Category Archives: Rhyme and Reason

Enjoy & understand the rhyme and reason for your life with author, voice expert, and multimedia guy, Tony Funderburk.

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There’s a real good reason to tell the truth anytime it’s possible. Lies are like quicksand. Because they’re so much harder to remember. Especially when you use them all the time.

Even though lies are like quicksand, sometimes it’s good to lie.

Yeah, I said that.

Oh, you want me to prove it?

OK. How about when people were hiding Jews from Nazis. German troops might bust into the house Of someone hiding Jews and demand to know if there were any Jews there. And it was a good thing when those people answered back, boldly, in their face, with a lie.

Same thing was true when people were hiding slaves during the Civil War. If soldiers asked if there were any slaves there, they could lie and say “no” and not be sinning. It was for the protection of a life.

But if you lie just to get away with things, you’re in danger of hurting yourself and others. And lies usually turn into more lies. And the more lies you have to remember, the more likely you are to forget what you said. That’s why lies are like quicksand, pulling you down and down and down.

It’s despicable how most politicians don’t understand this. And this truth never changes.

So…be truthful. Keep things simple.

I wrote some lyrics about this…almost 30 years ago. These words are about a failing relationship. But the principle still applies…

Tell The Truth

We tiptoe around the trouble spots.
We’re skirting the main issues.
We end up wasting lots of breath
And using lots of tissues.

Why can’t we learn to open up
And say just what we mean?
I think we should all learn to talk
Instead of acting out a scene.

Tell the truth
Why don’t we?
Tell the truth.
We should all
Tell the truth.
Get if off your chest
Tell the truth.
Truth is for the best.

It seems we take turns pacing.
Then we stay in separate rooms.
Then the rooms become our prisons,
And the prisons turn to tombs.

I don’t want to waste a moment
Cause each moment is a day
And each day becomes a lifetime
When our faces turn away.

Tell the truth…  © 1987  TF

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I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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Ape man. That’s a mutually exclusive oxymoron. You can find a man. You can find an ape. But you go ape and never find an ape man. Because there never were any. And there never will be any.

And that claim makes a lot of people go ape.

But it ain’t just my knucklehead opinion. It’s a claim backed by over a hundred years of studies, archaeology, and research. And, for over a century, there have been studies of skulls and teeth by people trying to prove evolution is true. And, at best, they’ve come up with inconclusive interpretations. But those could easily be interpreted other ways. How ‘bout we go ape with some examples?

Have you ever heard of the “Piltdown man?” Even though “he” was in textbooks for over 40 years, it has been proved to be a hoax. How about “Nebraska man?” Did you know “his” story was made up, too? Yep, and it all revolved around a pig’s tooth? Bet you didn’t learn that in any of your schoolbooks. Let’s not leave out “Java man.” Especially since I’m a Java fan.

40 years after discovering “Java man”, Eugene Dubois admitted it was an ape, sorta like a large gibbon. Dubois had held back other thigh bone parts found in the same area. Why don’t these so-called scientists and archaeologists evolve better tactics?

Yeesh. Talk about an actual ape man.

Anyway…

There are some other famous discoveries with the name “man.” And they’ve all been debunked. All. In fact, there’s NO fossil evidence that proves man evolved from ape. And there are no ape man fossils. None. And obviously not for lack of looking. They’re just not there.

I remember listening to a video of a small group of 4 job applicants respond to the question “How did you get here?”  The first one said, “From mom and dad.” The next two said “Hmm…I guess the big bang.” And only one said, “I was created.” So, what does that say about our education system in America? Well, you might think we have a great education system, but as for me…

I’d say it’s nothing to go ape over, man.

Would you like to discover many more reasons why evolution doesn’t explain our existence? I recommend Walt Brown’s book “In The Beginning.” Every homeschooler should have this book. And you should, too.

Why do space, time, and matter…matter?
Is it all just some idle chatter?
No, you’ll be in for certain hurtin’
If you don’t raise the blinding curtain.
You will see the Creator, later.
Put your trust in the Mediator.   © 2020 TF

OK, now take a second and…

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I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

Stay tuned,

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Normal people ain’t cool these days. And that’s too bad. Because they used to be. Here’s an example of what I mean. Quite a few years back, my father-in-law mentioned how he mowed the lawn for “an old lady” down the street. For free. Not as part of business or anything like that. He was already retired. No, he just did it to help her out. Because she didn’t have any children or other family dropping in on her to help. So, my father-in-law just did what “normal people” used to do.

But nope. Normal people ain’t cool no mo, bro.

And I know using the term “bro” isn’t even cool anymore. (I never cared for it anyway, but…)

  • People who just wanna “sit and visit” with neighbors with a glass of lemonade or tea.
  • And people who don’t wanna sit around telling dirty jokes while they “watch the game.”
  • And people who don’t have tattoos from head to toe.

Yeah, those all used to be normal people. But that ain’t cool now.

And there’s only one thing more important than being cool. No wait. There’s nothing more important than being cool. ‘Cause coolness is the ticket to paradise. Right? Coolness gets you in “all the right places.” Seen with “all the right peeps.” So with all your getting, get cool. Nix normal. Normal is so 20th Century. It’s so silver screen, so it ain’t cool. And it’s only for the boring bourgeois. Oops. Bourgeois is probably too normal. So, I might have just revealed my numbskull normalcy (aka normality). If so, so be it. Give me the old norm over the so-called “new norm” any day, week, month, or year.

Does it make me your enemy if my norm doesn’t match yours?

Probably. Because people are so easily offended these day. And they’re so quick to anger. And so slow to wisdom. But guess what? That’s not new. You might believe you’re part of the cream of the cause du jour. But you’re only doing what human beings have done for thousands of years. Rebelling against God.

And I know the “cool peeps” aren’t gonna listen to a knucklehead from the old norm, like me. But your rebellion against God won’t go well for you. So, I urge you to spend a little less time on tattoos and tough talk and a lot more time working on wisdom.

Hey! What was that? Looked like a tiny bee. Oh wait. No, it was my words going in one ear and out the other.

Normal people used to smile and then say hi
When they saw you on the sidewalk passing by.
But nowadays I guess that kind of stuff’s not cool.
If you do it, they’ll all know that you’re old school.
So, remember when you go somewhere today,
There ain’t nothin’ that you need to do or say
To acknowledge anybody you might see.
Just be cool because it’s all you need to be.

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,
Tony Funderburk signature logo

Normal people ain’t cool these days. And that’s too bad. Because they used to be. Here’s an example of what I mean. Quite a few years back, my father-in-law mentioned how he mowed the lawn for “an old lady” down the street. For free. Not as part of business or anything like that. He was already retired. No, he just did it to help her out. Because she didn’t have any children or other family dropping in on her to help. So, my father-in-law just did what “normal people” used to do.

But nope. Normal people ain’t cool no mo, bro.

And I know using the term “bro” isn’t even cool anymore. (I never cared for it anyway, but…)

  • People who just wanna “sit and visit” with neighbors with a glass of lemonade or tea.
  • And people who don’t wanna sit around telling dirty jokes while they “watch the game.”
  • And people who don’t have tattoos from head to toe.

Yeah, those all used to be normal people. But that ain’t cool now.

And there’s only one thing more important than being cool. No wait. There’s nothing more important than being cool. ‘Cause coolness is the ticket to paradise. Right? Coolness gets you in “all the right places.” Seen with “all the right peeps.” So with all your getting, get cool. Nix normal. Normal is so 20th Century. It’s so silver screen, so it ain’t cool. And it’s only for the boring bourgeois. Oops. Bourgeois is probably too normal. So, I might have just revealed my numbskull normalcy (aka normality). If so, so be it. Give me the old norm over the so-called “new norm” any day, week, month, or year.

Does it make me your enemy if my norm doesn’t match yours?

Probably. Because people are so easily offended these day. And they’re so quick to anger. And so slow to wisdom. But guess what? That’s not new. You might believe you’re part of the cream of the cause du jour. But you’re only doing what human beings have done for thousands of years. Rebelling against God.

And I know the “cool peeps” aren’t gonna listen to a knucklehead from the old norm, like me. But your rebellion against God won’t go well for you. So, I urge you to spend a little less time on tattoos and tough talk and a lot more time working on wisdom.

Hey! What was that? Looked like a tiny bee. Oh wait. No, it was my words going in one ear and out the other.

Normal people used to smile and then say hi
When they saw you on the sidewalk passing by.
But nowadays I guess that kind of stuff’s not cool.
If you do it, they’ll all know that you’re old school.
So, remember when you go somewhere today,
There ain’t nothin’ that you need to do or say
To acknowledge anybody you might see.
Just be cool because it’s all you need to be.

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,
Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I’m gonna share a Tuesday poem with you. But only if you promise to share it with your kids or grandkids. Deal? OK, great.

But I’ve got a couple of things to say before I share the Tuesday poem.

Yeah, you didn’t think I would just write a poem about Tuesday and send you on your merry way, did you? Naw, That just ain’t my way. If you’ve been around here before, you already know that.

Anyway…

As I’ve read the Bible, throughout my several decades of life, I’ve noticed how God expects men and women to show some humility. And, if you’ve been awake (Not woke), you no doubt have noticed that most people don’t really wanna do that.

And that’s a big reason why most people won’t experience eternal paradise. Most!

What a sad and tragic thought that is.

But the human race was infected with selfishness right from the start. Adam and Eve listened to, and acted on, the advice of the most selfish creature in existence. Let’s call him satan. But only because that’s his deserved name. I don’t capitalize his name because he doesn’t deserve it.

And because of selfishness, satan believed he should be number one instead of God. So, he started his plan to usurp God’s authority right there in the garden of Eden, paradise on Earth. Thankfully, God loves us enough to thwart satan‘s plans and offer the Way out of his influence. And I guess, in a way, You could say satan is the “inspiration” for this Tuesday poem. I think you’ll see what I mean…

 First Day of The Week

Tuesday thought he was the first day of the week.
Others waved and smiled, but Tuesday would not speak.
He thought the sun rose just for him
‘Cause he was tall and sleek and slim.
He didn’t know it’s not about a day’s physique.

Tuesday thought the other days had moved away.
He called out and none of them would come to play.
But then the others came to chat.
They said, “Tuesday, you’re such a brat,
And here’s a couple more things we came here to say…

Monday really is the first day of the week,
But without you everything would look so bleak,
‘Cause seven is the right amount.
So, every one of us still count.
Now, Tuesday thinks that being second day is chic.   © 2013 TF

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the life-changing power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Read, listen to, and watch entertaining stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect today.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Play

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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 says if you’re able to help someone, don’t hold back. And don’t wait till tomorrow. Do your good deeds today.

Because tomorrow is a concept.

You never actually get to it. And it might seem like a small detail. But it’s important enough to be included in the Bible.

When you’re able to help your neighbor, that’s a great way to “love your neighbor.” And if you’re a Christian, loving your neighbor is one of the main things God asks you to do. So, why would you wait till tomorrow? What’s gonna be different tomorrow? No, it’s important to live in today. Love in today. Act today. Don’t believe that nonsense that says “no good deeds go unpunished.”

Because this world doesn’t want your good deeds.

So, trust God to be faithful. He knows your heart. And He knows where your true treasures are.

If someone asks you for help today, and if you’re able to give them that help, give it. Today if possible, since tomorrow is a concept. You won’t be able to give them the help tomorrow. And it’s not a matter of doing good deeds for the sake of deeds. It’s a matter of your heart. And it’s a great way to have a healthy heart. So, is your heart healthy toward others? Here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Give your help to someone who needs.
Have a good heart. It’s love that feeds.
What you do now is planting seeds.
It’s so much more than just good deeds.

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Happy Resurrection Day 2026. Today won’t be as glorious as the original. And it won’t be as glorious as the next resurrection day. But I hope it is a day filled with your full acknowledgment of the amazing grace available to anyone who truly wants it.

Resurrection Day

There’s a story you might know
Of a man who was killed some time ago.
He did nothing that was wrong,
But some people made Him suffer for so long.
Still there’s good news you can learn
‘Cause He died to give you what you’ll never earn.
He was nailed up on a cross,
But the people didn’t understand the loss.
Then they took Him to a tomb,
And they laid His lifeless body in that room,
But the story didn’t end there.
There would only be a day He would spend there. © 2007 TF

Happy Resurrection Day 2026.

He died and rose again to show you and me how we’ll be able to do that, too. And I gotta say, after the previous year I’ve had, I’m looking forward to that resurrection. Because then I won’t be attached to this broken, dysfunctional, sinful body forevermore. And I can only imagine how incredible that will feel. Although the apostle Paul said that what we have now isn’t even worthy to be compared to what’s coming.

That being said, I’m still SO grateful and thankful to be here and be able to share the power of God’s love with anyone who will read or listen to what I have to say. On that note, if you haven’t already, take a second right now and…

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

For about 10 to 12 years of my life there was only one person, in the whole world, that I saw year round. And that was my younger brother. Our parents divorced when I was about four years old. And after a couple of years they lived about 1000 miles apart. So they had to figure out a way for my brother and me to spend time with both of them. And I think that’s part of the reason why we both learned to improvise for real life so well.

Our dad taught us how to improvise for real life, too.

And one thing he taught us led me to send a picture of something, I found on the ground, to my younger brother. Before I tell you what that was I gotta mention how he and I had a falling out and didn’t even see each other for about 15 to 18 years. Sadly, we don’t share the same worldview, but at least we reconnected a couple of years ago. And now we chat regularly, through messaging apps, and even see each other occasionally.

Our most recent chat, this morning, started with a picture I sent my brother of a lead weight for balancing tires. I spotted it during a walk with Elgielene. And I told her that I bet my brother would recall what we did in our lives that would make me send him that picture. Sure enough, he replied with “melting down for fishing weights.”

When he and I used to ride with my dad, in his step-van delivery truck, dad told us to keep our eyes open at every stop sign in red light. Because you could almost always find those balancing weights laying next to the curb or somewhere close. When we had a good-size collection of them, the three of us would melt down the lead and pour it into old spoons to make weights for our saltwater fishing rod and reels.

My brother then reminded me of how he and I used to collect matchbooks. And we got a very large collection with a wide variety of styles and logos. The collection would probably be worth some money now. A lot of of them we found the same way that we found those lead weights, standing in the door of dad’s delivery truck. Others we just found along whatever path we were taking to get from someplace to another.

Then I remembered another story of improvisation.

When we were about 12 and 10, we lived in Pasadena, Texas, only about 12 miles from the San Jacinto Monument. And one day we decided to take a bike ride there with a couple of our friends. So, we headed out, rode to the monument, spent some time there checking things out, and then decided it was time to go home.

But being still somewhat young, we hadn’t planned well enough with water and food. And we didn’t have any money left. And we only made it a few miles back toward home before getting very tired. We figured we’d better call dad to come pick us up with his step-van. So, one of us got a flat, but nobody had even a dime to make a call. We made it to a gas station, looked around for coins, and found a penny. Then we took turns scraping the penny on the asphalt until it was small enough to fit into the payphone like a dime.

We made the call, dad came and picked us up (only a little perturbed with us), and we all lived to tell the story.

After we chatted about that story, my brother and I recalled our improvised polo games on our stingray bicycles using baseball bats and aluminum cans. More than once, somebody ended up with bruised legs or feet.

Then we listed how we rode around on homemade go-karts that dad built using lawnmower motors for power. Plus, he showed us how to fly our kites using our saltwater rods and reels to reel in the kites. We were the envy of the block.

And what do you do when there’s no real fog to play hide and seek in?

That’s right. You improvise.

And we did every time the mosquito spray trucks would come around and dispense all that DDT fog. Yeah, we even lived to tell that story. Go figure.

Then there were what we called the Honda Hills, where we rode our bicycles first. And eventually rode motorbikes of one kind or another. And that little spot also had a funky little pond where we would go fishing with dad sometimes.

We agreed that we definitely had it better, and had a lot more fun, than kids who spend their days and nights glued to the so-called games on their smartphones and other devices. Plus, it gave us an encyclopedia of these irreplaceable glory stories.

Nowadays, you might hear a kid say that an app isn’t working right, so they have to improvise. But back then we had to improvise for real life. And sometimes it meant the difference between getting a ride or walking a bike for miles and miles.

I bet you have some stories like that, too. If so, I hope you’re like me and you thank God for that wonderful time of your life. We were truly blessed to be challenged in those ways. I wish more kids could experience that kind of America now. But I doubt if we ever see those kinds of days again here in America.

So, cherish the day AND your good memories. And I’ll talk to you again soon. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be…

Down By The Creek Bank

Down by the creek bank…
Sittin’ on a tree stump…
Listenin’ to the birds sing…
Lookin’ at a frog jump…
Thinkin’ lots of nice thoughts…
Sippin’ on a sweet tea…
Writin’ down a few words…
When they come and greet me…
Watchin’ little squirrels run…
Climbin’ up the oak trees…
Lyin’ in the green grass…
Waitin’ for a cool breeze…
Stayin’ till it’s twilight…
Catchin’ me a firefly…
Down by the creek bank…
Life is passin’ by.   © 2013 TF

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotionaldelivered to your inbox for free.

I share it with believers who want to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Spend your time reading, listening, and watching good stuff based on the power of God’s love instead of looking for it. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,

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