Rhyme and Reason with Tony Funderburk

I’m gonna rant and rave. And, although I can’t speak for him (especially since he’s got other things on his mind besides music, these days) I think Buddy Holly would back me up on this. If you’ve never heard of Buddy Holly, or don’t know any of his music, that reference is gonna be way over your ears. Anyway… My rant and rave is about your rants and raves. Well,...

If you’re old enough to remember back to the 60’s, or maybe even 50’s, you know full well that life is short. Right? I mean, how could it already have been this many years since then? If your memory goes back that far, you probably remember life being a lot simpler. And nicer. And sensibler (I know that’s not a word, but I wanted to make it fit in. So there.) But if you&#82...

I love how I can charge up my mobile devices and take them with me and use them for hours without even plugging in. Because it would be awful if I had to take a gas-powered generator with me everywhere. And keep it running while I got my work done. Can you visualize a bunch of remote workers, in coffee shops trying to talk (or think) over all that racket? But there ARE some crude oil advantages ov...

Oh yeah. You better believe I’m gettin’ my fair share. And I don’t care how many rich people have to ante up till I get it. Because I’m an American. And I want my piece of the American dream. I earned it. It’s my birthright as an American citizen. And, by golly, I’m gonna get it. So, I’m gonna vote for candidates who’ll make sure I get my fair share....

If I’m elected, I’ll do my best to restore whirled peas. And bring hominy to every household. Because, c’mon people. Can’t we all just get along? After all, we’re one race. So, that’s a great starting point. And speaking of whirled peas and hominy. Let’s talk about how segregation can be a useful tool. That shouldn’t offend anybody. Right? Hello? Hey...

I worked in a disco. Yep. It’s true. I was a bartender. And I also worked as what they called a “floorwalker.” That was one of the guys who (you guess it) walked around the floor to make sure they were having a good time and behaving. And at the end of the night, I sang Better Off Dead. (Are you with me so far?) I didn’t sing Better Off Dead every night. But it was often. A...

It’s the story of a lilypad, lake, a frog, and a snake. And it shows how what you think about yourself isn’t necessarily what anyone (or everyone) else thinks about you. This lilypad lake story starts out like this: So, once there was a lilypad that no frog ever used. You wouldn’t think a lilypad could get its feelings bruised. But sure enough this lilypad cried to itself each ni...

You can learn to fly. And it won’t cost you lots of money for oodles of hours of training. AND you’ll be able to fly up to the sky much faster than technology can take your text across the globe. What do you say? Interested? All you gotta do, to be able to fly up to the sky like that, is learn from your mistakes. Uh-oh. The proverbial fly in the ointment. Right? Because humans seem to...

Dream Town. I remember playing a multi-timbral sound on my fairly new Korg Triton keyboard several years ago. And the ethereal setting immediately set my imagination in motion. It was one of those magical moments songwriters love almost as much as anything. At least I do. And that particular moment took me to Dream Town. If you’re a songwriter, you know what I mean when I say the song flowed...

Several years ago I shared an old love song I wrote. It wasn’t for anyone in particular. I guess it was sort of a culmination of feelings and thoughts from different relationships. But I’d be willing to bet this melancholy art is a reflection of more than just MY experiences. I’m sharing the lyrics to this melancholy art, down below. And I’m gonna share the only recording I have...

Huey shared the news back in the 80’s. Jennifer Rush wrote about it back in 1984. And Céline Dion repeated Jennifer’s message in 1994. That message was about the power of love. And people evidently were open to the idea. Because they all had big hits with their songs. But none of them had a clue about the never-ending power of love. And, of course, I don’t mean the power of love...

The butterfly effect and chaos theory originated in hopeless minds. There. I said it. And it’s up to you to convince me I’m wrong. Otherwise, I’m right. But just because those minds were hopeless doesn’t mean there’s not an infinite amount of reasons to remain hopeful. Far from it. The butterfly effect doesn’t account for Truth. And truth provides the conclusion...

It’s so sad that so many people believe you can kill a little boy or girl just because of how they look or where they live. And I mean the very youngest boys and girls. The most innocent boys and girls. The boys and girls who can’t even fight for themselves. Can’t even say a word. And, of course, I mean the tiny boys and girls that cellular biology shows exist from the moment of...

Habitual liars just make up stuff as they go along. I think we can all agree on that. Right? But what we might not agree on are the lies. Most everyone who subscribes to my blog, emails, The Power of God’s Love Podcast, YouTube channel, or social media profiles has similar worldviews. But maybe you’re different. Maybe you’ll be the one who disagrees with what I’m about to m...

When I led the praise and worship music, at a church in the greater Denver area, I made sure to include old hymns. Because so many of those “old songs” have such meaningful depth. And one of them has remained so popular, through the years, it was even sung by Elvis. How Great Thou Art was originally written back in the 1800’s. I kept recordings from some of those hymns. And I eve...

When I was a mere lad, back in the ol’ country (America, pre-lamebrainian era), the only people who had tattoos were some servicemen and hardcore bar rats. And you just didn’t see the average Joe or Jane with that “unspeakable” everlasting art on their bodies. Fast forward into the present, and Katy bar the door. Everlasting skin art is everywhere. Men. Women. Young. Old. A...

T shirt ideas have consequences. Especially if “people are offended” by what the shirt says. And I mention this because of a video someone shared on a social media channel. The short description, for the video, said, “I automatically assumed this was overseas, but it’s right here in America.” And, when I checked it out, it was definitely right here in America. At the...

Do you feel like you live in a mighty strange world. If you believe this world, and all living things, were created instead of manipulated by chance, you probably do. At least I hope so. I do. This is a strange world that’s only getting stranger right now. If you’re a Christian, you might have heard some say we believers are like strangers in a strange world or strange land. And that&#...

Today, America is a messed up vision. A shadow of its former somewhat shadowy self. Because right and wrong is a concept blurred by propaganda. And good and bad are now in the “eye of the beholder.” So, those who run America ( and that’s probably not the politicians) don’t learn from their mistakes. They think they’re wise. But they’re fools . I talked about thi...

My wife became a certified health coach several years ago. And one of the key things her instructor mentioned, that hit home with me, was that self care is the best healthcare. There’s a ton of rhyme and reason to that assertion. And a friend of mine shared a link, in her social media feed, to an article about Walgreen’s and CVS drugstores. The article talked about how those companies...

Favor and grace sound favorable and gracious to me. But maybe I’m just being too literal. And maybe those words aren’t conducive to your ability, or willingness, to sharing information about eternity. And maybe I should clarify why I’m bringing this up. First, here’s a quote from a king who lived a long time ago in a land far, far away. “As iron sharpens iron, so a ma...

This week, back in 1979, I lived and worked in Houston, Texas. My brother and I had established ourselves as one of the more popular music duos. And we had fans we could depend on to come see us as we performed all around the city. It was quite an experience for me. Actually making a living playing live music. But my brother and I didn’t remain one of those popular music duos. Our personalit...

Cowboys and ranch hands ain’t the only ones who have to mend some fences once in a while. Regular guys who say the wrong thing (yes, it happens) need a good way to do that with their wives or girlfriends, too. So, how do you do it? Well, roses are almost perfect. They’re beautiful, they smell nice, and women love them. Why? Because they’re beautiful and they smell nice. Duh! And...

One hundred and nineteen years ago, today, at approximately 10:35 in the morning, a couple of guys became household names. Well, it didn’t actually happen immediately. But once they did what they did, they were never gonna be forgotten. Because they literally flew off in the right direction. And things would never be the same. I said, “the right direction,” but… Maybe I sho...

Tomorrow is not the time to start something new. Because tomorrow is a concept. Because humans need that concept to help us understand the flowing of time. And even though it helps to include tomorrow in your understanding of time, it never actually gets here. Then, on the other hand, tomorrow is already here. On the other side of the world at the international date line area. But those people who...