Agent of God

Posted on June 24, 2014 by billtonnis

Isaiah 49:6
I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

We are all literally loved into existence. God breathes life into us and names us in our mother’s womb. Each of us is a unique beloved son or daughter of God. As such…we each have a unique purpose and design to reflect the Light of God into the world. Our Loving Maker wants everything in creation to be transformed into the fullness of its being…including you. How can we allow God to use our lives to help nurture, encourage and love others as well as all creation? Following Jesus…would be a great start. He said that He was “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He shows us the path to wholeness (salvation) now and forever!

Suggested song of the day– “Glorify You with Me” on the Give Praise and Thanks album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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All Is One

Posted on June 23, 2014 by billtonnis

Matthew 7:1-2
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

Jesus tells us that before we address the “splinter” in our neighbor’s eye…we should attend to the “wooden beam” in our own. I have to smile at Jesus’ sense of humor. Can you imagine Him laughing as He says this?! I am also amazed at His keen insight. How often do we scrutinize everything in our line of vision and immediately judge what’s “good” and what’s “bad”; what’s acceptable and what’s not; what’s “in” and what’s “out”? Jesus says each of us has more than enough in our eyes to cloud our vision…so we’d best focus our attention on our own improvement before focusing on someone else’s. God has made each of us flawed…with areas of brokenness. This isn’t so God can then judge us as “unworthy” and reject us…but so God can come to our aid and embrace us in our struggles and redeem us. Our broken places are precisely where we truly encounter and experience God’s unconditional love! Those places then become sacred places of transformation. If it weren’t for the broken places in each of us…how would God’s Light shine in?

Suggested song of the day– “Changed” on the Give Praise and Thanks album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking on “home” then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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True Wealth

Posted on June 20, 2014 by billtonnis

Matthew 6:20-21
“Store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

Are your treasures material or spiritual? We know that anything material will eventually turn to dust or end up in a garbage dump. Jesus tells us that true wealth comes from the Holy Spirit in the form of faith, hope, love, forgiveness and compassion. Our Loving God has freely given all these to us…so that we might pass them on to others. Giving your heart to material things leads to emptiness, but giving your heart to God leads you to experience the endless wealth of inner peace, contentment and joy!

Suggested song of the day– “Listen to Your Heart” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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God Alone

Posted on June 19, 2014 by billtonnis

Psalm 97:7
All who serve idols are put to shame, who glory in worthless things.

It’s easy to look at others and be critical of how they are idolizing sports, celebrities, wealth, material possessions, sex, etc. But instead of judging others, why not ask: Is there anything that I am putting before my relationship with God? Am I trying to satisfy that deep yearning inside of me with some pursuit, activity, person or object…when the only source that will truly satisfy such a yearning…is God? The deep yearning each of us experiences is on the spiritual level…not the physical. How does God want to satisfy the deepest desires of your soul? Set aside some quiet time with your Loving Creator. Let go…and listen.

Suggested song of the day– “I Surrender” on the Live to Love album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking on “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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Silent Prayer

Posted on June 18, 2014 by billtonnis

Matthew 6:6
“But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

Have you ever considered these words of Jesus closely? “Go to your inner room.” What is your “inner room”? It’s that place deep inside your being…where God resides. The God of the universe is waiting there to commune with you and to speak with you. But to hear the voice of your Creator you must be willing to turn off the noise of the world…find a quiet place…and simply be with God. Jesus says that we should not be like the ones who believe they will be heard because of their many words. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). God wants to give you what you truly need. Listen. God speaks in silence.

Suggested song of the day– “Turn Off the Noise” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking on “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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Love Transforms

Posted on June 17, 2014 by billtonnis

Matthew 5:43-45
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

Jesus tells us we must do what goes against every fiber of our being. I mean…is He serious about loving our enemies? Well…that’s what Jesus said! Seems we have a way of disregarding some of Jesus’ most difficult teachings…or spinning them into something easier to handle. Are we open to working on forgiving and loving the people who hurt us? Are we praying for the conversion of terrorists? Are we praying for the grace to be able to have a change of heart? Instead of trying to change someone else…Jesus asks each of us to change. Such transformation will only happen through a relationship with God. It takes grace. It’s not easy following Jesus…but following Him would change the world.

Suggested song of the day– “You’ll Lead Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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Prayerful Patience

Posted on June 16, 2014 by billtonnis

Psalm 5:3-4
To you I pray, O Lord; at dawn you will hear my cry; at dawn I will plead before you and wait.

I know what I want…but what does God want? What if God wants something different than what my ego wants? Am I able to distinguish between what my ego wants and what my deepest, truest self really needs? One thing for sure…what God wants will be just what my true self needs to flourish and experience God’s love in an amazing way! Could the circumstances in our lives be ways through which God might be asking us to reconsider what we think we want so that something even more amazing could happen? Set aside some quiet time with God and pray, “Thy will be done…not mine.” Make your plea to God…and then wait and listen. Our Loving Creator wants what’s best for us. Trust the process.

Suggested song of the day– “Heal Me” on the Live to Love album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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Presence

Posted on June 13, 2014 by billtonnis

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!

Following Jesus is not about trying to make the cut for an evacuation plan to get to heaven one day. Jesus called on us to follow Him now…while picking up our cross (whatever particular struggles or obstacles we are dealing with). Jesus wants us to experience His love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion now (“in the land of the living”). It’s not about our goodness somehow earning God’s love…but God’s goodness poured out generously and unconditionally upon us now because God is good, generous and loving. God is Love! Let that knowledge 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! While you are consciously waiting…you are present…and in that Presence you will find the unconditional love of God.

Suggested song of the day– “God Is” on the Give Praise and Thanks album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking on “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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Give Praise and Thanks

Posted on June 12, 2014 by billtonnis

Psalm 65:12-13
You adorn the year with your bounty; your paths drip with fruitful rain. The untilled meadows also drip; the hills are robed with joy.

God lavishly pours out unconditional Love into creation…giving from an endless reservoir of Grace. But just like the seasons change…all things give back to their Creator in an endless cycle of giving and receiving, dying and rising. For in all things…death leads to new life. Humans are the only things created by God who have a choice…whether to cling and hold on to God’s gifts…falsely believing they belong to us…or to freely give them, share them…allowing God’s creative flow to continue through us. Loving God, thank you for the wonders of all of creation! Help me to graciously give to others the amazing bounty you have poured forth on me!

Suggested song of the day– “Pour Me Out” on the Give Praise and Thanks album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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Celebrate

Posted on June 11, 2014 by billtonnis

Psalm 98:4
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth; break into song; sing praise.

From subatomic particles, to the atom, to the earth and the moon and all the planets and galaxies…creation is still unfolding and expanding. How could there not be a wondrous Creator behind such magnificence? The same Loving Source Who holds all this together…breathes life into the tiniest insect; a budding flower; a playful puppy; a smiling child…and you! Trees reach for the skies…birds sing with reckless abandon…and dogs play like there is no tomorrow. For to them…there is no tomorrow…only the eternal now…receiving the gift of life and celebrating it. Think about that. Doesn’t that make you want to sing your unique song in praise of our Maker!

Suggested song of the day– “Lift Up Our Voices” on the Give Praise and Thanks album.
Hear free clips of Bill’s songs by clicking on Bill Tonnis’ Music on iTunes to the right.
CDs available by clicking on “home” and then the “store” tab.
Remember…God loves you!

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