Category Archives: Words and Music

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Wow. It’s America’s 250th birthday. And I bet there’s a good chance you get to enjoy an awesome fireworks display wherever you live. I hope you also get to enjoy the company of family and friends and good food and great fun. After all, on Independence Day, 2026 you can actually sing along to Saturday In The Park by the band Chicago, and the lyrics will actually fit.

Because Independence Day 2026 falls on a Saturday!

I read somewhere that won’t happen again until the year 2037. I haven’t verified that. But it seems plausible. Because I sure don’t remember the last time it happened. And it might only mean something to boomers. But I think it’s cool.

Freedom of expression and creativity, the kind we’ve had in America for my whole life, is a big reason why happy, upbeat songs like that ever get written. But most people don’t know that our freedom didn’t start with a declaration of independence from England or a constitution.

And that’s why I take at least a moment on 4th of July to thank God for the ultimate freedom He gave us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Yep, without that, I doubt very seriously there’d even be an America that made it to Independence Day 2026.

Here’s my song, in a video, about how truly fortunate we are to live in a country whose founding fathers recognized a dependency on our Creator for our ultimate freedom.

Happy and safe Independence Day 2026 to you. I hope and pray there will be more to come.

Faith working through love…
Let’s praise God for our liberty…
Christ paid off our debt…
Only in Him are we truly free. (lyrics from Freedom)   © 2010 TF

If you enjoy this kind of freedom, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional delivered 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

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

My mom was not an evangelist. She wasn’t an apologist. And she was never a missionary or even someone who stayed active in a local church. But if anyone ever asked how she could believe that Jesus is a risen savior, she would just quote Henry. I heard her say, more than once, “Because He lives within my heart.”

Yeah, Henry wrote a song in 1934 that’s still sung in churches.

Now this Henry isn’t to be confused with the Henry who was my mom’s brother-in-law for a while. I guess I should share his full name. Alfred Henry Ackley. He’s the one who wrote that famous hymn…

He Lives

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living, Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him He’s always near.

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me, and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives! He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart!

In all the world around me, I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair;
I know that He is leading Through all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing will come at last!  (chorus)

Rejoice, rejoice, oh Christian, Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him, The help of all who find,
None other is so loving, So good and kind!  (chorus)

I really like how Henry composed three strong verses.

And all three illustrate how he could see evidence, so he didn’t have to just rely on a feeling. But the evidence he saw gave him such a glorious feeling in his heart he had to sing about it. And my mom couldn’t recall all the lyrics, but she sure remembered, and quoted, the last line of the chorus a lot.

I read an article that talked about how and why Henry wrote the song. Here’s a snippet from that article:

While in California in 1932, Ackley began witnessing a Jewish man who attended some of the evangelistic meetings. This young student kept saying, “Why should I worship a dead Jew?”

This bothered Ackley and it stayed on his mind. After waking early to prepare his Easter Sunday message, he was amazed to hear on the radio a famous liberal preacher in New York say, “Good morning. It’s Easter! You know, folks, it really doesn’t make any difference to me if Christ be risen or not. As far as I am concerned, His body could be as dust in some Palestinian tomb. The main thing is, His truth goes marching on!”

What the liberal preacher said on the radio made Henry so mad that he threw the radio across the room. That’s my kind of songwriter right there. And he popped up on my radar because he died on this day, July 3, back in 1960. So, I’m honored to say that he and I shared some time here on planet Earth. And I’ve sung his song more than a few times.

If you enjoy a good hymn like this, 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

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Don’t you sometimes feel like telling certain worms (aka: anti-God people) to go liquefy themselves? I bet that’s something they’d never expect you to say. And I bet they wouldn’t become a metamorphosis butterfly. Maybe a metamorphosis wooly moth.

I was thinking about how caterpillar can become a metamorphosis butterfly.

It actually creates a cocoon and liquefies itself. Imagine that! Well, you don’t have to. Because God already did.

A creepy crawly caterpillar morphs into a beautiful butterfly. And it’s one of the weirdest and most beautiful transformations in all of creation. Plus, it’s a magnificent piece of evidence against the evolution fairytale.

Now, imagine if you could take a total jerk and stick him in a specially designed cocoon. Then, what if you could liquefy him, and wait a little while for him to solidify. And what if he came back out as a totally unselfish nice guy. Wouldn’t that be awesome?! If only changing somebody’s personality was as easy as changing a creepy crawly caterpillar into a metamorphosis butterfly. But, come to think of it, is that actually an easy process?

I mean, how does a little worm-like creature do all that?

How does it create a cocoon around itself and then liquefy itself? That certainly defies all the silly evolutionary ideas and notions. But it doesn’t defy a pre-programmed process by the one, true, living, loving God of creation. And I believe God designed processes like the metamorphosis butterfly just to show us His amazing creativity. And His attention to intricate details.

Another example of that is how a Monarch butterfly being able to navigate for 3000 miles using only its antennae and tiny, little butterfly brain. Think you could do that well with no GPS, maps app, or climate controlled car?

It might seem like a small thing to talk about caterpillars and butterflies and how they illuminate God’s glory. But it’s actually in the smallest things where that glory looms largest. Are you convinced yet? If not, send me a message or leave me a comment and tell me why. In the meantime, enjoy the lyrics to this song. Or listen to it in the podcast.

Shine In Your Glory

My love for You, Lord,
Is like a river.
Your love is like…the infinite sky.

You guide my steps
Through this worldly desert,
And I will hold your name most high.

So, I will shine in Your glory…
And I will raise my hands to the sky…
Yes, I will shine in Your glory…
And I will praise my Savior on high.

My joy is flowing out into your ocean.
Your grace rains down…in my open heart.

You take my hand
When the road is narrow,
And you’re my Light when things get dark.

So, I will shine in Your glory…
And I will raise my hands to the sky…
Yes, I will shine in Your glory…
And I will praise my Savior on high.

Shine in your glory (repeat 3 times) Lyrics © Cristina Miller 2010

Now, maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, let’s change that. Get to know more about me and my worldview. Join the growing body of believers who’ve signed up for my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And bask in daily, delightful flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

I wrote and produced a small voice song. But it was based on the greatest life in the universe. Yeah, God doesn’t need the destructive forces of nature to show His power. He doesn’t create the chaos in the world to display His majesty. In fact, He communicates most effectively with a still small voice…with anyone who’s willing to listen.

And God’s voice, in these times, is more of a thought in your head. Notice the Bible doesn’t describe it as “a small voice.” Or “a voice”. No, the voice is still. Some dictionaries define the adjective form of the word “still” like this: not moving or making a sound – She sat very still, her eyes closed. He lay still, unable to move.

So, God’s still small voice is like a song that doesn’t actually make a sound.

Picture this. The Bible is a collection of writings from prophets, teachers, and apostles. And all those words. perfectly illustrate the power of the still small voice from God. He inspired all the writers to tell a history of the world. And even more importantly, He shows us, through His words, what an awesome, eternal future anyone can have. All you gotta do is believe and ask Him to show you.

That’s why His word says “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”

But I should warn you. When you do believe and ask God to save you and give you eternal life, you might hear that still small voice on a regular basis. And it might make you uncomfortable at times. But it means He cares about you enough to let you know when you’re messing up.

And maybe you’ve noticed, we humans mess up a lot. But God’s grace is sufficient to cover it all. Here are the words to a song I wrote about it. You can hear it in episodes of The Power of God’s Love Podcast.

Still Small Voice

Gotta go make some noise
and go drinkin’ out with the boys.
And maybe I’ll watch TV.
It all really sounds good to me.
And where’d I put my guitar?
In the back of my muscle car.
I’m gonna rock some rock n roll…
Jam the music into my soul.

‘Cause I hear a voice all day, and it just won’t go away.
Ain’t no place I can hide from that still small voice inside

Cheerin’ for my football team on the high def satellite stream
Yellin’ when they mess up bad.
Got a runnin’ bet with my dad.
Saturdays in my yard, you can see I really do work hard.
And then I buzz to the video store
And rent maybe two or three more.

‘Cause I hear a voice all day, and it just won’t go away.
Ain’t no place I can hide from that still small voice inside

Still small voice inside me sayin’…
Boy you know you’re only playin’.
Still small voice inside me askin’…
What’s with all the pain you’re maskin’?
Still small voice inside me killin’…
Everything that once was thrillin’…
No, there ain’t no place to hide
From that still small voice inside.    © 2009 TF

Now, maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, let’s change that. Get to know more about me and my worldview. Be the next believer to…

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

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Play

Get The Rhyme and Reason PodcastDelivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Is the moon approximately 400 times smaller than the sun? Yes. And that’s not just cool. It’s also on purpose. Because the Son of God made it that way.

And not only is the moon smaller by that much…

It’s also about 400 times closer to the earth than the sun. And again that’s on purpose for the same reason I mentioned before.

Check out what the apostle John had this to say about how everything was made:

“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Lots of people, for some reason, get stuck on that “nothing was made that was made” part. They “feel” like it’s talking in a circle. But that’s not what’s going on.

It’s a description of what’s made and WHO isn’t.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was not made.

And God, The Son, made everything else.

So, the sun, the moon, the stars, Earth, and all the creatures on the earth are all made. And not like some random act of creativity either. Our beautiful solar system, galaxy, and all the universe function more precisely and more dependably than any clock ever created by human beings.

And my guess is, it pleases God to surprise and delight us.

He could have designed the Earth and moon to simply work together efficiently and left it at that. But God loves to throw in the fireworks, add the concert, and raise the spectacle. Why? Well, maybe it’s because He’s the ultimate good and loving father. And maybe it just delights Him to see the looks on our faces.

And which direction do millions of faces point during the eclipse of the sun? Yeah, UP!

Why?

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green?
Why is the sun gold? What does it all mean?
Why is the air clear? Why is the ground brown?
Why does the earth float and never fall down?

Cause God made skies. He made them blue.
He made the world for me and you
And all because it pleased Him to.
God loves us through and through.

Why is a horse fast? Why is a snail slow?
Why does it get cold when Northern winds blow?
Why is the sea green? Why is the sand white?
Why is the day day? Why is the night night?

Cause God made creatures big and small,
And sand and seas; He made them all.
And even if we trip and fall
God helps us to stand tall.

God’s love is always there.
His love will never die.
And so you can trust in Him
For all your questions why.    © 2008 TF

If this landed somewhere good with you, 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.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo