Be Your Beautiful Self

Posted on November 13, 2015 by billtonnis

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Psalm 19:2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder’s craft.

Take a look at the beautiful sky and all the marvels of nature surrounding you. Look beyond the skies to the vast universe. (At the present time…the observable universe is over 90 billion light years in diameter). The Great Artisan is still at work…creating. You and I are a part of God’s beloved Creation. How are we responding with our gifts and talents to cooperate in creating this unfolding masterpiece? How are we proclaiming our builder’s craft? We do it by simply being our true selves. That is when God’s glory shines!

Listen to the song of the day “Glorify You with Me” by clicking HERE.

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Love Changes Everything

Posted on November 12, 2015 by billtonnis

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Luke 17:20-21

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, “The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”

Jesus never seemed to be preoccupied with some distant day when you “get to heaven.” He seemed to be much more preoccupied with “getting to heaven” now. Now is where you will find the kingdom of God if you are present to it. Christ is present in the person next to you and in nature that surrounds you. How are you present to that Presence? How are you present to the Presence of God within you? I once heard a college student give a presentation about five medical mission trips he had been a part of to Haiti, Honduras, and South Sudan. He said that he used to be preoccupied with video games and other idle pursuits of fun…until going on a mission trip that he really didn’t want to go on. When he met face to face with an impoverished child in need…his pursuits changed. He realized a greater purpose for his life. Now his mission is to help people. No one announced the kingdom of God to him…he simply encountered it in the face and the need of a child. I call this a “Christ encounter.” Such an encounter…will transform your life. Are you open to such an encounter?

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Awaken

Posted on November 11, 2015 by billtonnis

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Wisdom 6:11

Desire therefore my words; long for them and you shall be instructed.

In any close relationship we have intimate, two-way conversations. Do you have such a relationship with God? Or do you do all the talking when it comes to communicating with God? Your Creator yearns to speak to you in your heart through silence, scripture, nature, people, music, art, books, etc., etc., etc. But the question is…are you listening? Try taking some quiet time to simply sit in the presence of God. God is present…but many times our minds are not! They are constantly chattering. Observe your mind in its endless activity. Let it be still. Be present to the Divine Presence in times of silence and in whatever you are doing…and listen to your heart.

Listen to the song of the day “Listen to Your Heart” by clicking HERE.

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Transformation through Love

Posted on November 10, 2015 by billtonnis

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Psalm 34:2

I will bless the Lord at all times; praise shall be always in my mouth.

It’s easy to praise God when things are wonderful…but what about when things are seemingly bad? God is only capable of loving us unconditionally (“God is love” 1 John 4:8). Jesus reflected this in the way he lived his life and the way he died as well (“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” Luke 23:34). So what if we continued to praise and bless the Lord “at all times”…even in times of darkness? Our God of Love will always lead us to something amazing and beautiful…because that’s what Love does. Just trust the process. In my life, the seemingly worst times have always turned into profoundly transforming times thanks to the grace of God. A new “birthing” is underway. Deliverance and restoration is coming. Believe that! Love wins. Praise God!

Listen to the song of the day “Lift Up Our Voices” by clicking HERE.

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Be at Peace

Posted on November 9, 2015 by billtonnis

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Psalm 46:2

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.

God is not out there. God is not off in some distant place coldly observing us. God is with us and also within us. God is intimately close to you…as close as your very breath. Our Creator is Love itself…right now. So learn from the past but let it go. It’s over! Plan for the future…but do not fret over it as it is not yet…and so it is not real! Now is where you will find God…patiently and lovingly drawing you to the future. So in times of trouble, allow this awareness to envelop and embrace you. God will never abandon you. Impossible! So do not be afraid. Be at peace.

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Death to Life

Posted on November 6, 2015 by billtonnis

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Psalm 98:2

The Lord has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph for the nations to see.

We see dying and rising all around us. Each day ends in the darkness of night…but then comes the dawn of a new day. Each year ends in the dead of winter…but then new life blossoms again in the spring. Someone dies…while a baby is being born. We’re surrounded by examples of this cycle where God is constantly telling us…death is not the end…but a new beginning. God showed us in Jesus the ultimate lesson…that death does not win. It’s a passage way into something better. The crucifixion was followed by the resurrection. In each of our lives we experience many deaths and resurrections…many struggles that lead to a new and transformed life…if we have faith and cling to a Great Love who will never abandon us.

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Good News

Posted on November 5, 2015 by billtonnis

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Luke 15:3-6

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'”

Jesus told this parable to Pharisees (religious leaders) after they had criticized him for eating with “sinners.” Jesus shows us the true character of God…who is not waiting to punish you…but is yearning to love you. Jesus shows us a God who will go to any length to restore you…heal you…include you and make you whole. That is salvation! Where is the place inside you that you feel that you are the “lost sheep” and that no one could possibly love you because of it? That is precisely the place where God wants to embrace you and say, “Fear not. I will never let you go. I love you.”

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Live Your Calling

Posted on November 4, 2015 by billtonnis

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Romans 13:8

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Some people are so focused on not breaking a commandment that they forget that Jesus said the real focus should be on love. In today’s scripture verse, St. Paul tells us not to get so wrapped up in what not to do…that we forget what we are here to do: love. The Commandments are supposed to free us from the chains that keep us from loving. When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). If we simply love…then the Ten Commandments would not be necessary. Do you know that God loves you infinitely? Allow that understanding to settle in your soul. Now…what can you do today to share this Infinite Love?

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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Share Your Gifts

Posted on November 3, 2015 by billtonnis

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Romans 12:6

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them.

What are your gifts? Whatever talents you may have…they are gifts from God. Whatever passions you may have…they are gifts from God. They were all freely given to you…built in if you will. How are you developing them and cultivating them? Your talents might be singing, artistry or dancing…or they might be such things as critical thinking, math ability, public speaking, teaching, healing or making others laugh. It might be your ability to make others feel welcome. Whatever those gifts are…St. Paul in today’s scripture verse is urging us to use them to make the world a more loving, compassionate and just place. The kingdom of God is on the verge of breaking into the present moment…if we cooperate. This is the path to true joy and freedom!

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase 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 November 2, 2015 by billtonnis

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John 6:37-38

“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

Jesus gives us words of great comfort. He says that He will not reject anyone who comes to Him! We find this hard to believe because when we do wrong to others they usually do reject us. But God does not reject us because God’s love is unconditional. Where are you broken? What have you done that you regret or what is it that is causing you inner turmoil? While many people have been taught to be believe that God looks at us with great disdain due to all these things…what if God actually looks at us with great love and tenderness and wants to embrace us, heal us and make us whole? In our brokenness we realize that we can’t fix ourselves on our own…only God can! Jesus, the Christ, wants to show you the amazing unconditional love of God. All you have to do is accept it. It is an offer that is never withdrawn! Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The most unbelievable Love…is true.

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

All my songs available for free sampling and/or purchase by clicking HERE.

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

Remember…God loves you!

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