Compassion Calls

Posted on February 23, 2017 by billtonnis

puzzle_pieces

What is distracting you from your life’s purpose?

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

+++

Mark 9:43

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.”

+++

Jesus was not being literal about cutting off your hand!

He was using hyperbole…exaggeration…to make his point.

Whatever is enticing you to make a selfish, non-life-giving choice…that influence needs to be removed. 

If not…you are basically throwing your “true self” away into a garbage dump (which is what Gehenna was…a place where garbage was constantly being burned).

By choosing to satisfy your ego…or “small self”…you will never discover the “true self” that God is calling you to be. 

That would truly be a waste!

The “you” that God made you to be can only be realized and actualized if you surrender the insatiable demands of your ego for self-gratification and use your gifts and talents to make the world a more loving, compassionate and just place.

+++

Listen to the  song of the day “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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Life Ahead

Posted on February 22, 2017 by billtonnis

moon_light_darkness

Let the Light of Love lead you through the struggles.

(Listen to my song “Salvation” by clicking HERE)

+++

Psalm 23:4

Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side.

+++

Life is filled with ups and downs.

Jesus showed us the pattern of salvation throughout his ministry.

Struggles and brokenness would be transformed into new life and wholeness by the grace and unconditional love of God. 

The blind would see, the deaf would hear and the dead would be raised. What appeared to be the end when Jesus was crucified was followed by a glorious new beginning at the resurrection.

Death could not defeat Jesus…and so it cannot defeat us either. 

This is also true for all the small deaths we encounter along life’s journey.

What appears to be an obstacle is actually an opportunity. What on the surface appears to be tragic can be transformed into triumph…if we have faith in the God of Love.

Cling to this Hope in the dark valleys of life and you will be led again and again to shining and glorious mountaintops.

New life is on the way.

Hold on…and trust.

+++

Listen to the song of the day “Salvation” 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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Counter Culture

Posted on February 21, 2017 by billtonnis

poverty_help

May we aspire to help those in need.

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

+++

Mark 9:35

Jesus said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

+++

Jesus’ followers had given up possessions but they were having trouble letting go of two other ego cravings: power and prestige.

In today’s scripture…they had been arguing over who among them was the greatest.

Jesus told them the greatest was the one who put others first…the one who was the servant of all.

Jesus was always turning the world’s ways upside down.

Our culture tells us to strive to be first. It says that winning is everything. Of course, when one person wins…everyone else loses.

Jesus told his followers that in God’s kingdom the highest place of honor goes to the person who willingly descends from the top to being with those at the bottom…to serve those who are counted as last by the culture.

This is Jesus’ command to all who call themselves “Christians.”

Jesus said that whatever we do for “the least of these”…we are doing for him (Matthew 25:40).

Here is the question for each of us to answer: What is my main motivation…to serve myself…or others?

+++

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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Salvation

Posted on February 17, 2017 by billtonnis

mask_field_roses

When we drop our masks…our true selves are revealed.

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

+++

Mark 8:35

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

+++

Jesus often taught through paradox…defined as “a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.”

When you save your life…you actually lose it. But when you lose your life for the sake of spreading Jesus’ message…you actually save your life.

How so?

Although I wouldn’t have consciously admitted it, there was a time when I was a radio news anchor that I craved a certain amount of fame and attention. But eventually…I became miserable.

“My” life was largely formed by my ego. I had built up what Thomas Merton would have called my false self.

When I finally started following a deep, spiritual yearning in my heart…I started to feel a sense of both excitement…and dread! I had to let go of 20 years of what I had worked hard to become.

It felt like dying…but it was actually a new birth.

It was through my ego-crushing, faltering steps away from my former life that I found more life than I ever thought was possible in ministry.

Jesus knows what he’s talking about!

What is the deep, spiritual yearning inside of you asking you to walk away from…so you can be led to your true self?

+++

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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Way of Christ

Posted on February 16, 2017 by billtonnis

path_landscape

Choose the path of both compassion and justice.

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

+++

Mark 8:27-28

Along the way Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”

+++

That’s a good question. Who do you say Jesus is?

There was a time when I mentally knew who Jesus was. I had all the information about him. But what effect did that information have on my life?

I held a lot of beliefs and would generally critique others as to whether they had the “right” set of beliefs or not (by “right” I mean my beliefs of course).

This kind of thinking often results in forming a harsh, judgmental attitude that decides who’s in and who’s out.

But when I read the gospels…I did not find a harsh, judgmental Jesus. Instead…I found a Jesus who reached out to the rejects, the poor and the sick. He didn’t divide based on beliefs.

Who were the harsh, judgmental ones? The Pharisees (religious leaders).

I was like the Pharisees!

It dawned on me that if Jesus was “the way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6) as he claimed…then that knowledge should have a positive effect on my life. As I intensified my pursuit of knowing Jesus more deeply…my life started to change for the better.

My heart softened.

I realized that information about Jesus was a far cry from transformation through him.

My transformation came in the process of being unconditionally loved while humbly following him in my imperfection.

So…who do you say he is?

+++

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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grateful

Posted on February 15, 2017 by billtonnis

heart_clouds

God loves us exactly the way we are.

(Listen to my song “How Wonderful to Me” by clicking HERE)

+++

Psalm 116:12

How can I repay the Lord for all the good done for me?

+++

If we took an inventory of all our blessings…we would be hard pressed to be able to “repay” God for all of them.

Thankfully, God does not want repayment. God simply wants us to shower us with unconditional love.

True love does not seek anything in return. It’s given to us freely with no strings attached.

That is a hard concept for us to fathom since we seldom experience such gratuitous favor from other human beings.

The beautiful truth is…God loved you and me into existence. It is a Love that is always given and never withdrawn. 

God is Love (1 John 4:8).

There came a time when I experienced this Love in my heart…and it changed my life.

When you know that you know that you know you are loved by God in your imperfection…just as you are…it changes everything.

I simply had to share that news with others.

Jesus said, “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13).

God doesn’t need our sacrifices or payments. God simply wants us to pass on the love we’ve been freely given.

Open your heart and receive a Love that was, is and forever will be.

+++

Listen to the song of the day “How Wonderful to 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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Be Awake

Posted on February 14, 2017 by billtonnis

sunset_sprout

Stop. Look. Listen. God is present.

(Listen to my song “Turn Off the Noise” by clicking HERE)

+++

Mark 8:18 

“Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?”

+++

It seems that much of the time…we are on “auto-pilot.”

Our eyes and ears are functioning…but they aren’t really seeing and hearing.

We find ourselves walking around in a daze. While our eyes and ears are technically seeing and hearing…our minds are nattering away on something far, far away from what’s right in front of us.

We aren’t truly present to what is.

Jesus’ question in today’s scripture verse is meant to jolt us awake.

Be present!

And there’s another layer here. I will only speak for myself…but I know how many times the rug has been pulled out from under my “certainty” about this or that.

To really see and hear is to be open and humble.

The mystery of God and the universe…and our place in it…is still unfolding. Beware of people who give you stock answers of certainty in the realm of mystery.

If you truly had the answer…there would be no need to take the journey.

I believe God wants you to take your unique journey so that you are transformed by the answer you’ll find on the way.

Being given easy answers will not transform you.  Living out tough questions…will! 

Following Jesus requires the humility to admit we don’t know…and the willingness and openness to be changed.

+++

Listen to the song of the  day “Turn Off the Noise” 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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grounded in Grace

Posted on February 13, 2017 by billtonnis

hands_black_white

Let Love guide your thoughts and actions.

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

+++

Psalm 50:16-17

But to the wicked God says: “Why do you recite my commandments and profess my covenant with your lips? You hate discipline; you cast my words behind you!”

+++

Some people are good at speaking religious or pious words…but not so good in living out those words.

We are all hypocrites at times. 

“Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). If you do not act in love…what good are the words?

Our faith, our religion, should lead us to a transformed life.

The rules and commandments are all well and good for a foundation and structure. You must start there. This is the early “elementary” faith level.

But as you encounter the messiness of life…the struggles and contradictions…the “gray” areas, your faith will need to graduate from the head to the heart. 

This usually only happens when you truly experience the unconditional Love of God.

And when does that happen? Usually when you least deserve such love!

Such times are ripe with Grace.

The result is a transformed life leading to acts of mercy, forgiveness and compassion so that others might also experience a transforming encounter with Love.

+++

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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Be Healed

Posted on February 10, 2017 by billtonnis

dandelion_field_sky

Let Love lead you to wholeness.

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

+++

Mark 7:34-35

Then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

+++

Many of us find ourselves bound, stuck, struggling, or hurting in some way or many ways.

Just as Jesus “groaned” in today’s scripture reading as he joined himself with the weight of the man’s helplessness…God joins us in our helplessness and the Spirit groans in yearning to heal us of our brokenness.

Jesus healed this deaf man as he had healed many others of physical, emotional and psychological problems.

He also knows exactly the healing you need.

He is the Divine Physician. Call out to him.

Then…have faith that the healing you need will happen.

But remember…the healing you want might not be the healing you need.

You may not be cured…but you will be freed.

God’s objective is that each of us experience love and become love to others.

It’s how you come to know your “true self.”

Trust that God knows the best path, the right experiences and the exact healing you need to experience the Love that will bring you wholeness and peace.

+++

Listen to the song of the day “Heal 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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God Centered

Posted on February 9, 2017 by billtonnis

leaves_autumn_colors

Life is not about me…but about us.

(Listen to my song “Pour Me Out” by clicking HERE)

+++

Mark 7:24

Jesus entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice.

+++

It’s very refreshing to realize that Jesus did not want notoriety.

He did not strive for the spotlight of stardom.

Jesus was always spending time with the rejects…the “nobodies.”

His mission was to heal, free the oppressed, include the outcast and restore people to their communities.

He didn’t want recognition.

The focus was not on him as a great healer but on the other in need of experiencing God’s unconditional love.

Jesus showed us that God wants to be with us in our brokenness and wants to lead us to wholeness.

In my life…it was God’s intimate embrace during my struggles that transformed me.

The journey itself is intertwined with God…so that as we live our questions…we find our answers in the process of growing in love.

As writer and retreat leader Paula D’Arcy said, “God comes to you disguised as your life.”

+++

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!

Posted in Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment