Rhyme and Reason

246 years ago, this month, some guys with a British accent figured they’d bully some Americans around. But things didn’t go quite according to their plan. Because a knight in shining armor foiled their plans. And, of course, I’m being a bit facetious, because there weren’t any actual Americans at that time. Because there wasn’t an actual America at that time. But thos...

Back when I was about 12 or 13, in the mezzaluna phase of the twentieth century, my Mom forced me to endure unfathomable torture. She drove me to a quiet hillside, out on the backroads of Eastern Kansas. And she turned off the ignition to the ’48 Chevy pickup, opened the driver’s door, stepped outside, and said, “OK, slide over behind the wheel.” (for the sake of accuracy,...

Here’s a little something from nineteen ninety nine in nineteen eighty two. “Cuz they say two thousand zero zero party over, Oops out of time – So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.” Just in case you forgot, or something, I’m quoting from that famous philosopher, Prince. Or is it the artist formerly known as Prince? Or is it Skipper? Hey, I’m no...

Back in the day (as they say) there was a short expression to describe somebody who could run fast. It went like this, “Man, he can really move it.” Do they still say that? I don’t know. But I probably do once in a while. Because when something works, you keep it. Despite the so-called trends and fads. And sometimes when something doesn’t work in one place, you move it to a...

Life is full of up’s and down’s. But that’s part of what makes it so interesting. Because it’s not the easy stuff that makes you stronger. It’s the tough stuff. And if you’ve lived longer than a couple of decades, you’re at least starting to see what I mean. Right? Tough stuff is available everywhere. I remember way, way back in the 1980’s, I lived i...

It’s been a weird April this year. And I’m in a particularly contemplative way as I think about what the past 7 days included. A second drive to Kansas, in the past couple of months. But not for fun. Because on April 17 a group of family and friends memorialized my Mom. And just two days later was the anniversary of my Dad’s birthday. And he died over 35 years ago. So, yeah. I dr...

The short speeches were over. The room was put back in order. And the leftovers, sound system, and other ceremonial items were carried out, packed into cars, and driven away. So, all that was left of this celebration of my Mom’s life was the spreading the ashes part. My younger brother suggested “the old farm” where our family had lived decades before. And the rest of us agreed t...

Today was the day. Friends and family spent time together, in the little town of Gardner, Kansas, celebrating Mom. She died on February 11 of this year (2021) and left the aches and pains of this world to go live in Heaven. And I was thankful we were celebrating mom, and not just mourning. For the past several years I called Mom just about every Sunday for our weekly “catch up.” And I...

I was a big fan of the popular duo from the seventies, Loggins and Messina. And when my brother and I started actually getting paid to play music, Loggins and Messina songs were a significant part of our repertoire. They released a double album of their live performances. And that collection was called “On Stage” (go figure). And one section of the 4th side was called “Trilogy.&#...

Hey, you might not know it. But I’m a podcasting host. And the podcast is zooming up on 700 episodes. But, to most of the listening (and non-listening) world, I’m still a ghost. Yeah, I know it’s hard to believe that your ol’ palsy walsy, Tony might not be a household name all around the world. But it’s true. So, this long-suffering podcasting host has a favor to ask....

Almost 20 years ago (and it seems like last week) I wrote about the sad state of truth in this world. And what’s even sadder is…my song is even more apropos now. Real Truth is eternal. But in the here and now it obscured with blithering, withering ideologies. And it’s attacked from every angle. Ironically in the name of tolerance and acceptance. But regardless of feelings and ide...

I’ve mentioned before how I enjoyed superhero comic books when I was a kid. And I mentioned how I didn’t dive into them nearly as much as other guys I knew back then. And I bring it up, now, because it’s really something how comic book superheroes pop up even when you’re not looking for them. For example, I was looking up some hawk and dove information, today, and *pop*&#82...

Life. Love. And freedom. Hope. Bread. And water. Joy. And a rock-solid promise. Yeah, I’ve definitely got something to sing about. And when I say “sing,” that’s how I cheer. Because, for me, singing is the best form of celebration. So you might ask, “Well, what IS this something to sing about” And I might answer, “Well, well, well…I’m not goin&...

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” If you’re a principled person, or if you’re someone who knows the difference between good and evil, you’ve probably heard that quote by Edmund Burke. Or did Eddie actually come up with that one? Hmm, there appears to be some good evidence he didn’t. And, it’s a great way to say yo...

Elgielene and I were driving down the highway the other day, and we saw a small herd of longhorn cattle. And we both commented on how healthy they looked. We could tell it was at least partly because they were grazing in greener pastures than other cows in the area. But that didn’t stop one of the cows from poking its head way through the fence to graze on the other side. And that made me th...

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” You’ve heard that more than once I bet. And it sure applies to Christian doctrinal differences. Because I see it more and more, with each passing year, how Christians put words and actions into God’s mouth and hands that He didn’t (and doesn’t) do and say. In other words… There’s a ton of what...

John Lennon, that slightly famous Beatles guy, once said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. And I actually think he might’ve been taken a little out of context by reporters and fans at the time. Because I’ve checked into what he said, and it appeared to not be a statement made out of arrogance. But the way it was blown out of proportion highlights the connection between influenc...

Oh, the dreadful misery. The likes of which the world might never see again. And it’s a miracle anything or anyone survived it. Of course, I’m talking about the Dark Ages of the world of art. It was the time of Homer. And the fall of Troy…say it ain’t so, Ma. And the golden Mycenean culture had basically faded away. Innovation did, too. Or so they (and who are they?) say. B...

They sure had some silly lyrics in the hits from the 50’s. For the most part it was one innocent song of love after another. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing – You Make Me Feel So Young – When I Fall In Love – I Only Have Eyes For You – Those are just a few of the top 100 hits from the 50’s. Of course you had the occasional less than innocent song, too. After all...

Sometimes people ask me why I spend so much effort writing “Christian stuff” instead of just writing “more popular music.” And the short answer is, because there’s so much of the “popular stuff” that’s anti-God. So, there’s an urgent need to offset it with strong Christian words and music. The longer answer is “Christian stuff” will...

Do you speak Psalms? And how fluent is your Hymns? Or what about Spiritualese? What’s that you say? You don’t speak any of those languages? And you don’t even believe they ARE languages. Well, I guess, technically, they aren’t languages. But you could speak to me in any one of them if you’d start with a melody in your heart. But you can’t speak to me that way if...

OK, this is a manly post. So, women are only allowed as long as they intend to use the information to help the men in their lives. Are we clear? Good. Let’s proceed… As I was searching for some clothes, online, yesterday, an ad popped up (who’d’ve thunk it) with a reference to manly clothes. And I thought, “Hey, that’s definitely me. I’d better check this...

Ode to Joy is a musical and spiritual alloy. Even if Ludwig didn’t mean it that way. And of course, I’m talking about Beethoven’s Symphony #9. Or at least a section of it. If you wanna give your brain a revitalizing vacation, listen to the whole symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3217H8JppI  Or you can go to the Ode section here: Imagine composing an Ode to Joy when you&#...

He said he had a dream where he heard Mexican trumpets. And I guess that’s how they became such a recognizable part of his hit song, “Ring of Fire.” In fact, it went to number 1 on March 25, 1963. And it stayed there for seven weeks. Not bad for a guy whose last name was Cash but was born into a family who didn’t have loads of it. Johnny Cash made “Ring of Fire”...

Different people don’t tend to get along so well. Have you noticed that? And history books denote sections of time, most often, using wars as markers. And almost all of those wars were between different peoples. Although it could be argued that America’s own civil war runs contrary to that assertion. But it doesn’t diminish my point. Which is how the basic issues of society haven...