Good Lord Archives - Tony Funderburk

Posted on March 5, 2026 by TonyMarch 5, 2026

Even Linda Ronstadt knew that you are no good. She’s saying it about you years and years ago. So, I know it. And Linda knows it. But do you?

Oh wait. Ms. Ronstadt actually sang “You’re No Good.”

And I just did a quick online check, and apparently she didn’t sing that song to let you know you are no good. I guess it was something about a lover or husband. Go figure.

But I think it’s still a good idea to recognize that, essentially, you are no good apart from God. In fact, you’ll never be good enough, on your own, to live forever. And the sooner you realize you’re not good enough to live forever, the sooner your life can change forever. Of course, if you are regular reader or listener of mine, you probably DO already know that. So, that little factoid is for unbelieving scanners who might end up here on my website by chance or curiosity.

Have you ever had this experience in life?

You found out there was something you loved and enjoyed, but you just weren’t any good at it. I remember multiple things like that for me. The first real letdown was when I wanted to be on the football team in high school. Family circumstances always kept me from being able to attend spring or fall training for sports. But during my freshman year I just knew I could somehow find a way to make the team. It didn’t happen, and I was extremely disappointed. Time passed, and I eventually thanked my lucky stars I never made the team. But at the time, it was hard to take. Do you have a similar story?

There’s another part of life you’ll come to terms with…one way or the other…

And you’ll discover, once again, you are not good enough.

But that discovery can have much more dramatic and dire consequences. It won’t be simply a matter of disappointment. It’ll be a matter of eternal torment versus eternal bliss.

Some people think they can make it to Heaven by being “a good person.”

But here’s the thing…

God has the key to Heaven. It’s in the hand of His Son, Jesus. And God’s standard for living eternally in Heaven with Him is 100% perfection 100% of the time. Can you say you’ve been that good?

I can’t. I’m not even close. I don’t think I’m even in the top 80 percentile. You may be in the top 1 percentile, but you still miss perfection by a country mile. Only one person who ever lived on earth ever reached that unreachable mark of !00% perfection for 100% of His life. Yep…Jesus.

And since the key to Heaven is in the hand of Jesus, it’s important to know how to get Him to Open the door for you. The secret is in your attitude. You got it have an attitude of gratitude for what Jesus came to earth to do. And if you realize He came here to do it for you, you will discover you are no good.

But you don’t have to be. You can be a child of the one true, living, loving God by trusting that His Son took your eternal punishment. That’s all…believe and trust. Will you do it today? Don’t wait, because one day you’ll see Him…

Face to Face

When we’re born into this world,
We’re empty-handed.
We can’t speak, and we can barely even see.
As we grow we see this life,
In which we landed”
Is a thread of well-designed complexity.

Each and every one of us
Had a beginning…
And so very small a spark of life sufficed.
Then we turned away from God
And started sinning…
And that put us face to face with Jesus Christ.

Face to face with Truth…face to face with Life.
Yeah, the Way to paradise is face to face
With the One who died and who lives inside.
Jesus Christ even loves us face to face.

When we leave this world, we’re
Leaving empty-handed.
We can go to that eternal, perfect place.
When we make the choice of Life,
We won’t be stranded.
And we’ll get to see our Savior’s loving face.

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Posted on January 13, 2025 by TonyJanuary 18, 2025

Servitude Heart is the right place to start

He showed up with a servitude heart. And that was no small detail. Because he was actually a king. No, that’s not quite accurate. He was THE king. Of the whole universe, in fact. But He showed up here in our dirty, little world with a mission to make things right. And His actions, over and over, proved He came here to serve, not BE served.

The ultimate model of a servitude heart.

And it makes perfect sense to say He’s the ultimate model. Because He even says that you and I were made in His image and likeness. It’s kinda like He’s the mold (defined: a distinctive and typical style, form, or character AND form or shape, especially the features or physique of a person). And you and I were copies made from that mold.

So, here’s what I think (and you can take what I think PLUS a smartphone and make a call to just about anywhere in the world). God knew, when He made us, and even more now, that us copies would never live up to the original. And He planned out actions He could and/or would take to compensate for, and even wipe out, our stupid decisions AND the consequences for them.

That information about His character inspired me to write a song about how a servitude heart should be our response to His love. You have the freedom to disagree. But I bet you don’t.

Consequential Servitude

God looked down on me. He knew I was wrong;
Usurped my position I’d held for so long.
Yeah, He just took over where my brain left off.
He knew it was risky. He knew they’d all scoff.
Sometimes I’m so stupid, and so often blind;
Trade reason for feelings; mistakes underlined.

And so again; I behold the outer man
Through God’s condescending attitude.
And I defer to the perfect Architect
And this consequential servitude.

He spirals His thoughts through my barricade.
He knows I am feeble, yet hands me His blade.
And He tells me to rise up from my Phoenix blight
He builds me a fortress of conquering Light.
When my clay is brittle and crumbles to sand,
I long to be putty in my Master’s hand.

And then I can behold the inner man
Through God’s condescending attitude.
Because He chose me as His dwelling place
I choose this consequential servitude.

There were no incantations, no hallelujah chorus.
He succumbed to His detractors; withstood an inquisition.
And then commended His spirit, relinquished His position,
And then He died a death that was for us!

Repeat Ist verse and 2nd chorus…end

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Posted on August 4, 2021 by TonyAugust 7, 2021

There’s a scene, in “Stir Crazy,” a movie from 1980 with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, where Gene’s character says, “We bad. Yeah we bad.” Back in 1980 I thought the movie was funny. Today, I’d probably see it’s not a movie you and I should watch. So, I don’t recommend it…at all.

But the “we bad” part popped into my brain because of a Psalm.

On the surface, that might sound odd. But I’m grateful when that happens. I like when something in the Bible sparks a memory and helps me put it in perspective. Or when something that goes on in the world reminds connects my thoughts to a Bible passage.

Because when those things happen, it means I’m not a hopeless case. I’m not lost and hurdling toward eternal torment. And that’s because my Creator’s love and mercy are able to vaporize my wickedness.

David, who was one of the most famous kings of Israel (and a fellow songwriter), wrote Psalm 36 on this very topic. It’s about our wickedness (Yeah, we bad!) and God’s perfections.

I love how David would often juxtapose human shortcomings with the ways God overcomes them. And in Psalm 36 it sounds like David is using himself to describe man’s wickedness. He says the wicked person has “no fear of God before his eyes.” And that “he flatters himself in his own eyes.”

Then, he really gets to the heart of his own problems when he says, “He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed.”

Yeah, David was the guy who slew Goliath and led his country. God said David was a man after His own heart. But then David had an affair with Bathsheba. And he added sin upon sin by devising a way to have her husband killed in battle. Yeah, that’s pretty wicked alright.

But, thankfully, the Psalm doesn’t end there.

Then, David said God’s “faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” And he said “Your righteousness is like the great mountains.” And he adds how God preserves “man and beast.” Then David acknowledges how “precious” God’s “lovingkindness” is.

But the lines I like the most are when he says, “…the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from ithe river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”

And once he poetically expresses his appreciation for what God does for us, David then asks God to help him resist wickedness. And that’s just about the most effective type of prayer you can pray. Because it shows you understand your weakness and God’s strength. That’s called humility.

And humility is the key to God’s love and mercy and His heart. Grab that key and open that door today.

So, when the troubles of this world get you down, look up”
When the trials of this world pull you in, shout out”
Take hope”it’s free. From God to you and me”
Keepin’ Jesus within we’re never really without.

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Posted on May 25, 2015 by TonyFebruary 24, 2025

Recently I released Volume 1 of my “Raise The Praise” collection of praise and worship songs. (already have the songs for Volume 2, by the way) And the last song of the first group is called “Give Me The Whole Jesus“. Someone asked me what I meant by “whole Jesus”. So, I’d like to share a breakdown of the lyrics, and what I mean by them, if that’s OK with you.

I’ll go through the words a little at a time and put the explanation in blue.

Give Me The Whole Jesus

Oh give me love…give me justice…
Right there in the first line I talk about the “whole Jesus”. I hear and read so many people (Christians and non-believers alike) who say God is love. While this is true…He’s so much more. Something He strongly represents is justice.
Give me Grace and the strength to endure.
When the world comes against me,
Give me Your Spirit steadfast and sure.
There again is a clearer definition of the Lord’s qualities. He can impute Grace AND strength to endure the trials and tribulations of this world.

Give me words…give me courage…
Give me time and a powerful voice.
The Lord is also called “The Word”. So, He knows, better than I, that my words alone aren’t enough. I also need the courage to write or speak them.
And when many still may hate me,
Give me Your love and I’ll always rejoice.
Jesus told believers the world would hate us…and persecute us…because they hated Him and persecuted Him. But His love was unimaginably revealed in His tortured death on a cross.

For that, I’ll always rejoice.

Give me the whole Jesus;
The whole Good Lord…
The One who shields the child…
The One who wields the sword.
Jesus, and His word is more powerful than a two-edged sword. Yet His compassion for the tiniest, most helpless humans is unmatched.
Give me the whole Jesus
Son of God and man…
Jesus is the only being who is both God and man. He is the second person of the Trinity…God, the Son. He also was born through a virgin woman, a human being, and became a man in the flesh. And one of His favorite titles for Himself was “Son of Man”.
“˜Cause only Jesus saves…
And only Jesus can! Only Jesus can! Only Jesus can!
This is a message I believe with all my heart…especially since Jesus said this very thing about Himself. Here’s a quote from His very own lips, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Seems pretty obvious to me.

Then give me dreams…give me wisdom…
The apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel where Joel said, “Your old men shall dream dreams”. I figure I qualify now. And the book of the Proverbs mention, over and over, how important wisdom is. So I thought, “what good are dreams without wisdom to pursue them?”
Give me peace at the end of my days.
Whether I’m taken in a flash or twinkling of an eye…or I lived out my life and die here on earth…the only true and lasting peace will come at the end of my days here in this flesh.
And give me life…everlasting…
In Your world and in Your higher ways.
When I live in the presence of the Lord, it will be life without end. And that will be true because I’ll be in the presence of the very source of Life. Now, that’s the life described as “have it more abundantly” in the book of John.

So, there you have it…the breakdown of “Give Me The Whole Jesus“, the 12th song on my “Raise The Praise Volume 1” collection of praise and worship songs. You can listen to the song for free. Just click/tap the title.

Be sure and let me know if you enjoyed it.