Tony Funderburk Posted on by

When you stand right up next to a tree of doubt, it can be virtually impossible to see the forest of all the good things. And that’s why you gotta have hope.

And all the good things include joy and peace, by the way.

I don’t, by any stretch of the imagination, mean worldwide joy and peace. Because, obviously, that ain’t happening right now. Yeah, I’m sure you have personal troubles. I know I do. But you and I know the power of God’s love, and we have hope of a joy filled and peaceful future. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

For example, those personal troubles I mentioned, for me, include waking up daily (and often during the night, too) to struggling to breathe. Then, I have to get vertical to help the head and lungs clear so that I can function like the semi normal human being. I’ve always been. Plus, I walk a little bit weird now, and I tire out with only a little effort. I could go into more details about my daily physical struggles to stay alive. But this ain’t about all that.

Nope.

I want you to know that every day I get up with joy and peace in my being. Because I have hope for the future when I’ll be totally renewed by God. Emotionally, physically, and even spiritually.

And so I can see (and I hope you can, too) all the good things…

In The Middle

When you’re really in the middle
And you’re feeling like a riddle,
And you start to get a little bit down…
Take your eyes off all your troubles.
Let ’em float away like bubbles.
When they pop, then I bet you can’t frown.

When you think your life is rotten…
All the good things have been gotten,
And the world’s takin’ much more than it gives…
Start to laugh and start to winkin’.
You can stop that stinkin’ thinkin’.
That’s the way that a happy kid lives.

Yeah, your face might get all flappy
When you walk around so happy,
But your life is gonna mean a lot more.
Now go be a sparkling fountain
Or a bright light on a mountain
‘Cause your Maker’s got a lot in store. © 2013 TF

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I’m just gonna share a few musical factoids with you today. So if you’re not in the mood for that sort of thing, it probably won’t interest you that Paul McCartney released an album on December 5, 1973.

Yeah, December 5, 1973, saw a release of “Band On The Run” in the United States.

One source I saw said that album was the “critical pinnacle of his post-Beatles work.” Because it topped the charts in 7 countries. When you consider how difficult it is to top the charts in just one country, that is pretty impressive.

I don’t think I actually bought a copy of that album. But I probably had a cassette version. And several of the songs were big hits for him. And I heard them on popular radio stations, back then, all the time. I eventually added the first and last songs, on the album, to my live music repertoire. The title song, Band On The Run, and Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five. I really like the musical change-ups in the first song and the way the last song rocked out and built up to a crescendo, complete with a minor key to major key resolution chord, at the end. Fun stuff.

Here’s an interesting sidenote I hadn’t heard before.

“According to the 2015 book Conversations With McCartney, Paul said that when recording this album, the band went to Africa, they were told not to walk around the country; Linda and Paul did anyway. Paul said they were robbed at knife point. The original recordings of a few of the songs on the album were stolen, but they escaped with their lives and that’s all that really matters.”

They recorded it in Nigeria.

Remind me (yeah, right) to never go there. As if I needed any other reasons to avoid that place like the plague.

Anyway…

Paul enjoyed, and still enjoys I suppose, a lot of musical successes. Like

  • five consecutive number one albums
  • 27 U.S. Top 40 hits
  • best-selling pop act of the 1970s (with his band, Wings)
  • 60 gold records
  • composed the most-recorded song ever (Yesterday)
  • and many more

By many accounts, Mr. McCartney is the wealthiest musician in the world who is the net worth of $1.2 billion. He also continues to earn “tens of millions per year in royalties and licensing fees earned from both his own music and an incredibly valuable portfolio of publishing copyrights from other artists.”

But he’s still drastically poor compared to me.

And certainly not because of my musical successes. They’re not even a fraction of a fraction of his. But I invested, wisely, somewhere Paul has passed over. At least so far. And my investment will still be paying dividends long, long, LONG after either his money or his time has run out.

No, I’m not a shrewd investor or marketing, genius or even a lucky guy who started out with a multimillion dollar inheritance. I’m just a regular guy who’s humble enough to learn where the real gold is and then place my faith where it can produce a heavenly return based on perfection instead of my broken brain.

So here’s the thing. If you prefer to listen to peacenick talk in top 40 hits, then Paul McCartney might fit the bill. But if you’re looking for truth, real love, and everlasting life, you should maybe consider my recommendations.

And there are just two main ones I always share. Email me anytime and ask. Or, on this delightful December 5….

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Here’s something I shared a few years ago. And today it’s fairly appropriate to share it again. Yeah, apparently the number 3 is a charm, full of all kinds of magical powers.

Just so you know, I’m not talking about the search for the secret keys to the universe. That’s something Nikola Tesla talked about. He figured those keys could be found by thinking “in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” And some say he was obsessed with the combination of 3, 6, and 9.

I’ve looked at some of the calculations and tabulations involved in the Golden Ration and Vortex Math. And it’s fascinating to ponder. But I’m not in awe of where scientists tend to want to go with the information. I’m not quite sure if Nikola went with the evolutionary side of science or not. But too many scientists do.

Oh, sorry, I just sidetracked down a rabbit hole there. Let’s get back to me and my focus on 3.

And maybe the number 3 IS a charm.

After all, 3 is the main number for a lot of the building blocks in life. Atoms are made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. And time exists as past, present, and future. Math is built on positive, negative, and zero. And of course, there’s no greater example of the power of 3 than the Holy Trinity: God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So, that, once again, brings me back to the number 3 and my obsession…er…interest with it. First, my birth date is 3. And the numbers of my birth month equal 3 when added together. And the month and date added together equal 6, which is the number of man. Plus, when I lay out some tabulations, I reach the number 25. And if you subtract the 2 from the 5, you get 3. I could go on.

But I’m not obsessed.

And I don’t walk around a building three times before I enter. And I don’t have to stay in hotel rooms with numbers divisible by three. I’m not obsessed with it, like Nikola Tesla.

Even though, I noticed I used some key words 3 times each in this little brain dump of mine. So, maybe I should just say goodbye, farewell, auf wiedersehen for now.

And may the
God of Hope
Bless you today,
Tomorrow, and forever.
(see what I did there?)

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I encourage you to seek out the MJSPBR organization. And grab your free lifetime membership while the limited time offer lasts. You won’t find a better body of people in the world as long as you live. Because the owner paid up each and every member’s dues. And you can get that same deal. Guaranteed.

All you gotta do is ask.

What’s that? You’d like to know more about who these MJSPBR people are before you join?

OK. No problem. Would you believe they’re just like you. And they’re quite possibly, literally, all around you and your community. Right now. Yeah, they had to discover, for themselves, all the lasting (dare I say everlasting) benefits of membership. And they had to ask to join, too. Because every single person, who’s ever joined, identifies with a single individual.

And He’s the individual who started the organization in hopes of overcoming the world with graceful love. An individual who was Manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. You’ve heard of street cred? Well, forget that. Because He’s got streets of gold cred. Infinitely more impressive. I highly recommend you join today.

As I said, your lifetime membership is a limited time offer.

When you expire, the offer expires, too. And it will never be available again.

Membership has its rewards. But be warned. Most of the world will do its best to make fun of you, mock you, and create policies designed to shut down the MJSPBR body of members.

But we have certain legal protections from the true Supreme Court that the whole world will never remove.

Trust the Judge, trust the Judge
Who will never ever budge
From what’s right. He’s the light.
He will lead you out of night
Into day, He’s the Way.
Seek Him out. Join today.

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Wanna get from point A to point B? You gotta be active. Not passive. Got some goals you’d like to achieve? It’s gonna take action. Not just reaction. Yeah, you gotta be a doer not just a hearer if you wanna get things done. And effective faith is like that too.

Active, not passive, faith can produce a better you.

For example, check out what Paul told the Colossians about some of their bad habits. And see if what he said was doable without action.

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”

There’s a lot of putting on and putting off action packed in that short passage. And multiple components. With one eternal wow factor result when you DO the action. But there’s the rub. Because it’s those darn components that make the doing so difficult.

Let’s take me, for example. I’ve always had a reasonably long fuse when it comes to anger and wrath. But when I was younger, and reached the end of that fuse, the explosion could more than rock the boat.

And beware the wrath that went along with it.

Thankfully I didn’t bear malice toward anyone. And I didn’t have a problem with blasphemy. But I wish I could say no filthy language ever came out of my mouth. Fortunately I drew the line at f-bombs and that kind of cursing. But I missed God’s mark by a country mile.

I’m pleased to say that, with advanced age, enough wisdom made it into my thick skull to help me put on the new man. Because I’m confident in the knowledge that I’m renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created me. And that brings me massive comfort and hope.

Just to be clear, it’s not what I DO or did that produces that result. It’s what Jesus DID that gives me the courage, desire, and strength to keep my faith active and not passive.

I hope you have that kind of connection with your Creator. Because…

All Of Creation

All of creation points to the Savior.
We are all here by design.
All the environment and complex behavior…
The Glory of God makes it shine.

All of creation holds information…
Encoded within every cell,
All of the best minds in each generation
Won’t banish what Christians know well.

That…

(Chorus)
All of creation is here by the Word of God.
And all of creation mirrors His mind.
All of creation is saved by the Love of God
All of creation…Jesus defined.  © 2016  TF

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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It’s happened to just about all of us here in America at one time or another. That nagging feeling of regret when you find yourself under a pile of debt. But you’re a responsible person. So you came to terms with it. Right? And those terms were what you put yourself under to get yourself out from under all that debt. But that’s just money stuff. There’s another debt you can’t dig yourself out from under.

And if you try, you’ll discover it’s too late for regrets of any kind.

This is starting to sound like a life lesson answer to a question you didn’t even ask. And influencers and marketing professionals all say you gotta tell a story or nobody will listen. They say nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. So, since I care about you and your soul, I’ll share a little story I’ve shared before. And hopefully it’ll help illustrate the point I’m making about when it’s too late for regrets.

When I was a little boy, around four years old, my parents divorced, and my dad took my brother and me to live with my grandparents, his parents. And Grandmother was a Christian woman who took her role as an evangelizer very seriously. She wanted all three of her sons, and all their children, to go to heaven. And she made no bones about it.

Basically, every Sunday we lived with them my grandparents would take us to church. And I still vividly recall that fire and brimstone Baptist atmosphere. The kind where the preacher could and would get loud sometimes. And the kind that, for a preschool little boy like me, seemed to go on for days. With a finish that included the preacher asking if anyone would like to come up and give their heart to Jesus. “With all heads bow and all eyes closed,” was the repeated message each week as the congregation sang that old hymn,

“Just As I Am.”

By the time I was five years old, I started receiving an elbow nudge from my grandmother each week during those altar calls. But being the shy introvert that I was, I never went up there.

However. When I was 13, my grandparents came, from Oklahoma, to visit my dad’s place in Texas. And after they had been there for about a day, Grandmother asked me to come back to my dad’s room because she said she wanted to talk to me. So I went back there with her. And wouldn’t you know, she gave me another Jesus talk. She explained what He could do, and wanted to do, for me. Then she asked if I would like to give my heart to Him and live forever. It sounded good to me. But I didn’t have to go up in front of a bunch of people. So, I said yes.

Grandmother was visibly thrilled. And I was very glad about my decision.

But then she told me something that turned my glow to gloom. She said I had to go tell everyone in the house. And I knew that I was in for it with my stepsister. Because I knew she would make fun of me. Because that was just the kind of thing that she enjoyed. Jumping on my case when I was vulnerable. But I owned up to the responsibility and went out to tell the family members about my salvation. Yes I suffered the stepsister ridicule. But I lived to tell you this story.

So there. I don’t know if it helped you understand anything. Or if it entertained. Or if it bored you to sleep. I only shared it because of how it might help someone avoid trying to pay off eternal debts. Because nobody can do that. And yet eternal debts pile up. And they have to be paid. Thankfully, I decided, at 13, to take Jesus up on his offer to pay off my debts. And one day I’ll go live with Him forever, where I can think Him in person for taking…

Responsibility

I heard my sweet dreams shatter.
Blue skies fell around my feet.
My plans, they just don’t matter.
Big lies and elite deceit.
Same thing throughout the ages.
Same words out of different lips.
False hopes on empty pages,
Crash course with a truth eclipse.

And it all seems helpless, hopeless,
In a world that’s full of brokenhearted.
Reckless, faithless,
From the ones still here and the dear departed.
When was all this madness started?
When we began to flee
From responsibility.

I saw the spotlight lifted. Dark days covered all the hearts.
Don’t know when the whole thing shifted.
Who cares once the damage starts?
I wrote a sad life story. Just words one could soon forget.
Learn from this allegory:
“Too late” hasn’t happened yet. © 2014 TF

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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In the 9th grade, I hated algebra. And it showed. I hated it because it could be, to quote Mr. Spock, “most illogical” sometimes. But thankfully, I passed it and went onto the 10th grade where I got to enjoy the glorious world of geometry. And that’s where things got more precise again. From acute to obtuse angles, to circumference and radius calculations, all the way to circle theorems I found it deeelightful. By the way, here’s what the geometry spot said about them. “Circle theorems are like secret codes! Once you crack them, they can help you understand the magic of circles. These theorems show you how amazing and precise circles can be. By understanding tangents and angles in circles, the applications to solve real-world problems are limitless.”

In case, you never heard of the geometry spot, here’s what they say about themselves:

“GeometrySpot.ooo is a math website that covers the topic of geometry. We have math tutorials, explanations, and activities. We have over 30 articles across multiple websites, and update all of our sites weekly! If you’re looking for other ways to improve your geometry skills, check out some of our activities. We have activities that cover anything and everything about geometry!”

And their activities include:

  • Exploring the Geometry of Circles: Tangents, Secants, and Chords
  • How To Find The Area Of A Circle: A Quick And Simple Guide
  • Understanding the Geometry of Right Triangles: Pythagorean Theorem and Special Ratios

The Pythagorean theorem, describes the relationship between the three sides of a right triangle. And it’s attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. Yeah, they had some weird names back then. Not cool’s like Funderburk.

Anyway…

A few years ago, I wrote a short rhyme to help kids see how even math points to our infinitely brilliant Creator. Mr. Spock is just a tiny blip on the radar screen of logic when compared to Jesus. Thankfully Jesus is the source of logic AND love. And that’s why I write rhymes like this one…

Geometry

Geometric shapes and angles
Help you understand triangles.
But they can show you even more,
Like what we’ve all been put here for.
Unless, of course, you’d rather not
Go where math leads and change your thought.
If that’s your choice, you’ve cooked your goose
And burned up your hypotenuse.  © 2020  TF

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who prefer to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the flashes of light I share on my website when they come right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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The Power of God’s Love Podcast 1015

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of Nov 17 – Nov 13, 2025, I shared in The TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1015:

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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I can still remember something special about that evening, at my great Aunt Bubba and Uncle Ollie’s house (yes, we actually called them that). And that’s in spite of the fact that I was only about four years old, almost 7 decades ago. My mom had just given my younger brother and me a bath. And she was about to take me out to the far reaches of space, roundabout where Wynken Blynken and Nod were ready to set sail in their famous wooden shoe.

Mom didn’t know she was about to take me out there, by the way.

She just thought she was reading a poem out of a giant, old fairytale book. But she didn’t realize the power contained in those words and the way she read them. Yeah, you combine that with my very active, imaginative brain, and let the transport begin.

Mr. Eugene Field was the writer who penned (that’s right, they literally penned articles, poems, and stories back then) the poem, “Wynken Blynken and Nod.” According to a blurb I read about him, he was “born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 2, 1850. Known for his humorous newspaper columns, he also wrote light verse for children.”

He only lived to be about 45 years old. But he made enough of an impression that the famous painter Maxfield Parrish created a very beautiful painting based on Wynken Blynken and Nod. And you know what would make a great Christmas present for someone you care about, or even yourself? Well, a nearly 2′ x 2 1/2′ print of it at that link for a very decent price. If you haven’t seen any Maxfield Parrish, do yourself a favor and check it out. It would probably look great on that one wall you’ve been thinking about.

Anyway…

I don’t wanna give away the ending of the poem. So I’ll just leave you with these lines from it that describe the experience for me that special evening. And after that I’ll share a rhyme I wrote about the feelings.

(from Wynken Blynken and Nod)

So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea…

And here’s the Tony rhyme…

Read Me A Story

Read me a story where the good guy wins…
And sails the ocean on a blue whale’s fins…
Where dreams come true and the world is right.
Read me a story and leave on the light.

Take me places where I’ve never been.
Open windows, and let the stars shine in.
I can see it all inside my head.
All I need tonight is a story read.

Read me a story, and I’ll fall asleep
And dream of mountain goats and bighorn sheep
That pull my wagon through a dream-filled night.
Read me a story and leave on the light.  © 2013 TF

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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I remember seeing the charts and graphs in my freshman classes in high school. You probably saw some of them too. The ones that showed the flow of so-called evolution. Remember those? Yeah, going from a fish to a monkey to a caveman. And it would’ve been humorous if it wasn’t for the fact that they put those pictures up seriously on purpose.

But the charts and graphs didn’t convince me or sway me in the least. 

Because I had the good fortune of being raised in a household where foundational truth was available. And I don’t mean, ABC, NBC, or CBS. I’m talking about the word of God. And that trumps all the news, science, and charts and graphs that says evolution actually happened. It didn’t. And that theory has been so thoroughly debunked, in so many ways, (over and over again) that it’s crazy how many people still buy into that silliness.

I remember some lively debates I had with classmates as we sat in German class waiting for the teacher to arrive. And I remember how I was surprised that I was the only one who defended creationism. Because our high school was extremely conservative with deep Christian influence.

But there we were, with our 16 and 17 year old mushy minds, defending positions almost like fields of battle. 

My position wasn’t nearly as clear and convincing as it is now. So, maybe that had something to do with the fact that basically no one agreed with me. But my passion for God’s creation of the world in six literal days was strong. And I never backed away from it. I’m still convinced and confident in the truth in the Bible. It’s why I wrote this silly rhyme:

Missing Links

If your chain is missing links
And your cup is missing drinks,
Then I have to say methinks there is a snag…
‘Cause we need all of our parts
Before drawing up the charts,
Or we should know it in our hearts, it’s just a gag. © TF

I bet you don’t believe the evolution fairytale is real. But if you do, get yourself this book, by Dr. Walt Brown, a PhD from M.I.T. and discover a whole lotta scientific evidence you probably never knew. It’s called “In The Beginning.”

And then…

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the convenience of having these flashes of light delivered, for free, right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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What does it mean to say there are lives in the balance? Usually, it means that some decision, that can affect a lot of people, is about to be made. Tragically, most of the time that decision is made by so-called leaders with no wisdom.

And they pay lip service to certain lives in the balance.

No wonder so many people in the world live without hope. It’s not that there isn’t any hope. It’s just that the world only has one source of real hope. And most people seem to prefer to ignore, and even hate, that source. And that’s in a day and age when those same people pat themselves on the back and say “love is love.”

But they don’t mean it for everybody.

Nope, that snappy little catchphrase is not for unborn or pre-born babies.

OK, I know I’m one of those judgmental-narrow-minded-anti-choice Christians. But I urge you to open your mind to the possibility that the most popular book of all time might hold that title for a good reason. Maybe there truly is a message of hope found inside its pages. I say. there is. But don’t take my word for it.

Read it. At least read the New Testament part. It can point you in the right eternal direction. And. I (can almost) guarantee you won’t be struck by lightning. Try it. But don’t put it off too long. There’s a limited time offer in there.

When I was the music minister for a little church in Denver, Colorado, I wrote a “pro life” song about how unborn babies are people too. It was to support something called the personhood initiative that was on the ballot to be voted on by the people of Colorado. But it was voted down. Because “love is love” ain’t for babies in the womb, don’t you know.

Here are the lyrics. If you’d like to hear the whole thing, subscribe to The Power of God’s Love Podcast.

Personhood

You should thank your Mom
‘Cause she thought of you as a person.
From the very start
She was calling you her daughter or her son.
And though life isn’t easy,
Our Moms still believed we would make it.
Now some call life a choice, but it’s still a precious life.
We can’t take it.
We can’t forsake it!

Give an unborn baby personhood
There’s nothing more important we can do!
Give an unborn baby personhood.
60 million persons tell us to… they tell us to!

We can read all the judgments,
And continue to build our big plans.
But there are lives in the balance,
And the choice is right in our hands.
So do we sit idle?
Or is there a way we can stand tall?
Can’t we stand for life?
Or do we really stand for nothing at all?
And let the innocent fall?

(Chorus)

If human life is just sown by chance, then
Nothing we know could be bad or be good.
If we’re just embryonic particulate matter,
Then we could know there is no personhood…
But we hope and we pray
And we live for the day,
When our love becomes broad
In the image of God.

(Chorus)  © 2007-2023 TF

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who prefer to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the flashes of light I share on my website when they come right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of Nov 10 – Nov 16, 2025, I shared in The TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1014:

Play

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Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who prefer to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the flashes of light I share on my website when they come right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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You can find 7 mg of it in a 3 ounce serving of beef. Or 74 mg of it and 3 ounce serving of oysters. And you can find it a variety of other foods, which is good, because it plays an essential role in cell division and growth. In other words without it, you and I would have never become you and me. But there are plenty of other side zinc benefits, too.

Just so you know, this won’t be a health coach article on zinc benefits.

But I think it’s kinda cool to understand some of the benefits of zinc. Especially when you consider it’s right there with you from your very beginning. But I’ll get back to that in just a sec.

Right now think about these other functions zinc performs in your body:

  • It’s crucial for your body’s immune system to function properly.
  • Good skin health and wound healing require adequate amounts of zinc.
  • And it’s a required mineral for you to be able to smell and taste.

Most experts (as much as anybody can be an expert on this subject) say that animal products are better sources of zinc than plant. And they say that that’s because of the bioavailability of it in animal products. And that sounds good to me because I loves me some beef.

According to the data, adult males (and pregnant women) need about 11 mg of zinc daily. Women who aren’t pregnant need about 8 mg a day. And breast-feeding women need about 12 mg per day. When you consider there billions of people on the planet, that’s a lot of zinc floating around. Fortunately it’s the 24th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. (mm mm, crust. Who’s ready for some toast?)

But enough of the elemental data.

Let’s get back to that interesting part of zinc benefits that are there with you from your very beginning. In case you haven’t seen the videos floating around the internet, there are some cool ones that people are calling the spark of life. I like that. And it’s very appropriate.

Those flashes of light are also called zinc sparks. Because “they” say it’s a “burst of zinc that occurs when a human egg is activated by a sperm enzyme, indicating the quality of the egg and its potential to develop into an embryo.” And I say it’s yet another tiny, but amazing, spectacle God gave us to show the power of his love in the development of human life. I can’t prove it, but my guess is it pleases him to impress us like that.

Here’s a link to one of those videos in case you haven’t seen it:
(https://youtube.com/shorts/zN-HINKQirk?si=JhmM6a6ldXZ1JadP)

OK, I believe that’s the coolest of all the zinc benefits.

And if it doesn’t impress you, then you can just go complain to your logic only Uncle Spock. As for me, God’s creation and love, never cease to inspire me to write words and music about Him. Like this….

Give Me The Light

Well the light shines, and it’s coming from above.
I can’t ignore it because I know deep down it’s Love,
And it shows me that the time is close at hand,
And I’m beginning to think I might just understand.

I’ve waited so long for the perfect time and place,
And made a whole lot of mistakes I can’t erase.
Destined to live in darkness I supposed,
But you can’t see the Light when your eyes are closed.

So gimme the Light oh give me the Light of Your Love.
Gimme the Light. I wanna see how good it can be.
Gimme the Light oh give me the Light of Your Love.
And gimme the Light that truly sets this blind man free.

Well, I daydream, and I do my best to fly,
But something holds me; it doesn’t matter how I try.
Oh, but someday, when You say the time is right,
I know I’ll fly up and live forever in Your light. © 1984-1998 TF

Get The TRUTH Journal and the power of God’s love delivered right to your device and inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you links to books and music you can download and enjoy right away. And kids from 3 to 103, around the world, already enjoy these fun goodies.

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“I don’t know which is more beautiful, the picture or the poetry. Together, they’re fireworks. The ability of artfully putting feelings into words is a rare, God-given gift. Kudos!” That’s what someone told me, a couple of days ago, on a social media platform.

I’ve been putting feelings into words for most of my life.

And I still enjoy every time someone mentions how they enjoyed something I wrote. Especially when They describe it the way that quote, above, did. Because they even acknowledged putting words in the feelings, the way I do is a “God-given gift.”

Yes, I believe God gave me the gifts of words and music. And I believe I’ll be eternally grateful for that. Because (ironically) I can’t fully explain the feeling I get when I complete a writing project. And I also can’t explain how I just can’t not write. It’s the one compulsion I’ve never overcome. In fact, I don’t want to.

Whatever God-given gift you have I hope it compels you to use it to share the power of God’s love with anyone who needs or wants to hear that message. Because I believe these kinds of gifts we receive are for that very reason. Not just putting feelings into words about the temporary stuff in this world.

By the way, the woman who wrote that compliment to my writing was talking about a rhyme I added to a beautiful photograph. The picture was a white frozen tree in heavy snow with the Aurora Borealis lights highlighting it from behind. And here’s my description of that picture…

The Aurora Tree

Boreal, surreal, and crystalline,
In splendid snow and lights of green,
I saw the branches dressed in white
As silence ruled the sparkling night.
I felt electrons spark through me
From inside the Aurora Tree.
And I felt like a lightning rod
Connected to the hand of God. © TF

Get The TRUTH Journal and the power of God’s love delivered right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you links to books and music you can download and enjoy right away. And kids from 3 to 103, around the world, already enjoy these fun goodies.

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I bet you’ve seen ’em too. Videos of kids and puppies playing are all over YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and probably every other social media platform. But why? It certainly can’t be the cuteness factor.

Because, really, kids and puppies playing is just plain boring.

Right? I mean, if you’ve seen one kids and puppies video, you’ve seen them all. And it’s not like they’re playing in some brand new way. Nah, it’s the same ol’, same ol’. Jumping, romping around, falling over. Making messes. C’mon. How many times do we have to be subjected to all this repetitive content?

After all, there are lots more important things to consider and deal with going on in the world. Wars, for example. Hey, there are even rumors of wars for crying out loud. Nations crumble and fall on a fairly regular basis these days. And. maybe you didn’t even notice (I didn’t), but the American government was shut down for days and days.

Shut down!

So, with all that going on, who’s got time to sit around and watch videos of kids and puppies playing?

But hang on a sec. I just remembered something. God inspired Paul to tell people to think about good stuff. And that included “whatever things are pure” and “whatever things are lovely.”

OK, OK. I guess I’ll have to admit there’s not much that’s more pure and lovely than kids and puppies. And, come to think of it, back in 2013, I let my guard down for a few minutes and wrote a rhyme about it. And it went a little something like this:

Puppies And Kids

Nothing goes together like puppies and kids…
Not bunnies and bears…not spiders and squids.
Or llamas and lizards…not werewolves and wizards.
>Not flannel and foxes…not bison and boxes.
>Not doughnuts and dragons…not weasels and wagons.
>Not birdies and buckles…not chickens and chuckles.
You could take a vote, and I’ll say my bid’s
On the number one cute thing…
Puppies and kids.  © 2013  TF

By the way, just so you know where I stand on this, in case you didn’t already know, kids are cuter and way more important than puppies. And human babies are real. So-called “fur babies” are not. You can call your pet that if you want, but only little boys and girls are made in the image and likeness of God. Not animals.

‘Nuff said on that at this time. Now…

Get The TRUTH Journal and the power of God’s love delivered right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you links to books and music you can download and enjoy right away. And kids from 3 to 103, around the world, already enjoy these fun goodies.

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Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of Nov 3 – Nov 9, 2025. I shared in The TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1013:

Play

Get The The Power of God's Love Podcast Delivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

The TRUTH

Stay tuned,

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Perfect people don’t make mistakes. Because that’s one of the criteria for perfection. No mistakes. Ever. Not even one tiny one.

So, have you ever met any perfect people?

Oh, stop it. I am not. You’re embarrassing me. (insert chuckles and giggles here)

Anyway…

Here’s the irony in this world’s lack of perfect people. Originally there WAS one perfect man and one perfect woman. But they made a really bad choice (and you and I would’ve done something just as stupid, so don’t get on no high horses). And with that one decision mankind’s time of perfection ended. Almost before it got started.

One reason I brought this up right now is because of how many times I hear people use the word perfect in so many parts of conversations. For example, have you gone to a restaurant and the person taking your order asks what you want, and when you tell him or her, they say perfect? And not just once, but multiple times, depending on the order.

Or someone takes your information at a doctor’s office or bank counter, and as you respond to their questions, they say “perfect.”

Or about this? Watch just about any Christmas movie and see if you can’t hear someone say something like “this Christmas party is gonna be the most perfect one ever.”

Well, I’m gonna get a little bit Scroogey and say “bah humbug.”

Because using the word over and over in all these kinds of scenarios, and so many more, just turns it into a silly figure of speech. Until people don’t even know the real meaning of the word anymore. And silly as it sounds this IS important because perfection IS real.

But it only exists in three persons in one place. God. Good news is one fine day. He’s gonna change things back to where they were. And then includes changing the broken you into the…

Perfectly You

You’re not perfect
And neither am I.
And both of us
Should never try.
Perfect people
Don’t exist.
If you think so,
Please resist.
You can be you…
And it’s okay.
Keep on growing
Every day…
In your spirit,
Body, and soul.
You’re much more than
Energized coal.
You didn’t happen.
You were designed.
A loving Creator
Had you in mind
To be a real person
To think and do…
And though you’re not perfect
You’re perfectly YOU. © 2013 TF

OK, I think that’s a perfect place to stop for right now. Until next time remember….

Get The TRUTH Journal so that the power of God’s love I share online comes right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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God is great. And His creation of the universe, galaxies, and all the stars and solar systems is just the tip of the iceberg.

Because when it comes to love, God is great beyond comprehension.

And the love you can see, in His creation of you and me (humans), reveals He is also real, alive, personal, and good.

Imagine, for a second or two, that you’re God and that you can see and hear all those humans you created on Earth. Think about how you created a planet where you provided, abundantly, for everything they need to live.

Now, think about how you can hear how much the vast majority of those people hate you. And you hear the stories they make up for how the world and everything in it came to be. No matter how many times and ways you show them how much you love them their hatred grows.

How would you be able to stay motivated to love them and want to keep them around? Oh yeah, I left out one detail. As God, you’ve been watching all this for about six or seven thousand years.

You and I would’ve given up a long time ago. But God didn’t. He hasn’t. And that’s why I sing…

Our God Is LPRGL

The world is…obsessed with death and dying.
They’re drowning…in bitterness and crying.
It’s such an awful shame.
They could call upon the name of Jesus.
As followers we say
We know He’s the only Way that frees us
From the sins we hide deep inside. They… can’t please us.

Our bodies…become the dust that scatters.
If that’s it…then nothing really matters.
We may as well give in
When we feel the world begin to seize us.
Who needs all that guilt and blame
You get calling on the name of Jesus?
But it’s not like that. It’s a fact…Jesus sees us.

He’s living and He’s life…He’s personal to talk to…
Relational with every son and daughter.
He’s good and so much more…. He’s loving to the core…
Jesus is the Living Water.
And each time a soul is saved all the angels above sing….
Our God is living, personal, relational, good… and loving.

Our souls know. infinity is calling.
But temptation…can keep our spirits falling.
So we need to fix our eyes
On the true eternal prize of Jesus.
When we stand before the throne,
He knows our lives, alone, won’t appease us.
No, we need the blood of the lamb…we need Jesus.    © 2008 TF

Get The TRUTH Journal so that the power of God’s love I share online comes right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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Yeah, it’s “a new material called Liquid Glass.” and here is how Apple describes it: “This translucent material reflects and refracts its surroundings, while dynamically transforming to help bring greater focus to content, delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more.”

They say it’s new. But liquid glass was described 2000 years ago.

Oh sure, the following description isn’t talking about some cool new device. But this liquid glass is in the middle of some wild and crazy creatures. And don’t take my word for it. Here’s the eyewitness account:

~ Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!” ~

That same eyewitness, a man named John, shared another description of liquid glass.

And here’s what he said about that:

~ And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ~

Now, I see the power of God’s love everywhere I look. And those words from the apostle, John, who actually walked with Jesus, are great examples.

First, John saw these things and wrote down his descriptions around 2000 years ago. And his words, inspired by God, are part of the best selling book of all time. People all around the world have had their eternal destination changed by hearing the words of that book. And that’s despite how many other people did their level best to destroy even any evidence of the book.

But I believe God’s powerful love kept that from happening.

Because He believes at least a portion of the world will choose to believe and trust in His Son. So, for their sake, He’s preserved His word through centuries of a broken, fallen world that mostly turns its back on Him.

I hope that doesn’t include you. And if it does right now, put down your liquid glass device and take a moment to be sure you’ll see and enjoy that river of water of life forever. It only takes a few seconds. And a dose of humility. Just tell God you realize how much you need Him. Tell Him you’re sorry for hurting others and for hurting yourself. Ask Him to change you. And He will.

And then don’t be surprised when you find yourself loving Him on a level you’ve never loved anyone else in your life. Because no one else in your life can give you eternal life.

I wrote a song called The Pure Place inspired by part of what John saw. Here’s the chorus:

I want to find the Pure Place…that glitters like gold
I need to find the Pure Place…never hot or cold
I’d love to find the Pure Place…
Let the Light shine on my face…
No dreams I’d ever have to chase…
No bad that we could not erase…
I’d love to find…the Pure Place!

Subscribe to The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

The TRUTH

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of October 27-Nov 2, 2025. I shared in The TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1012:

Play

Get The The Power of God's Love Podcast Delivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional for believers who prefer to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the flashes of light I share on my website when they come right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

The TRUTH

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