Tony Funderburk Posted on by

What happens when the process seems out of order?

It might be self-evident to those of you who regularly join me here…and on my The Power of God’s Love Podcast. But there are many educated scientists who aren’t sure what to make of fossils when they’re found out of order. I’ll share a few examples of what I mean.

Life is Out of order

Imagine finding 86 consecutive hoofprints of horses dating back to the time of dinosaurs. And that’s just one place in Uzbekistan. There’s another place in the Grand Canyon where you can see hoofprints in rock that’s supposed to be about 100 million years older than hoofed animals. A guy, who’s a Grand Canyon expert, published pictures.

Aren’t dinosaur and human footprints together out of order?

Well, they discovered those footprints…yes, together…in Turkmenistan and Arizona. Then, oftentimes, archaeologists discover walking, swimming, and flying animal fossils together in the same rock layers. And what’s an evolutionist to think when he sees dinosaur, elephant, horse, and whale fossils right next to human tools all in the same layer of phosphate? Those were all discovered in South Carolina.

In addition to animals and humans, let’s not forget all the flowering plants found in amber and coal beds where flowering plants supposedly weren’t supposed to be for millions and millions of years. You can find that evidence all over the world. In fact, spores and pollen has been found in Cambrian rock where no plant life was supposed to have evolved yet. And pollen has been found in pre-Cambrian rock…where LIFE wasn’t supposed to have evolved yet. What?!

Everything old is new again.

Walt Brown, a brilliant scientist (and former atheist) with a Ph.D. from M.I.T. in mechanical engineering. He wrote a book, called “In The Beginning“, where you can see a lot more examples of life that appears to be out of order. But he shows how it’s not out of order when you simply go where the evidence leads. The magnificent design of our world, our galaxy, our universe simply comes from an even more magnificent Designer. Period.

I have no problem believing our planet was created in the recent past, and then at one time completely flooded with water. And it’s easy to see how the receding waters could rapidly lay down even micro layers of sediment with all kinds of dead things ending up together in the same (and different) layers.

What I DO have a problem with is how millions of kids are being spoon-fed a THEORY as though it were the indisputable truth…by the same people who will tell you there’s no such thing as Truth. Yeesh. Do you see the hypocrisy? Are you interested in learning some amazing facts about Earth and life? Get Dr. Brown’s book. In the meantime…here’s a little rhyme, from my song “Fast Forward”, to go with all these reasons. I’ll share the whole song in the Podcast this week.

In awe of all creation and how it all could be
The fairy tale illusions increase with every year
The wrinkled plans expand…exponentially
Until one day, perhaps, a duck becomes a deer

Stay tuned,

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P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Are you a Wizard Lizard?

He’s standing in the middle of the road on the border of Tennessee and Virginia. Another time, he’s on the Brooklyn Bridge with walkers and cyclists whizzing by. Still another time he’s in the middle of the desert southwest with the Roadrunner and Coyote. He’s the original wizard lizard, the Geico Gecko. And he helped Geico have one of the most powerful and recognizable audio brands in America.

Don’t be left out in the blizzard.

You don’t need the advertising budget of Geico Insurance to be a wizard lizard. But you DO need to be consistent with your audio branding. It’s like any other part of advertising. You can’t just put it out there once or twice and expect people to beat a path to your door. You might find yourself standing all alone in a whiteout blizzard.

Think of any successful commercial. Or any successful pop song. In fact, think about any brand or product that’s been successful and see if you can come up with one who wasn’t consistent.

Can’t do it can you?

You might start out just being a regular lizard. At first you spend your time figuring out who you are, what you’re trying to sell, and who your audience or market is. You’re a lizard, crawling around the internet. Looking for ways to get your message out there. Hoping to show how you’re the right one for the project.

To become a Wizard Lizard you gotta stand up and stand out.

If you’ve watched any of those Geico gecko commercials, you probably noticed the gecko always walks around like a human. Not like a lizard. That’s why he’s not like all the other lizards. He’s a wizard lizard who’s figured out how to stand out by standing up.

Make the decision, today, to stand up and get your wizard on. Consider adding the special brand building abilities of sound to your advertising. Put out a consistent brand message where your customers and clients will hear it and won’t be able to forget it.

You’ll find more ideas like this in my book on audio branding. It’s a free offer. A quick and easy read, you can probably finish it in a couple of hours. It’ll help you to see more advantages of becoming a wizard lizard. You can even do it yourself.

(no longer offering this or taking clients)

 

 

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Let us not grow weary…even when we’re tired

There’s a world of people out there who love to see Christians fail. In any way…on any day. They’re lying in wait for any stumble, misstep, or sin. You’ll notice a negative bias toward Christian failures in the news reports that just isn’t there for similar stories of a more secular nature. And that’s OK, in a way…because I’d rather have Christian held to a higher standard. After all, we answer to a higher authority than any earthly organization. That’s why I quote the Apostle Paul and say “let us not grow weary” even when we’re tired of it all.

Let us not grow weary while doing good.

During my teen years from 13 to almost 18, some of my summers in Kansas were spent hauling hay. Literally from first thing in the morning…and often until midnight…I’d be in a hot Kansas field 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’d be working 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. Right. So…

“Let us not grow weary” had a special meaning for me during the summer.

I remember one particularly hot day, in a field of about 1200 bales of alfalfa, saying a prayer under my breath. “Lord, help me not to tire out in front of these country boys.” You see, 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. In case you’re not familiar with bales of alfalfa hay…they’re extremely scruffy. They’ll wear out the fronts of 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…working for a beer-guzzling wild man who often forgot to bring the water tanks.

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. 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 not had enough faith to even pray for strength. 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 for you to remember to lean on the Lord for your strength. Not yourself. And let us not grow weary while doing good. Because the world is full of evil people who’d love to see us give up. Will you be able to keep going on your own? Or will you at least whisper a prayer to God for help?

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 tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Rhymes and Reasons, anger, and good words

Click or tap on these links to the topics I talk about in this week’s podcast…

This podcast episode brings those topics together for those of you who’d rather listen than read. Thanks for tuning in. This week’s episode includes a song you need to hear! You’ll have to subscribe or tune in here on my website to hear it.

Use one or more of the links I’ve provided to share with anyone and everyone you know. Oh yeah, when you get a minute, please leave me a review on iTunes. Here’s the easy link. And don’t forget to get your free music and book if you haven’t already.

Play

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You Ain’t Got Nothin’ Over Me

I don’t know why you have to give me all those funny looks
I ain’t no Redford, but you ain’t no girl from Sunnybrook’s
If looks could kill, I’d need a will, but
You ain’t got nothin’ over me

You miss the point when you say I don’t know anything
You’re just upset ’cause you never got a diamond ring
I told you so, and now you know
You ain’t got nothin’ over me

You like to brag about your little German sports car
I’ll take my Mustang, and I don’t care what the odds are
Go on adjust, and eat my dust
You ain’t got nothin’ over me…

Your sense of humor doesn’t make a bit of sense to me
And your rebuttals; well they’ll only get you sympathy
You don’t play fair, but I don’t care
You ain’t got nothin’ over me!

You’ve got a problem with your social and emotional
You think you read me, but your literate ain’t functional
And you’re no sage so act your age
You ain’t got nothin’ over me!

Chorus…

I look around and you’re there
You like to get in my hair
You’ve got me bent out of shape
How did they let you escape?

instrumental

repeat 1st 2 verses…chorus twice and end

© 1989 Tony Funderburk

Stay tuned,

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Your support is worth more than you know. So…

Tell everybody you know to subscribe to Tony’s Daily Devotional
(emails with good stuff for Fa-Ree)

Get my Rhyme & Reason Podcast delivered right to your device. (also Fa-Ree)

My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books

Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt

Or how about some music for believers, dreamers, and thinkers

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Wholesome words lead to wonderful ideas

I’m a fan of puns. In fact, I’ve been called Tony Punderburk by a fellow punster, and I suppose the shoe sometimes fits. I recall, one time back in my full-time musician days, as we were setting up to play for an evening crowd in Denver I made a pun about something. Can’t even remember what it was. But a guy who was helping set up the gear said, “Ooh, a pun! Those are the lowest form of humor.” I immediately replied, “I guess if you leave out dirty words and vulgar jokes about women, different races or ethnic groups, body parts, and bathroom humor…maybe you have a point.” He didn’t have a comeback. And I wondered how using puns or any other humor with wholesome words and ideas could ever be considered “low”.

Just exactly what are wholesome words?

The dictionary describes wholesome like this: conducive to or suggestive of good health and physical well-being: the food is plentiful and very wholesome. OR conducive to or promoting moral well-being: good wholesome fun. So, what’s wrong with wanting wholesome words instead of profanity and vulgarity? The short answer is “Nothing”. Think about it. There are grocery store chains based on wholesome foods. And most everybody would agree it’s better to have wholesome good health and physical well-being. But paths diverge when it comes to moral well-being. Weird.

Why do you suppose most people don’t mind being told what foods are good but hate being told what words and ideas are good? It’s difficult to even get a consensus on what “good” is anymore. These days, it’s whatever is right in your own mind. Trouble with that is…a lot of people have a lot of dastardly things in their own minds.

You can’t go wrong with wholesome words.

If you’re currently of the mindset that nobody can tell you what to say or think, consider trying something different today. Look up a word (or two or three) that you don’t know the meaning to…and discover what it means and where it originated. Then, see what kind of ideas pop into your head. I promise ideas WILL pop into your head. And when something less wholesome pops in there, focus more on your new ideas. Guess what will happen when you do this on a regular basis. You’ll become an idea person. And you’ll be able to rise above the dirty jokes and curse words. You’ll find you no longer need them to feel strong. Your ideas will strengthen you.

Try it today and share your first ideas with me. What have you got to lose…besides bad taste?

Here are some words I shared, a few years back, to get kids interested in writing…

Open Your Head

Open your head.
Pour words right in.
Then shake your head
And let ’em spin.
They’ll bubble up
Like polka dots
Into some bright
And bouncing thoughts.
Just let them float,
And let them grow.
When they’re just right,
You’ll let them go
Live on a page
Where they’ll be read
And poured into
Another head.

© 2013 Tony Funderburk

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Your support is worth more than you know. So…

Tell everybody you know to subscribe to Tony’s Daily Devotional
(emails with good stuff for Fa-Ree)

Get my Rhyme & Reason Podcast delivered right to your device. (also Fa-Ree)

My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books

Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt

Or how about some music for believers, dreamers, and thinkers

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Hey man. Got a short attention span?

Thousands of brand and marketing messages a day. Does it seem like you’re always seeing somebody advertise something to you? You’re not just seeing things. It’s really happening. If you’re like pretty much everybody else, you have a short attention span because of it. So you can bet if you do, so do your customers, clients, fans and patients.

A Short attention span means you gotta have a plan.

When I was a kid, there were basically three channels on TV. And the whole family would gather around it in the evening and watch the same shows. Weird, right? I like to joke about how, back then, one of us kids were the remote control for our parents. When Dad wanted the channel changed, he’d just say, “Tony, put it on 13.”I’d get up and go click the dial over to thirteen, and he never had to leave his seat.

Another thing about watching TV back then”commercials were either 30 or 60 seconds long. Sometimes for special programs sponsored by companies like Kraft you might see a two minute long commercial. The point is, when the commercials came on, we all knew just about how much time we had to run to the kitchen for a snack. Or whether there was enough time for a bathroom break.

A short attention span means you gotta change your plan.

Since you already know how hard it is to keep someone’s attention, it’s a good idea to advertise in smaller, more memorable chunks. That’s where audio branding shines.

Because music can get stuck in your head, it’s more memorable than flashing tons of images at people. I know most TV and internet commercials, these days, love that approach”lots of images”but it doesn’t engage everyone. In fact, a huge segment of viewers probably hates it.

But who doesn’t enjoy music?

That’s all I’ll say about it today because I know your short attention span won’t let me go much further. And if you have any questions, comments, or disagreements, be sure to let me know. And, oh yeah”

When you’re ready to work on your project, email me about it. Or better yet, book a free 30 minute consultation. Even if we don’t end up working together, I’ll see what I can do to get you going on your own.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Discover my ebooks on Amazon.com or Smashwords
Get my Podcast on iTunes – OR Google Play OR Player.fm
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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Rhymes and Reasons and consequences

The Power of God's Love Podcast - Episode 174 - the Consequences of Love

Click or tap on these links to the topics I talk about in this week’s podcast…

This podcast episode brings those topics together for those of you who’d rather listen than read. Thanks for tuning in. This week’s episode includes a song you need to hear! You’ll have to subscribe or tune in here on my website to hear it.

Use one or more of the links I’ve provided to share with anyone and everyone you know. Oh yeah, when you get a minute, please leave me a review on iTunes. Here’s the easy link. And don’t forget to get your free music and book if you haven’t already. Look over there in the sidebar .

Play

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Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

Join my Rhyme and Reason Club
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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

The sum total of all life on earth is zero…

…without the one true, living, loving God. Creator of Heaven and Earth and many things yet to come. I know I played fast and loose with that opening statement. But it was for a reason. If there is no God, then the sum total of all life on Earth is basically meaningless. It will come to no good end. And even if it did, how would anyone know it was a “good” end? What difference would one person’s opinion be from another? Who would determine good versus bad?

The Sum total of all life on Earth is zero, if...

Here’s something I wrote over six and a half years ago, and it’s still true…in fact, it will remain true:

“But we are not the sum total of our dollars, beauty, or “stuff”. We’re not the sum total of our monikers we wear through this life. We’re not the sum total of the varied opinions about us. Those don’t make us, and they shouldn’t break us. Here’s what I recommend…

  • Work to produce…not for the money.
  • Play to relax…not to escape.
  • Laugh to enjoy…not to cover up.
  • Love to give…not to acquire.
  • And live to be thankful…not to compare.

You are the sum total of where you position yourself for eternity.”

And since the sum total of all life on Earth still doesn’t amount to much without love…

…we’ve still got a lot of work to do. What’s something you could do to share love with somebody else today?

If you dare to care, then share love.
Day and night it’s right to share love.
You were given a heart that could love from the start.
So right now, somehow, go share love.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

Join my Rhyme and Reason Club
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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

How to deal with anger management issues

Have you noticed how almost everywhere you look or go so many people seem to be mad about something? My wife and I have talked about it recently. We were walking in a nice shopping area, enjoying a day off together, and the weather was warm and sunny with a hint of coolness in the air. Sounds great…right? Well, would you believe at almost every turn of the sidewalk we had to sidestep people to keep them from crashing into us? I jokingly commented, “Seems like everybody is dealing with anger management issues, today.” And we both decided to shrug it off and enjoy the day.

Are you dealing with anger management issues?

But I wondered what was making everybody so mad on such a beautiful day. Of course, I believe I have an answer, and that’s why I’m sharing this with you today. Now, I might not be right. But it’s the only thing that makes sense when you consider the scope of the problem. If those anger management issues had only materialized on that one, isolated day, then I might consider it odd and shake it off. But I see lots of angry people all around me every single day.

People seem to be walking around with chips on their shoulders. Or grudges in their hearts. But I’ll let you in on a little secret about the root cause.

Selfishness is at the heart of almost all anger management issues.

It’s difficult to manage your anger, when all you care about is how wrong the world is treating you. And you can certainly justify your own anger, when obviously no one understands or cares about your personal pain. But it’s almost impossible to reconcile 99% of anger issues with what God says about anger. 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.” In other words, don’t go to bed mad.

When you focus on your own problems, your own challenges, your own life, it’s easy to form a tunnel vision where the tunnel always leads to YOU. And you’re not only causing problems for everyone around you, you’re doing yourself harm. Physical, mental, and emotional harm. You might not realize the full negative power of your anger management issues while you’re young and strong. But they’ll show up eventually if not right away.

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 there’s a lot of cancer in the world at the same time there are more angry people than ever. So, what do you think? Are my wife and I just imagining things? Was it just a bad day…and maybe we were hyper sensitive to it that day? Or are there lots of angry people walking around? Are you one of them? If so, wanna know how to deal with it once and for all?

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.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Rhymes and Reasons about…

The Power of God's Love Podcast - Episode 173

Click or tap on these links to the topics I talk about in this week’s podcast…

This podcast episode brings those topics together for those of you who’d rather listen than read. Thanks for tuning in. This week’s episode includes a song you need to hear! You’ll have to subscribe or tune in here on my website to hear it.

Use one or more of the links I’ve provided to share with anyone and everyone you know. Oh yeah, when you get a minute, please leave me a review on iTunes. Here’s the easy link. And don’t forget to get your free music and book if you haven’t already. Look over there in the sidebar .

Play

Get The The Power of God's Love Podcast Delivered to Your Device Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

Join my Rhyme and Reason Club
Discover my ebooks on Amazon.com or Smashwords
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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Grace is enough of a gift to last forever

Do you ever think about the bad things you’ve done in life? How you’ve hurt others and hurt yourself? When you think of those times, does a feeling of condemnation come over you? It has certainly happened to me plenty of times. Thankfully, as a Christian, you can discover that God’s grace is enough to cover anything you’ve done or ever will do.

Grace is enough if it's God's grace

Grace is something God doesn’t have to give you. It wasn’t written in stone before the foundation of the world, or on some heavenly surface where even God couldn’t change it. And that’s part of what makes it so wonderful. He didn’t have to make it available, and yet He did. In fact, He sacrificed more than you or I will ever be able to imagine in order to make grace available to anyone who wants it.

Because He’s eternal God’s grace is enough for the whole world.

Through the course of about 4000 years God watched His human creation mess up the world…over and over again. He tried many ways to patch things up and show us how much we need Him. But we tend to wanna be our own kings and queens. So, we make up our own laws…or we start requiring one another to keep laws, when Jesus paid the ultimate price to free us from that. Such sad irony.

I remember being a young boy and wishing my own dad would give me grace for some things I did. And when he didn’t, I knew there was gonna be a high price to pay. And my own fanny would pay it. My dad was human. He made mistakes, like we all do. But there were times I deserved punishment and certainly got it. However, there were other times when dad would have done well to follow the word of God and show me grace and mercy. Especially if he used those times as a springboard of opportunity to share God’s word with me. But dad was human. And even if he had shown be grace, it wouldn’t have been enough to last forever.

That’s why the Grace found in the Christian life is so awesome.

God’s grace is enough to cover all the bad stuff you’ve ever done, are doing now, or will ever do. But there IS a catch. It’s not an automatic thing. His grace is available…but you gotta ask. It’s free, too. But you gotta ask. It will carry you through eternity and give you the forever life you can’t even imagine. But you gotta ask. Have you asked for grace and forgiveness? Do you wonder where you’ll spend eternity? Are you even sure there IS an eternity? Just in case there is (and there is) do yourself a favor. Ask God to keep you alive forever. His Grace is enough to make it happen for you.

Gimme grace to last my lifetime…
Yes, the life that is with You.
I’m so thankful that you love me
And for what Your Grace can do.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

P.S.  Share the rhymes and reasons with your friends and family. And let’s stay connected. Like this…

Join my Rhyme and Reason Club
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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

What hope of glory do you have?

When I was 20, I was spending a year in a Kansas college focusing on English composition and journalism. But I’ll let you in on a little secret if you promise not to tell anyone else. Promise? Good. During that year, and a few years after, I had a sort of hope of glory that I figured would come with being some kind of rockstar. I know…shocker! What kind of young guy ever thinks of such things…right?

Where is your Hope of glory?

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

Leaving college was the first good decision I made. Even way back then they were lacing all the studies with anti God ideology. And my Christian background made me stubborn enough to resist the subtle indoctrination. But that’s not what I want to share with you today.

It wasn’t until a few years later, and a lot of job descriptions, that I began to pursue a career in music. That is…after it kinda pursued me first. My brother and I would sing songs around the pool in an apartment complex where we lived, and we built quite a loyal following. Next thing we knew (and I’m giving you the condensed version of the story) we were auditioning at lots of local live music spots in Houston, Texas. We’d work as carpenters during the day and sing 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 every weeknight, and we’d get to see who the late night bands were on the weekends. Before long other local spots would send managers and reps to see us. No more auditions. And we started getting the juicier gigs. We had “made it” in the local scene. Traveling the country was next.

Fortunately I grew out of my so-called hope of glory.

Through several acts, band names, and solo stints I continued to write songs and sometimes contacted record companies letting them know I was available. 😎

One day, after years in the music business, I decided I no longer liked most of the typical venues I’d played so long. And I no longer wanted the so-called “glory” of a secular musical career. Something else became 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 new hope of glory began to guide my words and music.

The power of words and music still burns as bright as ever in my heart. 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 not only have I perpetuated a lie…but I’ve also wasted hours, days, weeks, and years writing and singing about that lie.

But guess what? It’s not a lie. The mountains and mountains of evidence boldly point to there being a Creator who created all this earthly and heavenly creation. And He is my hope of glory. Do you have that hope? Do you want it?

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

Stay tuned,

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The consequences of love can be heartbreaking

Between my teen years of 13 and 17 I began to truly appreciate the beauty and allure of…girls. I was one of those rare boys who never had an aversion to girls. In fact, I was always attracted to them. But during those teen years I noticed girls were also changing. It wasn’t just me. However, I had a distinct disadvantage in the boyfriend/girlfriend department. My parents had divorced when I was four, and they moved two states apart. So, each year I spent school months in Texas and summer months in Kansas. That meant, when it came to having a girlfriend in either place, no matter what I’d be giving her up in short order. And falling in love was out of the question. But like any teenager, I still would. And it seemed to me the consequences of love were heartbreak and fading memories.

After graduating high school, I was able to stay in one place for more than a year. That happened to be Kansas. And I developed my first true love with a girl, and it didn’t have to end after three months. If you remember your first true love, you probably recall how important it is to spend every possible moment with that person. Right? Gotta get to know each other. Every detail, nuance, and story.

Distance does not make all hearts grow fonder.

My first true love lasted about four and a half years. Even though I had calculated it would be the rest of my life, the relationship did not endure a separation when I moved to Texas to be there for my dad who was suffering from terminal kidney failure. And after “getting over” the lost love, I discovered I could actually love again. Another multiple year relationship developed, blossomed, became tumultuous, and ended. That’s when I decided the consequences of love were too much strain on me. So, I decided to “play the field”. You know…check out all the other “fish in the ocean”.

That worked out great! Not!

In spite of my Christian background, I decided no other girl was gonna break my heart…and get away with it. And since I was a professional musician by then, I’d use my platform (which was an actual platform…a stage) to impress and woo the opposite sex. For once, I’d be the heartbreaker…if there were gonna be any hearts broken. No woman was gonna ever get the best of me again.

And still I dealt with consequences.

Guilt. Shame. Conscience. A still, small voice would confront me each time I did what I shouldn’t do. Of course, I continued to ignore that voice for a few years, but it was there each time nevertheless. 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 what true love does. It confronts you when you need confronting. True love can instruct you, deconstruct you, make you fly, or shoot you down, or even shine a light in the darkest parts of your heart. That kind of true love is based on God’s enduring love. I discovered His love is bigger than problems. It’s more important than your “feelings”. His love has endured every stupid mistake we human beings can muster. And we muster a multitude of them every day. That’s amazing.

The consequences of love from God are 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 other human being will ever be able to give you. All you gotta do is ask Him for it, and you’ll get it. It will last forever. And it’s more real than any heartbreak or loss you’re experiencing right now. 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 does not evolve. Love is given. Are you receiving it?

I’ll be sharing a song about consequences in the next episode of the The Power of God’s Love Podcast.

Stay tuned,

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Rhymes and Reasons about…

The Power of God's Love Podcast 172

Click or tap on these links to the topics I talk about in this week’s podcast…

This podcast episode brings those topics together for those of you who’d rather listen than read. Thanks for tuning in. This week’s episode includes a song you need to hear! You’ll have to subscribe or tune in here on my website to hear it.

Use one or more of the links I’ve provided to share with anyone and everyone you know. Oh yeah, when you get a minute, please leave me a review on iTunes. Here’s the easy link. And don’t forget to get your free music and book if you haven’t already. Look over there in the sidebar .

Play

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Why is it so difficult to admit
all things were created by a Creator?

It’s simple really. When you look at a building, you know automatically that someone built it. Or when you spot a painting on a canvas, immediately you know someone painted it. And when you’re driving somewhere, you have no question in your mind of how cars got here. You simply know someone built it. So, why is it so difficult for so many people to look at the complexity and variety of life on our planet and admit all things were created by a Creator?

All things were created by a Creator

Have you ever thought about or read about the complex design in your eyes?

They’re far more complex than any building, painting, or car you’ll ever see. And yet, so many people blindly believe (pun intended) they just happened by chance…like everything else in the world. Here’s an example of what I mean. Each of your eyes has a muscle, known as the Superior Oblique muscle, attached to the top of the eye AND threaded through a tiny sling. That tiny sling is known as the Trochlea. But why does the muscle go through that sling instead of just attaching directly to the forward part of your eye? Well, it solves space requirements and improves things like angle of torque. And those are design considerations. Evolution or natural selection would require at least a little bit of the design to already be working in order to “evolve” further. That makes no sense.

All things were created by Jesus.

Uh-oh. I just said something offensive, didn’t I? It’s probably a silly, outdated, and dogmatic notion to believe the whole world was created by a “science fiction” character named Jesus. Right?

No, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it’s a silly, outdated, and dogmatic notion to believe all the complexity in the universe evolved from nothing. You can’t get everything from nothing. No matter how much you might want it to be true, it just isn’t possible. Even if you believe all you can know is what your five senses tell you, none of your five senses will detect something from nothing. Logic and reason (which are not part of your five senses, by the way) will lead you to conclude design implies a designer. That designer is Jesus.

Like I started out saying…it’s simple really. Unless you don’t want to answer to your Creator. That’s not you, is it?

You wanna live the way you wanna live…you wanna be your own king.
You think you’re wise enough to rule your world and handle everything.

(excerpt from “You Just Don’t Get It” which will be featured in an upcoming episode of the Rhyme and Reason Podcast)

Stay tuned,

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The so-called evolutionary tree of life has no trunk

How do you grow a tree without a trunk? The short answer is, “you don’t”. Without a trunk, a tree has no roots. And without roots, there can be no tree. “But Tony,” you say, “What does an actual tree have to do with the evolutionary tree of life?” Thanks for asking. It’s important to use the analogy evolutionists have used in order to illustrate and debunk their lame and feeble theory.

The evolutionary tree of life has no trunk.

Earlier today, a little by accident, I happened upon an audio/video of George Carlin talking about my Christian faith and calling it “science fiction”. Unfortunately, George probably now knows all too well, how untrue and unfounded that claim is. He’s no longer living here on planet Earth. And after listening to some of his vitriol babblings about religion and God, I’m inclined to believe he will exist in a terrible place forever with his own words echoing in his head. It brings me no pleasure to say that. It simply appears to be true.

The irony in calling Christianity science fiction is how many of the fathers of science were deep-rooted Christians who gave credit for their discoveries to their Creator. Passages in the Bible describe Earth’s formation in details that correlate with what we actually can see. Evolution makes things up as it goes…and evidence doesn’t back it up. For example…

Evolution talks about the Cambrian Explosion.

What is considered to be the base of the evolutionary tree of life is described as an explosion of life forms. A brilliant scientist and former evolutionist, Dr. Walt Brown, shares some valuable insight on that. He says, “Almost all of today’s plant and animal phyla…including flowering plants, vascular plants, and vertebrates…appear at the base of the fossil record.” And he goes on to say how even more complex phyla, like fish, coral, and sponges appear at the bottom of the fossil record with no evidence of gradual development.

Simply put…the fossil record does not support evolution. In other words, like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the evolutionary tree of life has no trunk. What rhymes with trunk? Debunk.

When de tree ain’t got no trunk,
Time to think ’bout what you thunk,
‘Cause dat theory got nowhere else to go.
No explosion made us all
Or dis big, blue earthly ball.
God designed us just in case you wanna know.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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Ever notice how brightly light shines in the darkness?

Even a tiny match light shines in the darkness. You can see it from hundreds of yards away. In times of war, or during acts of espionage, people have lost their lives because of one tiny light. And many lives have been saved by one small light shining in the darkness. Light is extremely important. And one Light is more important than all the others…the one containing the life of all mankind.

Light shines in the darkness

Imagine, for a moment, that you’re light. And everyone else is darkness. Nobody likes it when you enter the room, and they run for cover as fast as they can. They can’t wait for you to leave so they can get back to what they were doing in the comfort of their so-called “privacy”. You’re just not welcome in their world because you uncover and illuminate everything. Nothing and no one can hide. It doesn’t matter that you’re trying to make it easy for them to see. All they know is you’re the reason they can’t secretly do anything they want.

Light shines in the darkness and darkness disappears.

The Light of Life is Jesus. He’s the one I just described. He came into this dark world as a light to shine the way to eternal life. And the religious leaders of the day, as well as the secular rulers, were deeply offended by His teachings and claims. Their beliefs and traditions were darkness compared to His light, and they hated Him for exposing their hypocrisy to the people. That’s what Truth and Light do…expose lies and make darkness disappear.

When you choose to trust and follow Jesus, you’re supposed to become an extension of His light. And, in fact, you’re called to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world“. Salt causes thirst. Are you the kind of salt that makes people thirst for Truth? Light is necessary for life. Are you the kind of light that shines the way to eternal life? When you share your salt and light, you will offend a lot of people. But you might also help save some. And the few who are saved are more than worth the many who run for cover when your light shines in the darkness.

Be the light shining bright in a dark, dark world.
And be salt that brings on a biting thirst.
When you shine, really shine, darkness disappears.
You can do what your Creator did first.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Rhymes and Reasons about…

The Power of God's Love Podcast Episode 171 - Designer babies, freedom, and music

Click or tap on these links to the topics I talk about in this week’s podcast…

This podcast episode brings those topics together for those of you who’d rather listen than read. Thanks for tuning in. This week’s episode includes a song you need to hear! You’ll have to subscribe or tune in here on my website to hear it.

Use one or more of the links I’ve provided to share with anyone and everyone you know. Oh yeah, when you get a minute, please leave me a review on iTunes. Here’s the easy link. And don’t forget to get your free music and book if you haven’t already. Look over there in the sidebar .

Play

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Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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If you care about it,
freedom is a constant struggle to maintain

You might not know it, if you don’t pay attention to such things, but not everyone in the world enjoys the freedom we still have here in America. Even our freedoms are being voted away almost daily. That’s why I say freedom is a constant struggle to maintain. How do you do it, when so many are so willing to simply give it away?

Freedom is a constant struggle to maintain

“I’ve worked a lot of different jobs in my time here on planet Earth. Like driving trucks, forklifts, tractors, motorcycles, all kinds of “cycles” and vehicles. And…I’ve been a finish carpenter, a family photographer, a bartender, a construction detailer, a junk mail machine operator, an awards jewelry maker (don’t ask), a milkman, a college student, a hamburger flipper at McDonald’s, a copywriter, a jingle writer, a voiceover specialist, a grocery store sacker and stocker, a “utility” guy at Sears (I gathered trash and bound it up in those giant bundles…after school and on Saturdays), a hay hauler, a sodbuster, a paper boy, a mortgage inspector, a furniture refinisher, and the list goes on for a while.”

Freedom is a constant struggle for anyone who does any of those jobs.

Why is that true? Because too many people believe only the government can take care of everybody. Too many people are willing to give up freedoms in order to be given something they didn’t earn. And in order for the government to be able to give anything to certain people, it must first take from other people. Don’t know if you know it, but government doesn’t make money. It can only spend what it takes from its citizens. For infrastructure and the defense of its people that’s perfectly logical and reasonable. But to simply take money from some and give it to others is…stealing.

And stealing from hard workers is NEVER justifiable.

Sadly, we give more freedoms away with each passing day by passing so-called “laws” that say it’s OK to steal. The government has no more right to play Robin Hood than Robin Hood had. Our freedoms we’ve given away could never have been forced from our hands. But through ignorance, blindness, and just plain willful rebellion against God, Americans vote again and again for politicians who compromise on the commandment not to steal.

I don’t want this to happen. But I know I’m in the minority who believes individuals should be left alone to rise or fall on their own merit and efforts. Think of it this way…which country or empire do you know about where freedoms were erased that stayed powerful and effective? Which country or empire ever taxed itself into prosperity?

Which country or empire is admirable when the populace is full of class envy, racial tension, and violent or even murderous tendencies? None.

At the heart of a successful society is FREEDOM.

Give a person freedom, and wonderful, beautiful things can happen. Take that freedom away, and we’re left with musicians simply playing what they can remember while the ship is sinking and the people are panicking.

Let’s not let that happen to us. Be sure to listen to the The Power of God’s Love Podcast where I’ll be sharing my song “Freedom” in an upcoming episode.

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!

Stay tuned,

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Designer babies are all around you

In fact, you’re one of those designer babies, and you might not even know it. There’s a lot of talk about how scientists and doctors might soon manipulate genes to get specific traits in babies on purpose. Essentially that makes humans genetically modified organisms…GMO. If you and your spouse decide you want a brown-haired, green-eyed baby boy who’s not predisposed to male pattern baldness, well…you simply place your order. Then, the doctors get to work on the necessary genes from the mom and dad and bingo! But what they (and maybe you) fail to realize is how each one of us is a designer baby already.

Designer babies - they're all around you

God designed us.

Before you go off on a tangent of how He sure makes a lot of mistakes (birth defects, organ failures, Hitler) it’s important to understand how God designed the process…not each and every individual baby. He’s the Creator who gave us the ability to procreate. Simply put…we get to extend the creation process. No doctors or scientists can actually create another human being from nothing. But when the sperm from a man fertilizes the egg of a woman (designed process), human life is extended into another human being. Simple. So simple, in fact, that it confounds the most brilliant minds as to how life began.

Scientists, who most likely don’t want there to be a Creator God, insist we must have a common ancestor. But that doesn’t explain how, for example, three little bones in the ears of mammals came to be. Claiming they’re evidence of a common ancestor requires belief in evolutionary miracles. Evolutionists say the stapes, incus, and malleus (those three little bones) evolved from bones in a reptile’s jaw. And do you have any idea how long a process of random mutation would take to evolve bones from one species into the complex arrangement of other bones in another species?

Millions of years

How long do you suppose any so-called transitional species survive with bad (evolving) ears? If you allow logic and reason to enter your heart, your gut will tell you…it wouldn’t survive. And yet evolutionists would have you believe it happened at least twice. That requires way more faith than believing a common designer created the different species.

Just like you can look at Van Gogh paintings and see similarity in design…or listen to songs by Sting and hear his style flowing through…you can look at the wide variety of species on earth and detect the Designer’s hand.

Yes, Designer babies are all around you. But you need to be able to use the logic and reason God gave you, instead of touchy feely emotions, to open your eyes to the intelligent design of all creation. If you can’t do that, I’m willing to bet it’s because you don’t want there to be a living, loving God who made us all and who will judge us all. Am I right?

Intelligent design and DNA…
Scholars can’t explain it all away.
Get ready to be awed
By the handiwork of God.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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