT on him and others In fact IF God ceased to love us For just one second We would cease to live OUR very next breath Is dependent on him And he wants us To be more like Jesus The MOST HUMBLE man or woman To ever walk this earth “DO NOTHING out of selfish ambition Or vain conceit BUT IN HUMILITY Consider others Better than yourself Each of you Should look NOT ONLY to your own interest But also To the interests of others Your attitude Should be the same As that of Jesus Christ” Philippians 2:3-5 Jesus is our ROLE model FOR HUMILITY And God has lifted His name up Above every other We ALL live in a world Of self-promotion But God says FOLLOW the example of Christ Jesus And-IF-it is meant to be so LET HIM-LIFT YOU UP Robert P. Wallman 4-5-13 4-15-15

JOURNAL=4-24-15=HIS HOMETOWN/my hometown

JOURNAL=4-24-14=HIS HOMETOWN/my hometown “For my flesh is TRUE food-and my blood is TRUE DRINK” John 6:55 In my humble opinion-Jesus is the GREATEST man who ever lived-and in my opinion-he is the ONE TRUE GOD-whoever walked this earth (and also in the opinion of 2 to 3 billion other people) HE DEFEATED every temptation that exists-every temptation that gives us human beings great difficulty-he even defeated death-what NO ONE ELSE-in the history of mankind has ever defeated The one thing that Jesus could not manage-was to be ACCEPTED in his hometown-MARCH 21st of 2015-reminded me again of what a FORTUNATE HUMAN BEING that I am-ALL because of Jesus-and all because of my hometown and my family and friends ON THAT DAY-we had a five-year anniversary MASS for my mom-and ACKNOWLEDGED her and my dad-for the people that they were And on that evening-my sisters and FAMILY and friends gave me a sixtieth birthday party-MAYBE-the happiest day of my life-ALL because God and Jesus gave me a second chance at life-and because they-and my family and friends (in Pittsburgh-as well as in Florida have NEVER turned their back on me) OUR REAL HOME is WHERE EVER God leads us-WHERE EVER God takes us to do his work-The BODY AND BLOOD of Jesus is indeed REAL-and it is INDEED LIFE-OUR TRUE HOME is LIVING the WORD OF GOD it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day for returning to GOD-to Jesus-and to the WORD OF GOD HIS HOMETOWN/my hometown I am sure almost EVERY Christian knows That Jesus was BORN In a stable In Bethlehem And he grew up In a place called Nazareth “Having been warned In a dream He withdrew To the District of Galilee And he went and lived In a town called Nazareth So was fulfilled What was said Through the prophets: 'HE will be called A Nazarene'” Matthew 2:22-23 And as Jesus grew and Came into his public service He could perform No or very little miracles there Because they Did not have the faith THAT OTHERS who met Jesus Had in him Jesus' hometown of Nazareth REJECTED him “IS not this the carpenter The son of Mary The brother of James and Joses And of Juda and Simon And are not His sisters with us And they were offended at him” “But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor But in his own country And among his own kin And in his own house' And he could do No mighty work Except lay his hands On a few sick folk And heal them And He(Jesus) marvelled Because of their unbelief And he went round about The villages teaching” Mark 3:3-6 Of course Jesus Was God And he PROVED it Through HIS Resurrection I want to give thanks TO GOD AND JESUS For answering my deathbed prayer: “To LIVE for my family, my friends And ALL people everywhere” God has SUSTAINED me with life In and through what has looked Like many hopeless situations And I want to FORMALLY RECOGNIZE My hometown and ALL the people Connected to it For ALL the help and encouragement They have given me Over the years BEGINNING with my parents Who NEVER doubted me And my sister Terri Who has HELPED support me financially Over the years Since my parents died My sister Mary And her four beautiful daughters WHOM I dearly love And I want to thank ALL my family and friends Who have CONTINUED to HELP me And encourage me IN doing “GOD'S WORK” Over the years So I THANK My hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. And ALL the people CONNECTED with it For having NEVER FORGOTTEN ME You KNOW who you are And what you have done FOR ME (and I KNOW too) INDEED you are SOMEPLACE SPECIAL And I gratefully ACKNOWLEDGE My new friends and neighbors In Florida For having ACCEPTED me And ALL you have done for me (NOT so new anymore) And I will continue “TO LIVE For my family-my friends And ALL people everywhere” For as long As God gives me THE GRACE-THE LIFE- And the LOVE to do so IN JESUS' NAME, Robert P. Wallman 5-8-14 4-24-15

JOURNAL=4-23-15=THE AUTHOR OF LIFE

JOURNAL=4-23-15=THE AUTHOR OF LIFE “I AM the LIVING BREAD that came down from heaven;WHOEVER eats this bread will live FOREVER” John 6:51 HAVE you ever felt so down and out physically that you felt that you could not go on? I HAVE-HAVE you ever felt so depressed or spiritually barren that you felt you could not go on-I have-IN fact-there was a time many years ago that I felt ALL three-all at the same time IT is a TRIBUTE to our God-and my LORD AND SAVIOR-Jesus Christ-that I am here today-and thriving in life-MAYBE still not great physically-but thriving spiritually and emotionally-MY GOD-the AUTHOR of LIFE has nourished me back to life and has TAUGHT me what is important in life-and contrary to popular opinion-it has NOTHING to do with wealth or materialism-THAT is NOT what makes you HAPPY in life-it is the GIVING and RECEIVING of LOVE on this journey we CALL LIFE Dear Lord-I THANK YOU for my earthly family-and I thank you for my larger heavenly family-DEAR LORD-thank you for nourishing me in past years WHEN I so desperately needed it-thank you for nourishing me now-and thank you for SUSTAINING US for all of ETERNITY Dear God-DEAR JESUS-you are the BREAD OF LIFE-you SUSTAIN ME it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in OUR LORD'S LOVE for us and a GREAT DAY to say thank you to GOD-the AUTHOR of ALL OF LIFE THE AUTHOR OF LIFE Do you know What an AUTHOR is The word “author” is defined as “One who originates or creates; SOURCE” And that is WHAT our God is THE SOURCE The CREATOR of this world And I have to wonder How he FEELS about us In today's world BEGINNING with Adam-us men- have made a mess Out of this world And with the example of HIS SON-Jesus Christ He showed us HOW to get things right The PERFECT LAMB The perfect example For us on how to live OUR GOD Is THE AUTHOR of life His Son-Jesus Is the perfect example of How to live With PERFECT love With perfect forgiveness And with perfect kindness “The heavens declare The glory of God The skies proclaim The work Of his hand Day after day They pour forth speech Night after night They display knowledge There is no speech Or language Where their voice Is not heard The voice goes out Into ALL the earth the words To the end Of the world” Psalm 19:1-4 The earth was made perfect BY GOD So that we could LIVE on it and in it In fact The only thing On this earth That is not perfect is us-human beings And God In the FORM of his SON The perfect example SHOWED us how to live A life out of LOVE For our God Is the God Of PERFECT ORDER NOT the author of confusion The way this world Exists today “FOR GOD is NOT the author Of confusion But of peace As in ALL churches of the saints” 1 Corinthians 14:33 Think about it The SAINTS are GOD'S PEOPLE too And they got it ALMOST perfect-like Christ- Our God did We can do better We can make God THE AUTHOR OF ALL LIFE PROUD of us-yet again “And being made perfect He became the AUTHOR Of eternal salvation Unto all them That obey him” Hebrews 5:9 All we have to do Is LISTEN to our God And obey him And look to our model His Son-Jesus Christ In how to act “THIS is the covenant That I will make With the House of Israel I will put my law In their inward parts And WRITE it In their heart And I will be THEIR GOD And they shall be MY PEOPLE” Jeremiah 31:33 (repeated in Hebrews 8:10) So let us get it RIGHT ONCE AGAIN As they did After the Resurrection Let us listen To our God Let us obey And FOLLOW the example of Christ So that we can make Our God THE AUTHOR OF LIFE NOT only proud of his creation The earth But PROUD of HIS people ONCE AGAIN Robert P. Wallman 5-8-14 4-23-15

JOURNAL=4-22-15=THE BREAD OF LIFE

JOURNAL=4-22-15=I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE “I AM the bread of life-WHOEVER comes to me will never hunger-and whoever BELIEVES in me-will NEVER THIRST” John 6:35 Like Moses-Jesus was SENT BY GOD-to lead his people into the PROMISED LAND Moses gave his people a food that perished every night-and led them to an EARTHLY PROMISED LAND—JESUS' MISSION-however-is to GIVE HIMSELF as the bread of ETERNAL LIFE JESUS' MISSION is to lead his people AWAY from the slavery of sin-and into the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN This is the GENEROSITY of Jesus-he offers us his VERY LIFE-the LIVING BREAD that came down from heaven it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to ACCEPT OUR MISSION-to FOLLOW and LIVE the teachings of Jesus in our life THE BREAD OF LIFE ( is Eternal Life ) “I am the Bread of Life He who comes to me Will never go hungry And he who believes in me Will never go thirsty” John 6:35 If you saw a fountain And someone told you That if you drank From that fountain You would have The gift of eternal life I wonder How many of us Would rush to that fountain to drink I know that I would Jesus tells us, “For my Father’s will Is that everyone Who looks to the Son And believes in him Shall have eternal life And I will raise him up On the last day” How many of us Want ETERNAL life I would dare say Almost all of us How many of us Really believe that Jesus is THE CHRIST The ONE AND ONLY SON OF GOD I would dare say NOT many of us For if we really and truly believed in him A GOD OF LIFE, A GOD OF LOVE, AND A GOD OF TRUTH Would we have a world Filled with war, murder, rape, child-abuse, And only the Lord knows what else Eternal life is simply A life everlasting with God It is the choice of God and love Over hatred and sin Jesus took the bread Gave it to his disciples and said, “This is my body” He then took the cup Gave it to his disciples and said, “This is my blood The blood of the new and everlasting covenant Which is poured out for many” Eternal life means simply A life everlasting with God Take on The Body of Christ Take on The Blood of Christ Choose God and love Over the sins of this world What would we do Where would we go Without God and Jesus in our lives Simon Peter knew the answer, “Lord to whom shall we go You have the words of eternal life We believe and know That you are the Holy One of God” John 6:68 Jesus said, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE” I believe him---do you? Robert P. Wallman 5-14-11 ps misc. WITNESS 3-11-14 MISC. WITNESS 6-22-14 4-22-15

JOURNAL=4-21-15=HOME OR HOMELESS

JOURNAL=4-21-15=HOME OR HOMELESS “MY father gives you the TRUE BREAD from heaven” John 6:32 Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have food on your table? IF SO, consider yourself fortunate-NOT EVERYONE in this world has that WE CAN be starving physically which can make us angry-bitter- restless-and depressed-MOST of us have never known this feeling OR we can be starving spiritually-filling up on the wrong food-the materialism of the world and not the SPIRIT OF GOD-as we certainly know-NO MAN can serve two masters Dear Lord-you KNOW the deepest longings of our heart-HELP US to KNOW the real source of our hunger-YOUR BODY AND BLOOD-the BREAD OF LIFE it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day for SATISFYING our hunger-BOTH physically and spiritually WITNESS 2-21-13 HOME OR HOMELESS We all have homes RIGHT? A place to lay our head down At night-and a roof over our head WRONG For anywhere Between 600,000 and a few million people ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT They are going to bed WITHOUT a roof over their head And food on the table (* the actual number-IN AMERICA- Is difficult to ascertain for various reasons) In fact, I have a couple of friends Who are homeless And a couple of more That might be on their way there There is one thing-though- That we can ALL agree on AT LEAST those of us with FAITH And that is our home IS WITH THE LORD “One thing I ask of the Lord This is what I seek That I may dwell In the house of the Lord ALL the days of my life To gaze upon the beauty Of the Lord And to seek him In his temple” Psalm 27:4 And we KNOW That Jesus identifies with the homeless For he once said: “Foxes have holes And birds in the air have nests But the Son of Man Has no place to lay his head” Matthew 8:20 So we know that Jesus LOVES THE HOMELESS EVERY bit as much As he loves you and me PROBABLY more so For we know Jesus was a wanderer And a teacher And probably had NO HOME Of his own The number one reason For homelessness is poverty And anyone could wind up there With a couple of bad breaks A LOST JOB-a chronic illness Etc., etc., etc., And we know Jesus identifies with the poor: “For I was hungry And you Gave me something to eat I was thirsty And you gave me Something to drink I was a stranger And you invited me in I needed clothes And you clothed me I was sick And you looked after me I was in prison And you came to visit me” Matthew 25:35-36 And we will say “When did we do this Lord?” And he will say, “I tell you the truth Whatever you did For one of The least brothers of mine You did for me” Matthew 25:40 This poem Is for my friends Who are homeless And ALL people Who are homeless For we know, “There but For the GRACE of God Go I” And we HOPE AND PRAY ONE DAY-we can all say: “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 23:6 Robert P. Wallman 2-16-17 Ps WITNESS 2-21-13 4-21-15

JOURNAL=4-20-15=A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD

JOURNAL=4-20-15=A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD “This is the WORK OF GOD-that you BELIEVE in the ONE he sent” John 6:29 WHEN we are young-we BEGIN a search for life-a search for GOD-IF we are lucky-we FIND HIM and our PASSION FOR LIFE along the way FINDING HAPPINESS is NOT such an easy thing in life-we all go in ALL different directions when we are young TRYING to find it-ONLY A FEW of us are lucky enough to find it-I WAS LUCKY in finding it in MY PASSION FOR LOVING GOD and others GOD was doing HIS WORK in me from the very beginning-SPECIFICALLY BEGINNING on my 22nd birthday and my PROMISE-”to LIVE FOR GOD and all people everywhere”-but as a friend of mine once said-”HE was in you long before that” SO I thank God for a heart that continues to beat-a heart that HOPES-and a heart that KNOWS his lasting home is in GOD AND Jesus MAY you too FIND GOD in your heart-right WHERE he always was it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to begin A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD As Christians One of the things We are to do Is WALK with God And in our journey Through life We are to walk TOFETHER with God But HOW Do we do this Certainly by obeying The TWO greatest commandments “Jesus said to him 'Thou shalt Love the Lord Thy God With all thy heart With all thy soul And with all thy mind'” Matthew 22:37 “'And the second IS like it Thou shalt love thy neighbor As thyself'” Matthew 22:39 And if you want A CLOSER walk with God TRY embodying SOME Of the qualities That Jesus himself had Namely forgiveness and MERCY For our brothers and sisters Of this world Who make mistakes In John chapter 8 We READ about the adulterous woman Caught in the midst of adultery THEY-trying to trick Jesus-say Moses' law-says SUCH WOMAN SHOULD BE STONED Jesus-PRETENDING-not to hear them- Begins to write their sins On the ground And says “HE that is without sin Cast the first stone” John 8:7 ONE-by-one CONVICTED by their own conscience They all walk away And Jesus says to her “Woman-where are they? Has NO ONE condemned you?” “No one sir,” she says Sweetly-softly-and gently-Jesus says “Neither do I condemn you” John 8:10-12 Wouldn't it be GREAT IF more of us Adopted Jesus' attitude In today's world If we did One by one EVERY one of us Would slowly walk away A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD “You then WHY do you JUDGE your brother Or why Do you look down On your brother For WE ALL Stand before God's judgment seat” Romans 14:10 The 23rd psalm One of my favorites PROMISES quiet waters, guidance And a cup overflowing NOT because we never fail But because GOD'S LOVE never fails “LOVE NEVER FAILS” 1 Corinthians 13:8 So IF We want a closer walk With God We have to TAKE ON the qualities Of mercy and compassion To our brothers and sisters And leave the judging To God our Father Walking together with Jesus WALKING TOGETHER with God Dear Lord-we pray Thank you for the MERCY That you EXTEND to us And we pray That you TOUCH our hearts So that we can EXTEND YOUR MERCY To ALL And have A closer walk With Jesus A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD Robert P. Wallman April 7th, 2014 Ps TODAY-April 27th, 2014 is DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY PLEASE LOOK for the FULL PAGE “”JESUS I TRUST IN YOU” pictures in your Sunday newspaper AND join me in WELCOMING John Paul II and John XXIII into our company of SAINTS APRIL 20th, 2015

JOURNAL=4-19-15=FINDING COMFORT IN GOD

JOURNAL=4-19-15=FINDING COMFORT IN GOD “He stood in their MIDST-and said to them-'PEACE BE WITH YOU'” Luke 24:36 DO YOU have PEACE in your life right now? IF you do-count yourself fortunate-because VERY FEW actually find LASTING PEACE in their lives I SUGGEST to you that you CAN only find peace IN GOD-because if you are living by the world's values-something is ALWAYS coming up to throw you off-something EXTERNAL to you-you can only find lasting peace by LIVING GOD'S VALUES-love-forgiveness-and kindness Have you ever been to a BIG CITY-NEW YORK CITY-to be specific-the city that NEVER SLEEPS-it is amazing-beautiful-and ALIVE-but it is anything but PEACEFUL-and it is also stressful and LOUD Yet you can STILL FIND the Lord even there-for the LORD LIVES in our hearts it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD”S LOVE for us-and a great day for FINDING PEACE in the LORD-no matter where we may be WITNESS 4-25-13 FINDING COMFORT IN GOD How would you define The word comfort The dictionary defines comfort As “to soothe- to counsel- To reassure-and to Bring cheer to” Where do you find your comfort In times of grief In times of trouble And so on And so on And so on Of course We find it in family and friends And we find it IN GOD A God Who ALWAYS understands “Great is our Lord And mighty in power His understanding Has NO limit” Psalm 147:5 For example in times of grief When we’ve lost someone Very meaningful in our lives Job felt grief When he LOST everyone And everything And he had three friends Come and sit with him For seven days “When they saw him from a distance They could hardly recognize him They began to weep aloud And they tore their robes And sprinkled dust on their heads Then they sat on the ground with him For seven days and seven nights No one said a word to him Because they saw HOW GREAT His suffering was” Job 2:12-13 And in psalm 23 it says: “Even though I walk Through the valley Of the shadow of death I will fear no evil For you are with me Your rod and staff COMFORT me” Psalm 23:4 HOW about that For a COMFORTING God He walks Through the valley of death With us And he is with us When we are in trouble NOTHING can separate our God From us “For I am convinced That neither death nor life Neither angels nor demons Neither the present Nor the future Nor any powers Neither height nor depth Nor anything else in all creation Will be able to separate us From the LOVE OF GOD That is Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38-39 How about that For a comforting God NOTHING can separate us From OUR God Not grief-not trouble NOT our sin-NOT when we fall short Not even when we are afraid “COMFORT-COMFORT my people says our God” Isaiah 40:1 And God Will leave his own spirit behind To help us find the PEACE AND COMFORT That we need “”PEACE I leave with you My peace I give you I do not give it to you As the world gives DO NOT let your hearts be troubled And do not be afraid” John 14:27 Find your peace FIND YOUR COMFORT IN GOD Robert P. Wallman 2-27-13 WITNESS 4-25-13 4-19-15

JOURNAL=4-18-15=FEAR AND ANXIETY

JOURNAL=4-18-15=FEAR AND ANXIETY “The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing-WHEN they rowed about three or four miles-they saw Jesus WALKING on the sea-and coming near the boat-and they BEGAN to be AFRAID-but he said to them-'it is I-do NOT BE AFRAID” I don't know about you-but IF I saw one of you WALKING on water-I would be PERPLEXED-and-afraid-THE standard interpretation for this event in SCIPTURE- is that WHEN bad things happen-we NEED TO HAVE FAITH -and trust in God and Jesus I don't know about you-I ALWAYS SAY that I will do this-but WHEN the calamities of my life start to pileup-it is very easy to FALL BACK into feeling fear and anxiety MAYBE-maybe-we just NEED to actually visually Jesus walking on water and saying: “Do NOT be afraid-it is I”-and let the PEACE of God come over us-actually knowing that Jesus did do this-and that Jesus is God Dear Lord-PLEASE help us to see and hear you WHEN TIMES do grow difficult-and let your PEACE engulf us-KNOWING you will wrap us in your LOVE it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a GREAT day-to be wrapped in GOD'S everlasting arms of PEACE AND LOVE WITNESS 7-30-13 FEAR AND ANXIETY Do you have Some fear and anxiety In your life Who doesn’t Fear of illness Fear of Not being able to take care of your family Fear of broken relationships In our family and with our friends There is Only one way to overcome any fear And that is THROUGH faith in God “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not be in want” Psalm 23:1 Fear can be good Fear can be a motivating force To do GOOD “The Lord Loves righteousness and justice The earth is full Of his unfailing love” Psalm 33:5 Have you ever Been around a child Who has an unreasonable fear And there is nothing you can do To calm him or her down That happens to us as adults too When fear becomes irrational When things we dream up in our mind Never really happens We can only find our peace In God “When I am afraid I will trust in you In God-whose words I praise In God I trust-I will not be afraid What can mortal man Do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4 And if what we are fearing happens We should still be trusting God For God is OUR HOPE AND OUR SALVATION “DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED Trust in God Trust also in me” John 14:1 Perfect love Drives out our fear Perfect love OVERCOMES our weakness “My grace is sufficient for you For my power Is made perfect In weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9 So our imperfections Our weaknesses Our failings Brings God’s gift of love And his gift of grace To overcome Anything and everything we are facing “EVERY good and perfect gift Is from above Coming down From the Father of the heavenly lights Who does not change Like shifting shadows” James 1:17 Dear Lord-we pray That our anxieties and fears LEAD US TO YOU The one who saves The one who protects And the one who SHINES the light IN ANY darkness Lord I-WE-give you our fears Robert P. Wallman 10-4-12 Ps INSPIRED by a piece in LIVING Faith-Amy Welborn WITNESS 7-30-13 1-7-14 & 4-18-15

THE UNLIKELY INSTRUMENTS OF GOD

THE UNLIKELY INSTRUMENTS OF GOD YOU Yes you You who are reading this ARE an UNLIKELY INSTRUMENT Of God At least you Have the capacity to be “Jesus said to her, 'Woman WHY are you weeping WHOM are you looking for' She thought It was the gardener And said to him 'Sir IF you have carried him away Tell me WHERE you have laid him And I will Take him' Jesus said to her 'Mary' She turned to him and said, 'Rabboni' (Which in Hebrew means “TEACHER”) John 20:15-16 What an UNLIKELY first witness To Christ-Mary Magdalene In Jesus' time WOMEN couldn't even be Witnesses in court Yet-there she is BEING CHOSEN-By God-By the CHRIST- After the male disciples had left NOT only does she see him But he calls to her by name Like the GOOD SHEPHERD- “THE SHEEP hear his voice As he calls his own sheep By name And LEADS them out” John 10:3 An unlikely choice TO BE SURE And she is not The only one GOD'S first choice Of the Jews Was Moses A stuttering man Who was a murderer UNLIKELY YES Impossible no For nothing is impossible to God “And we KNOW That in ALL things GOD works for the good Of those who love him Who have Been CALLED according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 That is THE POWER of God's love He can work Through anyone Who has an OPEN HERAT And is willing to say YES And there was Paul A persecutor of Christians Chosen to be The spokesperson to the gentiles And Mary-THE MOTHER OF God An unwed mother From a hick town And then there is YOU AND ME LOOK-who God has chosen Down through history NOTHING in our past Can be as bad AS those God has already chosen “Like the coolness Of snow At harvest time Is a trustworthy messenger To those who send him He REFRESHES the SPIRIT Of those who send him” Proverbs 25:13 Dear Lord-we pray Like our fore fathers To be UNLIKELY INSTRUMENTS of God Robert P. Wallman 4-7-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Phil Fox Rose Jesus-HIMSELF-was an uneducated teacher and preacher- ROAMING from town to town- With the UNLIKELY BAND of APOSTLES-that he himself had chosen

JOURNAL=4-17-15=YOU HAVE AN ABUNDANCE COMING

JOURNAL=4-17-15=YOU HAVE AN ABUNDANCE COMING “WHEN they all had their fill-he said to his disciples-'GATHER the fragments left over-so that nothing will be wasted'” John 6:12 THE MIRACLE of the loaves and the fishes is ONE of the GREAT MIRACLES of Jesus' time-HE MADE something out of nothing-quite the contrary to us in this world-OFTEN TIMES we seem to take GOD'S BLESSINGS and turn them into nothing-but then HE was God WHEN I was a child growing up in Pittsburgh-I was told to eat my dinner-for there are people “STARVING” all over the world-NO DOUBT that that is STILL TRUE today-and there is NO REASON for it-other than greed-and WE HUMANS have NOT learned to trust each other and SHARE with each other-even yet-in the 21st century WOULDN'T BE GREAT if we could learn to be as GENEROUS and HOSPITABLE as God? MY PRAYER for us-MY PRAYER for me-is that I/WE learn not to waste what we have in this world-and what I have in ABUNDANCE-and SHARE our BLESSINGS as Jesus was able to multiply his blessings and SHARE them with the 5000 it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in God's LOVE for us and a great day for SHARING our BLESSINGS-in whatever form they come in-with ONE ANOTHER YOU HAVE AN ABUNDANCE COMING Do you have An abundance Of GOOD things In your life An abundance of good people I DO And I really Can't explain it EXCEPT for God WORKING for me Through the good people FAMILY, friends, neighbors, and churches That have stepped up For me AND AN ABUNDANCE Of spiritual blessings “Watch out Be on your guard Against all kinds of greed A man's life Does not consist In the abundance Of his possessions” Luke12:15 And that is the way It is with me In fact I have NO material possessions When my mom Died four years ago I thought I was Going to have to move To a little efficiency apartment And I had no idea How I was Going to make ends meet But my sister-Terri- Has stepped up for me And relative after relative Friend after friend Neighbor after neighbor Has stepped up For me ALL in Their various ways BLESSINGS IN GOD And blessings in people You have AN ABUNDANCE COMING How about you Have you died With the crosses In your life And UNITED yourself With Christ IF you Have died with Christ In this life And have united Your life with Christ You WILL As Christ did himself RISE AGAIN “Those who have done good Will rise to live And those who have Done evil Will rise to be condemned” John 5:29 Have you done GOOD With your life Have you UNITED your suffering With Christ YOU WILL rise again You have an abundance OF BLESSINGS coming And if you Haven't done good With your life Up to this point It is never too late To change And dedicate your life TO GOD AND CHRIST “Jesus said to her, 'I AM the resurrection And the life HE who believes in me WILL LIVE Even though he dies And whoever lives And BELIEVES in me WILL never die Do you BELIEVE this?” John 11:25-26 By BELIEVING in GOD AND CHRIST You will RISE again In BOTH life And in death “They will CELEBRATE Your abundant goodness And joyfully Sing of your righteousness” Psalm 145:7 “Mercy-peace-and love be yours in abundance” Jude 0:2 BLESSINGS YOU-have an ABUNDANCE coming Robert P. Wallman 2-11-14 MISC. WITNESS 4-24-14 12-2-14 & 4-17-15 Ps GOD cannot be OUTDONE in GENEROSITY

JOURNAL=4-16-15=WHEREVER YOU ARE

JOURNAL=4-16-15=WHEREVER WE ARE “THE LORD is CLOSE to the brokenhearted” Psalm 34:19 Down through history-BELIEVERS have had to pay a price for their WITNESS-sometimes-they had to pay for it with their lives-sometimes they had to pay for it with their REPUTATION-but one thing for SURE-is that it pays to be a WITNESS for God and Christ-even if it is just for the PEACE you feel WITHIN your heart-or the PEACE that you FEEL from God and CHRIST living within you And we can be a WITNESS WHEREVER WE ARE emotionally and spiritually-wherever we live-for our GOD IS CLOSE to the brokenhearted to those being CRUSHED in SPIRIT WHEN the JUST cry out-Lord does indeed HEAR THEM it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to be WITNESSES to GOD'S very love for us WHEREVER YOU ARE Wherever you are--- Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ Before we answer that question Maybe we should know Who or what a disciple of Jesus Christ is In John, 8:31, Jesus tells us himself What a disciple of his is “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching You really are my disciples” So where are we To proclaim his teachings The answer is simple And the answer is WHEREVERYOU ARE It can be In our neighborhood It can be In our backyard Or it can even be In our own home And what is great is We don’t even have to say a word They will know we are Christians BY OUR LOVE They will know we are Christians By our kindness They will know we are Christians By our forgiveness And what about our children In today’s world What does Jesus say “And if anyone Gives even a cup of cold water To one of these little ones Because he is my disciple I tell you the truth He will certainly not lose his reward” Matthew 10:42 A far cry from sexual abuse Wouldn’t you say What if We treated our children with love Instead of abusing them “It would be better For him to be thrown Into the sea With a millstone tied around his neck Than for him To cause one of these little ones To sin So watch yourselves” Luke 17:2 & 3 We can be a Christian If we are a prisoner In a prison cell We can be a Christian As a patient in a hospital room We can be kind To a child Wherever we find them In short We can be a Christian WHEREVER we are Jesus said, “Go into the whole world And proclaim the Gospel To every living creature” Mark 16:15 ALL we need to do is CARRY GOD’S LOVE with us In our hearts And share it With whoever God puts in our lives WHEREVER WE ARE Robert P. Wallman 1-27-12 Ps inspired by a message in Living Faith 1-25-12 by Sister Melanie SVOBODA S.M.D. . MISC. WITNESS 5-02-14 4-16-15.

JOURNAL=4-15-15=WE ARE NEVER ALONE!

JOURNAL=4-15-15-WE ARE NEVER ALONE “LOOK TO HIM that you may be RADIANT WITH JOY-and your faces may NOT blush with shame” Psalm 34:6 ARE you CLOSE to God? Do you make a habit out of TRYING to stay close to God? GOD (Jesus) are my best friends-I SHARE the good-the bad-and the in-between-even that deep down MOST SHAMEFUL part of my soul HOW ABOUT YOU-do you SHARE everything in your life with God and Jesus-God wants you to stay CLOSE to him-HE wants you to know that there is nothing in your life that you can't share-YOU are NEVER ALONE UNLESS you want to be KEEP a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with God and Jesus-through PRAYER-just the opening of your mind and your soul to God-and you will be FOREVER “RADIANT WITH JOY” it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to OPEN up our heart and soul to GOD STAY CLOSE to God and you be able to HANDLE anything that life brings you WE ARE NEVER ALONE This world Often sets IMPOSSIBLE STANDARDS for us It tells us That we should LOOK like the guy or the girl On the television commercials (and our mate should look like that too) Or we should be driving That brand new luxury model car BARELY possible goals For some of us IMPOSSIBLE for those of you Like me-AVERAGE And sometimes This leaves us FEELING like we are alone Like we are the ONLY ONE Who can't Live up to these standards But the truth is WE ARE NEVER ALONE GOD CHOOSES you and me For GOD Is our shield “To him WHO alone does GREAT wonders HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER” Psalm 136:4 And for those of us Who are chasing God OVER the things Of this world God tells us NOT to worry The psalmist tells us, “But you (God) Are a SHIELD around me O Lord You bestow glory On me And lift up my head” Psalm 3:3 Our Lord and God PROTECTS WE ARE NEVER ALONE The world tells us That in hopeless situations To give up It says, “You can't do this with your own resources So you might as well Give up” But GOD tells us, “You don't have to DO IT ALONE You have to give up And LEAN on me” So if you get A bad health diagnosis That says You can't get better If you don't Have Enough funds To buy that beautiful car If you don't Look like MR. GQ Or aren't a perfect ten GOD TELLS US We still matter God tells us WE ARE NEVER ALONE GOD is our shield “The Lord is my STRENGTH And my SHIELD My heart trusts in him And I am helped My heart Leaps for joy And I will give thanks To him-in song” Psalm 28:7 So the next time The world tells you That big lie Sets you up For that impossible standard REASSURE yourself DAILY Based on the evidence That GOD-and OTHERS are with you And that WE ARE NEVER ALONE Robert P. Wallman 11-19-13 ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH Magazine by Phil Fox Rose misc. WITNESS 2-20-14 4-15-15

JOURNAL=4-14-15=THE GOD OF SURPRISES

JOURNAL=4-14-15=THE GOD OF SURPRISES (Jesus said:) “The wind BLOWS where it wills-and you can HEAR the sound that it makes-but you do NOT KNOW where it comes from-or where it goes-so it is with everyone who is BORN of the SPIRIT” John 3:8 Do you like surprises-I LIKE SURPRISE birthday parties-I like it WHEN my life takes UNEXPECTED turns in a positive way-NOT so much in a NEGATIVE in a way BUY I have found being a person of FAITH and a person BORN of the SPIRIT-that more often than not-my life has been going in a POSITIVE DIRECTION-and when it does not-I am more PREPARED to face the unexpected turns that life sometimes takes And this is the POINT of Jesus in the above quote-FAITH includes being READY for the directions that our lives may take-directions that we might not choose for ourselves Dear Lord-we PRAY that we REMAIN OPEN to be led by your SPIRIT in our lives it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to REMAIN OPEN to the LORD'S DIRECTION for our lives THE GOD OF SURPRISES Have you ever traced Your family tree Either by yourself Or maybe through someone LIKE Ancestry.com You may have found A tragic accidental death You may have found Women or men WITHIN your own family WITH RELIGIOUS vocations You may have found someone Who was ADOPTED Or someone Who adopted someone Whatever you found I am sure You found some SURPRISES And SURPRISES Or twists and turns WERE part of Jesus' genealogy As well (You can read about the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 and in Luke; Jesus' FAMILY too contains many interesting characters). There are MANY surprising people With UNEXPECTED hardships, scandal As well as great generosity And FAITH In ALL of our families God's promises As well As the promises of our own life ARE FULFILLED In ways That we never expected Or through people We never would have guessed MAYBE We married The type of person That we thought We never Would have expected to In a million years OUR GOD is full of surprises WHO would have guessed That a nomadic preacher ROAMING through the wilderness And from town to town Would turn out to be The Messiah THE SON OF GOD No one OR he would not have wound up ALL ALONE Dying on a wooden cross At the end of his life And WHO would have guessed That he would PROVE it BY RISING from the dead Three days later-certainly NOT his apostles THE GOD OF SURPRISES And who would Have guessed He (Jesus) would First appear to a woman-Mary Magdalene Certainly not her-certainly not us THE GOD OF SURPRISES Who would have guessed Abraham would wind up Being the FATHER of many nations And the FOUNDER of the Jewish Nation Certainly not Abraham Certainly not Sarah-his wife Who didn't give birth to Isaac UNTIL she was in her 90's The God Of Surprises OUR GOD IS And who would have guessed Moses-a stutterer and a murderer Would LEAD his people Out of slavery And out of Egypt ALMOST to the PROMISED LAND The BIBLE goes on and on With surprises and examples Of the people that God USED Who is God USING TODAY Maybe you Maybe me Maybe ALL of us Well Like the SURPRISES Within our own life And in our own family WE WILL Have to tune in today and tomorrow To see who GOD is using THE GOD OF SURPRISES Robert P. Wallman 12-17-13 4-14-15

GOD UNDERSTANDS OUR SUFFERING

GOD UNDERSTANDS OUR SUFFERING ONE of life's Greatest challenges Is coming to terms With human suffering In particular OUR VERY OWN SUFFERING The suffering Of of physical ailments The suffering Of financial woes And the suffering Of BROKEN relationships Perhaps even Within our own immediate family SUFFERING means To ENDURE physical or emotional loss And pain In the midst Of our suffering We wonder IF God truly loves And cares for us But we know that HE DOES Because our Lord-OUR SAVIOR Endured suffering To the nth degree “Father-into your hands- I commend my spirit” Luke 23:46 For HE endured The agony in the garden The scourging at the pillar The humiliation crowning with thorns CARRYING THE CROSS to Calvary And dying a humiliating death “MY GOD-my God WHY did you ABANDON me?” Matthew 27:26 and Mark 15:34 Jesus-OUR God and our Savior UNDERSTANDS our suffering All too well Many people TURN AWAY from God And become filled with anger Because of their unresolved suffering But for me-MY personal sufferings Has only brought me CLOSER TO GOD Because like Peter-I feel,- “WHERE would I run to Lord? You possess the words Of EVERLASTING LIFE” John 6:68 Jesus does-God does UNDERSTAND our suffering Even after today=GOOD FRIDAY= I can honestly say I DON'T understand our sufferings Any better But I do KNOW God understands my sufferings That Jesus understands my suffering For God did In the person Of his own SON- Jesus Christ WALK The path first And he asks us To trust in TO BELIEVE IN HIM God understands our suffering For he is CLOSE To the brokenhearted “My flesh and my heart May FAIL But God is the STRENGTH Of my heart And my portion FOREVER” Psalm 73:26 We find GOD'S PRESENCE In the midst of our sufferings We FIND OURSELVES In the midst Of our suffering “Therefore We do NOT lose heart Though outwardly We are wasting away Yet INWARDLY We are being RENEWED Each day” 2 Corinthians 4:16 What is UNSEEN is eternal GOD UNDERSTANDS our suffering Dear Lord- WE PRAY that We will NOT fail you In our final hour But IF we do We trust that YOUR LOVING SACRIFICE Will make up For what is lacking in us You Oh Lord-God UNDERSTAND OUR SUFFERING Robert P. Wallman Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE By Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti

JOURNAL=4-13-15=LIVING IN THE SPIRIT

JOURNAL=4-13-15=LIVING IN THE SPIRIT “And NOW-Lord-take note of their threats-and enable your SERVANTS-to speak to your WORD-with ALL BOLDNESS........” Acts 4:29 We live in a dangerous world-a world with terrorist threats that seem to be becoming MORE DANGEROUS every day-a world with crime on our streets-in every city in America-and it has never been more dangerous-sometimes-it seems we are NOT even safe living in our own homes Yet the message of EASTER still resounds in us/and in me/choose GOD-choose life-we NEVER have to be ashamed of God or Christ WHERE we are in life-is the SUM OF ALL the choices that we have made-and I am PROUD of the choices that I have made/and I am happy to be a GOD and CHRIST follower-doing my best to LIVE what Jesus has taught us=love-forgive-and BE KIND LIVE in the SPIRIT of God- Walk in the spirit of Christ DON'T live in the gray area-but LIVE BOLDLY in the spirit of love IT IS a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE For us LIVING IN GOD Do you ever feel Like that You have died To this world That you are no longer Carrying yourself BUT that it is God and Christ Who are carrying you I often have SINCE my deathbed experience At age 22 “I have been CRUCIFIED with Christ And I no longer live But Christ LIVES in me The life I live In the body I LIVE BY FAITH In the SON OF GOD Who loves me And gave himself for me” Galatians 2:20 I COMPLETELY Identify with Saint Paul Left to my own devices And my own strength I don't feel like I could take another step IT IS GOD It is Christ Who are Completely carrying me Saint Paul Is the EPITOME Of what it means To be a CHRISTIAN He is REAL He is HONEST He has a firm sense Of his own gifts SOMETIMES he is boastful And yet he is Also HUMBLE AND AWARE of his own weaknesses “I DO NOT UNDERSTAND What I do For what I want to do I do not do BUT what I hate I do” Romans 7:15 MAYBE we are A lot more like Paul Than we care To admit OUR INTENTIONS Are good WE WANT to do good For others But for whatever reason Sometimes we are UNABLE To carry it out But Paul CHOSE GOD Over sin Are we able To do the same For if we can do that We are truly LIVING IN GOD As Paul was And in Philippians Paul writes: “I am caught BETWEEN the two I long to DEPART This life And be with Christ For that Is far better Yet I am REMAINING In the flesh It is more necessary For your BENEFIT” Philippians 1:23-24 I empathize with Paul In this area too I WISH I could leave this world And LIVE FOREVER in Christ But God wants me IN this world For whatever reason And I will GIVE my testimony of God- MY TESTIMONY OF GOD'S LOVE for them- To whoever WILL LISTEN Dear Lord I am LIVING on Your coattails You are THE LOVE of my life And I am LIVING IN GOD Robert P. Wallman 10-10-14 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Amy Welborn 1-8-15-&4-13-15

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

TODAY IS DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY In every MAJOR newspaper In the United States THIS SUNDAY IS a picture of Jesus As described to sister Maria Faustina For DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY For that matter For ALL I know It is in every major newspaper of every major city AROUND THE WORLD Think about it What greater thing Can you GIVE to someone Than MERCY What can you give someone That would be greater Than Jesus gave us “So the eyes Look to the Lord OUR GOD Till he shows us HIS MERCY” “Have MERCY on us O LORD Have mercy on us For we have ENDURED much contempt” Psalm 123:2-3 Give someone mercy Give someone What God gave you “BECAUSE judgment without mercy Will be shown To any one Who has not Been merciful MERCY TRIUMPHS over judgment” 2 James 13 TODAY is DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY Give someone MERCY today Robert P. Wallman April 12th, 2015 Ps Jesus ENTRUSTS us with a mission- And that is: to PROCLAIM his DIVINE PEACE-MERCY-and FORGIVENESS To EVERYONE on earth

JOURNAL-4-11-15=WITHOUT LIMITS

JOURNAL=4-10-15=WITHOUT LIMITS “The stone the builders REJECTED-has become the CORNERSTONE” Psalm 118:22 (and again in ACTS 4:11) The GOSPEL essentially speaks of two different Jesus-yet THEOLOGIANS KNOW-as you and I know-there is just ONE Jesus-part God-and part man-OVERCOMING ALL the temptations that beset you and I I LOVE that our SAVIOR that lived with the meek and the poor-hung out with the humble and the humiliated-and was a SAVIOR that teaches us wealth and power are stumbling blocks to our SPIRITUAL HEALTH On the one hand-Jesus is the outcast-as the Pharisees and Sadducees try to PAINT him-but on the other hand-he is the MERCIFUL SAVIOR-that couldn't be destroyed by earthly powers-He is LOVE UNLIMITED who defeats everything this world can throw him-INCLUDING the mortality of death He is LOVE UNLIMITED-he is Jesus OUR KING it is a great day to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to live with the LOVE of Jesus OUR KING and OUR SAVIOR WITNESS 5-2-13 WITHOUT LIMITS One of my favorite movies Was a movie called “WITHOUT LIMITS” It was the story Of long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine And his coach Bill Bowerman It had a first rate cast That included: Donald Sutherland-Billy Crudup-and Monica Potter Prefontaine was a successful; Middle and long-distance runner Who once held seven American records In distance track events WITHOUT LIMITS Sadly Steve Prefontaine Died at the age of 24 In an automobile accident LIMITED-like ALL of us Limited by our own mortality Limited by health factors Limited by finances Limited in relationships In fact There is only one thing In which We have the capacity To be UNLIMITED That is OUR CAPACITY TO LOVE To love God And to love others God demonstrates to us His UNFAILING LOVE “The Lord loves Righteousness and justice The earth is full Of his unfailing love” Psalm 33:5 God loves you unconditionally God love you unfailingly- WITHOUT LIMITS “May your unfailing love Be my comfort According to your promise” Psalm 119:76 Dear Lord Let your promise be my promise Let it be OUR promise To love you and others With an unfailing love “Let the morning bring me Word of your unfailing love For I have put my trust in you” Psalm 143:8 Dear Lord You gave us the PERFECT EXAMPLE Of LOVE WITHOUT LIMITS In the person of your Son-Jesus Christ HELP US To do our best To GIVE OUR LOVE back to you BY LOVING WITHOUT LIMITS There is NO other quality on earth LIKE LOVE We NEVER run out The more we give The more we have left to give Love unlimited LOVE-WITHOUT LIMITS Robert P. Wallman 10-15-12 Ps WITNESS 5-2-13 4-10-15

JOURNAL=4-10-15-WHAT IF

JOURNAL=4-10-15=WHAT IF “YOU are WITNESSES of these things,” Luke 24:48 YOU are called to be a WITNESS to God and Jesus in this world-if you are a CHRISTIAN- UNFORTUNATELY for us-and those around us-many of us FALL VICTIM to the “IF ONLY........” disease IF ONLY-I had been alive when Jesus was-IF ONLYI had seen him feed the 5000-IF ONLY-I had seen and EXPERIENCED his greatness THE TRUTH IS-ALL of us-EXCEPT for his 12 ORIGINAL APOSTLES and his 72 original disciples-are LIVING OFF of second hand faith-that is living off of what someone else has wrote-or what someone else has spoke Nevertheless-we are called to be witnesses in the 21st century because of OUR FAITH-and there are many things we CAN DO to act on our faith-VOLUNTEER at any number of places to HELP the sick-HELP the homeless-or even just HELP our friends and numbers-there are ANY number of ways to put your FAITH into action-and be AN INSPIRATION to others We live in a BROKEN world-so PUT your faith into action with deeds-DO NOT LIVE in the “IF ONLY” world-be ALIVE in Christ in the REAL 21st century-The world NEEDS you-CHRISTIANITY needs you-GOD NEEDS YOU CRIST IS RISEN-that much is FOR REAL it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day for putting our faith INTO ACTION “What If” What if Jesus was alive In today’s world Would he see love In us Would he see forgiveness In us Would he see you Living out of kindness Would he see you Loving your brother Would he see you Loving your sister What if Jesus was alive In today’s world What would he See in you What If Robert P. Wallman 4/4/10

JOURNAL 4-9-15-MARY MAGDALENE

JOURNAL=4-9-15-Mary Magdalene “Jesus said to her, 'Woman-why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?' She thought it was the gardener and said to him, 'Sir, if you carried him away-tell me WHERE you laid him-and I will take him'-Jesus said to her-'Mary!'-She turned and said to him in Hebrew-'Rabboni,'-which means TEACHER” John 20:15-16 Down through history-God has USED UNLIKELY INSTRUMENTS to drive home his messages-Mary IS the first WITNESS to Jesus' RESURRECTION-In Jesus' time-women couldn't even be witnesses in court-yet Jesus appears to her first to go and TELL the other Apostles-it seems odd at first-but not really God's first spokesperson was the stuttering Moses-who was a murderer-then there was Paul a persecutor of Christians-who later becomes the APOSTLE to the GENTILES-and Mary the Mother of Jesus-an unwed mother from a small town And finally Jesus himself- a nomadic preacher-without any formal schooling-who TURNS OUT to be the SON OF GOD-and HIS APOSTLES-as rough and tough and as UNLIKELY of disciples that you could ever HOPE to find HOW about you? How about me? Maybe we too can be a PART of the UNLIKELY INSTRUMENTS OF GOD it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day for BEING OPEN to the WORD of God and a great day for being USED as an instrument of God-just as Mary Magdalene was WITNESS 3-31-13 MARY MAGDALENE Outside of Jesus’ own mother Mary Magdalene was probably Jesus’ BEST FRIEND She is often called THE APOSTLE TO THE APOSTLES Because he appeared to her first And she carried to the news To the rest of the men Mary said to the gardener NOT KNOWING he was Jesus, “Sir, if you carried him away Tell me where you have put him And I will get him” John 20:15 The gardener then said, “Mary” Mary then turned toward him And cried out, “Rabboni,” which means Teacher John 20:16 She then went to tell the others The news, “I have seen the Lord” John 20:18 Jesus had been Mary’s teacher About the Word of God And it is said, He cast out, “seven demons” from her She may have been the sister To Martha of Bethany and Lazarus And anointed Christ’s feet It is known That she was present At the crucifixion of Jesus Along with his mother, the BELOVED disciple, And some other women She is Considered to be The patron Saint of repentant sinners And of the contemplative life May we FIND PEACE in Christ As our sister, Mary Magdalene, did The feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene is July 22nd Robert P. Wallman 7-18-12 Ps CONTRARY to popular fiction in the modern day world-Mary Magdalene Was NOT JESUS’ wife-NOT his girlfriend-and definitely NOT the mother Of his baby SHE was HIS CLOSE friend-perhaps HIS BEST FRIEND because of The healing he had done in her-AND SHE BELIEVED IN HIM-perhaps The REASON WHY he appeared to her first WITNESS 3-31-13 4-9-15

MEETING GOD AND CHRIST ALONG THE WAY

MEETING GOD AND CHRIST ALONG THE WAY I met God I met Jesus In the depths Of my life WHEN my body was broken My finances were broken And in the midst Of a broken relationship That is what Jesus does HE MEETS US He encourages us To KEEP going on In the midst Of our brokenness In fact The more broken We are The MORE He can do with us “LOVE and faithfulness Meet together; Righteousness and PEACE kiss each other” Psalm 85:10 MEETING God and Christ ALONG THE WAY Gives us HOPE For this journey We call life That is what Jesus did For Mary Magdalene SHE of the 7 sins That is what Jesus did For the apostles (minus one) And that is what Jesus Did for Saint Paul God and Jesus Gave them ALL HOPE for the journey And they all In turn ENCOURAGE US “Let us NOT give up Meeting together As some Are in the habit Of doing But let us ENCOURAGE one another- And all the MORE As you see the day approaching” Hebrews 10:25 Jesus SHOWS us the path GUIDES our every step And TRANSFORMS our fear Into trust We have to REALIZE That life NEVER sorts itself out All at once We must PATIENTLY WAIT For God and Christ To meet us And show us the way “You too BE PATIENT and stand firm Because the Lord’s coming IS NEAR” James 5:8 BE patient UNTIL the Lord returns For when You MEET God and Christ ALONG THE WAY Along life’s journey It makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE Robert P. Wallman April 3rd, 2015 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH magazine by Bridget Haase

LOVE OVERCOMES-HAPPY EASTER!

LOVE OVERCOMES=HAPPY EASTER! Jesus was rejected By his very own people By the people Of his-very own town Jesus gives us GOD GIVES us his LOVE Which Peter tells us IS better than Silver or gold Peter tells a crippled man, “Silver or gold I do not have But what I have I give to you In the name Of Jesus Christ” Acts 3:6 The crippled man, “LEAPT up-stood-and walked around And went to the temple with them Walking and jumping AND PRAISING GOD” Acts 3:8 God’s strength-GOD’S POWER Comes from PERFECT LOVE How else Could he have RESURRECTED LOVE OVERCOMES “Don’t be alarmed,” he said, ‘You are looking for Jesus The Nazarene Who was crucified He is RISEN He is not here See the place WHERE they laid him But go TELL the disciples and Peter He is going ahead of you Into Galilee There you will see him Just as he told you’” Mark 16:6-8 Jesus is VICTORIUS OVER THE GRAVE! LOVE OVERCOMES And God’s love Jesus Christ’s love CAN OVERCOME the demons Of our own life WE can be paralyzed In our personal lives By resentment-regret-and LOSSES of any kind Hatred CRIPPLES US But this story says That HEALING is possible In the POWER OF GOD The power of Jesus THE POWER OF LOVE “And this is The commandment That we have from him That he who loves God ALSO LOVES HIS BROTHER” 1 John 4:21 MAYBE IF we do this We will OVERCOME OUR 21st century Fears-resentment-and hatred And we will WALK TOGETHER Through the beautiful GATES OF HEAVEN JUMPING-DANCING-and PRAISING GOD HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! God loves you And so do I Robert P. Wallman March 24th, 2015 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Patricia Livingston

SWEET AND BITTER

SWEET AND BITTER WHERE are you In your search TO FIND GOD In your life Have you found The SWEETNESS of God’s word In your life If you have Chances are your search Has led To some bitter places Because ONLY by tasting The bitter Can we find And actually realize HOW SWEET God’s word Actually is COMPARED to where The bitterness Of WHERE this life Can take us It was NO DIFFERENT For our Mother Mary Or her Son Jesus And their family “Doth a fountain Send forth At the same place Sweet water and bitter?” James 3:11 It did For BOTH Mary and Jesus Mary was chosen To be The MOTHER of God To watch him PERFORM miracle after miracle SWEET Only to take him To the CROSS And watch him die A humiliating death Bitter And Jesus himself EXPERIENCED the sweet and the bitter Being the SON OF GOD And experiencing the cross In his dying breath REQUESTING water Only to receive vinegar “They gave him Vinegar to drink Mingled with gall And when he tasted thereof He would not drink” Matthew 27:34 Sweet and bitter For the Son of God And his Mother WHY should life Be any different for us LIFE is a combination Of sweet and bitter moments The MOST we can HOPE for Is to SHARE those moments With our loved ones And OUR family and friends In Revelations We read a puzzling book We read about the angel “SO I went up to the angel And told him To give me the small scroll” Revelations 10:9 The author eats it- The little black book THE WORD OF GOD ITSELF Is delightful But may lead us To some bitter places The word Mary means “bitter” And BOTH prayers were answered In Mary The SWEET AND THE BITTER The bitterness in life Is REAL But GOD’S WORD Is the GIFT OF LIFE And it is PRICELESS The sweetness of God’s word GOD’S LOVE Enables us To overcome ALL the bitter moments in life Dear Lord=we PRAY That we become BEARERS of your word Bearers of God To the world Dear Lord May your word COME ALIVE in us- May your sweetness OVERCOME ALL Robert P. Wallman 12-8 & 9-14 Ps MAY we be with Christ as he ENTERS into his BITTER MOMENTS This HOLY WEEK-and UNITE our crosses with his-so that TOGETHER With him-we can FEEL the SWEETNESS OF LIFE Rpw 4-2-15