Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Sometimes, in this world, bad people do bad things and get away with it. Sometimes they even do horrible things and never get caught. But that’s only in this world. They won’t get away with it forever. Wanna know why it’s never a good idea to do bad things to others? Well, keep reading.

You may already know that none of us, here on Earth, live forever. But did you know everybody will live or exist forever, somewhere? It’s true. And the way you’ll know if you live forever with God, or exist forever without Him, is to get to know Him.

There’s a place in the Bible where it says anybody who lives a life of doing bad things to people will be in trouble with God. And God doesn’t care how much money you have, what kind of house you live in, or even if you have the coolest smartphone. None of those things matter to Him.

What matters to God is that you love Him. And that you love others. Know why?

Because you’re made in His image.

So is everybody else. That means you’re more like Him than any of the animals, fish, or birds in the world. You can talk to God, and He’ll hear you. You can choose to love Him. Animals, fish, and birds can’t. You’re special to God. So special He sent His Son to Earth to become a man and make a way for you to live with Him forever.

That should make you want to stand up and sing, or dance, or laugh with joy. It should keep you from wanting to do bad things to people. All you gotta do is get to know God. And that’s not so hard. Just start reading about Him in the book He wrote”the Bible. It’s full of wonderful things to help you live better now and live forever.

What do you say? Will you start today? I hope so because changing your mind and your heart is gonna change where you’ll be forever. Don’t think just because some people do bad things and get away with it that you can, too. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember”

Bad people do bad things
And never seem to care.
They think they won’t be caught
As they do what they dare.
But they will have to stand
In front of God’s white throne.
That’s when they’ll find out how
They’ll always be alone.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Do you ever pray for open doors? I don’t mean the front door of your house. Or the door to the car. I’m talking about the kinds of doors you can’t really see. Would you like to know what happens when those kinds of doors are open? Good. Keep reading.

When you pray for open doors, it means you hope God will give you chances to talk to others about Him. That kind of open door is somebody’s heart. You’re hoping they’ll be willing to listen to you tell them about God’s love. In another one of my notes to you I showed you how wisdom helps you not be afraid of the bad guys. Well, it also helps you talk to others about God.

When somebody is willing to listen, that’s called an “open door.”

And when you find an open door, you need to be ready to say things they need to hear. And answer questions they may have. There’s a place in the Bible where it says when you pray for open doors, you can trust God to help you “know what you ought to say to each one.”

That’s pretty cool. God will help you say what you need to say.

Will you start today? Will you read a little bit in the Bible? I promise, if you do, you’ll be smarter than you were yesterday. Here’s a rhyme to help you remember:

When you pray for open doors
And open minds and open hearts,
Then go open up God’s word,
That’s where helping people starts.

Before you go, jump on the The TRUTH. And join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I hope you never become a very selfish person. Everybody is selfish once in a while, but some people stay that way all the time. They only want things for themselves. And they don’t care who they hurt to get those things. I’d like to show you 3 bad things selfish people do because I hope you don’t ever wanna be like that. OK? Good, keep reading”

Selfish people lie.

They have to lie to make themselves look and feel better than everybody around them. And they spread lies about other people to try and make those other people look bad to their friends. Then they get so used to lying they can hardly do anything but lie. It’s a terrible thing. Don’t be a liar.

Selfish people steal.

Since they only think of themselves, they take what others work hard to get. The Bible says they fill their houses with other people’s things. And they don’t care how much it hurts those other people. What matters most to them is getting and having more than everybody else. Don’t be a thief.

Selfish people kill.

Of course, this is the worst thing. You might wonder how a person could kill another person because you can’t imagine doing that. Right? They can do it because they don’t care about anybody but themselves. I’m sure you’ve heard about killers going into schools and shooting people. Well, those people are blind. I don’t mean their eyes can’t see. I mean their hearts can’t see”they can’t see anything but their own need for attention. And they don’t care who they destroy to get it. Don’t be a killer.

Selfish people don’t understand where their selfish ways will take them. Selfishness leads to being alone”forever. And when I say alone, I mean never seeing anybody ever again. Never ever having another chance to make things right. And never knowing love”ever.

Don’t be selfish.

And here’s a rhyme to help you remember:

The bad things selfish people do
Can take their lives away.
Yes, when you least expect it to,
Your life could end one day,
And when it does where will you go?
Or do you even care?
I hope you’d want to be with God.
I’d love to see you there.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Having a family is a gift from God. He invented the family. And He wants everybody in a family to do certain things to make the family better. Would you like to know what your part is? Good, keep reading”

God wants the dad of the family to be good and love each one in the family. There’s a place in the Bible where it says dads should love their wives and children“and be good to them.

God wants moms to love their husbands and respect them.

And moms should love their children and be good to them, too.

God wants children to obey their parents. He says obey them in all things. That means even when you don’t understand why they tell you no, you need to obey. Parents are not supposed to just yell and torment kids. Kids can get discouraged so easily. Instead, parents should encourage kids to do good things.

If everyone in the family remembers how much God loves them, they can share that love. And sharing love pleases God. So, you see how having a family teaches you about love? I hope so. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember”

Encourage one another
In the big and little things.
Your sister and your brother,
Mom, and Dad are blessings.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

There seem to be a lot of rules in this world. In school. On the road. Rules at work. Big ones. Medium ones. Even tiny, little almost insignificant ones. How is anybody supposed to keep up with them all? Would you like to know how to keep all the rules? Keep reading, and I’ll tell you.

The first thing you always need to remember when it comes to rules is that you can’t keep them all. But don’t feel bad. Neither can anyone else. Oh wait! One person did do it.

Do you know who knew how to keep all the rules?

Jesus.

When God sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth, He became a man and lived about 33 years here on Earth. The reason He did that was to complete and finish what God put in place. Since He was able to do that you only need to keep 2 rules now. Do you know what they are? The first is to love God. And when you know that Jesus is God, that should be easy to do. The second is to love others. And love them like you love yourself.

You can do that. Right?

Loving others like you love yourself means you don’t try to make them follow a bunch of rules. Instead, you show them you care about what happens to them. Loving others also means you tell them the truth about God. Some people won’t like it, and they’ll tell you to go away. But others will be so glad you shared.

Whatever you eat or drink, whatever you wear, whatever you do in life, be sure and thank God for the good things and for sending Jesus. Remember, He showed us what it takes to have eternal life. Then He let us all know we could have it, too, as a free gift from Him. That’s better than any old set of rules any day. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember”

All the rules don’t make you better.
In fact, they can wear you out.
Share God’s love with everybody.
Now, that’s what it’s all about.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

You need to be sure and listen to your mom and dad. They’ll be able to help you through a lot of hard things in life. You know why they can help? Because they went through a lot of the same things. And they listened to their moms and dads…your grandparents. And your grandparents listened to their moms and dads. But do you wanna know where they all got their best help? Keep reading…

Your best place to find help is the Bible. It’s God’s word. In fact, when you read it out loud, you can hear Him talking to you. The Bible is filled with stories of people who went through hard things in life…just like you. Many times they didn’t understand why bad things were happening. And the people who got through the best were the ones who trusted God and His brain power.

There’s a place in the Bible where it says listening to your parents is like wearing a beautiful crown and necklace. You know what that means, don’t you? It means you’d be walking around feeling like a king or queen. But why is that? Because when you listen to your mom and dad instead of some dorky, little voice in your head, you can skip some of the bad things in life.

I know it’s not always easy to listen to your mom and dad.

And I want you to know I didn’t always do that either. But the more you do, the better your life will work. Remember, they’ve lived in the world a lot longer than you. And they’ve seen a lot more things than you. And most importantly…they love you, and they don’t want to see you hurt. So, sometimes when they tell you to do something or not do something, it’s just to save you from being hurt. That makes sense…doesn’t it?

Here’s the most important reason of all to listen to your mom and dad…because God says so. And even if you don’t think you can always trust even your parents…you can always trust God. He never tells you to do something or not do something just to be mean. It’s always because He loves you and wants you to have the best life possible. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Listen to your mom and dad,
It’s something good to do.
And listen to the words of God.
He wrote them just for you.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Where’s the best place to start when you wanna get smart. Do you remember the do-re-mi song? It was sung in a movie called “The Sound of Music”. And it started out with, “let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start”. Wanna know where the very beginning is? Keep reading…

Where do you think you started? If you said inside your mom, you’re right. But how did you get there? It sure wasn’t by accident. God took part of your mom and part of your dad and made you. That means you really started in God’s mind. Wow…is that cool or what?! Once upon a time you were a thought in God’s mind. And He designed us so we could make more of us. It’s hard to even think about, isn’t it. But since we really got started in God’s mind, the first and best place to go, to get smart, is God.

Wanna know how you can get smart when you go to God?

It’s easy. In His word…the Bible. There’s a place in the Bible where it says when you respect God, you truly start to know more. And it says foolish people don’t want to know. You don’t wanna be one of them. Once you trust God and His word, in the Bible, you might find you’d like to know more…and more…and more. That makes you wise.

Would you like to be wise? Would you like to get smart and know a lot more about the world around you? Start with your living, loving Creator. He made you, and He knows what works best for you. When you learn something new about Him, share it with me. Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Get smart from the start.
Get God in your heart.
You’re a work of His art,
And you’re in His heart.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Would you like to know how to not be afraid of the bad guys in this world? There’s a lot of them now. And there may be a lot more of them tomorrow. But there’s one thing that can help you not be afraid. Wanna know what it is? Well, like I always say, keep reading.

There’s a place in the Bible where it says there’s something you can get to make you safe and secure. It’s not hard to find. You just have to want to look for it. Do you want to find it? I hope so because it’ll help you through your life.

I’m talking about “wisdom.” That’s a good word, and it means using your brains to  figure out things like: good and bad or right and wrong. There are a lot of people in the world who would tell you those things are up to you. They’re not. A good person never wants to hurt another person. A bad person doesn’t care about the other person. Something that’s completely right can never be wrong. And something that’s completely wrong can never be right.

Knowing these things can help you not be fooled by the bad guys.

You can outsmart ’em. But it’s only when you get your wisdom from God. The good news about that is, He put His wisdom in a place where you can find it anytime you need it. The Bible.

How about reading some of it today? Or if you’re too young to understand, get your mom or dad or someone to read it to you and help you. You wanna be able to stand up strong against the bad guys, don’t you? Here’s a rhyme to help you remember.

The bad guys in the world don’t want you to know
How to tell them right from wrong and good from bad.
So learn to look for wisdom in the Bible every day,
The more you know the more you’ll make God glad.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I remember the first time I heard someone say, “He thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips.” It cracked me up. For some reason it just sounded funny. Have you heard it? Do you know someone who thinks he or she is all that and a bag of chips? In other words, do you know someone who’s sort of snooty? Wanna know why that’s a bad thing? Keep reading…

There’s a place in the Bible where it says someone who thinks too much of himself is gonna fall down. But a modest person keeps honor. That’s a very good thing, and it means when you don’t think too much of yourself, others might think a lot more of you. It sort of comes back to remembering to treat others like you would want to be treated. If you wouldn’t like someone to act like they think they’re better than you…then you shouldn’t do that to anyone else either.

That’s easy enough, isn’t it?

Sure, I bet you could be nice to others with your eyes closed and one arm tied behind you. Right? But here’s something to remember…if you’re being nice to others all or most of the time, you could still be tempted to think you’re all that and a bag of chips. Yep, you might think you’re better at being nice than anybody else. That’s where you could easily go down the wrong path. And that’s when you might forget to be modest. And that’s when you could trip and fall because then you’re being snooty.

You might be wondering how you can keep from being that way. It’s easy. You need to not think about how good or bad you are and start thinking about how great God is. When you do that, He’ll keep you going the right way. So, what do you think? Can you lean on Him more starting today…and less on your self? The best place to start is the Bible. Why don’t you go grab a bag of chips and read some pages in the best book ever written. When you do, tell me what you learned. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

You’re not all that and a bag of chips
When selfish words fly out of your lips.
The Bible says to forget your pride…
Keep your thoughts of you on the humble side.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Look! Up in the air! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it a big, giant, white eyeball turning red? No…it’s Supermoon. Tomorrow night at a little after 8 p.m. (in Colorado) until almost 9:30 p.m. the moon is going to fly under the shadow of the earth. The cool thing about it is that it will be closer to us than usual, so you’ll be able to see it clearly. Wanna know what’s even cooler than that? Keep reading…

There’s a place in the Bible where it says God put the moon…and the sun…right up there in the sky so we could see ’em. He put them in the sky, along with all the stars, and it only took one day. The 4th day of His creation week. He wanted to make sure we had plenty of light and warmth in the daytime and light to see by at night. And the stars help us to know about seasons and days and years. Pretty cool, huh?

And the Supermoon is a cool reminder of His power.

Imagine being able to put a big ball of fire, like the sun, in the sky and make it just hang there. No strings. No wires. Not anything to hold it up. God can do that. In fact, He did that with all the stars and suns and moons. And even with our good ol’ planet Earth. And did you know this? The sun is about 400 times further away from us than the moon. And the sun is about 400 times bigger than the moon. And that’s how we get to see solar eclipses. That’s where the moon blocks out the light from the sun for a little while.

But that’s not what you’ll see tomorrow night. That will be a lunar eclipse. And that happens when the Earth comes between the moon and the sun and we can see our own shadow on the moon. Fun stuff.

Will you go outside and watch the Supermoon tomorrow night? If so, take a picture and send it to me. I’ll see if I can take some too. If so, I’ll put ’em up right here on the website. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Go watch our shadow on the moon,
And let it fill your eyes.
And please remember, as you do,
That God made all the skies.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

We have a couple of funny dogs at our house. But I don’t know if they’re as funny as these dogs. See how many you can count.

So…how many funny dogs did you count? Do you have any videos of your own funny dog? Share ’em with me, and I’ll share ’em here.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

How do you keep yourself from being tricked by sneaky ideas and sneaky words? Have you read lots of books? Do you watch cop shows on TV? Maybe video games can help. What do you think? I say none of those things will work like what I’m about to tell you. Wanna know what it is? Keep reading…

There’s a place in the Bible where it says all kinds of people will try to trick you with sneaky ideas. It says they’ll try to cheat and fool you. They’ll try to take away what’s yours…including your life. You see that on TV and in the movies all the time now…don’t you? And you see it on the internet. Can you say “hackers”?

It’s bad enough if someone fools you into giving them money.

It’s even worse if they find a way to take all the money your family has ever saved. But the worst thing someone could take away from you is your forever life. Yep, there are people who are actually trying to do that. Can you believe it? Remember how I told you about having BIG hope? Well, you might not think so, but there are lots of people who don’t want you to have that. Guess why. Because they don’t have it. Pretty selfish huh?

OK, I said I’d tell you how to not be tricked by those sneaky ideas. So here’s the plan…

  • Get a Bible
  • Read the letters Paul wrote, and
  • Do what he said to do

That’s not so hard is it? I admit, it’s not as easy as waving a magic wand like Harry Potter or sprinkling dust like Peter Pan. But if you’ll do those 3 things, you’ll get something a million times better than magic…you’ll get wisdom. Will you start today? Go for it. I know you can do it. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Sneaky ideas are everywhere,
So you best be on guard.
You must protect your heart and mind.
It’s really not that hard.
Put on the armor God provides.
It will protect you well
From liars, cheaters, hackers too,
And off the path to hell.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

It’s good to hope for good things in life. And it’s good to think good thoughts. And it’s good to believe good things will happen. But is it always gonna work out? Are good things gonna happen just because you hope and believe? Maybe…and…maybe not. Wanna know why I say it that way? Keep reading…

You need to know how hope works. Hope gives you something to look forward to…something you’re sure is gonna happen. But hope doesn’t make things happen. Not good things or bad. But it can help YOU make things happen. We all need hope. And I’m not talkin’ about the kind of hope like when you say, “I hope we win the football game this week.” Or “I hope dad takes us out for burgers tonight.”

Nope. That’s small hope. I’m talkin’ about big hope.

Hope for things that seem like they can’t be done…or they might never happen. There’s a place in the Bible that talks about “the hope of glory“. Do you know what glory is? It’s one of those good things in life I was talkin’ about earlier. Not just this life…no, I mean forever life. Living forever is a hope Christians have. It’s a big hope. The biggest. But when you have the hope of glory, it means you trust in the only person who makes sure you get it…

Jesus.

He is the one who makes good things possible. If Jesus had never done what He did, you wouldn’t have any hope. Neither would I. Neither would anyone else on earth. And the hope He gives you means much more than what you’ll have for dinner tonight. Or where you get to go on Saturday. Or what girl or boy likes you. Or any of the other small hopes. The hope Jesus gives you is living with Him in a beautiful place forever and ever and ever. And that’s longer than even your computer can count.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes today to discover more about the hope of glory God has waiting for anyone who loves Him. That’s my small hope. And my big hope is seeing you in Heaven. Will you go for more than your hope for good things in life today? Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

I hope you hope for bigger hope,
The kind where Jesus lives.
Just ask Him for His love and grace.
I promise you…He gives.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Have you ever been called a loser? I hope not. But if you have, I’m sure you remember how much it hurt. Right? People who call you a loser or some other name have already lost something. I bet you didn’t know that, did you? Yep, people like that have lost 2 things you should never lose. Would you like to know what they are? Keep reading…

There are a lot of things in this life you could lose and it wouldn’t make much difference. Your pencil. Your paper. And your bubble gum. But those are just thingy things. You can almost always get more thingy things. But there are other things much more important.

And here are the 2 things you should never lose:

Mercy and truth. Did you already guess? If so, you win a big pat on your back. Go tell someone I said to give you one.

Do you know what mercy is? It’s kinda like telling someone you’re not mad at them for breaking your toy. In fact, instead of getting mad at them, you tell them they can play with another one of your toys. You should try that sometime. You might be surprised to see what a big smile you could put on your friend’s face. Yeah, mercy is a pretty special thing. You should have a lot of it in you. Now…

Do you know what truth is? It’s what you say that can stand any test. And it’s the same for everybody. Let’s say I tell you the sun is bigger and hotter than the moon. Am I telling you the truth? Sure am. And isn’t it true for everybody who lives here on Earth. Sure is. Everybody can see the sun is bigger. And they can feel how much hotter it is. So, if I tell someone those things…I’m telling them the truth. It’s good to know some things are true for everybody.

It makes it easier to understand the world.

There’s something that ties mercy and truth together. Do you know what that is? It’s love.

When you love somebody, it’s much easier to show mercy and say, “You can play with this toy even though you broke that one.” And when you love, you want to know truth…because you might be curious where love comes from. Don’t you think so?

Here’s the biggest reason why it’s important to know these 2 things you should never lose…

…because when you have those things in your heart, you win a place in God’s heart. And winning a place in God’s heart is the best thing you could ever win because that lasts forever. Can you share some mercy and truth today? I’m counting on you. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Mercy and truth are lighted lamps
To help you find your way…
So with God’s help, go share your love
For others every day.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

You’re a weak, little thing. Even if you can do a dozen pull-ups, a hundred push-ups, or even a thousand sit-ups. And even if you can run 25 miles, or bike 100 miles, or swim the English channel…you’re still a weak, little thing. If you compare yourself to other people, you might think you’re pretty strong. But when you compare yourself to Jesus, you’re not all that…or even a bag of chips. Sometimes you’re so weak, you don’t even know what to pray when you talk to God. But luckily your prayers can be 3 times better than you can even imagine. And that’s even when you don’t have a clue what to say.

Wanna know how to pray 3 times better?

There’s a place in the Bible where it says God knows how weak we are. He knows we don’t even know what to pray like we should. But that’s where the power of three comes in. Jesus searches your heart. And He knows you don’t always know how to say what’s in your heart. When you pray to God with your whole heart, Jesus knows it. So, even if you don’t say things very well, His Holy Spirit helps make your prayer sound and work better. Then your prayer is lifted up according to God’s will.

Just think…it’s like having your own interpreter. Your weak words get changed into a strong message. And the Creator of the universe hears you and understands you. And He loves to hear from you. So…don’t ever think you shouldn’t pray to God just because you don’t know what to say. Each day just tell Him you love Him. Even if you can’t think of a new way to say it, tell Him that, too. And because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are there for you, your prayer will be 3 times better than you think.

Will you give it try today? Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Life in God is three times better
Than anything this world might show.
If you’re glad that Jesus loves you,
Then pray today and tell Him so.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Feelings change. It’s a fact of life. I remember hundreds of years ago, when I was a boy, I felt like I was in love with a girl. Later, I felt like I was in love with another girl. It happened several times. And it will probably happen to you several times, too. Feelings change. That’s why you shouldn’t depend on feelings for the important things in life. The most important thing in life is truth. There are some things that are just plain true. And it doesn’t matter how you feel about them. They’re still true. One big truth is that God makes boys and girls. If He makes you a boy, you’re a boy. If He makes you a girl, you’re a girl. And it will always be true. A girl is a girl and a boy is a boy. No matter how you feel about it.

Wanna know why it’s important that a girl is a girl?

If you’re a boy, and you feel like or wish you were a girl, you can make awful things happen in your body. The same is true for girls. It may sound weird, but it’s true. There are people who try to change genders. And they have to take drugs, take shots with needles, and even have operations.

All those things hurt your body because it isn’t built to take that. And it hurts God’s feelings to see it happening. He knows how much they’re hurting themselves.

There’s a place in the Bible where it says you’re made in God’s image. And God doesn’t make mistakes. He never puts any one in the wrong body. He puts you right where you need to be. But if you don’t trust Him or love Him, you might believe just about anything bad somebody says about Him. You might even believe (or feel like) it’s OK to be whatever gender you choose. But it’s not. It hurts you. In fact, it can even take you somewhere you truly do not want to go.

So…how about this?

How about you read more about what God says about you? You’ll find out how great He thinks you are. And if God thinks that about you…who cares what anyone else says? God says you’re one-of-a-kind. You’re special. And He even knows how many hairs on on your head. He wants you to live forever. There’s only one way to do that. Trust in His Son, Jesus.

Jesus made you and He knows what’s best for you. And He made sure you could live with Him forever. And Jesus is the one who says what you’ll be. That’s why you should trust Him…and not your feelings. He loves you, and that will never change. Do you love Him?

Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

There’s a life inside of you, and it comes from God,
And He wants you to live and to always enjoy
And remember He made you the person you are,
Yes, a girl is girl and a boy is a boy.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

If you’re missing a finger, or a hand, or an arm, or a leg, there are many people who say you are disabled. They say you won’t be able to do anything for yourself. They also say people who were born with things like Down Syndrome are never going to be much use. I’m gonna share a video with you that proves those people wrong. In this video, you’ll see my friend, Greg. He was born without some of his fingers and one of his legs. And guess what he did. Well, I’ll let him tell you…

You should never say you are disabled.

After watching that, don’t you feel a lot differently about what it means to be disabled? I know I did when I watched it. When someone says you are disabled, it might mean they just don’t know either. So share this video with them. Share it with everybody you know. It’s an awesome thing to know just how much you can do…when you try. That goes for anybody. And it’s important that we let everybody try to do things for themselves.

Of course, if you are disabled, people should be willing to help.

But that doesn’t mean we should do everything for them because we don’t think they can do anything. If a guy who doesn’t have as many fingers as you can learn to type and be a writer…my goodness…don’t you think almost anything is possible?

There’s a place in the Bible where it says to love your neighbor as yourself. That’s a commandment from Jesus. You wouldn’t want somebody telling you that you couldn’t do something if you could. Would you? So, don’t do that to others. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you’ll help them be the best person they can be. Sometimes that means helping them to learn more. Sometimes that means you’ll let them have their own successes and failures. And all the time it means remembering what Jesus said.

If you’re somebody who’s missing an arm or leg or anything else…remember Greg. And remember you are disabled only if you believe you are. You may have to work harder than someone with all their arms and legs, but you can do it with God’s love.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Have you ever been to a family reunion? I remember some fun ones when I was a kid. We’d eat watermelon, play games, chase fireflies…lots of stuff. When you haven’t seen someone in a long time, it’s nice to get together again. You can talk about how different everybody looks. Or how everybody looks the same. You can hear grownups tell you how they held you when you were only “knee-high to a grasshopper.” If you think that sounds fun”or even funny”just wait till you see the best family reunion of all. You’re going, aren’t you? Not sure? Keep reading.

There’s a place in the Bible that says Jesus made sure we could all go to the best family reunion of all. Guess where that will be. If your guess was Heaven, you’re right! Here’s the best part. It’s all been paid for. It’s the most expensive get-together in the history of the universe. But Jesus already paid for it. So, all you need to do is show up. You ARE going”aren’t you? Still not sure?

OK, I gotta tell you why the best family reunion of all is so expensive.

First, it takes place in Heaven. But you and I can’t even BE in Heaven the way we are. We’re like aliens to Heaven. We couldn’t live there in our alien bodies because they’d be vaporized by the powerful goodness of God. But, don’t worry. He knows it. And it’s why He sent Jesus to pay for the reunion. He knew only Jesus could afford it. And only Jesus could turn us from aliens into family.

Does Jesus perform some sort of magic trick to turn us from aliens into family? No. He did something much harder than magic. He allowed Himself to be made fun of, beaten up, and nailed to a rough, wooden cross. Then He gave His life so you and I could be part of His forever family in Heaven. There’s just one catch.

You have to ask Him to forgive you and take you there. But if you do, He will. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, what color your skin is, how much money you make, or anything else. Jesus loves you. He wants you there at the best family reunion of all. Now”what do you say? You’re going, aren’t you?

All you gotta do is ask Jesus into your heart. He’ll hear you and He’ll be there. Then you’ll have hope and you’ll know”forever life is in you. It can never be taken away by anybody because your faith is the God of faithfulness.

Here’s a rhyme to help you remember:

You can be a part of the family.
God really really wants you to.
He saved a space in a special place
That can only be filled by you.

Before you go, jump on the The TRUTH. And join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

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There’s only one who can claim to be number 1. The first person across the finish line of a race is number 1, the winner. The team that wins the Superbowl gets to be called number 1. I get to be the number 1 Tony Funderburk on the internet. Yippee! But there is only one person who gets to be called number 1 of everything. Can you guess who it is? I’ll tell you. It’s Jesus. He’s the firstborn over all creation. Nobody else ever gets to be called that. Here are some reasons He gets to be number 1.

Jesus created everything. Yep, everything. And that includes things you can see”and things you can’t. Everything important comes from Him. In fact, everything was created through Him by God the Father. And not just through Him, but FOR Him. That means everything in the whole universe belongs to Jesus. And here’s another couple of cool things to think about”

There’s a place in the Bible where it says Jesus was around before anything else was. He has always been alive. If it wasn’t for Him, nothing else could even be here. True life is only found in Him. It’s only His eternal life that keeps things going. But that’s not all”

Jesus is the ultimate number 1 of everything,

He gets to be the head of everything. After all, He’s smarter than all the rest of us put together. So why shouldn’t He be the head? I sure don’t mind trusting Him to think better than me. Do you?

Oh, one more thing. Jesus rose from the dead! He did it without any help from anyone. But what’s even more amazing is that He said He was only the first. He said we could rise from the dead, too. Guess what? When we do, we prove He’s number 1. That’s because He’s the one who raises us up. So, when we end up rising from the dead, the whole world will see how Jesus is our Creator.

Then they’ll know there is nothing and no one more important than Him.

Have you already discovered how Jesus is the tip top of everything and everyone? Does He already have a place in your heart? If so, tell me about it. Here’s a rhyme to help you remember.

He lived before there was a universe.
And He is the end and the beginning.
He lived a life that overcame our curse.
He is the number 1 of everything.

Before you go, jump on The TRUTH. And join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

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You can read the rest of this book on your iPhone or iPad if you get Henry Hippo’s Heartbeat on iTunes. Here’s a little bit from the book…

~ Henry was a hippo. And I don’t know if you know this, but hippos are HUGE. So when a huge hippo has a problem”it’s a huge problem.Young Henry couldn’t hear his heartbeat . And everybody knows you gotta have a heartbeat. After all, what good is a heart without a beat?

“If I can’t hear my heartbeat, maybe I don’t have a heart,”Henry thought to himself. “And I don’t even want to think about what could happen if I don’t have a heart.”

He looked over at Hugo and Howie.

They were sleeping in the cool river next to him and barely had their ears out of the water.

“Those guys are older than me,”he thought. “I bet they know all about hippo heartbeats.”

“Hey Hugo! Hey Howie!” he grunted. “Wake up you guys! I gotta ask you something. It’s important.”

Hugo just opened his eyes for a second or two and then closed “˜em again. Howie yawned a huge hippo yawn and asked,

“What do you want this time, Henry?”

And Henry blurted out, “Can you guys hear your heartbeat? I can’t hear mine, and I’m afraid of what might happen if I don’t have one.”

What do you think? Will Henry find his heartbeat? If so, how do you think he’ll do it? Well, go get the book and find out.

Just open go to this link: Rhyme and Reason Bookshop and bingo! There it is.

Or just look for me, Tony Funderburk. I’m the one, online, known as “the voice of rhyme and reason.” Sometimes you’ll see me wearing cool, blue sunglasses.

Thanks very much and God bless.

Stay tuned,

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