Come Together

Posted on September 7, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” – Mother Teresa

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Listen to my song “Radically Okay” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

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Luke 6:6-7

On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

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Once again, we see the “law and order” Pharisees trying to trap Jesus.

These religious leaders thought they were simply being just.

They were sticklers for following the religious laws to the T.

You might call them fundamentalists.

You also could say that they saw the world from an “either-or” perspective: Either you followed the law or you didn’t.

It was black or white with no gray area.

They didn’t like the fact that Jesus seemed to break those laws on occasion.

Jesus saw the world from a “both-and” perspective: You could both follow the law and break the law when love demanded it.

For Jesus, the law always had to be tempered and filtered through the eyes of compassion.

What action would best lead to healing and restoration?

It would do us all well to follow his example.

For when we do, the kingdom of God is near.

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

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music 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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Calling

Posted on September 4, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by John Hain from Pixabay

“Your vocation is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Frederick Buechner

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

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1 Corinthians 4:1

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

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St. Paul was preaching to the early Church community in Corinth.

He was telling them what was expected of them as believers.

Paul says they must be “servants of Christ” and “stewards of the mysteries of God.”

The message is the same for us today.

Just how can we be “servants of Christ”?

First and foremost, we must know Jesus to know how to serve him.

And the best way to get to know him is by reading the gospels and letting his words soak into your heart.

Jesus was quite clear on how to serve him: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

And then he made it very concise when he said, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Note that Jesus made no judgmental stipulations as to who was worthy of helping.

As for being stewards of the mysteries of God, that requires openness and emptiness.

As scripture tells us, God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).

We must be willing to say not my will but Yours be done.

Meditation or Centering Prayer is a great help in this regard for it gives you a practice of letting go.

Then you will come to know the joy of losing your life to find it (Matthew 10:39).

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

Remember: God loves you!

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Blessings Abound

Posted on September 3, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Three-shots from Pixabay

“Love is the affinity which links and draws together the elements of the world… Love, in fact, is the agent of universal synthesis.” – Teilhard de Chardin

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Listen to my song “Lift Up Our Voices” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

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Luke 5:4-8

After Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

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Here we see recounted one of the famous miracle stories where Jesus advised expert fishermen, who had caught nothing all night, to try again.

The result was that they caught more fish than they probably had ever caught before.

Note Simon Peter’s reaction as he fell to the ground before Jesus and stated how Jesus should not be in the presence of such a “sinful man.”

In other words, Simon Peter says he is not worthy of such a blessing.

Isn’t this the same attitude that we see so often in those who identify as Christian?

It reminds me of a scene in the comedy movie Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail when God chastises the knights for groveling before him and claiming to be unworthy.

(Watch clip)

Worthiness has nothing to do with God’s relationship with us.

God loves us unconditionally.

St. Paul put it this way: “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:29-31)”

Paul goes on to say that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39).

Heaven is a gift, not a reward.

What if God wants to lavish us with love?

That, my friends, is the gospel!

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Listen to the song of the day “Lift Up Our Voices” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music 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 Still

Posted on September 2, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by claudia martinez from Pixabay

“Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation.” – Thomas Keating

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

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Luke 4:42-43

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

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Jesus came to know his calling through the intimate times in prayer that he spent with God.

Note that he went off to a deserted place at the break of dawn.

It was from this time of communing with God in silence that he came to know that it was time to move on.

Jesus could have stayed in the comfort zone of all the adulation he was receiving.

The people of that town did not want him to leave.

But Jesus knew in his heart that he must leave his comfort zone to accomplish his “purpose” which was to “proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God.”

The good news is that God loves all people unconditionally and that letting go of your egocentric desires leads to the life you were meant to live in service of all.

That’s how the “kingdom of God” comes about here on earth.

And the “good news” is also that death leads to life, not just now but always.

Each of us is also called to proclaim this good news.

Just how we do this is between each of us and God.

Are you spending time each day communing with God in silence?

Centering Prayer is one such method of meditation.

May we all do our part in proclaiming the good news!

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

Remember: God loves you!

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Love Wins

Posted on September 1, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Tuan Hoang from Pixabay

“All shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well.” – Julian of Norwich

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

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Psalm 145:9

The LORD is good to all, compassionate to every creature.

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To try to understand the love of God is really impossible.

It is SO immense.

It is infinitely beyond any love we could experience as human beings.

This is the message of the overwhelming majority of those who have had a “Near Death Experience.”

It underlines the truth of the scripture that simply states, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

God’s love doesn’t punish but restores.

It is demonstrated by Jesus in his telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

When the young son returns to his father after taking his inheritance and squandering it all, the father doesn’t scold or punish that son.

Instead, he runs to him, hugs him, and throws a party for him.

People have such a hard time accepting such a magnanimous God because I think people want to believe that God will punish those who have carried out great evil.

But Jesus says we must forgive an infinite number of times (Matthew 18:21-22).

If we must do it, then certainly God also does.

Allow the truth of God’s unconditional love to pour over you.

Allow that love to bathe you in Eternal Light.

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

Remember: God loves you!

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Christian

Posted on August 31, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

“A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that?” – Oscar Romero

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Listen to my song “All Are One” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

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Luke 4:17-21

Jesus was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

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Jesus had returned to his hometown of Nazareth and according to custom went into the synagogue on the sabbath day.

This is when Jesus read the statement in today’s scripture verses.

The passage from Isaiah is sometimes referred to as Jesus’s mission statement.

And while the people were impressed with the words he spoke, they soon took offense over how much Jesus had changed from when he was simply the “son of Joseph.”

And when Jesus criticized them over their narrow-mindedness and self-righteousness, they soon wanted to kill him.

The turn-about in their attitude was swift.

Jesus stood up to the powerful on behalf of the oppressed.

There are many people who have been oppressed in this country based on their skin color or sexual orientation.

If Jesus were here in person, he would be standing with those people…or kneeling.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are also called to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to free the oppressed.

Those in power – the oppressors – will not like you.

But know this: The Spirit of the Lord is upon you!

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Listen to the song of the day “All Are One” from the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music 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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Lost and Found

Posted on August 28, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Jobert Aquino Aquino from Pixabay

God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.

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Listen to my song “You’ll Lead Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

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1 Corinthians 1:17

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

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What are you called to do?

Some people seem to find their calling and are quite certain they have found it.

But from my experience, many others either don’t know their calling or haven’t even considered that they have one.

Before he was known as Paul, Saul was a persecutor of Christians.

I’m sure that’s what he thought God wanted him to do!

But after a mystical encounter on the road to Damascus, Saul’s life was turned upside down.

In time he became known as Paul and one of the most zealous preachers of the gospel.

In so doing, Paul knew he was not called to do other things…such as baptizing.

And he apparently was not the best orator.

From his writings we also see that he tended to ramble on and on.

Sometimes your calling might not be obvious from your talents.

So how do you know?

First off, what are you passionate about?

Is there some activity that you do or topic you talk about with such enthusiasm that you lose track of time?

This could be a clue as to what God has implanted inside you to accomplish.

Whatever it is, it will always be for a compassionate and good purpose.

My call to ministry came well into my adult life and started with my own mystical encounter when I heard a voice in my heart asking me to pick up a guitar I had long abandoned.

While I had some musical talent, it was by far not the greatest!

However, in following this new calling, I was led to a life of ministry that has included youth ministry, chaplaincy, jail ministry, social justice and writing.

Throughout I have utilized my guitar and my singing voice.

I have recorded four albums of music and have published two books – all the result of following an inner voice that told me to revisit a forgotten guitar.

But just as Jesus had laid down his ego’s desires in deference to God’s, we are called to lay down our ego’s desires.

We are called to pour ourselves out for God’s purposes using the imperfect talents we’ve been given.

When we lay down our egocentric lives, we paradoxically find the lives that were meant for us.

The message of the cross is that dying leads to new life – every time.

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Listen to my song “You’ll Lead Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music 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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Glory

Posted on August 27, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by nskumar1968 from Pixabay

“The most telling and profound way of describing the evolution of the universe would undoubtedly be to trace the evolution of love.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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Psalm 145:3

Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise, whose grandeur is beyond understanding.

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I think that my song , How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious, says all that I want to say today.

Peace and blessings to you.

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

Remember: God loves you!

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Serenity

Posted on August 26, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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

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2 Thessalonians 3:16

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

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Peace – true inner peace – is something we could all use right now.

It strikes me as a poor choice of words on my part to say that we could “use” peace.

Peace seems more a gift to be shared.

It is a state of existence; a restful state.

It’s a state where love, mercy and compassion abound.

This is the state of existence that Jesus called the kingdom of God or what could be translated as the peaceable community or companionship of empowerment (Diarmuid  O’Murchu).

For true peace to happen, it seems we each need to accept the gift that it is.

God is offering it to us all the time, even amidst the storms of life.

But we must be open to it.

We have to be receptive.

Pausing is a good piece of advice.

Take frequent pauses and simply be grateful for your life, for your blessings.

Disconnect from your judgmental mind and ego.

(A contemplative practice like meditation or Centering Prayer would be extremely helpful.)

For true peace to happen, we must also wish it for all others, especially those who are disempowered, unfairly treated, or appear different from us.

We are all part of one family in God’s eyes.

As St. Paul said, “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another” (Romans 12:4-5).

We are all called to live our lives so that God’s kingdom comes to earth as it is in heaven.

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

Remember: God loves you!

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Love Required

Posted on August 25, 2020 by billtonnis
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

“Compassion is a verb.” Thich Nhat Hanh

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

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Matthew 23:23-24

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!”

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You have to laugh at Jesus comparing the religious leaders of his day to blind guides who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

How comical!

Jesus never seemed to have criticism for the so-called “sinner” who was struggling.

Instead, he levels his only criticism at the religious leaders for upholding and practicing all the rules but overlooking the most important part of the law: mercy and fidelity.

It’s a real lesson in both-and thinking.

Jesus is saying that you can both uphold laws and at the same time be merciful, caring and loyal.

There is still a shortage of both-and thinkers today.

Many are either-or thinkers: You either follow a law to the letter or you are held in utter contempt.

It is either black or white.

There is no gray area for these people (which is the lowest level of consciousness).

For Jesus, mercy and compassion were always what carried more weight.

Where are the people today who are calling for mercy and compassion?

What leaders demonstrate those qualities?

We need more missionaries of mercy in the world, not nitpickers and gnat-strainers.

This is at the very heart of living a Christian life.

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

Remember: God loves you!

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