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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You’re probably not one of those people who says that everything that happens is part of God’s will. I hope you’re not. Because, if so, what you know about that doesn’t take into consideration what God says about it.

And what you know about that comes from bad teaching.

I know it’s not the popular thing to say that God does not have everything under control here on planet Earth. Because people want to believe that He is in control at all times. But here’s the thing. He says, in His word, there’s another ruler of this world. And He says it isn’t Him. Yes, God actually says that in His book. By the way, I don’t get my information from some weird, fringe translation of the Bible.

And all you have to do is look around anywhere in the world, basically, and you should be able to see that it’s clearly not under the control of the one true living, loving, righteous God of creation. Evil and wickedness are increasing exponentially in every corner of the world. Yeah, it’s getting mighty dark. Just the way evil and wicked people like it.

But fear not (and that’s something else God says a lot). Because the darker the world, the more opportunity, you and I have to be light that shines brighter than ever. And here’s what you should know about that.

For those who love Him, there is NO condemnation.

There is eternal life in paradise. That IS part of God’s will for whoever believes.

But if you don’t want any of that, you won’t be forced to take it. Because God will allow your decision to be away from Him forever. I don’t recommend that decision. You’ll be sorry and angry about it forever.

But maybe my salt and light aren’t real.
Maybe it’s just the way I feel.
Maybe it won’t be your circumstance.
Are you willing to take that chance?

Now, join the growing band of believers who wanna show the world the power of God’s love…

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.

Stay tuned,

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I lived in a one bedroom one bathroom garden level apartment in Lakewood, Colorado for a couple of years. I finished up the 80s there. And I started out the 90s there. During my first summer, in that complex, I noticed oodles of rainbows after the almost daily short summer rains. And that inspired me to write a song called Rainbow City.

The only recording I have of the song is an MP3 demo version. And when you hear it (and listeners of the power of God’s love podcast can hear it), you’ll notice two voice styles. Because I had intended to make it a collaborative project with another singer. And I wanted to send the demo to him with a different voice, so he could hear where his part would be.

That never happened. So, I just ended up with a funky little demo. And I thought about that old song today as I watched the sun finally emerging after two days of heavy rains here along the Emerald coast. I don’t really see rainbows here like I did in Colorado. And I miss that.

So, I guess that got me feeling nostalgic and I figured I’d share the lyrics to…

Rainbow City

Why does everybody worry?
Spend so much time fretting and fussing
And you’re bound to end up grey.
Why is everybody faithless?
Detour yourself into the night
And you can’t enjoy the day.
Where is everybody going?
We’re escalating and elevating
And still no ground is gained.
Where can people find an answer?
They put away for a rainy day,
But it already rained.

Don’t you see? We’re living in Rainbow City.
Don’t you know? We own that pot of gold.
Can’t you tell? We’re livin’ in Rainbow City.
Can’t you feel, and come in from the cold?

How can anybody profit?
Give of your hand and not your heart
And no one’s world can change.
When will anybody listen?
When all the deer and the antelope
Lose their home out on the range?
Why does everybody forget?
Their little brick and glass domain
Can’t shield them from the fire.
>I wish that we could all be happy.
>I know we should and maybe we could
Put our faith a whole lot higher…repeat chorus

I know it’s cold out there…I’ve been to that empty place,
But you can be warm inside…the light can shine on your face.

inst…repeat chorus    © 1990 TF

All these years later, the so-called lgbtq movement has attempted to hijack the meaning of rainbows. But, as a Christian, I know it will always be a covenant God made with us. He said He would never again flood the entire earth. And that the bow in the sky, after a rain, would be a sign of His covenant with us. Now, that’s a beautiful use of beautiful colors. Too bad some try to pervert it.

In the end, that won’t work out well for them.

If you support the modern day take on what a rainbow means, you should connect with me. And one good place to start is right here…

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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I’m sure you’ll disagree with me when I say this. But I’m so not cool. And this might be the biggest reason…

I’ve never done any cool drugs. Not even pot.

OK, they say the first step to healing is admitting you have a problem.

So, that’s a load off my mind. And I can see my audience dwindle as they run to find another much cooler dude to follow. G’bye everyone. It’s been real. And it’s been fun. Wait a sec…

If you’re actually leaving, that’s so not cool, too.

Aren’t you supposed to support me as I deal with the issues I’ve opened up my heart to you with? Sure, I know this one is not so cool. But, c’mon man. Where’s da luv?

Yeah, this is all tongue-in-cheek. And I know you get the point. You catch my drift. You’re picking up what I’m laying down.

But maybe you wonder why I never did drugs. After all, I was in the entertainment world full-time for years and years. And I probably could’ve gone much “bigger” if I had jumped on at least the pot bandwagon.

Well, I can’t take all the credit for avoiding that nonsense. I give the credit to God. Fortunately I connected with Him when I was 13, thanks to my grandmother. And I wanted to do things and live life in a way that pleased Him. I wish I could say I succeeded all the time. But I failed more times than I care to admit.

Then, again, during my teenage-mind-of-mush years I did do pretty well. At least well enough to stay away from the drugs that would have changed who I was and how my life might’ve gone.

I made a living as a professional singer and keyboard player.

During those years I had lots (and I mean lots) of opportunities to partake…especially pot and cocaine. In fact, I remember a time I was playing a very popular spot in Atlanta, Georgia. A very nice looking girl came up to me when I was on break, and said “follow me.” OK, I’m a red-blooded, American guy, so I did. We went into another room where she pulled out her cocaine and offered me some. And because I’m so not cool, it felt really weird. I said “no thanks” and that I had to get back to work.

And lots of times guys would compliment me on a break. And they’d shake my hand and slip a doobie into my palm. Sheesh. If they knew how I’d go flush it down the toilet, who knows what might’ve happened.

Back in the 80’s those things were commonplace in the circles I played. For all I know, musicians and singers might still experience the same things. But it was definitely everywhere back then.

So, you might be asking why I keep saying I’m not so cool. Maybe you think it WAS cool of me to skip the drug scene. But the reason I say I’m so not cool is because the “world” sees anyone who doesn’t fall into the dark side as lame, square, nerdy, or whatever the derogatory term du jour is now.

But it just goes with the territory of being a Christian, a follower of Jesus. He said that the world hated Him and that if we love him, they will also hate us. And He said they persecuted Him and would also persecute those of us who love Him. Maybe His followers thought He was cool. But the Pharisees and Roman officials certainly didn’t. Because He was… wait for it… good. Yeah, that’s definitely a worldly buzzkill.

So, I’m not cool. But I’m cool with that.
Sticking with Jesus is where it’s at.
He’s always with me through thick and thin.
He has a paradise I’ll live in
With everyone else who chose what’s true.
How ’bout it? Are you so not cool, too?

And one of the easiest ways you can be on the uncool list is to…

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.

Stay tuned,
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Just imagine if God said something like this: I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live…

Wow, that almost sounds like God says you can choose between life and death.

But there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians, who say that everything that happens is part of God’s plan. And they say that includes who will live forever and who won’t. And they say there’s nothing you can do to change it because it’s all part of God’s will. In other words, you can’t choose because God already chose your destiny for you.

But that statement, I said to imagine that God said, IS something God actually DID say. In the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible. And it shows a much more loving God who wants you and me to be able to freely love him. Because true love must be freely given. Otherwise, everyone is just a robot who can only do what we’re programmed to do.

But I don’t believe that for even a nanosecond. Because I’ve read too many beautiful passages in the Bible that completely contradict that kind of a creator. The power of God’s love is revealed on just about every page in every book of the Bible. Old Testament. And New Testament.

That’s why a few years ago I shared a bullet list of why I love life. Here’s what I said…

I love life and the opportunity to live it.

I love the:

  • smooth sailing,
  • trials and tribulations
  • growing up,
  • gaining knowledge,
  • gaining friends,
  • awards and rewards,
  • challenges and failures,
  • clouds and sunshine,
  • joy and laughter,
  • pain and redemption, and
  • words and music…

Those are all components that help make up this journey through life. It’s not a two part journey. It’s a two place journey. And I’m eager and privileged to participate in both. This place we’re in right now is amazing and difficult. The next place will be unfathomably kinetic, energizing, and joyous. More reasons why I love life.

But the next place won’t be like that for everyone.

That’s a shame because it’s really not difficult to achieve. You just need to believe. But here’s another bullet list of where you should not place your faith:

  • Dreams
  • Yourself.
  • a “force”
  • The “law of attraction”
  • Internal spirits
  • Mohammed
  • Confucious
  • Buddha
  • Allah
  • Oprah
  • Obama
  • and least of all, satan

Put your faith only in Jesus. I’m sure thankful I did that a long time ago. Because that one name is the key to choosing between life and death.

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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Hey there. I got an idea. How about we all pitch in and make some Wednesday word art? I’ll do my part. I’ll write you a poem just for the occasion. Then, all you have to do is keep your whimsy caps on and share your own thoughts. Easy enough. Right?

One-sided, collaborative, Wednesday word art.

Because you’ll be able to see my side of it. But unless you share a comment, I won’t be able to see your side of it. Oh well, so it goes.

A few years ago, as I looked at some pictures of kids doing silly things kids do, I noticed the caption for the picture mentioned the day of the week. So, of course my mind when into alliteration mode (as it often does) and I came up with the idea to write something silly, for kids, just for the fun of it. No other reason. No need to make sense. And no nothing else. Just using the creative side of my brain that my creative Creator gave me.

Side note: I believe it pleases God when we use the gifts he gave us to do creative and productive things. It’s not a debatable doctrinal issue. But I think it’s important to understand at least a little bit of how He sees us. And I think there’s evidence for this in Genesis where He left the naming of the animals up to Adam.

God could have easily named everything and just told Adam what to call them. But it makes sense that the ultimate Father would take joy in watching His son use the brain He gave him. And it’s extra cool that Adam named all the animals AND even named his mate that God had given him.

We don’t have to agree completely about how it all went down. But this is how I see it and read it.

Feel free to agree or disagree and comment about it below. Or send me an email.

Now, I’m not saying my rhyme compares to Adam naming the animals, but here’s my Wednesday word art…

Whimsical Wednesday

Whimsical Wednesday…wonderful breeze
Leaving us breathless…swaying like trees.
Syllables settle inside our ears
Sounding quite silly…calming our fears
Making us mimic cows in the field…
Funnybones flapping…giggles revealed
Whimsical Wednesday…tickles the tongue
Lilting and loving…keeping us young.
Melodies mingle with bubbles and dots…
Whimsical Wednesday living in thoughts.  © 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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Way back in the middle of the 20th century, when I was a kid, they really were simpler times here in America. and I was actually a great example of that. Because I was the kind of kid that, when my parents or grandparents put me to bed and said go to sleep, I would do that pretty quickly. They didn’t even have to read me any bedtime stories.

But that’s not to say that I never heard any bedtime stories.

For example, I’ve mentioned here on my website how much I enjoyed one of the most classic bedtime stories, from back then, called Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. I can still remember my mom reading me that one out of a large book of stories and poems. And it really stirred my imagination as I listened to the words. If you have kids or grandkids, I highly recommend reading that one to them.

Of course I’m biased, when it comes to my own bedtime stories for kids, but I happily recommend you check out the ones I currently have here on my website. Just look for the Books link at the top of the page. That’s where you find them right now. Soon they’ll be even more easily available in the Ton-o-Fun Shop.

I shared a rhyme, a few years ago, that talks about kids who think they’re too old for nap time or stories to get them to go to sleep at night. And it goes a little something like this…

Bedtime stories aren’t for me.
I’m just too old to sleep.
I’ve got better things to do.
I just don’t need bopeep.
There are planets I’ll go find
After you leave the room.
And I must protect the house
From aliens of doom.
Bedtime stories are for kids
Who only want to sleep…
Silly kids whose eyes will close
Because they counted sheep.
But I’ll be in my rocket ship
And back home before dawn.
So, read to all those other kids.
I need to leave and…  “yawn”

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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“Everything has already been said a million times over!”

“Not exactly the way you can say it,” he calmly replies.

“Oh shut up,” I think to myself.

I’ve never had that conversation while sitting alone at my desk.

Well, not more than a million times over.

When I finish one of those conversations,  I get my hands back on my Macbook keyboard and start typing. And, actually, these days, if I want to write faster, I just use my voice and dictate to my computer. It does a very good job even though I do have to edit and make sure it isn’t autocorrecting incorrectly.

Anyway…

Even I sometimes need a nudge in the creative direction. Because sometimes the ol’ left-brain logical writer, you know and luv, comes out and makes an incorrect deduction about the wants, needs, and desires of the audience. This causes him to pause for too long and stifle his “flow.” Then the so-called logic becomes more and more inflexible and cautious. And the flow becomes a trickle and the trickle fades away.

Then the reliable right-brain writer reminds me…

“Use the trick I showed you to jump-start that flow again.”

Of course, I can’t just freely share what that trick is. Because, in the wrong hands, it could be used for evil, villainous purposes. And I don’t want that on my conscience. So that secret stays with me. The point is, it works like a charm every time.

And that’s how I’ve been able to be so prolific for all these decades. Just so you know, I give all the glory of it to God. Because without him, I’d just be wretched, poor, naked, and blind.

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…Chorus   © 2010 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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