Category Archives: Words and Music

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I haven’t counted them, personally. But I’ve read, from reliable sources, that the Bible gives instructions to “fear not” 365 times. So, clearly, you should live in fear. Right?

I can hear the voice of Spock, “That’s most illogical, Tony.”

And it IS most illogical to live in fear.

On the other hand (which would be the left one, by the way), this world is filling up with some mighty spooky things. But it’s important to understand that this didn’t start in the past 3 1/2 years.

Matter of fact, the destruction of America started probably close to the time America got started. And the plans to bring down the “American way” really kicked into gear during the twentieth century.

We were only about three-fourths of the way through the twentieth century when I started writing about the slippery slope of giving away freedom. And I wrote about that because, even my public school brain could see where that would lead.

After all, if you’ll believe that you evolved from apes, what will you NOT believe?

About 9 years ago I wrote a post, here on my website that mentioned a song I wrote 24 years before that. So, let’s see. If my math is correct (and if memory serves), that’s about 32 or 33 years ago now. But I’ll take you back to 9 years ago and show you what I said then:

~ In 1992 I wrote a song called “Say Yeah!.”  In it I sang about how the United States (and the rest of the world) was headed toward self-destruction. And in the 24 years since, I’ve seen matters only get much worse.

I’m not a pessimist.

In fact, most people who have ever known me would probably tell you I’m a very “up” person. And I’m proud to be an American. This is not the country it once was, but it’s still the best place to be on the planet. Consider that I’m able to sit here in my studio/office and type these words into a laptop computer and hit “publish” and watch my words go out to the world. Not just words approved by the state. Or words censored by a totally depraved and tyrannical government.

No. These are MY words.

I’m still free enough to write words of chastisement toward my country. And, at least for now, I can do that without fear of the gallows, or dungeons, or banishment to some frozen wasteland.

(emphasis on “at least for now”)

But I’m concerned that the day is coming when my words will not be allowed to go out to the world. The day is coming when my Christian belief will immediately label me a “hater”. Think not? Think again. That day is essentially already here. I’m not surprised about it. Jesus said it would happen. He even said “whoever kills you will think he does God a service“.

Don’t you see that happening in other parts of the world?

Is there any reason to think it can’t happen here? Or where you are? I say, no. ~

Well, there you go. That was from 2015. And it referred back to 1992. And I’ve just mentioned how I talked about this back in the 70’s. But the “powers that be,” who prefer you to live in fear, started sowing lies into the fertile soil of free minds over 100 years ago.

Good news is, God said “fear not” thousands of years before that. And His message is evergreen.

So, if you understand how it’s good to fear God and not the world, join me in these lyrics:

Say Yeah!

Would you like to reach the top
And never have the journey stop? Say Yeah! Say Yeah!
Could you try to hold a hand
Just to help somebody stand? Say Yeah!

Would you give a word or two
To win a soul or win a few? Say Yeah! Say Yeah!
Do you want to change the way
Public servants act today? Say Yeah!

How many laws have to be passed
Before we’re obscured in the shadows they cast?
And how many plans must we invent
Before we can step beyond mere intent?

Do you see the pattern form
How the wrong becomes the norm? Say Yeah! Say Yeah!
Would you like to stop the ride;
Could you dare to take a side? Say Yeah! Say Yeah!

How many cuts are we to take
Before we can see just whose blood is at stake?
We can’t leave the job to the land of the free
Cause when it boils down…that’s just you…you and me.

If we don’t watch, someone’ll be watching for us.
If we don’t care then how can we complain.
We don’t have to give it up and say it’s over.
And we can change it here, we don’t have to live in fear.
We don’t have to cry in vain.

© 1992 Tony Funderburk ~

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Teaching methods matter. Because spongy little minds soak up what they’re taught depending how it’s taught. At least that’s how Charlotte described it.

I never heard of Charlotte, or her teaching methods, before today.

And that’s probably because we didn’t raise any kids here in the FunderHaus. My wife and I missed out on that blessing. But we’ve certainly seen our fair share of kids with somewhere around 30 nieces and nephews between us.

Anyway…

Back to Charlotte. I read some very interesting stuff about her teaching methods, this morning, and I like what I discovered. Evidently she “using living books as schoolbooks.” She wrote about how “ living books help children gain knowledge through their own effort. They dig out the facts and information clothed in literary language, expressing what they’ve learned by narrating it in their own words (composing orally or in writing). And their thinking is personal, follows a train of thought, and isn’t stunted by a page of multiple-choice.”

By the way, Miss Charlotte Mason died a little over 100 years ago. But homeschoolers still use her teaching methods. Because apparently they still work. And, remember the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

And she believed teachers didn’t need to be trained to give lectures. Because she also believed kids could educate themselves, to a degree, by “narrating from the well-chosen words of authors.” And she also said that “too much explaining by a teacher elicits boredom” and “true education is self-education.”

When you think about it, especially if you’re a life-long learner, you understand how that’s true. Because your mind should stay spongy. And ready to soak up information at your own pace. That’s why Miss Mason’s method provided:

No bells to announce the end of hour-long class periods.

I like this description of a typical day in one of Charlotte’s schools.

“Children are free to move promptly onto the next lesson. When drills and skills are kept short children develop the power of attention. Dawdling is discouraged. Students are encouraged to give their best effort. Education is a discipline. So, this means establishing good and helpful habits, built one action at a time, one day at a time.

Education is an atmosphere. With living books children are motivated by a love of knowledge rather than artificial stimulants such as prizes (stickers, candy, money), competition, and grades. They retained their inborn curiosity. Cramming for tests is avoided. Examinations require the child to narrate what was read during the semester.”

Maybe you’ve read or heard some version of this before: small minds focus on people, mediocre minds focus on things, and great minds focus on ideas. Yes? Miss Mason wanted to inspire a love for knowledge in her students. Because, as she said, “Ideas are what the mind feeds on.”

Another thing I really like about Charlotte’s teaching methods is how she included outdoor activities and exercise. She encouraged kids to get out and observe nature and to keep a Nature Notebook. These days it’s called a journal. But the point is, it’s a record of your observations.

And Charlotte encouraged adding drawings and poems.

(Hmm. Side note: just so happens I published a couple of songbook journals for your consideration. Links below.)

From a Nature Notebook (or journal), it’s just a small step to art and music appreciation. And Miss Mason believed those subjects were crucial to a young kid’s culture and heritage. And I believe those subjects, especially music, help develop a kid’s analytical thinking, not just the emotional gunk taught in government indoctrination camps these days.

Just in case you think your kid (or anybody’s kid, for that matter) wouldn’t like Charlotte’s “old-fashioned” teaching methods, here’s the clincher: no homework.

Well, no typical homework as you might remember it. The Charlotte Mason homeschooling method goes like this:

Children apply their minds during morning lessons. Afternoons are for running, climbing,  and yelling outdoors. And crafts, chores, life skills, music practice, and more playing, all at home, are their homework.

I don’t know about you, but I would have LOVED that kind of school. And it’s the kind of school I attend, on a daily basis, as a life-long learner.

And here’s a rhyme to help you remember why learning is so important. So you can:

Start learning about the one, living Lord.
Put knowledge inside your head,
And when you read something He has to say,
Go back and read what you read.
As you get older you’ll see what I mean…
Go add and subtract and spell.
Then learn all about the one, living Lord.
He made you and loves you well.

Get all my really refreshing rhymes and reasons the easy way. subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

https://www.tonyfunderburk.com

And here are the songbook journal links I mentioned before:

The Amen book (https://www.amazon.com/Amen-Tony-Funderburk/dp/B08CJWKTSH)

The Do Right book (https://www.amazon.com/Do-Right-Tony-Funderburk/dp/B08CWJ7HB7)

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

What if you were the only person on earth? Kinda spooky to think about isn’t it? It might make you think of movies about the last survivors on the planet. And what an awful place it would be. And that totally makes sense. Because it would be an awful place if you were all alone.

You might not have to fight off zombies like Will Smith did in “I Am Legend.” Or fight off creepy mutants like Charlton Heston did in “Omega Man.” But you might have to fight off depression and loneliness. Maybe not.

Because when you’re a child of God, you have a HUGE advantage.

So, even as the only person on earth, you’d never be all alone.

Even if you never saw, or see, another human being, you’re never all alone. Because the one who made you in His image and likeness, will never leave you. How can I be so sure about that? Because He said so.

That’s pretty cool, don’t you think? But why am I always talking about God and His love?

Because everything in this world is temporary. But eternity is found in God and His love. So, as someone who has known His mercy and truth for decades, I’d be a pretty lousy dude if I kept that awesomeness to myself.

And God went to a lot of trouble to write a book to let you know you can always depend on Him. As it just so happened (as it should be), His book is the bestselling book of all time. I’d love it if my books enjoyed even a tiny fraction of the popularity of the Bible.

He loves you so much that He made a way for you to never be all alone. And he made it super easy to live with Him forever. It cost Him more than you can ever repay. But the good news is, you don’t have to repay.

Why would anyone NOT wanna live forever in a beautiful paradise with the God who created them? Why would anyone NOT wanna be there with ALL their family and friends, too? It’s all SO do-able.

Even if you WERE the only person on Earth God would not leave you nor forsake you. So, take this solid advice that lots of other people have take. Trust the One who made you. Then, you’ll never ever be all alone.

And here’s a rhyme to help you remember. It’s called “Music Pajamas” You can hear it on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast, too.

Music Pajamas

It’s time…to let the daylight fly
Away, but we don’t have to cry
Because…another day will dawn real soon.
So smile…and say a sweet goodnight.
Sleep well. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
They won’t, if you’ll just slip into this tune.

And wear your music pajamas.
And sing the songs of your mamas
Because they gave you a life of your own.
Through all the cartoons and dramas…
Through all the triumphs and traumas…
Slip on your music pajamas,
And know that God is on His throne.
And you’re never all alone.

Night winds…float down from falling stars.
Lights blink…from Jupiter and Mars.
They bounce…across the water on the grass.
Inside…you’re in a soft cocoon
Of down…the color of the moon.
Dreams come…when you just let the sandman pass.

Chorus

©  2011

Before you go, jump on the The TRUTH. And join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I’ve always had a place I could go when I needed to drown out the noise of the world.

Music.

And when I was 22, I bought a piano. Not just a another electronic keyboard. Nope. An actual, upright piano. It was a Rudolph Aeolian. Oh man, it was sleek, had a clear, smooth tone, and I was thrilled.

I discovered it in the downstairs section of a used piano shop in, in an old section of Kansas City, Missouri. And I made arrangements with the owner for him to keep it and deliver it once I paid off the $450 it cost me.

So, for several months, I sent him all my “extra” income. And, in fairly short order, I paid it off. And, just as we had agreed, the piano store owner promptly delivered it to me. That was no small thing. Because his guys had to deliver it to a tiny, old trailer home I rented for $75 a month in a little rural, Kansas town. About 45 miles from the store.

And right after the delivery guys left, I started to drown out the noise of the world.

Yeah, once I had my very own piano in my very own place I had my very own escape route. And I could make my escape any time the world and its problems started closing in too much. Fortunately, that was rarely the case. And thankfully, most of the time I just wanted to play, get better, and write songs.

Hundreds of songs. Some of them quite good.

Many of them? Well, as the old saying goes, “Practice, practice, practice.”

And that’s part of the answer to life’s problems. It’s important to understand there’s NO “place” where you’ll be free from the troubles of this world. If that’s your goal, disappointment’s in your future. No, life takes a lot of practice.

But there’s a person, who can help you with that. And He’s WAY better than any place you can imagine. His name is Jesus. And His still small voice can drown out the noise of this world. If and when you choose to stop and listen.

Meditate on this for more than a second or two.

Jesus spoke words and the whole universe exploded into existence. And, here’s something else to wrap your mind around, if you’re ready to explode it into a fireworks display of amazement.

Before you were that little boy or girl born into this world, you were a thought inside the mind of God.

Chew on that, as you try to drown out the noise all around you. And when the bad news gets too loud, turn to your Creator. Don’t do like the person in these lyrics…

Play Sweet Piano

To lie is such a foolish thing,
But I still do.
I try too hard to find a way
To make it true.
I’ll try to stand on the ocean,
If you will.
Let’s take a look at the sky.
I’ll try to be as calm as
I can be,
And keep this look in my eye.
To laugh is such an easy thing.
So why can’t I?
My face is strong, but that’s to hide
My empty lie.
Play sweet piano
And lose me inside you.
I know you will do that for me.
Let’s take a journey,
We’ll fly, and we won’t come back.
We’ll live in a sweet melody.

© 1977

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Hey, hey, it’s May and May Day. So, what do you say? I say hey! Let’s talk about the May birthstone. And in case you didn’t already know, it’s the beautiful emerald.

Emerald for a May birthstone makes sense when you learn more about it.

Because the emerald is considered a symbol of rebirth. And superstitious people believe it has the power to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth. Side note: Elizabeth Taylor owned an emerald pendant that sold for $6.5 million in 2011. So, it apparently was quite the specimen. But Liz still got old and died. Weird, right?

Anyway…

Let’s get back to more practical reasons why an emerald makes a great May birthstone. First, I read how the word emerald comes from the Greek word “smaragdus.” And that translates into green. So, it makes sense that a green gem would be appropriate for the time of year when everything blooms and leaves turn to green.

And second, a polished emerald sparkles like dew on a verdant grass lawn. And while I’m waxing poetic, a couple of years ago I wrote this rhyme that fits nicely into this time of year:

Emerald Embrace

I sat upon an emerald.
The green glow glazed my eyes.
And I beheld the art of God,
His brushstrokes in the skies.
The neon shone through bright chartreuse,
And pine and malachite,
And all the way into my heart
That still and liquid night.
I know, for God, the painting was
A glimpse of what will be,
In Heaven’s emerald embrace,
With Him eternally.   © 2022

So, Happy May to you. And Happy May birthday. Oh, and if your kid’s birthday is this month, you should get them the Kiddin’ Around collection of songs. I don’t recall any references to emeralds. But one of the songs is called “Green Monkey.” The color green comes up quite a bit in the lyrics, and it’s a fun, springy tune.

See and listen to a video demo of the songs in the collection here: (https://youtu.be/dTZTtsyZQdk)

And download all 10 songs for $10 at this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L6MAH2QKHU5J8

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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Being a parent, especially one with a baby or young child, can be isolating.

That was a headline that caught my eye this morning. And maybe it’s just me (I doubt it), but that kind of parent seems like the selfish type.

But the article included some reasons why being a parent can be isolating.

Now, hold on to your hat. Because there are some terrifying things parents do that bring on this problem:

  • be sure bills are paid
  • feed the kids
  • navigate nap times and illnesses
  • jam-packed extracurricular schedules and homework
  • clean the house

And the article said a survey showed how, due to the demands of parenthood, 66% of the respondents feel isolated, lonely, and “burned out by their responsibilities as a parent.” And “38% of respondents said they don’t have anyone to support them in their parenting role.”

The survey reveals a lot of wimpy parents.

Now, my wife and I didn’t experience the blessing of kids. So, on one level, I’m disqualified to pass judgment on parents who DID have kids. But here’s the thing. Stats, from all kinds of sources, say the average American household, in recent years, has about three people. So, for households with kids that means either 2 parents and a kid or 2 kids and a parent.

Any way you look at it, that’s not a lot. So, why all the “overwhelming feeling of exhaustion,” as described by an associate clinical professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She said it like this:

“In this specific role of being a parent, it’s that ability to never really feel like you’re above water. And then that causes other things to start happening. Like feeling more detached from your children and less like you’re a good parent. Loneliness can really exacerbate a lot of those feelings.”

When I was a kid, WAY back in the 20th century, lots of households included more than one kid. In fact, many kids I grew up with came from families with 4 or 5 kids. And that was the case in both households I grew up in.

And even after I flew the coop I never heard my parents mention how burned out and isolated they felt during their full-time parenting years. It wasn’t because they never dealt with any serious issues. Every family has those. No, I believe selfishness has increased exponentially in recent years. Especially since “things” are easy and relationships aren’t.

I hope you’re not a parent who’s feeling detached from your kids.

Because kids need parents (and grandparents, aunts, and uncles) who will help them transition into confident, responsible adults. So, my recommendation is to take the focus off self and put it on serving others. Just as the Navy commercials used to say, “It’s not just a job. It’s an adventure.”

And the best gift you give kids is the knowledge of what it takes to live forever. That’s when you store up your treasures in Heaven where no bank, no foreign power, and no tyrannical government can ever take the away from you.

One of the next best gifts you can give kids is a world of imagination they can find in words and music. And it just so happens I know where you can get some mighty fun words and music. In my “Kiddin’ Around” Collection. See and listen to a video demo of the songs here: (https://youtu.be/dTZTtsyZQdk)

And download all 10 songs for $10 at this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L6MAH2QKHU5J8

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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I saw a headline that I had to check out. It said: A prominent doctor asks Democrats: “If abortion is healthcare, my question is: what disease are you treating?”

And I say Kudos to the good doctor for the “what disease” question.

So, the doctor’s name is Monique Wubbenhorst. And, according to an article clip I ready, she’s “a renowned medical professor and researcher.”

Dr. Wubbenhorst understands what’s going on when an abortion is performed. She knows it has nothing to do with healthcare. So, she boldly asked a group of pro-abortion lawmakers to explain how killing unborn babies is part of good medicine. Here’s her question again:

“If abortion is health care, my question is: what disease are you treating?” 

Here’s a little more info I found, about her, in that short article.

She’s a “senior research associate at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame and a former professor at Duke University School of Medicine.” And the good doctor Wubbenhorst “frequently testifies to lawmakers about the humanity of unborn babies.”

Plus, she “debunks false claims about abortion.”

And I’m impressed with her follow up to that revealing “what disease” question.

She said:

“The Dobbs decision presents an opportunity to mitigate abortion’s many harms to women, unborn children, families and community. Abortion not only poses risks to the mother, it is also by definition always lethal to an embryo or fetus, an unborn child who is a human being, a member of the human family, not a clump of cells or a potential child.”

You caught that. Right? Abortion, by definition, is “always lethal to and embryo or fetus.” And I love how she triple emphasized that an embryo or fetus is 1) an unborn child, 2) a human being, and 3) a member of the human family. There’s just NO wiggle room.

Yeah, and when you and I were still wiggling around in the womb, we were members of the human family. The proof is in the pudding. Because look at us now. All we needed was food and water and a helping hand.

Sad to say, but far too many people still believe that it’s fine to kill tiny unborn human beings just because their parents don’t want them. Or just because their father was a criminal.

Thankfully, those tiny souls shoot straight back to Heaven. 

I’m confident that our living, loving Creator, who made humans in His image and likeness, welcomes them with all the love they need to recover. But that doesn’t make up for how they got there.

Please have another serious talk with anyone you know who might be considering abortion as some sort of “healthcare option.” Ask them the “what disease” question. And explain how that so-called “choice” comes with eternal consequences.

I am not a spark of light
That evolved from darkest night.
If you say I did, I might
Have to make a funny face… ‘cause…

I am a child of God…child of the Living God…
The One who spoke and made the universe.

(from my song “Child of God”)

You won’t find that song on any of my collections. So you should probably jump on the The TRUTH to get stuff like that. https://www.TonyFunderburk.com

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