Be Your True Self

Posted on March 16, 2017 by billtonnis

Listen_prayer

Let Love lead you.

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

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Jeremiah 17:5

Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord.

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We spend so much time trying to please other people or fit into some image that other people or our society says is cool or “successful.”

But what does God say about us?

Why do we put so much credence in what others think or say and not our Creator? 

There is a great quote in a documentary titled The Human Experience in which a rabbi says something to the effect that life is a grand musical composition…and God is waiting for you to provide your note.

If you are trying to please someone or even God to somehow justify your existence…please stop!

You are already enough.

You are already perfectly pleasing to God…just as you are.

God loves you as a father or mother loves their child. You don’t have to do anything to earn that love.

But the question is…how will you be the love that you are to the world?

Are you listening to God’s tender voice in your heart…nudging you to be that unique note that only your life can play…or are you listening to human beings?

Love will lead you…if you allow it.

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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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Saved by Grace

Posted on March 15, 2017 by billtonnis

autumn_leaves_ground

Fall into the loving arms of God.

(Listen to my song “God Is” by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 31:6

Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, Lord, faithful God.

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It seems it is only when we experience the unmerited, unearned redemption of God that we are able to extend that same redemption to others through our words and actions.

Until then…we will likely be harsh critics of sinners…not instruments of God’s redemption.

However, sooner or later…each of us fails. We each have some (or many) flaws.

These are not places of shame but rather the entry points of God’s grace.

Allow yourself to contemplate the unconditional love demonstrated by Jesus when he responded with compassion after his brutal crucifixion…forgiving his persecutors from the cross…even when they had not asked for forgiveness!

Allow that amazing truth to sink into your soul.

How can you do anything else but fall into the loving embrace of such a God?

It is not through our strength or actions that we are redeemed…but only through the Grace of God. 

In the words of St. Paul, “For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).”

God loves us because God is good…not because we are.

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Listen to the song of the day “God Is” 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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Counter Culture

Posted on March 14, 2017 by billtonnis

mountains_meadow_bluesky

Giving leads to receiving abundant life.

(Listen to my song “Listen to Your Heart” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 23:11-12

“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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The way of life that Jesus espouses in the above statement is the opposite of what the popular culture espouses.

Instead of striving to be served, to win and be on top…Jesus says to strive to serve  those who are losing and be with them at the bottom.

Instead of ascending society’s ladder of success to gain power, prestige and possessions…Jesus says to descend that ladder and help the lowly, the poor and the outcast.

And the kicker is…it’s only through following Jesus’ example of self-emptying for the sake of others that we paradoxically find meaning, fulfillment, wholeness and completion.

In other words…we find our true selves.

We become the unique manifestation of Love that we were intended to be.

The kingdom of God is at hand right now…in this moment…depending on which philosophy you choose.

I’ve tried both. One leads to a dead end while the other leads to abundant life.

Each moment provides us with a band new opportunity to choose.

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Listen to my song “Listen to Your Heart” 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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Love Includes

Posted on March 13, 2017 by billtonnis

milky_way_galaxy

When we take part in exclusion…we take part in delusion.

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

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Luke 6:37

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

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Jesus gives us a simple truth.

He said that when you judge or condemn someone…you separate yourself from that person.

You choose to make yourself the center of the universe.

This is delusional.

Who’s “in”? You are of course. Who’s “out”? The other person.

But the truth is…you can disagree with another and still remain in relationship.

Jesus showed us that the kingdom of God is about unity. There are no divisions…no borders…no nations…in the kingdom of God.

Mercy, forgiveness and compassion are the keys to the kingdom.

God’s justice is about restoring wholeness and unity. It’s not about separation and punishment.

When you throw someone else out…you throw yourself out as well!

Will you work for unity…or separation? Jesus message is clear.

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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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True Sacrifice

Posted on March 3, 2017 by billtonnis

earth_space_one

What if we saw the “other” as “us”?

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

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Isaiah 58:6-7

“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.”

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Over 700 years before Jesus was born…the prophet Isaiah spoke powerfully of the Messiah to come.

Jesus came to know in his heart that Isaiah was speaking about him.

He would not be a messiah of military might but one of love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion and inclusion of those left out.

Isaiah told the people quite pointedly that God did not desire fasting and sacrifices if they were done to somehow gain God’s favor. That was not what impressed God.

Isaiah said that what God wanted was for us to sacrifice our ego-centered desires for the sake of helping those who are oppressed, hungry, homeless and in need.

This is still God’s radical call to all who call themselves “Christians” – and all who don’t as well.

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Listen to my 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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Path to Wholeness

Posted on March 2, 2017 by billtonnis

flower_field_grain

The more we lose our egos’ cravings…the more peace we gain.

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

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Luke 9:23-24

Jesus said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

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To be a Christian is to be a radical in today’s culture.

While our society urges us to amass more and more stuff and to satisfy our egos’ every whim and desire, Jesus instead said to deny those self-centered desires and faithfully carry your daily struggles and persecutions while following his path of love, compassion and justice.

For the paradox is this: If we follow our culture’s path we gain power, prestige and possessions…but end up with nothing because it all eventually disappears.

If we never realize that in life…death will deliver the message with final certainty.

And if we wait for death to reveal that fact…then we would end up never knowing why we lived in the first place!

But if we follow Jesus and let go of our ego’s insatiable desires…we end up finding our true selves and the meaning of our existence.

That is true salvation!

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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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Dying to Live

Posted on March 1, 2017 by billtonnis

candles_ashes

When we let go of the need to control…our transformation can begin.

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

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2 Corinthians 6:2

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

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Ash Wednesday is a great time for a new beginning.

The new life brought by spring is just around the corner.

We are surrounded by God’s blueprint for life…plants, trees, insects and all creatures as well as the changing seasons. They are all in a continuous cycle of dying and rising.

Our lives are made up of a series of little deaths to the small self (ego)…and then risings when we’re made new through the experience of the struggle…the letting go so that a Great Love can transform us and the true self can emerge.

Jesus showed us that even the final death is not the end at all…but the ultimate new beginning.

When will it be time for your new beginning…your step into being transformed into the unique expression of God’s love that only you can be to the world? 

Now…of course.

It’s the only time that is real.

It’s the time and place where God is present. It’s the time to begin your healing and your road to wholeness (salvation).

Rise from the ashes! Are you ready to start anew?

“A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit” (Psalm 51:12).

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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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Let Love Flow

Posted on February 28, 2017 by billtonnis

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May our motives be grounded in giving…not grabbing.

(Listen to the song of the day “Pour Me Out” by clicking HERE)

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Mark 10:29-30

Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”

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Jesus gives us another lesson today in letting go of attachments.

When we let go of our attachments to all things…even our families…to enter into the Presence of the unrestricted Flow of God’s Love…we experience deep peace.

It is from this place that we are able to cooperate in the channeling of this love to all.

We will be basking in Grace.

Our culture encourages the opposite: grab as much as you can for yourself. This is consumerism. The more stuff we have…the more likely we will become attached to something that will direct us off course.

Jesus calls us to turn away (“repent”) from this way of trying to attain happiness.

He says instead of taking…try giving.

As long as we believe our possessions or status define us…Jesus said you will never know who you truly are. You must disassociate yourself from those things. This is not renouncing…but not identifying with them.

It is only when you let go of the things you’ve been grasping…that your hands will be free to give. And paradoxically…it is then that your hands will be free to receive what God wants to give you.

There will be a free-flowing circle of giving and receiving.

It is only in giving yourself away in the service of others that you will finally find your true self…your true calling. 

That will be worth a hundred times more than any possession you could ever grasp!

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Listen to the song of the day “Pour Me Out” 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 Free

Posted on February 27, 2017 by billtonnis

seagull_flying_cloud_bluesky

Know that God’s love is free and always given…so share it.

(Listen to my song “God’s Love Is All You Need” by clicking HERE)

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Mark 10:21

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

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This “rich man” was doing all the right things…following all the commandments and religious rules.

But he wondered if that was enough to “make it” to heaven? He wanted Jesus to tell him exactly what he would have to do to inherit eternal life.

Seems he wanted to earn it.

But eternal life or the kingdom of God is a free gift and available to anyone who is open to receiving love and giving love.

And this is only possible when we aren’t attached to things that we mistakenly believe will give us happiness. 

The source of happiness is God alone.

Power, prestige, possessions, and even loved ones and religion itself can become attachments…obsessions of the ego.

They  are not bad in and of themselves…as long as they are not blocking us from our Loving Source (God).

Jesus knew the rich man was attached to his riches…and was trying to earn what was already given.

What or who are you so attached to or obsessed with…that it is blocking you from being open to the flow of God’s love…and sharing it with others?

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Listen to the song of the day “God’s Love Is All You Need” 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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True Wealth

Posted on February 24, 2017 by billtonnis

friends_running_field

Take a moment…and give thanks for your friends.

(Listen to my song “Come to Jesus” by clicking HERE)

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Sirach 6:14-15

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth.

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Take a moment to cherish any true friendship you may have.

Such a friend is with you both in the good times and the bad.

And if by chance you yearn to find such a friend…know that you always have that in Jesus. I know that sounds trite…but I know it to be true.

Jesus showed us this in the way he reached out to all people…especially the broken, lonely and rejected.

So you know that he will never abandon you and is always with you and for you.

If you would prefer to think of this Divine Companion as “Spirit” or “God” or “Love” then use whatever word you like.

The Love that made you could never leave you.

Have faith that this is truth…and then look around you.

Who in your life needs such a friend?

Could that friend be you?

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Listen to the song of the day “Come to Jesus” 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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