Restorative Justice

Posted on August 8, 2017 by billtonnis

sunrise_person

What if each of us helped others know they are loved by God?

(Listen to my song “Mercy Reigns” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 15:14

Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.”

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We are sorely in need of leaders with both wisdom and compassion.

These are people who have been transformed by mercy and forgiveness.

They know what it’s like to struggle, to not be in control, to not have all the answers…but still know that they are unconditionally loved and cared for by God.

Many times such people have been mentored by other leaders who have themselves experienced redemption and restoration. Unfortunately, many leaders today have not.

The Pharisees (to whom Jesus is referring to in today’s scripture verse) were the religious leaders of the time who seemed to steadfastly hold people to the letter of the law. It was all “black and white” to them with no “gray” areas.

They enforced rigid rules with no heart or compassion to temper the enforcement.

You either followed the rules completely and were in…or you were held in contempt and were out. It was that simple to the Pharisees.

It takes an enlightened person like Jesus to know how to both follow the rules…and know when to break them in the name of love.

A legalistic mind cannot grasp this!

It seems we must experience mercy before we are able to grant it to another.

Justice without compassion is cruel.

Jesus shows us the true face of a God Whose justice doesn’t aim to punish or penalize…but to lift up, transform and restore.

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Listen to the song of the day “Mercy Reigns” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Action Required

Posted on August 7, 2017 by billtonnis

drop_water_ripple

One small act of kindness will start ripples of positive change.

(Listen to my song “Make Me a Channel” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 14:16

[Jesus] said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”

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Why would Jesus tell his followers to give food to eat to a “vast crowd” that had gathered in a “deserted place” when he knew full well that his followers didn’t have enough food to feed them?

They only had “five loaves and two fish” which obviously was not enough.

Well…if they had some food with them…don’t you think the others in the vast crowd also carried some food with them when they were traveling off to a “deserted place”?

I’m not saying Jesus couldn’t have whipped up a miracle like a magician and…presto…food for all.

But wouldn’t it be a more meaningful miracle to have his followers share the little they had…and to then see the ripple effect of the others then sharing the little they had…until we see that when all the people cared for each other as one body…all were indeed “satisfied”?

Following Jesus is not about sitting still and expecting him (or God) to help those in need.

It’s about us taking action ourselves.

What act of kindness can each of us do today that could start a “ripple effect” leading to more harmony and oneness?

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Listen to the song of the day “Make Me a Channel” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Be the Change

Posted on August 4, 2017 by billtonnis

cliff_dive_ocean

Finding your calling requires growth and courage.

(Listen to my song “I Want to Follow You” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 13:54-55

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?

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Isn’t it true that sometimes the people closest to us can be the biggest stumbling blocks to our growth?

Perhaps they feel threatened by the way we’ve changed…and that they may have to change as well?

Many people do not want to change.

They can end up standing in the way of us reaching our full potential. Sometimes they can also refuse to let go of the past mistakes we’ve made or shortcomings we had.

The people who remembered Jesus as a boy could not accept the inspiring young man he had become. “Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52). He had changed in a big way.

When you follow Jesus, your life will change. That’s a guarantee.

And that will make others around you uncomfortable because they may have to confront their unwillingness to change.

If that happens to you, know that you are in good company. Jesus was rejected by those who knew him when he grew up.

Following Jesus is not easy but it will lead you to inner peace as well as your true self.

And as a follower, remember to respond to those who reject you as Jesus did…with love and compassion.

Perhaps your response…will be the encounter with Christ that they need.

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Listen to the song of the day “I Want to Follow You” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Soul Longing

Posted on August 3, 2017 by billtonnis

beach_mist_dusk

Let go and live.

(Listen to my song “Breathe On Me” by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 84:3

My heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

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Is there a yearning inside of you?

Is there an inner emptiness?

What is your heart and flesh crying out to have?

What will satisfy this longing?

If you relate to having this inner yearning…you are not alone. St. Paul said this: “We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now” (Romans 8:22).

That’s right…all of creation.

It seems God has installed this longing in everything.

Many mistakenly believe that they can satisfy the yearning with something material or physical. This is what your ego will tell you.

But as St. Augustine expressed to God, “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

The longing is a spiritual one.

It’s on the soul level.

Only the Unconditional Lover that created you can satisfy it.

When you let go of all the things that don’t matter, and let go of your fixation to control everything, you will fall into the arms of your loving Creator.

At the same time…you will discover your true self.

As Thomas Merton wrote in New Seeds of Contemplation, “Therefore there is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him, I will find myself, and if I find my true self I will find him.”

What are the things you need to let go of…to truly live?

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Listen to the song of the day “Breathe On Me” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Priceless

Posted on August 2, 2017 by billtonnis

pearl_foliage

Finding your true self requires a lot of letting go.

(Listen to my song “Take the Road Less Traveled” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 13:45-46

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

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Jesus interchangeably talks about the kingdom of “heaven” and the kingdom of “God.”

He also talks about that kingdom being “among” you or “within” you (Luke 17:21).

It’s the peaceable kingdom of love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion…a state-of-being when you know that you know that you know that you are accepted by God.

You are in communion with your loving Source.

This state-of-being is always available…like a “fine pearl” right under our noses.

It’s there for the taking…on one condition: We must be present to the Divine Presence.

This takes letting go of all the other distractions and attractions…not renouncing them…but simply not being attached to any of them.

Of course, our egos are attached to many things…so this is not an easy process.

You can practice this “letting go” through Centering Prayer and other forms of meditation.

The pay-off is inner peace and finding your true self…the person you were meant to be in service of God’s kingdom.

As Jesus put it, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

What else could be more important than finding your real life?

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Listen to the song of the day “Take the Road Less Traveled” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Good News

Posted on August 1, 2017 by billtonnis

stars_galaxy

All of creation is the product of Love itself.

(Listen to my song “Lift Up Our Voices” by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 103:12-13

As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on the faithful.

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God is love (1 John 4:8).

Being as such…it’s a Love that is always giving…without end.

It’s eternal.

It’s also unconditional.

We know this because Jesus went to the most extreme lengths to model it.

He faced his persecutors with courage but without any retaliation.

And when they nailed him to a cross…he responded, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

That, my friend, is as unconditional as it gets…and it’s the kind of love that God has for you!

This Love only sees our core goodness.

When this Love encounters our imperfections and struggles…we are transformed.

Those very imperfections and struggles become sacred places of new life.

It is pure Grace.

This is the love a parent has for a child….multiplied by a million.

Allow this Love to warm you and inspire you.

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Listen to the song of the day “Lift Up Our Voices” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Cultivate Compassion

Posted on July 31, 2017 by billtonnis

mustard_plants

One small act of mercy can make a HUGE difference.

(Listen to my song “Mercy Reigns” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 13:31-32

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'”

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Jesus often taught his followers about the “kingdom of heaven” or alternately the “kingdom of God” as being on the verge of the here and now.

It was a state of being…not a static place.

This “kingdom” was breaking into the present whenever love and compassion were being practiced. It was like a tiny seed planted in a field…seemingly of little significance…but secretly sprouting and growing.

One day that tiny seed would become a “large bush.” Notice that it would not become a giant tree. It would not wow the world…but it would be of comfort to the “birds of the sky” which would find rest in its branches.

This kingdom would hardly be noticed by the rich and powerful…but would provide relief to those in need.

Jesus went about cultivating God’s kingdom…not one of military power and prestige but one of love, mercy and forgiveness.

Each of us is called to plant such seeds of compassion in our daily lives.

What will sprout we do not know…but it will be of Divine significance.

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Listen to the song of the day “Mercy Reigns” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Persevere

Posted on July 28, 2017 by billtonnis

cave_ocean

The path to wholeness is narrow and difficult…unless we trust.

(Listen to my song “I Want to Follow You” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 13:20-21

“The seed down on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.”

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Jesus warned us that living by the word of God’s kingdom will not be easy.

Hearing that we are eternally loved is one thing…but living-it-out is quite another.

When we practice unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion…as well as work for justice for those on the margins…many times we will be rejected and ridiculed. Things will not always go smoothly.

That’s the time we need to trust that a Higher Power is at work…that after two steps backward…there will be three steps forward.

That’s when we must persevere like the man who claimed to be the “way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

We must cultivate our soil with plenty of prayer, meditation and acts of compassion.

If we do…Jesus promised us that we will be like the seed that bears fruit and yields “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:23).

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Listen to the song of the day “I Want to Follow You” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Live the Questions

Posted on July 27, 2017 by billtonnis

forest_fog

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

(Listen to the song of the day “Changed” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 13:13

“This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.'”

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Black-and-white, either-or thinking is necessary for many intellectual tasks that we need to operate in this life.

But such dualistic thinking will not work when it comes to matters of the heart.

Jesus’ command to “love your enemies” will never compute on an either-or level of consciousness.

Life has a way of steering us into gray areas where a both-and approach will be necessary…or you will become quite miserable.

Those who choose to rigidly hold to a black-and-white worldview will become angry, unhappy and harsh.

Sometimes it takes a real conundrum to transform us.

Jesus’ parables were much like the koans of Zen Buddhism which are defined as “paradoxical anecdotes or riddles used to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment.”

Jesus seldom gave black-and-white answers. Instead…he spoke in parables.

Those who are able to sit in the tension of the opposites long enough are transformed.

They see a bigger picture. They are able to look at the world in a non-dual way where everything belongs.

Jesus told his disciples to listen with their hearts to what he was saying and to have faith like a child.

If we open our hearts the same way…deep truths will be revealed to us as we read his parables today and as we deal with the paradoxes of life.

Open your heart to God’s unconditional love for you. Allow the awe and wonder of such a Mystery to envelope you.

Allow it to set you free.

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Listen to the song of the day “Changed” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Have Faith

Posted on July 26, 2017 by billtonnis

desert_sun

Times of struggle are birth pangs of new life.

(Listen to my song “You’ll Lead Me” by clicking HERE)

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Exodus 16:2

Here in the wilderness the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

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Despite God’s record of fidelity in leading them…the Israelites complained about their desperate situation in the desert.

We often do the same.

God leads us safely through each trial we face to new life…yet we still doubt.

We still grumble.

There is a Great Love drawing us and all of creation…forward.

Due to our free will and resulting lack of cooperation, it’s three steps forward…then two steps back. But the trajectory is forward to a grand conclusion.

Life is a Love story of epic proportions.

We are part of it…but each of us has a choice on how actively we want to participate.

To truly engage…you must lay down your ego’s desires and follow the inner-yearning that is planted in your heart.

This will lead you into many necessary deserts of transformation and then on to new lands of abundance.

It’s the road to your true self.

Trust that something better is on the way.

Love never fails…so it won’t fail you either.

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Listen to the song of the day “You’ll Lead Me” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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