Category Archives: Tony Funderburk

Tony Funderburk is THE Rhyme and Reason author, singer-songwriter. He’s written and published 30+ books for kids and adults in addition to scores of articles. And he’s composed hundreds of songs (and a couple of books) for businesses and loyal listeners.

Tens of thousands of families have enjoyed and supported his recorded music and live performances for many years. Tony believes our existence is a beautiful gift from God to each of us, including our gifts and talents.

So, we should use them to create and serve others. When you tune in to Tony Funderburk’s The Power of God’s Love Podcast, you’ll get rhymes, reasons, and songs delivered to your inbox for free. AND click here to get free songs and a book right away. And Click here to learn more about Tony’s story.

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Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of October 27-Nov 2, 2025. I shared in Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional and on the Rhyme and Reason PodcastEpisode 1012:

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Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, my ongoing Devotional for believers who prefer to focus on the power of God’s love and rightly divide the word of truth. Enjoy the flashes of light I share on my website when they come right to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, 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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The pony expressed, in the rhyme I’m gonna share today, is a figment of my imagination. And just the title will make that completely obvious.

Because real ponies (and horses) do real stuff. And a lot of that stuff is very tough. And, just as a reference for what real ponies and horses can do, read about these four.

Yeah, you’ll never find a lemon star gumdrop or a watermelon mountain in the real world. And you’ll never be able to slumber on a moonbeam. C’mon, get real. I mean, what person in their right mind would ever want to fall asleep in swirls of chocolate and pure vanilla ice cream?

The person who rides the pony expressed in this rhyme…

The Peppermint Pony

I cast my gaze into the bright sky
That slowly fades into the night sky.
Stars like sparkling candy twinkle in my mind’s eye.

My pony’s red with a white stripe.
We’re riding down through a snow pipe.
Snowflakes flicker around me; the weather is just my type.

On the Peppermint Pony…
I can ride beyond the daylight into the twilight.
On the Peppermint Pony…
I can dream about the sweet flight into the safe night…
On the Peppermint Pony.

A lemon star is like a gumdrop.
We take a bite and do a flip-flop.
We find a watermelon mountain and land right on the tiptop

And then the world becomes a sweet dream,
And we can slumber on a moonbeam.
We fall asleep in swirls of chocolate and pure vanilla ice cream.

On the Peppermint Pony…
I can ride beyond the daylight into the twilight.
On the Peppermint Pony…
I can dream about the sweet flight into the safe night…
On the Peppermint Pony.  © 2008 TF

That’s a song you’ll find in the Lullabye Bye collection.

But I recommend you don’t buy that collection. Because it’s for kids. And you might get embarrassed when you find yourself enjoying it too. OK, you’ve been warned.

Now here’s the link:

(https://www.tonyfunderburk.com/fundersongs)

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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Want something newer to look older? But you don’t have time to wait for that to happen? Well, the easy solution is patina paint. Because it can produce the aged look of metal or wood. So, you can get that rustic and timeless appeal without all that boring and lengthy aging process.

And it’s cool because patina paint…

  • features color variations (greens, blues, browns)
  • mimics natural oxidation
  • offers a textured finish, and
  • enhances visual interest and character

The subject came up on my radar this morning because I saw a sentimental rhyme I wrote a couple years ago. And it made me think about my little ol’ blue Toyota pickup I sold just last month after 46 years of use. It certainly had its share of patina from all those 416,000 miles on the road.

And thinking about that got me thinking about how the same 416,000 miles, plus many other miles and other vehicles, certainly added to the patina on my own personal countenance. Yeah, none of it was painted on. I have personally acquired every color variation, all the natural oxidation, my textured finish, and all the visual interest and character that time has brought to my body.

When you get old enough, and I’m starting to get there, younger people wanna know the secret to your long (or longer) life.

Some old folks’ longevity secrets include:

  • A shot of whiskey before bed every night
  • Don’t sweat the details
  • Walk at least 10,000 steps every day
  • Eat more protein and less carbohydrates,
  • Just plain clean living

But, while each one of those pieces of advice might help, I say none of them are the real secret to a long life. There’s only one thing, in all the universe, that provides what you need for living a long life. But the answer is so simple most people will reject it. And they’ll even get annoyed with me for saying this is what it is. But this is what it is. And I’m gonna share it with you completely free.

It’s the grace of God.

Yeah, the only reason you have any days of life at all is because of the grace of God. And the only reason you have access to that grace is because Jesus took your punishment (and everyone else’s) on Himself.

And that punishment, you and I deserve, put a patina on His countenance that His perfection would never have allowed without His willingness to suffer that way.

Just something to think about if and when you lament getting old. And speaking of getting old, here’s that rhyme I wrote a couple of years ago. It was inspired by a photograph that you can sort of see through my blue glasses at the top of this page.

Patina Pickup

The sky approached, with bubblewrap, the overgrown arena.
And there a truck, from yesteryear, with rusty orange patina,
Sat silent in the tall, green grass in glass-eyed meditation
On bygone days and country roads, a faded consolation
For time so full of memories and miles recorded each year.
How could it be? Just as you see.
By chance it ended up here.    © 2023 TF

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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Advertisers and marketers constantly shout out the message: “be a brand new you.” But is that even possible? Well, not in the physical world. Thank God, the physical world is not all there is.

And thank God, also, that you CAN be a brand new you.

Paul told the Colossians what day must do in order for that to happen. And his message applies to you and me Here’s what he said:

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

He also said that the evidence of a brand new you would be someone who would do something like this:

“…put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;  bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

See? Once again the power of God’s love old lady jumps into the mix. And it becomes a bond of perfection. But, as I’ve mentioned it many times, this is a limited time offer. One day the gift of Grace will no longer be available. And it is the most incomparably valuable gift anyone could ever receive. A gift so beautiful it inspires me to write rhymes like…

Brand New

This brand new poem is nothing new.
But I want to share it with you.
And if it draws a smile on your face for a while,
Well, that is the least I could do.
Yes, it’s true, you could pass it by.
But then you would never know why
I used up some time to think up of this rhyme.
Then it’s gone in the blink of an eye.  © TF 2025

Subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

Daily Devotional

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Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of October 20-26, 2025. I shared in Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional and on the Rhyme and Reason PodcastEpisode 1011:

Get Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

Daily Devotional

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If you can’t trust the king, who can you trust? That’s a good question. Well, it’s at least an interesting question. Especially since so many people seem to prefer no kings at all. In fact, they’ll go to any length, including the exclusion of men who aren’t kings.

In a way, history is filled with examples of why you can’t trust the king.

Because there have been more corrupt monarchs, male and female, than decent ones. That’s even true with the examples you find in the Bible. What?! Say it ain’t so!

OK, it ain’t so for the one true, living, loving King of kings. The only one who was not only incorrupt but also good. And since no one is good, but God, I’m sure you can guess who I’m talking about. If you can’t, check out just about any of my other thousands of posts for more clues.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and venture guess that those “no kings” people include the one and only incorrupt one, too. At least the vast majority of them do. Because the vast majority of them hate God. And truth.

They’re free to do so. But, tragically for them, that decision will not go well in the end. One day they will meet the one they hated and rejected. And they will discover that all their options and freedom to choose to hate God have taken them to the one place where they can be free from Him.

That place will be their eternal destination. And their eternal torment. And all it would’ve taken to avoid that hopeless situation was humility and a willingness to love, and…

Trust The King

You might win a few things in this life,
And you might even win a whole lot.
But you’ll lose everything if you don’t trust the King
Who has given you all that He’s got.

Know that nothing is too hard for God.
He can help you through all of your fears.
If your gold turns to rust, or your diamonds to dust,
Only God can dry all of your tears.

Make the most of the moments you have.
They fly by in the blink of an eye.
Don’t waste time in the dark, jump inside of the ark
Of God’s love. Kiss the old life goodbye.  © 2015 TF

Subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, the ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

Daily Devotional

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My Dad worked hard. And for most of his life he worked milkman hours, back in the days when a milkman delivered dairy products door-to-door.

I remember those milkman hours first-hand.

Because dad took me with him on a LOT of Saturdays. So, when I say he worked hard, I know what I’m talking about from personal experience. First, you get up around 3 a.m. to be at the dairy plant way before daylight. Because you gotta have the milk truck loaded with cases of gallons, half gallons, and quarts of milk, juice, butter, and more. Then, you hit the road by 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. in order to deliver to customers before breakfast.

Dad worked two routes each week. One was his Monday, Wednesday, Friday route. The other was Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. He delivered milk in some neighborhoods in Texas near NASA. In fact (as a side note) several of his customers were some of the first well-known, “right stuff” astronauts.

And that brings up another side note (and true story).

Dad made sure, on one of those Saturdays I worked with him, I got to personally hand deliver a half gallon of ice cream to Neil Armstrong. For those of you not born in the 20th century…Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon. And little ol’ me handed him a container of Dutch chocolate rocky road ice cream! (I think that’s what it was)

Anyway…

Even on those long Saturdays, when I was helping Dad deliver milk, he spent lots of time with me. And not just telling me what to do. We also had conversations about the more important things in life. Things like what I had learned in math, science, and language classes. Other topics included boats, fishing, family, and where I was going someday when I die. Yeah, even that.

Those one-on-one times with my Dad were my favorites. And I wouldn’t trade a second of them for all the cool technology in the world.

Dad died when he was only 51.

There were tough times with my Dad, too. He was a strict disciplinarian. And when I failed to do the right thing once in a while, sometimes there were serious consequences. But those times never overshadowed the fun times with him. He also showed me how to use tools. And work on lawnmowers, bicycles, and even my first car. He built (yes, built, not bought) go-karts and mounted lawnmower motors to power them up. And my brother and I would test drive them around the block. Sometimes successfully. Sometimes not so much.

Dad also showed us how to fly kites attached to the line on our saltwater fishing rods and reels. He’d throw the football with us, in the street, during football season. He taught us the finer points of throwing a baseball with either hand. I remember even getting him to play tennis with me when I started up that sport in high school. And I remember it was the first sport where I could beat him. Guys might identify more with me on that…how it feels to first beat your dad at anything. Right?

My Dad was only 20 years older than me. That means he’s now been gone longer than he was around during my life. And I still think of him and so many of those special moments almost daily.

I’m not sure if he knows, right now, how important a role he played in my life.

But I AM sure he knows, without a doubt, what the more important things in life are. He was (and is) a Christian. So, I know my Dad is “present with the Lord” right now. And I’m confident that Dad has experienced, firsthand for almost 40 years, the ultimate relationship. It’s an awesome and incredible HOPE I have…to know I’ll see him again someday. And to know we’ll be eternal brothers in the presence of the one, true, living, loving Creator.

That’s why I encourage you to interrupt temporary with eternal.

As you go through your day today…as you check your texts, instant messages, social media accounts, YouTube and Instagram videos, and even your eCommerce stats…take a pause. Look up. Look around. Pay attention to the ones you love. Talk to them. Embrace. Laugh. Enjoy the time. They won’t be here forever. You won’t either. Be you’ll all be somewhere forever. Talk about that. And be sure where you’re going. It matters more than any other message you’ll receive from any other source.

I hope you’re tapped into the power of God’s love. Because there ain’t no other security that even comes close.

Subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,

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