HOLD ON TIGHTLY TO GOD

HOLD ON TIGHTLY TO GOD In Psalm 91 The psalmist tells us To be CLINGY to God And he will DELIVER US “Because he clings to me- I will deliver him I will set him on high Because he acknowledges My name He shall call upon me And I will ANSWER him In distress I will deliver AND GLORIFY HIM” Psalm 91:14-15 BE clingy to our God He wants us to HOLD ON TIGHT Like a son or a daughter HOLDING on to their parent On the first day of school Or maybe like a firefighter RESCUING an individual Or someone saving you From another terrifying tragedy “I cling to you Your right hand UPHOLDS ME” Psalm 63:8 “LOVE must be sincere Hate what is evil CLING- To what is GOOD” Romans 12:9 Cling to what is GOOD Like God- HOLD ON with ALL of your might And God will DELIVER YOU “I SOUGHT the Lord And he answered me He delivered me From all my fears” Psalm 34:4 “IF we are thrown into The blazing furnace The God we SERVE Is able to deliver us From it And he will DELIVER us From your Majesty's hand” Daniel 3:17 “He has delivered us From such a deadly peril And he will DELIVER US AGAIN” 2 Corinthians 1:10 And he will CONTINUE To deliver us from ANY sorrow or trouble That we may face God tells us today That IF we cling to him He will SAVE US It can't get any simpler Than that “You are my hiding place You will PROTECT ME from trouble And SURROUND me With songs of deliverance” Psalm 32:7 HOLD ON TO GOD CLING to him There is NOTHING to fear “God is our REFUGE- And STRENGTH An ever-present HELP in trouble” Psalm 46:1 BE CLINGY-HOLD ON TO GOD with ALL of your might Robert P. Wallman 5-31-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Claire J. King

THE DIVINE LIFE AND LOVE OF CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD

THE DIVINE LIFE AND LOVE OF CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD Today we celebrate The MOST HOLY Body and Blood Of Christ In other words THE DIVINE LIFE AND LOVE Of Christ Jesus Our Lord “This is my body That is for you” 1 Corinthians 11:24 WHY do we speak that way? I am sure to the non-Christian Eating the Body-and drinking The BLOOD f Christ Is a bit difficult To understand Maybe for us Just a little bit too But Jesus' life is ETERNAL His Body and Blood- Last forever- In eternity AND IN US “Just as Moses Lifted up the snake In the wilderness So the SON OF MAN Must be lifted up That EVERYONE who believes May have ETERNAL LIFE in him For God so LOVED the world That he gave his ONE AND ONLY SON That whoever BELIEVES in him Shall not perish But have ETERNAL LIFE” John 3:15-16 We participate DIRECTLY In the life of Jesus Not in some distant Or external way And by doing so HIS LIFE becomes our life By taking the EUCHARIST The DIVINE LIFE That ran through his veins FLOWS through our life too The DIVINE life and love Of Jesus Becomes ALIVE in us too “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 people Are without excuse” Romans 1:20 TODAY we reverence The BODY and BLOOD Of Jesus And in a way We reverence ourselves And ALL other people In face-WE reverence ALL LIFE-Because there is SOMETHING of Jesus In each and everyone of us BECAUSE of the gift Of his BODY and BLOOD That same DIVINE LIFE That is in Jesus Is now in us We are HOLY Or at least have the capacity To BECOME HOLY Just like Jesus THE DIVINE LIFE AND LOVE OF JESUS FLOWS THROUGH US Robert P. Wallman May 29th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti

SACRED SCRIPTURE

SACRED SCRIPTURE Did you know That all Scripture Comes from God In fact It is GOD INSPIRED Saint Paul writes, “All SCRIPTURE is God-breathed And is useful for teaching-rebuking Correcting and training In righteousness So that The man of God May be thoroughly equipped For EVERY god work” 2 Timothy 3:16 What that means Is that that writing WAS INSPIRED by God To that particular writer To reach that particular audience At that particular time They are GOD'S WORDS Put into that particular writer's mind and heart At that particular time But CHRIST'S WORDS and TEACHINGS ARE GOSPEL For ALL of eternity And make sense In every situation Jesus-himself-tells us, “HEAVEN and earth Will pass away But my words Will never pass away” Matthew 24:35 And in Proverbs, it says, “EVERY word of God is flawless He is a SHIELD to those Who take refuge in him” Proverbs 30:5 And Jesus Himself said “'WHOEVER believes in me As SCRIPTURE has said STREAMS of living water Will flow from within him” 'By this He meant the Spirit Whom those who believed in him Were later to receive Up to that time The Spirit Had not been given Since Jesus Had not yet been glorified'” John 7:38-39 So IF we believe in Jesus And I DO We believe in his followers WHO WROTE the New Testament And the Gospel Matthew-Mark-Luke-John- Peter and Paul And a few others For Jesus himself Told us It was inspired And written by God Just think Of all the love All the kindness All the forgiveness That COULD take place IF people believed That Jesus was WHO He proved himself to be THE SON OF GOD This MAKES his words HIS TEACHINGS THE WORD OF GOD As Paul writes in Hebrews 4 “For the Word of God Is living Sharper than ANY double-edged sword It penetrates Even to dividing soul and spirit Joints and marrow It judges The thoughts and attitudes Of the heart” Hebrews 4:12-13 SACRED means to be exclusive-holy-or held DIVINE And that is what ALL of SCRIPTURE is Sacred-Divine INSPIRED BY GOD Robert P. Wallman 2-24-14 & 5-30-16

DEFEATING DOUBT IN OUR LIFE

DEFEATING DOUBT IN OUR LIFE Do you experience doubt In your life? I do-I think We all do Do you ever DOUBT God? I do- I think we all do Yet I know-DEEP WITHIN- My heart and soul I will ALWAYS TRIUMPH with God Over doubt-and in the end (You will too-THROUGH your FAITH) “........ALL that you ask for In prayer BELIEVE that you will receive it And it shall be yours” Mark 11:24 I think we can OVERCOME All doubt IF we truly discipline ourselves To RELY on GOD'S GRACE and FAITH Doubt is a fact of life So is GOD ( I truly believe in him) And I believe we can overcome ALL things in life=including Death and doubt If we truly have FAITH in God If we truly believe In the second life “Immediately-Jesus reached out his hand And called him' 'You of little faith.' He said, WHY did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 WE ALL DOUBT Even Peter-the ROCK of the church Doubted We defeat doubt through God-through our faith- OUR PRAYERS-and our BELIEF In Christ Jesus “But when you ask- You must believe and not doubt BECAUSE the one who doubts Is like a wave on the sea BLOWN and tossed by the wind” James 1:6 The discipline of God- The GRACE of God SUSTAINS us Through all doubt We can DEFEAT the doubt In our life THROUGH faith in our God and Christ “CAST your cares On the Lord- And he will SUSTAIN you He will NEVER let the righteous Be shaken” Psalm 55:22 “Even to your old age And gray hairs I am he I am he Who will SUSTAIN YOU I have made you And I will carry you I will sustain you And I will RESCUE you” Isaiah 46:4 So don't ever doubt In GOD'S PERFECT PLAN For your life Don't put LIMITS on God It squashes the HOLY SPIRIT Who is GOD'S ACTIVE FORCE In your life DOUBT says that God is not God And never was BELIEVE IN GOD Believe in Jesus REPLACE doubt with faith And you will TRIUMPH over all In this world In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman May 27th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Elizabeth Duffy

OUR FATHER DOES INDEED KNOW BEST

OUR FATHER DOES INDEED KNOW BEST Years ago-in the 1950's There was a radio show Called-”FATHER KNOWS BEST” Later it became a television show Under the same name With a stellar cast including- Robert Young and Elinor Donahue It was about a sensible father TRYING to help his three children Navigate life's problems More often than not His advice was right on Isn't it the same TRUE for us As we-the children of God Try to navigate our problems Our God-our Father's advice Is usually right on-as we Pick up the answers To our life's problems in SCRIPTURE- In church on Sunday- Or in our daily prayers With God and Jesus “Then James and John-the sons Of Zebedee-came to Jesus And said to him- 'Teacher-we want you to do for us WHATEVER we ask of you'” Mark 10:35 Oh boy- How much we are like The old disciples Or they are like us Things are ALWAYS alright With us and God As long as he is GIVING us whatever we want We want what we want And that's the end of it And if we don't Get what we want We whine-we whimper- And we complain But God-OUR LOVING FATHER- And his Son DEFINITELY know what is BEST For us We find it HARD to accept That our God and Jesus KNOW more about what is good For us-than we do “TRUST in the Lord- And do good Dwell in the land And enjoy safe pasture” Psalm 37:3 “Desire without knowledge Is not good- How many more Will hasty feet miss the way” Proverbs 19:2 Father-our Father- Does indeed know what is BEST For us LISTER for his advice Listen for his answers “The way of fools SEEM right to them But the wise listen to advice” Proverbs 12:15 LISTEN to advice Through your God-though your priest or pastor And advice given to you by God - Through prayer and SCRIPTURE “Listen to advice And accept discipline And at the end You will be counted Among the wise” Proverbs 19:29 Dear Lord-we your children FACE many obstacles in this world HELP us to always listen For your answers For you-OUR FATHER-OUR LORD- DO KNOW WHAT IS BEST For us Robert P. Wallman 5-25-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Mitch Finley

VISION-SECOND SIGHT

VISION-SECOND SIGHT Do you think God has vision for your LIFE VISION is defined as the faculty Or state of being able to SEE: A SUPERNATURAL apparition Maybe call it DESTINY Maybe call it FATE But I BELIEVE That God has a PLAN for all of our lives And it is ALL GOOD If we-just cooperate And if we don't cooperate GOD GIVES us another chance Call it SECOND SIGHT-if you will Like Saint Paul Who when he was Saul Didn't get it right But in SECOND SIGHT-As Paul He went on To be-perhaps the GREATEST APOSTLE of Christ That the world has ever seen “So then-King Agrippa-I was NOT disobedient To the VISION from heaven” Acts 26:19 LIKE Saint Paul I did not get it right The first time I was CONVINCED That God's plan FOR MY LIFE Was through a family And children of my own But NOW I AM CONVINCED That I-as all of you BELONG to the FAMILY OF GOD And we ARE to BUILD UP GOD'S KINGDOM In this world “BEHOLD-the Kingdom of God IS AMONG YOU” Luke 17:21 SCIENCE has made Wonderful strides In the partial and nearly complete restoration Of human beings' sight But of course GOD'S PLAN Is even more complete Of course-we have Peter and Paul and ALL the other apostles and disciples Who after getting it wrong Went on To BUILD the KINGDOM SECOND SIGHT And it is NOT ONLY for our churches today But it is ENCUMBENT On you and me To do WHAT we can In thought In word And in deed To build up the kingdom Maybe you Are like me And ONLY can do it Through the written word Due to a disability-or a time factor Or some other limitation REMEMBER “The PEN Is mightier than the sword” Regardless Of what it may be YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS are wanted In the building up Of the KINGDOM GOD'S VISION IS PERFECT But for us It may need A SECOND SIGHT OUR VISION Can become PERFECT Through the HEALING SIGHT Of our Lord “PRECIOUS in the sight of the LORD Is the death of his saints” Psalm 116:15 NOT only the death Of his saints BUT ALSO THE LIVES Dear Lord-WE PRAY That when We get the original plan Of our lives wrong That you BESTOW on us Like you did for Peter and Paul SECOND SIGHT And with another chance WE SEE our lives With the 20/20 VISION That you gave us And we USE this gift IN THE BUILDING UP Of the kingdom Of God Robert p. Wallman 11-14-13 Ps Misc WITNESS 3-30-14 & 4-4-14 SO 1-3-15 & 5-9-15 1-31-16 & 5-26-16

IT'S NOT EASY=(TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST)

IT'S NOT EASY (TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST) It wasn't easy To be a follower of Christ Two thousand years ago In fact It could cost you Your very life And often did TODAY-unless we are In a foreign land It is not likely to cost us Our life Yet it can cost us- You and me-a great deal “Peter began to say to Jesus, 'We have given up everything And followed you'” Mark 10:28 Today-it is MORE likely To cost in terms Of our finances Or the TIME we devote To our ministry But what about The less tangible ways WHAT are the costs Well we Shouldn't be judging others And we shouldn't be gossiping About our neighbor And we shouldn't be OVERLY CRITICAL Of others or ourselves And we shouldn't be RETURNING Harsh words or hatred to others WHEN they have mistreated us So there are COSTS To carrying the cross Just as there were great costs To Jesus and his disciples “The BEGINNING of wisdom Is this: GET WISDOM Though it cost ALL you have- GET UNDERSTANDING” Proverbs 4:7 IT'S NOT EASY To be a FOLLOWER of Christ “Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'WHOEVER wants to be My disciple MUST deny themselves And TAKE UP the cross And follow me For whoever wants To SAVE their life Will lose it And whoever loses their life For me WILL FIND IT” Matthew 16:24-25 I found myself I found MY LIFE I found my PURPOSE For living In being a FOLLOWER of Christ No-it has not been easy It is a CONSTANT CHALLENGE To KEEP God and Christ Number ONE in your life It's hard To be a follower of Christ And we are NEVER going to be perfect at it Maybe-not even good at it But every day- WE get a NEW OPPORTUNITY A fresh opportunity To be strengthened By OUR FAITH And by God's and Christ's GRACE And by our community To GROW CLOSER to God Dear Lord-the REWARDS Of your LOVE AND GRACE Are worth the COST In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 5-24-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Melanie Rigney

SET FREE=STEP INTO THE LIGHT

SET FREE= STEPPING OUT INTO THE LIGHT Jesus lives and died For our sins But the question becomes- IF we have been set free By Jesus- WHY are we still living As captives- LIVING as PRISONERS in today's world “He has sent deliverance To his people He has RATIFIED his covenant forever Holy and awesome Is his name” Psalm 111:9 Supposedly we have been SET FREE Yet we are prisoners To anyone or anything That masters us BUT according to God- We should only have ONE MASTER-HIM How many of us Are truly living free? How many of us Are truly LIVING with God As NUMBER ONE in our lives?” “He upholds The cause of the oppressed And gives food to the hungry The Lord SETS PRISONERS FREE” Psalm 146:7 “The SPIRIT of the Lord Is on me Because he has anointed me To PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS To the poor He has sent me To proclaim freedom FOR the prisoners And recovery of sight For the the blind To set The oppressed free” Luke 4:18 We become PRISONERS To ALL kinds of things In this world: Alcohol-drugs-money-pornography- Science and money-whatever SOME of us are even captives To bad relationships-laziness-and lust IF GOD isn't in first place- In our lives=FOLLOWED closely by FAMILIES- We MUST ask ourselves WHY? We are free We must ask ourselves Why are we still prisoners To something in this world? We have been set free It is TIME for us To step forward INTO THE LIGHT “You Lord KEEP my lamp burning My God TURNS my darkness Into light” Psalm 18:28 “The path of the RIGHTEOUS Is like the morning sun SHINING ever brighter Till the FULL light of day” Proverbs 4:18 And when Jesus was presented in the TEMPLE-to Simeon- Simeon called him: “A LIGHT for REVELATION to the Gentiles And the GLORY- Of your people Israel” Luke 2:32 The Lord continues To send RELEASE to his people Even today The prison doors are WIDE OPEN We just need to STEP INTO THE LIGHT Robert P. Wallman 5-23-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Kristin Armstrong

A LITTLE LESS THAN THE ANGELS

A LITTLE LESS THAN THE ANGELS Psalm 8 Is a FAVORITE psalm of mine Because the psalmist-David IS almost giddy At what God has done CREATING a vast universe And giving the human race HONOR-just below God himself “What is man That you should be So mindful of him? For thou has made him A LITTLE lower Than the angels And has crowned him With glory and honor” Psalm 8:-4-5 How we can have Such dignity How can we be Just “A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS” Sometimes I feel such shame For some things I've done In my life Yet you BESTOW honor and dignity Upon me/Upon us Do you ever feel This way That you are not worthy To be THAT LOVED But GOD LOVES US-anyway Worthy or not He bestows honor and dignity Upon us In fact-HE LOVES us so much He entered the universe For us And conquered death for us So we can live FOREVER with him Being BOTH God and human He returned To the Father Taking us humans Right with him So after death We can live “FOREVER” in God We are just “A LITTLE LESS THAN THE ANGELS” And that makes us SHARERS in the love Of the life-creating God And making it OUR RESPONSIBILITY To SPREAD God's love WHEREVER we go Robert P. Wallman 5-9-14 5-23-16 Ps Inspired by an article in Living Magazine by Kevin Perrotta

SAINT RITA=A SAINT FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE

SAINT RITA OF CASCIA IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE Saint Rita Is a SAINT for the impossible Rita was a widow Then later an Augustinian nun She is considered to be The patron Saint of Desperate Cases As a child Rita wanted to become a nun But married In deference to her parents’ wishes Her husband—after marriage Became violent and notoriously unfaithful They had 2 sons together And Rita endured Her husband’s insults and unfaithfulness For 18 years One day He was murdered And his sons set out to avenge his death They too died Rita then became a nun She prayed constantly and with meditation So intensely That a wound appeared on her forehead As though She was pierced by a crown of thorns She died of tuberculosis And after her death Her reputation for holiness and miracles Continued to spread Her body Remains incorrupt even today Today-along with saint Jude She is known As the patron of impossible cases She is also known As the patron for difficult marriages Particularly where the husband Is violent or unfaithful Her feast day is May 22nd And includes A BLESSING OF ROSES Robert P. Wallman 6-8-12

CHALLENGED BY LIFE

CHALLENGED BY LIFE Do you feel challenged By life? Do the setbacks in life Seem to be overwhelming you? Don't worry It happens to us ALL NO matter how smart Or how strong that we are Life PRESENTS CHALLENGES to us That we can't overcome By ourselves That is WHERE GOD COMES IN “Oh Lord-to you I call Hasten to me Hearken to my voice WHEN I call upon you” Psalm 141:1 GOD ANSWERS the call For us Or at least-he HELPS US Answer the call Helps us To FACE the challenges of life Just look back at your PAST The TRUTH is so clear God has already GUIDED us (you and me) Through so many past problems That we could never have resolved All by ourselves The health problems That we have faced The financial problems That we have faced And the RELATIONSHIP problems That we have gone through “FORGET the former things Do not dwell on the past” Isaiah 43:18 But do not forget HOW God has helped you In the past-and How he WILL help you again “Whoever Invokes a BLESSING In the land- Will do so by THE ONE TRUE GOD Whoever takes an oath In the land Will swear By the ONE TRUE GOD For the PAST trouble Will be forgotten And hidden from my eyes” Isaiah 65:16 CHALLENGED by life In the past God helped us meet our troubles And he will help us AGAIN In the present-and in the future God always RESPONDS To our needs And he does so in oh so many ways He helped us in the past And he gives us the FAITH That we need-to KNOW That he will help us again GOD really wants the BEST for us And because- We don't really understand What is best for us We don't understand How his answers fit our needs In these difficult times These difficult CHALLENGES God gives us STRENGTH To TRUST in his love “But I trust In your UNFAILING LOVE My heart REJOICES In your salvation” Psalm 13:5 And this trust in the Lord BECOMES OUR PEACE For the challenges We face in this world Robert P. Wallman 5-21-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father Kenneth Grabner, C.S.C.

CALLED TO PERSEVERE

CALLED TO PERSEVERE My late Uncle John Used to have GREAT ADMIRATION For my niece-Allison You see-when Allison was a little girl- She did not read music Yet she taught herself How to play songs On the piano She did it by PERSEVERANCE My Uncle John Admired this quality in her For he had that same great quality Of perseverance Without a formal education He had great aptitude in electronics- He could build a computer From scratch He said it Came from perseverance I think that that is true Of all of us Who ACCOMPLISH something In life WE have great perseverance I know that is What has KEPT me going all these years BATTLING this illness That and my GREAT BELIEF in God My great of BELIEF in Jesus MY great belief in THE POWER OF LOVE CALLED TO PERSEVERE How else could Jesus Have ENDURED the cross “Indeed we are all BLESSED- Those who have persevered” James 5:11 Our fellow apostle-James- COMMENDS the prophets and Job For their PERSEVERING in FAITH Despite the many hardships They endured Called to PERSEVERE=JUST like Jesus Just like the apostles and disciples Of yesteryear “LOVE does not delight in evil But rejoices With the truth It always protects Always trusts ALWAYS perseveres” 1 Corinthians 13:7 Called to persevere Called to turn our failures Into successes Called to PERSEVERE IN LOVE “LOVE NEVER FAILS ….....” 1 Corinthians 13:8 For Christians- Or us the modern day Apostles and disciples in Christ Perseverance means MORE than Stubbornly remaining the same It means PERSEVERING in LOVE It means battling on It means continuing to move forward Despite our chronic health problems Despite our financial setbacks Despite our relationship concerns Called to persevere Continually to love Continually called to TRANSFORM ourselves- Despite our problems We win be perseverance We win BY LOVING We win by LETTING GOD AND LOVE Transform us into winners “Do NOT conform To the pattern of this world But be TRANSFORMED By the RENEWING of your mind” Romans 12:2 Dear Lord-HELP us to become A more LOVING PERSON-just like you- By learning to persevere For together-just by persevering We can- CHANGE THE WORLD Robert P. Wallman 5-20-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sister Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE There is an old song By Johnny Mercer First written in 1944-called- “ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE” And the lyrics include something like this: “You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mr. In-Between” I BELIEVE very strongly In applying this philosophy To our lives And I believe very strongly That that was what Jesus Was referring to WHEN he said the following words: “If your hand causes you to sin Cut it off It is better for you To enter into life maimed- Than with two hands To go into Gehenna- Into the unquenchable fire” Mark 9:43 I believe this is EXACTLY-what Jesus was referring to ELIMINATING the negative-the bad habits From your life And BUILD UP your positive qualities In Christ I don't believe-for one second That Jesus was talking literally The gift of God Is a life-giving presence That is ALWAYS with us And Jesus REMAINS faithful to us Even when we have been Unfaithful to him ACCENTUATE the positive Accentuate the PRESENCE OF GOD And the presence of Christ In your life “You make known to me The PATH OF LIFE You will FILL me with joy In your presence With eternal pleasures At your right hand” Psalm 16:11 “For what you have done I will ALWAYS praise you In the presence Of your FAITHFUL PEOPLE And I will HOPE In your name For your name is good” Psalm 52:9 Accentuate the positive Accentuate the GOOD NAME Of God and Jesus For what is more positive WHAT is more life-sustaining Than God and Jesus in your life The greatest thing about God OTHER than his love for us Is that he leaves us TOTALLY FREE to choose However-sometimes the misuse Of our freedom The misuse of our lives The misuse in the choices That we make LEAVES US with significant suffering Dear Lord-we ask you To HELP US To accentuate the positive In our life=namely you And your most HOLY SON And eliminate our negative behaviors Dear Lord=we ask that We be just like you And ACCENTUATE the positives in our life Robert P. Wallman 5-19-16 Ps INSPIRED by a song by Johnny Mercer lyrics-that was recorded by Bing Crosby And Perry Como-twice-among others The song was ORIGINALLY INSPIRED by a sermon by a man called FATHER DIVINE The sermon was entitled=”ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE-ELIMINATE THE NEGATIVE”

ALWAYS THERE!

ALWAYS THERE Do you recognize The PRESENCE of God And Jesus in your life Or do you Go through moments WHEN you are not sure WHETHER God is there for you It is A common feeling That we ALL go through But I GUARANTEE YOU That he is always there For you and for me In the 28th chapter Of Saint Matthew's gospel Jesus PROMISES THAT “Then Jesus Came to them And said 'ALL authority In heaven and on earth Has been given to me THEREFORE GO and make disciples Of ALL NATIONS Baptizing them In the name of the Father- And of the Son And of the Holy Spirit And teaching them To obey everything I have commanded you And SURELY I am with you ALWAYS To the very end Of the age'” Matthew 28:18-20 We KNOW That the Lord Always keeps his promises So we know That he is with us IN SPIRIT at least In the deep recesses Of our hearts “WHEN she had said this She turned around And saw Jesus there But did NOT know That it was Jesus” John 20:14 I cannot fathom HOW Mary Magdalene The CLOSEST person to him ON EARTH- OUTSIDE of his own mother Did not recognize Jesus Maybe the PAIN Was just too great MAYBE that is what happens To us When we cannot recognize Jesus and God In our lives The pain IS JUST TOO GREAT But we know He is there He told us And we know Jesus is LOVE And in the XIII chapter of I Corinthians It says “LOVE always protects LOVE always trusts LOVE ALWAYS HOPES LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES LOVE NEVER FAILS” 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 Now go back And substitute Jesus' name FOR LOVE HE is there for you He is there For me And he is there In a well-timed phone call Or a hug From a friend JUST when We think he has forgotten us He is there He is RIGHT THERE God NEVER FORGETS His promise He is there In spirit He is there In love He is ALWAYS THERE Robert P. Wallman 8-25-14 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James McKarns 5-19-16

GOD WILLING

GOD WILLING There used to be a saying- Among “the old-timers-” my Grandparents-my parents-included It also included many other people And the saying was: “GOD-WILLING” WHEN the people started it It was to signify What they were going to do Would come to pass IF God were willing AGREEING to their dreams “IF the Lord wills it We shall live to do this or that” But now you are boasting In your arrogance ALL such boasting is evil” James 4:15-16 I really feel that that IS TRUE In my life I can do nothing-myself-alone GOD leads and guides me through others It will only COME to be If God wills it If GOD'S PLANS are my plans I truly HOPE that they are I truly hope that God's plans Are my plans I seldom hear people saying, “GOD WILLING,” today It is an expression of FAITH Acknowledging that we don't have Total control of our lives today NONE of us know what The future will hold for us Least alone me But MANY of us Think that we do Saint James-in his writing TEACHES us to be HUMBLE And not to boast It is arrogant thinking-or boasting- To say the least To think we can control Our futures The future is UP TO GOD BE HUMBLE-not arrogant Let the future be up to God GOD-WILLING “The fear of the Lord Is to hate evil I hate pride and arrogance- Evil behavior and perverse speech” Proverbs 8:13 “For I am afraid That when I come I may not find you As I want you to be And you may not find me As you want me to be I fear that there May be discord-jealousy- Fits of rage-selfish ambition- Slander-gossip-arrogance-and disorder” 2 Corinthians 12:20 Is it any wonder That people think We are at the end of time WHEN I WRITE=I always write With a green pen=it signifies GOD'S HOPE Or in other words-”God WILLING” I don't write for myself- For my plans and feelings may change But GOD'S WILL never does It is all good Let me end this by saying: I am PRAYING for you-and WISHING You all health-and happiness-and a long life With love and peace GOD-WILLING Robert P. Wallman 5-17-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James McKarns

DRAW NEAR=TOWARDS GOD

DRAW NEAR=TOWARDS GOD There is an old Hasidic saying: That if you take ONE step towards God IN TRUST He will take one hundred steps toward you IN LOVE No wonder I feel So close to God No wonder I feel So much love in me I HOPE that you do too “Draw NEAR to God- And he will draw near to you” James 4:8 What barriers stand in between You and God? I hope none And you shouldn't ever Feel too busy for God God should be Of paramount IMPORTANCE in your life Draw NEAR-towards God “The Lord is close To the brokenhearted And SAVES those Who are crushed in spirit” Psalm 34:18 “Their leader Will be one of their own Their ruler Will arise from among them I will bring him near And he will COME CLOSE to me- For who is he Who will devote himself To be CLOSE to me? Declares the Lord” Jeremiah 30:21 DRAW NEAR towards God Draw close toward the Lord Don't ever be too busy for him IF you are-ask yourself some questions- WHERE are you rushing too now? What is so important about our life That we can't take the time- To CONNECT to the Father? Is it so important that we can't take some time- And CONNECT to the very author of Our own life? “We hear That some among you Have been idle and disruptive They are NOT busy- They are busybodies” 2 Thessalonians 3:11 “Besides They get into the habit Of being idle-and going about From house to house And not only do they Become idlers But also busybodies Who talk nonsense Saying things They ought not to” 1 Timothy 5:13 So whether you are JUST BUSY - Or a busy body Which some of us are prone to be MAKE TIME FOR GOD Make God number 1 in your life DRAW NEAR TOWARDS GOD OVERCOME doubt In your life too And truly let go and LET GOD OVERCOME any and all barriers KEEPING you from God And DRAW NEAR towards God He is JUST WAITING for you Robert P. Wallman 5-16-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Jennifer Christ

JOURNAL=5-25-15=ENDURANCE=THE LONG HAUL

JOURNAL=5-25-15=ENDURANCE=THE LONG HAUL “You are my SHELTER-from distress-you will PRESERVE ME” Psalm 32:7 LIFE is a long JOURNEY-at some point of time in LIFE-we have ALL suffered from depression or DESPAIR-sometimes-it is a question of WHY should we go on-but we MUST all remember that life is a long haul-and that the circumstances of today-PROBABLY WILL NOT be our circumstances of tomorrow-ESPECIALLY with GOD AND JESUS in our lives THE PSALMIST encourages us to ALLOW OURSELVES to FEEL the LOVE that GOD has for us-for the TRUTH is: GOD'S TENDER CARE for us ENDURES no matter what is happening in our lives-WE are CHOSEN by God-and that alone-GIVES OUR LIFE-meaning and PURPOSE-BEYOND today and tomorrow-a life that has meaning for the long haul-a LIFE that endures FOREVER it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a great day to ENDURE our hardships-for we are LOVED by God and Jesus Christ-who has FREED us from sin-and gives us HOPE FOREVER And PLEASE join me in PRAYING for our soldiers who are RESPONSIBLE for the physical freedom we have ENJOYED-and continue to enjoy in TODAY'S WORLD WITNESS 3-07-13 ENDURANCE---THE LONG HAUL Where are you In your personal relationship with God Are your enduring The trials of your life Are you loving God Despite the troubles in your life Are you letting him Love you “For everything That was written in the past So that through ENDURANCE And the encouragement of the scriptures We might have HOPE” Romans 15:4 We are going to have problems In this life Of that we can be sure So we may as well Stick to God So he can be there for us And we can be there For one another Turning our troubles Into blessings Turning our problems into HOPE “May the God Who gives ENDURANCE and encouragement Give you a spirit of unity Among yourselves As you follow Christ Jesus So that with one heart and mouth You may glorify the God and Father Of our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 15;5 & 6 Be in it With God Be in it For the long haul ENDURE means To carry us through Despite our hardships God is BUILDING Something in you A LIFE THAT WILL LAST Long after you have left This world For you are ROCK You have built your life On the WORD OF GOD NOT the word Of man You-me-us- We are in it For the long haul NOT transitory rewards Dear Lord We pray for a life BUILT on your word A life that will last For we KNOW That righteousness and love ENDURES forever “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor His righteousness ENDURES forever His horn will be lifted high in honor” Isaiah 112:9 “Give thanks to the Lord For he is GOOD His life ENDURES FOREVER” Psalm 136:1 So we know That if we build our lives On the WORD OF GOD Our lives and love Will ENDURE for the LONG HAUL Our lives will LAST FOREVER Robert P. Wallman 8-30-12 Ps WITNESS 3-07-13 “Since you have kept my command to ENDURE PATIENTLY I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the Whole world to TEST those who live on the earth” Revelations 3:10 MAY YOU find ETERNAL HAPPINESS by living your LIFE in LOVE LOVE of GOD and LOVE of others And KNOW that if you do this-you will live in ETERNAL UNION with God Our Father and HIS SON-Jesus Christ OUR LORD MISC. WITNESS 4-29-14 12-26-14 & 2-26-15 & 5-25-15

THE PLACE OF REBIRTH

THE PLACE OF REBIRTH How often do you PRAY for others? I do it MOST every day And it brings me strength It brings me ENCOURAGEMENT To envision ONE WORLD Where we all pray For each and every one of us For one world A world of SHARING A world of positivity For ALL Today is PENTECOST SUNDAY And this is what I envision That the ORIGINAL PENTECOST was EVERYONE pulling for one another A sense of ONENESS A SENSE OF UNITY “WHEN the day of PENTECOST came They were all together In one place Suddenly- A sound like the blowing Of a violent wind Came from heaven And FILLED the house Where they were sitting They saw what seemed To be tongues of FIRE That separated And came to rest On each of them ALL of them were filled With the Holy Spirit And began to speak in other tongues As the SPIRIT enabled them” Acts 2:1-4 A new SPIRITUAL REBIRTH As it were For the PEOPLE OF GOD Wouldn't it be great IF we had another SPIRITUAL REBIRTH today In every church-in every TEMPLE- In every mosque Wouldn't it be great If we all felt that SAME ONENESS today THAT SAME LOVE And went out with dedication To spread that love To every person In this world CATCH THE SPIRIT Spread the love FIND the place-fill your hearts- With the REBIRTH OF LOVE “How good and pleasant it is WHEN God's people Live together in unity” Psalm 133:1 “And over all these virtues PUT ON LOVE Which binds them all together IN PERFECT UNITY” Colossians 3:14 Let us find PENTECOST- In our hearts Let us find Pentecost Within our souls Let us ALL LIVE With the DIVINE ENERGY OF GOD Let us all live With the divine energy of Jesus Let us SPREAD God's love God's own spirit to each And every person that we can THOSE who gathered In the UPPER ROOM at Pentecost Felt the bond as they PRAYED together Let us pray for a ONENESS And a UNITY for all Let us find-THE PLACE OF REBIRTH- Once again-NOT only in the UPPER ROOM But DEEP within our hearts AS WE PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER Robert P. Wallman 5-15-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

LETTING GO OF THE PAST

LETTING GO OF THE PAST (THE ROAD TO FORGIVENESS) We are ALL carrying Some past issues Along with us Through our lives ISSUES that We are having trouble letting go We NEED to Make PEACE with these issues Before we can move along- SUCCESSFULLY- With our lives “As far as the east Is from the west So far he has put Our transgressions from us” Psalm 103:12 God has NO trouble Forgiving us From our past mistakes WHY do we Have so much trouble Forgiving others? Why do we Have so much trouble Forgiving ourselves? Why don't we let go Of this road- To the past? Let us TRY a new road THE ROAD TO FOEGIVENESS Just like our God Let us LET GO of the past Let us BUILD a healthy future “FORGET the former things Do NOT dwell in the past” Isaiah 43:18 “WHOEVER invokes a blessing In the land Will do so By the ONE TRUE GOD Whoever takes an oath In the land Will swear By the one true God For the past troubles WILL BE FORGOTTEN And hidden from my eyes” Isaiah 65:16 SOMETIMES-we have sins- Or mistakes-if you will That linger in our lives Like unwelcome visitors Parts of our past That REFUSE to go away NO matter how many times We take them to God LET US make a pact You and I Let us let go Of the past Let us build our future ON LOVING GOD And on LOVING each other Let us let go of our past Let us take THE ROAD TO FORGIVENESS It is the ONLW WAY We can SPIRITUALLY MATURE It is the only way We can FIND the true FAITH To move into the future WITH CONFIDENCE “CONSIDER the blameless Observe the upright A future awaits For those who SEEK PEACE” Psalm 37:37 “There is SURELY A FUTURE for you And your hope Will not be cut off” proverbs 23:18 ACCEPT the grace and forgiveness God offers you OFFER grace and forgiveness To someone else TOGETHER-we can Let go of the past Together-we can TAKE the fork in the road THE ROAD TO FORGIVENESS THANK YOU LORD For the grace and the FAITH To go on-EVERY DAY In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 5-13-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Steve Givens

WE CAN STILL BE ONE!

WE CAN STILL BE ONE Some years ago I read some statistics About their being 30,000 or 40,000 different Christian churches Not to mention the Jewish religion- The Muslim religion-the Hindus-the Buddhists- And who knows what else It is HARD to see HOW we can ever Be one nation-one world UNDER GOD “Holy Father- KEEP them in your name That you have given me So that they may be ONE Just as we are one” John 17:11 We are ALL so different We have a diversity of backgrounds- Experience and opinions In our communities It is really hard to see How it might come about I KNOW we can still BE one world UNDER GOD For we know ALL THINGS are possible with 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 We have to get away From this notion That I am right And you are wrong AWAY from this notion That MY religion is THE CHOSEN ONE Jesus LIVED and died For ALL PEOPLE- And all people are HIS ALL PEOPLE Are the CHOSEN ONES of God “I PRAY........ THAT they may be one As you-Father Are in me-and I in you …..... Father-they are your gift To me” John 17-20-21, 24 How about that We are ALL God's gift to him Yes-us-we Broken-and confused people Who betray God and Jesus EVERY day of our lives Are still considered a GIFT To God Even as we really know That God is the TRUE GIFT-Jesus is the true gift PERFECT LOVE Is the GIFT to this world Dear Lord-Dear God HELP US find your gift of UNITY To the ENTIRE world “How good and pleasant It is When God's people LIVE TOGETHER IN UNITY” Psalm 133:1 “........so that the day of Christ May be built up UNTIL we all reach UNITY In the faith And in the knowledge Of the Son of God And become mature Attaining to the whole measure Of the FULLNESS of Christ” Ephesians 4:13 Dear Father I truly believe We can STILL all be ONE In this world IF we truly LIVE In LOVE & RESPECT of each other Father of ALL- Giver of GIFTS- MAY WE ALL BE ONE IN YOU Robert P. Wallman May 12th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by articles in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Aileen O'Donoghue and Mary Marrocco

WORTH DYING FOR?-WORTH LIVING FOR?

WITNESS 8-15-13 WORTH DYING FOR---WORTH LIVING FOR---? What do you Love most in your life Or Who do you love Most in this world Is it Are they Worth dying for I suggest to you Anyone or anything Worth dying for Is also worth Living for I suggest to you---God Love of God And love of neighbor Are dying in this world This love This love of God And the love of one another Is dying a long Slow excruciating death It is dying This love The worst kind of death It is dying To apathy It is dying To coldness and indifference To ingratitude and lukewarmness And ultimately To the rejection of God and each other In today’s world To the lack of acknowledgement Of God and one another In today’s world Who or what would you Give up your life for IF anyone or anything “My command is this: Love one another As I have loved you Greater love has no one Than that he lay down his life For his friends” John 15:12-13 Jesus died---for his friends---for us FOR HIS FRIENDS---for the people of this world IS HE WORTH LIVING FOR? Robert P. Wallman 3-10-11 Ps WITNESS 8-15-13

A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP As BELIEVERS of God And Christ One of the things We are CALLED UPON to do Is to develop A personal relationship With God and Christ A relationship Where we SHARE everything With our Lord This is in addition To our FELLOWSHIP at church “........they should know you........ And the one whom you sent- Jesus Christ” John 17:3 I believe A lot of people in this world HATE religion And I believe it is Because of some of the things That have been done in this world In the NAME of religion ( and is STILL being done today ) But we can only Find our salvation in this world THROUGH a personal relationship With God and Jesus “The Lord is my LIGHT And my SALVATION- Whom shall I fear? The Lord Is the STRONGHOLD of my life- Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 “Surely the idolatrous commotion On the hills And mountains Is a deception Surely- In the Lord our God Is the SALVATION of Israel” Jeremiah 3:23 “For I am not ashamed Of the gospel Because it is the POWER OF GOD That brings SALVATION to everyone Who believes First to the Jew- Then to the Gentile” Romans 1:16 The concept of salvation Can be DIFFICULT to understand But ALL the ways Of understanding salvation CENTER around the person of Jesus And coming to KNOW HIM As I said- I don't like the word “Religious” When people say that I am this I always correct them-and tell them I prefer the word-”SPIRITUAL” Yet I believe OUR WALK with Jesus Cannot be made alone And must be made in conjunction With God-and Jesus-and others And with our church community Or church communities HOW do we Get to know this Jesus Some 2,000 after his departure From this earth? By OPENING up our hearts And loving him and loving others OPEN UP your heart To God and Jesus He will indeed COME You will indeed KNOW HIM And through your relationship With our mysterious God and Jesus You will: FIND YOUR SALVATION Dear Lord-we pray- PLEASE come into our lives And SHARE them with us In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 5-10-6 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti

A GLORIOUS MYSTERY

A GLORIOUS MYSTERY There are basically two sides To the mystery Of THE ASCENSION The first side Is the glorious RETURN To the RISEN Jesus Back to his place In heaven “As he BLESSED them He parted from them And was taken up to heaven” Luke 24:51 Jesus became like us In EVERY way-but sin He was PERFECT-yet our sins Destroyed him- And he was blameless THE ASCENSION= Is after Jesus endures rejection Terrible physical suffering and death He returns to the FATHER But he did so NOT to abandon us But to give us HOPE As we are DESTINED To share in his GLORY “Lord-our Lord- How MAJESTIC is your name In all the earth You have set your glory In the heavens” Psalm 8:1 “At that time People will see The SON OF MAN Coming in clouds With great power and glory” Mark 13:26 “So whether you eat or drink Or WHATEVER you do Do it all- For the GLORY OF GOD” 1 Corinthians 10:31 Jesus did it all For the the GLORY of God- HIS FATHER And we should do We should offer up ALL the good we do For simply The glory of God and Christ The second side Of this GREAT mystery Of the Ascension IS THE MISSION Jesus gives this MISSION To the apostles- And to us To MAKE KNOWN The person of Jesus And his WONDERFUL TEACHINGS To every person- To all the nations- And to the ENTIRE world This is KNOWN as THE GREAT COMMISSION And it falls to each And every one of us “Therefore Go and make disciples Of all nations BAPTIZING them In the name of the Father- And of the SON- And of the HOLY SPIRIT And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you And surely I am with ALWAYS To the every end of the AGE” Matthew 28:19-20 And surely-he is WITH US- ALWAYS-just as his HOLY SPIRIT Is with us UNTIL the end of time WHAT A GLORIOUS MYSTERY- In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 5-9-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Fr. Martin Pable, O.F.M. Cap.

GOD'S MERCY TO ALL

GOD'S MERCY TO ALL At the LAST SUPPER The apostle Philip Made a plea that Jesus Had already answered “Philip said to him, 'Master-SHOW us the Father And that will be ENOUGH for us'” John 14:8 Jesus answered, “WHOEVER has seen me Has already seen the FATHER” John 14:9 So in this YEAR OF MERCY As proclaimed by Pope Francis IF we have not ALL already Seen the Father-THE FACE OF MERCY We have all-at least- Felt him in our hearts As we all have felt Jesus living there At one time or another GOD'S MERCY is For us all NOT just Catholics-Not just Christians But for ALL PEOPLE in this world BELIEVERS in God And nonbelievers alike So who knows WHERE we will See the face of God It can be seen and felt In the most unlikely of places And it will serve to REMIND US That the face of God Can be anywhere “Many-Lord-are asking- 'WHO will bring us prosperity?' Let the light of your face Shine on us” Psalm 4:6 “May God to be GRACIOUS to us And BLESS us And make his face SHINE on us” Psalm 67:1 “They will see his face And his name Will be On their foreheads There will be No more night They will not need The LIGHT of a lamp Or the light of the sun For the Lord Will give them light And they will REIGN Forever and ever” Revelation 22:4-5 And so we say thanks To Philip and James And all the other apostles The GOSPEL has reached The ends of the earth Thanks to people like them And we his apostles- Of today Will sooner or later MAKE SURE the gospel of God And Christ- IS ACCEPTED By every individual in this world And ultimately GOD'S MERCY TO ALL May be shown To every person in this world LIT by our faith in Christ- The FACE that shines the Father's love and mercy TO ALL those in NEED Robert P. Wallman 5-5-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE y Miguel Dulick The feast day of Saint Philip and James are SHARED together on the 3rd of May each year

MY MOM

“My Mom” My Mom is gracious and kind She has a very keen mind But most of all She has a heart full of life She must be a gift From God above She has lived 71 years She walks with a cane She is blind in one eye But she sees things Most of the world has never seen Or ever will see She sees beauty She sees grace She sees God In every child’s face She has seen tough times Most of it very unfair But through it all She has always continued to care About her Family About her Friends About the World She is-A BEAUTIFUL SOUL She sees beauty She sees grace She sees God In every child’s face My Mom is gracious and kind She still has a very keen mind But most of all My Mom has A heart full of love She must be a gift From God up above I LOVE YOU MOM! 4/18/06 Robert P. Wallman Mom Passed away on March 18th, 2010---Love and miss you Mom---Forever! 5-8-16

MOTHER'S ARE GOD'S GREATEST MIRACLES

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the mothers out there And ALL those who wanted to be a Mother---but never did happen---for whatever reason “Mothers are God’s Greatest Miracles” They think They care They nurture They share They fill the world with Love Mothers are God’s greatest miracles They give birth They raise their children To be Good boys and girls They fill the world with love Mothers are God’s greatest miracles They’re there When we get up They’re there Sometimes all through the day They’re there When we need a pat on the back Sometimes they’re there If we need A kick in the pants Mothers are God’s greatest miracles They’re there To teach their children To fill The world with love Mothers are God’s greatest miracles Mothers get old Sometimes they get physically very sick And if they do Hopefully We will be there To fill their world with pride And to let them know A Mother’s love never really dies MOTHERS ARE GOD’S GREATEST MIRACLES Robert P. Wallman 9/30/09 5-8-16

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

SHELTER FROM THE STORM ONE of the things I know for sure IS- In life Is that We all go through The storms There are NO EXCEPTIONS I can tell you that FOR SURE And one of the things WE can do for others As they go through the storms Of life Is to OPEN our hearts Open our lives And open our HOMES for others Just as God always does Just as Jesus always does FOR US “If you Consider me a BELIEVER In the Lord Come and STAY At my home........” Acts 16:15 AS BELIEVERS-one of the things My family has always done Is open up their homes To FAMILY-friends-and neighbors My grandparents did this My parents did this And I have ALWAYS done this ( as well as my sisters) To quote from a Bob Dylan song: “Come in-she said- And I will give you- SHELTER from the storm” I take REFUGE in God I take refuge in the Lord “But let all those Who take refuge In you-BE GLAD Let them ever SING for joy SPREAD your protection Over them That those who love your name MAY REJOICE in you” Psalm 5:11 “Come in-he said-GOD SAID- I will give you 'SHELTER FROM THE STORM'” “The Lord is a refuge For the oppressed A stronghold In times of trouble” Psalm 9:9 “EVERY word of God Is flawless He is a SHIELD To those Who take REFUGE in him” Proverbs 3:5 There are few WORKS of MERCY In life-as challenging As OPENING your home To someone in NEED RECENTLY- I was on A five-week journey Up through the NORTH I THANK my family and friends For opening up their lives And their homes to me OPENING up our homes To someone in need is necessary NECESSARY for us To actually PROVE We are CREATURES OF GOD And necessary for those who stay For whatever reason- They are IN NEED “COME IN-GOD SAID- And receive 'SHELTER FROM THE STORM'” Robert P. Wallman 5-2-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Eve Tushnet

ARE YOU A FRIEND OF GOD?

WITNESS 6-5-13 ARE YOU A FRIEND OF GOD Are you a friend of God Before you answer Let me tell you what James, the Apostle, And half-brother of Jesus once wrote, “You adulterous people Don’t you know that friendship Towards the world Is hatred towards God Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world Becomes an enemy of God” James 4:4 So What does it mean to be a friend of the world As opposed to God I believe It is simply Putting the love of money and materialism Over the love of God And the love of your neighbor Or putting our own selfish desires Of the flesh At the expense of God and family Or calling ALL miracles----“medical” or scientific miracles Or putting our own selfish addictions Over the love of God and family Let’s be clear Being a friend to God Isn’t the absence of money The absence of our sexuality Or the absence of medical miracles In our lives To be a friend to God Just means to keep our priorities In their proper place ALWAYS keeping God and family ABOVE everything else Proverbs 17: 17 tells us, “A friend loves at all times And a brother is born in adversity” So we know That God LOVES US at all times Even when we have turned our back on him He is just waiting for you Waiting for me To ask for another chance We KNOW That we will get another chance If we just SINCERELY ask Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask And it will be given to you Seek and you will find Knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks---receives He who seeks---finds And to him who knocks The door will be opened” And when we get our second chance We are to follow the commandments And LIVE by God’s own spirit “The fruit of the spirit is love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness, and self-control Against such things---there is no law” Galatians 5:22-23 My friends God is our BEST FRIEND We just have to: Keep our priorities straight Follow his commandments And do our best to live With the qualities of GOD’S OWN SPIRIT God is NOT looking for perfection Just our best effort IF we give it Count yourself AS A FRIEND OF GOD Robert P. Wallman 3-22-12 Ps WITNESS 6-5-13 “A FRIEND loves at ALL times-and a BROTHER is born for adversity” Proverbs 17:17 “Greater love has no man than this-that he lay down his life for his FRIENDS” John 15:13 MISC WITNESS 6-20-14 5-5-16

TRUSTING GOD

TRUSTING GOD Do you TRUST God With you life? TRUSTING that he will always Do what is BEST in your life And keep you growing- In a MATURE relationship With him-God-and others? NOT always giving you What you want But at least- ALWAYS giving you what you NEED “Do not let your hearts Be troubled or afraid” John 14:27 The SABBATH DAY Is God's HOLY and SACRED DAY And on that day- Well every day for my mind We should FOCUS on God Keeping our awareness and energy On our relationship with God And the things of God- BUT particularly on the SABBATH DAY TRUSTING GOD at all times In all our circumstances “They will have NO FEAR Of bad news Their are hearts are steadfast TRUSTING in the Lord” Psalm 112:7 “Stop trusting in mere humans Who have But a breath in their nostrils WHY hold them in esteem” Isaiah 2:22 TRUSTING God Trusting the Lord AT ALL TIMES WORRY can fill our minds With thoughts of loss Or failure About what might happen In the future WHY WORRY about the future Why worry about anxious thoughts NONE of us know anything About the future Not even IF we are going to be here “Therefore I tell you Do not worry About your life What you will eat or drink Or about your body What you will wear Is not life More than food And the body More than clothes? Look at The birds of the air They do not sow or reap or store Away in barns And yet your HEAVENLY FATHER Feeds them Are you not Much MORE VALUABLE than they Can any one of you By worrying-add a single hour To your life?” Matthew 6:25-27 Do not worry-do not be anxious TRUST GOD-in ALL circumstances Of all the final messages Jesus could have left us with He told us to- PUT ASIDE anxiety and worry and fear HIS WORDS hold PROMISE That he will NEVER abandon us TRUSTING GOD Is the KEY to peace and love Robert P. Wallman 5-2-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article is LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Chris Koehllhoffer, I.H.M.

SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES

SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES Everything that we know About Philip Comes from the New Testament He was Probably a disciple of John Then began to follow Jesus He also persuaded Nathaniel To follow Jesus At the feeding of the 5,000 He was concerned That there was not enough bread and fish To feed the 5,000 After finding Andrew and Peter Jesus-leaving for Galilee-finds Philip And says-“Follow me” Philip-in turn-finds Nathaniel ( also called Bartholomew ) And tells him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law And about whom the prophets also wrote Jesus of Nazareth-the son of Joseph” Nathaniel says, “Nazareth-can anything good come from there?” Philip responds, “come and see” Philip is believed To have preached the Gospel in Phyrgia After Christ’s Resurrection And usually Is represented by a cross Or with loaves of bread To recall his part In the feeding of the 5000 JAMES THE LESS Another apostle of Jesus He was the son of Alphaeus And it is believed His mother stood at the foot of the cross As Jesus was crucified He also May have written The letter of James It is believed He was beat to death With a club After being sentenced to be stoned By the Sanhedrin in 62 AD His feast day Along with the apostle Philip Is May the 3rd Robert P. Wallman 5-3-12

LOVE LIVES IN THIS WORLD

LOVE LIVES IN THIS WORLD Jesus wanted his disciples- WANTS US=his disciples In this modern day world To LOVE PERFECTLY Just as his Father does And just as he does But he also warns us That-as CHRISTIANS- We my be tormented- Even killed On account of our LOVE This STILL goes on- As UNBELIEVABLE as it does seem- In today's world “If you belonged To the world The world would love its own But because You do not BELONG to the world And I have CHOSEN you Out of the world The world hates you” John 15:19 OUR LOVE for God And others Is not always rewarded In this world So we must be CAREFUL That we don't grow hard and cynical And still LOVE EXTRAVAGANTLY For withing our love Is a greater love Just as BEYOND this world Is another world “He rules the world In righteousness And judges the peoples With equity” Psalm 9:8 “BEFORE the mountains Were born Or you brought forth The whole world From everlasting to everlasting You are God” Psalm 90:2 “What good Will it be From someone to gain The whole world Yet forfeit their soul Or what can anyone give In exchange for their soul?” Matthew 16:26 NOTHING-ALL we can do is LOVE It is important That we CONTINUALLY love God And love others ALWAYS look up For that is WHERE God lives And always look within Because-that is where LOVE LIVES Or at least should live “The death he died he died to sin ONCE for all But the life he lives He LIVES to God” Romans 6:10 “You-however Are NOT in the realm of the flesh But are in the realm Of the SPIRIT-if indeed THE SPIRIT OF GOD Lives in you” Romans 8:9 LOVE lives In this world LOVE LOVES INSIDE OF YOU Robert P. Wallman 4-30 & 5-1-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Jessica Mesman Griffith

ARE YOU OPEN TO THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD-OF JESUS?

ARE YOU OPEN TO THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD; OF JESUS? A few years ago There was a saying Going around: “IT'S ALL GOOD” And that is the way It is with our God ALL the news is GOOD “IT'S ALL GOOD” For that is what Our God wants for you All good things “After John Was put in prison Jesus went into Galilee Preaching the good news Of God 'The TIME has come,' he said 'The KINGDOM of God Has come near Repent and BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS'” Mark 1:14-15 The word of God IS LIFE The word of God Is LOVE The word of God Is TRUTH The bad things That happen to us In life Is usually due to The evil of other people Or just The circumstances of life “TASTE and see That the Lord Is GOOD Blessed is the one Who takes refuge In him” Psalm 34:8 “Whoever seeks GOOD FINDS FAVOR” Proverbs 11:27 There is something That we have to recognize About the listeners Of Jesus' day They weren't closed To the bad news They were CLOSED To the good news Of the Lord The reason They were closed Is that they felt threatened They denied the REALITY Of GOD'S PROMISE And they literally Pushed him away “They rose up Drove him out of town And led him To the brow of the hill On which their town Had been built To hurl him down headlong But he passed Through the midst of them And went away” Luke 4:29-30 WE CHRISTIANS Of the 21st century NEED to wake up To the PROMISE OF GOD “IT'S ALL GOOD” BELIEVE in God Believe in Jesus Their words are good “NO ONE is good Except God alone,” Mark 10:18 Jesus said And yet his Father LIFTED him up After the RESURRECTION Talk about GOOD “But the angel said to them 'Do not be afraid I bring you GOOD NEWS That will cause great JOY For all the people TODAY In the town of David A SAVIOR has been born to you He is the MESSIAH THE LORD” Luke 2:10-12 DEAR LORD=we pray That we will Always remain OPEN To the GOOD NEWS Of the Lord IT IS ALL GOOD Robert P. Wallman 8-31-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Amy Welborn 5-01-16