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

Hey Christians…Look up!
Our God is THE God.

Have you chosen to follow Jesus? If so, have you noticed how America isn’t quite the place it used to be for Christians? Do you see how many more people want to make fun of us and ridicule our faith? And have you picked up on the trend where people thank the universe rather than the Creator of the universe? It’s sad, but we can still be glad because we know our God is the one, true, living, loving God. And I’d like to share this song to encourage you to remember where your hope is…

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.

© 2009 Tony Funderburk

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Which is more important?
Your interests…or the interests of others?

Notice how I didn’t say the interests of others are all the matter? I’m not suggesting you forget all your own interests, your own needs, wants, and desires. Far from it. You must look out for those. But when you put your own interests above those of others, you risk being conceited or a slave to your own selfish ambition. How do I know…

The interests of others should be more important than your own.

…I know this is true because God inspired Paul to write it. But why do you suppose God wants us to put the interests of others above our own?

You don’t have to look any further than the worlds of entertainment, sports, or politics to discover the answer to that question. You don’t even have to look further than your own family for the answer. It’s simple…

Selfishness

It’s easy to be selfish. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. Everyone on the planet has been selfish at some point or points in life. The reason it’s so easy to be selfish is because you know what YOU need, want, or desire. Without even asking. It’s the most natural thing in the world. Think about something you love…that isn’t good for you…and now try to put that out of your mind. Not so easy, is it? That’s because just thinking about it puts it at the front your mind. And because it’s something you love, it doesn’t take any effort to think about.

Now…think of someone special in your life. And try to think only of something they love. Ah, ah, ah…don’t let your own desires dart in. Just think of what that other person needs, wants, or desires. Got a clear, unobstructed picture of it? I’m guessing you don’t. It’s not so easy to visualize the interests of others because your own interests keep flickering through. So, maybe you give up and just don’t try. But if you do, that’s leaving out the most important ingredient…

God.

Maybe it’s impossible for you to put other people’s interests above your own because you’re relying on your own strength to do it. If that’s the case, I have a suggestion. Read God’s words found in the epistles of Paul. Focus on those before all other parts. And as you do, ask yourself this: “Am I being selfish? Or am I looking out for the interests of others even before I do my own?

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

No matter what you’ve done before,
you can change.

I’m about to embark on a journey, starting tomorrow, that will take me in a direction I never planned on going. Nope…when I was a kid, I didn’t dream of this journey. When I was a young man, I never envisioned myself going this way. And as I got older, I didn’t picture myself in the role I’ll be playing soon. The reason I’m laying it out this way is to encourage you to understand you can change. No matter what age or what stage of life you’re in.

You Can Change

You weren’t created to be one, specific thing. God didn’t plan out each step of your life before the foundation of the world. And He isn’t forcing you to accept the road you’re on right now. As difficult as it might be to accept responsibility for your own shortcomings, it’s necessary in order to move beyond them. And by the way…your shortcomings weren’t designed by God either. Just as a well-known airline commercial says: “you’re free to move around the country”. At least for a while longer if you’re American.

In other words, YOU get to decide for you.

You can change the direction of your life. I’m about to make a serious change in direction. I won’t tell you what that is for now because I have to work on some more details. But maybe I’ll share it with you as I go once I work those out. Suffice it to say…it’s a big change.

Around two thousand years ago another human being went through an even more serious change. A man named Saul was persecuting a new group of people known as “Christians”. Saul was zealous for his Jewish faith. And, as he saw it, these Christians were a threat to that faith. They were saying terrible things about God and The Messiah…deceitful things…lies…things worthy of death.

At least that’s what Saul believed…until…

…he changed.

In fact, Saul was so radically changed he became one of those “Christians”. He became the chief proponent of the new Christian faith and announced “that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief“. His name was even changed to Paul to reflect the awesome, massive change that had taken place in his life.

Like I said before…I’d like to encourage you to realize you CAN change. I’m about to make a serious change that will affect my life for a few years. But I made a decision, when I was 13, to change my eternal future. I’ve never regretted that decision. Have you asked God for help to make that change?

Stay tuned,

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P.S.  Your support for my Rhyme and Reason means the world to me. Please share by telling everyone you know to”

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Get Your Name In The Book of Life

There’s an actual, real book of life. And my name is in it. I made sure of that a long time ago. By the way…I don’t mean that giant social media channel with the blue logo.

It’s ironic to me…automobile insurance is mandatory in America. You can’t drive your vehicle around for long without risking your driver’s license if you’re caught without auto insurance. Why? Because “they” know sooner or later the unexpected will happen, and you won’t be able to pay for it if you’re not insured.

So…why is a writer-singer-illustrator talking about the irony of mandatory auto insurance? See, it’s like this…driving a car runs the risk of an accident, and if it’s expensive, you won’t have to worry because insurance will “cover it”. Well, living your life runs the risk of dying. In fact, it’s not a possibility…it’s a guarantee. Yet so many people go through their whole life without “afterlife insurance”. They don’t even bother to look into it. They may just be putting it off until it’s too late. And then there’s no way to get it anymore.

I happen to believe, not by blind faith but by overwhelming, compelling evidence, there’ll be an afterlife. And there’ll be two possible places to spend eternity. I’ve already gotten my insurance. It wasn’t mandatory, and I don’t have to pay the premiums…which is great because I could never afford them. No, the premium is paid in full, as a gift to me specifically, and all I have to do is believe. How utterly cool is that?

My suggestion is simple: look into it.

That’s all. Don’t take my word for anything. And if I’m wrong about this one thing, please show me. The one thing is this: I’m saved from eternal separation from God, my Creator. Here’s how it happened. There really was a man named Jesus. He really did die for my sins and rise from the dead. He really is God the Son. And He really does love me that much. All he asks from me is to believe it. I do. I’m saved. It’s nice knowing I have insurance just in case death occurs…’cause it will.

I got my name in the “book of life”, and I can celebrate forever. Is your name in it yet?

Maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, then get to know more about me and my worldview. Join the growing body of believers who’ve signed up for the Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And enjoy my daily flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Are you loving life or…?

This is a rerun of a post I made about five and a half years ago. But I’ve been seeing a lot of negative talk about this life on planet earth…even from Christians. And I’d like to share a few reasons why I think you should be loving life…not dreading each day.

Life includes…

  • smooth sailing,
  • trials and tribulations
  • growing up,
  • gaining knowledge,
  • building friendships,
  • awards and rewards,
  • challenges and failures,
  • clouds and sunshine,
  • joy and laughter,
  • pain and redemption, and
  • words and music…

Good and bad days make up this journey we call life.

And it’s vitally important to remember it’s not a two part journey…it’s a two place journey. Are you an eager participant in both? This place we’re in right now is amazing and difficult. The next place will be unimaginably kinetic, energizing, and joyous.

But not for everyone.

That’s a shame because it’s really not difficult to achieve. You just need to believe.

Not in dreams…not in yourself…not in a “force”…not in “the universe”…not in the “law of attraction”…not in internal spirits…not in Mohammed, Confucious, Buddha, Allah, or even Oprah, Billy, or Barak…

Only in Jesus. If that’s the only name you find offensive or problematic, try to find out why. It’s important to know because the second place of your life depends on that One name. There’s really no good reason for rejecting Him. He created you and loves you more than you can ever imagine. He has eternal life waiting for you if you want it. He went through hell and back for you. I hope you choose to love Him back because when you’re loving Him, you’re loving life.

If you just can’t do it, why not?

Maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, then get to know more about me and my worldview. Join the growing body of believers who’ve signed up for the Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And enjoy my daily flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

If you knew the path of life
led to joy and pleasures,
would you take it?

Imagine a path you can walk on where you’ll always be happy…not just happy, but full of joy. And imagine a path where pleasures last forever. You could walk on the path any time you wanted because there would never be any night time there. And you’d never get tired. You wouldn’t have to wear sunscreen because there wouldn’t even be a sun…just beautiful light. Can you see it? Is the path starting to take shape in your mind’s eye? What if I told you that path is real? Would you take it? Well, it is real. It’s called the path of life.

I can’t imagine no path of life.

For me, there’s been a connection with the path of life since I was thirteen. And that’s getting to be quite some time ago. My walk on the path began with lessons I learned from my Grandmother, my Dad’s mom. She wanted all of her children and grandchildren to go to Heaven. I’m not certain if all of us will, but I know most will because of her persistence. I appreciate her unwillingness to give up on any of us…now. But I gotta say this, too…I don’t remember Grandmother ever telling me about how pleasures would last forever in the presence of God. I don’t think it occurred to her to present the message from that perspective. Maybe it’s a generational thing. I’m not sure. But I know what I’m telling you is right, true, and good. How?

It’s in the Bible.

When you see a noun or pronoun, in the Bible, that’s capitalized, it’s pointing to or talking about God. And in Psalm 16, verse 11, it says: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” See? Nothing to be ashamed about. It isn’t talking about the earthly pleasures that pass away as we do. It’s talking about the pleasures of eternal life without sickness and dying. Can you imagine living forever without sickness? Without anguish? Without fear?

Don’t just imagine. Start walking.

The path of life is a choice. No one can force you to walk on it. No one can make the choice for you. And that’s awesome because you’re completely free to choose it for yourself. If you make the right choice, you can pat yourself on the back if you want to. But remember…it’s only there because Jesus cleared the way. And if you decide to take the other path…the one that’s much more crowded with unhappy people, then you only have yourself to blame. And I have one last question for you…

Why would you not choose the path of life?

Maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, then get to know more about me and my worldview. Join the growing body of believers who’ve signed up for the Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And enjoy my daily flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Do you know a message of hope?

Would you believe most people in the world live without hope? It doesn’t mean there IS no hope…just that they’ve never heard a tried and true message of hope. And I’m talking about the kind of message that stands the test of time…and challenge…and doubt. Of course, I’m talking about the message found in the Bible…the message of eternal life for anyone who’s willing to trust Jesus.

There’s a huge advantage to trusting in your Creator. He promises eternal life. No more growing old, dying…and no more tears. Imagine living in a paradise that will make any and all the persecution you suffer here seem like nothing by comparison. And imagine living in a loving environment where no one will ever steal from you again, or plot to take your life, or lie about you.

Imagine a message of hope.

Now, stop imagining and look into this wacky, so-called “judgmental-narrow-minded-anti-choice…etc. etc.” worldview known as Christianity. I mean truly look into it. Not with your predisposition to those adjectives I just used…but with an open mind. Not so open that your brain falls out. Just 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’m telling you there is. But don’t take my word for it. Read it. At least read the New Testament part.

I guarantee you won’t be struck by lightning.

When I was the music minister for a little church in Denver, Colorado, I wrote a song for the congregation. They were a little group of believers who came from many positions and perspectives…some were even former atheists. But what they all had in common was the eye-opening joy of discovering the one true, living, loving God of creation. And when you know Him, you can do mighty things. Here’s a clip from the song and the lyrics. If you’d like to hear the whole thing, subscribe to my The Power of God’s Love Podcast

The Little Church That Could

Everybody said it really couldn’t be done
To talk about the Father and the Spirit and the Son
In any public places where unbelievers go
‘Cause they don’t wanna listen and they don’t wanna know

But one little group decided that was wrong.
And they began to move and sing a different song.
For absolute Truth and even Personhood
I’m talkin’ ’bout The Little Church That Could.

A tiny, little voice in the middle of the West
They could be called a “cause.” They might be called a pest.
And they wouldn’t let a basket cover up their light
They urged the fallen world to flee the empty night.

Lookin’ to the Lord for the confidence to cope
And keepin’ their momentum with a message of hope.
A little band of ne’er-do-well’s accomplishing good…
I’m talkin’ ’bout The Little Church That Could.

You might remember Jericho or lions in the den.
And how tall was Goliath? Maybe 9 feet…maybe 10.
But we remember Joshua and Daniel and prayer…
And David slew Goliath with a rock. Is that fair?
And Jesus gets the credit for the right we may do.
We’re instruments of clay that He can work through.
So never grow weary to do what you should.
Keep workin’ in The Little Church That Could.

© 2008 Tony Funderburk

Stay tuned,

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No-cost, low-cost, and premium ways you can help me spread the Word…

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)

Get digital Bible stuff from the same company I do.

My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books

Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt

Or how about some music for believers, dreamers, and thinkers

Or use the social media links below