Category Archives: power of God’s love

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:

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

It doesn’t help you evolve. And I don’t mean metaphorically. And it doesn’t build up your muscles. So you don’t become one of the strong who survive. And many say it doesn’t actually provide any tangible benefits. So, why love anything at all?

That’s the glaring question. Why love anything at all?

Especially when you can’t even put your finger on what love is. And I don’t think most people can anymore. But have you ever thought about the source of love? I sure have.

Since it isn’t anything you can detect with any of your five senses, it’s hard to think about how it starts or where it is inside of you.

As a little kid, your first experiences with love begin with your parents or grandparents. Of course, you don’t have a clue why you love them, you just know you do. But how that happen? How do those feelings come up inside you when you’re not even old enough to understand them?

Well, I’ve got kind of a silly one word answer for that. Because.

Did you ever get into stupid kid arguments when you were a kid? Well, when I was kid, arguing with a brother or sister like most kids do, I was as good as anybody with those goofy kid answers to stupid kid questions. Most of the questions started with “why?” So, of course, most of the answers started with “Because.” I can think of one instance where the question was something like, “Why do you get to use those? Mom said we couldn’t.” And the answer was just, “Because I can.”

OK, back to love.

Because you can love from the earliest age means you’re born with love.

And if you’re born with love, or the ability to love, how did it get there? Through your mother’s umbilical cord? That doesn’t seem likely since love isn’t made of flesh and bones. Maybe it was through the sound of your mother’s voice and the nurturing you received in the womb. Hmm…closer. But, again, I don’t think love, the deepest emotion a human being can express, can simply be transferred through coziness.

Here’s what I’ve found to be true. Love has a starting place. And it’s transferred and transmitted through your soul and spirit. The only way that can happen is through and from the starting place. That place is the person of God.

Your creator made you with a soul/spirit full of His unending and boundless love. It’s because God loves that we can love. So, the next time you’re thinking, why love anything at all, come back to these lyrics. You can hear the song when you listen to the Rhyme and Reason Podcast .

Because I Can Love

What made You think
That I was worth the risk You took?
What made You take the time
To write Your Holy Book?
I don’t believe I’d give myself a second look,
But You did because You love.

You made a world
That was as perfect as could be,
But then I broke it
When You gave it all to me…
By going through the gate
You made to set me free.
This You did because You love…me.

Because You love me so…in spite of all You know…
Because You did the most that You could ever do…
Because I clearly see…evidence of You in me…
Because I can love…I do love…You!

You put a life
And a will inside my soul.
You knew true love
Would be to give me full control.
But knowing You is all that ever makes me whole.
I trust You because You love…me.

I can live because You live!
I can love because You love!    © 2010 TF

If you believe God is why you CAN love, 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.

Daily Devotional

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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They, whoever they are, say that patience is a virtue. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. I have a lot of room for improvement in that area. How ’bout you? If so, what if I told you God is willing and can help you be patient?

Interested?

First, I bet you don’t always lett God help you be patient with all. Because you’re human. And you fail and fall. Just has all the rest of us do. So, believe me, I’m telling myself this same stuff, too. Because I need to hear it as much as anybody (and more than a lot of people).

Sure, patience is a virtue. But can too much hurt you?

Here’s a little rabbit trail sort of on that question.

Colorado legalized pot back in 2014. And I drove on Colorado highways, a lot, for 30 years. But something I noticed, after they legalized pot, was the scent of pot coming through the vents and windows of my pickup just about everywhere I drove. And it wafted through the air during walks through the neighborhoods. And that includes the so-called “nice” neighborhoods.

If you’re a dope smoker, here’s a statistic I’m sure you won’t care about. But it’s still true. When you smoke weed, your reaction time is significantly slower. Sorry to be such a killjoy, but da facts is facts.

And that means the minority of us who don’t smoke pot have to just be patient with those who do. We have to tolerate the nuisance of the smell, the slow reaction times, and every other negative thing that comes with it.

But I can’t be that patient without God’s help.

I had to deal with what I call “drifters” as I made my way across town or across the state. I’m talking about drivers who couldn’t seem to be deliberate in their actions. They’d drift into different lanes. Or they seemed to have to make up their mind about turning. And then sort of drift around the corner. And if I added up all the time I waited on those drivers to respond to the changing lights, I could possibly add a few days to my life.

That’s what I mean about me lacking patience. And about needing God’s help.

(side note: those drifters are in every state, even here in “conservative” Florida)

OK, I know there are lots of reasons people resort to smoking pot. They use excuses like pain, depression, or physical “conditions”. And they’ll say a guy like me, who never smoked pot, will never understand. On some level, I suppose that’s correct. But I DO know that inhaling smoke of any kind is not a better answer than real foods, fresh air, sunshine, and plenty of good water.

You should read about the real harm weeds does to you.

But if you’re a pothead, you probably won’t. So, I’ll just have to…

“Be patient. Be wary. Sing songs and be merry.
Then focus your attention on more than this world’s dimension”
(excerpt from the lyrics to my song, “Worldliness”)

If you’d rather get high on the power of God’s love, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

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

I share my rhymes and reasons 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

Paul said Christians need to admonish one another. That might sound harsh. But he wrote this in his letter to the Colossians: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

But don’t misunderstand Paul’s meaning when he said to admonish one another.

On the surface, it might sound like he’s telling us to, according to the dictionary:

  • give someone a telling-off
  • give someone a dressing-down
  • bawl out
  • blow up
  • lay into
  • give someone an earful
  • rap over the knuckles
  • slap someone’s wrist

But check that verse again. Because Paul said to first let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Then he said, teaching AND admonishing one another. And then look at his recommended method. You should use psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And you should sing with Grace in your heart to the Lord.

So, does that sound like you’re telling someone off? Or like you gotta bawl somebody out? Or give someone an earful while you slap their wrist?

Nay, Nay, I say.

I know when I sing with grace, it doesn’t mean I don’t convey a strong (and sometimes convicting) message. In fact, quite the contrary. Because words and music shouldn’t be just all about peace, love, and joy.

No, singing with grace sometimes needs to include rebuke.

For example, when you receive a critique on something you’ve written, you have an opportunity to review and improve your writing. While it’s true, the critic might be wrong (they often are), it’s still another set of possibly more objective eyes. And their perspective might give you a clearer way to get your message across.

That’s what I do when I sing with grace about the Grace I’ve received from Jesus.

I love to be creative. But I also prefer to tell it like it is. And that means, sometimes, I’ve gotta take that admonish one another part seriously. For example, I’ve sung against abortion with words fairly harsh words like these:

It should be so easy to just see we’re not free
As long as the innocent die.
To say that it’s legal we spit on the eagle
That stands for what we once held high.

Then there’s my song called “You Just Don’t Get It.”

It’s about trying to be your own king:

Well you idolize with your idle eyes.
Your body wants what it wants, and you let it.
You identify what you deify.
You’ll see the kingdom, but you just don’t get it.

You can admonish me with your own psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs if you truly believe I need it. Or simply drop me an email through the form, below. And tell me why you don’t agree with me. Or even why you do. When you do, I’ll send you some songs and a rhyming ebook for little kids. So, what do you have to lose?

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.

Daily Devotional

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Look deep down inside your human body. And I mean right down to the proteins, amino acids, and every cell. You’ll need a very good microscope. But you’ll discover you are awesome. And you’ll see how it’s all on purpose. All that complexity could never have happened by accident.

Have you ever thought about just how on purpose YOU are?

I don’t mean mankind. I mean YOU. Let’s leave the whole world out of the question for a moment. Just take a minute and think about how you got here.

You probably know, or have some understanding of, how you got 23 chromosomes from your mom and 23 chromosomes from your dad. Right? And, so, you know how those all mixed together to make up the singularly unique combination that is you. Right?

And maybe you’ve thought about how that process goes back to their parents…and their parents’ parents…and so on. Right? Maybe you’ve even thought about the process of forming in the womb and childbirth. Do you see how you’re not just accidental proteins, carbs, and fats?

You are awesome because you’re not an accident.

Here’s why I say “on purpose.” Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. But did you know amino acids can’t link together to form proteins if oxygen is present. And oxygen was present when the first forms of life were supposed to have evolved (as I’ve mentioned before). That means that proteins couldn’t have occurred from random chemical reactions. And scientists have discovered oxygen in rocks that were supposedly here before any of the earliest fossils. So much for the ideal random circumstances to form even the basic building blocks of life.

But wait, there’s more…

To form proteins amino acids need to be “highly concentrated in extremely pure liquid.” And if the earth was a molten mass of liquids, solids, and gases when life was beginning, how pure would that be? Answer: Not very. And there’s more, but I suggest you follow one of the links you see on this page. And read about it from a brilliant scientist, engineer, Ph.D from M.I.T., and former atheist.

Plus, consider reading Paul’s letters in the New Testament of the Bible. Because his letters talk about this dispensation of grace we’re in currently. And I encourage you to discover the power of God’s love there. Because I think you’ll see how much God loves you and how he created you on purpose because of that love.

Yeah, don’t just take my word for it, for cryin’ out loud. Because I’m just a rhyme and reason knucklehead.

Here’s how I put it…

You’re here on purpose.
You were designed.
The living God
Had you in mind
When you were formed…
And given breath.
You can live on
After your death.
But you must choose
While you’re still here.
Don’t live in doubt.
Don’t live in fear.
Give up the world
And keep your soul.
You’re here on purpose
By God’s control.     © 2017 TF

If this helped you feel a little more awesome, 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

Leaving college was the first good decision I made that year. Because, even way back then (in the early part of the fourth quarter of the 20th century) they laced most of the classes with anti God ideology. And my Christian background made me stubborn enough to change course and resist the subtle indoctrination.

I didn’t know it right then, but music would change the course of my life.

No, I didn’t change course right after I left college. In fact, it wasn’t until a few years later, and a wide variety of jobs, that I started to go for a career in music. And that was after it kinda pursued me first.

My brother and I sang songs around the pool of an apartment complex where we lived. We did that in the evenings after hammering nails all day. And I can honestly say we built quite a loyal and substantial following.

Next thing we knew (remember, this is the condensed version of the story) we auditioned at lots of local live music spots in Houston, Texas. Yeah, we worked as carpenters during the day and sang wherever we could each evening and weekend.

Eventually we landed a regular “gig” as the featured happy hour entertainment in a very popular local nightclub. It was regular music work, three hours each evening every Monday through Friday. And we got to see, and get to know, the late night bands on the weekends. Before long other local spots started sending managers and reps to see us. No more auditions. And that’s when we started getting the juicier, more coveted gigs. You might say we had “made it” in the local scene. Traveling the country was next.

Fortunately I grew out of all the pop-star-glory-eyed nonsense.

And one day, after years in the music business, I decided to change course again. Because I no longer liked most of the typical venues I’d been part of for so long. And a secular musical career held no appeal to me anymore. Something else became way more important to me.

Eternity.

In fact, it seemed much closer to me than ever before (probably because it was…and is). So I figured I’d better put more focus on what it was all about.

That’s when a different kind of glory started to guide my words and music.

Yeah, the power of words and music still burns as bright as ever in me. But now I know how much more important it is to use whatever abilities I have with words and music to tell others about who gave them to me.

And if the story I share about Jesus being the only way to eternal life is false, then I’m one of the biggest fools who ever lived. Because that would mean I invested a lot of my life to perpetuate a lie. And it would mean I also wasted hours, days, weeks, and years writing and singing about that lie.

But it’s not a lie.

The mountains and mountains of evidence boldly and clearly point to a Creator who made the whole universe just by speaking it into existence. And He made sure I could change course from death to eternal life. I hope you have that hope. Tragically, most people don’t. Even though it’s readily available.

Since there is a Creator of all life, there is hope.
And if not, there would be only doom and gloom.
But I know my Creator’s promises give me hope.
And they started when He made me in the womb.

If this tweaked your interest about how to change course, 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 starting today.

Daily Devotional

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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My first true love lasted about four and a half years. Even though I thought it would be the rest of my life. But the relationship didn’t endure a separation that happened when I moved to Texas to be there for my dad who was suffering from terminal kidney failure.

So much for the first true love.

And after “getting over” it, I discovered I could actually love again. Another multiple year relationship developed, blossomed, went sour, and ended. So, that’s when I decided to “play the field.” And see what all the “lotsa fish in the ocean” notion was all about.

Because, in spite of my Christian background, I vowed that no other girl was gonna rope me in. Nope. Enough was enough. And I used my professional musician platform (a stage) to impress and woo the opposite sex. Yeah, I vowed that, if any heart was gonna get broken, it dang sure wasn’t gonna be mine.

That worked out great!

Not!

Because then came the pesky consequences.

Guilt. Shame. Conscience. A still, small voice would confront me each time I did what I shouldn’t do. I was able to ignore that voice for a few years. But it was there each time anyway.

Oh man. Why wouldn’t that voice let me have my fun?! Why did it have to be there? Every. Single. Time.

Eventually I discovered that’s how my actual first true love works. Confrontation when I needed it. Instruction, deconstruction, accomplishments, and even failures. And most of all, a light on the darkest parts of my heart.

And that’s because my actual first true love was God’s enduring love.

I discovered His love is bigger than problems. It’s more valuable and dependable than “feelings.” His love has endured every stupid mistake I’ve made. And there have been more than I care to admit. Now, that’s amazing Grace.

Thankfully, the consequences of love from God include eternal life.

I’m so grateful and thankful God never left me. He never gave up on me. And He still works on me when I stumble back into my self. There’s a comfort and joy in His love that no human being can even remotely match.

All you gotta do is ask Him for it, and you’ll get it. It’ll last forever. And it’s more real than any heartbreak or loss you’ll you’ll ever experience. After studying evidence for decades, I’m more convinced than ever of the reality of our one, true, living, loving Creator. Nothing and no one else could explain love. Love didn’t evolve. It’s a gift from God.

Because I Can Love

What made You think
That I was worth the risk You took?
What made You take the time
To write Your Holy Book?
I don’t believe I’d give myself a second look,
But You did because You love.

You made a world
That was as perfect as could be,
But then I broke it
When You gave it all to me…
By going through the gate You made to set me free.
This You did because You love…me.

Because You love me so…in spite of all You know…
Because You did the most that You could ever do…
And because I clearly see…evidence of You in me…
Because I can love…I do love…You!

You put a life
And a will inside my soul.
You knew true love
Would be to give me full control.
But knowing You is all that ever makes me whole.
I trust You because You love…me.

I can live because You live!
I can love because You love!     © 2010 TF

Listen up for that song coming up in The Power of God’s Love Podcast.

And if you love (or even like) what I shared, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

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

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

Tony Funderburk signature logo