Welcome to Phil Bonasso's MSN page

Hi again! Hope your having a great day!

Here are some more thoughts from some of my friends and family who have asked to post  here on my Spaces site.

Thanks for visiting!

Pastor Phil Bonasso

Not many people know what a musician Phil Bonasso is.  He can play the guitar and sing with the best of them.  Of course, I am a little biased being his daughter, but besides my sisters, he is my favorite person to hear sing.  We called out little family church meetings “Family Alter” when we were little.  He would pull out the guitar and play all these songs that he and my mom used to sing when they were college kids. One of my favorite songs was “I’ve been redeemed.

Each verse line was sung by my dad and then repeated by mom and all of us siblings.  There were all kinds of verses that went with the song.  Some about how you can’t get to heaven on roller skates, going down to the river to pray and feeling so good you stay all day, how the devil don’t like me and I don’t like him, and so on.  We learned all kinds of old songs that we still sing altogether to this day.  Even my brothers-in-law sit and laugh when they hear all these songs.  They are doing a good job of learning them though.

When we were young all kinds of pastors and their families would come and stay with us in our home.  My parents would counsel them while they stayed with us and invariably, some of them were there to join in our family alter.  It was funny to watch them get all wide eyed as they watched Pastor Phil Bonasso grab the guitar and start singing heartily.  They at first would stare and then by the end of the evening they were joining in song with us as though this was something that they did all the time with their own family.

We still have family alter all together.  We are grown up and don’t quite twirl around and dance as we used to (twirling makes us dizzy now), but just a bout every weekend, you can find my father surrounded by his growing family, sitting in the living room singing and praying together as we have always done.  My parents built our lives around the presence of God from as far back as I can remember and even now, those principles of faith and reliance on God continue in each of our lives and will be passed down through us into our own little families.  I am so fortunate to be  Phil Bonasso’s daughter, not only because of the legacy of faith that he has taught me, but because I get to know some really great old songs!!! And I leave you with one of my favorite verses: 

Well the devil and me, we both agree.

Well the devil and me, we both agree.

Well the devil and me we both agree, I don’t like him and he don’t like me. All my sins are washed away I’ve been redeemed. J  

Hello again, and Happy New Year!

I hope the holidays found you and your loved ones in the midst of Christmas Cheer, and left you feeling hopeful and excited for this new Year.
Here are some more entries from my friends who have asked me to post their blogs on my site. Enjoy and God Bless!

Phil Bonasso


It’s the most wonderful time of the year… With the holidays so close behind us, thoughts of loved ones flood my head! There are many people who are dear to me and have meant so much to me over the years. One special person comes to mind, especially this time of year, Pastor Phil Bonasso!

I have known Phil Bonasso for more than 25 years (that’s over half my life!) and he is above all, the one person who has encouraged me the most in my walk with the Lord. Not only through his powerful messages on Sunday mornings, but by example! I have been privileged to be around him and his family many, many times and I can say, he doesn’t just preach how to live, but truly lives what he preaches!! His example to walk in faith and patience has taught me so much. I am constantly amazed at his passion and dedication to God’s word and the desire to do His will. “Read your Bible” everyday is the key to his success. This echoes in my head, reminding me that there is no other way to live!

One of my favorite memories is when Phil Bonasso would gather hundreds of other pastors, church leaders and their families together during the holidays for a Christmas conference. The same love and devotion he has for his own family was extended to his ‘church family’ as well. So celebrating Christmas together was a special time for all. Making merry memories while waiting for the parade to begin at Disneyland was the most enjoyable time! Pastor Phil Bonasso and his family are absolutely wonderful people! They have opened their hearts and home to so many. Thousands are drawn to the joy and abundant life that flows from each one of them. I couldn’t love them anymore than I do my own family. Thankfully, I consider them a gift from heaven that I will treasure forever!

With much appreciation,

Gerry

Hi again everyone!

Merry Christmas! I hope your Holiday season is going great!

Some of my friends have asked if they could post some thoughts about our journey together over the years. Thanks for visiting!

Pastor Phil Bonasso



I have known Phil Bonasso for over 20 years. His wife, children, and son-in-laws are all wonderful people. During the time I have known Phil Bonasso I have always been amazed at his level of faith and dedication to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, his leadership skills, and last, but not least, his love for his wife, Karen.


His love and dedication to Jesus Christ simply stated is amazing. Through the good and bad times, his commitment to Christ has never waivered. You either believe the gospel or you don’t, Phil certainly does. His faith in the Word has truly molded his character.

His leadership skills are tremendous and he is able to bring out the best in all people. An example of his leadership skills were evident during the many Christian conferences he organized. Phil Bonasso was able to gather thousands of people from several countries throughout the world to assemble together, worship, and strategize about advancing the gospel of Christ. At the close of each conference many attendees were pleased they were able to be present and experience the very presence of God.

Another great character trait of Phil is his everlasting love for his wife, Karen. Aside from his relationship with Jesus Christ, there is nothing more cherished to his heart than his love for Karen. Their marriage is a true example of what a loving union should be. It’s one many couples should try and emulate.

Phil Bonasso is certainly a true and beloved friend. One whose trustworthiness I value greatly.

Sincerely,

Riley

Southern California

Hi Guys! Here are some thoughts and memories from my family and close friends as we have journeyed together through the years. Please visit my official website at PhilBonasso.com and come back for new blogs.

Daughter:

“Come on girls,” my dad, Phil Bonasso, said as he headed out to the back yard of our house one night during what we called “family alter”. These were the times that my mom and dad would get out the guitar and play and sing all the old school songs that they had learned as college students. But I will say more about that at another time.

After we sang and danced, my dad on the guitar and my mom singing back up, he would sit and teach us about the Bible. I can remember the principles which built the messages that Pastor Phil Bonasso preached from the pulpit being taught to me and my sisters in much simpler forms in these little family church meetings we had.

This particular night my father had been teaching us about Abraham the patriarch of faith. He was talking to us about the relationship that God had with Abraham and the promises that God made to him. It was at this point that he took all of us outside.

“Look up there.” All of us turned out heads up to the sky in unison. “See all those stars?” my dad asked. We all nodded our little blond heads. “Those are what the Lord told Abraham to look at to remind him of all the promises that He had made to Him. They also reminded him that God was with him. Every time you look at the stars you too can be reminded of all the promises that God has made in His Word for your lives, and that He is always there watching.”

I remember that moment as clearly as it was yesterday. The adventures and conflicts that laid ahead in my life I had no idea of in that moment, but the one thing that stuck fast in my heart was how God had set the stars in the sky and that they could serve as a constant reminder of not only the presence of God in my life, but the promises He had for me. Through the most difficult moments of my life, the stars were always my visible marker that regardless of everything else God was there and somehow His promises were still true. I think perhaps this was one of the greatest messages that Pastor Phil Bonasso ever preached. It wasn’t to the hundreds and thousands that he would yet preach to in the coming years, it was to one little lanky girl who caught the smoldering passion in his voice and took hold of the promise of God.