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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Complex molecules make up every little bit of your body. Your DNA is so complex it boggles the mind. And it’s so unique that you’re the only one exactly like you. Well…aren’t you something?!

But there’s no need to get the “big head” from this revelation.

The same is true of every other person on the planet. So “you” means any person who happens to be reading this at right now. Or even later for that matter.

So, it boggles the mind, even the ones unaffected by age and health problems.

And while you ponder that, eyeball this. Your eye. See if you can wrap your retinas around this: if you tried to simulate, on a computer, just 10 milliseconds of the complete processing of a single nerve cell from one retina, here’s what your computer would have to be able to do.

It would have to be able to solve 500 simultaneous nonlinear differential equations 100 times. Remember…that’s every 10 milliseconds…and it’s only one nerve cell in one retina. That would require a super duper supercomputer. And when you consider that there are “10 million or more such cells interacting with each other in complex ways, it would take a minimum of 100 years of [1985] Cray time to simulate what takes place in your eye many times every second.”

And that’s just one eye. Even though that data boggles the mind, you might have noticed, a lot of people have two.

Here’s a couple more little facts about complex molecules and organs.

Just in case that last tidbit didn’t impress you. An adult human brain contains 1014 electrical connections. That’s a hundred thousand billion, and it’s more than all the soldered electrical connections in the whole world.

And that’s one brain.

OK, now, think about your heart. It’s only about 10 ounces. And it’s a pump that keeps pumping on its own for about 75 years. Dude. That’s complex.

But of course, you can still pass this off as serendipitous fate if you prefer. But as I always say, give me God. I’d much rather take my “chance” with Him than silly chance and circumstance.

All Of Creation

All of creation points to the Savior.
We are all here by design.
All the environment and complex behavior…
The Glory of God makes it shine.

All of creation holds information…
Encoded within every cell…
All of the best minds in each generation
Won’t banish what Christians know well…

That all of creation is here by the Word of God.
All of creation mirrors His mind.
All of creation is saved by the Love of God
All of creation…Jesus defined. © 2016

And here’s something else you shouldn’t leave to chance and circumstance:

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading 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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Sleepiness is something I have to deal with a lot more of during my recovery process. Over the course of my life napping didn’t interest me. Because it always felt like a waste of good daylight. But, as it turns out, napping has become a necessity. Yikes!

Because sleepiness has become a frequent, almost relentless visitor.

Here’s a snippet of an article I read that talked about the why and what for of this phenomenon:

~ Many stroke patients report weariness and sleepiness during the early stages of stroke recovery. While the brain generally consumes 20% of total body energy, that number rises in the weeks and months after a stroke. This is because the brain takes additional energy to fix the damage, leaving less energy available for normal processes like remaining attentive. ~

And the article pepper in some benefits from getting enough, or at least more, sleep. Here’s what it added:

~ Getting enough sleep is critical for general health and well-being, particularly for stroke survivors. Adequate and restful sleep may help the body heal and renew and ease stroke symptoms such as excessive drowsiness. Some of the advantages of getting enough sleep after a stroke are as follows:

  • Improved cognitive function: Adequate sleep is necessary for the brain to operate correctly and may enhance cognitive function, memory, and learning.
  • Reduced risk of depression: Sleep difficulties are strongly connected to depression and anxiety, and getting enough sleep may help you avoid acquiring these mental health illnesses.
  • Reduced risk of stroke recurrence: Sleep deprivation has been associated with an increased risk of stroke recurrence. A good night’s sleep may assist in lessening this risk.
  • Improved cardiovascular health: Sleep is essential for maintaining cardiovascular health, and getting enough sleep may help reduce the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. ~

So, I guess I can nap without the guilt of wasting daylight now.

Because napping won’t just be a way to get out of work or other responsibilities. Now it can be a part of my health and wellness and recovery regimen. And when you’re not sleeping, you’re not nearly as sloppy. Hot Diggity! OK maestro, a little (or original) sleep music if you please…

Now I Lay Me Down

I wish the day would never end…
So maybe I will just pretend
I’m going to my secret place
Where darkness won’t conceal my face.
I’m just gonna lay down…lay down and think.

Or maybe if I think real fast
This sleeping time will soon be past.
Then I’ll be free to fly around
And fill the air with happy sound.
I’m just gonna try it…try it and see.

Now I lay…lay me down
Blink and wink, my dreams come and take me.
Now I lay…lay me down
If I’m gone too long, come and wake me.

But I don’t really want to go.
There must be some way, do you know
To stay awake both day and night
Let’s think on it with all our might.
Yeah, we should just lay down…lay down and think.

Chorus

© 2001-2018 Tony Funderburk

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading 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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Molotov cocktails. And my original music. What do they have in common? Boulder, Colorado.

Maybe you already read about that terrorist in Boulder Colorado today.

He actually tossed Molotov cocktails into a crowd and burned people. And if we had an actual justice system in America, he would be put to death early tomorrow morning. But don’t hold your breath for that.

So, let’s not focus on the dark side of this Boulder, Colorado connection. Because I believe you’ll find it much more enjoyable to watch a video of one of my songs.

It’s a song called “Feed Me”. And it was actually played on KBCO, a radio station in Boulder, Colorado. This was way back in 1989 when I lived in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of the Denver Metro area. KBCO featured it in a segment they called “Home Grown”. Little did they know what they were playing.  😉 Anyway…hope you get a kick out of it…

The lyrics go by pretty fast in the video. So here they are just in case you wanna follow along:

Feed Me

I don’t wanna leave this moment.
I don’t wanna get to the future.
And I don’t wanna find out I was wrong.
I just wanna be successful.
And I don’t wanna be a failure.
I want more of what can keep me strong.
If I leave it up to you, will you show me what to do.
If I give my total trust, will you wash away the dust, and

Feed me…keep me alive.
Yeah, feed me…give me the drive…feed me.
Feed me…open my eyes
Feed me…conquer the lies…feed me.

I don’t wanna be alone now.
And I don’t wanna live in a dark cloud.
I need to know the light is just ahead.
I don’t wanna be an old man,
But I don’t wanna be a young man.
I just wanna be me till I’m fed.
If I leave it up to you, will you show me what to do.
If I give my total trust, will you wash away the dust, and

Chorus…long instrumental…repeat chorus to end

© 1989 Tony Funderburk

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading 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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A wise man once wrote “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

Yeah, no amount of bodily exercise can prepare you for that which is to come.

But the good news is that which is to come is WAY better than the best shape you’ll ever be in here on earth. And that’s mainly because the future is forever, but the here and now is SO temporary. When I say temporary, I mean, you’re gonna be thinking blink-of-an-eye warp speed when your life is over.

The events that have taken place, for me, in the past few weeks, have vividly driven home these facts. Even though I was already keenly aware that my life, here on earth, is most likely around 3/4 complete. Thankfully, I’m also keenly aware of the hope I have because of my faith in my Creator. And I have that faith because He actually wrote a book, the best selling book of all time, and included eternal promises to those who choose to love and trust Him. So, I can just read his book and enjoy the blessed comfort of His…

Abounding Grace

If this was the last day of my life…
If this was the last sunrise I’d see…
I’d still thank the Lord for my days
And His abounding Grace to me.

If this was the last thing I could write…
If this was my final poetry…
I’d still thank the Lord for His word
And His abounding Grace to me.

If this was the last time I could pray…
If this had to be my closing plea…
I know I could say, “I love the Lord
And His abounding Grace to me.”
© 2018

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading 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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Note: the last podcast episode said it was number 995. But it was actually 994. And this episode is actually 995. OK, back to your regularly scheduled whatever it was you were doing before I interrupted you.

Play

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Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through meditation, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one’s own mind in the present moment.

I recommend practicing mindfulness and self-awareness… less.

Because the information you see about mindfulness and self-awareness, all over the place these days, really focuses on that one word: self.

And from what I’ve been able to determine, through a variety of articles, they lead away from God. Here’s an example of what I mean taken from the ultimate internet authority, wikipedia:

~ The term mindfulness derives from the Pali word sati, a significant element of Buddhist traditions, and is based on Ānāpānasati, Chan, and Tibetan meditation techniques. Though definitions and techniques of mindfulness are wide-ranging, Buddhist traditions describe what constitutes mindfulness, such as how perceptions of the past, present and future arise and cease as momentary sense-impressions and mental phenomena. ~

So, what does all that mean?

Two words. Mumbo TRUTH. OK, I’ll add one more word, Dumbo.

If your “perceptions of the past, present and future arise and cease as momentary sense-impressions” (aka feelings), your life ain’t got no foundation. And if you put any kind of trust in mental phenomena, you’re just liable to be tossed “to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”

Of course, none of that means you can’t or shouldn’t meditate.

Because meditation, that doesn’t focus on self, can be a very powerful mental and emotional tool.

I recommend that your meditation (or mindfulness) should focus on things that are:

  • true,
  • noble,
  • just,
  • pure,
  • lovely, and
  • of good report

Of course, you already know that, if you’ve been connected with me for even a little while. So this information and recommendation is for the uninitiated, the newbies, and anyone willing to trust truth over feelings and phenomena.

It’s not a rule you have to follow,
Not a law you must obey.
But when you’re feeling lost and hollow,
Focused thoughts connect The Way.

This all has even more meaning for me now. Because part of my occupational and physical therapy, for better stroke recovery, includes exercising my brain. It sounds like it would be the easy part, but when parts of your brain are zapped due to a blood clot, you might be surprised how quickly the old think tank can run out of gas.

So, I’m gonna take my own advice right now and trust the Truth to help me.

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. That way you can spend your valuable time reading 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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I did some reading earlier today about this fatigue feeling I’ve experienced since that fateful day, last month, when my personal fuel injector went a little haywire. There are times when I feel like I REALLY need a nap. And, over the course of my life, I haven’t been what you would call a napping kind of guy. So, I’ve been dealing with a feeling of guilt for not being able to keep going the way I typically do.

Turns out the fatigue feeling is “normal.”

Yay! I’m normal. I know let’s not get carried away right?

Anyway…

Since the stroke I’ve had to readjust my focus on work. In a way it’s been a very good thing because my focus has returned to voice work instead of other more physical endeavors. Voice work is something I did several years back before I had to deal with respiratory issues. Yeesh, I sure sound like a geezer. No comments from the peanut gallery.

But I’ve discovered that even sitting in front of my computer, hands on the keyboard, and talking into my studio microphone, for even a little while, can tire me out as though I had lifted weights for an hour. And that’s disheartening to say the least.

Here’s part of what I read, this morning, in an article about this effect.

~ Your fatigue feeling can be an overwhelming tiredness and lack of energy that can occur after a stroke. It’s different from the normal tiredness you might experience after a long day or a strenuous activity.

Post-stroke fatigue can be persistent and may not always improve with rest.

This type of fatigue can affect you both physically and mentally. You might find it challenging to carry out everyday tasks or engage in activities you once enjoyed. It’s important to recognize that post-stroke fatigue is a real symptom and not a sign of laziness or lack of motivation. ~`

Seriously, I sure was glad to read that last phrase.

“…not a sign of laziness or lack of motivation.”

If you’ve dealt with some head drama, stroke, or other brain related uncommon stress, maybe you can relate to all this. And you and I need to remember to give ourselves some grace. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can use it as an excuse to slow down and back off for good. But it’s important to acknowledge that recovery takes more time than you probably prefer. I know it’s certainly going much slower than I would like. But I’m sure glad to be here and glad to be able to talk about it with you.

Now, as soon as I get this next nap out of the way, I look forward to continuing the good fight.

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. That way you can spend your valuable time reading 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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One day you’re imagining and planning out your multitude of great ideas. Then, a stroke. And suddenly you’re calculating where your left foot needs to go next. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians “that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” And I’m here to tell you that a serious change in your health can come like that too. That’s why I’m so thankful that you and I don’t walk around oblivious to the consequences of not being prepared for that time when we’ll leave good ol’ planet Earth.

Because that thief in the night ain’t gonna be able to take our true treasure.

Nope. And that’s because you and I stored that up in Heaven.

Yeah, what good is a treasure if it only lasts as long as you do? Well, it’s an awesome treasure, if you’re gonna last forever. Because then it will too. So, there’s that.

But where’s that?

In order for something to last forever, it’s gonna have to be somewhere where things don’t break down, or rust, or get chewed up by moths, worms, and other little critters. It’s gonna have to be in a place where there’s no compromised atmosphere that can oxidize and turn you and your stuff into dust.

Fortunately, there IS a place that meets all that criteria and WAY more. It’s the place I wrote and sang about several years ago. And it’s the pure, perfect  place where everyone is invited but so few choose to go. That’s why I’m so thankful that you and I will know each other forever…

In The House Of The Lord

Father God,
You never leave me You never forsake me.
And Your Word…
Gives me courage to go where you take me.

You are with me through each dire upheaval.
With You in me I will fear no evil.
As I walk through the shadow of death…
I will sing till my very last breath…

Green pastures, still waters…
Goodness and mercy for your sons and daughters…
True love dwells in the House of the LORD.
Each person, each nation…
Can be renewed through Your sweet restoration…
True love dwells in the House of the LORD.

Father God,
You made a Way for my total redemption.
I believe…
Jesus died to provide that exemption.

He’s my shepherd through thorns and thru clover.
He’s my new wine, and my cup runs over.
As I walk through the shadow of death…
I will sing till my very last breath…
(repeat chorus)
© 2010

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading 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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