CHOSEN=APPOINTED BY GOD IN ALL SEASONS

CHOSEN=APPOINTED BY GOD IN ALL SEASONS WE-you and I-have been CHOSEN By God=in ALL seasons We have been called To BEAR FRUIT- Fruit that will last “It was not you Who chose me But I chose you And appointed you To go and bear fruit That will REMAIN” John 15:16 We go through MANY seasons In life Happy times-sad times- JOYFUL TIMES=and times of suffering God CHOOSES us In ALL seasons and we are called To bear fruit In all The seasons of our life “BLESSED is the nation Whose God is the Lord The people he chose For his inheritance” Psalm 33:12 God ORIGINALLY chose the JEWISH PEOPLE But they rejected HIS SON-our Lord I BELIEVE the next coming IS in our nation The nation of America I HOPE AND PRAY This supposedly CHRISTIAN nation- This nation of LOVE=will not Reject God and our Lord too But the pointers seem obvious Many people in our nation Do NOT believe in our Lord Yet alone accept him “BUT if serving the Lord Seems undesirable to you Then CHOOSE for yourselves This day Whom you will serve …..... But as for me And my household We will SERVE THE LORD” Joshua 24:15 I CHOSE God and Jesus MANY YEARS AGO And my family and friends- I HOPE- Will choose GOD AND JESUS too The GOD OF LOVE-KINDNESS- And FORGIVENESS=forever and ever The HARDEST thing in the world To do Is to CONTINUE to SERVE GOD And others In times of SUFFERING But we can do it We have been CALLED To SERVE the Lord At all times-including- OUR times of suffering “That person- Is like a tree PLANTED by streams of water Which yields its fruit in season And whose leaf does not wither- WHATEVER they do PROSPERS” Psalm 1:3 “PREACH the word Be PREPARED in season And out of season CORRECT-rebuke-and encourage With great patience and careful instruction” 2 Timothy 4:2 LIKE the fruit trees That bear fruit EACH and every year I am CONFIDENT That we can continue to BEAR FRUIT IN EACH and EVERY SEASON In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 4-29-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James McKarns

Saint Catherine of Siena

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA Catherine lived From 1337 to 1380 She was The youngest of 20 children And from an early age Was devoted to a life Of penance and prayer-despite parental opposition She refused To consider marriage And became a Dominican tertiary She began to mix with other people And began to nurse the sick-in hospitals Along with her disciples Which included both men and women She taught many to reform Through a TOTAL love of God She never learned to write But wrote 383 letters Expressing her philosophy Through dictation Her holiness Was centered on Christ’s crucifixion And she saw this As the SUPREME love of God-for man She received much criticism Especially during the last 5 years Of her life When she became involved In the politics Of both state and church She suffered a stroke On April 21st 1380 And died 8 days later Her life story Was written by Raymond Caputa Her friend-and later Master General of the Dominican order This led To her canonization in 1461 With the quality of her writings And her membership In the Dominican order Bringing her much support She became a figure Of international importance and influence Became Siena ‘s principal Saint ( along with Bernard of Siena ) And was believed to be responsible For bringing the papacy Back to Rome Her common emblem Is the lily And she was declared A Doctor of the church-in 1970 Her feast day is April the 29th Robert P. Wallman 5-3-12

I AM THE VINE=YOU ARE THE BRANCHES

THE VINE= AND THE BRANCHES ALL love-all kindness-and forgiveness=plus All of grace-peace-and everything else Comes from God In other words God is the SOURCE Of all GOOD things “I am the vine You ARE the branches Whoever remains in me And I in him Will bear much fruit Because without me You can do nothing” John 15:5 I have great RESPECT and ADMIRATION For those who take VOWS And LIVE the religious life They are an EXTENSION OF GOD- The priests-the nuns- And the pastors I too Have made a VOW to God “To live for my family-and my friends- And for ALL PEOPLE everywhere In this world” Cemented in my words Cemented in my final confession And cemented by my own blood- As my blood count went down to three Before 13 blood transfusions As I bled internally MY VOW to God My commitment to God My testimony to God-and FOR GOD For the WHOLE WORLD To know “I will FULFILL my vows To the Lord In the PRESENCE Of all his people” Psalm 116:14 “It is a trap To dedicate something rashly And only later To consider one's vows” Proverbs 20:25 If you PROMISE something to God- If you say it-do it-KEEP IT As having made a VOW myself- I have great EMPATHY For those LIVING a life in God VOWED RELIGIOS LIFE-I believe- Is a sign of GOD'S grace and mercy So in this-THE YEAR OF MERCY We should be particularly merciful To everyone MERCY is the BRIDGE That CONNECTS God and man Never forget God brings the mercy And we RECEIVE it God is the vine And we are the branches “I am the true vine And my Father Is the gardener He cuts off every branch In me-that bears no fruit While every branch That does BEAR FRUIT He prunes So that it will be even More fruitful” John 15:2 MY VOW to God Is what MAKES my life PURPOSEFUL He is the vine And I am-as we all are THE BRANCHES I pray/we pray That the fruit we bear BRINGS humility and love To the world Dear Lord-without you-we are nothing Robert P. Wallman 4-28-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Amy Welborn

STILL COMMISSIONED=WE MUST LIVE IT

STILL COMMISSIONED= WE MUST LIVE IT There are many of us Who KNOW the theology Of the GOSPEL But how many of us Really LIVE IT “Jesus said to them: ‘GO into the whole world And proclaim the GOSPEL To every creature’” Mark 16:15 The idea That we are STILL COMMISSIONED To be disciples And go out and preach the gospel Can be Just a little bit intimidating As recently as 2010=there were An estimated 2.18 billion CHRISTIANS In the world About 1/3 of the world’s population So there is STILL a lot of work For us Christians to do today Bu what ARE we to do? How do regular ordinary people Proclaim the Gospel To the world? The answer is simple WE MUST LIVE IT We must make the gospel COME ALIVE in us By living ordinary lives Steeped deeply in the GOSPEL “He gave me The priestly duty Of proclaiming The gospel of God So that the GENTILES Might become an offering ACCEPTABLE to God Sanctified by the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:16 “In the SAME WAY The Lord has commanded that those Who preach the gospel Should receive their living From the gospel” 1 Corinthians 9:14 We are STILL COMMISSIONED We have 4 more billion people Left to go To become Christians We MUST live it The gospel of God and Jesus Christ The GOSPEL of LOVE=the gospel Of forgiveness=the gospel of KINDNESS= And the gospel of charity and the BEATITUDES We must make GOD’S QUALITIES Become FULLY ALIVE to everyone In today’s world “But because Of his great LOVE for us God=who is rich in MERCY Made us ALIVE with Christ Even when we were dead In transgressions It is by GRACE You have been SAVED” Ephesians 2:4-5 If we are truly LIVING THE GOSPEL We are ALWAYS ready with a KIND WORD For someone We have a shoulder to be LEANED ON To help someone Carry their burdens We tell the TRUTH IN LOVE And we have PEACE at our core And most of all We are LOVING PEOPLE Just as CHRIST LOVED US We are ACCEPTING THE COMMISSION And we are LIVING THE GOSPEL Just like The early apostles and disciples Robert P. Wallman 4-25-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Kristin Armstrong

HOW DO WE LOVE?

HOW DO YOU LOVE? At the LAST SUPPER- Jesus told his apostles- To “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” But what does that mean-and HOW DO WE LOVE? Perhaps there is some wiggle room For the way we really do Love one another IF we really do LOVE one another at all “As I have loved you You should also Love one another” John 13:34 The word LOVE is abstract And is overused And we must also remember It is also a VERB And it must convey Some type of action We SAY we love all kinds of things In this world We love our FAMILY AND FRIENDS But we also love sports- Love our computer and cell phones- And even love ALL types of foods Jesus loves us PATIENTLY- He loves us unselfishly- And he loves us INCLUSIVELY- Forgivingly-and TOTALLY That is our MISSION in life To love our “neighbor”- To love every other person In this world-that way “I waited PATIENTLY For the Lord He turned to me And heard me cry” Psalm 40:1 Dear Lord-please HELP US be patient And love others In that same way-you love us “The generous will themselves Be BLESSED For they share their food With the poor” Proverbs 22:9 Dear Lord-HELP us To be GENEROUS and unselfish In our love for others And Dear Lord always help us To LOVE TOTALLY-INCLUSIVELY- And forgivingly for all- JUST as you did GIVING yourself for your people The JEWS- Giving yourself for us too- The GENTILES And for EVERY single person In this world Help us to do the same ONE question we might ALL Ask ourselves is: Which one of the areas Do we need a little help with? HOW DO WE LOVE? Dear Lord-help us to love others As YOU have loved us YOU are the PERFECT EXAMPLE of love In this world We can’t do it on our own Robert P. Wallman 4-24-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.

A MILE IN HIS OR HER SHOES

A MILE- IN HIS OR HER SHOES God LOVES every single person On this earth He made EACH and every one Of us equally And he LOVES all of us The SAME “Amen-amen-I say to you WHOEVER receives the one I send-receives me- And whoever receives me RECEIVES the one Who sent me” John 13:20 WHENEVER we meet A new person in this world It only takes a moment To gather information And react We all have a tendency To make snap judgments About each other Based on first impressions THIS we can’t control But maybe We should get to KNOW Another person Maybe we should WALK a mile In his or her shoes BEFORE we begin to judge them “LET the Lord Judge the people Vindicate me-Lord ACCORDING to my righteousness According to my integrity O MOST HIGH” Psalm 7:8 “For the Lord-IS our judge The Lord is our lawgiver The Lord is our king It is he WHO will save us” Isaiah 33:22 “Do NOT judge Or you too Will be JUDGED For in the SAME WAY You judge others You will be judged And with the same measure You use It will be measured To you” Matthew 7:1-2 Let us ALL- GO THE EXTRA MILE Let us all LOVE GOD And LOVE EACH OTHER Let us ALL walk a mile In the other guy or girls’ shoes BEFORE beginning to even think about Passing any judgment upon another As a CHRISTIAN- Our job is to LOVE- NOT to judge “By this EVERYONE will know That you are my disciples IF you LOVE ONE ANOTHER” John 13:35 Maybe we should think about The other person Maybe we should ask ourselves: What’s really going on In that person’s life? What is it really like To be him or her? HOW does God see him or her? With each person that we meet WE MEET THE Lord Let us WALK with them and with God In their journey through life A MILE IN THEIR VERY OWN SHOES Robert P. Wallman 4-21-16 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Karla Manternach

CALLED TO BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

CALLED TO BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT The first Christians Were actually called Christians At Antioch “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus To look for Saul And when he found him He brought him to Antioch So for a WHOLE YEAR Barnabas and Saul met With the church And TAUGHT great numbers Of people The disciples Were called CHRISTIANS fist At Antioch” Acts 11:25-26 Don’t you FIND it interesting That the disciples Were given a NEW NAME From a person- Outside their community? I think the others WHEN looking at the COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS That came after Jesus Saw in them SOMETHING DIFFERENT Saw in them something extraordinary Saw in them- THE LOVE OF GOD- And the love and POWER of Jesus Christ YES-they saw something different They saw something NEW YES we are something different IN CHRIST We are something new In Christ WE ARE CHRISTIANS “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think That in such a short time You can persuade me To be a Christian?’ Paul replied ‘Short time or long I pray to God That not only you But ALL who are listening To me today May BECOME what I am -Except for these chains’” Acts 26:28-29 As Christians- We are called to be SOMETHING DIFFERENT In today’s world And we are called To LOVE AND FORGIVE all Jew or Gentile We are to be ONE NATION- ONE PEOPLE- UNDER the Lord OUR GOD So HERE we are Some 2,000 years later STILL STRUGGLING To understand this name of CHRISTIAN We are to be A NEW CREATION Under God and Christ Maybe it is simply this- LIKE the song says “THEY will KNOW we are CHRISTIANS BY our LOVE” And like Christ himself said: “A new command-I GIVE YOU- LOVE ONE ANOTHER as I have love you- So you MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER” John 13:34 IF this is what a CHRISTIAN is: SOMETHING radically new and different-in this Sometimes cruel and hateful world TO BE SURE Robert P. Wallman 4-20-16 PS INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James Stephens, O.C.S.O.

GETTING OUT OF THE WAY OF GOD=AND OURSELVES

GETTING OUT OF THE WAY OF GOD=AND OF OURSELVES We are DESTINED for greatness EVERY one of us are If for no other reason Than we are A CHILD OF GOD An adopted brother and sister Of our Jesus And adopted son and daughter of God And brothers and sisters Of each other “If then God gave them The same gift He gave to us WHEN we came To BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ Who was I To be able To hinder God” Acts 11:17 I do a great job Of hindering God in my life And I get in my own way A lot I’ll bet you do too SOMETIMES we insist On pursuing God in our own lives In our own way Instead of Just getting OUT of the way God has GREAT PLANS For our lives- You and me individually And ALL of us collectively Sometimes We just need to Get out of the way And let GOD’S PLANS reign In our lives “MAY he give you The desires of your heart And make all your plans succeed” Psalm 20:4 “For I know The plans I have for you,’ Says the Lord ‘Plans to PROSPER you And NOT harm you Plans to give you HOPE And a future’” Jeremiah 29:11 GOD KNOWS what is BEST for us Why should we obstruct Or hinder God’s will for us But we just can’t resist the urge To try and control Our own lives We just don’t have The courage to say like Jesus In the Garden of Gethsemane, “Yet not as I will- But as you will” Matthew 26:39 “Do not conform To the pattern of this world Bur be transformed By the RENEWING of your mind Then you will be ABLE To test and approve What God’s will is- HIS good-pleasing-and PERFECT WILL” Romans 12-2-3 Dear Lord-we PRAY Help us-to get out Of our own way And help us To SURRENDER our own will To yours So that WE can truly appreciate Your gifts to us We-us-your ADOPTED Sons and daughters in the is world In Jesus’s name Robert P. Wallman 4-18-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Terence Hegarty

GOD IS WITH US=GOD IS FOR US

GOD IS WITH US=GOD IS FOR US We ALL Have to deal with many things In life Sometimes-a bad health diagnosis SOMETIMES-broken relationships Sometimes-financial or work setbacks (And sometimes ALL simultaneously) Whatever the case may be- Whatever we have to deal with- Sometimes leads us to CIRCUMSTANTIAL DEPRESSION- Or just feeling empty- Emotionally and spiritually “The Lord is CLOSE To the brokenhearted And those Who are crushed in spirit HE SAVES” Psalm 34:19 The GOOD news is that: God is WITH US God is FOR US Our God Is a God who is TRUSTWORTHY “Your kingdom Is an everlasting kingdom And your dominion ENDURES through all generations The Lord is trustworthy In ALL he promises And faithful In all he does” Psalm 145:13 “The Lord Detests lying lips And he DELIGHTS in people Who are trustworthy” Proverbs 12:22 If God is with us And he is If God is for us And he is What does it matter Who or what Is against us We CAN overcome all We have FAITH That energizes We have faith That makes us bold-loving- And UNAFRAID We really can overcome all We really are CONQUERORS- Or at least can be-victors- Over all our setbacks “What then Shall we say In RESPONSE to these things If God is for us Who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 Our Father in God and Christ ENLIVENS US To be carriers of the truth And give our testimony To EVERYONE in this world Who will listen Like the first Christians Let us joyfully RAISE our voices Without God We are weak and powerless But with God- All of us together are STRONG Nothing can stop us For GOD IS WITH US GOD IS FOR US Who or what Can stop the power of God? Robert P. Wallman April 7th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.

A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LOVING

A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LIVING Each and every day From God Is a NEW opportunity From God To live the way He wants us to live NOT as the way The world tells us to live “Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘You must be born From above” John 3:7 WHEN Jesus tells Nicodemus That he must be born again Nicodemus misunderstands No-FRIENDS- We must LIVE According to God’s own spirit The spirit of love- The spirit of kindness- The spirit of forgiveness NOT by the ways Of the world “Teach me To do your will For you Are my God May your spirit lead me On level ground” Psalm 143:10 “In order That the righteous requirement Of the law Might be FULLY met in us Who do not live According to the flesh But according to the SPIRIT” Romans 8:4 A WHOLE NEW WAY Of living To be “BORN FROM ABOVE” Means that we ACCEPT the grace of baptism As a SOURCE Of a WHOLE NEW WAY Of living in this world It is actually living The LOVE of God Every day of our lives It is an ongoing life-long process Of embracing God and Christ With Jesus Christ As our model and our example “I have SET an example That you should do As I have done for you” John 13:15 “Follow my example As I FOLLOW the example of Christ” 1 Corinthians 11:1 Dear Lord-we welcome- Your grace from Being born from above HELP US follow to follow Your way of life A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LIVING Robert P. Wallman April 5th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Mitch Finley

THE LOVE OF GOD ENDURES FOREVER

THE LOVE OF GOD ENDURES FOREVER One thing We KNOW for sure About life Is that everything Is transitory What is TRUE today Is not necessarily true tomorrow EVERYTHING CHANGES That is: Except GOD'S ENDURING LOVE For us "Give thanks To the Lord For he is GOOD HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER" Psalm 118:1 The world leaders of my youth Have died Or are dying off Sports figures too- Or they may be facing Debilitating illnesses The fresh-faced celebrities- Or actors-or entertainers Of yesteryear Are now facing their senior years NOTHING in this world Is permanent-and the world Keeps REMINDING us of this truth There is ONLY ONE enduring truth In this world The truth of GOD'S ENDURING LOVE For each and EVERYONE of us " I know That everything GOD DOES WILL ENDURE FOREVER Nothing can be added to it And nothing taken from it ........" Ecclesiastes 3:14 "But the WORD of the Lord ENDURES FOREVER" 1 Peter 1 :25 And GOD'S WORDS for us are LOVE- MERCY-and KINDNESS-forever for us UNTIL the end of time IF it were not For these ETERNAL TRUTHS of God For us We would live-in a DEPRESSING- Constantly changing-cruel cruel world But this basic truth- HIS basic ENDURING LOVE for us CHANGES EVERYTHING Our lives will continue To have MEANING and PURPOSE No matter what is happening To our earthly bodies "MANY are the plans In a person's heart But it is the LORD'S PURPOSE That prevails" Proverbs 19:21 "In him We were also chosen Having been predestined According to the plan Of him Who works out everything In conformity With the PURPOSE Of his will" Ephesians 1:11 Any human Who has tried to LOVE- Another human being UNCONDITIONALLY- Knows how difficult it can be It is NOT for the faint of heart It is a NEVERENDING challenge However-even in the midst Of this transitory life We can LIVE With a sense of HOPE No matter what we are facing "YES-my soul- Find rest in God My hope COMES FROM HIM" Psalm 62:5 Yes-my friends- Even in this cruel-transitory life There is HOPE in the Lord And it is GOD'S ENDURING LOVE That will have the FINAL SAY On the PURPOSE of our lives In Jesus' name-LORD-PLEASE LET IT BE Robert P. Wallman 4-2-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Terri Mifek

ACTING OUT OF IGNORANCE

ACTING OUT OF IGNORANCE Have you ever said Or done anything- That you thought was great- But as soon as you said it- Or did it You KNEW it was wrong Hindsight is always 20/20 Acting out of ignorance- Ignorance is BLISS "The God of Abraham- The God of Isaac- And the God of Jacob The GOD of our Fathers Has glorified His servant Jesus........" Acts 3:13 That was the case With the people In Jesus' time They were AMAZED At the healings That was occurring around them But that attributed The miracles to Peter and John NOT UNDERSTANDING that the real healing Was coming from Jesus "You ACTED OUT OF IGNORANCE," Acts 3:17 They are told by Peter As modern day Christians In the 21st century We CANNOT CLAIM That same such ignorance We KNOW more about The divine nature and His DIVINE HEALING POWER "For since The CREATION of the world- GOD'S invisible qualities- His eternal power and divine nature Have been clearly seen Being understood From what has been made So that the people Are WITHOUT EXCUSE" Romans 1:20 "Through these He has given us His very great and PRECIOUS PROMISES So that through them You may participate In the DIVINE NATURE ........" 2 Peter 1:4 Dealing with a chronic illness For the last 39+ years Of my life Though meaning EXCEEDINGLY WELL I sometimes feel That the entire medical profession Has been acting out of ignorance With regard to my particular case Despite this=I give thanks- EVERY DAY to my God For my life And give thanks to the medical profession And its HELPERS Along my journey As 21st century Christians We should NEVER act superior To our contemporaries Or anyone in today's Modern world EVERY DAY In BOTH dramatic And ordinary fashion MIRACLES still occur In today's world The medical profession ARE tools of God And souls are still being SAVED Mine included-HOPEFULLY IF we think We are better than anyone else We are truly ACTING OUT OF IGNORANCE And IT IS our modern-day MISSION As 21st century apostles To bring the knowledge Of who Jesus really is To ALL those we encounter Dear Lord-MY SAVIOR- Help me always To listen to you And FILL MY MIND With your knowledge and PEACE Robert P. Wallman 3-31-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Terence Hegarty I have run into health problems during my travels up NORTH- PLEASE keep me in your prayers Bob-4-1-16