I just listened to a young, 20 year old man’s pro life (aka abolish abortion) speech he gave just a few days ago. And his exhortative, yet encouraging words, impressed me in a unique way. Because I know this guy. And because, other than his parents, I’m probably the first person to sing to him when he was a baby.
And I say encouraging words because he’s only 20.
When I was his age, I didn’t even know America had an abortion problem. And that wasn’t long after Roe v Wade became the so-called “law of the land.” So, it’s mighty nice to know there are younger people who understand the need to stand up for the most innocent human beings on the planet.
And it’s encouraging to know this 20 year old guy stands on the right side of the wall. If you’d like to know more about him or hear his speech, let me know, and I’ll share some links.
If You Stand Behind That Wall
There’s a wall here between life and death
Where the unborn are denied their first breath.
There are guards here making sure that life ends
And they don’t care that they’re killing our friends.
Well you can’t plead ignorance…You don’t stand blameless
When you stand in the middle of it all.
As you discard the innocent you shake foundations.
If you stand behind that wall, you will fall.
There’s a clear line between right and wrong.
Listen close, please, to the words of this song.
We were all, once, where those babies are now.
Mothers kept us…we all made it somehow.
Well, the martyred little ones your choice keeps nameless
Never had any single choice at all.
Please don’t discard the innocent…they’re God’s creation.
If you stand behind that wall, you will fall.
You will fall from Grace to a hopeless place
With eternal, mournful cries.
And the sound you’ll hear ringing in your ear
Is the sound of your own lies.
© 2010 Tony Funderburk
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“A healthy lifestyle is the slowest form of death.” That quote always makes me smile. It’s funny because it’s ironic truth. But I don’t think most Americans have anything to worry about. Have you seen those lines at the fast food restaurants? Apparently there are plenty of people who’d just as soon take the faster forms of death. But then again…are those “bad for you” foods really the problem?
Processed foods are bad for you. Right?
Hmm…what would Daisie Adelle Davis say? You probably don’t remember her, since she was born in 1904. But at one point in her life, Time Magazine called her the “high priestess of the new nutrition religion.” And she believed we shouldn’t eat processed food. And she wasn’t shy about her opinions either.
Ms Davis thought we should be eating whole-grain breads and cereals. And get this. She also recommended eating liver at least once a week. Crazy talk I tell you. But I remember how liver was on our plates, regularly, when I was a kid.
Daisie (who dropped that name because it reminded her of pigs and cows on the childhood farm) became a well-known speaker. And her ideas about eating organic food instead of “ultra-processed” food got more popular in the 50’s and 60’s.
(Side note: those whole-grain breads, grass-fed meats, healthy fats, and low-carb foods are processed)
Before you assume I’m dissing Daisie, let me share a couple of things. Elgielene and I eat mostly organic. And we prefer healthy fats over weird margarines and oils. And we have a high quality gravity water filter. Plus, we love to get out and walk as much as possible and enjoy the Rocky Mountain fresh air.
So, no…I’m not making fun of Ms Davis. But here’s another tidbit about her.
She died from multiple myeloma at the age of 70. Not exactly a model of the “slowest form of death.” Multiple myeloma is apparently an incurable (so far) form of blood cancer. And from the little bit I’ve read on it, you sure don’t want to have to deal with that vicious malady.
But here’s why I bring up Ms Davis and her nutritional views.
Just like Euell Gibbons, the guy I wrote about yesterday, it’s more proof that a so-called “healthy lifestyle” isn’t where your ultimate focus should be.
I’m not advocating for an ongoing diet of McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme. But I also don’t believe avoiding them altogether will turn you into some sort of super healthy superhero. In fact, you might still not live past your 60’s or 70’s. So, I recommend paying more attention to what Paul said…
“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.”
Now, get outside and take a walk today
Unless it’s cold and there’s no sun today.
Then stay inside and take a break today
And read The Word, for Heaven’s sake, today.
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If you were born after about 1964, you might not remember “wild hickory nuts.” And even if you remember, you might not care. But I’d like to share a little something about Euell Gibbons.
Euell Gibbons ate some Grape-Nuts and said, “Reminds me of wild hickory nuts.”
And you say, “So what. Don’t know the guy. Never met him.”
But here’s why I bring it up.
Mr. Gibbons wrote books on the art and science of living off the land. And I mean literally living off the land. Apparently he could go into the wild with nothing but a backpack of clothes and some utensils and forage for all the food he needed.
He could find wild greens, mushrooms, and seeds for salads. And he knew where to get edible nuts, honey, and lots of other goodies. Plus, in his books, he shared his recipes for everything from casseroles to salads to muffins and more.
And I read how he had a pretty colorful life before he became an expert forager. Evidently he built boats, sailed, worked as a cowboy, became a surveyor, and was even a professional beachcomber.
Then, he honed his skills at survival in the wild.
And he lived what people today would call a naturalist’s life. But there’s an odd twist to the story.
Mr. Gibbons made that commercial for Grape-Nuts in 1974. And he died, the very next year, of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He was only 64.
Of course, you know how people can make up their own rumors. And how lots of people will take a story like Euell’s and stir up some humor. Right? Yeah, that’s what happened. So, the rumor wranglers shared the story that he died of food poisoning while he was living off the land.
Regardless of what the actually cause of death was, one thing is true. A more “natural” lifestyle doesn’t mean you’ll live longer. Or even healthier for all that matters.
And that’s why I encourage readers and listeners to get the right insurance policy. And the right one is the one that’s already been paid for.
But you certainly don’t have to listen to me. After all, I might just be another one of those wild hickory nuts thumping on a book full of mean, judgmental words.
Yeah, that might be true.
I might be scamming on you.
But then again I might not.
And my policy’s bought.
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Some time, around the middle decades of the twentieth century, a 16 year old girl discovered she was pregnant. Of course, she knew how it happened. And this was at a time in American history when young people were supposed to “do the right thing” and get married. So, she married the 19 year old young man (soon to be 20), who also knew the moral norms, and they started figuring things out.
And just because you “do the right thing” doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.
In fact, as I’m sure you know, it’s often a much more difficult thing to do. But it’s especially difficult when the mother and father to be are still somewhat in their formative years.
So, this young couple had to move things along sooner than they imagined. And the young man determined the best way to take care of his new family was to join the Air Force and master some skills. But that meant he’d need to leave the girl with his parents once he enlisted. Because he found out he’d have to go through basic training far away from their hometowns in Oklahoma.
And after setting things up with his parents, the young man flew off to his new work adventure. And the girl stayed behind in Oklahoma.
But after only a few, short months, the young girl decided she didn’t like the arrangements. So, she asked her uncle and aunt and grandparents for some traveling money. And she got on a bus to Colorado. Without letting the young man know, by the way.
When she showed up at the Denver bus station, she made her way to a pay phone (Yes, it was a real thing), and called Lowry Air Force Base. Naturally, the young man was surprised (to say the least). But he quickly made arrangements to meet her at the bus station. And once he got there, the two of them went in search of a place to live.
A 16 year old girl, who was about 5 1/2 months pregnant, and a young Air Force mechanic-in-training…still green around the edges.
I won’t take you through the rest of the details right now.
I’ll just let you know, they found a place to live. And a few months later, in December, the result of them doing the right thing, was born. An incredibly amazing and beautiful baby boy.
That boy was me. And I stand by the description. Eyewitness accounts back me up on it.
And today, I’m making a drive to Kansas to see that young girl who’s now past 83 and possibly in her last months on Earth.
I’m not sure what to expect because…well, you know how long distance health reports can be. But something that brings me comfort is knowing my mom also did another right thing.
Many years ago, she trusted Jesus to be her savior and source for eternal life. So, I know that no matter how many (or few) days she has left, she’s going to the place where I’ll see her again one day. Because I did that too, and I also know there is no life apart from the One who gave it to us.
You know life can be full of surprises,
And they’re not always on the upswing.
But each day a new sun surely rises
With new hope we can do the right thing.
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So, maybe before I shared this with you, you didn’t know there was such a thing as an ironic beard. Don’t feel left out or less hip. Because I didn’t either…which is ironic. (psst…I have a beard)
But through some odd search results, for an entirely different topic, I found out about “hipster facial hair.” Apparently there was (and is?) a hipster subculture that started this weird facial hair fad back around 2005-06. And as I read about half the article (I can’t read nonsense all the way through) it clicked how I’ve been seeing the strangest beards for the last few years.
From what I gathered, in the article, some guys grow horrible looking long beards just for the “celebration of unattractiveness.” And other guys grow their beards to accentuate what they perceive to be their good looks.
Yeesh.
But regardless of what their motives were, beard-growing gained popularity. Even among “celebrities.” And, suddenly, it was “the thing” to grow plenty of facial hair.
So, as it turns out, an ironic beard isn’t exactly ironic.
To call it that is really more on the moronic side of things.
Because facial hair isn’t good or bad. It isn’t about demographics. Yeah, I read that before the hipster stuff back in the early 2000’s full beards were found basically just on older males. But because of the whole hipster thang, young guys started sporting them, too.
Now, I personally find that ironic. Because when I was 20…which I considered to be young (still do)…I grew my beard out for the first time. And I’ve had facial hair for just about all the hundred and forty years since then. But I never grew or kept my beard to make a fashion statement. Or to be hip.
I just preferred not to shave my whole face. And it always was (and is) mainly a matter of comfort. And then it became my “look” so much that now even my own mom has said she can’t imagine me without it.
Now, that’s a little ironic…coming from a mom. Don’t you think?
Anyway.
I didn’t intend to talk about hair
That grows on a face ’cause, good grief, who’d care?
But sometimes the news maneuvers me there.
Ironic, it is…so full of hot air.
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Infinitely creative. That’s the way you might imagine somebody who could conjure up designs for the universe and everything in it. And if you found out that the same person could get it all built in only six days, you might start to think, “This is no ordinary person.” And that would be the understatement of all time.
Because there’s one who can be infinitely creative.
Surely I don’t have to tell you who that is. Right?
Oh sure, I know your first thought was probably, “Hey, Tony’s talking about himself. What an arrogant so and so.” But then you remembered, “Wait a minute…Tony’s not infinite. Maybe it’s not him!
And then it probably occurred to you, “Oh, I know. I’ll bet he’s talking about God.” Followed by the obligatory forehead slap. Then, it all started flooding back into your mind.
All those amazing designs that sprang into existence during The Very First 6 Days of creation. Our tiny minds can hardly imagine how all that could have happened just because God commanded it.
He just spoke the words. And the universe appeared.
I love letting my imagination wander when I read the story of creation in Genesis. And that’s why I decided to write a rhyming book for kids. So they could hear the rhymes and imagine it, too.
I’m sharing the section from the first day. Get the whole colorful paperback, on Amazon, for your kids. It makes the days of creation easy to understand and remember. Because it rhymes. Kids love that.
Before there were created things like water and fresh air…
No world or human beings were existing anywhere.
Then God created earth and sea and all the heavens too.
There was no sun, no moon, no stars, and only God shone through.
He looked down at the waters and the dark face of the deep.
The earth was still and quiet just as we are when we sleep.
He said, “Let there be light” the way a perfect, true God could,
And then He saw the brand new light and knew that it was good.
Then God divided light and dark, and darkness He called Night.
The light would be called Day, and it was pleasing in His sight.
That evening and that morning wouldn’t be the total sum…
No, that was just the very first day…five were yet to come.
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An old friend of mine, from back in my days as a full time musician in Texas, loved REO Speedwagon. And I think she even got to meet them one time. I wasn’t a fan. But there’s no denying they were a pretty successful band. They had hits like Can’t Fight This Feeling, Keep On Loving You, and Take it On the Run. But their hit song, Ridin’ the Storm Out came up in my head when I read about Abraham Wald.
What do a successful band and Mr. Wald have in common?
Nothing really. Except for criss-crossing thoughts of them in my brain. Allow me to explain.
Travel back in time with me, now, to the inside of a fighter plane flying over enemy territory in World War II. When those crews landed safely back at base, most of the time they’d be riddled with bullet holes. And there were people who studied those bullet holes. And they noticed certain areas of the planes were hit more than others.
So, naturally, the first thoughts were to make those parts of the planes a lot stronger. Because the goal was to reduce the number of planes shot down. Sounds logical. Right?
Not so fast.
This is where Abraham Wald came in. Apparently he was a vampire. Uh…wait. Scratch that. I just re-read his story. And, yes, he was born in Transylvania. But he was not a vampire. He was a Hungarian Jew. And, as it turned out, a mighty sharp mathematician.
In fact, he founded the field of statistical sequential analysis. Without going into too much detail about what that is, here’s a definition I found: “Sequential analysis is the branch of statistics concerned with investigations in which the decision whether or not to stop at any stage depends on the observations previously made.”
Abe put that expertise to good use when he checked the bullet holes data on those fighter planes. And, after he noticed the patterns of bullet holes and studied more data, he presented a much better way to look at the problem. He pointed out that the planes that were shot in those patterns were the ones that returned.
And with that insight, he apparently convinced the decision makers who ordered planes to be reinforced in those areas that didn’t have bullet holes. And, as a result, fewer fighter planes…and more importantly the crews…were shot down.
You might say they were better equipped to keep Ridin’ the Storm Out.
Well, YOU might not say it. But that certainly wouldn’t keep ME from sayin’ it.
So, the moral of the story (if you wanna call it that) is this. Data, logic, reason, and careful investigation of the information can provide a much more valuable perspective.
And that’s why it’s important to understand humans are information based. We’re uniquely designed like no other living creature…or inanimate object. And it’s because you and I were made in the image and likeness of God. With attributes like emotions, logic, and reason that couldn’t have evolved even if the universe was a humongazillion years old.
So join the only truly successful band,
The one that God created with His own hand.
And just imagine all of the songs we’ll write,
‘Cause we will live forever in His love light.
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If you’ve spent even a little bit of time online, you’ve probably noticed a common “item” in the world of internet marketing. And you might have taken advantage of it more than once. I have. In fact, I have one of these on the opening page of TonyFunderburk.com. Of course I’m talking about the almost ubiquitous free offer. And marketers use it all the time for one simple reason. It works.
Who doesn’t love a free offer? Or a free gift?
And in this digital age, you can get a lot of those freebies almost instantaneously. And all you need is an email address. It’s really pretty cool when you think about it. Because people have been able literally change their whole lives just by using the information in a digital freebie.
(Side note: I don’t believe my free offer will change your whole life. But it’ll put a smile on somebody’s face.)
People, from just about every walk of life, have had great success by gathering up lots of fans, followers, clients, and customers with their offers. But not just because of the offer. They had to deliver on their promises. And the ones who do reap the most benefits.
But I’ll bet 99% of the entrepreneurs, business owners, and website operators are clueless as to who started the whole free offer thing. And you gotta go back in time, way past the days of the internet to see where it originated. In fact, you gotta go back in time, way past the days of TV…or radio…or even newspaper.
Right about now, if you’ve followed me on my website, or in my emails, or on my Rhyme and Reason Podcast, you might be thinking, “Uh-oh…I think Tony’s gonna talk about that free gift of salvation that Jesus provided.” Right?
Well that’s the most expensive “free offer” in the history of the universe…to be sure. But no, you gotta back in time, even way past Jesus, or papyrus and scrolls. And keep going back past the time of multiple languages and different “races, creeds, and customs.”
And your wayback time travel machine should only stop when you reach the garden of Eden.
Paradise on Earth.
The original free offer. Eternal life in paradise. Right here on our beautiful blue planet.
When you read about the six days of creation (a literal six days, by the way), you see how God created the universe, all the planets and stars, and everything else on Earth. And He finished His creative work with His masterpieces.
A man. And a woman.
And the first thing He did was to offer the whole world to them. Free. They could live in paradise forever. And they could simply enjoy all the fruits from all the trees in their garden paradise. Sort of like a permanent vacation. All the trees, that is, except for one. God told them if they ate from that one tree, they’d die.
Now, you might think that would be enough to keep them away from that tree. But you’d be wrong.
Because, sure enough, they made a beeline for that tree. Well, not really. But yeah, kinda.
But think about it from their perspective for just a minute. They were the first two people. And they had never seen anybody die. So, they probably couldn’t get their minds around the concept of death. “We’ll die if we eat the fruit from this tree? What’s that even mean?
Of course, the fault in their logic was that they should’ve just listened to God. And they should’ve just obeyed. Because, like all free offers, somebody’s gotta pay. Free is a concept. Not a reality. Because somebody always pays.
And even God’s first free offer…which was the first one ever…was paid for.
First, by Adam and Eve. But even more importantly, when they disobeyed God, they triggered His contingency plan. And that plan required the most expensive payment there ever was or ever will be. And there would be only one person who could or would ever be able to afford it.
The One who still offers eternal life to anyone who wants it.
For Free.
Because Jesus made the payment
You can live forevermore
In paradise…in His love.
So, what are you waiting for?
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I was a fan of Chicago (the band, not the city) when I was in high school. And for years after. I’m not sure what they’ve done in recent years. But some of that early stuff with horns, strings, double drummers…it was slammin’ jammin’. And if you’re a fan of drums, percussion, and bass arrangements, check out I’m A Man. Bam! Awesome drum solo. But another song came to mind last week, “Searchin’ So Long.” Because I was doing some online research using search engines from Google and a couple of others. But, as usual, I noticed something mighty annoying.
Search engines don’t serve up the conservative side of truth very well.
And Google is particularly guilty of skewing results. So, the information you need and want to find is getting buried more often than not. And when I say “buried,” I mean sometimes it won’t show up at all. Unless, maybe, if you’re willing to go to the 100th page of results. And you’re probably not gonna do that. Right?
As it turns out, I’m not the only one who’s noticed this. Apparently there are a couple of other conservative Christians out there. You’re one of ’em, aren’t you?
Anyway…
A friend of mine, and his team, have put together a micro search engine that uses Google against itself. How cool is that? Well, pretty darn cool. As a matter of fact, I’m gonna share a link to the little search engine that could. And you’ll see how it serves up results based on the content on a large (and growing) group of conservative websites.
And this search engine filters out the vast majority of that other junk and fake news.
Give it a try.
I think you’ll love it. It’s totally free. Nothing to sign up for. No information collected. Just a micro search engine page. And it’s like giving Google a dose of truth serum.
Conservative search – https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=13446e85c74f76be3
And keep your dial tuned in to me. Because I’ll be sharing another little search engine that helps you focus results on creation science sites. If you’re like me, you’ll love being able to tap into real science instead of all that God-hating, evolution-loving science from knuckleheads who try to pose as scientists.
Searchin’ for an answer, but the answers don’t seem true.
And this happens all the time, so what’s a guy to do?
Don’t look in the places where the liars want you to.
Try out these solutions that I’m sharing here with you.
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OK, kids. Gather ’round. Because I’m gonna tell you a story that’s true, even though it sounds like a fairy tale. “Once upon a time, when I was a kid, my whole family would sit down in the same room and watch television shows together. That’s right, the same shows…together.” Yeah, that sounds like a fairy tale these days. But it was true. And a news story reminded me of how one of those shows started off with “And away we go.”
Of course, I’m talking about Jackie Gleason. And he was the star of the popular Saturday night TV show, appropriately named “The Jackie Gleason Show.” The “great one” (as he was known) would start the show with a monologue. And at the end of the monologue, he’d strike a pose, as though he was gonna speed off like the Roadrunner, and say…
“And away we go!”
But you sorta had to be there. Because it wasn’t just the pose or the words. It was the way he said it. I’m sure you can find a video of it online. So, check it out, and you’ll see what I mean. I was too young to actually understand some of the show’s humor. But that part was funny.
Now…this is just another example of the quirky way my brain works.
Because I thought of that Jackie Gleason catchphrase after I heard about a moron, Emanuel Cleaver, and his idiotic, so-called “prayer.” I’m sure you’ve already heard or read about him. And how he ended the “prayer” to open the 117th Congress with “Amen and awoman.”
That’s idiotic on so many levels. First, it mixes plural with singular. Second, Amen isn’t a gendered word. It basically means “so be it” in the Christian and Jewish faiths. (By the way, you should check out this presentation of the origin of Amen.)
Also, the name Emanuel contains MAN. But who’s counting. And apparently that guy (who I said is not a clever Cleaver) is not only a Congresman…oops there’s man again…but he also calls himself a United Methodist preacher. Yikes!
Sadly, there are far too many of these so-called “preachers.”
And there are far too many people who blindly go to their churches and never call ’em out on their foolishness and hypocrisy. So, these moron ministers feel legitimate. And their motivational speech “churches” grow and “prosper.”
But that’s not the worst part.
The worst part is the damage they do to the rest of the world’s view and opinion of the Body of Christ. They think we must all be fools and dorks and morons like this hack, Cleaver.
And so we “suffer the slings and arrows” of their outrageous inanity. But that’s why Christians who know better need to “take arms against” this “sea of troubles.” And before anyone thinks I’m saying “Annie git your gun” let me say I’m a Romans 12:18 guy.
So…even if you’re a woman…can I get an Amen?
Give me words…give me courage…
Give me time and a powerful voice.
And when many still may hate me,
Give me Your love and I’ll always rejoice.
(from “Give Me The Whole Jesus“)
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