Tony Funderburk Archives - Tony Funderburk

Elgielene is visiting her sister this week. Because they’re gonna celebrate their birthdays (which are 2 days apart) together, along with a niece who’s birthday is the same as Elgielene’s. Normally, I wouldn’t bring it up. But yesterday two items popped up on my devices that made it seem like maybe I’m not alone. So, I quickly checked all the dozens of bedrooms and ba...

Your safe place isn’t. Because there’s no safe place on Earth. Sure, there ARE places that, on a certain level, are safer than others. That’s just when it comes to the most violent and in-your-face crimes. But there’s nowhere on this planet that isn’t wicked. You can’t get away from it even in the small towns. And that’s where you used to be able to leave...

I certainly appreciate the most important things in life. I’m sure you can relate. Great computer, phone, and tablet. Several devices to watch videos and stream content. Internet access to a world so vast I’ll never see or hear it all. As a pre-teen and teenager, my family called me “technical Tony.” They didn’t always mean it as a term of endearment. But let’s not go there...

It makes me mad how some people feel a deep-down, dastardly need to rule over others. Yeah, for them, rule number one is “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” But that rule number one only lasts a little while. I know you realize we have a very short time here on planet earth. There’s a one-to-one ration of births to deaths. And nobody gets out of this life any other way....

I wrote a rhyme called Face to Face. And it talked about how glorious it’ll be when you see Jesus in person. It WILL be indescribably beautiful and wonderful. Believers will experience all of God’s love for eternity. I also wrote a song, as a tribute, to a young man who died of cancer a few years ago. The song is called “Jeremiah’s Prayer.” I took poetic license with...

Here’s a quote that was included in a meme I saw being shared on social media this week. It said, “Do everything with a good heart and expect nothing in return, and you will never be disappointed.” Seems like a “nice” Hallmark greeting card. But it falls flat. Because you don’t have a good heart. Now, don’t get your feelings hurt. Neither do I. And neither...

There’s no such thing as actual transgender. Sure, you can make up words and apply whatever touchy feely definitions you devise in your own mind. But just saying it doesn’t make it true. You can identify. But it doesn’t change your identity. And Christians should know that better than anyone. So, it seems almost unthinkable that someone who call himself a Christian would also &#8...

You don’t have to look far to find a financial “guru” who has the solution to your retirement income problems. And they often say your future security depends on your present investments. But the future they talk about is chicken feed. Tiny grains of sand in the amount of time you have ahead of you. So, most of the talk about future security is a whisper in the wind. I should mak...

Well, it’s all over but the whinin’. Yeah, for all intents and purposes, July is done. And is it just me, or does it seem like  there were more than a couple of hot days this month? Yeah, probably just me. OK, July is done. But you know what that means. Uh-huh. August, with its brisk, sweater weather days and frost-biting nights. Oh wait. Darn grammar checker. That was supposed to be b...

If you could carry around something invisible that could almost immediately transport you across the world, you’d do it. Right? Well, you’ve got something like that. And you have a way to access it almost anytime you like. Your phone or tablet or laptop give you access to something invisible. And magical. And you probably already use it, like that, in some way or another. But maybe not...

“It has a very hypnotic groove, a samba, which has a tremendous hypnotic power, rather like good dance music. It doesn’t speed up or slow down. It keeps this constant groove. Plus, the actual samba rhythm is a great one to sing on, but it’s also got some other suggestions in it, an undercurrent of being primitive. Because it is a primitive African, South American, Afro-whatever-you-cal...

I’m the only byline author here on TonyFunderburk.com. And, of course, that makes sense since the website bears my name. In case you’re not familiar with journalism jargon, a byline is just a title of the article and who wrote it, who it’s “by.” And so I’m the byline author of this whole website. So, whether it’s blame or credit that’s dished out or...

I’ve talked about the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting and producing team before when I shared some info about The Supremes and their hit song, “I Hear A Symphony.” And they had another hit, 60 years ago this month, with the song, “Heat Wave,” performed by Martha and the Vandellas. Martha’s version was a number 1 hit. Then, Linda Rondstat had a number 5 hit wi...

Ok, all seriousness aside. My brain thinks in rhymes. Not 24 hours a day. But certainly every day. My wife will tell you about (or rather ask you to save her from) my daily rhymes. She’s been with me over 30 years. And somehow she’s managed to stay reasonably sane. Despite all my iambic pentameter parameter But my daily rhymes aren’t always cuddly and cute. Yes, I’ve writte...

Here’s a tough one, even for Christians. God is not currently in charge of this world. And again, Jesus tells us that. Three times! He WILL rule this world one day. But He currently does NOT rule. And the evidence should be as clear as the daily news. I know you literally hear, in just about every Christian circle, that you need to “trust God’s plan.” Or that you just might not understand wh...

It’s mostly just social media noise. And not actual conversation. Oh sure, I suppose if you grew up in a home where everyone yelled at each other at the same time, and called it conversation, social media seems just fine with you. But for those who prefer meaningful dialogue, it’s just social media noise. And I know that even the best communication can get noisy sometimes. But it shoul...

It was fifteen years ago, next month, that some friends of mine attempted to put together and display the largest protest sign ever. The event took place in Golden, Colorado (near Denver) to send a message to the Democratic National Convention held in that city. And, according to the Guinness Book of World Records TM they succeeded. According to American Right to Life, an abortion abolition organi...

Time travel is real. Before I explain that assertion, I’ll say this. And I’ve said it before, and maybe I’ll say it again sometime. I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of time-travel themed movies and other shows. Because it’s fun to imagine all the what-ifs. But all the what-ifs in the universe won’t make back and forth time travel a reality. So, how can I say that AND say time tr...

Update: The CD version of Do Right is currently unavailable. But you can still get the digital download at this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ZX3MBTG37Q9WA Do you know a kid with a vivid imagination? That’s kind of a loaded question. Because basically ALL kids have a vivid imagination. I know I sure did when I was a kid. Yeah, my world of make...

Most every young person has them. Well, I say that as someone who was once a young person who had them. But when I was a young person, the world didn’t seem nearly as hopeless. So, it wasn’t difficult to picture my future dreams. And what I would do to help make them come true. But young people might be afraid to think about future dreams now. Because they have to deal with the daily o...

Poodle skirts. Roller skates. Hula hoops. What do they have in common? They were each the latest craze, at some point, back in the 1950’s. Then, you had The Twist, The Pony, and even the Monster Mash. Those were the “in” moves at some point in the 1960’s. Right now there’s the Distraction Dance. And it’s all the rage in political, social media, and video circles...

Imagination can be an awesome and powerful force. But it can be used for good OR evil. So, it can also be a hypocritical and destructive force. You can imagine yourself flying, on your own power, over the clouds and even through the ocean. And you can imagine no possessions in a world where everyone shares everything. And you can imagine you’re more virtuous than the next person because you...

I know you’ve been there done this. Try to sit still and feign interest while the person across from you seems to ramble on and on into the apocalyptic future. And you wonder if you locked the door at home. An image of somebody probably just popped into your mind. Right? Better not be an image of me. I’ll hunt you down and read modernist masterpieces of poetry till your ears bleed. And...

I don’t know why it is. But fat, old guys seem to be the typical Harley riders. And before you look for the page turn or delete button, I’m not gonna ramble on about fat, old guys on motorcycles. I’m sure you’ve seen your share. And you’d probably like to talk about almost anything else. So, good. How about fat, old guys walkin’ down the street? And even worse t...

Well, you can call me Tony Splendorburk. Because I meet the criteria for that title. And it took me a long time to earn it. So I’m gonna own it. That means this post is gonna contain a lot of me me me talk. But it’s really not about me. Really. First, a little back story. I’ve already lived over six decades. And I’ve got the silver/gray hair and the extra lines in my face to prove it....