JOURNAL/LIFE IS A MARATHON

Jesus taught us to BUILD a life that will last for the LONG HAUL-not to build a life that will last for just today or tomorrow-but to BUILD a life that will LAST for ALL of eternity

"DO NOT WORK for food that perishes but for the food that ENDURES for eternal life-which the SON OF MAN will give you"    John 6:27

IT IS a great day to be ALIVE in GOD'S NEVER ENDING-everlasting LOVE for us!










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






5-5-14

JOURNAL/WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE

In ALL the post Resurrection  stories-Jesus is NOT IMMEDIATELY recognized

"WHILE HE was at table-he took bread-said the blessing-and GAVE it to them-WITH THAT
their eyes were opened and they recognized him........"       Luke 24:30-31

DEAR LORD-we pray-that our eyes are OPENED wherever we are-and we KNOW that we are
"AT HOME WITH YOU"

IT is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us and we KNOW that "WE ARE AT HOME "with you wherever we are

LOVE YOU ALL


















WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE




The greatest psalmist-David-
Put it this way


“SURELY goodness and mercy
Shall follow me
All the days
Of my life


And I will
DWELL in the HOUSE
Of the Lord FOREVER” Psalm 23 :6


That sounds great
And I want to too
LIVE in the house
Of the Lord FOREVER


I am sure
You do too


But somehow-I KNOW
It's not that easy


David had to repent
For his sin with Bathsheba
The wife of Uriah


Just as you and I
NEED forgiveness
For whatever sin
We have committed in this world


Recently
I took a trip
Back to my former home
Pittsburgh, Pa.


And moved on too
Mount Pleasant, Pa
And then on to Virginia
And Maryland


I was received well
EVERYWHERE that I went


“I KNOW that my REDEEMER lives
And in the end
He will stand
Upon the earth” Psalm 19:25


My hats off to Diane, Rege and Terri,
John and Karen W., Karen M.,
and the Appleby family


For all the kindness and hospitality
That was shown to me


You see
WHERE we live
Is just a physical place
But what makes the difference
Is having God-centered
And kindness centered HEARTS
Towards others


I THANK YOU


And I thank ALL the other
Family and friends
That took the time out
To come and see me
And had some time
To spend with me on the phone


FINDING GOD
Isn't just about
Laws and rituals
But for FINDING ROOM in our hearts
For GOD and others


“In my Father's house
There are many rooms


If it were not so
I would have told you


I am going there
To prepare a place for you


And if I go
And PREPARE a place
For you
I will come back
And take you with me
That you also
May be where I am


You know the way
To the place
Where I am going” John 14:2-4


And so
As I prepare
To go back to Florida


My current home
And my beautiful friends
KNOW this


I have the place
That I want to LIVE FOREVER
With my HEART
IN the HOUSE of the Lord


WHERE goodness and mercy
FOLLOW US
ALL the days
Of our life


Robert P. Wallman
11-21-13




ps As far as my PHYSICAL RESIDENCE-I am most happy in my apartment
In Aventura, Florida





On SITES 5-4-14

SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES-today's SAINTS

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 3^rd


Robert P. Wallman
5-3-12

JOURNAL/I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME

"WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME-I WILL DO"    John 14:13


Jesus in NOT saying anything you want you can have-BUT what he is saying is-"  

I KNOW you-and IF you know me and love me-IF it is in the BEST INTEREST of you and your life-I WILL HELP you attain it-
-BUT we have to let GOD and Jesus DECIDE what is in the BEST INTERESTS for us and HIS PLAN
for our lives

GOD AND JESUS PROTECT us from evil and OBTAIN BLESSINGS for us
SOMETIMES just saying the name of Jesus is itself a SUFFICIENT PRAYER

IT IS a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE and in HIS infinite plan for our lives

LOVE YOU ALL!












I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME




Did you know
That God knows your name
And the day you were born
He even knew
The number of hairs
You would
Have on your head
And the day
He would call you
To LIVE
In eternal union with him
For all of eternity


He even KNOWS
The stars by name


“Lift your eyes
Look to the heavens
Who created all these
He who brings out the starry host
One by one
And calls them each by name


Because of his great power
And mighty strength
Not one of them is missing” Isaiah 40:26


And if
He knows each and every one
Of the stars
Just imagine
He not only knows us by name
But he loves us
With an everlasting love


“The Lord
Appeared to us in the past saying:


“I have loved you
With an everlasting love
I have drawn you
With loving kindness” Jeremiah 31:3


He even knows
The number of hairs on our head


“And even the very hairs
On your head
Are all numbered
So don’t be afraid
You are worth more
Than many sparrows” Matthew 10:30-31


And you will not perish
If you love
And have FAITH in GOD
For all of eternity


“But not a hair
On your head will perish
By standing firm
You will gain life” Luke 21:18


So TODAY-my friend
On your birthday
KNOW that
God has called you by name
And that he LOVES YOU
With an everlasting love


His plans for you
ARE ALL GOOD
And not even a hair
On your head
Will perish for all of eternity


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND
I love you


Robert P. Wallman

12-29-12

journal/WHEREVER YOU ARE

"ALL day long-BOTH at the temple and in their homes-they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the CHRIST-Jesus"        Acts 5:42


A great question for each one of us-IS HOW we proclaim the gospel in our lives-OUTSIDE of church
WE LIVE in a decidedly secular world today-HELP US-Dear Lord-to show our FAITH by treating others
with love and respect today

IT is a GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us and a GREAT DAY to find Jesus-NOT only in
our church-but OUTSIDE the church

LOVE YOU ALL!
















WHEREVER YOU ARE












Wherever you are---
Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ


Before we answer that question
Maybe we should know
Who or what a disciple of Jesus Christ is


In John, 8:31, Jesus tells us himself
What a disciple of his is


“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,
“If you hold to my teaching
You really are my disciples”


So where are we
To proclaim his teachings


The answer is simple
And the answer is


WHEREVERYOU ARE


It can be
In our neighborhood
It can be
In our backyard
Or it can even be
In our own home


And what is great is
We don’t even have to say a word


They will know we are Christians
BY OUR LOVE
They will know we are Christians
By our kindness
They will know we are Christians
By our forgiveness


And what about our children
In today’s world
What does Jesus say


“And if anyone
Gives even a cup of cold water
To one of these little ones
Because he is my disciple
I tell you the truth
He will certainly not lose his reward” Matthew 10:42


A far cry from sexual abuse
Wouldn’t you say


What if
We treated our children with love
Instead of abusing them


“It would be better
For him to be thrown
Into the sea
With a millstone tied around his neck
Than for him
To cause one of these little ones
To sin
So watch yourselves” Luke 17:2 & 3


We can be a Christian
If we are a prisoner
In a prison cell


We can be a Christian
As a patient in a hospital room


We can be kind
To a child
Wherever we find them


In short
We can be a Christian
WHEREVER we are


Jesus said,
“Go into the whole world
And proclaim the Gospel
To every living creature” Mark 16:15


ALL we need to do is
CARRY GOD’S LOVE with us
In our hearts
And share it
With whoever God puts in our lives


WHEREVER WE ARE


Robert P. Wallman
1-27-12


Ps inspired by a message in Living Faith 1-25-12
by Sister Melanie SVOBODA S.M.D. .




MISC. WITNESS 5-02-14 ..

"THEY'RE ONLY HUMAN"

“THEY'RE ONLY HUMAN”




Last week
Was a particularly difficult week
For churches, families, and the institution of marriage


ALL of which
Have been already been under
Heavy assault for years


Pastor Bob Coy Of Calvary Chapel Church
Resigned for a “moral failing” from his church


A local Pastor
And a personal friend of mine
RESIGNED for family issues
And there were some other things
In the news
ALONG the same lines


It left me
FEELING kind of bad
And when my sister, Mary, called
I asked her
What she thought
Was going on


And my sister, Mary, said,
“THEY'RE ONLY HUMAN”


I think that is
WHAT we ALL have to remember
About each other,


“WE ARE ONLY HUMAN”


And human
Means to be fallible
That we-all of us
Make mistakes


“We who are strong
Ought to bear
With the failings of the weak
And not
To please ourselves


EACH of us
Should PLEASE his neighbor
For his good
TO BUILD him up” Romans 15:1-2


And everyone of us
Will FAIL God
Or one another
At some time
In our lives


We are to be there
To FORGIVE our brothers and sisters
As Christians
That is what
We are called to do


THEN Peter came to Jesus
And asked:


“HOW MANY TIMES
Shall I forgive my brother
When he sins
Against me?
Up to seven times”


“Jesus answered,
'I tell you
Not seven times
But seventy-times-seven times” Matthew 18:21-22


What happened last week
Showed
That even the BEST of us
With the greatest intentions
Will fail the test at times


We all will
UNLESS we are God


And always remember
WHEN we fail
The trials of our life
We are to GET BACK UP
And try again


TRIALS BRING MATURITY


“CONSIDER it
PURE JOY my brothers
Whenever you face trials
Of many kinds


Because you know
That the TESTING of your faith
Develops perseverance


PERSEVERANCE must finish
Its work
So that
You may be MATURE
And complete
NOT LACKING ANYTHING” James 1:2-4


So we FORGIVE you
And we ENCOURAGE you
To get back up
And TRY again


Because we NEED YOU
To encourage us
WHEN we fail


After all
“WE'RE ONLY HUMAN”


Robert P. Wallman
April 16^th, 2014




MISC. WITNESS MAY 1^st, 2014

JOURNAL/FAITH AND WORKS

Jesus could NOT perform any miracles in HIS hometown of Nazareth-IT TOOK GREAT FAITH
for Jesus to perform HIS MIRACLES-but they could NOT accept that he was special

"AND he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their LACK OF FAITH"
Matthew 13:58

TO them he was just ordinary-"ISN'T THIS the carpenter's son?  ISN'T his mother's name Mary?"
---they ALL said

IT is a GREAT day to HAVE FAITH in the Lord-and BE ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us!








FAITH AND WORKS---The Story of Saint James




James was the ½ brother of Jesus
And along with his brother John
Were called “the Sons of Thunder”


He never believed
That Christ was the Messiah
Until after the Resurrection


At Pentecost
James received the Gift of the Spirit
Along with the other Apostles
And sets out
To help
In building the Kingdom of God


James in his writings
Points out that faith alone is insufficient


We must have faith
That manifests itself
In action or good deeds


“What good is it, my brothers,
If a man claims to have faith
But has no deeds
Can such faith save him


Suppose a brother or sister
Is without clothes and daily food
If one of you goes and says to him


“Go I wish you well
Keep warm and well fed”


But does nothing about his physical needs
What good is it


In the same way
Faith by itself
If it is not accompanied by action
Is dead” James 2:14-17


James also
Teaches us about patience and pure religion
He tells us
That patience is a godly virtue
And that a believer
Needs to possess it
In order to become
Perfect and complete in Christ


Like Saint Francis,
James believed
That being a Christian
Is living righteously before God
And as an example
To others in this world
Particularly orphans and widows


And so Lord
We pray that today
We come to understand the teachings
Of Saint James


We are saved by faith alone
But real faith never stands alone
That faith without good deeds
Is NOT real faith


James is believed
To be the first Apostle
To die for the cause


Dear Lord
We pray that we receive
The spirit of Christ in our hearts
NOT that we die like James
But that we live like him


Expressing our SPIRIT
NOT only in our faith
But in our ACTION


Robert P. Wallman
7-25-11

Ps MISC. WITNESS 5-01-14