Rhyme and Reason with Tony Funderburk

They, whoever they are, say that patience is a virtue. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. I have a lot of room for improvement in that area. How ’bout you? If so, what if I told you God is willing and can help you be patient? Interested? First, I bet you don’t always lett God help you be patient with all. Because you’re human. And you fail and fall. Just has all the re...

I wrote and produced a small voice song. But it was based on the greatest life in the universe. Yeah, God doesn’t need the destructive forces of nature to show His power. He doesn’t create the chaos in the world to display His majesty. In fact, He communicates most effectively with a still small voice…with anyone who’s willing to listen . And God’s voice, in these tim...

Is the moon approximately 400 times smaller than the sun? Yes. And that’s not just cool. It’s also on purpose. Because the Son of God made it that way. And not only is the moon smaller by that much… It’s also about 400 times closer to the earth than the sun. And again that’s on purpose for the same reason I mentioned before. Check out what the apostle John had this to say about how everything was...

When I was a young boy, my mom saved S&H Green Stamps. They were like rewards you get on your apps these days. Stamps a shopper received at stores, gas stations, or just about anywhere housewives shopped. Yeah, I know. “Housewives” is a politically incorrect term. But it wasn’t back then. Ah…the good old days. Especially the S&H Green Stamps good old days. Because w...

Let’s say you have a beautiful vision of a loving future where no bad people live and everybody lives forever. If that’s you, I can confidently tell you that your dreams come true. But there is a condition. Your dreams only come true if you know the Way to make that happen. About 17 years ago, I wrote a collection of lullabies for kids, even though I never raised any kids myself. But w...

Here’s a short PSA to the world. Looks can be deceiving. And what you see in this world doesn’t last forever. But grace lasts forever. And that’s how humility is a virtue. Because God gives grace to the humble. But being humble isn’t something to brag about. Yeah, that sort of cancels out your humility. It’s OK to be confident. In fact, if you’re a Christian, yo...

I’m sure you’ll disagree with me when I say this. But I’m so not cool. And this might be the biggest reason… I’ve never done any cool drugs. Not even pot. OK, they say the first step to healing is admitting you have a problem. So, that’s a load off my mind. And I can see my audience dwindle as they run to find another much cooler dude to follow. G’bye everyone. It’s b...

Just imagine if God said something like this: I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death , blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live… Wow, that almost sounds like God says you can choose between life and death. But there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians, who say that everyt...

“Everything has already been said a million times over!” “Not exactly the way you can say it,” he calmly replies. “Oh shut up,” I think to myself. I’ve never had that conversation while sitting alone at my desk. Well, not more than a million times over. When I finish one of those conversations,  I get my hands back on my Macbook keyboard and start typing....

So many so-called pro athletes, movie stars, musicians and other artsy fartsy freakazoids are full of angst and aggression these days. And I’m not saying they don’t have a good reason. But I DO say their angst and aggression sure sounds stupid most of the time. And I’m talking about the ones who make millions of dollars for just playing with a ball, or memorizing lines, or looking good...

It grows from ignorance and selfishness. It spreads, like kudzu, in the minds of fools who claim that hate only exists in others. I’m talking about hypocrisy. Unfortunately hypocrisy tends to be invisible to the hypocrite. And that’s partly why hate grows, like a weed, in this world. OK, now that I’ve rained on the parade, I’ll share some positive news. God’s love is greater than...

“Gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues. And you know it don’t come easy.” If you’re old enough, you might remember those lyrics from a song that Ringo Starr made famous. And another verse said, “ I don’t ask for much, I only want trust. And you know it don’t come easy.” Those lyrics popped up in my brain this week when I thought about how God tells us to “love your neighbor a...

I’ve been encouraging anybody who would read what I write and listen to what I say to remain optimistic in tough times. But I don’t just say the words. I also share why it’s not just good advice. It’s important to your health down to the marrow of your bones. Remain optimistic in tough times because the alternative should be unthinkable. The subject came up in my thoughts t...

Yeah, your life is your own, and it’s unique. No one else who ever lived, is living now, or will ever live will have the same life as you. But your life is no different from anybody else’s either. Confused? I’ll explain. The DNA found in every cell of your body is incredibly complex and singularly yours. The chances of it existing by chance are so small (translate that into nonexistent), you&#8217...

It’s true. Tomorrow is a concept. Not a reality. If someone came to you asking for a ride because their car broke down, would you tell them to come back tomorrow? Probably not. Right? What if they needed to borrow money, and you have plenty you could lend? Would you tell them to wait until tomorrow? Hmm, that’s a little different. Or is it? There’s a place in the Bible where it s...

Healthy life. Peaceful life. Wealthy life. Joyful life. Do any (or all) of those describe you in your life? If not, my first question is: Do you love your neighbor after you love yourself first? Yeah, I said after you love yourself first. I started thinking about something I wrote somewhere around 10 years ago after I read the second half of Paul’s letter to the Philippians this morning. It ties i...

Just because some authoritative power makes a rule doesn’t make the rule a good one, a just one, or a fair one. In fact, many rules, policies, and laws are downright bad. But you gotta think and ponder and examine to know which rules are good and which are bad. Before you decide to break rules you’d better be sure you’re on the right side. But is that possible? Short answer is ye...

By the Grace of God I’ve enjoyed a life filled with music, singing, and songwriting. I’ve been all over the country because of my ability to carry a tune. And I say by the Grace of God because I’ve been a miserable failure in so many other ways…so many times. God never saw fit to take my gifts away. For some reason He still trusts me with them… Even though I’ve...

Yeah, maybe you never thought about it this way. Because maybe you don’t think about how God hates. I know most Christians wanna focus on how much he loves. And that’s fine. Well, ironically His love is why He hates. And here are 7 things God hates : A proud look A lying tongue Hands that shed innocent blood A heart that devises wicked plans Feet that are swift in running to evil A false witness w...

Let’s say you’re gonna write a book about what subject where you might be considered an expert. Or maybe you’re going to paint a work of art in a medium where everyone considers you the number one artist. In other words, you’ve got a project that you want to make as awesome as it can be. And you’ve got six days to get it done so you come up with your own six days of c...

We’re all alone in the dark universe. When you read that, does it bring on anxiety, depression, and a deep, drowning sense of dread? Yeah, me neither. I’ve never felt that way a day in my life. Because I have a secret weapon. I bet you do too. And I know how special our little, blue planet is. Sure, we’re alone in the dark universe. But we’re not alone. And that’s not...

I read how some F innish, A merican, and B ritish researchers (I’ll call ’em the FAB team) used a technique called sonification to “hear” how certain proteins function. Those researchers believe “listening” to proteins, and how they work, might help doctors discover and treat diseases more effectively. Sonification occurs when composed music and mathematical alg...

I’ve shared the story before how my younger brother and I lived with my grandparents, my dad’s parents, for a little while. This was way back closer to the middle of the last century. In Norman, Oklahoma. And my parents were getting divorced. So my dad made sure my brother and I had a stable home to stay in while they went through the process. And that’s where I first learned abo...

I saw this headline on a social media platform today: Podcast Host Calls White Evangelical Christianity a Cancer – And I could not believe how badly they misspelled the word blessing. I mean, cancer doesn’t even remotely look like blessing. So how could they mix those words up so badly? Because I’m sure they meant to say white evangelical Christianity is a blessing. At least if t...

Have you ever read the list of the perils of Paul? It’s an epic list, to say the least. And it was because he shared the unvarnished, hard truth. About the only peril preachers, in probably 99% of American churches, face these days is obesity. And my guess is, that’s not because they’re sharing that same unvarnished, hard truth in God’s word. Here’s the list of the pe...