THE GRACE TO RESPOND

 

THE GRACE TO RESPOND

God never CALLED a person

Without a past=who wasn't

A sinner=

With the EXCEPTION of Jesus

So when God CALLS YOU=respond

With a BIG YES=there

Are NO perfect people

In this world=

THE GRACE TO RESPOND

“I did not come

To CALL the righteous

But sinners”                                                                                                  Mark 2:17

The WORDS of this world

Are powerful=they can HELP=

Or hurt=

They can ENCOURAGE or discourage 

So be GENTLE with your words

You use towards others=

They can have an EFFECT

On someone else's WORTH

The words of God have

Even GREATER POWER

He simply says to you

“COME FOLLOW ME”

So we should RESPOND

In a positive manner

We should respond

With a great big YES

THE GRACE TO RESPOND

We should respond positively

To God and move INTO

The grace of DISCIPLESHIP

With God and Jesus

“He will RESPOND

To the prayer

Of the destitute

He will not despise

Their plea”                                                                                                        Psalm 102:17

“'In that day=I will RESPOND'

Declares the Lord

'I will RESPOND=to the skies

And they will RESPOND

To the earth'”                                                                                                             Hosea 2:21

RESPOND to the Lord

For he responds to you

And responds with GRACE

WORDS have great power=

Love is great-Hope lies ahead

People can move on

People can CHANGE

So if you were ONCE

A sinner=and still are

We can still

Respond to the CALL=

We can still

Respond to God and Jesus

And live with GRACE

From here on in

“You are

The most excellent of men

And your lips

Were anointed with GRACE

Since God=have blessed you forever”                                                                    Psalm 45:2

“In him=we have redemption

Through his blood-

The forgiveness of sins

In accordance=with the riches

OF GOD'S GRACE”                                                                                                  Ephesians 1:8

We might never

FEEL GOOD ENOUGH

To RESPOND to the call

Of God

We just have to say YES=

For God will give us

Whatever we NEED

To move forward

He will give us=

THE GRACE TO RESPOND!

In Jesus' name=and in the name of our ever RESPONDING FATHER GOD!

Robert P. Wallman

1-15-21 and 9-25-2022

Ps        INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER 25^th, 2012

 

 

 

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

LIFE WILL BRING YOU TO YOUR KNEES

 

 

It may be health

It may be money

It may be

Trying to be someone

You are not supposed to be

One way or another

Life will bring you

To your knees

 

You might not think it

But in that time

Is your opportunity

To find God

And to find yourself

 

Because I have been there

And that was the only place

For me to find true happiness

There just wasn’t anyone

Or anything else

 

It may be health

It may be money

It may be trying to be someone

That you are not

 

Someone that you shouldn’t be

One way or another

Life will bring you

To your knees

 

That just might be

Your opportunity

To find God

To find peace

Inside of yourself

While you are down

On your knees

 

Robert P. Wallman

6-23-06

 

Ps        “If you seek him he will be FOUND by you

             But if you forsake him-he will reject you forever”          1 Chronicles 28:9

                                                                                                 ( David to his son-Solomon )

 

            “But if from there you seek the Lord your God

             You will FIND him if you look for him

             With all you heart and with all your soul”                        Deuteronomy 4:29

 

            “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 11:29-30

             

LINGERING SINS=GOSSIP

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER 24^th, 2012

 

 

LINGERING SINS-GOSSIP

 

 

There once was a woman

With a physical handicap

She is still the same now

As she was twelve years ago

 

What about our sins

Are our sins

The same today

As they were 12 years ago

 

No one

Stays the same

Are we improving

Or are we regressing

 

Once

There was a woman

Who gossiped

 

When she went to confession

The Catholic priest

Told her to go to the market place

And buy a chicken

What an easy penance

She thought

 

Then the Catholic priest

Told her 

To pluck the chicken

And spread the feathers everywhere

 

Strange-she thought

But she did this too

 

Then the priest told her

To go and gather the feathers

And put them

Back on the chicken

 

“I can’t do that Father,” she said

“The feathers are everywhere”

 

“Exactly,” the priest said

“This is what happens

When you talk about someone”

 

What about my lingering sins

What about

Your lingering sins

 

Where are we

In relationship

To where we were

Twelve years ago

 

ARE WE IMPROVING

 

Robert P. Wallman

5-10-10

 

Ps       *Based on the teaching of Father Leo Clifford

 

“A GOSSIP betrays a confidence

But a trustworthy man keeps a secret”                                                   Proverbs 11:13

 

“For I am afraid that when I come

I may not find you as I want you

And you may not find me as you

Want me to be

 

I fear that there may be quarreling,

Jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions,

Slander, GOSSIP, arrogance, and disorder”                                          2 Corinthians 12:20

 

“A perverse man stirs up dissension

And a GOSSIP separates close friends”                                         Proverbs 16:28

 

 

FOCUSING ON GOD!

 

FOCUSING ON GOD

It seems today=that many of us focus on “STUFF”=

On HOW MUCH we can accumulate

Wealth=cars=relationships=but what really

MATTERS is our LOVE OF GOD=and

Our LOVE OF OTHERS

Let us FOCUS on God=and our

RELATIONSHIP with him

This lent

“What profit is there

For ONE to gain the whole world

Yet lose or FORFEIT himself”                                                                                     Luke 9:25

There is one TRUISM about

Wealth and money=and it is

“You CAN'T TAKE IT with you”

And that is so true

In some corners of the world=

These days=there is a SIMPLICITY

Movement=it is also called MINIMALISM 

This CALLS to mind the large

CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT=the movement

Of Saint Francis=and even

Jesus himself

LET GO of the physical=FOCUS=

On what really matters=

THE LOVE OF GOD=and

The love of OTHERS

FOCUSING ON GOD=keeping God

At the CENTER

Of our lives

Jesus thought so much of the

LOVE OF GOD and the love

Of others=that he IDENTIFIED them as

The TWO commandments that really matter

They “TESTED” Jesus with this question=

“Teacher-which is the greatest commandment

In the LAW?”                                                                                                           Matthew 22:36

“Jesus replied='Love the Lord

Your God with all your heart

And with all your soul

And with 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 prophets

Hang on these two commandments”                                                                            Matthew 22:37-40

The love of God

And the LOVE of others

LENT is the perfect time

To EVALUATE our involvement

With STUFF

It is the time to FOCUS on our 

Actions=on our choices=and on

RELATIONSHIP with OTHERS

FOCUS ON GOD=

CHOOSE God over materialism

Make love of God=love of others

Your number ONE choice

In this life

“This day

I call the heavens

And the earth=as WITNESSES 

Against you

That I have set before you

Life and death=BLESSINGS and curses

Now CHOOSE LIFE

So that you and your children

May live=and that you may LOVE

The Lord your God...........”                                                                                   Deuteronomy 30:19-20

“You did NOT CHOOSE me

But I chose you-

And appointed you

So that you might go

And bear fruit--------

Fruit that will last---------

And so that

WHATEVER you ask in my name

The Father will give to you

This is my command=

LOVE ONE ANOTHER”                                                                                        John 15:16-17

Let us FOCUS on our RELATIONSHIP

With God the LENT=and keep him

NUMBER ONE in our lives

In Jesus' name and the name of HIS GLORIOUS FATHER

Robert P. Wallman

2-15-18 and 8-25-2021 and 9-25-2022

Ps          INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Karla Manternach

FINDING AND LIVING THE ABUNDANT LIFE

 

FINDING AND LIVING THE ABUNDANT LIFE

I have ALWAYS

had a GOOD LIFE=a life

THANKS to my family and friends

But I only FOUND

The ABUNDANT LIFE=a life

FULL OF BLESSINGS=when

I UNITED my life to

God and Jesus

“I have COME=

That they may have life

And have it MORE ABUNDANTLY

Says the Lord”                                                                                                             John 10:10

The Lord has BLESSED ME

With supreme BLESSINGS=a life

That goes PLACES that I

Have never thought that I could go

I have FOUND abundant life=in God

The Father and his SON=Jesus

“The clouds

POUR down this moisture

And abundant showers

Fall on mankind”                                                                                                        Job 36:28

“They CELEBRATE

Your abundant goodness

And joyfully sing

Of your righteousness”                                                                                                  Psalm 145:7

“For if

By the trespass 

Of the one man

Death reigned

THROUGH that one man

How much more

Will those who RECEIVE

GOD'S ABOUNDANT provision of GRACE

And the gift of righteousness

REIGN in life

Through the ONE MAN=

Jesus Christ”                                                                                                                 Romans 5:17

I have been TOTALLY BLESSED

By God and Jesus=I have

EVERYTHING that I need

Because God and Jesus have USED

My family and friends to

Put BLESSING after blessing

In my life

I have a nice apartment

With a beautiful VIEW=

A roof over my head=

FOOD on the table

And a couple of dollars in my pocket

What more do I need?

What more CAN I ask for?

I have the BLESSINGS of God and

The BLESSINGS of my

Family and friends

I am blessed

I am a CONTENT man

I am LIVING THE ABUNDANT LIFE

“The BLESSING of the Lord

Brings wealth

Without painful toil for it”                                                                                             Proverbs 10:22

“I will

MAKE them and the places

Including my hill a BLESSING

I will send down

SHOWERS in season

There will be

Showers of BLESSING”                                                                                               Ezekiel 34:26

Because I have GOD

And Jesus in my life

I am LIVING LIFE ABUNDANTLY

And IF you have God and Jesus

In your life=SO ARE YOU

In the names of Jesus=and OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

Robert P. Wallman

1-12-18 and 8-17-2021 and 9-24-2022

IT MATTERS

 

IT MATTERS

We ALL want to be SUCCESSFUL-

With our lives=we want to be PRESIDENT-

Actors and actresses=sports heroes=but most

of us DON'T end up in=

Those kinds of professions

Despite that=God GIVES us work

That we all can be

SUCCESSFUL at

WORK that matters

We are CALLED-

TO do the work of a DISCIPLE

“I GLORIFIED you on earth

By ACCOMPLISHING the work

That you GAVE me to do”                                                                                             John 17:4

And the WORK that we

ARE given to do-

Is the work of DISCIPLESHIP

This is a BIG JOB=

And it really MATTERS-

This JOB of discipleship

“Then Jesus came to them

And said-

'ALL authority in HEAVEN

And on earth=

Has been given to me

Therefore GO and make disciples 

Of all NATIONS..........”                                                                                                    Matthew 28:19

YES!=this is the work

That we ALL have been given

To do

And this is IMPORTANT work=

To BRING the love of GOD

To others

WHEREVER we are CALLED in life

No matter-our position

It is WORK that we can all do=

And IT MATTERS

“A NEW COMMAND-I give you-

LOVE one another-

As I have LOVED YOU-

So you=MUST-

LOVE one another

By this-EVERYONE-

Will know

That you are my disciples=

IF you love one another”                                                                                                     John 13:34-35

BEING a DISCIPLE of CHRIST MATTERS=

And it is a job that

Anyone can do=JUST LOVE=

LOVE GOD=love yourself=and LOVE others

And you have PROVEN yourself-

But it is DEFINITELY a job-

That is NOT EASY

“..........

So for a WHOLE year

Barnabas and Saul-

MET with the church

And TAUGHT great numbers of people

The disciples were FIRST

Called CHRISTIANS at Antioch”                                                                                        Acts 11:25-26

And so the DISCIPLES were INCREASING

Because of teaching and-

BECAUSE OF LOVE

And that is OUR JOB!=to live-

LOVE-and preach the GOOD NEWS

Of the Lord=ALL OVER the world

UNTIL the world COMES-

To God and Jesus=

“MAKE DISCIPLES of all NATIONS”

IT MATTERS!

(This is a BIG JOB)

It means ALWAYS being

AVAILABLE to others

It means doing JOBS=just

Because they need to be done

It may NOT MEAN being a ROCK star=

Or an athlete-or an actress=it is

NOT GLORIOUS=but it MATTERS

Dear Lord=HELP US=To give GLORY

To you today=by loving you=by

LOVING myself and others=and by

BEING YOUR DISCIPLE 

IT MATTERS=it really does

In the names of God our FATHER and Jesus Christ 

OUR LORD

Robert P. Wallman

5-31-17

Ps          INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Karla Manternach 

6-05-06-2020 and 2-06-2022 and 9-24-2022

CULTIVATING WISDOM!

 

CULTIVATING WISDOM!

 

How do you find

YOUR WISDOM?=how do you

CULTIVE your wisdom

In this world?

 

Much of my wisdom=

Comes from my EXPERIENCES

In this life=and MOST of my wisdom

Comes from God and Jesus=and STAYING

Tuned in with them=through the bible

CULTIVATING WISDOM!

 

“……..that we may gain

WISDOM OF HEART”                                                                                                          Psalm 90:12

 

God asked King Solomon

What GIFT would he like most

In life=and out of ANY gift in this world

King Solomon=ASKED FOR WISDOM

That is how IMPORTANT WISDOM IS

 

“God gave Solomon WISDOM

And very great insight

 

And a breadth of understanding=as measureless

As sand=on the seashore”                                                                                              1 Kinngs 4:29

 

Wisdom is not just

Intellectual knowledge=but something

Much more PROFOUND than that

 

It is NOT just wisdom-

Wisdom of the head=but it is

WISDOM OF THE HEART

 

Through our living experiences=

Our insights=and the gifts

BESTOWED on us=from the Holy Spirit

We can CULTIVATE WISDOM

And being wise

 

“The fear of the Lord=is the

Beginning of WISOM

 

All who follow his precepts

Have good understanding

To him belongs eternal praise”                                                                                                    Psalm 111:10

 

“But God made the earth

By his power=he founded the world

BY HIS WISDOM

 

And stretched out the heavens

By his understanding”                                                                                                             Jeremiah 10:12

 

I first learned

HOW FRAGILE LIFE IS

With my deathbed experience

At the age of 22

 

But I think the PANDEMIC

Has brought that point

To the forefront=for us all

 

We need to RECOGNIZE

How fragile life is

And live that way

 

We need to LIVE

With simplicity=and sacrifice and in UNITY

And of course=with WISDOM

CULTIVATING WISDOM!

 

“Oh=the depth of the riches

Of the WISDOM

And knowledge of God”                                                                                                      Romans 11:33

 

So use the wisdom and compassion

That you have

LEARNED FROM GOD=and your experiences

In your life

And live that way

CULTIVATING=and living WITH WISDOM!

 

Dear Lord=teach us love

And WISDOM in this life=

And to live in simplicity

And with COMPASSION=CULTIVATING WISDOM!

 

In Jesus’ name=and in the name=of our EVER WISE=HOLY FATHER GOD!

 

Robert P. Wallman

9-23-2022

 

 

Ps        INSPIRED by an article=IN LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE=by Jennifer Christ