Category Archives: John

Tony Funderburk shares messages of faith, hope, and love found in the book of John

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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…

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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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Yea, I’ve got some good news. Especially if you’ve been singing the blues because you don’t know what God‘s will is for your life.

First off, let me say I’d never recommend not praying. Of course you should pray. You must pray! But your prayers should be more about Thanksgiving and something the Bible calls supplication. Prayers shouldn’t be always about asking for things.

Unless you’re asking for wisdom and discernment. There’s a lot of good reasons to believe God likes that kind of prayer.

Anyway…

From time to time I hear Christians (on the radio and in person) who say you need to seek the will of God for your life. Some say things like “It isn’t always easy, but it’s so important.” Or they say, “Pray and ask God to show you His will for your life.” On the surface, sound like good advice. But dig a little deeper and you discover something very important.

And it’s even OK to ask Him for the intangible things like more love in your life, or more fruit of the Spirit, or even a calm heart. However, you don’t need to ask Him for His will for your life. He’s already told you.

God wants to set you apart from this world. His word says…

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”

Two words. Your sanctification. Simple. To the point. No long-winded, expansive, voluminous explanation. And only one mildly difficult word: sanctification. What does that mean? Like I said…to set you apart. Apart from what? All the dirty darkness so much of the world seems to prefer. God doesn’t want you to be weighed down, dragged down, or pulled down into that darkness. He wants you to stand up, reach up, and look up…to Him. Doing so sets you apart. It sanctifies you. The dictionary defines sanctify like this: set apart as or declare holy.

When you ask Jesus into your heart, God declares you holy. Wow! How cool is that?! And that, in a nutshell, is the will of God for your life…to declare you holy. And when you’re holy, you will live forever in a place so glorious your imagination can’t conjure it up.

All the day-to-day tasks, your job or career, whether you should buy the green shirt or red one, or where you’ll go for dinner…these are all decisions you’re free to make for yourself. God doesn’t need or want to micromanage your life. That isn’t His will. He certainly wants you to lean on His understanding, not your own, and that’s because His wisdom is infinitely deeper and higher than yours. But He doesn’t make your daily decisions for you. You’re fearfully and wonderfully made. God designed you with your own will, your own brain, and your own abilities. He delights in seeing what ways you’ll use them to declare Him to the world.

So…what ways are you declaring the good news of Jesus to the world? Use the skills or talents you have and tell somebody about Him today…or this week…or this month. And don’t be afraid. Remember, the will of God for your life is sanctification. Since He sets you apart and declares you holy, I guarantee you can do it. And when you send His Word out, it won’t return void. I’m pulling for you!

I’m pulling for you, and so’s the Lord.
He’ll keep your soul securely moored
Until it’s time to set your sails
Filled with his word that never fails.

Stay tuned,

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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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I saw this headline on a social media platform today: Podcast Host Calls White Evangelical Christianity a Cancer – And I could not believe how badly they misspelled the word blessing. I mean, cancer doesn’t even remotely look like blessing. So how could they mix those words up so badly?

Because I’m sure they meant to say white evangelical Christianity is a blessing.

At least if they really wanted to share the truth. But I know that’s a rare commodity in journalism these days. So, now that I think about it a little bit more, maybe they actually meant to write the word cancer.

No. Could that possibly be it?!

But could someone actually study the overwhelmingly positive influence of white, evangelical Christianity and actually come up with this illogical, incorrect conclusion? Absolutely they could. Because people who hate God, the one true, living, loving creator of the universe God, will say anything against Him and His followers.

Jesus said that would happen, by the way.

So, if you’re a Christian, and the color of your skin is what the world call white (even though it isn’t), and you share the truth of God’s word and the power of God’s love, you might as well face it. You, my friend, are a cancer in this world.

But never worry, never fear. Your buddy Tony is here. And here are some white evangelical Christianity lyrics to help you deal with it:

In This World But Not Of It

I’m in this world but not of it.
I like this life but don’t love it.
My Savior rises above it.
I’m in this world but not of it.

This world can beat me up.
But this world is not my home.
I have a finer place where I will forever roam.
This world’s no easy street.
This world is not so nice.
It costs a lot to leave,
But my Father paid the price.

So…Chorus

This world has lots of love,
But this world is filled with hate.
One day it won’t be so,
And so I can hardly wait.

This world has moans and groans.
This world has aches and pain,
But soon even this shall pass,
Jesus the King will reign.

Chorus…inst…chorus 3 times    © TF 2008

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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Most people, if they even think about it, wonder why people like me (Christians) read the Bible over and over. But in their current condition, they can’t possibly understand how the word is alive. In fact, they probably look at a statement like that and ask,

“The word is alive? Don’t you mean the words ARE alive?”

And, grammatically, they’re sorta correct. But the question illustrates their inability to understand how the Word is alive, was alive, and always will be.

Of course, a key thing to note (at least in the written form) is how I capitalize the W in the word, Word.

Uh-oh, Tony’s going off into the nether world of language again.

No. I just wanna clear up a point. Christians (followers of Jesus) always want to emphasize the deity of Jesus. So, we not only capitalized his name, we tend to capitalize the first letter of every word that describes Him. See? I even capitalized the W in the word, Him. Because He (there I go again) is beyond worthy of that kind of respect. And the Bible even calls Jesus, or the Son of God, the Word.

Yeah, it says “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

And that’s one example of how I can say the words alive. And it’s also part of why I’m always talking about the power of God’s love. Because my knowledge and recognition of that love drives me to keep going every day in spite of physical or mental challenges or other obstacles. And it helps me connect it to…

The Power of the Word

So, you’ve been thinking that you’ve got a whole lot to fear.
And you keep asking, “What on earth am I doin’ here?”
Well I wouldn’t tell you it’s as gloomy as you’ve heard.
You just need the power of the Word

I know you’ve heard that if at first you don’t succeed,
Just keep on trying and you’re bound to fill the need.
But you don’t believe all that stuff applies to you.
And without the power what can you do

Well the power of the Word takes an ordinary bird
And it gives him songs to sing and wings to soar.
With the power of the Word, even when your vision’s blurred,
All your dreams will be fulfilled forevermore.

Numbers are crunching and seconds are ticking on.
Your hopes are fading until you wonder where they’ve gone.
But you wouldn’t worry that your life could be deterred,
If you had the power of the Word

Chorus

And if you’re asking, “What’s in it for me?”
Well, give up your soul and I think you will see…

Eternity…eternity…eternity……….

instrumental…repeat chorus to end © 1993 & 2011 TF

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Where we are right now, in the heart of the heartland of America, mother nature is putting on her Autumn attire. Fall officially started yesterday. So it’s still too early for the colors to be vibrantly on fire. But there are hints of the beautiful shades to come all around.

The so-called autumn attire is an annual reminder, too.

You probably recall what Jesus said, in the book of John, when he talked about death that brings life. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Side note: When he said “he who hates his life in this world,” it’s actually an expression of someone who urgently desires eternal life and realizes how this life here now doesn’t compare at all to that.

Anyway…

I wrote a short rhyme about it, inspired by a beautiful photograph of a small cabin, surrounded by and autumn attired forest. It all looked quite cozy. So I wrote….

Nestled In Nature

Nestled in nature, in evergreen fire,
A small cabin sits in its Autumn attire.
Some leaves have fallen and many remain
For just a while longer, to sing a refrain
Whispering breezes have brought to this place.
It’s so solitary and so full of Grace.
A scene so serene you might wonder why
The world goes berserk in the blink of an eye.
Answers are simple, and life can be, too.
Your Creator wants to restore it in you.
Silence and music, in sync and in tune,
Reveal His love from this burnished doubloon. © 2022 TF

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, the 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.

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It was a picture of a rainbow that had appeared as stormy skies headed for the horizon. And there was a flock of geese flying in the opposite direction. The photographer titled the picture as Faith Over Fear. And I’m sure that’s because Christians should remember what God said about rainbows after He flooded the whole world.

And “stormy skies” is a metaphor for troubles.

And just in case you didn’t already know this, but I’m sure you did/do, you’re gonna have troubles in this life. So, that means you’re gonna have stormy skies. But, thankfully, when you trust in the power of God’s love to help get you through those skies, you’re also gonna have rainbows.

Here in America, it seems as if almost everyone is trying to live trouble-free and pain-free. And so many are so willing to take drugs, or drink in excess, or do something else like that to just numb it all away. The problem with that is… it never works. In fact, it almost always makes things WAY worse.

Yeah, your Creator (aka: Jesus) even says “you will have tribulation” (aka: troubles). But right after He says that He says, “but be of good cheer…”

What?!

You read that right. Be of good cheer. So you’re gonna have problems, but don’t worry, be happy? How in the world can He expect you and me to do that? Well, He says it’s because…

“I have overcome the world.”

A-ha! And I believe that’s where the faith over fear part comes in. Yeah, your faith that Jesus is telling the truth when He says He has overcome the world helps you overcome fear.

That section of the Bible, where Jesus says those things is a time when He prays for Himself, then He prays for His disciples, and then He prays for all believers. So obviously prayer, which is a conversation with God, the father, is an important and powerful faith tool.

I encourage you, and me, to put that tool to use. Every. Single. Day. And let’s keep our…

Faith over fear,
Like a rainbow, landed here.
As I navigated through the stormy skies.
I could feel eternal love
From the One, so far above,
Who created such a painting for my eyes. © 2022

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, 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.

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As the poet (or some sort of writer or philosopher) said, “time waits for no man.”

The seconds tick in the rhythm of your heart. And your heart beats out the minutes and hours of your days. Then, the days advance like an advancing army into the open arms of each passing year. There’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t turn back the days. And you can’t stop the advance. You just keep moving on down the road.

Yeah, time waits for no man. But what about “the road?”

No, the road doesn’t wait for anybody either. But that’s not the point. The point is, unlike time, the road IS something you can do something about.

You can choose which road. You can choose whether you’ll walk, run, or drive on the road. And, with a map (or map app) you can see where the road goes, ahead of time. You can’t choose which time you’ll travel. Or how fast you’ll go through it. And no one knows the future.

Because the future has NOT happened yet. No matter how much your favorite comic book superhero would like you to believe it has.

Yeah, you and I still have enough freedom to make those road choices. But it’s uncanny how many people seem to prefer to VOTE this country deeper and deeper into tyranny. It’s a cryin’ shame that America, the ultimate symbol of freedom in the history of the world, should find itself on the brink of suicide.

President Abraham Lincoln talked about this in an address to the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois in 1838.

He said…

“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it is ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

And, less than 200 years later, about to end it all.

And it hasn’t been a sudden decision to blast our brains out. No. It’s been a long, slow, agonizing death by apathy, the by-product of drugs and gluttony.

For example, it used to be it was only the “thugs and losers and rebellious misfits” who did drugs. But now, if you don’t do drugs, legal or not, you’re the exception. And there used to be a small fraction of Americans who were “overweight.” Or “struggling with their weight.” But now, obesity is so common that grossly fat people convince themselves that large is beautiful, too.

Now, remember, time waits for no man. Psst…it waits for no woman either. So, there WILL be a time limit to this shameful condition America is in.

But that limit probably won’t be before we author our finish.

And I can’t tell you how sad that makes me to even think about it. Thanks to Jesus, America is not the last hope.

Freedom; don’t want to lose my freedom.
I want to make my choice; make my voice be heard.
Freedom; I’m glad I have my freedom.
If all the world could see,
It would have to be the word.
Freedom!  © 1987

(from my 1987 song, Freedom)

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