Tag Archives: world full of war

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I love life filled with optimism. In fact, I find it difficult to write songs or rhymes without optimism. And in this day and age that’s almost weird. Right? But I believe I’ve got a lot of things to be optimistic about. Yeah. Check out this list…

  • wars
  • thieves
  • politicians (oops, that’s redundant)
  • liars (oops, I did it again, Britney)
  • ne’er-do-wells of all makes and models.

Uh-oh. That’s not the list of things to be optimistic about.

That’s actually one of the lists of things I don’t wanna sing or write about. And none of those things in that list elicit or inspire optimism.

But thankfully, I love life. And that leads to a love for the Source of life. Yeah, here I go again. Finding a way to work God into the conversation. But if it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t even be here to sing about how wonderful, beautiful, precious, and fragile life is.

And even if I end up as one of the biggest fools who ever lived, I still believe I’m gonna live forever in paradise with the Creator of my life.

Now, that’s something to be optimistic about. And it gives me a lifelong mission. Because most people are lackadaisical about. They’re sorta like this guy…

I’ve Got Things To Do

I wouldn’t mind stopping all of the wars
I’d be a diplomat,
If I could know for sure in my heart
That it was simple as that.
But peace will have to wait.
I can’t just change my life around.
I’m in the middle of something
That has me helplessly bound.

I’ve got things to do.
And I’ve got places to go.
I’ve got people to see
And savings to grow
And though I don’t know how to see this through
I know for sure I’ve got things to do.

I wouldn’t mind spreading love in the world.
I’d work it every day.
I know that someone’s life can be changed.
When you give love away,
But love will have to wait;
We’re gonna have to hold that thought.
I’m on a merciless mission…and though it hurts a lot

I’ve got things to do.
And I’ve got places to go.
I’ve got people to see
And futures to grow
And though I don’t know how to see this through
I know for sure I’ve got things to do.

I’m sure someone will come along
Who could easily fit the bill/
And when they do, I’ll lend my support,
If I can ever get over this hill.

I’ve got things to do.
And I’ve got places to go.
I’ve got people to see
And dreams to grow
And though I don’t know how to see this through
I know for sure I’ve got things to do.

© 1991 & 2014

Tony Funderburk signature logo

No-cost, low-cost, and premium ways you can help me spread the Word…

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

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

Get digital Bible stuff from the same company I do.

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

I’m not a fan of Ukraine. Or any other country in the world, at this time, for that matter. But I read a short article about how Ukrainian music is being used to pump up the people. And I listened to a couple of clips.

The Ukrainian music I heard certainly sounded strong.

I don’t know what the words said. But the harmonies were tight. And the voices sounded strong and determined. Also, the crowds who listened (and joined in…somewhat) seemed to be glad the music was booming out over loudspeakers across the squares.

The article included a quick interview with someone identified as “Ukrainian musician, Sofia Yatsyuk, 26.”  And she shared her concern for her family and friends in Ukraine.

“My whole family are musicians,” she said. “And they’re all obviously panicking and afraid. Until today, this still all seemed somewhat hypothetical. I think people were just going about their normal lives and still hoping that war could be prevented. But obviously, today, it’s all changed.”

Yeah, the citizens of Ukraine definitely can’t sing their way out of the war that’s been thrust upon them.

And to say it’s been thrust upon them is more or less a guess.

Because it’s difficult to impossible to know who’s telling the truth and who’s lying in any of the governments around the world.

But this much isn’t a guess. Bombing people (and countries) just for disagreeing with you is almost always a disastrous idea. And those actions ALWAYS have eternal consequences. But for people who hate God, most of the people in the world, it’s just another thing to do. Another thing to try.

I read where well-known Ukrainian baritone, Yuriy Yurchuk, sang a protest song outside the residence of Britain’s prime minister. And in another part of that article it said, “Pop musicians from both Ukraine and Russia are also publicly condemning President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine across their personal social media channels.”

Now, I hope Ukrainian music can make a true and lasting difference for the people of that country. But my recommendation, for them, is that they make sure they’re right with God. Because only He has all the right notes.

Stay tuned,
Tony Funderburk signature logo

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

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Play

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

An old friend of mine, from back in my days as a full time musician in Texas, loved REO Speedwagon. And I think she even got to meet them one time. I wasn’t a fan. But there’s no denying they were a pretty successful band. They had hits like Can’t Fight This Feeling, Keep On Loving You, and Take it On the Run. But their hit song, Ridin’ the Storm Out came up in my head when I read about Abraham Wald.

What do a successful band and Mr. Wald have in common?

Nothing really. Except for criss-crossing thoughts of them in my brain. Allow me to explain.

Travel back in time with me, now, to the inside of a fighter plane flying over enemy territory in World War II. When those crews landed safely back at base, most of the time they’d be riddled with bullet holes. And there were people who studied those bullet holes. And they noticed certain areas of the planes were hit more than others.

So, naturally, the first thoughts were to make those parts of the planes a lot stronger. Because the goal was to reduce the number of planes shot down. Sounds logical. Right?

Not so fast.

This is where Abraham Wald came in. Apparently he was a vampire. Uh…wait. Scratch that. I just re-read his story. And, yes, he was born in Transylvania. But he was not a vampire. He was a Hungarian Jew. And, as it turned out, a mighty sharp mathematician.

In fact, he founded the field of statistical sequential analysis. Without going into too much detail about what that is, here’s a definition I found: “Sequential analysis is the branch of statistics concerned with investigations in which the decision whether or not to stop at any stage depends on the observations previously made.”

Abe put that expertise to good use when he checked the bullet holes data on those fighter planes. And, after he noticed the patterns of bullet holes and studied more data, he presented a much better way to look at the problem. He pointed out that the planes that were shot in those patterns were the ones that returned.

And with that insight, he apparently convinced the decision makers who ordered planes to be reinforced in those areas that didn’t have bullet holes. And, as a result, fewer fighter planes…and more importantly the crews…were shot down.

You might say they were better equipped to keep Ridin’ the Storm Out.

Well, YOU might not say it. But that certainly wouldn’t keep ME from sayin’ it.

So, the moral of the story (if you wanna call it that) is this. Data, logic, reason, and careful investigation of the information can provide a much more valuable perspective.

And that’s why it’s important to understand humans are information based. We’re uniquely designed like no other living creature…or inanimate object. And it’s because you and I were made in the image and likeness of God. With attributes like emotions, logic, and reason that couldn’t have evolved even if the universe was a humongazillion years old.

So join the only truly successful band,
The one that God created with His own hand.
And just imagine all of the songs we’ll write,
‘Cause we will live forever in His love light.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Get my Rhyme & Reason Podcast delivered (free) right to your device.

My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books

Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt

Or how about some music for kids

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Things are bad. And how long can it go on?

You might have notice a couple of bad things happening in the past few years. Right? Yeah, a couple of bad things every second of every day. There seems to be no bottom to the abyss of evil people are willing to climb down into. Just when you think you couldn’t possibly hear anything worse…somebody comes up with something worse. There might not be anything new under the sun, but how long can it go on without the whole world being destroyed?

I don’t, for even a moment, believe we humans are gonna destroy our planet by messing with the ozone, throwing trash in the ocean, or even blowing ourselves to smithereens with nuclear weapons. And don’t get me wrong, I know we should live clean and live peaceably with our neighbors as much as its within our power to do so. But I know, that as long as the earth remains there will be everything we need to live. However…

…there will come a time when this world will end.

That day might be as close as your next breath. And it might still be many, many years away. But it will happen. Because we human beings are just plain despicable to one another, and one day God is gonna say “No more!”

That’s the bad, and sinister sounding, news. Are you ready for some good news? Here it is. You were created to be eternal. Your soul (and hopefully spirit) will last forever, and you have two eternal locations to choose from. You’ve heard the old real estate adage that says it’s all about location, location, location…right? Well, that’s even more true in the case of where you’ll live forever. One location won’t have any lights or even light switches. The other will be lit up gloriously and shine like diamonds and gold. Which will you choose? And don’t wait to choose because you don’t know when it’ll be time to go.

I wrote a song, back in 1990, and this topic, and it’s pretty sinister sounding. I’m inserting the lyrics below, and you can hear a motel room recording of it on this weeks The Power of God’s Love Podcast.

How Long Can It Go On?

There…you can see firsthand…
There’s a ship of fools
On a sea of sand.
There, on a tiny, blue ball…
They’ve got their universe,
And they’re the center of it all…the center of it all.

There…it’s a race against time
On a singular quest
For the omni-enzyme.
There…they can get what they need,
But their need turns to want,
And their want turns to greed…yeah, their want turns to need.

Play with toys that they can’t afford…
Get some more when they get bored,
And the sky grows dark…and the sky grows dark.

How long can it go on? (repeat 3 times)

There…in the land of law…
There are those who see
And don’t tell what they saw.
There…where they send their best…
The kettle’s brought to a boil,
And it’s too much to digest…to much to digest.

Play with lives they don’t even know…
Head’s above, but their brain’s below,
And the sky grows dark…and the sky grows dark.

How long can it go on? (repeat 3 times)

Save us from ourselves, great God way up high.
Help us help ourselves…don’t let our spirits die.

© 1990 Tony Funderburk

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Share this link with everybody you know, so they can jump on the The TRUTH
(My regular emails about the essentials of life, AND some music and other good stuff, for Fa-Ree)

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

You know all that bad stuff going on in the world? God’s not doing it!

Every day…and I mean Every. Single. Day…all you have to do is get up and read or watch or listen to the news…and you realize the bad stuff is still happening. Wars, murders, rapes, stealing, lying, and the list goes on and on. No country or continent is immune. And since it’s a worldwide epidemic, many people like to say either God is working some sort of masterplan…or He’s not interested…or He simply doesn’t exist. All three answers are incredibly incorrect.

I expect people who don’t believe in God or those who even hate Him to say ignorant things. But it’s pure silliness for Christians to make statements like “God is in control”…or…”God has a plan and a reason for all this”. If God is actually in control and is actually causing all the bad stuff to happen, then He’s not a good, righteous, and holy God. And He’s a terrible father. Why?

Because a good father doesn’t tell his children to “do as I say and not as I do”.

Here’s the good news…

God isn’t doing that because He IS a good father. He IS holy and righteous. And He doesn’t tell us to be a certain way while He’s being another. Why would God tell us not to do evil things and yet cause evil things to happen all around the world? He doesn’t. This world isn’t being controlled by God. And how could you possibly look around you and say it is. And why would you portray God to the world in such a way? It conveys a negative view to anyone who actually thinks and ponders. Like this quote from Brad Pitt for example:

Brad Pitt grew up learning that God even does the bad stuff.

Are you a Christian? If so, do you believe the Bible when it says Jesus will return one day and rule and reign for a thousand years here on Earth? If you believe that, do you believe the Earth will be filled with violence and every other horrible, sinful thing mankind can devise? Or don’t you truly believe Jesus will make the world a better place? Of course He will. And that’s when…let me repeat…THAT’S WHEN you’ll know God is in control. No more war. No more unpunished crimes. No more evil men trying to rule the world.

No more bad stuff.

So…if you’re telling people God is in control, I hope you mean of your own personal life. Otherwise…will you please stop? Get back in His word. Read the writings of Paul. If you’re not a Jew, Paul’s writings are specifically FOR YOU. You’ll discover how to rightly divide the Word of Truth, and you’ll be a much better witness to a hurting world. Will you start today? If not…why not?

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

If you haven’t already, be sure to jump on the The TRUTH AND get some music and other fun stuff, for Fa-Ree. If you’ve already jumped on, share the link with everyone you care about.

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Why is there so much violence, destruction, and death in the world? And relatively so little joy and peace?

Well, I could tell you I know the reason why, but maybe you wouldn’t believe the answer could be so simple. Maybe you’d rather have a highly complicated solution to this complex mess we earthlings find ourselves having to endure. And maybe you wouldn’t even like my answer.

Nonsense.

Do you realize how simple the answer has been to most of life’s seemingly unanswerable problems? Take the electric light for example. Maybe you’ve heard how many times Edison failed before he succeeded in getting a light bulb to work. Did you know the solution came down to finding what sort of tiny filament could last? Once he solved that problem, bingo! Electric light.

OK, Tony. So, what’s this simple answer you think you have for finding joy and peace in a world full of war and chaos?

Jesus = Joy and Peace.

Hey…remember…I told you it might not be the answer you’d like. And I told you it might not be one you’d believe. But simply refusing to believe the truth doesn’t make it wrong. And simply refusing to acknowledge a Creator God who came to earth to be one of us and take the punishment for our sins doesn’t make Him go away either.

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and He also said “the Truth shall make you free“. Why do so many prefer darkness, despair, and going it alone?

If you’re lacking joy and peace in your life today…
If you’re feeling all alone in the world…
If you believe there’s no way out of your despair…
If you think your time on earth is the only time you’ll have…
If you’d like to know that you can know happiness…

…then test the Word of the Bible. It’s the #1 bestselling book of all time for a very good reason. It makes you FREE.

Maybe you don’t know me well enough to buy something from me, yet. Ok, then get to know more about me and my worldview. Join the growing body of believers who’ve signed up for the Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And enjoy my daily flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

Tony Funderburk signature logo