Category Archives: current events

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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So many so-called pro athletes, movie stars, musicians and other artsy fartsy freakazoids are full of angst and aggression these days.

And I’m not saying they don’t have a good reason.

But I DO say their angst and aggression sure sounds stupid most of the time.

And I’m talking about the ones who make millions of dollars for just playing with a ball, or memorizing lines, or looking good on a screen, or for recording some lunatic lyrics with a catchy beat. Yeah, ironically, those who make the most money seem to do the loudest complaining about the free enterprise system we have here in America.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Sheesh.

Sorry, but they just don’t have a good reason for being so full of dark angst and aggression. And don’t try to tell me they’re just looking out for the little guy, you and me. Puhleez.

I know a lot of those pop icons would call me lame. Or a Bible-thumping-do-gooder. And I know a lot of them like to poke fun at Christians and say they have no grasp on reality. They love to attempt to condescend with statements, like, “Go ahead and pray to your little friend in the sky.“ But I really don’t care.

I prefer to remain a hope-filled optimist.

Because the Christian message is true (an overwhelming amount of evidence says it is). So, I’m already on the winning team. My so-called “little friend” just happens to be the Head Coach of all creation. And He will lead my team to victory over ALL other opposing teams.

The leader of my pack is not only the True Alpha male. He’s also the Omega Man! And that helps me sing and write angst and aggression free. I gotta tell ya, that’s a huge boost to my endorphins and a significant reduction to any potential cortisol issues. In other words, Jesus is the ultimate stress reducer. He’s the cure. And I’m just a supplement. But I’m blessed to even be that.

And here’s what I recommend for your health. Don’t watch the TV or cable news. Filter out the mainstream from all your social media and internet connections. Stick with me, of course. And, by all means, skip, the namby-pamby, ne’er-do-well, yada-yada rants made by privileged celebrities who think they’re all that plus the bag of chips.

Your body, soul, and spirit will thank you. And don’t be surprised if you start smiling more.

When I’m being optimistic
I know I’ll be fine.
Asking why is realistic;
Knowing why, divine.     © 1987 TF

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I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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

For as long as I can remember, there’s always been this expression that boys will be boys. And of course, that got extended into men will be men. And it’s always meant that boys are gonna do boy stuff. So, naturally, men will do men stuff. And boy, how discombobulated everything is now. Right? Because nowadays the media would have you believe men will be whatever they feel like being.

And that proves what the Bible says men will be eventually.

Just in case you’d like a quick reminder of what it says, the apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, that men will be:

  • lovers of themselves,
  • lovers of money,
  • boasters,
  • proud,
  • blasphemers,
  • disobedient to parents,
  • unthankful,
  • unholy,
  • unloving,
  • unforgiving,
  • slanderers,
  • without self-control,
  • brutal,
  • despisers of good,
  • traitors,
  • headstrong,
  • haughty,
  • lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God

Yikes! That’s a terrible sounding list that I never wanna be on. But in just the past week alone, I’ve seen video examples, on social media, of just about every one of those descriptions. The most recent example, a few minutes ago, was a young woman, who was proud of her abortion, talking with a woman who was on a campus trying to show young women they had alternatives to abortion. You could see the defiance in the young woman’s face as she said, “Yeah, I’m ending my bloodline. And I’m proud of that.” Then she and a friend high-fived each other.

Just that one person alone fit several of the descriptions from Paul’s letter.

Another sad point to that is how, in these latter days, men will be very anti-God, but so will women. That’s right here in America…

In the land of the fees,
And the home of the slave,
Where the Savior still sees
And still says to be brave;
‘Cause the time will still come,
And it just might be soon,
When it all ends for some,
The astute and immune,
Who believe in the Truth
That still strengthens and frees,
And will free us, like Ruth,
From this land of the fees.  © 2022

Till next time…

Did I hear someone say, “Hey Tony, I don’t know you well enough to buy something from you.”

Ok, let’s change that. Get to know more about me and my worldview.

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I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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

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I’ve been encouraging anybody who would read what I write and listen to what I say to remain optimistic in tough times. But I don’t just say the words. I also share why it’s not just good advice. It’s important to your health down to the marrow of your bones.

Remain optimistic in tough times because the alternative should be unthinkable.

The subject came up in my thoughts this morning for a particularly personal reason. Today, April 17, 2026 marks the one year “anniversary” of a stroke that challenged me to follow my own advice. But I believe I can honestly say that, despite challenges, I never dreamed I would face, I have remained optimistic in the tough times of the past year.

I won’t tell you what all the challenges were/are. But they include a left arm and hand that won’t hold things very well without wavering in the air. And a left leg that refuses to take normal steps during a walk. Plus most things on my left side operate with much less efficiency than they did a year ago. That includes my left lung and blood circulation on that side. And probably the weirdest thing that happened was the development of a neurogenic bladder.

Most of the information you’ll find on a neurogenic bladder deals with incontinence, urgency, etc. But what happened to me is something they call an under active bladder. And that means the nerves that alert you to the need to go and allow you to start a stream and go don’t work now. So, I have to insert a catheter four or five times a day, to empty out. Not my idea of a fun time.

And I’ve only shared this personal information with you because I hope it helps somebody understand how crucial it is to remain optimistic, even during rough times like what I described. I know it isn’t always easy. But it’s always necessary. And it’s always doable when you remember that, if you believe and trust in Jesus, one day, sooner than you might imagine, you will see Him…

Face To Face

When we’re born into this world,
We’re empty-handed.
We can’t speak, and we can barely even see.
As we grow we see this life,
In which we landed…
Is a thread of well-designed complexity.

Each and every one of us
Had a beginning…
And, so very small, a spark of life sufficed.
Then we turned away from God
And started sinning…
And that put us face to face with Jesus Christ.

Face to face with Truth…face to face with Life.
Yeah, the Way to paradise is face to face
With the One who died and who lives inside.
Jesus Christ even loves us face to face.

When we leave this world, we’re
Leaving empty-handed.
We can go to that eternal, perfect place.
When we make the choice of Life,
We won’t be stranded.
And we’ll get to see our Savior’s loving face.   © 2020 TF

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

As long as I can remember there have been “peace talks” and “peace agreements” and “peace accords” all over the world. Trouble is…I’ve never gotten the feeling that the world is at peace. Have you noticed that?

For as long as I can remember (and that’s a lot longer than it used to be) there have been wars. We’ve been fortunate here in America. We haven’t seen actual war on our soil for a long time. But I figure it’s only a matter of time. And I believe you can attribute the lack of peace to individuals not willing to allow the peace of God to rule in their hearts. Here’s what I mean…

The peace of God isn’t based on arbitrary human emotions and so-called peace talks.

It’s based on Truth and Life. When you understand you had a beginning designed by the Creator of all things, you can start to understand how important Truth and Life are. And it’s basic. It’s fundamental. It’s simple. Truth exists because God exists. And God is the source of all life. You can know that you know. And knowing can give you a peace you can’t find anywhere else. A peace you can really talk about.

Unfortunately, most people don’t give a rip about that peace. They’d rather zig-zag through their days looking for answers based on their preconceived notions. Or follow their flawed learning process (translation: public schooling) and live esoteric, experiential lives. The trouble with that path is…it leads to nowhere. And it often takes dark and dangerous turns.

You can call me “one of those wacky Christians” if you like. I’ve heard it before. But one thing a Christian has that no unbeliever will ever have is: the peace of God. It’s a peace beyond what you’re able to just imagine. And if anyone, who wants that peace, talks to God and asks Him for it, He’s willing to give it to them. Do you want it?

The One True Way To Peace

Judge me; I need to be judged.
Correct me;  whenever I’m wrong.
Save me from thinking my thoughts.
I’ve lived in them way too long.

Show me what I need to see.
Tell me what I have to hear.
Give me a voice of wisdom.
Thank You for taking my fear.

And I have to trust that my God is just.
And I feel my boldness increase.
I’m a dissident, and I’m an instrument.
For the one true Way to peace.

Search me for the deeper things.
Fill me from Your living well.
Free me from the ways of man.
Take me off the path to Hell

Listen to my fervent prayer.
Bless me so that I can bless.
Change me with Your mighty Word.
Spare me with Your tenderness.

Chorus

Make me to always understand
I’m only mighty in Your mighty Hand.
inst…Chorus to end    © TF

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I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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

Normal people ain’t cool these days. And that’s too bad. Because they used to be. Here’s an example of what I mean. Quite a few years back, my father-in-law mentioned how he mowed the lawn for “an old lady” down the street. For free. Not as part of business or anything like that. He was already retired. No, he just did it to help her out. Because she didn’t have any children or other family dropping in on her to help. So, my father-in-law just did what “normal people” used to do.

But nope. Normal people ain’t cool no mo, bro.

And I know using the term “bro” isn’t even cool anymore. (I never cared for it anyway, but…)

  • People who just wanna “sit and visit” with neighbors with a glass of lemonade or tea.
  • And people who don’t wanna sit around telling dirty jokes while they “watch the game.”
  • And people who don’t have tattoos from head to toe.

Yeah, those all used to be normal people. But that ain’t cool now.

And there’s only one thing more important than being cool. No wait. There’s nothing more important than being cool. ‘Cause coolness is the ticket to paradise. Right? Coolness gets you in “all the right places.” Seen with “all the right peeps.” So with all your getting, get cool. Nix normal. Normal is so 20th Century. It’s so silver screen, so it ain’t cool. And it’s only for the boring bourgeois. Oops. Bourgeois is probably too normal. So, I might have just revealed my numbskull normalcy (aka normality). If so, so be it. Give me the old norm over the so-called “new norm” any day, week, month, or year.

Does it make me your enemy if my norm doesn’t match yours?

Probably. Because people are so easily offended these day. And they’re so quick to anger. And so slow to wisdom. But guess what? That’s not new. You might believe you’re part of the cream of the cause du jour. But you’re only doing what human beings have done for thousands of years. Rebelling against God.

And I know the “cool peeps” aren’t gonna listen to a knucklehead from the old norm, like me. But your rebellion against God won’t go well for you. So, I urge you to spend a little less time on tattoos and tough talk and a lot more time working on wisdom.

Hey! What was that? Looked like a tiny bee. Oh wait. No, it was my words going in one ear and out the other.

Normal people used to smile and then say hi
When they saw you on the sidewalk passing by.
But nowadays I guess that kind of stuff’s not cool.
If you do it, they’ll all know that you’re old school.
So, remember when you go somewhere today,
There ain’t nothin’ that you need to do or say
To acknowledge anybody you might see.
Just be cool because it’s all you need to be.

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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.

Daily Devotional

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Tony Funderburk signature logo

Normal people ain’t cool these days. And that’s too bad. Because they used to be. Here’s an example of what I mean. Quite a few years back, my father-in-law mentioned how he mowed the lawn for “an old lady” down the street. For free. Not as part of business or anything like that. He was already retired. No, he just did it to help her out. Because she didn’t have any children or other family dropping in on her to help. So, my father-in-law just did what “normal people” used to do.

But nope. Normal people ain’t cool no mo, bro.

And I know using the term “bro” isn’t even cool anymore. (I never cared for it anyway, but…)

  • People who just wanna “sit and visit” with neighbors with a glass of lemonade or tea.
  • And people who don’t wanna sit around telling dirty jokes while they “watch the game.”
  • And people who don’t have tattoos from head to toe.

Yeah, those all used to be normal people. But that ain’t cool now.

And there’s only one thing more important than being cool. No wait. There’s nothing more important than being cool. ‘Cause coolness is the ticket to paradise. Right? Coolness gets you in “all the right places.” Seen with “all the right peeps.” So with all your getting, get cool. Nix normal. Normal is so 20th Century. It’s so silver screen, so it ain’t cool. And it’s only for the boring bourgeois. Oops. Bourgeois is probably too normal. So, I might have just revealed my numbskull normalcy (aka normality). If so, so be it. Give me the old norm over the so-called “new norm” any day, week, month, or year.

Does it make me your enemy if my norm doesn’t match yours?

Probably. Because people are so easily offended these day. And they’re so quick to anger. And so slow to wisdom. But guess what? That’s not new. You might believe you’re part of the cream of the cause du jour. But you’re only doing what human beings have done for thousands of years. Rebelling against God.

And I know the “cool peeps” aren’t gonna listen to a knucklehead from the old norm, like me. But your rebellion against God won’t go well for you. So, I urge you to spend a little less time on tattoos and tough talk and a lot more time working on wisdom.

Hey! What was that? Looked like a tiny bee. Oh wait. No, it was my words going in one ear and out the other.

Normal people used to smile and then say hi
When they saw you on the sidewalk passing by.
But nowadays I guess that kind of stuff’s not cool.
If you do it, they’ll all know that you’re old school.
So, remember when you go somewhere today,
There ain’t nothin’ that you need to do or say
To acknowledge anybody you might see.
Just be cool because it’s all you need to be.

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,
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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

This is the day of the week known in some circles as hump day. So you know what that means. Yeah, Wednesday greetings from your favorite rhyme writer and Bible thumper.

But Wednesday greetings are just the tip of the iceberg.

Because, if you’ve followed along for any time at all, you know I’m gonna talk about something important to your eternal happiness. Or lack thereof, if you happen to be one of those knuckleheads who doesn’t believe that Jesus is the savior of the world.

Anyway… I’ll just dive into what I wanted to share with you. It’s something I shared a few years ago that still applies right now.

When you were a kid, did your dad work hard and still come home and play with you? Or spend some other sort of great quality time with you? Mine did. And there was never a moment, during those times with him, where I had to wait for him to check his messages, or text somebody, or watch a silly video. For one thing, smartphones and other digital devices didn’t exist back then. But even if they had, my Dad would have made sure we spent time together on more important things.

By the way, the more important things in life aren’t “things.”

Ask anybody who truly knows me, and they’ll say, “Yes, he is a techie guy.” In fact, as a pre-teen and teenager, my family called me “technical Tony”. They didn’t always mean it as a term of endearment. But that’s another story for another time. The point is…I enjoy technology.  I’m still fascinated by the latest, greatest mobile device or laptop. I think it’s all so incredibly cool.

But my digital tools aren’t even in the same league with the importance of my relationships. That’s why I say the more important things in life aren’t things. They’re your relationships with loved (and even liked ones). You gotta place an extremely high value on your relationships. You know why? Because here on Earth they don’t last long.

Every thing here is temporary. For example…

Getting back to my Dad. He worked hard. For most of his working life he was a milkman. And this was back in the days when a milkman would deliver dairy products door-to-door. I remember going to work with him on a LOT of Saturdays. So, when I say he worked hard, I know what I’m talking about from personal experience. We got up around 3 a.m. to be at the dairy plant in time to have his truck loaded and on the road by 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. At the dairy plant, I remember hauling a heavily loaded dolly into a cold storage area in his milk truck that was stacked with cases of gallons, half gallons, and quarts of milk, juice, butter, and more.

Dad worked two routes each week. One was his Monday, Wednesday, Friday route. The other was Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. He delivered milk in some neighborhoods in Texas near NASA. In fact (as a side note) several of his customers were some of the first well-known astronauts.

Another side note (and true story) Dad made sure, on one of those Saturdays I was with him, I got to personally hand deliver a half gallon of ice cream to Neil Armstrong. For those of you born in this century…Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon. And little ol’ me handed him a container of Dutch chocolate rocky road ice cream! (I think that’s what it was)

Wow…talk about an astronomical rabbit trail. Anyway. Even on those long Saturdays, when I was helping Dad deliver milk, he spent lots of time with me. Not just telling me what to do, but also having conversations about the more important things in life. Things like what I was learning in math, science, and language classes. Other things like family and where I was going someday when I die. Yeah, even that. Those one-on-one times with my Dad were priceless. And I wouldn’t trade a second of them for all the cool technology in the world.

Dad died when he was only 51.

There were tough times with my Dad, too. He was a strict disciplinarian. And when I failed to do the right thing once in a while, sometimes there were serious consequences. But those times never overshadowed the times Dad spent with me showing me how to use tools and work on lawnmowers, bicycles, and even my first car. Or the times he spent building (yes, building) go-karts for my brother and me to test drive and blast around the block.

Dad even showed us how to fly kites using our saltwater fishing rods and reels. He’d throw the football with us, in the street, during football season. He taught us the finer points of throwing a baseball with either hand. I remember even getting him to play tennis with me when I started up that sport in high school. And I remember it was the first sport where I could beat him. Guys might identify more with me on that…how it feels to beat your dad at anything for the first time. Right?

My Dad was only 20 years older than me. So, he’s now been gone more than half my life. And I still think of him and so many of those special moments almost daily. I always will.

I’m not sure if he knows, right now, how important a role he played in my life. But I AM sure he knows, without a doubt, what the more important things in life are. He was (and is) a Christian. So, I know my Dad is “present with the Lord” right now. And Dad has experienced, firsthand for over 32 years, the ultimate relationship. It’s an awesome and incredible HOPE I have…to know I’ll see him again someday. And to know we’ll be eternal brothers in the presence of the one, true, living, loving Creator.

Interrupt temporary with eternal.

Take a pause as you go through your day today. When you check your texts, instant messages, social media accounts, YouTube and Instagram videos, and even your eCommerce stats. Look up. Look around. Pay attention to the ones you love. Talk to them. Embrace. Laugh. Enjoy the time. They won’t be here forever. You won’t either. Be you’ll all be somewhere forever. Talk about that. And be sure where you’re going. It matters more than any other message you’ll receive from any other source.

Are you good to go? Great. Then I’ll finish these Wednesday greetings with a request.

Be sure to share with your friends, family, and anyone you care about. Don’t keep this good stuff all to yourself. Tell them to…

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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

As I write this, it’s Saturday. But not an ordinary Saturday. Because this one marks the anniversary of what a lot of people call Holy Saturday. The day that Jesus, creator of the universe and you and me, lay in the tomb after a torturous crucifixion death.

But, as you probably know, His story definitely did not end in the tomb.

The apostle John wrote a very interesting account of how they laid Jesus in the tomb. He wrote: And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

I kinda look at it this way. Holy Saturday, the day Jesus lay in the tomb, was like a day of rest for Him. Resting from what he had done, so far, to prove who He was and is. And He is the Truth, the Life, and…

The Way

And it came to pass one day on a mountain far away
That a soul was taken and a life forsaken
Because someone had to pay
For the heart of all mankind.
There was no untarnished mind.
So one life was spent Who was innocent,
But He left His Word behind…

Forgive them for they know not what they do.
Redeem them and I give My Blood to You.

We can rise up
No matter how much the guilt might weigh.
He said…”I am the Way!”

Now so many years have gone.
And we love with blinders on.
How we tolerate is a form of hate.
Where’s the Rock He stood upon?
For the Truth is absolute and it’s foolish to dispute.
It confounds the wise but it opens eyes,
And it saves the destitute

Chorus

Now don’t turn to the left don’t turn to the right.
Just run straight to Him with all your might!

inst…chorus to end   © 1996 TF

If you’re a Christian, and you sure should be, then you’re celebrating the most glorious thing that ever happened in the history of the universe this weekend. Holy Saturday is a great part of that. But of course tomorrow is 1000 times better. Because that marks the day when Jesus was no longer in the tomb. And I’ll talk more about that tomorrow. Meantime, if you haven’t already, you should…

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) 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.

Daily Devotional

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