Category Archives: Christian Articles

Tony Funderburk writes and sings about the rhyme and reason for life so believers and searchers can see some of the millions of reasons to trust Jesus.

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Jesus is the one way

I see social media posts and internet articles talking about the forgiving nature of God. And His immense love. Of course, God forgives and loves. Certainly He does. But, unlike most Christians will tell you, it’s not unconditional forgiveness and love. God has one, single condition, one requirement, for His forgiveness and eternal love. You gotta humble yourself and ask for it. And you gotta trust and believe Jesus is the one way of forgiveness of your sins. But before you jump in and ask, make sure you understand the whole Jesus. Not only the forgiving, loving Creator of Heaven and Earth. Discover His eternal commitment to justice and righteousness.

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Jesus is the one way

Jesus is the one way – THE key to Heaven

He took the form of a baby who grew into a man when He came to Earth 2000 years ago. But even so, He’s not like you and me. You and I were born into sin through sinful parents, and we still sin. Jesus was and IS the son of God. His Father never sinned. And fortunately for all of us, Jesus never sinned either. That kept His eternal soul and spirit worthy of covering every sin ever committed by every person who ever lived.

But remember…it’s not automatic. And that’s the key to understanding the whole Jesus. Not just the miracle worker, or the water-into-wine maker, or even the forgiving, merciful Son of God. The whole Jesus requires our love freely given to Him. And He won’t force that choice on anyone. And He knows most people will reject Him. So, He’s made a place where they can go exist forever and never, ever have to be bothered with Him (or those of us who love Him) again.

I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you…it’s not somewhere to be taken lightly. It’s not somewhere you wanna go. And I’ve read enough of God’s word to know most people who read what I say or listen to what I sing will hate me for even repeating it. But I’m still repeating it…if only for one other person who understands Jesus is the one Way. Listen to the podcast and sing with me…

Give Me The Whole Jesus

Oh give me love…give me justice…
Give me Grace and the strength to endure.
When the world comes against me,
Give me Your Spirit steadfast and sure.

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.

Give me the whole Jesus;
The whole Good Lord…
The One who shields the child…
The One who wields the sword.
Give me the whole Jesus
Son of God and man…
“˜Cause only Jesus saves…
And only Jesus can! Only Jesus can! Only Jesus can!

Then give me dreams…give me wisdom…
Give me peace at the end of my days.
And give me life…everlasting…
In Your world and in Your higher ways.

Chorus

© 2010 Tony Funderburk

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Discover my ebooks on Amazon.com or Smashwords
Get my Podcast on iTunes – OR Google Play OR Player.fm
Follow me on Twitter
Watch my videos on YouTube
Find me on Facebook

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

The Actual Attributes of God

If you do an online search for the attributes of God, you’re liable to find what one pastor calls the “omni’s and the im’s”. You’ve probably heard of them…omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent…immutable and impassible. Those are some impressive (pun slightly intended) attributes. But they don’t truly represent the God of the Bible.

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

The Attributes of God

Wouldn’t you prefer the attributes of God to be connectors and not dividers?

So would God. He shows us, throughout His word, how much He wants us to be with Him. And He says those who reject His Son won’t be with Him. They’ll be somewhere, forever, where God will not be present. Hmm, that sort of rejects the omnipresent thing.

And here’s something God said to and through a prophet named Jeremiah: “…they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind.” Don’t take my word for it. Click the link and go read it for yourself. And it definitely shoots down the old omniscient notion.

As for omnipotence…Jesus did not possess that attribute as he hanged from the cross for you and me? So, the idea of unlimited power,    able to do literally anything doesn’t fairly represent our Creator. And Jesus hanging on the cross leads me to the first “im”.

Don’t you think Jesus dying on the cross was a HUGE change from anything God had ever done? And let’s not forget the fact that He became a little baby in a human mother’s womb…and then a man. He’d never done that throughout all of His past existence. Those are massive changes. And since He’s a man forever, now, still another gigantic change. Sorry, that’s not immutability.

And guess what? God is full and overflowing with passion. He’s a real person. Not a stone god or idol. Literally, all through the Bible, you can see His passion for and toward us, His creations. And the crucifixion…have you noticed how, through the decades, it’s called The Passion? I mean, c’mon, Jesus was so distraught over the idea of His upcoming separation from God the Father, He sweat blood as He prayed. An impassible god would not…and could not…do that. So much for the “im’s”.

It’s infinitely more comforting to think of the connecting attributes of God.

And to know He’s alive, and that He became a man in order to intimately relate to our suffering and connect with us personally. Most of all…to know He’s so good and righteous and He loves us enough to give us eternal life. Just for believing and trusting. It’s such a humbling feeling to know the greatest Person in existence wants me to be with Him forever. And that’s why I wrote this song…

Our God is Living, Personal, Relational, Good, and Loving

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.

© 2009 Tony Funderburk

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Discover my ebooks on Amazon.com or Smashwords
Get my Podcast on iTunes – OR Google Play OR Player.fm
Follow me on Twitter
Watch my videos on YouTube
Find me on Facebook

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Admonish one another

Look up admonish in the dictionary, and you might come to the conclusion it’s something harsh. For example, here’s how one dictionary defines it: “warn or reprimand someone firmly…warn (someone) of something to be avoided: he admonished the people against the evil of such practices.” Wow, Christians shouldn’t be like that to one another. Should they? Actually, God inspired Paul to write to the Colossians and tell them to admonish one another. So, if Christians shouldn’t be that way, why did Paul urge the Colossians to be that way? Hmm…

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Does that sound like what typical songs in your church do these days? Do pastors urge their congregations to teach and admonish one another in spiritual songs? Or do they spend more time talking about tithing and raising money for the latest cause, outreach, or new church building?

Praise and worship time in many, if not most, Christian churches, these days, seems to be more of a mini concert. Or a time to repeat a mantra, a sound bite, for entrancing the flock. There’s not much admonishing going on. But maybe it’s just an old-fashioned idea. Maybe it’s not appropriate for today’s modern and more enlightened churches.

Or maybe it IS.

There’s an internet marketing phrase used a lot these days…evergreen content. It means content that’s just as relevant years ago or years from now as it is today. And I’d like to suggest there’s no content more evergreen than what you’ll find in the Bible. God’s word doesn’t age any more than God Himself. What was written to the Colossians two thousand years ago is completely relevant for us today.

But don’t forget grace.

Admonishing isn’t supposed to be a way of showing how much you know. In fact, Paul told the Colossians to sing “with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” That’s vitally important to remember. Jesus knows you. And yet He still offers His grace to you. So, pass it on. With grace in your heart, you can admonish one another when it’s appropriate, never forgetting the one who needs and wants it most is YOU.

Alright. Who’s ready for some serious praise and worship?

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tell everybody you know to subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional
(emails with good stuff for Fa-Ree)

Get my Rhyme & Reason Podcast delivered right to your device. (also Fa-Ree)

My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books

Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt

Or how about some music for kids

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Three cheers for long life vitality

Who doesn’t want long life vitality? OK, maybe dope smokers don’t care or think about that much, but most anybody else wants to live a long, healthy, energetic life. If you’re not one of them, you can stop reading right now and go enjoy another drag on your doobie. But anyone interested in hearing more about how to zest up your life, read on…

Long life vitality And then there's reality

Long life vitality includes short term and long term.

In the short term, it’s important to eat sensibly and move around more. And I’m talking about real foods and getting your behind outside to enjoy fresh air and sunshine. Don’t take your health for granted. No matter how healthy and how much vitality you have right now, it could fade away faster than you might imagine.

I know firsthand.

Regardless of the status of your health, it makes sense to give yourself the best shot at long life vitality. Short term and long term.

Why do I keep saying “short term and long term”?

Well, first there’s the short term. I read, this morning, where former President George H W Bush (aka the first President Bush) died yesterday. He was 94. That’s a long life. But it’s still the short term of his life. Because whether he realized it or not (and I’m not sure he did) God created him as an eternal being. So, even though his body gave up yesterday, he’s not vaporized into nothingness.

Mr. Bush’s 94 years were a tiny, tiny drop in the bucket of his existence. And if, during that time, he didn’t acknowledge and accept Jesus as his Creator and Savior, George now knows his days of long life vitality are sadly over. Forever.

That’s the long term. And you might have noticed I didn’t list fresh air and sunshine as the way to achieve long term long life vitality.

Long life vitality for the long term require the Maker of fresh air and sunshine.

You can be mad at me for pointing it out, if you want. But you’d only be wasting your time on a fleeting, temporary messenger. The bone you have to pick is actually with the One who made you. Even if you’re enjoying amazing health…and even if you live to be 94 or 102, you’ll still see it’s a micro drop in a macro bucket.

I suggest you fill your bucket with Living Water. Don’t delay. Get to know your Creator today. Think of it as your long, long, long term life insurance.

Be sure to jump on the one-of-a-kind The TRUTH today, and I’ll send you some free rhymes and reasons right away. Music, a book, and lots of good faith, hope, and love stuff.

Be sure to share this with everyone you know. And don’t be surprised if they get mad at you for it.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Talk about God and watch what happens

A Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition in the Funderbungalow is to watch classic silver screen movies. Elgielene and I love the “old black and whites.”

This Thanksgiving was no different. After our family tradition of steak, sweet potatoes, veggies, and dessert, we pulled up a couple of movies on YouTube and settled in. One thing stood out in both of them. We noticed how, even in the movies, they used to talk about God and not to just make fun.

Old movies often talk about God with actual reverence.

Yeah, one of the movies had an employer interviewing a potential employee (one of the stars of the movie) and he actually asked him whether he had found a local church or not. Elgielene and I looked at each other, and I said, “Wow, you sure don’t hear that in mainstream movies anymore.”

Nowadays, movies make fun of or mock God and Christians…if they mention them at all. Anyone who would dare talk about God is portrayed as the lunatic, or demented one, or the killer. Certainly not as the one who loves his neighbor as himself.

And modern movies reflect “real life”

I’ve experienced that same sort of attempted ridicule as I talk about God here on my website and on my podcast. In fact, a relative of mine, ironically, compared me to Hitler. And then, when I asked if Hitler was wrong, he defended him saying “Hitler was only doing what he thought was right. So, do you get that?

As an attempt to belittle my Christian faith, he compared me to a mass murderer. But then he couldn’t actually say that mass murderer was doing something wrong. Because he knew that would get into an issue of right and wrong.

There’s no bottom to the hole you dig for yourself when you deny the God of all creation. When you say He doesn’t exist, or when you say something silly like “we’re all part of the god force,” you’re only attempting to elevate yourself to the level of God. And that was the original sin, by the way.

So, I’ll go ahead and talk about God and risk the consequences.

If I’m wrong about God (and I’m not) then, the worst that could happen to me when I die is that I’ll just cease to exist. Big deal. But if you, who deny God, are wrong about Him (and you are), the consequences will be an actual “big deal.” The consequences of your choice, in this life, are eternal either way.

And I encourage you to choose life. Eternal life in paradise with the One who made you. Otherwise, you end up being the god in your universe of one. Forever. Think about it. Could you tolerate only yourself forever?

Be sure to jump on the one-of-a-kind The TRUTH today, and I’ll send you some free rhymes and reasons right away. Music, a book, and lots of good faith, hope, and love stuff.

Be sure to share this with everyone you know. And don’t be surprised if they get mad at you for it.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Republican or Democrat?

God knows who you are. He knows where you were born, who your parents were, and even the amount of hairs on your head. God has seen you grow up, has witnessed your good deeds and your bad, and has heard your prayers. Or noticed if you haven’t prayed to Him. Yeah, there’s something about you very important to God. And it’s not whether you’re republican or democrat.

Being a republican or democrat doesn’t win you points with your Creator.

God is not proud of you because you “vote the red ticket all the way,” a phrase I’ve seen on social media, a lot, during this 2018 mid-term election season. God is also not proud of you when you vote on the democrat side. I’m not attempting to put words in His mouth, but I’d be willing to bet God couldn’t care less about your party affiliation. How can I say that, you ask?

The Bible.

Yes, while I certainly don’t want to put words INTO God’s mouth, I can certainly relay the ones that have come OUT. And that’s what the Bible is you know. The “Word of God”

Throughout all the words in the old and new Testaments, there’s a common thing God is concerned with in you and me. And it’s not our political preference.

God cares about your heart condition.

Did you know you’re born with a broken heart? Yeah, you’re actually born that way. In my case, that’s figurative AND literal. Well, mine is physically “deformed”not actually broken. But that’s another story.

You’re born into a broken world. Literally and figuratively. And sin broke it. Yours, mine, and every other person’s. Being a republican or democrat won’t get you out of the consequences. Only one thing, one person, can save you from eternal misery. And only one person can completely heal your broken heart.

Jesus.

And even though He knows everything about you, He is still willing to love you, heal your heart, and give you eternal life. I encourage you to turn your focus away from being a republican or democrat, and focus on following the One who sacrificed everything to make you whole. It’s your decision. Vote for Jesus.

Be sure to jump on the one-of-a-kind The TRUTH today, and I’ll send you some free rhymes and reasons right away. Music, a book, and lots of good faith, hope, and love stuff.

Lots of people need this, so share it with anyone you think could benefit.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Hate speech is in the ears of the listener

I just read an article on my Apple News app talking about the shooter connected to the Pittsburgh synagogue. And the article called it a hate crime committed by a man who shared hate speech on social media channels. First off, I have to say how stupid the term “hate crime” sounds. It’s just redundant. All crime flows from selfishness, which is a form of hate. So to call one crime a hate crime as if there’s any other kind of crime is…like I said…stupid. Anyway, back to that hate speech thing.

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Hate speech is in the ears of the listener

Hate speech is a term used by weaklings.

If you hate me (and you might just because I’m a Christian) and you wanna call me names or say bad things about me, so be it. But I won’t give you credit for a special language or label your selfishness as hate speech. I’ll just consider you worthy of both my love AND hate.

Uh-oh…did he say he’d hate you?

Yes.

But notice I said love AND hate. “That’s not even possible,” you say. Nay, nay grasshopper. In fact, as a Christian, I should be doing my best to emulate God, right? And what if God hates and loves at the same time? Should I try to do that, too? Correct answer is YES! And would God ask me to do something He knows I’m incapable of doing. Correct answer is NO!

“Golly gee, Tony. Where are you getting all this crazy talk from?” Correct answer is The Bible! Yeah, this whole crazy idea I’m sharing about how God hates and He expects us to as well…it’s in The Bible.

Allow me to share God’s own “hate speech” with you right here…

“These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

Look more closely at what and who God hates. If any of the seven things describe you, He hates your face, your mouth, your hands, your heart, your feet, and basically your whole self. Whoa! That covers a lot of hate, doesn’t it?

But God is the God of love, isn’t He? Sure. You bet. But He hates evil. And He tells us to hate it too. In fact, at least one Bible translation says to “abhor evil“. And that means to hate with all your might. Hey, that sounds like more hate speech. But it’s actually true love. Because true love can’t love evil. True love must abhor evil. If you truly love your fellow man, you tell him when he’s evil. And you don’t tolerate it. And you certainly don’t do evil so that good things might come from it.

So, keep God’s perspective in your heart. And the next time you see a so-called “reporter” or “journalist” put the word hate before the word speech, you’ll have the wisdom to see and understand their hypocrisy.

Be sure to jump on the one-of-a-kind The TRUTH today, and I’ll send you some free rhymes and reasons right away. Music, a book, and lots of good faith, hope, and love stuff.

Don’t tell anybody else, though. OK? It’ll be our little secret.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo