Be a Peacemaker

Posted on April 12, 2016 by billtonnis

landscape_sunset

Love transforms hate.

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Acts 7:58

They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.

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Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was accused of blasphemy…thrown-out and stoned to death by the people who thought they were following God!

And the man complicit in this crime, Saul, became an infamous persecutor of Christians…that is until he was later transformed through a mystical encounter with the risen Christ and became one of his most famous followers…St. Paul.

Good thing another supposed “follower of God” didn’t kill him before he could change.

Whatever you have done in the past…God continues to love you.

That love is unconditional.

And the person who seems the most despicable to you now…is equally loved by God!

God wants to transform that person as well.

Perhaps you could be God’s agent for that transformation?

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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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Source of Life

Posted on April 11, 2016 by billtonnis

wine_grapes

If you are rich in love, kindness and generosity…you are truly wealthy.

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John 6:27
“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

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What is your main motivator in life?

If it’s gaining money, possessions, power and prestige…you will be left empty because all those things will eventually disintegrate.

In themselves…those things are neither good nor bad. It’s our attachment to them that is the problem.

What if your main motivator in life…was love?

You have a unique, creative, eternal purpose to share God’s love based on your gifts and talents.

If making money is one of your talents…then you are called to share God’s love with your wealth. This is good and much needed! You are not called to simply amass more pleasures for yourself.

Allow Jesus to be your guide. After all…he asked us to “follow” him. Allow Jesus to be the food that provides you fuel and inspiration for your purpose and direction.

For that to happen…you’ll have to spend some quality time reading his words in the Gospels and sitting in silent reflection.

Then…listen to your heart.

Be about making the world a more loving, compassionate and just place (AKA building the kingdom of God). Your payback will be inner peace and joy that has no end.

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Listen to the song of the day “Listen to Your Heart” 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 April 8, 2016 by billtonnis

dawn_stillness

Be still and know the Goodness of God.

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Psalm 27:13-14

But I believe I shall enjoy the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!

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Life is not some game in which we try to be good enough to make the cut to get to heaven one day.

God’s love cannot be earned. It’s freely given!

“It’s heaven all the way to heaven” as St. Catherine of Siena is quoted as saying.

God wants us to experience love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion now…“in the land of the living” so that we can be transformed and share that love with others. That is how we take part in building the kingdom of God here on earth.

It’s not about our goodness earning God’s love…but God’s goodness poured out generously and unconditionally upon us now.

God does not love me because I am good but because God is good, generous and loving.

God is Love.

Allow that knowledge to sink in. Rest in it.

And if you are not experiencing this amazing acceptance and love at the moment…take courage! Wait for the Lord!

Be still.

Be.

While you are consciously waiting…you are being present.

In that Presence…I guarantee that you will find the unconditional love and compassion of God.

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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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Gut Check

Posted on April 7, 2016 by billtonnis

sun_hand

Am I reflecting the light of God’s unconditional Love?

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Acts 5:29

But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men.”

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Peer pressure and the ways of our culture can be tough to go against.

Most of the time…we don’t even think to question our personal habits and business practices.

But if we are to follow Jesus, it means doing so even when it would be easier to blend in with the crowd and just do what everyone else is doing. It means we obey God when it comes to how we spend our money, how we vote, what television shows we watch, what we do on the internet and how we spend our free time.

What is my motivation in doing the things that I do?

Is love my main motivator…or something else?

When I disagree with people (including political candidates)…do I still treat them with the love and respect due them as daughters and sons of God?

Do I love my enemies and Jesus commanded us?

One way to stay in touch with your motivations as well as the inner voice of God…is to spend ten to twenty minutes each morning in silence. As Jesus said, “When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret” (Matthew 6:6).

Empty yourself so God has a place to fill.

Then when faced with day-to-day decisions, you will be able to hear God’s voice more clearly amidst the chatter of the world.

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Listen to the song of the day “May I Be Light” 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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Eternal Now

Posted on April 6, 2016 by billtonnis

faith_word

Letting go is the path to true life.

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John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

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God became like us in Jesus and showed us how to be human.

Jesus showed us how to live and how to die. He showed us how to be “whole.”

If we follow his way…we find true life right here and now.

It’s the way of dying to our ego’s selfish desires so that our true self can rise.

When we surrender our self-centered pursuits…we naturally begin using our gifts and talents in the service of others’ needs. Pursuing our own egocentric desires leads to an endless quest for more which always leads to a dead-end. But when we let go of our attachments to possessions, prestige and power, we paradoxically receive all that we need.

Unencumbered by these attachments…we find freedom, peace and joy.

In other words…we find abundant life that is both now and eternal.

That, my friends, is how we are saved through Jesus.

Turn to Jesus…follow him…and discover true life that never ends.

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Listen to the song of the day “Come to Jesus” 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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Faith Requires Service

Posted on April 5, 2016 by billtonnis

hands_help_reaching

How am I being called to help someone in need?

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Acts 4:32

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.

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This is what the life of the Christian community looked like at the beginning just after the resurrection of Jesus. At least…this was the ideal.

Knowing human nature it probably was a far cry from perfect. But this describes the way the followers of Jesus lived their lives as a community…or as “Church.”

They shared everything.

The scripture goes on to say that “there was no needy person.”

There have always been more than enough resources to satisfy everyone’s needs and yet the divide is widening ever more between those who are compiling riches beyond measure and those who have nothing.

Children in some countries are dying of starvation while their parents can do nothing about it. People risk their lives to come to the United States out of desperation to save their starving families.

Perhaps each of us needs to stop and ponder what is excess in our lives?

What possessions am I clinging to instead of sharing?

How can I be a better steward of my time, talent and treasure for the building of the kingdom of God in this time and place?

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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 purchase at BillTonnisMusic.com by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Mercy Reigns

Posted on April 4, 2016 by billtonnis

rain_forest_light

God’s love cannot be earned because it’s already unconditionally given.

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Psalm 40:7

Sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me.

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The prophet Hosea declared that these were the words of God: “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). The psalmist concurs in today’s scripture verse.

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

It’s not about doing something to earn God’s love.

It’s not about getting rid of something to earn God’s love.

God’s love is already given. 

God loved you before you were born…before you knew any rules to follow. Rules are essential for children to function. But once you grow into the knowledge and understanding of God’s amazing love…then the rules (while still good) are no longer the focus.

Some people are still stuck in a childhood religion of desperately following a list of guidelines…always fearing they will mess-up and God will somehow get angry at them.

A God who would die on a cross and say, “Forgive them, they know not what they do,” is an unconditional lover.

Get to know that God.

Now…what is that God of Love asking you to do to help make the world a more compassionate, forgiving, just and merciful place?

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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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Thanks Be to God

Posted on April 1, 2016 by billtonnis

milky-way-night_sky

Love is the Master Plan.

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Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the Lord, who is good, whose love endures forever.

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Do you believe this?

Many people seem to have a toxic image of God as a judgmental ogre looking to punish us.

But if God is love as scripture tells us (1 John 4:8) and if God is like Jesus as Jesus was quoted as saying (John 14:7)…then a ‘punishing God’ is certainly a false image.

Have we not all experienced the love and comfort of God in times of sorrow and pain…as well as experienced the love of God in times of joy and pleasure?

Jesus showed us the true nature of God.

He shared in the joy and he shared in the suffering. He untiringly reached out to heal those in need.

When you feel the pain that comes along the path of life know that God hangs with you…suffers with you…cries with you…and comforts you.

Our loving Creator inspires others to come to our aid as well.

Perhaps you have been inspired to reach out to someone in need?

God’s love does not depend on our response, beliefs or actions.

It is always freely given. It is eternally abundant.

Give thanks!

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Listen to the song of the day “Give Praise and Thanks” 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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Be a Peacemaker

Posted on March 31, 2016 by billtonnis

bridge_peacemaker

Build bridges…not walls.

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Luke 24:36

He stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

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How many times are we tempted to say “I told you so” when we are right and someone else is wrong?

Or how many times have we rubbed it in when someone else is caught red-handed or in some wrong-doing?

Our egos always want to come out on top and win the argument.

The Risen Christ had every reason to be critical of his followers for failing him. They had all abandoned him in his time of need.

But instead of a scolding…Jesus offered them peace.

He extended forgiveness…even before anyone had asked for it.

This is only possible when the ego…or “false self”…is put aside.

Being in right relationship…is more important than being right.

What a different world it would be if we followed this example!

May each of us be a channel of Christ’s peace today.

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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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Sing Your Lifesong

Posted on March 30, 2016 by billtonnis

music_notes

When we use our gifts and talents in service…it is like a sacred symphony.

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Psalm 105:1-2

Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds! Sing praise, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds!

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There is much to be thankful about.

Contemplate this: We are all beloved children of God and are destined for eternal life.

God is with us and has showed us the extreme nature of Divine Love in the life of Jesus. Jesus said if we knew him…that we would know God (John 14:7).

And what do we know of Jesus?

He reached out to all those who were suffering and excluded. He reached out to those who were regarded as “sinners.” And finally…he endured the worst injustice possible…and then while dying on the cross…forgave all!

This is who God is!

Now we are called to be the body of Christ to the world.

How will you do this?

For me it means in part to literally sing and play music.

What do you enjoy doing? What talent or trait have you been given that when you express it…you experience pure joy?

Perhaps God is asking you to use that gift as an expression of God’s love.

For when we do this…the glory of God is revealed and the kingdom of God breaks into the present!

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Listen to 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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