Tag Archives: haters gonna hate

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Phrases. Short sentences. Sound bites. You don’t have to make hour-long speeches to discover how truth is hate to those who hate the Truth. And, YES, people DO hate the Truth. Especially the absolute kind.

And truth is hate, to them, because they want to deflect it.

For example, the Earth is relatively young. Yeah, no more than 10,000 years old. And probably as young as 6000 to 7000 years old. That’s all I gotta say to get generations of public-schooled people all fired up. Because, for generations, those government run institutions have poured the evolution fairy tale into mellow minds of mush.

And the mouths attached to those mellow minds of mush have regurgitated the fairy tale over and over until (just as Hitler loved) it has become the human origin gospel.

Ironically, they don’t wanna hear the actual gospel.

And how about this one? Absolute truth absolutely exists. Yikes! Now, THERE’S an ice breaker. To say the least. That’s probably one of the worst things, against their worldview, you can say. Because, of course, a statement like that implies a standard. And a standard implies a standard bearer or source.

Uh-oh. A bearer? A source?

That can’t lead anywhere good. Right?

Nope. Just eternal life with your Creator. But who wants to suffer through truth just to live forever.?

And, whoa! There’s a whole ‘nother case of truth is hate. Yeah, I just brought up a Creator. And now I’ve written it twice. And both times I capitalized the C. You know what that means. I’m not talkin’ about some run-of-the-mill artist. No, it’s THE Creator. THE one who made the whole universe from nothing.

“Wow! This Tony Funderburk dude is out of control with his assertions, claims, and demonstrations.”

I know most of the people in the world would love to portray someone like me as a hater. Because, inside their heart of hearts, they understand that hate exists. It has to in order for love to be freely given. BUT they don’t wanna admit their own hatred. So, in spite of their love for diversity and tolerance, somebody’s gotta be the hater.

And that means people, like me, who wanna share God’s love. We obviously hate. Because we say there’s only one Way to Heaven and eternal life. And we say it’s either that Way or you go to hell. And when you bring up hell and eternal consequences, your Truth sounds harsh and hateful. You just got on their last diverse and tolerant nerve. Yeah, you just crossed the line.

Well, I don’t know about you…

But I’ll be fine across that line
‘Cause the love of God is mine.
I’ll opine in the sunshine
‘Cause the joy of God is mine.
And I align with the new wine
‘Cause the life of God is mine.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

It’s a weird and wicked world. And all the worldly dots are connected. And I arrived at this thought due to following along some of those dots just now. One leap led me to discover what a vitriolic sphere is. Check out this description I found:

“You point at a place within range, and a glowing 1-foot ball of emerald acid streaks there and explodes in a 20-foot radius. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 10d4 acid damage and 5d4 acid damage at the end of its next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half the initial damage and no damage at the end of its next turn.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the initial damage increases by 2d4 for each slot level above 4th.”

That 1-foot ball of emerald acid is known as a vitriolic sphere.

And, if you’re not a “gamer,” maybe that description sounds almost like a foreign language. I’d actually consider that a type of blessing. Because it means you haven’t fallen into that pitiful pit.

And I say that because of the different definitions of vitriolic. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vitriolic as 1) bitterly harsh or caustic language or criticism AND 2) a sulfate of any of various metals (such as copper, iron, or zinc) especially : a glassy hydrate of such a sulfate.

I’m sure the gamers would prefer to focus on the second definition. But ultimately it’s just a dot connected to the first definition. Because you certainly wouldn’t explode a ball of emerald acid on someone as an act of love. Right? No. My guess (and I use that term lightly) is that hate would be the motivator.

But here’s the Tony Take on it.

Hate IS a vitriolic sphere. Because when you throw it out there, it WILL circle back to you. Cause and effect. But in the case of hate, the effect is not less than the cause.

And you can see the effects all around this vitriolic sphere known as Earth.

Hatred is literally tangible. Not the force of it. But the effect. Many American city streets are filled with zombified human beings. What some would call the dregs of society. Walking around in drug-induced stupors. Wreaking havoc on themselves and those around them. I’ve seen them. And I’ve noticed how there’s only darkness behind their eyes.

But you know what’s good for that kind of darkness?

If you guessed sunlight, come on up here to the head of the class.

But here’s what’s even better than sunlight. The Son’s Light.

And, never fear. Because it’s that Light that’ll renew this mean ol’ sphere we live on, one day, into an extension of Heaven again. Of course, the force behind that action is the opposite of vitriol. And it’s the only reason you and I aren’t already swimming in flames.

Gimme The Light

Well the light shines, and it’s coming from above.
I can’t ignore it because I know deep down it’s Love,
And it shows me that the time is close at hand,
And I’m beginning to think I might just understand.

I’ve waited so long for the perfect time and place,
And made a whole lot of mistakes I can’t erase.
Destined to live in darkness I supposed,
But you can’t see the Light when your eyes are closed.

So gimme the Light oh give me the Light of Your Love.
Gimme the Light. I wanna see how good it can be.
Gimme the Light oh give me the Light of Your Love.
And gimme the Light that truly sets this blind man free.

Well, I daydream, and I do my best to fly,
But something holds me; it doesn’t matter how I try.
Oh, but someday, when You say the time is right,
I know I’ll fly up and live forever in Your light.

repeat bridge & chorus…inst…repeat chorus twice

© 1998

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Even people who say they’re all about love and acceptance hate me. They’d never admit it. But they do.

A few years ago I shared an article and a song about the sanctity of life. And I mentioned that many people SAY they celebrate tolerance and diversity. But they don’t include Christians in their diversity tolerance circle. Sadly, this same behavior is still going on with no end in sight.

Hey, don’t hate me because I’m dutiful.

Below is what I shared and how one of those tolerance and diversity people responded…

~ I just recently started my new iTunes podcast. And after it was live for only a couple of days I received an email telling me that what we Christians do (or I should say what he thinks we do) is a “relic of superstition and reptilian brain thinking and must go.” That’s his way of celebrating diversity and showing extreme tolerance for beliefs different from his own. Right? Here’s what else he shared…

“People without a rich and deep inner life are the ones who try so desperately to change things outside themselves. This archetype is portrayed by Agent Smith in The Matrix. If you watch The Matrix Reloaded you will notice that Agent Smith has duplicated himself over and over again until there are thousands of him. That’s what the distorted version of Christianity seeks to do as well, to try to make everyone just like them. The effects of this can be easily discerned if one is willing to open one’s mind and see that what is happening in the world today is actually a result of religious abuse and control. Religion has become a self policing system of controls and dominance, maintained by it’s members, and imposed on anyone who is not “for them.”

Any religion that teaches it’s ok to kill in the name of God is absolutely and totally useless. Divide and conquer is a relic of superstition and reptilian brain thinking and must go. God is much much bigger than all that. It’s time for you to grow up Spiritually, to come from love instead of fear, and to allow others to choose for themselves. God did not die and leave you in charge.”

That’s no lie, guy.

No, God did not die and leave me in charge. But Jesus DID die, rose again, and gave a man named (renamed) Paul a new message to share with everyone. And that’s a message of eternal salvation for anybody who asks for it. God leaves Christians, His “body” on Earth, in charge of sharing that message.

Now, seriously…do you really want to spend your valuable time being mad at me for sharing a message of eternal life?

Yeesh…some people.

You express your pro life views and how you value the sanctity of life. And you give away free tunes. You even post a tribute video to a special little girl who lost her battle with cancer at the age of two. And yet you get an email expressing utter disdain toward your “religion.” That happened to me. It happens to Christians all the time.

And as for that “allow others to choose for themselves” comment, read my articles. You’ll discover that I’ve mentioned “choice” over and over and over. Of course, I “allow” you to choose for yourself. I don’t have (and don’t want) the power to force you to choose. But I DO talk about how there are consequences for your decision.

And people hate me for that.

Oh well. It goes with the job description.

Give me words, give me courage.
Give me time and a powerful voice.
And when many still may hate me,
Give me Your love and I’ll always rejoice.

(from the song “Give Me The Whole Jesus”)

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

It’s in the news. On the radio and TV. And it’s in the books and magazines. People (and I use that term loosely) increasingly hate God. And they increasingly hate anyone who loves God. So, they paint on their hate-filled colors. And they hang out their silly pronouns. And they scoop what’s left of their brain and dish it out as though they actually believe their hate will win the day.

But what they forget is: Don’t Dish It Out If You Can’t Take It.

Yeah, I see a growing hatred of the God I love and I know who loves me. It’s ironic that the people who typically shout the loudest about things like “hate crimes” and “tolerance” and “celebrate diversity” are almost always the ones who are least tolerant of those who love God.

Christians, who say Jesus is the only Way to eternal life in paradise, with God, are hated. Simply for what they say. But here’s the thing. It comes from the Bible, the best-selling book of all time. So, if you’re gonna be true to your “cause,” don’t just pay lip service to it. Love, tolerate, and celebrate the diversity that is Christianity.

Your free speech right does NOT give you the right to say whatever you feel like, about Christians, and expect no retaliation. It literally goes back to what you learned (or should have learned) when you were still an actual kid. Don’t dish it out, if you can’t take it.

Your opinions and rants aren’t more important just because you spray your hair with rainbow colors. Or stick a gross pin through your nose. Or tattoo your body with tranny messages. Yeah, I sound like a person with a hate-filled message. TO. YOU. So, the opposite is just as TRUE. So, once again…

Don’t dish it out, if you can’t take it.

Go ahead. Flaunt your hatred for the true, living, loving God of the Bible. And do it boldly. Complete with your total disregard for human biology. Turn your back on the beautiful, wonderful design of a marriage between a woman and man. And don’t be afraid to ignore the mountain of evidence for creation to explain our origin.

But, also, don’t be surprised when we deflect your hate right back to you. Or when we use our creative skills to expose you. Just because you make it seem like there’s nothing sacred anymore doesn’t mean there’s…

Nothin’s Sacred Anymore

Take the truth and lock it up, and throw away the key.
Winds of change are blowing foul; a dance with destiny.
Blur the face of love and sex and say it’s all OK.
Tell the child it’s just a choice and melt her soul away.

Nothin’s sacred anymore…
Can’t we learn from mistakes when they cut to the core?
Nothin’s sacred anymore…
And should we be surprised since we’ve opened that dark, wide door?
Nothin’s sacred anymore

Cast your vote for social growth and then say yes to law.
Keep the peace, divide the wealth; the vision Adolph saw.
Hedge the bets and ride the fence; the middle road’s secure.
Then one day you’re head to head with all you must endure.

Nothin’s sacred anymore…
Can’t we learn from mistakes when they cut to the core?
Nothin’s sacred anymore…
And should we be surprised since we’ve opened that dark, wide door?
Nothin’s sacred anymore

More, more space and time.
More would be sublime.
Someone else can pay
Long as I get mine today.

Ain’t nothin’ sacred anymore.

© 2002

 

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

There’s no doubt about it. Haters gonna hate. But what there IS some doubt about is…who are the haters? Ironically (and woefully), it’s almost always the people who are yelling the loudest about who hates who.

And here’s where the haters gonna hate me.

Because I’m about to call a spade a spade.

Have you ever dealt with the frustration that comes with talking to unbelievers who call Christians haters? I certainly have. And if I only depended on myself, I probably would have locked myself up in my own personal Christianity long ago.

But Paul told the new Christians in Galatia to “not grow weary while doing good especially to those who are of the household of faith“.

And it definitely gets old when you hear, for the umpteenth time…

  • “You think you’re better than me.” or
  • “You just want everybody to believe just like you.” or
  • “Don’t tell me what’s in the Bible. I’ve read it.”

 

And here’s the irony.

Those are people who would benefit, the most, from the love and grace of Jesus. And it’s sad how bitter and angry they sound as they reject that message. But they don’t just reject the message. They spew out their hatred for anyone who shares the message.

But remember what Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” You might never experience a threat to your life like Jesus faced. But when you stand up for Him and His Truth, don’t be surprised when you endure the wrath of anyone (and everyone) who hates God.

I’ve experienced a good dose of that this year. Some of it from my own family. Even from some I wouldn’t have thought would do that.

I don’t enjoy lies, about me, whipped up by those whose guilt and shame precedes them. But I still stand on the love God has for me. And, as I’ve said before, every single person in the world can hate me. But since Jesus loves me, I still win.

If you’ve experienced how haters gonna hate on you, then be encouraged. Because that means you’ve taken a stand for your faith, hope, and love in your Creator. And it also means you’re gonna live forever…

In The House of the Lord

Father God,
You never leave me You never forsake me.
And Your Word…
Gives me courage to go where you take me.

You are with me through each dire upheaval.
With You in me I will fear no evil.
As I walk through the shadow of death…
I will sing till my very last breath…

[Chorus]
Green pastures, still waters…
Goodness and mercy for your sons and daughters…
True love dwells in the House of the LORD.
Each person, each nation…
Can be renewed through Your sweet restoration…
True love dwells in the House of the LORD.

Father God,
You made a Way for my total redemption.
I believe…
Jesus died to provide that exemption.

He’s my shepherd through thorns and thru clover.
He’s my new wine, and my cup runs over.
As I walk through the shadow of death…
I will sing till my very last breath…

Chorus

© 2010 Tony Funderburk

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Tell everybody you know to subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional
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