HOLDING OUT-FOR THE BLESSINGS OF GOD

HOLDING OUT- FOR THE BLESSINGS OF GOD We take MANY GIFTS In life For granted LIFE itself-OUR family and friends- Our jobs and livelihoods- EVEN the roof over our head And the food On our table These are gifts From God These are BLESSINGS From God And we NEED to recognize them As such “BLESSINGS CROWN The head of the righteous” Proverbs 10:6 But I think The BLESSING That we need to FEEL MOST Is that We are blessed Because our lives And the lives Of our families Are BLESSED BY GOD HOLDING OUT For the BLESSINGS OF GOD In the FAMOUS 32nd chapter of Genesis We read ABOUT such a man A man HOLDING OUT For the BLESSINGS OF GOD “The man then said: 'Let me go-for it is daybreak' But Jacob said: 'I will NOT let you go UNLESS you bless me'” Genesis 32:27 And Jacob and God Wrestle ALL night long Culminating when the man asked him: “WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” “Jacob” he answered “Then the man said: Your name will no longer be Jacob- BUT ISRAEL Because you have Struggled with God And with humans And have overcome” Genesis 32:28 Our lives too Are like that WE struggle and WRESTLE with God About every decision That we make And then We ask God To BLESS US And the decisions That we have made Sometimes WHEN our lives Are going well OUR PRAYER LIFE And our FAITH Can become A little bit superficial “The Lord GIVES STRENGTH To his people The Lord BLESSES his people with PEACE” Psalm 29:11 THEN our lives Become a little more difficult again And we struggle With fear We struggle with pride And other CHALLENGES In life Then we BEGIN To wrestle with God Once again And ask For an EVEN DEEPER FAITH once again To HOLD OUT For the BLESSINGS of God Dear Lord-like Jacob We PRAY that We are able to HOLD OUT And HOLD ON For your GREAT BLESSINGS- THE GREAT BLESSINGS OF GOD Robert P. Wallman 6-28-15 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Melanie Rigney

ULTIMATE FAITH

ULTIMATE FAITH In the 9th century Of Saint Matthew's GOSPEL We see=TRULY a story OF ULTIMATE FAITH A synagogue leader Comes to Jesus And KNEELS before him And says “My daughter Has just died But come and Put your hand on her And she will LIVE” Matthew 9:18 ULTIMATE FAITH Would you Have such faith Would I Jesus rises And follows the official And so did His disciples At first-the crowd LAUGHED At Jesus But Jesus “TOOK the girl By the hand And she got up” Matthew 9:25 And WORD SPREAD about- This miracle of Jesus too I sometimes wonder IF the reason That there are so FEW MIRACLES today Is because WE are a people Of small-small-minded faith I can tell you And WILL tell you again of my miracle WHEN I was 22-and- In the hospital In a hospitalization that began On my 22nd birthday I had had surgery I had a bleeder I had peritonitis I had gangrene And I had a temperature Of 108 degrees I had NO HOPE BUT WITH GOD There is ALWAYS HOPE WITH Jesus There is ALWAYS HOPE “WHY my soul Are you so downcast Why so disturbed Within me PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD For I will yet praise him My savior and my God” Psalm 42:5 I PRAYED to my priest: “I don't think God Wants me to die But IF I do die: PLEASE BLESS my father-my mother-my sisters-my family-my friends- And my work BUT if I live I will LIVE FOR my family-my friends- And ALL PEOPLE everywhere” Two weeks later I woke up ALIVE- And my life has gone EXACTLY as I have prayed LIVING FOR OTHERS ULTIMATE FAITH OUR GOD and OUR ULTIMATE MODEL IN FAITH-Jesus- said “LIVE” WHERE would Jesus go In today's world? WHAT would he do? WE NEED To be ready to FOLLOW HIM THERE WITH ULTIMATE FAITH Jesus The one true man- WHO IS our role model IN BOTH LOVE and in FAITH I would FOLLOW HIM ANYWHERE And would like to think That I have Robert P. Wallman 6-27-15 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Mitch Finley

YOUR GREATEST WANESS

GOD'S GIFT OF WEAKNESS Did you ever stop And think That maybe your greatest weakness Is also YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH Maybe the thing That gives you The GREATEST perspective In this life And that by LEARNING from our weakness That maybe we can HELP OTHERS -Actually TEACH OTHERS How to avoid LIFE'S greatest traps The things that Take most people down I KNOW That that was the case With Saint Paul “IF I must boast I will boast\ Of the things That SHOW my weakness” 2 Corinthians 11:30 “I will rather BOAST most gladly Of my weaknesses In order That the POWER of Christ May dwell with me” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul expresses What his own experiences Taught him NATURAL weakness Doesn't stop God In fact The opposite is true The more imperfect That we are The GREATER the work God can do through us How about that For a paradox The greatest weakness That you have in life IS ALSO your greatest strength I want to ECHO The above thought And the words And teachings of Paul WHEN I came So close to death WHEN I was 22 And when the illness Became chronic Like Saint Paul I became TOTALLY DEPENDENT on God I could no longer Run five miles a day Or lift weights Like I once could But over time I learned TO RELY ON GOD And now—today MY STRENGTH Is totally dependent on him “In the SAME WAY- The SPIRIT HELPS US-in our weakness We do NOT KNOW What we ought to pray for But the spirit himself INTERCEDES for us Through wordless groans” Romans 8:26 I learned how PRECIOUS life is And NOT to throw it away Or let anyone-or anything Take it from you It is a GIFT FROM GOD NOT to be Taken for granted So take it From the GREAT SAINT PAUL And take it From me BOTH-humble servants-of the Lord In our weakness GOD'S LOVE can be MOST POWERFULLY SHOWN To a world That is STARVING for love Dear Lord-WE humbly pray USE our weakness To FILL the world WITH YOUR LOVE Robert P. Wallman 6-27-15 INSPIRED by an article in Living Faith Magazine by Amy Welborn

WE ARE FREE-FREE TO BELIEVE

WE ARE FREE- FREE-TO BELIEVE We were BORN to And in The GREATEST COUNTRY in the world WHERE we are FREE Free to live As we like BUT a GREAT MAN And great men and women- Paid a price-for this freedom WE SALUTE These men and women TODAY And we were born- MOST of us-as CHRISTIANS A privilege given to us Because of the life and death Of one man-Jesus Christ YES-freedom has a cost A GREAT COST “ALL the Lord wills he does In heaven and on earth In the seas And in all the deeps” Psalm 135:6 We live in a country With many PRIVILEGES We should be saying: THANK YOU LORD/THANK YOU LORD We should be saying Thank you to him And to the men and women Who PTOTRECT US Yet most of us Walk around With a WHY ME attitude An attitude of self-entitlement Like someone Has done something to us GOD HAS a plan For this country God has a plan For you and me Don't worry About what is wrong SAY THANK YOU For what is RIGHT And get IN STEP With God's plan “Do not those Who plot evil Go astray But those who PLAN What is good FIND love and faithfulness” Proverbs 14:22 Get in step With God's plan Everything is unfolding EXACTLY as it should And REMEMBER This country's freedom Yours and my personal freedom Has come at great COST “The BEGINNING of wisdom Is this: Get wisdom Though it cost you all you have GET UNDERSTANDING” Proverbs 4:7 So today As we ACKNOWLEDGE AND CELEBRATE Our freedom Let us THANK GOD For the FREEDOM We have in him And the freedom Over sin WE are free To choose God (or not) We are free TO BELIEVE in him (or not) And we are free TO LIVE In the GREATEST COUNTRY This world Has ever seen (THANS to our DEDICATED men and women soldiers) We are free But let us never forget FREEDOM HAS ITS COST Robert P. Wallman 6-26-15 HAPPY 4th of July MY FRIENDS-I LOVE YOU! Ps INSPIRED by an article in Living Faith Magazine by Kristin Armstrong

GOD'S LIVING MERCY-OVERCOMES OUR DOUBT

GOD'S LIVING MERCY- OVERCOMES OUR DOUBT Do you BELIEVE In God Do you have SOME DOUBT That God exists I think That a certain amount of doubt is GOOD I think It is what MOVES US ON to even GREATER things “But Thomas said to them, 'UNLESS I see the mark Of nails In his hands And put my finger Into the nail marks And put my hand into his side I will NOT believe'” John 20:25 Talk about doubt Talk about NEEDING PROOF That God is alive That OUR Lord and SAVIOR-Jesus Is still alive “But when you ask You must believe-and NOT DOUBT Because the one Who doubts Is like a wave In the sea BLOWN and tossed By the wind” James 1:6 DOUBT can take Many forms From outright rejection To someone-and their ideas Just because You don't like them Or sometimes It is a reflexive response DEFINED by fear Because someone is different Or just looks different than us But in the ABOVE STORY Thomas' doubt is different It is MOTIVATED By the mystery of God Seeing Jesus' suffering His terrible execution-HOW can he How can my Lord STILL be alive I WANT PROOF “Jesus replied, 'TRULY-I tell you If you can have FAITH And do NOT DOUBT Not only can you Do what was done To the fig tree But also You can say to the mountain 'Go throw yourself Into the sea And it will be done” Matthew 21:21 WE KNOW you are ALIVE Dear Lord We know that your GREAT LOVE For us Has overcome All of our doubts Even death And that our doubt Can LEAD to an Even BRIGHTER outcome Because of your LIVING MERCY For us And love Dear Lord We NO LONGER DOUBT WE BELIEVE Robert P. Wallman 6-26-15 Ps TODAY is the feast day of the GREAT APOSTLE-Saint Thomas INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Amy Welborn

THE HEALING POWER OF GOD

RISING AGAIN- THE HEALING POWER OF GOD How do we KEEP getting up How do we RISE AGAIN WHEN the forces Of this world Seem to conspire against us To keep knocking us down Over and over again “WHICH is easier to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' Or to say, 'Rise to and walk'” Matthew 9:5 Have you ever had An addiction Or have you Ever been Paralyzed by a sin That just weighed you down That it seemed HOPELESS That you were powerless To overcome If you Are or were ever BLESSED to overcome it Like I was Through the POWER OF GOD You KNOW the power To RISE UP/walk on And continue with your life “........Those who Have done what is good WILL RISE to live And those who have down What is evil Will rise to be condemned” John 5:29 RISE UP You can LIVE-but only by THE POWER OF GOD NOT by Or on your own power THE HEALING POWER OF GOD In the NEW TESTAMENT Jesus was engaged with the Pharisees Over and over again He asks them CHALLENGING question after challenging question As he often asks us too And they stumble with the answers Because of their own self-righteousness What they FAIL to understand What we often Fail to understand too IS that the ability To forgive sins And the ability to HEAL BOTH have the same origin THE DIVINE POWER OF GOD “For since The creation of the world God's INVISIBLE qualities- His external power and DIVINE NATURE Have been clearly seen Being understood From what has been made So that people are without excuse” Romans 1:20 RISE AGAIN You can overcome ANYTHING IN LIFE Through the-DIVINE POWER- And the HEALING POWER-of God We just have To call on GOD AND JESUS- and we will-RISE AGAIN Robert P. Wallman June 25th, 2015 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Kristin Armstrong

THE DRIVING OUT OF DEMONS

THE DRIVING OUT OF DEMONS Do you believe That demons exist In today's world Do you believe That the devil really lives OR do do you believe That the evil That we face Is just the ebb and flow Of good and bad In today's world I will tell you this: IF you Have seen and met SOME of the people That I have If you have some OF the actions or inaction That I have seen You would KNOW That the devil and demons Do in fact exist For NO such person NO SUCH ACTIONS Are that evil In and of itself “The demons pleaded with Jesus 'IF you drive us out Send us Into the herd of swine” Matthew 8:31 For in Jesus' time There definitely were demons And Satan SOME-in fact- Even accused Jesus of being The devil “' am not Possessed by a demon,' said Jesus 'But I honor my Father And you dishonor me I am not seeking GLORY For myself But there is one Who seeks it And he Is the judge Very truly I tell you Whoever OBEYS my word Will never see death'” In today's account Jesus drives out The demons Into a heard of swine And the people Become so fearful “THE WHOLE TOWN Came out to meet Jesus And when they say him They begged him to leave” Matthew 8:34 So WHAT are we to do WHEN we come across evil people- maybe even “DEMONS” in today's society I say LIVE with so much love LIVE with SO MUCH KINDNESS LIVE with so MUCH GOODNESS That people Become so fearful of you That they Run away Or that they CHANGE their ways And ask you TO STAY Dear Lord-we PRAY That you HELP us to make WISE CHOICES And to TRUST In your PROTECTION As we confront The evil and The demons In today's world “TURN from evil And do GOOD” And you will be PROTECTED by God Even in confronting the evil And the demons In today's world Robert P. Wallman 6-25-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Mitch Finley