Category Archives: life is beautiful

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I’ve already lived longer than my Dad, his two brothers, and several other relatives and friends I’ve known. But I don’t believe I would’ve lived this long if it wasn’t for a loving wife and God’s mercy on me. I don’t want to imagine the hopelessness and depression I’d probably feel if I didn’t have my Creator to lean on, trust in, and talk to. Even if I lived to be 100, I’d still know that there’s an end.

And that’s a dark hopelessness and depression I want no part of.

Have you ever thought about why you’ve lived as long as you have? Well, I have. And I know life’s not an accident. Or a set of random processes. Yes, you and I were put here on purpose. But how did it happen? And why? And does it even matter? Should you even care or try to figure it out?

Well, you and I do things we shouldn’t do. If I decided to make a list of the those things, I’d have to dedicate every article I write and every podcast episode I record to those things. And I still wouldn’t have enough time.

But here’s the ultimate cool thing that trumps all those other things on the “bad” list: God’s mercy. He is able and willing to wipe my bad slate clean, and all I gotta do is humble myself, ask Him to, and trust that He will. And knowing that keeps hopelessness and depression from having any control over me.

God doesn’t make you and me do the bad things we do. Even though we’re here on purpose, we’re not robots. And God hasn’t planned our lives for us. He doesn’t work that way.. And most televangelists and churches tend to give the impression, to the world, that He does. But here’s what God does for you…

  • He gives you a brain and a soul.
  • And He wants to see what you’ll do with them.
  • You have freedom to love God.
  • And He even allows you to hate Him.

All that because God knows that true love must be freely given. Not coerced, cajoled, or colluded.

God’s mercy on you and me gives us more time to make a difference.

My mission, in this life, is to use rhyme and reason to share the faith, hope, and love available to anyone who wants it. Anyone who’ll ask for it.

Since I didn’t receive what I actually deserve a long time ago, I’ve been able to grow and learn more about my Creator. That gave me much more knowledge and wisdom to share with anyone and everyone who’ll listen or read. And that word, anyone, is important. Because it’s both plural and singular. Any is synonymous with all. So, you’re one of the any.

You’ll find the spirit of that word in one of the most famous Bible verses. John 3:16. Click that link and read it.

I’ll share this song, lyrics below, about God’s love and mercy in the Rhyme and Reason Podcast .

And, one more time, I avoid hopelessness and depression when I remember God didn’t give me…

Give Me What I Deserve

You gave me life…
Gave me love, and gave me freedom.
You took my sins…
And You nailed “˜em, and You beat “˜em…

“˜Cause this person who you bought never had the nerve.
So I’m glad that you did not…
Give me what I deserve.

You gave me hope,
Gave me bread and living water.
You gave your blood…
When I led you to the slaughter.

But you never even fought or let your focus swerve.
And I’m glad that you did not…
Give me what I deserve.

Lord, don’t give me…what I deserve.
If I stand in the middle of the road,
Nudge me to Your side.
Lord, don’t give me…what I deserve…
“˜Cause I’m the reason and the cause
Why Jesus died…But then He rose again!

You gave me joy…
Gave Your word you’d leave me never.
You gave Your life so that I could live forever.

And on this earthly azure dot I can choose to serve.
So I’m glad that you did not…
Give me what I deserve.

© Copyright Tony Funderburk 2010

If you didn’t get what you actually deserve, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

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It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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

This morning I recalled when the accelerator cable on my awesome pickup, Ol’ Blue, broke. That’s the kind of stuff that’ll make you ask, in exasperation, “What in the world?!” And then, when you figure it out, you might say something like: “Oh, for cryin’ out loud!” And when these things happen, they’re not some unexplainable part of God’s plan of action for you.

Broken stuff happens because of this broken world. Not God’s plan of action.

It’s eternally important to put your faith and trust in the one true, living, loving Creator of Heaven and Earth, Because He’s willing to help you in some awesome ways. And when you read Paul’s writings, in the New Testament, you discover how important it is to know this. You also see how God didn’t decree a plan of action for your life. In fact, He’s the one who can (and will) help you through and over the mistakes YOU make.

Paul said it like this: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…”

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, their actions literally broke the world and our spiritual connection to God. After they did that, everything changed. Everything started to break down. And things have gone downhill ever since. You can actually trace everything bad in the world back to sin. But certainly not to God. Rust, mold, slime, germs, and ultimately death, all happen because we live in a broken world. And we broke it. Not God.

So, please don’t fall for “everything is part of God’s plan.”

Sure, God has an ultimate plan of action. He will ultimately bring justice back to the world He made. And He will make a new Earth and new Heaven. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt He didn’t break my accelerator cable to teach me some sort of spiritual lesson. He wrote a book to teach me those lessons and help me fix broken stuff. It’s called the Bible. I hope reading it is part of your regular action plan.

I’m broken, but God didn’t do it.
In fact, only He can get me through it.
He heals me with love on the inside,
And I’ll live forever because Jesus died…

And rose again!

If this landed somewhere good with you, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

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It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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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Imagine a journey into one of the trillions of cells inside your body. One of the first things you’d notice is how many chemicals there are. Lots of those chemicals are acidic. And many others are known as base or alkaline. But guess what happens if some of the wrong chemicals get mixed up! Dangerous chemical reactions. And you don’t want that to happen down deep in your cells. So, what keeps that from happening?

Your cells were designed to protect against chemical reactions.

If life just evolved, then all those barriers and buffers would have evolved, too. And how could they develop with all those chemical reactions destroying all the building materials? Plus, how could it all happen at just the right time in the right way? And for millions of different species? And enough times for a single cell to become something more complex? Short answer? It couldn’t happen that way. Accidents don’t create. But God does. And He did.

The Bible says you’re “fearfully and wonderfully made.” And that’s one of the great things about living in these times. Science and technology can see deeper inside us than ever. And what they discover is evidence for the Creator and how amazing He is to love us as He does.

Not evidence that a bunch of chemical reactions could create this complex life we enjoy.

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.    (from my song, Personhood)

If you like this kind of Creator/creation connection, let’s stay connected, too. It’s super easy.

Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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. So, 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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It’s the only family that will last forever. So, there’s that. But there’s so much more to it that it’s difficult to even wrap your mind around it. And that’s pretty cool because as a child of God, the one, true, living, loving Creator of the universe, you’ll get to spend eternity discovering more and more about your original Father.

Many, if not most (or all in some way), families are dysfunctional. The simple definition of dysfunctional is: not operating properly. And that certainly describes most families.

As little kids, my brother and I had to deal with the consequences of our parents’ divorce. So I know more than a little about dysfunctional life. When you have to travel a long distance across three states to leave one of your parents and go see your other parent, that’s definitely a family “not operating properly.”

A child of God can look forward to an eternity of perfect function.

I’ve actually heard people say they believe if everything is gonna be perfect, then Heaven will be boring. Are you kidding me?! To quote a character from the movie “The Princess Bride”…

“I do not think that word means what you think it means.”

If something is perfect, then according to the dictionary it has “all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be” and it’s “free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless”

So there. If you can’t take God’s word for it, then at least take the dictionary’s. And if something is perfect, it can’t be boring or have any other fault.

Perfect function in your home in Heaven and in your forever family means you’ll never have to deal with the destructive, dysfunctional issues of life ever again. And that ain’t all. You’ll also never have to deal with death and dying and decay. Imagine living forever in a place of perfect love where disease and death doesn’t exist.

There’s only one Father who can make a home like that for His family.

Now, tell the truth…wouldn’t you rather be a child of God instead of stewing in your own private universe with a population of one? I wrote a song about it…and sang it with a sweet, little girl a few years back. I’ll add the song on The Power of God’s Love Podcast. And, in the meantime, here are the lyrics…

Child of the Living God

I am not a silly chance…
Not a random circumstance.
I am not a lucky dance
In an accidental place.

I am not a spark of light
That evolved from darkest night.
If you say I did, I might
Have to make a funny face…’cause…

I am a child of God…child of the Living God…
The One who spoke and made the universe.
I am a child of God…child of the Living God…
The One who saved me from my sinful curse.  (repeat)

I did not come out of slime.
That would take way too much time.
You can clearly see that I’m
A whole lot more than simple dirt.

Take a closer look and see
Information runs through me
From The One Who sets me free.
Listen now to my alert…Chorus   © 2010 TF

If this made you wanna be part of the family (or glad that you are), let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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

Most of my summers in Kansas, in my teen years from 13 to almost 18, were spent hauling hay. Literally from first thing in the morning, often until midnight. Yeah, I was in hot Kansas fields bucking bales up on to hay trucks.

Now, keep in mind, I was basically a city boy all during the nine months of school. It wasn’t like I was working on a farm year ’round and staying in shape for that kind of work. Quite the opposite. During the school year I worked on physically challenging chores like vocal practice for choir. Or helping to decide which band to book for the prom. Maybe I’d have to actually help move sets around for the play I was in. You know, tough stuff. Not for the faint of heart. So…

Summer in Kansas can get mighty hot.

So, “let us not grow weary” had a special meaning for me.

I remember one particularly hot day, in a field of about 1200 bales of alfalfa. That’s where I said a prayer under my breath. “Lord, help me not to tire out in front of these country boys.” Because the guys I worked with were mostly all from Kansas farms where they lived year ’round. They were used to the work. I’m sure it was still hard work for them too, especially as I think back on it now. But they moved bales of hay around even during the winter to feed the livestock. Most of them weren’t choir boys, or drama class actors, or senior class officers. Just hard workin’ Kansas boys.

OK, back to that alfalfa field.

If you’ve never been around bales of alfalfa hay, just know, they’re way scruffy. They can wear out the fronts of brand new heavy-duty jeans in a matter of days. And they’ll scratch your forearms till they look like you had a run-in with a cat.

Now, imagine riding a hay truck (with no air conditioning) up to the gate of a field of 1200 of those demon bales. And imagine doing that on a 100 degree day with no shade trees. And imagine working for a beer-guzzling wild man who often forgot to bring water for the crews.

Well, that’s where I was that day when I whispered that prayer under my breath. And guess what?! God, as He always does, answered my prayer. He gave me strength, stamina, courage, and determination. Day after day. Week after week. And summer after summer.

With God, all things are possible.

It was many years later I discovered I was born with a deformed heart. Good thing I didn’t know that when I was a teenager, or I might have skipped the prayer for strength. Because I probably wouldn’t have done a job like hay hauling. And I might not have believed God could get me through those long, hot days with a less than perfect heart. Odd how that works, isn’t it.

That’s why it’s important to remember to lean on the Lord for your strength. Not yourself. And don’t grow weary while doing good. Because the world is full of evil people who’d love to see you give up. Even if you never haul hay all summer in Kansas. Yeah, remember this wherever you are…

If you faint or fall, don’t give up.
For the source of strength, just look up.
When you let Him, God helps you up.
Don’t give up, just look up, and stay up.

Stay cool today. And if you realize what’s possible now, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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

Just about everywhere you look or go people seem to be mad about something. And a lot of them don’t seem to have any problem letting that anger, inside, out for everyone to see.

But when the anger inside comes out, so does the ugliness of sin.

People are walking around with chips on their shoulders. That’s what we used to call it anyway. Or you could say they’re carrying grudges in their hearts. And that would be bad enough. But at least it would be invisible to just about everyone. Trouble is, they don’t stop the anger inside from coming out. And a lot of it even leads to escalated physical harm.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret about the root cause. Selfishness.

Yeah, selfishness is at the heart of almost all anger issues. It’s difficult to manage your anger, when all you care about is how he or she or the whole world wronged you.

And you find a way to justify your own anger, when you don’t take responsibility for your actions. I’ve been dealing with this with someone I’ve known for a very, very long time. He believes I’ve wronged him in the past (issues from 20 years ago and beyond). And he has told me I’ve never apologized or shown any remorse.

I’m not gonna share the whole sob story. But I can say with a clear conscience that this person has ripped me off multiple times, left me in the lurch multiple times, and F-bombed Jesus in my house. And, to this day, he’s never once apologized or shown any remorse for his actions. Some say this is narcissism. And I don’t disagree.

But again, the root cause is selfishness. And rebellion against God.

The person I’m talking about doesn’t care what God says about anger. But, to quote from Paul’s writing in Ephesians, “be angry and do not sin.” And when Paul wrote that, he was actually quoting from one of King David’s Psalms where it said, “Be angry, and do not sin, Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”

But people obsess over problems, challenges, and obstacles in everyday life. That makes it easy to form a tunnel vision where the tunnel always leads to SELF.

And that leads to projecting those problems onto others. And that leads to self harm. Physical, mental, and emotional harm. You might not realize the full negative consequences of letting the anger inside out while you’re young and strong. But they’ll show up eventually. And the older you are, the more harmful the consequences.

There are even studies that say anger encourages cancer.

I’m not saying those studies are absolutely true. But it might be more than coincidence that the rising rate of cancer in the world happens at the same time there are more angry people than ever.

So, what about you? What rules in your life? Anger? Or joy? I wrote this rhyme about it years ago…

If you’re angry, just don’t sin.
Open up your heart and let God in.
He can help you work it out.
And He’ll show you what it’s all about.
Life is better, when you trust
The One who is Holy, right, and just.
Give it up, and I know…
You’ll be glad where God will help you go.

If this didn’t make you mad, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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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