LOOKING FOR WISDOM=THROUGH QUESTIONS

LOOKING FOR WISDOM= THROUGH QUESTIONS We are born as babies And we learn about life= As children-by ASKING questions Asking questions about this Asking questions about that We LEARN about life It is the SAME WAY In our life as CHRISTIANS We start out as BABY Christians And we learn by asking questions About the bible And about God and Jesus “I fed you milk-NOT solid food Because you were Unable to take it Indeed you are still not able Even now-for you Are STILL of the flesh” 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 We learn as we go In life And we learn as we go As Christians The ANSWERS that we find- We learn as we go We LEARN about ourselves And what we will do What we will not do And what we SHOULD DO And should not do LOOK for wisdom As we go-by ASKING- The tough questions-and- LEARNING as we go “I will PRAISE you With an upright heart As I LEARN Your righteous laws” Psalm 119:7 “Come to me ALL you who are weary And burdened And I will give you REST TAKE my yoke upon you And LEARN FROM ME For I am gentle And HUMBLE in heart And you will find rest For your souls For my yoke is easy And my burden is LIGHT” Matthew 11:28-30 “I will NOT say much More to you For the prince of this world Is coming He has NO HOLD over me But he comes So that the world MAY LEARN That I LOVE the Father And DO exactly what my Father Has commanded me” John 14:30-31 Jesus has the WISDOM-but But he ALWAYS makes the right decision For he was LIVING in the Spirit He was/he IS the SPIRIT But it's another thing To ASK all the right questions- And get the wisdom and not obey it MANY of us live in the flesh And NOT the Spirit Just as King Solomon did- WIDELY ACCLAIMED to be One of the smartest men To ever have lived SOMEDAY we will HAVE all the answers Or at least most of them Dear Lord-when we don't have The wisdom When we don't have The answers Let us be CONTENT To LIVE like Jesus FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT And NOT in the flesh Like King Solomon And many others in today's world In Jesus' name-WISDOM-and SPIRIT Robert P. Wallman 8-30-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Gail Goleas

OUR GOD WALKS WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

OUR GOD WALKS WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY We are ALL on a journey Through life-and of course It is NOT about the destination But the JOURNEY And on this journey- ONE thing is for sure: OUR GOD walks with us EVERY STEP of the way In love and support for us-and- ENCOURAGING us to keep on going As much as we can “The Lord LIFTS up ALL who are falling........” Psalm 145:14 Isn't it WONDERFUL to have A loving and supportive God The God who helps us up EVERY STEP of the way The loving and supportive God Our God Is the safety net Who helps us when we fall Our God is the ROCK That we cling to-when we fall Our God is our mother and father Who HELPS his children get up When they fall down God is the never-ending SUPPORT Who never gives up on us He WALKS with us EVERY STEP of the way “They confronted me In the day of my disaster But the Lord Was my SUPPORT” Psalm 18:18 “When I said, 'My foot is slipping' Your UNFAILING LOVE-Lord- Supported me” Psalm 94:18 “........do NOT consider yourself To be superior To those other branches If you do-consider this- You do not support the root- But the ROOT supports you ….....” Romans 11:18 Our God-our Jesus-IS OUR ROOT Who supports all of us When we fall And we fall In all sorts of ways Not only physically=but emotionally= And spiritually-and financially too Our God helps us GET BACK UP And he walks with us EVERY STEP-of the way Yes-we fall in all Kinds of ways- SOCIALLY-when we gossip about another- Spiritually-when we don't make time for God In prayer Yes God walks with us in support- ENCOURAGING US to get back up To get RIGHT AGAIN after our fall “BLESSED are they-who have learned- To ACCLAIM you Who walk in the light Of your presence-Lord” Psalm 89:15 “WHEN Jesus spoke again- To the people-he said- 'I AM The LIGHT of the world Whoever follows me Will NEVER walk in darkness But will have THE LIGHT OF LIFE'” John 8:12 So our GOD walks with us In all occasions-and- HELPS us back up And let us REMEMBER That we are called to SUPPORT Our brothers and sisters Who are falling too And encourage them Dear Lord-we THANK YOU For your love-support and encouragement And for walking with us HELP me/us to help others Who may be falling In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-29-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.

STAND UP AND WITNESS

STAND UP AND WITNESS Are you a witness for God And Jesus in today's world? Do you LIKE feeling the love Of God and Jesus in your heart? BETTER yet how do you feel When you run across or Run into someone WHO is a particularly COMMITTED Christian? Today we read about The troubling LOVE of God About Herod and about John the Baptist ONE of the most particular and Committed CHRISTIANS of all time He was NOT AFRAID to stand up And witness-and he was jailed- Murdered-and beheaded for it “Herod feared John-KNOWING him To be a righteous and HOLY MAN And kept him in custody When he heard him speak He was very much perplexed Yet he LIKED to listen to him” Mark 6:20 STAND UP and witness Regardless of the consequences That's what John did Would you do it? Would I do it? That is what it takes To be a committed Christian In today's world STAND UP AND WITNESS “There was a man SENT from God Whose name was John He came as a WITNESS To testify Concerning the LIGHT So that through him All might believe He himself was not the light He came ONLY As a witness to the light” John 1:6-8 John testified to the LIGHT OF JESUS That is our job too To TESTIFY to the light That has already come WHEN we encounter anyone LIVING in the light It can be both terrifying And attractive too It can be scary to meet someone Who KNOWS the heart and mind of Jesus I TRY to know the heart and mind Of Jesus I try to stand up and testify To the love-and forgiveness- And kindness of God But I UNDERSTAND how sometimes It can be OVERWHELMING to people Like John was with Herod Like Jesus was with Pilate GOD'S POWER-God's love can overwhelm us Yet we still NEED to stand up and testify We need to stand up and witness For God and Jesus-UNTIL- The end of time “An honest witness Tells the truth But a false witness Tells lies” Proverbs 12:17 “For WHERE two or three Are GATHERED in my name There I will be” Matthew 18:20 We need to STAND UP and witness together About God and Jesus And there they will be RIGHT in the Midst of us ALL the way-until THE END OF TIME Robert P. Wallman 8-28-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Elizabeth Duffy

FINDING HUMILITY IN GOD!

FINDING HUMILITY IN GOD The power of LOVE Of God-in my life Has brought me great humility He has brought me LIFE When I had none He has RESCUED me Over and over again He has taught me to LIVE the RIGHT WAY-by loving others- By forgiving others-and being KIND To others And most of ALL to RESPECT All others-all nationalities-all creeds- ALL races and all religions WE should all be ONE IN GOD “For every one who EXALTS himself Will be humbled But everyone who humbles himself Will be exalted” Luke 14:11 In today's parable Jesus teaches us To let others Take the most important place To LET others feel exalted And for us to take the LOWER position That is fine by me I don't need to be The most important person In the room I don't need to be The most important person In the world For I have FOUND MYSELF In God I know I am someone In God And I know you are SOMEONE In God too We are ALL someone Because GOD LOVES US! FINDING HUMILITY in God And RESPECTING all others “In your majesty Ride forth victoriously- In the cause of truth- Humility-and justice- Let your right hand achieve Awesome deeds” Psalm 45:4 I am FINDING humility In the power and the LOVE Of God “When pride comes Then comes disgrace But with humility COMES WISDOM” Proverbs 11:2 TAKE the lower position In life If you are to be exalted- LET God do it- Do NOT BOAST about yourself “In the same way You who are younger Submit yourselves To your elders ALL of yourselves CLOTHE yourself in humility Toward one another 'GOD opposes the proud But shows favor to the humble'” 1 Peter 5:5 Particularly this year In this YEAR OF MERCY From God towards us And from us-towards one another Let us FIND HUMILITY IN GOD Let us RESPECT all others-LOVE all others And let us let others- TAKE the higher position And NOT judge one another For it is by FINDING OUR HUMILITY IN GOD- That we actually do FIND OURSELVES In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-27-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Patricia Livingston

BE READY FOR THE LORD!

BE READY FOR THE LORD! We have no idea WHEN the Lord is coming back For the second time But we do KNOW he is coming For he told us so And the Lord Does NOT lie “Therefore-stay awake- For you know NEITHER the day nor the hour” Matthew 25:13 We do not know The date of when The Lord is coming Or our own last day on this earth So we NEED to be READY For the Lord We are ONLY guaranteed two moments In this world- This moment-and the moment GOD CALLS us home “You will be hated by everyone Because of me But the one Who stands FIRM to the end Will be SAVED When you are persecuted In one place FLEE to another Truly I tell you You will not finish Going through the towns Of Israel Before the SON OF MAN comes.” Matthew 10:22-23 “........BUT the one Who stands firm to the end Will be SAVED And the gospel Of the kingdom will be PREACHED In the whole world As a TESTIMONY to all nations And then the end WILL COME” Matthew 14:13-14 So one way or another We will have to be READY For the end Even if it is due to Our own mortality- But the question is: HOW? How can we be ready for the end? For the Lord? It is just a matter Of FOCUSING our thoughts On the things OF GOD- The things that matter God first-and ourselves- Then our family-our friends-and ALL OF HUMANITY We need to live clean lives- We NEED to love all- Forgive easily-and tell the TRUTH We need to FOLLOW GOD'S LAWS- And not our human drives of Our own materialism-sexuality-and even KEEP Our God ABOVE our scientific interests Dear Lord-help us to be READY for the end To be alert and awake To live GODLY LIVES We need to keep ourselves As healthy as possible To stay AWAY from addictions- To alcohol-drugs-pornography And any other addiction That can pull us down Dear Lord-help us ALWAYS To be READY for your coming By LIVING in love-in forgiveness- In kindness-and living godly lives Dear Lord-we do our best- Yet we fail-and we get back up Nevertheless-LORD=we are as ready As we can be-FOR YOU “WAIT for the Lord- Be strong-and take heart And wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:14 Dear Lord-we are ready- WE WAIT for your RETURN Lord In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-26-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Kristin Armstrong

THE GOD WHO BELIEVES IN US

THE GOD WHO BELIEVES IN US OUR GOD is a God Who BELIEVES in us He is a God-who GIVES US everything we need-if- It is in our BEST interests “........To you have been Sanctified in Christ Jesus- CALLED to be holy........” 1 Corinthians 1:2 God calls us to be holy- To LIVE holy lives- And he gives us the EXAMPLE- That we FIND in the life of Jesus- HIS SON He IS the God who BELIEVES in us The God who gives us everything We need-including the example of Jesus To live HOLY LIVES “Your ways-God-are holy- What god is as great As our God?” Psalm 77:13 NONE whatsoever-NOT money- Not sex-not any addiction- Not even science HE IS the God who BELIEVES IN US The one who ENCOURAGES US In order for people to GROW Strong in their faith They need encouragement I do-you do-WE all do Paul knew this 2,000 years ago- That is WHY he began His letter to the Corinthians With encouragement and supporting words He REMINDS THEM of who they are- As I remind you- Who we are-STILL TODAY- CHOSEN by God-people of HOPE-- Children of God- Chosen to live holy lives And he reminds them That they lack nothing And I remind you that WE lack nothing=today=to live Holy lives But life can be grueling And the temptations are out there That IS WHY we need to ENCOURAGE one another To live Christian and holy lives “You Lord-hear the desire Of the afflicted You encourage them-and you listen To their cry” Psalm 10:17 “Finally-brothers and sisters-REJOICE!- Strive for full restoration ENCOURAGE one another Be of one mind Live in peace And the God of LOVE and peace Will be with you” 2 Corinthians 13:11 Yes-Paul's words ring true For each one of us too We all need FULL RESTORATION In God and Christ And the only way To FIND that full restoration Is by living with The fruits of the SPIRIT CHRIST'S own Spirit That he left behind For us to find-and live by “BUT the fruit of the SPIRIT Is love-joy-peace-forbearance- Kindness-goodness-faithfulness- Gentleness-and self-control Against such things- There is NO LAW” Galatians 5:22-23 Dear Lord-you are the God Who BELIEVES in us The God who Gives us EVERYTHING That we need HELP US to live holy lives BY LIVING in your SPIRIT And by encouraging one another In Jesus' name-we pray Robert P. Wallman 8-25-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.

THE NEED FOR GOD

THE NEED FOR GOD Contrary to the public opinion In today’s world There is a NEED FOR GOD In our lives In fact more today Than ever before More in our lives globally More in our lives nationally And more in our lives Both in our families And in our lives individually Take a look around Are you seeing The same world that I am seeing We have war in our streets We have murder We have rape We have incest And we have child abuse Our families are NOT safe Our children are NOT safe And it is NOT safe to be on the streets Of any major city in this country And we have MORE of a need for God In our lives than ever before “Do not be like them ( the pagans ) For your Father Knows what you need Before you ask him” Matthew 6:8 We have war among governments We are having complete financial breakdowns In many European countries And yet the prevailing opinion is For less God In today’s world The last time that I checked It was not God Who was responsible For many of these things It was us-but of course-WE KNOW BETTER MORE GOD-not less “Share with God’s people Who are in need Practice hospitality” Romans 12:13 MORE GOD-not less Love God with your whole heart Love your neighbor as yourself Forgive 70x7 It doesn’t sound to me Like God’s teachings Lead to murder in the streets, Rape, incest, or child abuse It’s the me first-you last-or you never attitude That exists in our world today Selfishness That is what gets us into trouble Families breaking down-losing friendships Over health, money, sex, and death “He who despises his neighbor sins But BLESSED is he Who is kind to the needy” Proverbs 20:21 MORE GOD-not less Leave the NAME OF GOD on money Leave PUBLIC PRAYER in schools Let us all PRAY to the ONE true God Whose name is LOVE “So when you give to the needy Do NOT announce it with trumpets As the hypocrites do In the synagogues And on the streets To be honored by man I tell you the truth They have received their reward in full” Matthew 6:2 More we-LESS I MORE GOD-less me We pray WITH GREAT NEED To God To my/our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ To help us To HELP THIS WORLD IN OUR TIME OF NEED “The Lord Will guide you always He will satisfy your needs In a sun-scorched land And will strengthen your frame You will be Like a well-watered garden Like a spring Whose waters NEVER FAIL” Isaiah 58:11 We pray for help To the one true God WHOSE NAME IS LOVE THE NEED FOR GOD In our lives and in our world Is greater than ever before Robert P. Wallman 8-5-12 ps misc. WITNESS 1-9-14 10-9-14 2-8-15 & 8-25-16

ONE IN THE LORD=A JOURNEY TO UNITY AND TRUTH

ONE IN THE LORD= A JOURNEY TO UNITY AND TRUTH I have a question for you- Are you a DUPLICITOUS person? I hope not Because that is NOT a good thing We are to be ONE-one With the Lord As we travel towards UNITY AND TRUTH-in the Lord Jesus In this world “He is a TRUE CHILD Of Israel There is NO duplicity In him” John 1:47 Jesus was speaking of Nathanael= One of the original apostles= And a TRUE child of God And that is what he wants us To be=TRUE CHRISTIANS= ONE with God=one with Jesus- A true child of God Duplicity implies deception And also division and separation We are to be UNIFIED One with God-and- One with each other We are ALL to leave Our duplicitous qualities behind For we are all On a journey to be ONE with God and one With each other IN UNITY AND TRUTH “How good and pleasant It is-WHEN God's people Live TOGETHER in unity” Psalm 133;1 “I have given them The GLORY-that you gave me That they may be ONE As we are one- I in them-and you in me So that they may be Brought to COMPLETE UNITY Then the world will know That you sent me And have loved them- Even as you have loved me” John 17:22-23 Which leads us to beg this question: How did we human beings- Screw this up so badly? How did we get so lost From oneness-from UNITY-from truth- From love and honesty? There are OVER 40,000 religions In this world-MOST of them Christian- And I have to say It has something to do with Our own selfishness-with our own dishonesty With God and each other-EVEN with OURSELVES We NEED to live in honesty And in truth We need to get back To BEING ONE with the Lord And one with each other On our journey to finding UNITY AND TRUTH Perhaps a little more Nathaniel in us And a little less deception and duplicity “God did this So that-two unchangeable things In which It is IMPOSSIBLE for God To lie........” Hebrews 6:18 “GUIDE ME in your truth And teach me For you are God-my SAVIOR- And my hope is in you ALL day long” Psalm 25:5 UNITY means-everything Is in its proper place And can only happen when we ARE in a right relationship With God and Jesus My FRIEND=Jesus WON the battle In life=of unity and truth- And EVERY selfish impulse Let us FOLLOW HIM-Nathanael-and The other apostles on our journey to being: ONE WITH THE LORD Robert P. Wallman 8-23-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAZAZINE by Mary Marrocco

CHANGED INTO LOVE LIKE HIM

CHANGED INTO LOVE LIKE HIM I don't know about you BUT I started out Living in the flesh DRIVEN by the goals that The world and Madison Avenue Tell us that we should have Over time and through setbacks in life I have been CHANGED To be CLOSER to God and Christ And well I know perfection Is IMPOSSIBLE I have been changed into witnessing For God and Christ ENCOURAGED by God Encouraged by Christ-every step Of the way And I am NOT looking backward I don't miss Living in the material world Not one bit “MAY our Lord Jesus Christ- Himself- And God our Father Who has loved us And given us Lasting encouragement and GOOD HOPE Through his grace ENCOURAGE your hearts And strengthen them In every good deed And word” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 No-I am going to KEEP Moving forward until I am CHANGED Into love itself-or at least As CLOSE I can be SURROUND yourself with Christ- The tools of Christ-MASS-and other CHRISTIAN services-and Of course-THE BIBLE I want to be changed- Into love like him- I HOPE you do too BE and EXAMPLE of Christ- And a model for others in today's world “I have set you an EXAMPLE That you should do As I have done for you Very truly I tell you NO SERVANT is greater Than his master Nor is a messenger Greater than the one Who sent him NOW that you know these things You will be BLESSED If you do them” John 13:15-17 Dear Lord-Dear Jesus SURROUND us with your love INFILTRATE our hearts with love Change us into love Just like you-as we SURROUND ourselves With godly people And immerse ourselves in your book THE HOLY BIBLE “I am using an example From everyday life Because of your human limitations Just as you used To offer yourselves As slaves to impurity And to ever-increasing wickedness So now offer as slaves To righteousness leading to holiness” Romans 6:19 Dear Lord We TURN away From this materialistic life From this life of hedonistic lifestyles To be with you To be GRATIFIED by your love Dear Lord we HOPE & PRAY That we are changed By this prayer time to you By receiving you dear Lord In the Eucharist And by RECONCILIATION to you And to others We HOPE-just like you- That we show joy and happiness In life By living in LOVING KINDNESS To others- In both deeds and words We hope-to be CHANGED INTO LOVE Just like you And though flawed WE ask that you bring us As close to PERFECT LOVE As humanly possible In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-22-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Amy Welborn

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

PRAYING FOR OTHERS BELIEVE it or not- I think PRAYER IS the strongest weapon We have In this world WHEN you say-”I'll pray for you” Do you mean it? Do you do it? It is IMPORTANT That we are TRUE to our word To God-and to to others And when people tell me: “I will pray for you,” I believe that they will do it PRAYER is nothing less Nor anything more Than having positive thoughts For someone And LIFTING THEM UP to God and Jesus It is the opening up of our heart-mind- And soul=IN LOVE=for others “WE always pray for you........” 2 Thessalonians 1:11 And WE need prayer I need prayer You need prayer SOMETIMES it makes ALL the difference Just to know That someone else CARES for us When we face That IMPOSSIBLE health diagnosis When our finances Are falling apart And/or OUR marriage or Family relationships are breaking apart Maybe like me=you sustained ALL of this At the same time And it was ONLY THROUGH The thoughts and prayers of others To GOD-that you made it through PRAYING FOR OTHERS “Therefore Let all the faithful Pray to you While you may be found Surely the rising Of the mighty waters Will NOT reach them” Psalm 32:6 “Then people BROUGHT little children to Jesus For him To PLACE his hands on them And PRAY for them........” Matthew 19:13 PRAY ALWAYS Pray for others Pray unceasingly This is what Jesus did And that is what We should do “Rejoice always-PRAY CONTINUALLY Give thanks in all circumstances For this is GOD'S WILL for you In Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 It must have been VERY DIFFICULT To be a CHRISTIAN some 2,000 years ago When Jesus-then Peter & Paul And the other disciples Were trying to BUILD the church Yet it is COMFORTING to know That they PRAYED for one another And I think it is comforting To KNOW that God and Jesus STILL want what is BEST for us And the world even today As we pray for one another EVERY NIGHT before I go to bed I write down TWICE who I AM praying for tomorrow I also write down-2x-that I am PRAYING for all families-churches- And the ENTIRE WORLD I wish you a BLESSED day today And a blessed week IF it is any comfort- PLEASE KNOW- “I'll pray for you” And all others And I hope you will have A KIND THOUGHT Or prayer for me too LOVE-HUGS-and PRAYERS For you........ In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-21-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Judy Schueneman

KINDNESS IS THE WAY OF GOD

KINDNESS IS THE WAY OF GOD BEING KIND is a virtue And it is the WAY of God And of Jesus Christ It should also BE the way of you and me Because we are to be IMITATORS OF CHRIST “For steadfast is his kindness toward us........” Psalm 117:2 “The king asked, 'Is there No one still alive From the house of Saul To whom I can show GOD'S KINDNESS?'” 2 Samuel 9:3 “Bur when the KINDNESS And LOVE of God our Savior appeared He SAVED US NOT because of righteous things We had done But because Of his MERCY” Titus 3:4-5 KINDNESS is the way Of God It should be our way too HOLD a door for a stranger Take a sick neighbor to the Doctor's SEND someone a get well card Kindness is the way of God It should be our way It is indeed a virtue And it is also ONE of the FRUITS Of the SPIRIT So if we are LIVING In the SPIRIT It should come NATURAL To us “But the FRUIT of the SPIRIT Is love-joy-peace-forbearance- KINDNESS-goodness-faithfulness- Gentleness-and self-control Against such things There is no law” Galatians 5:22-23 And Saint Vincent DePaul Once said, “The surest way to be a Saint Is to be kind-be kind- And BE KIND” I don't know about that But I do know It is the WAY OF GOD It is the way Of the divine The way of GOD'S DIVINE LOVE “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 I thank God SO MUCH For the LIFE he has given me For the upteen times he has KEPT Me alive and RESCUED me I thank God for ALL the family- And friends=God has put in my life And all the little things (and big) That they do for me It is TRUE that There is NO SUBSTITUTE For kindness And that kindness is a virtue Thank You Lord FOR BEING SO KIND And I thank you and LOVE YOU With my whole heart-my whole soul- And whole mind I will do my BEST- To be KIND TO OTHERS In Jesus' name=forever and even amen (for KINDNESS is the way of God) Robert P. Wallman 8-20-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

FORGIVE YOURSELF PLEASE-THEN LOVE........

FORGIVE YOURSELF PLEASE- THEN LOVE........ We ALL KNOW what the First two commandments are: “Jesus repeated, 'LOVE the Lord your God With all your heart And with all your soul And all your mind' This is the first And greatest commandment And the second Is like it: 'Love your neighbor As yourself' ALL the law and the prophets HANG on these commandments” Matthew 22:37-40 (also in Mark 12:32-33) But WHY do we all Have such DIFFICULTY in doing this? I suggest to you That PART of the problem Is because we have such difficulty In LOVING & FORGIVING ourselves For whatever reason (REAL or imagined) And before we can Love and forgive anyone else We need to be KIND To ourselves FORGIVE YOURSELF PLEASE And love yourself For GOD loves and forgives you THEN you can love and forgive Everyone else “For the sake Of your name-LORD- FORGIVE my iniquity Thought it is great” Psalm 25:11 “But with you There is FORGIVENESS So that we can With REVERENCE serve you” Psalm 130:4 “THEN Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven' The other guests began To say among themselves, 'WHO is this Who even forgives sins?' Jesus said to the woman, 'YOUR FAITH has saved you GO IN PEACE'” Luke 7:48-50 And our faith Has saved us-let all of us CHRISTIANS- Leave the guilt behind Let us move forward- In confidence and in FAITH First forgiving ourselves- And loving ourselves Then forgiving and loving EVERYONE else For that is What Christians do I am NOT saying You should not confess your sins Or you should not apologize But be a little bit KIND To yourself first We are not perfect We are not God We were NEVER meant to be “MAY your unfailing love Come to me-Lord Your salvation ACCORDING to your promise” Psalm 119:41 MOST of you Who know me already KNOWS this story My mom always TAUGHT me “LOVE draws a circle And pulls people in And hate draws a circle And pushes people out” Dear friends=let us PULL each other into each other's circle Let us forgive ourselves for our past And let us move FORWARD LOVING And FORGIVING each other RIGHT AFTER loving God Dear Lord Jesus=LET IT BE Robert P. Wallman 8-19-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Aileen O'Donoghue

LET GOD TAKE THE LEAD

LET GOD TAKE THE LEAD Have you ever come To the end one the one year- And the beginning of a new? Or decided you are Going to be a NEW AND IMPROVED Version of yourself In some area of your life It isn't easy to see it through It isn't easy to be an all new and improved Version of ourself That's WHEN we need God To help us-and LEAD the way And he won't let us down Let God TAKE THE LEAD In your life and follow closely “I will sprinkle CLEAN WATER Upon you to cleanse you........ And PLACE a new spirit within you Taking from your bodies Your stony hearts And giving you NATURAL HEARTS” Ezekiel 36:25-26 “CREATE in me a PURE heart- O God And RENEW a steadfast spirit Within me” Psalm 51:10 When I was younger and healthier And could play sports I always tried to improve These days I cannot do that But I try EVERY DAY To renew my spirit=to get CLOSER To God To try and be the best person That I can be But I have to tell you I CANNOT do it alone I let God=I let Jesus= TAKE the lead-and I follow As close as humanly possible (at least I try to) Why not Let God take the lead In your life too? Let him CARRY THE BURDENS Of your life “EVEN to your old age And gray hairs I am he I am he Who will SUSTAIN YOU I have made you I will carry you I will sustain you And I will RESCUE YOU” Isaiah 46:4 “CARRY each others burdens And in this way You will FULFILL the law of Christ” Galatians 6:2 YES let God take the lead- HELP HIM help others Carry their burdens If you are strong And instead of trying to FIX yourself up Maybe it is a good time To let God fix you too To let God and Jesus FIX your defective parts For I know=as much as I/we don't want to admit it We ALL have them Let us go in For an EXTREME MAKEOVER by God And let him fix us up I know with me He will have his hands full How about with you? Let us LET GOD TAKE THE LEAD Dear Lord=transform me-transform us Into whatever you want us to be “Do NOT conform To the pattern of this world But 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 I think REAL CHANGE REQUIRES total effort and TOTAL SURRENDER To God We acknowledge We can't improve TOTALLY On our own That it takes you Dear God And Jesus our Lord TAKING THE LEAD Robert P. Wallman 8-18-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Karla Manternach

LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS FAIR

LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS FAIR Life isn't always fair SOMETIMES we get the short end Of the stick And sometimes we get the LONG END Take the parable in Matthew chapter 20 The LAND OWNER hires various workers- At 9am-noon-3pm-and 5pm for example And he pays them all The SAME AMOUNT At closing time To some-this is UNFAIR And they complain to the land owner Jesus' response: “BUT he answered them, 'I am NOT being unfair To you-friend Didn't you agree To work for a denarius? Take your pay and go I want to give the one Who was hired last The same as I gave you Don't I have a right To do what I want With my own money? Or are you envious Because I am generous?” Matthew 20:13-14 God-Jesus-PROVES once again That HIS way and man's ways Are NOT the same Jesus is the GREAT EQUALIZER God is fair-Jesus is FAIR To all It makes no difference- As to WHEN we come to God As long as we DO COME The GOOD SHEPHERD lays down His life NOT so with the hired hand Only God-only OUR Jesus- Has the great GENEROSITY to give Us life for life- And LOVE FOR LOVE and more “I am the GOOD shepherd I KNOW my sheep And my sheep know me -Just as the Father knows me And I know the Father And I lay down my life For my sheep” John 10:14-15 Life isn't always fair We can RUN into bad shepherds Or a bad hired hand ANYONE can be bad: A priest-a parent-a doctor-or Even a friend But our God-our Jesus-IS ALWAYS FAIR We always get MORE than our fair share With the Lord-we always get- Our fair equity Just keep in mind that God's ways Jesus' ways-are NOT our ways As the above example shows Nevertheless-God meets us individually And gives us even more- Than we can ever HOPE to get From someone else LIFE ISN'T FAIR But God is And his ways are more than GENEROUS With us “SHOW us your ways-Lord- Teach me your paths” Psalm 25:4 “For your ways Are in FULL VIEW Of the Lord And he examines ALL your paths” Proverbs 5:21 Our God-our Jesus Is the GOOD SHEPHERD He is WORTH all of our trust Because he walks with us And is ALWAYS FAIR with us He enters the valley Of the shadow of death with us And our Jesus-is ALWAYS MERCIFUL Life isn't always fair But our God and Jesus sure are They are ALWAYS more than GENEROUS WITH US Robert P. Wallman 8-17-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Eva Tushnet

WHAT WE WANT=WHAT WE NEED

WHAT WE WANT=WHAT WE NEED I have found out in life That God has NOT always Given me what I prayed for Or even what I thought I needed I have FOUND that through others- FAMILY AND FRIENDS-sometimes someone- I hardly know That God has always PROVIDED for me Has given me What I NEEDED To sustain me in life He has GIVEN me What I needed and I am sure He will do The same for you “Jesus said to his disciples, 'Amen-I say to you It will be hard for one Who is rich To enter The KINGDOM of heaven'” Matthew 19:23 What would you Rather have? Be rich in this world- Or live ETERNALLY in heaven With God and Jesus Of course-there is NO GUARANTEE At this point-that I will Live in eternity with God Nevertheless-I made my decision A long time ago I wanted a wife and a family I wanted a successful career NONE of which-I have-in this life Yet I am-I have found myself- CONTENT to live WITHIN the circle OF GOD'S LOVE What I wanted-ISN'T- What I need- And I have found God has ALWAYS PROVIDED What I need Abraham was tested=he was Asked to SACRIFICE his only son Isaac “Abraham answered, 'God himself WILL PROVIDE the lamb For the burnt offering, My son' And the two of them Went on together” Genesis 22:8 “So Abraham Called the place The Lord Will Provide And to this day-it is said- 'On the mountain Of the Lord It will be provided'” Genesis 22:14 Most of us in life At some point Think that material wealth Is the KEY to happiness NOT SO-I have found- And the Lord himself tells us- Over and over- That material welfare=and a life With the Lord in heaven Are mutually exclusive “Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'TRULY I tell you It is hard For someone who is rich To enter the kingdom of heaven Again I tell you It is easier for a camel To go through the eye Of a needle Than for someone Who is rich To enter the kingdom of God'” Matthew 19:23-24 Dear friends-like many of you- I started out with the AMERICAN DREAM Health problems and issues Made this impossible for me What I found was-that THE LOVE OF GOD- The love of family and friends- And the KINDNESSES of this world Has made ALL the difference What we want-isn't- Always what we need Like Abraham- THE LORD WILL PROVIDE Robert P. Wallman 8-16-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Claire J. King

THE DIVINE IS IN MARY=THE DIVINE IS IN US TOO!

THE DIVINE IS IN MARY= THE DIVINE IS IN US TOO Today is the feast Of the ASSUMPTION Once again We RECOGNIZE the blood of Mary And the flesh of Mary That was TRANSFERRED to her SON- Jesus Christ The ONE PERSON in this world- Humanly speaking-for being accountable Who Jesus was- And what he was to BECOME We recognize Mary And we recognize the God-man Jesus Who was 100 per cent DIVINE “........She entered the house of Zechariah And greeted Elizabeth........” Luke 1:40 In Luke's Gospel, “Mary said: 'My song MAGNIFIES the Lord And my spirit rejoices in God- My SAVIOR For he has been mindful Of the HUMBLE state Of his servant From now on ALL generations Will call me BLESSED ….....” Luke 1: 46-48 We recognize that as Jesus' MOTHER The DIVINE was in MARY And we being Jesus' adopted Brothers and sisters- And adopted sons and daughters of God ARE DIVINE There is a trace of DIVINITY In all of us- For LIFE is SACRED isn't it- And it is TIME we begin To treat each other-as such “For since The creation of the world God's invisible qualities- His eternal power and DIVINE nature- Has been clearly seen Being understood From what has been made So that people Are WITHOUT EXCUSE” Romans 1:20 “The weapons we fight with Are NOT- The weapons of the world On the contrary They have DIVINE POWER To demolish strongholds We demolish arguments To every pretension That sets itself up Against the knowledge of God And we take CAPTIVE Every thought To make it obedient to Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NO- the weapons we fight with ARE God's own weapons: Love-forgiveness-KINDNESS- Weapons that cannot be destroyed Or demolished Weapons of God-weapons of Jesus- That last FOREVER and EVER No- the DIVINE is in Mary The divine is in us too We are LIVING MASTERPIECES Of our God and our Jesus- And in addition to being Jesus' own Mother Mary is our adopted mother too Wanting what is BEST for us What if we treated each person In this world-with the awareness That they are DIVINE CREATURES Of God? What if others Treated us this same way too? What would our world look like- If at every moment We RECOGNIZED all people Are DIVINE AND SACRED And are RELATIVES of God And our Lord Jesus? God and Jesus are 100% DIVINE Let us truly recognize That the DIVINE is in Mary too And that the DIVINE Is in all of us too IF we did What a WONDERFUL WORLD This could be Robert P. Wallman August 15th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Chris Koelllhoffer, I.H.M.

UNITY AND DIVISION

UNITY AND DIVISION How often does SCRIPTURE Tell us That God is-that JESUS IS The way to peace The WAY TO UNITY Yet today Jesus tells us that FOLLOWING him Will lead us to division To division in our families To DIVISION in our country And to division in our world “I have come to set The earth on FIRE........” Luke 12:49 Why is that? People don't believe In him People don't believe in God There are TWO ways Of doing things in life GOD'S WAY and the earthly worldly way People don't want to believe in God So this leads to DIVISION Between us INVITE Jesus into your heart Do it GOD'S WAY Do it in the way of PEACE And we will-or we SILL CAN Become ONE in this world Don't use violence Don't do it the earthly way God's way-Jesus' way- Is to LIVE IN PEACE “Love and faithfulness MEET together Righteousness and peace KISS each other” Psalm 85:10 “Deceit is In the hearts Of those who plot evil But those who PROMOTE PEACE Have JOY” Proverbs 12:20 SOMEDAY this whole world Will come to God-WILL come to Jesus And the family unit-will LIVE AS ONE This country will live as one This world will live as ONE ONE IN LOVE We can still have diversity- But we JUST need to love And RESPECT each others' differences We can be one INVITE Jesus into your hearts “My PRAYER Is not for them alone I pray also For those who will BELIEVE in me Through their message That ALL of them May be one-Father- Just as you are in me And I am in you” John 17:20-21 …..... “I have given them The GLORY that you gave me That they may be one- As WE are ONE - I in them-and you and me- So that they MAY be brought TO COMPLETE UNITY” John 17:22-23 …..... Jesus' peace Is NOT a peace without conflict It is A PEACE In spite of conflict For Jesus' ways-GOD'S WAYS Are not the ways Of this world My friends- We LIVE in a world of division GOD'S WAYS-Jesus' ways of peace- Love-forgiveness-and kindness Are NOT the ways of the world Of materialism-sexual perversity-addictions-violence, etc., But someday the WHOLE WORLD Will live in peace WHEN we learn to ACCEPT God's way So take a MOMENT And INVITE God and Jesus into your heart The PRINCE OF PEACE is what this LIFE Is all about You will NOT be spared conflict In life-but when you FIND GOD- When you find Jesus- You will find peace- and you will KNOW the ETERNAL JOY-that only God can give In Jesus' name-amen Robert P. Wallman 8-14-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti

LOVE=A DREAM WORTH LIVING

JOURNAL-LOVE-THE ONLY DREAM WORTH LIVING “The Lord is my SHEPHERD; I shall not want IN VERDANT PASTURES-he gives me repose Beside RESTFUL WATERS he leads me He REFRESHES my SOUL” Psalm 23:1-3 I have ALWAYS LOVED the 23rd psalm-WHERE do you FIND the VERDANT PASTURES in your life-or the RESTFUL WATERS FOR me-it is in my home-in my bedroom at rest-or WHEN I FIND the time to write new poetry-while looking at the lake outside of my apartment-or WHEN at the OCEAN-wherever it is for you-I am sure that it is a place that BRINGS you peace-and I AM SURE that it is a place that reminds you of HOW MUCH LOVE God has for you-as it does me it is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us and a great day to RECOGNIZE the green pastures and fresh waters-and SPEND TIME with God there today LOVE-A DREAM WORTH LIVING “IF I have ALL FAITH So as to move mountains But I do not have love I AM NOTHING” 1 Corinthians 13:2 WHEN I was younger In my late teens In my early 20's I had a PLAN A And Plan A Was to meet someone Settle down Have a family and a career And LIVE HAPPILY ever after And I am SURE There are those of you That had that same dream As I It's funny HOW things work out MY WHOLE LIFE Changed on my 22nd birthday With an operation AND GOD Brought me back to him And maybe GOD HAS BROUGHT YOU Back to him In some other way I HOPE SO For there are many of us Out there Who have lost track Of themselves And their dreams Of CHANGING the world By living the wrong dream And they can't FIND THEIR WAY Back to God Love is THE ONLY DREAM Worth living “LOVE is patient Love is kind It does not envy It does not boast It is not proud It is not rude It is not self seeking It is NOT easily angered It KEEPS no record Of wrongs LOVE does not delight In evil But REJOICES With the truth IT ALWAYS PROTECTS Always trusts Always hopes Always perseveres LOVE NEVER FAILS” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 As we Go about our journey In life We forget That love THE GIVING AND RECEIVING Of love IS the only dream Worth living NO OTHER Kind of investment Of our time and treasure WILL BRING us peace The funny thing About love Is that The more we give THE MORE we have to give GOD-YOU ARE LOVE YOU ARE my very life You are the ONLY DREAM Worth Living Robert P. Wallman 9-17-14 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Steve Givens 11-12-14 & 8-14-16

THE HEART OF A CHILD

THE HEART OF A CHILD God tells us Jesus tells us To get to heaven We NEED the heart of a child What could be better Than to love God-LOVE Jesus Than to LOVE THEM with the open And innocent TRUST of a child Not questioning him-just loving him With ALL of our might “LET the children come to me And do not prevent them For the KINGDOM of heaven BELONGS to such as these” Matthew 19:14 Kids believe us adults Kids TRUST us-they love us OPENLY AND INNOCENTLY They hang on to OUR every word I will BET they were The SAME WAY with Jesus-and- Who is a better role model FOR OUR CHILDREN Than him We too-in today's world ARE to lead lives of example Lives of LOVE-to be the role models For our kids today It is NOT up to the athletes It is not up to the entertainers- So many of them live lives Of questionable moral values It is up to the parents- The aunts and uncle-the neighbors To live lives That our kids want to EMULATE Live life in honesty-truth-and in LOVE LIVE with the openness and the acceptance The way children do DON'T be questionable and doubting To the teachings of Jesus The way the sadducees and PHARISEES were Live with THE HEART OF A CHILD “He called a little child To him And placed the child among them And he said: 'TRULY-I tell you- Unless you change And become like LITTLE CHILDREN You will never Enter the kingdom of heaven Therefore- Whoever takes the lowly position Of this child Is the GREATEST In the kingdom of heaven And whoever WELCOMES- One little child In my name-welcomes me'” Matthew 18:2-5 A far cry From the ACTUAL way We treat our children-in this world A far cry From the actual way Most people regard Jesus' teachings In this world-ALWAYS questioning We need to FIND Our child-like selves DEEP within ourselves We need to be open-ACCEPTING- And trusting of Jesus' teachings And we need to accept them For what they are Not twisting them-to be What we want them to be “At that time-Jesus- FULL of joy-through the Holy Spirit-said, 'I praise you-FATHER-Lord of Heaven And earth=because you Have HIDDEN these things From the wise and learned And revealed them To little children Yes Father-for this is What you were PLEASED to do'” Luke 10:21 YES-dear Lord-we PRAY- We SHED every ounce of PRETENSE Within ourselves And we pray That we LIVE with the openness- The honesty- and the HUMILITY Of a child We pray that we live with THE HEART OF A CHILD Dear Lord-let it be Robert P. Wallman 8-12-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Paul Pennick

IT IS CHALLENGING TO FEEL FOR OTHERS=MERCY

IT IS CHALLENGING TO FEEL FOR OTHERS=MERCY It is a tough world Out there And it is very EASY To sit in JUDGMENT of others When they make mistakes Or fail in some area Of their lives Yet when we make mistakes We have reasons WHY And we beg for MERCY God has INFINITE mercy and love For us-and he CONTINUOUSLY encourages us To keep getting back up When we fall And ATTEMPT to rise again “Should you not have pity On your fellow servant As I had pity on you?” Matthew 18:33 It is CHALLENGING for us To have that same pity and LOVE For others But wouldn't it be a WONDERFUL WORLD If we all did And wouldn't it be a wonderful world IF others had That same MERCY-encouragement and love For us “Remember Lord Your great mercy and love For they Are from of old” Psalm 25:6 “This is What the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice Show MERCY AND COMPASSION To one another'” Zechariah 7:9 What a wonderful world This could be If we truly did that IF we truly got the large log Out of our own eyes And didn't judge one another Chapter 18 of Saint Matthew Tells a fantastic parable “Therefore The kingdom of heaven Is like a king Who wanted to settle accounts Withe his servants” Matthew 18:23 The master forgives The servant when he begs “At this the servant FELL on his knees before him 'BE PATIENT with me,' he begs And I will pay back everything The servant's master Took pity on him Canceled the debt-and let him go” Matthew 18:26-27 Then this same servant TURNED around and demanded EVERY LAST CENT From his fellow servant WHERE is the mercy That his master showed to him? Where is our MERCY- For our fellow Brothers and sisters in Christ? “Finally-brothers and sisters-REJOICE Strive for the restoration- ENCOURAGE one another BE of one mind Live in peace And the GOD of love and peace Will be with you” 2 Corinthians 13:11 It is CHALLENGING to have that SAME MERCY and LOVE for others That God has for us But the MORE mercy and forgiveness We show others The CLOSER We come to God And the closer we come To the person He KNOWS that we can become Dear Lord-please HELP me/us to SHOW That same MERCY AND COMPASSION To my brothers and sisters That you show to me/us In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-11-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Melanie Rigney

CHANGE=THE PROCESS OF LETTING GO AND MOVING ON

CHANGE=THE PROCESS OF LETTING GO- AND MOVING ON LIFE is nothing-if not- But of CHANGE- And it is painful But we can get THROUGH it- Because of the ONE CONSTANT In our lives God LOVES YOU and me- And that never changes-no matter what stage Of life that we are in- IN our lives “Amen-amen-I say to you UNLESS a grain FALLS to the ground And dies-it REMAINS just a grain Of wheat But if it dies- It PRODUCES much fruit” John 12:24 I am NOT talking About the/a literal death here NOT even ours I AM talking about The various STAGES of our life And CHANGES we go through And the pain We must DIE to ourselves At each stage And move on No matter how much pain is involved We leave our LOST fruit behind And move on to the NEW stage Of our life-to PRODUCE New fruit But GOD'S LOVE accompanies us And MOVES ON to the new stage Of our life with us “Then he said to them all WHOEVER wants to be my disciples Must DENY themselves And take up their cross daily And FOLLOW ME” Luke 9:23 “We are HARD PRESSED On every side But not crushed Perplexed-but not in despair Persecuted-but not abandoned STRUCK DOWN-but not destroyed We ALWAYS carry around In our body-the death of Jesus So that the LIFE of Jesus May also be REVEALED In our body” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 LET GO-and move on Even though change is painful It is something We must continuously do To reveal God and Jesus' love to others To produce NEW FRUIT For others and in others We are born-we are children- We move on to adolescence-young adulthood- Middle age-old age-and we die And we die to EACH STAGE And from each broken relationship To produce new fruit In others And no matter how painful We do it-and we do it In life and with gratitude for the old And MOVE ON to the new CHANGE is nothing we can't handle WHEN the life and love of Jesus Is INSTILLED in our hearts “If you really CHANGE Your ways and your actions And deal with each other JUSTLY If you-do not oppress The foreigner-the fatherless And the widow And do not shed innocent blood In this place And if you do NOT FOLLOW Other gods to your own harm........” Jeremiah 7:5-6 “I-the LORD-do not change- So you-the descendant's of Jacob Are not destroyed” Malachi 3:6 And we-the descendants- Of God and Christ-must simply MOVE ON in LIFE and LOVE FOLLOWING Christ our leader And his ways of love-forgiveness- And KINDNESS We must LET GO-and MOVE ON To the deeper experiences Of our life UNLESS the grain of wheat FALLS- And dies-and we move on We won't produce new fruit LET GO-MOVE ON-my brothers and sisters And may you PRODUCE much fruit WHEREVER your life takes you In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman---8-10-16 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Fr. Kenneth Grabner, C.S.C.

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY

THE CENTRAL PART OF OUR LIFE

THE CENTRAL PART OF OUR LIFE While my family-first my parents- WERE always the central part O f my life-and NOW my sisters On an even DEEPER LEVEL-it is GOD- ALWAYS has been-currently IS-and Probably always will be God is the deepest part-MOST CENTRAL part Of my life It is-WHO I am-and who- And WHAT I live for LOVE OF GOD-and others-forgiveness- And kindness It IS who I am It is who I STRIVE to be And it really is who we Should all be At our DEEPEST-most central part Of our souls “........Unless We turn and become Like children.........” Matthew 18:3 We should be INNOCENT like children At our deepest level too Innocent and TRUSTFUL Like children For these are the PEOPLE Jesus is going to take with him To heaven “At that time Jesus said, 'I PRAISE you Father Lord of heaven and earth Because you have hidden these things From the wise and learned And REVEALED them To little children Yes Father For this is What you were pleased to do” Matthew 11:25-26 Yes-how PLEASED we should be With ourselves and our brothers and sisters WHEN we love God and Jesus Like the little children AT HEART That we have the capacity to be We NEED to look at God and Jesus As number 1 in our lives-just like a child LOOKS to his mother and father He will NURTURE and take care of us IF we keep God and Jesus as no. 1 In our lives-along with our FAMILY ONE more thing we need to do In addition to making God no. 1 In our lives Is to make EACH AND EVERY PERSON We are with-feel special Make them FEEL LOVED like they Are the MOST IMPORTANT PERSON In this world They are to God-and they should be To us-WHEN we are with them “If you show SPECIAL ATTENTION To the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' But say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or 'SIT on the floor By my feet' Have you not discriminated Among yourselves And become judges with evil thoughts?” James 2:3-4 No-EVERY PERSON is equally important In the eyes of God-and us- Or at least should be LOVE OR GOD-and love of OTHERS ARE the most CENTRAL parts of my life And LOVE for every other person In this world I HOPE AND PRAY You feel this way too GOD is God And he can LOVE us- ALL of us-one-on one- At all times Just like we should TRY And do too Let them KNOW that they are LOVED In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-8-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Jennifer Christ

KEEPING THE PEACE IN LIFE

KEEPING THE PEACE IN LIFE We LIVE in a world Where everyone gets OFFENDED So easily We live in a world Where everyone wants you To be politically correct EVERYONE is so so SENSITIVE But Jesus tells us Go with the tide KEEP THE PEACE Don't offend others “But that we may NOT offend them ….....” Matthew 17:27 We live in a violent world Where everyone is TAKING EXCEPTION To someone over something KEEP the peace WHEN YOU CAN In chapter 17 of Saint Matthew's gospel After Jesus establishes That they don't need To pay the temple tax He tells his disciples to PAY it anyway “Then the children are exempt,' Jesus said to Peter 'But so that we may NOT cause offense Go to the lake And throw out your line Take the first fish you catch Open its mouth And you will find a four-drachma coin Take it and give it to them For my tax and yours'” Matthew 17:26-27 What a WONDERFUL world This would be-IF- More people expressed Jesus' attitude And wanted to LIVE IN PEACE Maybe the evening news headlines Wouldn't always be about mass shootings- Murders-robberies-child abuse- Lying-stealing-etc., etc., etc. Live with righteousness KEEP the peace in life “Turn from evil-and DO GOOD Seek PEACE-and pursue it” Psalm 34:14 “A heart at peace Gives life To the body But envy-rots the bones” Proverbs 14:30 “I have told you These things-so that in me- You may have PEACE In this world You will have trouble But take HEART I have OVERCOME the world” John 16:33 Keeping the peace Just as Jesus said- And I BELIEVE You will have a long and happy life I know I have DESPITE the deck being stacked Against me Jesus teaches us NOT to seek conflict unnecessarily “But I tell you Do not resist an evil person If anyone slaps you On the right cheek- TURN to them the other cheek also And if anyone wants to sue you- And take your shirt HAND OVER your coat as well IF anyone forces you To go one mile- GO with them two miles GIVE to the one who asks you And do NOT turn away From the one Who wants to borrow from you” Matthew 5:39-42 I am NOT telling you To be anyone's patsy BUT I am telling you- Whenever you can-to KEEP THE PEACE IN LIFE And you will have a long and a happy life Robert P. Wallman 8-8-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Phil Fox Rose

WAITING ON THE LORD

WAITING ON THE LORD EVERY DAY we petition the Lord In prayer PRAYERS for our health Prayers for our finances Prayers for our broken relationships To be RESTORED BUT we must WAIT on the Lord for our answers For even though-we might like to think so OUR LIVES are not in our own control Perhaps the words of psalm 33 HELP US to reflect on whom And what we are WAITING for “Our soul waits for the Lord Who is our help And our SHIELD” Psalm 33:20 Our lives are NOTHING If not lives of waiting Waiting at the Doctor's office Waiting in the bank line Waiting at the supermarket- And waiting for people and things Just about everywhere-we go- JUST WAITING But it behooves us To LIVE our lives patiently To wait on the Lord For the answers To our prayers “WAIT for the Lord Be strong and take heart And wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:14 “Yet the Lord LONGS to be gracious to you Therefore he will rise up- To show you compassion For the Lord Is a God of justice BLESSED are all Who wait for him” Isaiah 30:18 “It teaches us to say 'NO' To ungodliness and worldly passions And to live self-controlled -upright- And godly lives In this present age While we wait for the BLESSED HOPE -The appearing- Of the GLORY of our great God And savior Jesus Christ........” Titus 2:12-13 WAITING for the Lord For answers Waiting on the Lord For who or what we ought To put into our lives MAYBE we should make a list Of what we are WAITING FOR In our lives And SEPARATE it in to two columns What we absolutely-NEED And what we absolutely want GOD knows the difference of this Probably better than we do And then sit back And wait with PATIENCE For the answers- from our Lord WAITING on the Lord-in patience For the ANSWERS to our life's questions “A person's WISDOM Yields patience It is one's glory To overlook an offense” Proverbs 19:11 “Brothers and sisters As an example of PATIENCE In the face of suffering Take the prophets Who spoke in the name Of the Lord” James 5:10 Dear Lord-SO MUCH of our lives Are SPENT in waiting We HUMBLY and PATIENTLY WAIT for you-for the answers-to the questions Of the WHO'S and WHAT'S of our life In Jesus' name we pray Robert P. Wallman August 6th, 2016 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Chris Koellhoffer, I.H>M>

NOT WHAT THEY SEEM

NOT WHAT THEY SEEM I have found that in-LIFE That while great- FIRST impressions of people And of situations Are different-than the way They often turn out Things-people Are NOT always what they seem In life-we FIND OUT- That the frog-sometimes turns out To be a PRINCE That Cinderella-the maid TURNS out to be the Beautiful princess Or the woman stops to HELP A young man hit by a car ONLY to find out That the young man is her son Or the ER DOCTOR Stays for one last emergency patient Only to find out That it is his LONG LOST BROTHER People-situations- Are NOT always what they Seem to be- Things are not what they seem “While Jesus was praying His face CHANGED in appearance And his clothing became dazzling white” Luke 9:29 This theme that things are not ALWAYS What they seem-is one of The major themes of the BIBLE also David-the little shepherd boy- Turns out to be KING The apostles-the fishermen-tax collectors- And dregs of the earth-TURN OUT- To be MESSENGERS OF GOD Mary-the peasant girl of Nazareth- TURNS OUT to be the Mother of God And Jesus-a PREACHER of God- From Galilee-turns out To be THE SON OF GOD His home town didn't even Recognize him DO WE? Do we recognize that Jesus- The Son of God-the FATHER-is really God DWELLING in our hearts? People and situations Are often-NOT what they SEEM to be “There he was TRANSFORMED before him His face-shone like the sun And his clothes Became as white As the light Just then-there appeared BEFORE them- Moses and Elijah-talking with Jesus” Matthew 17:2-3 There it is-PROOF that Jesus- IS a special link to God-and LINK to the old testament And what about us- We are not what we seem either We ARE the brothers and sisters of Christ And the ADOPTED CHILDREN of God We are Not what we seem either WE ARE SPECIAL-in the eyes of God “But our citizenship is in heaven And we eagerly await a SAVIOR from there- The Lord Jesus Christ Who by the POWER That enables him-to bring everything Under his control WILL TRANSFORM our lowly bodies So that they will be Like his GLORIOUS BODY” Philippians 3:20-21 There you have it- MANY things in this life Are not WHAT THEY SEEM Including us We too are great transfigurations Just like Jesus And God too-is OUR FATHER Just as Jesus is our brother We are INHERITORS of the kingdom Dear Lord Jesus-Dear God- HELP US to reconcile And APPRECIATE OTHERS In the TRANSFIGURATIONS of their lives In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-5-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Melannie Svoboda ,S.N.D.

THE WAY OF GOD=IS MERCY

THE WAY OF GOD=IS MERCY We PRAY every day We pray for our health We pray for our finances And we pray for our broken relationships We pray for our FAMILY We pray for our country And we pray for our world- To find peace On a more menial level We EVEN PRAY for our team To win- Or that we hit the lottery But the question begs: What kind of God Do we worship? Is God Really on our side? ONE thing that I KNOW Is that God LOVES US infinitely And that he wants what is GOOD For us He is the God of LOVE The God of forgiveness-and the- GOD OF KINDNESS MOST of all He is the GOD OF MERCY And he is the God of OBJECTIVE TRUTH He shows no partiality “For the Lord your God Is GOD of gods And Lord of lords The great God Mighty and awesome Who shows NO PARTIALITY And accepts no bribes” Deuteronomy 10:17 “These are the sayings Of the wise To show partiality in judging Is not good” Proverbs 24:23 But BEYOND objectivity and love GOD'S WAY IS MERCY He is always forgiving He is always ready To take us back-IF- We want to come back In the story of Jonah And the Ninevites God sent Jonah To teach repentance to them But Jonah wanted out of it He didn't want them saved He wanted them to SUFFER Bot God OFFERED MERCY -Even to the oppressors Of his CHOSEN people If he offers mercy to them How much more so Will he offer mercy TO US In this-the year- Of DIVINE MERCY Just like the PRODIGAL SON He will offer us mercy And WELCOME us home “Give thanks to the Lord For he is good His MERCY ENDURES FOREVER” Psalm 136:1 “........We do not Make requests of you Because we are righteous But because Of your great mercy” Daniel 9:18 Dear Lord-dear Jesus- You are the great God of love The GREAT GOD OF MERCY HELP US to LIVE With that same mercy towards others That you give to us In your Son Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-4-16

THE HEALING PRESENCE OF OUR LORD!

THE HEALING PRESENCE OF OUR LORD Use your imagination Take yourself back To Jesus' day IMAGINE yourself To be one of the sick And the suffering ONE of those NEEDING the healing PRESENCE Of our Lord As Jesus walked through the hills And valleys and mountain sides PREACHING the good news To the crowds “He told his disciples To have a boat ready For him Because of the crowd So that they would not Crush him” Mark 3:9 Back then-AS NOW Just needing Jesus to touch you Makes ALL the difference To present HIS HEALING To you The HEALING PRESENCE Of our Lord Back then- Just needing him To touch us-or to touch him- In order-to be HEALED And today-just needing him To touch us-to touch OUR HEARTS “Gracious words Are a honeycomb SWEET to the soul And HEALING to the bones” Proverbs 16:24 “Jesus went through Galilee Teaching in their synagogues PROCLAIMING the good news Of the kingdom And HEALING every disease And illness Among the people” Matthew 4:23 ALL miracles-are NOT medical miracles Even in today's world GOD has kept me alive Some 39+ years To TESTIFY to THE HEALING PRESENCE OF OUR LORD He walked the hills and valleys Of our world Some 2000 years ago And walks with us today ALIVE in our hearts And we can experience- A true GOD-GIVEN miracle If we just believe BELIEVE in The HEALING PRESENCE of our Lord “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 “Dear friends- If our hearts Do not condemn us WE have CONFIDENCE before God And receive from him Anything we ask Because- We keep his commands And DO what PLEASES HIM” 1 John 3:21-22 Dear FRIENDS- As we seek OUR Lord out For his healing WE FEEL his eyes and heart On us They are FILLED WITH COMPASSION- And maybe not now But someday soon We will FEEL the actual healing If we just-stay in FAITH And stay in THE HEALING PRESENCE OF OUR LORD! Robert P. Wallman 1-21-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Aileen O'Donoghue 8-4-16

INSPIRE OTHERS!=TAKE A STEP OUT IN FAITH

INSPIRE OTHERS!= TAKE A STEP OUT IN FAITH TODAY we read about Peter-again- The impetuous one He takes a step out in FAITH- ONLY to experience that sinking feeling And isn't that The WAY it is with us We step out in faith- FEELING STRONG Only to EXPERIENCE-that sinking feeling The WEIGHT of the world On our shoulders And we BEGIN to sink WHERE did our faith go? “Peter got out of the boat And began to walk On the water toward Jesus But when he saw how strong The wind was He became frightened And-beginning to sink- He cried out........” Matthew 14:29-30 I KNOW how Peter felt We ALL FALL at times During life The CURRENTS are strong in life Health difficulties weigh us down Financial matters wear us out And BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS threaten To destroy us But we must RISE After we fall in life We must INSPIRE OTHERS With our FAITH Just like our Jesus INSPIRES US “We must REMEMBER Before our God and Father Your work produced by faith Your labor prompted by love And your ENDURANCE INSPIRED by hope In our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Thessalonians 1:3 SUCCESS comes from getting back up When we get knocked down And you are going to get KNOCKED DOWN- That is a fact INSPIRE OTHERS-just like Jesus Who even conquered-and got up- After death Keep getting backing up Just like Peter-just like Paul Just like Jesus Inspire others STEP OUT in faith Make a difference In this world “IMMEDIATELY-Jesus reached out- His hand and caught him, 'You of little faith,' He said, 'WHY did you doubt?'” Matthew 14:31 “Then those in the boat WORSHIPPED him, saying' 'TRULY-you are the SON of God'” Matthew 14:33 Success in life-comes from PERSISTENCE- It means getting up ONE MORE TIME Than we get knocked down That IS what Jesus did That is what you and I HAVE TO DO Keep getting back up Keep INSPIRING OTHERS- And STEPPING OUT in FAITH Jesus won- You and I will win GOD WILL WIN And THIS WORLD WILL WIN In the end Robert P. Wallman 8-2-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Aileen O'Donoghue There was once a boxer by the name of Floyd Patterson-a heavyweight champion at one time He once got knocked down eight times in one fight and WON-He was asked-what prompted you To keep getting back up HIS ANSWER: “I figured if I could get up ONE MORE TIME than he knocked me down-I could WIN” (SO IT IS with us-and our lives my friends-HAVE FAITH-we can WIN our personal battles)

BE COMPASSIONATE=FEEL THE PAIN OF OTHERS

BE COMPASSIONATE= FEEL THE PAIN OF OTHERS Jesus was nothing-if not COMPASSIONATE He HEALED- Almost everyone that asked He PRAYED for those Who were lost=including his own cousin John the Baptist He was so sorrowful In John's death That he pulled away From his followers and friends And went away to PRAY And grieve for John He was there for EVERYONE in NEED- Especially his friend Lazarus- And his sisters Martha and Mary- WHEN he brought Lazarus Back to life “When Jesus disembarked And saw the vast crowd His heart was moved With pity for them And he CURED their sick” Matthew 14:14 Jesus- With his heart BROKEN over John REACHES OUT and embraces the crowd He HEALS them He even feeds them That is why us- The FOLLOWERS of Christ In today's world NEED to be their for others GIVE someone a ride When you can- VISIT the sick and the broken hearted And when you can do nothing else Offer WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT To others We need to be COMPASSIONATE In today's world We need to FEEL the pain Of other Just like Jesus did We need to offer HOPE To others in any way we can BE COMPASSIONATE- BE THERE for others “The Lord is gracious And righteous Our God Is FULL OF COMPASSION” Psalm 116:5 “You will again Have COMPASSION on us You will tread our sins underfoot And hurl all our iniquities Into the depths of the sea” Micah 7:19 “PRAISE be to the God and Father Of our Lord Jesus Christ THE FATHER OF COMPASSION And the God of ALL comfort Who comforts us In all our troubles So that we CAN comfort those In any trouble With the comfort We ourselves RECEIVE from God” 2 Corinthians 3-4 OUR own pain-the hurdles That we in fact overcame PREPARES US To be COMPASSIONATE To be there FOR OTHERS In need Our God-our LORD Jesus Christ WAS always compassionate Was ALWAYS there For those in need Dear Lord-we pray- That no only do we FEEL YOUR healing grace But that we have the COMPASSION To PASS it on to others Dear Lord-LET IT BE! In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 8-1-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Deborah Meister

LIFE IS A MARATHON

WITNESS LIFE IS A MARATHON When I was younger One of my goals In my life Was to run And complete the marathon I got hit With my illness When I was 22 And have never had The energy to do it What I found out was That I am still running a marathon Just a different kind of marathon ---a spiritual marathon A marathon---in which We are to find God Both in others And in ourselves “But those who hope In the Lord Will renew their strength They will soar on wings like eagles They will run And not grow weary They will walk and not be faint” For those of you Who actually do run marathons---physically How great would that be But ALL of us Are on a spiritual journey through life Age and illness wear us down Financial struggles leave us breathing hard Difficult relationships and people Sometimes leave us feeling empty “They will run And not grow weary They will walk and not be faint” Are you serious Lord How can that be Love God and love others “And as for you, brother, Never tire of doing what is right” 2 Thessalonians 3:13 I believe If we really and truly do this Always do---or at least try to do--- What is right We will Finish the race We will complete this marathon We call life “I have fought The good fight I have finished the race I have kept the FAITH” 2 Timothy 4:7 With the help and grace of GOD I’ll see you At the finish line Robert P. Wallman 7-27-11 Ps My thoughts and prayers are going out to the victims of the Boston Marathon Spiritual BLESSINGS to you all WITNESS 4-20-13 Ps “I have seen something else under the sun The RACE is NOT to the swift-or the battle to the strong Nor does food come to the wise-or wealth to the brilliant Or favor to the learned But time and chance happen to them all” Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I have fought the good fight-I have finished the RACE-I have KEPT the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7 “Therefore-since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of WITNESSES Let us throw off everything that hinders the sin so easily entangled And let us run with perseverance-the RACE marked out for us” God BLESS the city of BOSTON and the Boston marathoners MISC WITNESS 5-29-14 9-27-14 & 7-31-16