Live to Love

Posted on June 1, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by jplenio from Pixabay

“When Jesus said, “I am the way,” He meant that to have a true relationship with God, you must practice His way.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ

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Listen to my song “I Want to Follow You” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Mark 12:17

Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

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The Pharisees (religious leaders) were trying to snare Jesus in a trap by asking him whether it was lawful to pay the census tax to the Roman ruler.

If he said no, then he’d be in trouble with the government.

If he said yes, he’d be in trouble with his fellow Jews as they viewed the tax as Roman oppression.

Jesus masterfully turned the question back at the Pharisees.

This is a good question for us to consider in all that we do.

In whatever we do, how does God fit in?

What would God, who is Love (1 John 4:8), wish us to do in any given situation?

Jesus gives us the answers by the example of his life.

He said that if we knew him, then we would know God (John 14:7).

Jesus commanded us to love God and our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).

He commanded us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Jesus said whatever we did to the least of these, we did to him (Matthew 25:40).

If we claim to be Christian, then we must apply these teachings to all our speech and actions.

Each of us must ask ourselves: How am I repaying to God what belongs to God?

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Listen to the song of the day “I Want to Follow You” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Silence Speaks

Posted on May 28, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by czu_czu_PL from Pixabay

“Simply to be with God is to be drawn into being the person God calls us to be.” – John Main OSB

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Listen to my song “Shall We Sing” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Mark 11:24-25

“Therefore, I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

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Clearly, God is not Santa Claus or a genie.

Jesus did not mean that all you had to do was ask for something and – poof! – it’s yours.

But there is truth to believing in receiving.

We know that if we have a mission and work for some desired outcome, that many times it does eventually happen.

But to understand Jesus’ statement, you have to take into account his whole ministry.

This is not the prosperity gospel where you get rich through Jesus.

You might end up rich, but you very well might not.

The point of Jesus’ ministry was to bring the news of God’s unconditional love to all people.

Jesus freed people from the bondage of disease (dis–ease), whether physical, mental, or spiritual.

He also freed them from ego-generated attachments.

He reached out to those who were struggling and healed them.

He created and restored relationships.

That’s why Jesus specified that, before you received from God, you first had to mend your relationships with others.

You must first forgive.

Prayer is about beginning a true relationship with God.

This means that besides talking, we listen.

Some form of contemplative practice such as meditation or Centering Prayer is essential.

Once you begin this relationship, you may find that your desires change.

Since God is love (1 John 4:8), you will find that your wishes begin to align with Love.

Ego-generated desires will start to dissolve.

Instead, the Spirit’s desires will emerge.

As St. Paul put it: “For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27).

Many years ago when I began a contemplative prayer practice, I soon realized that the Spirit’s yearnings in my heart were that I sing, write, and speak to ignite the flame of God’s love in the hearts of others.

Today, I do all these things as part of a full-time ministry.

Many other people magically appeared in my life to collaborate and help create what would unfold.

This is God’s desire for everyone.

May we continue the adventure together!

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Listen to the song of the day “Shall We Sing” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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All Is Sacred

Posted on May 27, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Noel Bauza from Pixabay

“There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” – Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

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Listen to my song “I Stand in the Light” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Sirach 42:15-16

By the Lord’s word his works were brought into being; they do his will as he has ordained for them. As the shining sun is clear to all, so the glory of the Lord fills all his works.

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There is a Power at work throughout the universe that is giving it life.

We could call this power God.

Whatever name we give it, we’ve already diminished it by naming it.

It is ineffable.

Some call this power Love itself (1 John 4:8).

Some also call this power the Cosmic or Universal Christ.

Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnation of this Love on Earth.

That is the microcosm of the macrocosm.

In the Gospel of John, it states: He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:2-5).

This Light, this Glow, this Glory, fills all things.

While I am no scientist by any stretch, science shows us that visible light is carried in an elementary particle known as a photon.

As today’s scripture states: “The glory of the Lord fills all his works.”

This Glory, this Light, is the Cosmic Christ.

This concept is not new.

St. Paul spoke of this concept when he said, “For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible” (Colossians 1:16). Then he said, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).

In other words, God pervades and interpenetrates every part of the universe.

This belief is known as Panentheism, not pantheism which states that the universe and the Divine are the same.

The understanding of the Divine Connection of all things has sadly been lost which has led to our current ecological troubles.

What if we all lived in the knowledge that all things are connected by the Divine Light of Love that empowers all?

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Listen to the song of the day “I Stand in the Light” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Beloved Community

Posted on May 26, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Mark 10:42-43

“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.”

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Jesus told his followers right up front that the kingdom of God is not like the kingdom of the world.

Rulers in Jesus’ time would rule with an iron fist.

It was all about wielding your power for your own benefit.

Jesus said that the greatest among his followers would be the one who led with an open hand to serve.

The greatest would not be known for power but for compassion.

But this servant would not be weak.

Jesus demonstrated standing up to those in power and speaking out for the oppressed and marginalized.

His activism was strong, but his actions were non-violent.

What a difference this type of leadership would mean!

Today we continue to see the insanity of violent and warring leaders as well as the senseless loss of lives.

Martin Luther King, Jr. popularized the term “Beloved Community” to depict the result of Jesus’ vision:

“Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict (The King Center).”

Dr. King knew that conflicts were inevitable, but believed that they could be resolved through a commitment to non-violence.

With Jesus in mind, may we all continue the endeavor of bringing about the Beloved Community wherever we are.

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

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Alive

Posted on May 25, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

“The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams.” – Jean-Pierre de Caussade

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Listen to my song “Pour Me Out” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Mark 10:29-30

Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”

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The only way to find your true self is to drop your attachments to everything else.

I don’t think Jesus was preaching that everyone must walk completely away from house, family and lands – although for a few that may be the case.

A handful may be called to be cloistered monks or hermits.

I’m sure Jesus believed that our families were of utmost importance in life!

But he is making an extreme statement in order to make a point: Do not be attached to anything.

Do not let those things cloud your true identity in God.

Each person has to discern the extent you are being called to give up the things of this world.

When we let go of all mental constructs that we have allowed to concoct a self-image – what Thomas Merton would have called a false self – we are free to be our true self.

Then and only then do we “receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”

When you are fully present to the now, you are truly free to be you, to be fully engaged with life.

(Some form of meditation such as Centering Prayer is a great practice in doing this.)

To let go and fall into the now is like dying before you die.

Jesus went on to say that you will receive “eternal life in the age to come” (Mark 10:30), because physical death would just be another present moment and therefore a transformational portal.

When we are living in the present moment, “the first will be last, and the last will be first” (Mark 10:31), because there is no first and last in the beloved community of God.

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Listen to the song of the day “Pour Me Out” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Let Go

Posted on May 24, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Reinhardi from Pixabay

“The secret of life is to “die before you die” – and find that there is no death.” – Eckhart Tolle

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Listen to my song “Make Your Way” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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John 19:30

“It is finished.”

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Did you ever think about dying?

How’s that for a conversation killer (pardon the pun)!

You know what they say, ‘No one gets out of here alive.’

We are all going to die, and yet, it seems like the culture we live in is in total denial of that fact.

We ignore the obvious and immerse ourselves in distractions.

We do everything to maintain a youthful appearance.

But as each year comes and goes, we are reminded of our mortality through added wrinkles, graying or loss of hair, and the departure of pets, family and friends.

Jesus had no such hang-ups about death.

Death was part of his daily life.

His famous line, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24) says it all.

It was probably one of his main teachings, but I can’t say I ever heard much about it in my youth or since.

Dying is actually the key to life.

You have to let go of your ego’s self-centered schemes which create a largely false self, so that your true self can be unmasked and revealed.

As Jesus went on to say, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

Jesus walked away from a carpenter’s life.

He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, going underwater to symbolize his willingness to die to his old life, and then rose from the baptismal waters to a new life.

This is when he heard God’s voice naming him as the “beloved son” (Matthew 3:17).

He continued his “dying to self” by heading off into the desert for 40 days.

It is then that Jesus fully knew who he was and what his mission in life was all about.

We, too, need to die to our ego’s plans so that our true self can rise.

(A meditation practice such as Centering Prayer is very helpful.)

If we made death a part of our daily immersion in life, perhaps we would also be ready to say, “It is finished,” when we draw our final breath.

We would know from much practice that death is always a door to new life.

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Listen to the song of the day “Make Your Way” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Restorative Justice

Posted on May 21, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” – Marianne Williamson

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Listen to my song “Come to Jesus” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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John 21:19

Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.”

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At the end of the Gospel of John, Peter meets with total Grace.

After he had denied Jesus three times in leading up to his crucifixion, Peter does not receive chastisement but forgiveness.

Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three times, once for each time he had denied him.

And Peter tells Jesus, “You know that I love you” (John 21:17).

Can we not relate to Peter in his denial of Jesus?

Haven’t we all turned our backs on what we knew was the compassionate path and instead chosen the selfish one?

Haven’t we all realized after the fact that we had acted in the wrong, that we had not loved as we should have?

I know I have.

And have we not all been forgiven by God every time?

Put yourself in this gospel scene and be with Jesus.

Feel the Grace that is poured out upon you.

Bask in the warmth of second and third and fourth (etc.) chances.

God does not want to punish you but to transform you!

Your spiritual path is one of redemption and restoration, not retribution.

After one particular incident in which I had turned my back on God, I was beating myself up over it when something astonishing happened.

Instead of an interior tongue-lashing, I received words that I instinctively knew I was to use for writing a new song.

That song, titled Come to Jesus, ended up on my second album.

A fellow jail minister has since told me it is his favorite song to play for inmates when he ministers to them and that they have found great comfort in listening to it.

Jesus told Peter to feed and to tend his sheep.

He also told him to follow him.

When we do, amazing things will happen!

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Listen to the song of the day “Come to Jesus” on the Live to Love album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Be Here

Posted on May 20, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay

“Step out of the circle of time and into the circle of love.” – Rumi

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Listen to my song “Turn Off the Noise” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Psalm 16:1

Keep me safe, O God; in you I take refuge.

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You don’t have to go anywhere to find God.

God is as close to you as your very breath.

For in God “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), as St. Paul put it.

Jesus said that the kingdom of God is among you, or also translated within you (Luke 17:21).

This is why Jesus instructed us to pray by going to our inner room, closing the door, and refraining from using many words because God already knows what we need (Matthew 6:6-8).

Jesus himself was said to often go off to deserted places to pray (Luke 5:16).

A deserted place is place of quiet.

This safe-haven is always available inside you.

Turn inward and rest in the Divine Presence.

You can do this any time, any place.

Just take a deep breath or two.

Allow your addictive thoughts to settle and cease.

A meditative practice such as Centering Prayer is essential in bringing this inner peace with you as you attend to life’s circumstances.

Repeat the words of Psalm 46:

“Be still and know that I am God.”

“Be still and know.”

“Be still.”

“Be.”

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Listen to the song of the day “Turn Off the Noise” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Be Peace

Posted on May 19, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

“(Humanity) must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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John 17:18

“As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.”

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In his prayer to God, Jesus recognized that he was turning his mission over to his followers.

He wanted them to share God’s “word” (John 17:14) with the world.

Jesus said that this word is “truth” (John 17:17).

The most important truth Jesus wanted his followers to convey was that love is all that matters.

To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40) were his two greatest commandments.

To love, you need to take action, or what good is it?

Jesus showed God’s unconditional love in all that he did, healing and forgiving all those who humbly came to him.

He also stood up to those who held power by standing for the oppressed.

Jesus spoke the truth of God’s all-inclusive-love for all.

He did all of this through non-violence.

We are all meant to be missionaries of mercy, ambassadors of the light of Love so that all divisions dissolve.

Only then can Jesus’ statement be actualized: “That they may all be one, as you, Abba, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:21).

Each of us needs to ask ourselves: Am I ready to carry that message in my words and actions?

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

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Originally Blessed

Posted on May 18, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

“The glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Listen to my song “How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Psalm 68:10-1

You poured abundant rains, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.

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We have become disconnected from the earth.

I know I have.

Much of our culture has not only disrespected our common home, it has trashed it.

Our ancient ancestors held the earth in reverence.

They looked upon nature as sacred.

Somewhere along the line, humans decided to separate everything into the secular and the sacred, and they relegated God to heaven.

But that is not the vision we see of many of the mystics and saints.

St. Francis of Assisi called the Wind and Air his brothers, the Water his sister, and the Earth his mother.

St. Paul said that in God we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

He also said that God “is overall and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6).

God is everywhere.

The universe itself is filled with God.

In the very first creation story in the book of Genesis, God calls all of creation “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

But for some reason, theologians have emphasized the second creation story in Genesis, the one about Adam and Eve and sin, instead of the goodness of all things including human beings.

God, Love itself, is pouring out Love in all creation.

We need to regain our connection with what Richard Rohr calls the first Bible, nature itself, the first act of divine revelation (Center for Action and Contemplation).

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Listen to the song of the day “How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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