You Are Cherished

Posted on July 13, 2016 by billtonnis

Rose_leaves

Our Creator is Eternal Love.

(Listen to my song “I Will Give You Rest” by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 94:14

You, Lord, will not forsake your people, nor abandon your very own.

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Perhaps you are struggling with something.

Perhaps it’s a health issue, money issue or relationship issue.

Perhaps it’s an addiction.

It may be that proverbial thorn in your side that you can’t seem to shake.

Know that God is there in the midst of it…not against you…but with you; not judging or condemning you…but accepting and comforting you.

It is the place where you need God…the place where God wants to commune with you and lift you…to heal you and bring you to wholeness.

But it will happen in God’s way and God’s time.

If you trust and let go…your scar will be transformed into a star.

Jesus showed us that death is always transformed into new life and wholeness.

Some of my greatest struggles led to me writing songs that in turn I now share with the suffering and as well in jail ministry. The very things that tormented me were transformed into healing balm for others.

This is what Love does.

Cling to this hope! Where would we be…where would we turn…without it?

Loving God, I trust in You!

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Listen to the  song of the day “I Will Give You Rest” by clicking HERE.

Sample and/or purchase my songs by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Turn to Love

Posted on July 12, 2016 by billtonnis

almond-blossom-_peace

Turn away from all the things that can never bring lasting satisfaction.

(Listen to my song “Singing My Song” by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 11:20

Then he (Jesus) began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.

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To repent is to change the direction in which you are seeking happiness or fulfillment.

Jesus went about curing people not to get rave reviews of his miracles and become a celebrity but so people could see that God wants everyone to be “whole.”

God wants us all to know that we belong…we are included.

Jesus cured the sick (who would have been cast-out of their communities as “unclean”) and were therefore restored.

Most people are looking for wholeness, meaning and fulfillment in the wrong places. They are trying to find something that is missing…trying to satisfy an inner yearning for wholeness through power, prestige and possessions…or physical pleasure.

But the space that needs filling…can only be filled by God who is Love.

Only God can satisfy that deep, spiritual yearning for wholeness. A deeper connection with God…the Loving Source of all life…is the only answer.

A stronger relationship with Jesus is a great way to strengthen your bond with God. He showed us how to live and how to die. He showed us how to love.

All it takes is a decision that can be made with each new moment…to turn away from the things that cannot provide our wholeness and to turn toward the only One who can.

Why not now?

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Listen to the song of the day “Singing My Song” 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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Wholeness in Progress

Posted on July 8, 2016 by billtonnis

sun_rain_glass

God is renewing all things…you included.

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

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Psalm 51:12

A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.

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No matter how many times we screw up…no matter how many times we come up short…God is always embracing us in love.

That’s what “Love” does (“God is love” 1 John 4:8).

Our Loving Source only wants to heal us, restore us and renew us.

Forgiveness is always given.

Any pain, suffering or death will eventually lead to resurrection and new life.

Jesus demonstrated this pattern for us. The pattern is all around us. The darkness of night is followed by the light of dawn. The dead of winter is followed by the new life of spring.

God is constantly but patiently working to heal us, renew us and bring us…and all of creation…to wholeness.

There is some helpful advice on cooperating with God’s grace in creating a clean heart. It comes from Ira Byock in his book The Four Things That Matter Most. The four things are:

  1. Please forgive me
  2. I forgive you
  3. Thank you
  4. I love you

If there is someone who needs to hear these four things from you…why not do it today?

May your heart and spirit be renewed!

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Listen to the song of the day “Heal Me” 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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Graced

Posted on July 7, 2016 by billtonnis

warm_landscape

We are SO blessed. Pay it forward.

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

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Matthew 10:8

“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

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We have received so much from our Creator.

Look at all the gifts that have been lavished upon us: the beauty of nature and all of creation; All the wonderful sensations we experience by way of touch, sight, hearing and smell; Life itself and eternal life.

All these things have been granted to us by our Loving Source who has given freely without any conditions!

Jesus spent the last three years of his life showing us the face of God. He tirelessly restored people to wholeness. He healed without conditions.

It had nothing to do with a person’s religious beliefs. It had nothing to do with a person’s worthiness or ability to earn it. Jesus’ only requirement seemed to be faith in him or in God.

We all have struggles. Perhaps it is precisely in those struggles where we have most experienced the unconditional love, healing and grace of God.

How can each of us be a channel of this same healing to the world?

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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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Unconditional Love

Posted on July 6, 2016 by billtonnis

summer_sunflowers

God’s grace is free…so that what we receive we can freely give.

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

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Matthew 10:7

“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

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Jesus was clearly not preaching a message of how to safely be evacuated to a future heaven.

Your life is not about a “personal salvation project” as Thomas Merton would have called it. That would make it all about me somehow earning a future reward by what I do…or by what I say I believe…and not about any transformational journey.

It would miss my responsibility for loving and caring for my neighbor (and God and myself) in the here and now.

Jesus told his followers that the number one priority was to love God and your neighbor as yourself. He instructed them to preach that ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ when you are healing and helping others return to wholeness.

The kingdom of heaven would then be “at hand.”

Jesus does not say “will someday be at hand if you’re good!”

How have we missed this for so long?

And this kingdom is given to us “without cost”…meaning it’s a free gift from God!

Each of us is called to use our gifts and talents to make the here and now a more loving, merciful, forgiving and compassionate place. When we love God and our neighbor as ourselves with all our hearts…the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

How are you being called to use your gifts and talents so that God’s kingdom can truly come?

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Listen to the song of the song of the day “Shall We Sing” 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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Rest

Posted on July 5, 2016 by billtonnis

sunset_ocean

No matter what your troubles…an Eternal Love will never leave you.

Listen to my song “I Will Give You Rest” by clicking HERE.

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Matthew 9:36

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

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It takes being at the bottom before you realize how much you need a Higher Power.

When you are at the top it is difficult to be aware that you truly need God. Why would you…if you are wealthy, healthy and powerful?

Those at the top are more likely to want to protect and accumulate what they have. They have little motivation to help someone poor and struggling. Many times…they don’t even see such people.

Remember Jesus saying how hard it was for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God? That’s because many times they become attached to their power, possessions and prestige. Thankfully, there are some very generous people of wealth willing to put their money, power and influence at work for good.

Jesus modeled the way for us to follow. He moved down the so-called ladder of success…and joined those at the bottom. Jesus reached out to those who were cast out by society. Many were sick and in need of healing. They were “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus showed us that God has a deep love for those who are poor and suffering.

Sometimes it takes being troubled and abandoned before we will let go of our attachments to things that can’t save us (as in make us whole)…so that we can turn to the Shepherd who will rescue us every time.

Why not do it now?

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Listen to the song of the day “I Will Give You Rest” 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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Trust In Grace

Posted on July 4, 2016 by billtonnis

desert_sun

If you are struggling…let Love lead you.

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

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Hosea 2:16

So, I will allure her, I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.

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Did you ever feel like nothing is making sense any more…like all the things that at one time you were so sure of or were your foundations of support have crumbled?

Welcome to the desert.

There will come times in all our spiritual journeys when we must move to a deeper level of faith or be forever stuck in a spiritual dead-end.

As Jesus said, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins” (Mark 2:22).

Sometimes we need to take time in the desert to let go of the old wineskins…to let go of old attachments or boundaries that no longer work…so that we can move to a deeper level of spiritual development.

However, most of us will not move into the desert on our own accord. We will not be willing to let go of things we think we need…things we’ve become attached to or identify with.

It will feel like dying.

But what if we open our hearts to this new flow…and allow it to “allure” us…lovingly lead us?

In the desert we will be free to hear God’s gentle, kind whisper in our hearts…a whisper that will always lead us to transformation, healing, wholeness and peace.

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

Sample and/or purchase my songs by clicking HERE.

CD’s available for secure purchase by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Happy Fault

Posted on July 1, 2016 by billtonnis

flower_daisy

Mercy transforms hearts and changes lives.

Listen to my song “Mercy Reigns” by clicking HERE.

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Matthew 9:11-13
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

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Jesus was always hanging out with the “wrong” crowd.

He was often sharing meals with so-called “sinners.”

He seemed to have harsh words for only one group…the Pharisees…the religious leaders who were constantly trying to enforce the letter of the law. The Pharisees, of course, were sinners as well…but they acted as if they were not.

No one is perfect.

Everyone misses the mark on occasion and sometimes on many occasions. Jesus knew that.

God made us imperfect so that we could experience what unconditional love is. (Think about it. Why would God make us imperfect and then punish us for being imperfect? That makes no sense!)

Jesus demonstrated for us that God is a God of mercy who wants nothing more than to be with us in our struggles and short-comings.

For when we experience God’s unmerited love, forgiveness, compassion and mercy…our hearts are transformed. Then we can’t help but want to pass that same unconditional love and mercy on to others.

Are you aware that God loves you eternally just as you are?

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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 to purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Make the Change

Posted on June 30, 2016 by billtonnis

lighthouse_sun

How are you being called to become compassion?

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

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Amos 7:14-15

Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

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God is calling each of us. No one is exempt. No one is left out.

We are all called in some way to use our gifts and talents to build the kingdom of God…or in other words…to make the world a more loving, merciful, forgiving, compassionate and just place.

The sooner you “tap into” your inner source…God’s voice within you…the sooner you will be in the flow of God’s creativity…and the sooner you will be your “true self.”

Many people need to become something else first…something that is usually the creation of their egos. This could be called the “false self.” It’s not a “bad” self…just not the “true self”.

Jesus calls each of us to “repent” which actually means to change the direction in which we are seeking happiness.

Most people resist change.

Little do they know that the change is the key to their happiness!

The change may be small or big…as it was for Amos in today’s scripture. Such was the case for me: from radio news…to ministry.

You may find yourself on a road less traveled. Nothing is more insecure…but at the same time totally exciting and invigorating as being on that road where you will not only discover God…but yourself in the process.

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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 by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

 

 

 

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Great Awakening

Posted on June 29, 2016 by billtonnis

night_star_human

Let Love be your guide in life.

Listen to the song “Changed” by clicking HERE

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Matthew 16:15

“But who do you say that I am?”

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Jesus is asking the same question to you and me that he asked his followers when he walked the earth.

It can be a life-changing question. It was for me.

One day the question really struck home and I knew Jesus was asking it of me.

I had to seriously look at the accounts given about his life in the New Testament.

Jesus said he was “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He demonstrated how to live and how to die. He radically changed the lives of those who followed him after they claimed that they witnessed the resurrected Christ.

He showed us that God’s Love is unconditional and forever.

And in the process of my effort to get to know him…Jesus changed my life.

I had to make changes in order to follow him more faithfully.

It meant going back to school. It meant changing careers. It meant picking up a guitar that I had abandoned years before and writing songs (and now recording my 4th album). It meant completing the full training for chaplaincy.

It meant changing my views on many things.

It meant standing up for those who are left out. It meant becoming a servant.

It meant becoming “Christ-centered”…not “me” centered.

And what did I receive?

The awakening of my true self…and a life full of blessings and spiritual treasures.

So…who do YOU say that he is?

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Listen to the song of the day “Changed” 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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