Unify

Posted on October 28, 2016 by billtonnis

rainbow_valley

Christianity is supposed to bring people together despite differences…not divide based on differences.

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

(Learn more about and/or support my new album project by clicking HERE)

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Ephesians 2:19

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God…

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Many are searching for belonging and acceptance.

Jesus spent much of his ministry reaching out to the lost, the outcast and the sick to let them know they are always included by God.

He restored them to wholeness, health and community.

The only people Jesus criticized were the Pharisees (religious leaders) who were trying to divide people. Many so-called Christians today continue to side with the Pharisees!

Jesus is the microcosm and Christ is the macrocosm. St. Paul wrote that we are all one body in the universal Christ.

That’s the Ultimate Reality.

The delusion is that we are divided.

Each of us is called to make the “body of Christ” a reality in this time and space…not only in our community but the whole world.

The “body of Christ” extends past human-imposed borders and boundaries to all people.

How can I put myself out of my comfort zone today to be with someone who is not in my crowd? How can I break down walls of division to be in solidarity with someone “different” from me? 

How can I be a manifestation of the Body of Christ?

If you are a Christian…this is your call.

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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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Have Faith

Posted on October 27, 2016 by billtonnis

sunrise_earlymorning

All struggles are opportunities for transformation to new life.

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

(Find out more about my new album project and/or help support it by clicking HERE)

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Luke 13:32

“Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.”

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Jesus showed us that God wants to heal us and see us made whole.

We are being led to a glorious transformation.

It is a process in which we encounter struggles, pain and infirmities. We are invited to let go of control so that in our struggles…in our weaknesses…God can lift us and transform us.

Jesus showed us that ultimately death does not win…but in fact leads us to new life that is eternal.

So what appears to be horrible…what appears to be a horrendous end…can actually be the very thing that leads to our transformation, joy and new beginning…if we have faith and cling to the hope of Christ. 

As St. Paul said in Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is Good News!

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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!

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Love Is Inclusive

Posted on October 26, 2016 by billtonnis

tree_leaves

Everyone is God’s favorite.

(Listen to my song “All Are Welcome” by clicking HERE)

(Find out more about my new album project and/or help support it by clicking HERE)

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Luke 13:30

“For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

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The kingdom of God has different standards than this world.

Jesus said that the people looked down upon by popular culture…those viewed as being “last”…might actually be looked upon as “first” in the viewpoint of God’s Kingdom. And the reverse is also true.

But no one is excluded…unless they choose to be.

In the Reign of God…there is no “first” and “last”…no separations…no rankings…no one excluded.

All are one.

We are each called to live our lives in such a way that God’s kingdom comes “on earth as is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

But when I choose to cater to my ego…putting myself first…I separate myself from others.

In religious lingo…this is my “sin.”

I am called to cater to the Greater Good. I am called to love. I am called to bring people together.

So are you.

What matters in God’s eyes is our motivation.

What is in our hearts?

If we are motivated by love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion…then the Kingdom of God is at hand.

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Listen to the song of the day “All Are Welcome” 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 Go and Live

Posted on October 25, 2016 by billtonnis

seedling_leaves

The blueprint of Love is in the essence of all that is.

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

(Learn more about my new album project and/or support it by clicking HERE)

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Luke 13:18-19

Then he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'”

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There is something beautiful happening…unbeknownst to many who are lost in the rat race of the world.

Like a tiny mustard seed sprouting unnoticed…the kingdom of God is growing in our midst.

Make no mistake…it is growing.

An eternal Love is the catalyst.

Some people are tending to this growth…choosing to nourish the seed by being consciously present to it. These are the people who are loving God and their neighbor as themselves. These are the people living the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12).

In today’s scripture verse above, Jesus is again making it clear that the kingdom of God begins in the here and now…not in some future heaven.

We each can cultivate the growth of God’s kingdom through acts of forgiveness, mercy and compassion this very day.

Receive God’s unconditional love…allow it to change you…then pass it along.

Like the mustard seed…you must surrender a static life in order to be transformed and grow.

Say “yes” to participating in Love’s flourishing.

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

Sample and/or download my songs for purchase at iTunes by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Grace

Posted on October 24, 2016 by billtonnis

sculpture_jesus_mercy

Channel your passion for justice through the filter of mercy.

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

(Learn more about my new album project and how you can help by clicking HERE)

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Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

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We see the face of God in Jesus…in the way he lived, loved, forgave, and worked for justice with compassion.

Jesus showed us that God is with us and for us.

And in the risen Christ we see that God always was with us and all creation…and will always be with us.

Jesus told his disciples over and over to follow him.

So we, too, are called to follow the way of Christ by serving the greater good…giving of ourselves for the sake of Love.

St. Paul’s words above spring from his own Christ encounter on the road to Damascus. While “breathing murderous threats” (Acts 9:1) he was planning to bring Christians back to Jerusalem in chains.

But his life was transformed when he received forgiveness and compassion when he least merited it.

As followers of the risen Christ…we are called to do the same for others.

How can I reach out in love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion today?

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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!

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Let Love Speak

Posted on October 21, 2016 by billtonnis

community_figures_heart

How are you being called to humbly bring people together in peace?

(Listen to my song “Shall We Sing” by clicking HERE)

(Find out more about my new album project and how to contribute by clicking HERE)

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Ephesians 4:1-3

I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

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What a different world it would be…if we lived these words from the apostle Paul.

He followed Christ by spreading the Good News of God’s unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion. After all, that is what Jesus did.

When attacked and persecuted…Jesus responded in love…giving the ultimate example of unconditional love when he forgave all his persecutors from the cross.

They weren’t even asking for forgiveness!

Such Love is what transformed Paul…sparking a radical change in his life from persecutor of Christians to a devoted follower of Christ.

He, too, had to bear with patience the attacks against him.

There is a bigger picture…a bigger vision: God’s dream for creation.

Each of us is included.

Each of us has received a call to share God’s love using our unique gifts and talents.

You are being invited into this Great Dance of Divine Love.

Great joy awaits you…if you accept the invitation.

Each moment is a new opportunity.

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Listen to the song of the day “Shall We Sing” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or download to 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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Abundant Life

Posted on October 20, 2016 by billtonnis

sunrise_landscape

Let love guide our speech and actions.

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

(Find out more about my new album project and/or contribute by clicking HERE)

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Ephesians 3:17-19

That you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

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Are you “rooted and grounded in love”?

We all are…but many people don’t know it.

It’s easy to get lost in the noise of the world and in the unbridled desires of our egos. We lose conscious awareness that Love is our source.

It usually takes great love or great suffering to wake us up.

God’s love is so immense that it is beyond anything we can imagine.

St. Paul experienced the fullness of this Love in a mystical encounter with the resurrected Christ (Acts 9)…and that experience began a transformation that changed him from a persecutor of Christians to one of the most zealous followers of Christ.

He became one of the most renowned preachers of the Good News…that God loves all people unconditionally.

While we can try to define the love of Christ…it surpasses any definitions.

Jesus truly emptied himself…all the way to the cross. May we be willing to empty ourselves in the name of Love as well.

It is only then that we will be transformed…and filled with the fullness of God.

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

Sample and/or download to purchase my songs by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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All Are One

Posted on October 19, 2016 by billtonnis

field-of-poppies-_sunshine

We are called to unite…not divide.

(Listen to my song “All Are Welcome” by clicking HERE)

(Find out more about my new album project and/or donate by clicking HERE)

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Ephesians 3:4, 6

When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

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The Good News that was revealed to St. Paul about “the mystery of Christ” was that God chose all people for salvation…not just the Jews.

This was scandalous and unacceptable to the Jewish people who thought God only cared about them.

Sadly…many Christians today still feel that God’s eternal unconditional love is only for a select group…those who believe certain things or fit certain guidelines. And wouldn’t you know…it’s their beliefs and their guidelines.

The revelation to St. Paul was that we are all members of the same body of Christ.

We are both separate and yet one with the One Life.

In what ways are we creating divisions…separating those supposedly in God’s favor from those who are out?

Who are the “outcasts” today? Who do we refuse to accept in our group? 

Is it poor people? Is it gay people? Is it people living on the other side of a border? Is it people who aren’t Christian?

Just know that whoever it is that is being thrown-out…Jesus would be joining them at the dinner table. 

Maybe instead of being so concerned about being right…it would be better to concern ourselves with being in right relationship.

There are no divisions in the kingdom of God.

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Listen to the song of the day “All Are Welcome” by clicking HERE.

Sample my songs and/or download for purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Tell the Good News

Posted on October 18, 2016 by billtonnis

field_harvest_sky

We are all being called on a great adventure.

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

(Find out more about my new album project by clicking HERE)

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Luke 10:2

Jesus said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

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The harvest is abundant.

There are millions of people who need to hear the Good News that God loves them unconditionally and that they have an eternal destiny.

If you are a follower of Jesus…then you are called to be a laborer for God’s harvest.

We are all being called to go out and proclaim God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion.

We are all being called to reach out to the oppressed, the poor, the suffering and those imprisoned by afflictions and addictions.

God wants everyone to know that they are loved unconditionally so that the kingdom of God might indeed break into the present moment. 

But “the laborers are few.”

Many people are instead laboring to build their own kingdoms…instead of tending to God’s. They are lost in a culture of power, prestige and possessions.

In their very midst…a great Love story is unfolding all around…and the Creator of the universe is inviting each of us to be a part of it.

The choice is yours.

Will you be a missionary of mercy to bring God’s healing and wholeness to all of creation?

The adventure begins now.

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

Sample and/or purchase my songs by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Divine Purpose

Posted on October 17, 2016 by billtonnis

sun-flower-_field

To love is our calling.

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

(Please contribute to my new album project. Find out more by clicking HERE)

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Ephesians 2:10

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

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God has uniquely crafted each of us.

We have been created by Love itself (“God is love” – 1 John 4:8).

We in turn have a choice to either live in our uniqueness by using our gifts and talents for our own purposes (ego-centered)…or for God’s purposes (Love-centered).

We have the opportunity to be a channel of our Creator’s unconditional love.

Jesus showed us the way: Die to self-serving desires…so that God’s desires can rise in us.

Let go of the ego’s craving for power, prestige and possessions…all fixed on building a “false self”…so that our “true self” can be revealed.

You are God’s “handiwork”…God’s beloved work of art…just as you are.

Allow that understanding to settle in your soul.

How will you use your gifts and talents to do good works?

Know your belovedness. Feel the peace that it brings.

Then simply do the next loving thing.

Experience being in the flow of God’s love right now…and truly have life to the full.

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

Sample and/or purchase my songs by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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