Rhyme and Reason

Hey, you know what would be a lotta fun? Let’s talk about the evolution of music. Are you with me? But let’s don’t do it in my boring musician way. Let’s start with a discussion about it I found on a government website. Yeah, I’ve got your undivided attention now. Right? Check out this interesting paragraph on the evolution of music. “Music is a core human exper...

Just about everybody has a bedtime routine. It makes sense. Because humans are creatures of habit. Like brushing your teeth and changing into pajamas. Those activities just become something you do without having to put a lot of thought and effort into them. And then maybe you read a little and turn off the lights. Boom. You’ve got a bedtime routine. Good for YOU. And you might think that&#82...

I’m happy to celebrate when a church moves in the direction of rightly dividing the word of truth. But you almost never see that anymore. In fact, most establishments calling themselves churches move in the opposite direction. Sometimes the move is speedy. And often it’s slow enough to be almost unnoticeable. Like when a report says a church moves by the hand of God. On the surface tha...

It’s unimaginably cool. But you and I actually have the breath of life from God in us. Uh-oh. I’ve already given you the clue that’ll probably make sure you get an A+ on this pop quiz I’ve got for you. I know. Nobody likes a pop quiz. But, no worries. Because I KNOW you’re gonna pass it now. OK, here’s the introduction to and the breath of life pop quiz… I...

You’ve been a person your whole life. If you’ve lived a few (or several) decades, hopefully you’re getting pretty good at being a person. Yeah, it’s an ongoing struggle. But somebody’s gotta do it. Right? But let’s begin at the beginning and see where it takes us. Even if you can’t say for sure when your life started, you know without a doubt, the human fo...

Imagine if you could breathe underwater. Just think of the places you could go. How do fish breathe underwater? Well, they actually have a wonderfully designed system of gills that capture the oxygen from the water as it passes through. So fish don’t have to hold their breath like you and I do. But what if you didn’t have to hold your breath? Yeah. What if the gill slits you have durin...

Music is an aural expression of life. From babies in the womb to the silver-haired citizens, music is an amazingly comforting language. I’ve shared a lot of information about the health benefits of music and sound. But it doesn’t benefit only the listener. And I know this from a lifetime of aural expression. Whatever musical gifts and talents I have are gifts from God. And I’ve b...

Hypnopompic hallucinations. No, there are no drugs involved. You might have experienced them, even if you’ve never heard of ’em. Because they can occur in that transitional time between sleep and fully waking up. And they don’t have to include scenes of terror. After all, it’s not like everything in life mimics Stephen King books. My hypnopompic hallucinations almost always...

10 years ago I wrote some Christmas songs. And one of them became one of my favorites. Yeah, I know. How unabashedly arrogant of me. Right? No, it’s OK to favor your own creative work. And it’s OK to have enough ego to admit it. Anyway…I’ve been sharing that song for just about every Christmas since then. This year is no different. May the Prince of Peace and God of Christm...

What if joy were against the law? Sounds crazy, I know. But play along for just a bit. And let’s pretend that somehow that kind of law was pushed through congress. What would you do? If joy were against the law, would you break it? The law that is. Would you break it? Could you break it? I believe, and I hope I’m not alone in this belief, that there are plenty of people, right here in...

Bob Dylan said it. So, it must be true right? He talked about how you gotta serve somebody. In fact, in one of his songs, he sang “you’re gonna have to serve somebody” quite a few times. So, he must be pretty darn sure it’s true. And, in a way, it is. Sure, you could say you gotta serve somebody, OR… You could say you GET to serve somebody. First, and foremost, you GE...

I read a post, from a friend in social media (thanks Allen) about famous last words from some famous atheists. And the despair in their words struck me in such a way I wanted to share some of them with you. It’s chilling. But first…why do I say famous last words of foolish jaybirds? Well, back in medieval days, when I was growing up, the term “jaybird” was Southern slang fo...

Eight years ago, today, I shared Episode 15 of my Podcast. Wow, 15. I’m now up to 739 episodes. (Side note: I’m way behind on recording episodes because my voice has been, shall we say, less than smooth. But the plan is to get going again shortly.) Anyway…Episode 15 focused on your understanding. And when I say “your,” I mean mine too. In fact, I mean everybody. Your...

“They” called him the “Chairman of the Board.” How he got the title depends on who you ask. But there’s no denying that Frank Sinatra liked being in charge. And I was never a fan even though he sang a couple of songs here and there I actually liked. One of those was about lost love. But this particular lost love was blown away. At least, according to the lyrics, there...

I spent a lot of my formative years in Texas. So, I still use (and always will use) some of those friendly southern, colloquial expressions in my everyday language. And many of those southern memories are some of my fondest childhood recollections. Like the sounds of croaking bullfrogs. And the chatter of bugs just as dusky coolness sweeps away the heat of the day. Or the chunky sound when mom wou...

It’s 33 miles in a round trip. And I read where it’s apparently America’s only “urban byway.” And that means it’s a scenic byway (on the National Register) closer to an urban area (Denver) than any other anywhere. And since it’s part of the “old west” it seems appropriate to call it the Lariat Loop. Not so long ago, we called the Lariat Loop ju...

People get ready. There’s a train a-coming. You don’t need no baggage. You just get on board. All you need is faith to hear the diesels humming. Don’t need no ticket. You just thank the Lord. Yeah, those are lyrics to the old Curtis Mayfield song, “People Get Ready.” And there’s a lotta word power goin’ on in that song. When The Impressions had a hit with...

Yes, God does have a plan. A MasterPlan. But He most definitely does not have a plan for your day. As I’ve said many times…He’s far too brilliant a designer than to create a bunch of humans who can’t do anything apart from Him. So, if you’ve been one of those Christians who says things like, “I’ve just got to remember, God’s in control,” stop t...

Just in case you haven’t noticed, the world is full of mean people and bad stuff. Nations are at war…all the time. Political parties are in constant power struggles. Murder is consistently at epidemic levels. And man-made pandemics are all the rage. But, even with all this dark-hearted dreariness, my cup runs over. And my cup runs over because all this will go away. Yeah, it’s te...

Everybody’s trying to be nicer than God. Even real estate websites like to show off their “LGBT legal protections.” Which, of course, are bigoted policies. And I oppose any ideology that singles out individuals or groups who hate God and give them their own so-called “legal protections.” Instead, I wholeheartedly support the MJSPBR and their God-given legal protection...

They say ignorance is bliss. Who are they? And why do they say that? But never mind all that right now. There’s one way ignorance will be anything but bliss. Because you won’t be able to plead ignorance when you leave this world. And you’ll discover, if you haven’t already, how your own denial will be revealed to you by the… King of Hearts Working it out, they say the...

Back in 2012, right here on TonyFunderburk dot com, I wrote about the longest daylight day of the year. Summer solstice. And I shared how it makes me ponder time. I also shared how so many people say something like, “Wow, time flies.” Einstein theorized that time is relative. I believe he was wrong. Unless he actually meant it could FEEL that way. Because a day can take “forever&...

Generally speaking, most scientists (and the rest of us, too) believe there’s nothing faster than light. And it’s mighty difficult to imagine that not being true. Because, think about it, when you flip the switch to your kitchen light, it comes on instantly. But I think there IS something faster than light… Your thoughts. And I know, some will say thoughts don’t travel. But...

Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Did you ever hear that when you were a kid? Or, for that matter, any other time? As it turns out, that’s not just a sweet, little thing to say to kids that rhymes. Because bedbugs are real. And they don’t seem like characters for nursery rhymes. Check out this bullet list description for why you shouldn’t let the bedbugs bite. The ad...

Yesterday I wrote about a nostalgic memory. And I talked about June bugs. If you didn’t catch that post, check it out. But now I want you to think back in your own life. And go as far back in your past as you can. Because I want you to see yourself as small as possible. OK, are you there yet? Way, way back to when everything was left up to “the grownups.” Can you see it? Great.  ...